Yes, I suppose.

Is it possible that they're right? That you're safer here and should stay here, and will make anywhere else you go into a target for the Enemy?

It's possible. I have considered parking here for extended periods of time for similar reasons. But it would be a terrible pity if someone decided that was not my decision to make and in so doing deprived me of my only refuge; it would not have the desired effect.

I'll talk to my father.

Thank you.

Are you feeling any better? I can't even imagine -

I'm not satisfied by the lack of solution to the - abandonment of the Men. They are three weeks old. He's setting the tone for their entire civilization, their other neighbors have no interest in presenting an alternative example, these helpless people have been deposited in hostile terrain without anything they'd need to fight off werewolves or see through misinformation, your mother is the only non-evil Power I'm aware of who shows up to work on this continent and she's heavily invested here not there - and they deserve better, and he's not going to get any easier to pry loose.

And there's nothing at all anyone who isn't a Power can do.

A Power or me.

You might die. You might not die. You wouldn't win.

Yes, that's the problem.

I'm sorry whatever it is you were hoping for with your magic didn't happen.

I may yet get it. Might require further proximity to Balrogs. Are Balrogs in limited supply? Can I go pick a fight with those somehow, work off some frustration?

They're limited in the sense that there were a certain number of Maiar in the beginning, and a smaller number that sided with Melkor, and Maiar can't have children. Mother's an exception and I think she personally pleaded with Eru for it. They're not limited in the sense that the Enemy was gravely weakened when you killed one. I am sure you could tell Gorthaur where you are and pick a fight, though he'd be silly to send one of them.

Yeah, that is not a preferred way of fighting Balrogs.

The Enemy generally sends them out with armies, so they can wreak havoc without much risk.

Last time I encountered an army it was all orcs.

The Enemy hasn't launched any offensives since before the newcomers arrived. We think it's because everything he has is much weaker in sunlight and he's probably scrambling to adjust them.

The newcomers did encounter several thousand orcs, but maybe they were on a retreat path and their Balrog escort went on ahead or something.

When the newcomers arrived the orcs were besieging the whole continent. The newcomers picked the fight, not the other way around. I don't know if there were Balrogs, I suppose you would have to ask them.

Well, I was there, I didn't see any Balrogs, and the orcs ran when they suddenly couldn't see or hear.

Oh, we're thinking of different fights - the one I'm thinking of is when the first batch of newcomers arrived, before the rising of the Sun and Moon. I didn't know there was another attack later. Perhaps there was a Balrog, and that's when he slipped in and joined their host?

...Can't rule it out.

In any event if Gorthaur's waiting on your job answer, he's probably not going to attack anyone right now.

Probably, although he might determine that I'm not moving his requested ex-prisoner, whose location he claims to be able to discern, and derive my answer from that.