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Tumunzahar makes Menegroth look like a contract project. Which, the Dwarves assure her, it was. The stonework is astonishingly careful and beautiful, silky to the touch up close while from a distance it gives the impression of stretching on forever above, a sky of stone with crystals for stars. Vast natural cave systems are connected by dozens of perfectly smooth, gently sloped broad stone pathways from which the fall, if she fell, would be several miles down. There are handrails. "We use those to move materials carts," someone explains to her, "we're not going to be reckless."
There's an amphitheater, a place where a hundred of the stone walkways twine around to create space for a hundred thousand people to sit in close proximity, and someone is giving a lecture or a demonstration at the base of it, the seats closest to him filled with eager, tiny, bearded Dwarf-children.
And they spiral down, and down, and down, past waterfalls and egg-sized gemstones left half in the rock and halls of crystal. Everything grows gradually more ornate and more perfectly maintained and the clang of hammers fades behind them. "People say," her guide says, "that we only have a council instead of a single King because there were nine winners of the competition to design the throne so we couldn't just select one person to sit it." And they push open the doors to reveal, indeed, nine thrones so elaborate it would be hard to choose between them, and nine squat bearded people sitting them.
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purposeful_glory
I told them. They quizzed me under lie detection afterwards. I don't assume I was privy to the entire decisionmaking process; I delivered a message with Allspeak off so I know I wasn't hearing everything they said to him either. Well, except literally hearing it.
So no.
Thank you, Loki. I'm sorry. It sounds like you've had a painful and unpleasant few days.
Thank you, Loki. I'm sorry. It sounds like you've had a painful and unpleasant few days.
I know it doesn't feel like much of anything, but taking Sauron off the table even for a few years is a major accomplishment.
He does smile, at that. Was it satisfying? How did he react?
I wasn't imagining the fight lasted more than a few seconds. What happened?
Yes, definitely!
purposeful_glory
So she osanwës him the whole blow by blow, visuals and darkened stars and the crevasse and Huan's assistance and his lousy fencing becoming increasingly redundant with everything else that was going on and her disarmament and the ice and the scream and the retreat.
That's amazing. By which I mean both that you are amazing and that I'm amazed you survived.
purposeful_glory
Some combination of he wasn't actually trying to kill me and he didn't know I was all frosty. I wouldn't try it twice without picking up more backup or powers or both.
And Angband's going to be even worse.
I'm glad you're safe, we'll be careful, we won't pick any fights or be misled into them or let them escalate or fight back in them. Really. If that's the assurance you came here for before whatever you're doing, we're committed to it.
I'm glad you're safe, we'll be careful, we won't pick any fights or be misled into them or let them escalate or fight back in them. Really. If that's the assurance you came here for before whatever you're doing, we're committed to it.
purposeful_glory
I mostly came to deliver news, she shrugs. Let you know I'm going to be around less.
Okay. We're managing fine. We'll move south in a few years, I guess, if that's how they've decided this happens.
purposeful_glory
And I have the lie detection song now, if you want to run it on Sarpalarë.
Sure, worth a shot, though I don't think it'll get us anywhere. Sauron. He shakes his head.
He takes a ring off his finger. Song copy?
Thank you.
purposeful_glory
You're welcome. Anything else to cover before I fly off and try to more or less parent a baby species?
Good luck with that. Need any help?
purposeful_glory
I'd love some, do you think somebody wants to come along?