"20 years ago, the obvious solution would have been to bring them somewhere depopulated by the war, and if that didn't work head down to Brithombar to go ask Ulmo to send a message to Mandos. Now... I don't know if there's anywhere that's safe from The Enemy that's not close to people. Maybe further south..."

"I do have a big mobility advantage, but yeah."

“Maybe Tol Gorgoroth would work, if witches aren’t as mobile as you are. Those mountains are impassible, so the only people nearby would be the eagles, and they can fly away.”

"Witches can move, but they're slow, and - they're... Sort of areas? That're space folded. I'd go inside their barrier to fight their core, and if it ran I'd be inside it. I can definitely limit myself to ones I can beat before they'd get anywhere interesting."

“Dad and Mom both think you’re a good person too, it’s not just my feeling... if you leave Doriath to go try and save those girls, then I... would come with and help out, if we can be safe.”

"I'm - fairly sure I'd be safe. I don't know enough yet if you'd be safe, or - what your risk tolerance is?"

“I could do it from some distance away, but then it would almost certainly affect you too.”

"I'd rather be next to the seed anyways. It's - alright. I could keep a witch from affecting you, I know that, but - I don't know local threats well."

"Unless you would keep me safe by running away, it should be fine to do it right outside Doriath; I guess I didn't guess right about how easy it would be for you. Mom's protections wouldn't stop my songs either direction, and definitely not heading out. To be safe it would probably be best to do it away from any of the surrounding settlements of forces of The Enemy, but the border is really long and he doesn't control the continent completely."

"All of the witches won't be easy. But if I use a grief seed a lot, to clear my own magic, they'll be witches again. There's a few I rely on for that, so I've fought them a lot. And they don't - learn. So I know how quickly I can beat them, and which ones are relatively weak. I won't be - picking the powerful ones without a big team. I can also dismiss the despair effect over a few people, but it's not - efficient in a population center."

“I’ll ask Mablung where a good spot would be, then. Um... what kind of characteristics would you need, aside from isolated?”

"Nothing else, really?"

“I’ll ask Mablung about it when you go to sleep, then. Do you want to continue the tour, or would you prefer to do something else instead?”

She shrugs. "I might - spend some time sorting my pocket space."

Not all of Luthien’s good cheer has vanished; she gives Sue a radiant smile.

”If you end up needing to go back, your treehouse is that way.”

She runs off, rather than dancing, but it’s still an incredibly graceful sight, and fast too boot. The sound of her music lingers for a time, but eventually fades into thr background of Quendi song.

She heads back to the tree house, meditates on local magic more, and then starts sorting her pocket space, trying to put more effort into identifying which seeds might be magical girls, and sorting them by power levels and the amount of information she has on them. (The ones with obvious powers are probably magical girls - there's one seed she keeps forgetting exists, that likely is the result of a wish, but the others are much, much harder to pin down.)

It'll be a few hours before Luthien returns, bringing another quendi with her. 

"Sue?"

"Yeah? I'm awake."

The telepathic message is not nearly so clear as it was with Luthien or Thingol; he may be experienced beyond the dreams of mortals, and extraordinarily talented besides, but the sharing of thoughts is a hard skill, and not where his chief talent lies. The message is understandable, but not nearly so clear or context laden - not so effortless.

”I am guard-captain Mablung, of the marchwardens. Princess Luthien said you wished to know of the world beyond the borders of Doriath?”

"Yeah. I'm - new to this world. And it's - important I know what threats are out there? And there's a - project? That needs space not around people. Did Luthien explain?"

"She has. Naturally, the ideal location depends on which foes would prove most dangerous to encounter, and how quickly you could deal with these witches. Given that you are from another world, it's hard to be sure what knowledge is lacking, but I'll do my best and will clarfiy any details that are still unknown to you, as best I can.

"The first of the Enemy's soldiery, and the most numerous among them, are the Glamhoth. Glamhoth are shorter than Men or Quendi, and appear ugly to the eye; chiefly green or grey or sallow, but other colors aren't unheard of. They are to the last slaves of the Enemy, and none defy his will or his commands, though they are not without fear. A Glamhoth is typically slower than an adult, and somewhat weaker besides, with worse equipment, but you will almost never encounter them without a group and their weapons are often poisoned with the latest concoctions from the vats of Angband. They lack the grace and keen senses of a Quendi, but are not far from Men on that regard, and often travel with hounds when on hunting parties to flush out their targets. They rarely have any form of armor, but even when mortally they will often still fight. They possess little woodcraft, and their trails and camps can be easily noticed; their coming can be detected, if not from the baying of the hounds, by the flight of birds. They are most dangerous in great numbers or when stiffened by the Enemy's stronger forces, but he seems to posess no real limit on how many he can breed to replace the numbers of his losses, and they can be deadly as distractions or against a distracted force.

"Also among his armies, often in large number, are the Easterlings - men who never escaped from the shadow into the west, and still serve the enemy's purpose. These far more defy generalization, and often cannot be determined as foe on sight, allowing them to pull off sneak attacks. These can and indeed have been swayed back on occasion, particularly with payment of gold or threat, for their loyalty is generally more fickle than that of Glamhoth. The danger of these depends on the group; many of the richer and more skilled groups can be nearly as strong as one of the Edain, but others are less of a threat than even the Glamhoth. More dangerous by far than the normal easterlings, however, are the Gaurhoth - werewolves. They appear merely as Men, but can at will transform into a monstrous form, near as fast as a horse and capable of healing perfectly from lesser injuries; they have great stamina, and are very difficult to outlast in a chase even on horseback. Generally, they don't range far from their master, Gorthaur, but it's not unheard of for the Enemy to deploy them elsewhere. They can act independatly, and have incredibly keen senses, particularly of smell and hearing; they are very difficult to flee from.

"Balrogs are the most dangerous of The Enemy's general soldiery. They are Ainur in their own right, given up their ability to shift forms and utilize their Power directly for an immensely strong physical form and control of flame. Their whips are extremely deadly, capable of shattering poorly made armor or shields in a single blow, and the heat their weapons give off can injure even with a near miss. They don't think like incarnates do, but they are invariably old, clever, and experienced. It's very difficult to disincorporate one without magical weapons, and if you do, they are not slain forever but abandon their body and take their surroundings with them in a massive fireball. There shouldn't be any of these outside of the north, even after the fall of Felagund's fortress at Sirion, for they are not subtle and our forces have not collapsed to that great an extent.

"Glaurung is a type of monster we call a dragon; his breath is nearly as hot as a forge, his scales and claws like steel, and his gaze can hypnotize all but the strongest willed. When he was younger, Lord Fingon managed to best him and drive him back to Angband, but that was nigh on two centuries ago and he proved incredibly fearsome at the battle of sudden flame; even Noldor lines could scarcely stand against him. The poisonous Miasma he trails in his wake can prevent the regrowth of plants for years, and is toxic to Quendi, Men, and Khazad. He is further enormous, and capable of attacking and killing whole groups of soldiers at a time, and it is very difficult to get anywhere with blunt impact. I don't believe we've even reached the limits of his capabilities, either; I would scarcely take him on without an army at my back, and even then I would have to prepare for many among them to end up dead. 

"Gorthaur is the greatest of The Enemy's servants, and a Maiar nearly on par with Her Majesty. He is a master of disguise, and of shifting shape, but is also clever beyond any of his peers and possesses a better understanding of incarnates, making him a very effective liar. His power over the song he commands is extremely potent and practiced, and he is a highly accomplished smith. The equipment of his troops far outstrips that of the rest of The Enemy's forces, as often does their quality, such as in his werewolves or the lesser Maia like Thuringwethil that serve under him rather than directly under The Enemy as Balrogs. Do not blindly trust that things are as they appear to be with him; he usually takes the form of a Quendi, but can at the drop of a hat change his shape or cast an illusion over his surroundings to fool the uncautious. Should he venture from his fortress, or you encounter him there by some ill stroke of fortune, I can only suggest you flee."

"I'm immune to everything from my world except mind control, which I'm resistant to. Luthien's emotion-control song worked on me. I - might be able to figure something out for illusions, but it'd take practice. There'd be magical girls who'd - have different advantages. Why are the Glamhoth so loyal? - I'm specifically thinking here of a girl I know whose power was... She'd talk to people, and they'd like her, and trust her, and - be her friend?" A pause, and - "I have her grief seed. I... Wouldn't want to fight her witch alone. She's strong."

“To assume that the same holds true of all the Powers here would be reckless in truth, but if it remains truth that you are invincible, or nearly so, then that gift may  well be a great boon. Much like I would a Noldor mailed by Fëanor, however, I must caution you - should things go awry, flee! To hold your ground for no purpose is folly, for you will tire and slow, and even if the barbs of Glamhoth cannot pierce your skin, the chains of The Enemy may still serve to drag you back to Angband.

”The Enemy created Glamhoth in mockery of Quendi, and twisted them to serve his purpose - to love evil, and harm, and torment and to fear his strength above all else. The Enemy was reckoned  a master, of treachery in fair words woven, but through his machinations such talents are unnecessary for his dealings with the Glamhoth.”

"Yeah, I know, I'm not gonna count on it. And that sounds like they'll be hard to - subvert, even for the girl I mentioned, though I wouldn't... Count her out? But even if the song works to de-witch grief seeds, I'd want a couple of magical girls before risking having her witch."

Mablung nods, face grave. 

“If you seek a place safe from the enemy, then there are few more empty than Eres Gorgoroth, for the mountains are lifeless and too treacherous to cross for Quendi or Glamhoth; none live there. Should you need more space than lies among the mountain peaks, then the lands to the south are largely free of Glamhoth, and none  venture beyond the hills of Andram. Should such distance be unreadable, the lands to the east of here lie stripped, but remain free behind the Noldor lines.”