#elvish setup

[leondanteart]

My new keeb from Drop x LOTR collab!

It's beautiful however I have some complaints despite being a keeb noob.

One: It's not hotswap. Which I was excited to get one that's already soldered. However, the metal plate and pcb have no foam in between them. Creating an atrocious metallic ping when you press some of the keys. I don't solder so I can't fix it unfortunately.

Two: I was switching the shift keycap out and one of the stabilizers broke off with the keycap💀 I would fix it but I would have to desolder it to get to the stabs.

My only complaints are around the fact that its soldered and I can't desolder it to fix the problems. (˘_˘٥) Also I think it's expensive for its price, when comparing it to my Yunzii x Coolkiller keyboard (which was cheaper by like 10$ lol).

What I do like about it; It's beautiful, the keycaps feel great, the green case is very nice! This is my first keyboard with tactile switches, and I like the sound. I have to play music or wear headphones when typing on this keyboard to drown out the pinging, though. As a fan I think it looks great, kinda wish I had just bought the keycaps and built a keyboard instead.

I did get to do my first mod, and it was the tempest mod!

[slunberparty]

In a little less than a month will be the year anniversary of chapter one of my game! So I thought I would explain the Snowhere writing system! Consonants are written as the base line and the vowel that comes after is written directly above it, so for example the word RED would be written  E RD if there’s no consonant the vowel just floats up there. if there’s a double letter just put a little dash for the second letter. This is fine for vowels or consonants. The example text under the chart says Daybreak in Snowhere! (: 

[sorcerous-caress]

Okay human kink and streamer reader.

You're new to this streaming thing, you've tried countless times on twitch and even youtube but you barely get any viewers.

So one day while browsing twitter like one does, you stumble upon a link posted in a long thread in elvish. Curiously you click on it and it takes you to a new twitch domian you've never seen before.

The thread is deleted before you could go back and translate it. browsing through the website, you notice that it's mostly streamers playing games or talking.

One thing though, you can't spot a single human. It's all tieflings, elves, halflings and even fiends. Non-human streamers were vere rare on your normal streaming websites.

Setting an account, you do an experiment stream to test the waters. Checking things out and testing your mic and cam. Setting up your game and getting ready in your chair, absolutely oblivious to the steady rising number of viewers.

You're not even doing anything important, just going about your routine while occasionally talking to yourself. Only when a big donation pops up that it makes you jump out of your chair.

"Unmute the mic plz - 125 golds"

Checking the viewer page, you keep refreshing it to make sure what you're seeing isn't a bug. Over a thousand views already and it hasn't been 10 minutes, the numbers are rising and people are steadly pouring in.

Another donation, an even bigger number this time pops up.

"Human? Or cosplay? - 200 golds"

You try to read the chat but it's going too fast for you to comprehend, finally finishing your setup, you unmute your mic and hesitantly say a greeting.

Donation after donation pours in, so many messages that all the sounds overplay on each other. Complimenting this cute human, some in languages you don't even recognise.

[chthonion]

3, 4, 21 for the ask meme?

Absolutely, thank you!

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

The jury is out on whether I can or can't be arsed to do all the setup--we'll see what happens when Your Shadow Rising isn't eating all of my attention--but I've got a Silvergifting daemon AU on the backburner that is just begging to be written, specifically so that I can write Annatar's daemon attacking him over his plan to make her into a Ring.

Like so:

“How does it feel?” she spits, as her claws tear into flesh that no elvish hand could wound, as her teeth leave scars that will follow him through every shape in every lifetime. “How does it feel to have your own self turned against you? How does it feel when you’re the one in pain, Mairon?” “You’re mine,” he gasps. “You can’t do this.” “You’re mine,” she says, “and I’ll do as I please with you. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me, all these years?”

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

This is slightly cheating, because it's longer than a paragraph, but I'm really proud of this bit of Anastasis:

Celebrimbor says, “Sunrise.” He says it like a name, like an endearment, and the epithet falls naturally from his lips, without a hint of hesitation or shame. There is a strange sort of beauty to the way he says it, a certainty that refuses to apologize or argue. There is also an edge to it that reminds Frodo of nothing so much as the way a Sackville-Baggins might say, my dear cousin.

Because in the space of these four sentences, I feel like I did a lot of work to establish where Celebrimbor stands with this relationship.

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

Ooooh this is such a fun question. Hmm...I think the visuals you could get with a webcomic or graphic novel type setup for Your Shadow Rising could be REALLY neat, because there are so many moments where the characters and their narratives parallel and mirror and reflect each other.

[demonscantgothere]

When Halbrand was injured, could he really have died or was it a sham?

This has been something strongly on my mind for a while now. When Galadriel finally discovers what has happened to him after Mount Doom's eruption, Sauron was conveniently found "on the road" in this condition.

I don't doubt Galadriel knows her stuff, so if she says this wound needs Elvish medicine, then it needs Elvish medicine. It's obvious the wound is seriously infected, but the fact that we don't see how this happened or came about raises a lot of questions. Another thing for me during this scene is when Arondir leaves the tent, Sauron watches him closely. I've been wondering about that, too.

Sauron uses this moment to say that he will come back to help these people, and he also hints that Galadriel will come back with him. I found this very interesting, too. My reading of this is he's saying, "When I'm healed, I'm coming back. You'll come back with me. You won't stay with the Elves." They have a bonding moment over that. They share small smiles over it.

I feel like, in this moment, he definitely had a plan to keep her with him. He's appealing to that notion right now. It's not just about what he's going to do; it's about what she's going to do, too.

Galadriel, honey. You just said he needed Elvish medicine. The wound is soured, he's bedridden on the verge of death, but no one is helping this poor man walk??? Or mount his horse???? He does all without any help? Is he really that injured? Is it really that bad??? Why ain't she carrying him, thrown over her horse, like she's Arwen and he's Frodo?

I'm not understanding this part of the scene at all. Unless you're trying to tell me it really isn't that bad.

Sauron watches Theo very closely. I firmly believe Theo is going to become one of the Ringwraiths. I firmly believe this. Also, Sauron is very chill in this scene. Despite being on the verge of death. While I believe the wound is soured because there's no way Galadriel wouldn't know that, I don't know. They're playing this funny. It's obviously not as serious for him as it would be for a regular mortal, so there is a strong possibility he was never in any real danger and it was a ploy of some sort. In fact, I think that's very true.

It couldn't have been that bad.

He even rides off on his own horse without any trouble. It's like he was just laying in bed, waiting for Galadriel show up.

It's a conflicting scene, and they never show us how this happened to him. Whether they even address it later, who knows. It's always been a thing for Sauron to work his way in with the Elves, but he's never had a chance to. This easily could have been a setup. Definitely feels like one.

However, I don't think he knew what he would do once he got there or what would happen. I think he just wanted to go there. The writers confirmed that he didn't have any plans in his back pocket before his arrival to Eregion, but you know. Them damn Elves. Sauron loves them.

[cycas]

I'm most interested to know more about those Angmar fics! 👀

It hadn't actually occurred to me until now that I have two Angmar WIPS.

Rise of Angmar is about Glorfindel arriving in Rivendell in the Third Age, and learning about how Angmar is developing as a problem.

(I like a Third Age Glorfindel, because I like Elrond to have specific experience as a war leader in the Second Age, and to have deliberately turned away from that after Gil-galad's death, but also because if you have Glorfindel arriving then, you've got someone who has been completely out of Middle-earth politics for thousands of years and that's a nice setup for exploring them.)

Fall of Angmar is part of my Discussions upon Translations from the Elvish series, which is centered around Bilbo in Rivendell after his Adventure, and was working on... well, translations. He is supposed to have called on all the resources of Rivendell in his scholarly work, and I thought Glorfindel would probably be a major one.

I haven't got as far as exploring what Glorfindel thought of poor doomed Eärnur or Arvedui, but I really want to know!

[avarindigenous]

well, I’ve now seen episode 5 of The Rings of Power, and my hopes for meaningful commentary on empire are entirely dashed.

the Easterlings of Tir Harad might not be devil-worshiping barbarians caught between Yellow Peril and the Saracen Menace, but they are quick and eager to submit to an evil overlord, and Bronwyn’s insistence that in fact the elves were right about her people while Arondir tries to explain to her that mortal Men are in fact good was stereotypical and insulting. watching a group of people who have been classified as faceless servants in the source material immediately cave to the slightest pressure was intensely upsetting. the placement of a Black person as the first to raise their hand to volunteer to fight and resist only to have white and white-passing people agree to submit was adding insult to injury.

on top of that, Númenor continues to be anything but imperially ambitious. Pharazôn may have the desire to craft a vast empire, but he’s also little better than Iago from Othello or Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin. he’s the obvious villain, and giving him the evil plots and schemes and twisted ambition means that the writers are classifying imperialism and colonialism as, again, something only evil individuals do. it’s not a systemic problem or an institution that benefits those who are born into it, and the good Númenoreans are now in a position where they can say they were tricked into doing bad things by a single bad man. it’s blatant, and disheartening.

and, most frustrating of all, the elvish table that is sent back with Durin because it’s crafted from sacred stone is heavily implied to be something Gil-galad obtained through graverobbing or other forms of looting, but the writing neither states this outright nor denies it and no characters address this as the act of deeply traumatic violence that it is.

the way it’s introduced is jarring and badly written, with no setup or explanation in advance to allow the audience to share in Durin’s anger and sadness, and as a plot thread it’s dropped immediately and solved by the elves instantly agreeing to repatriation. watching this was deeply upsetting to me, not because the Noldor are exempt from committing violent acts against the dwarves (Finrod’s colonization of Nargothrond happened, after all) but because by neither confirming it nor denying it the writers are attempting to have it both ways. they can both preserve the Noldor as good white people who do the right thing and are culturally sensitive and introduce the question of politically topical subjects like violence against marginalized ethnic groups. if the elves are in possession of a sacred dwarvish artifact that they’re using for a table, that indicates a level of disregard for and ignorance of traditions that aren’t their own, and implies they see nothing wrong with stealing from other races. if the elves found the stone by accident and didn’t know it was sacred, then they’re totally innocent and their guilt is only because they’re good people. it should be one or the other, if we must have this plot at all. both cannot exist at once.

also, I can of course only speak to this issue from the indigenous perspective, but I want to point out that the dwarves are not indigenous-coded in Tolkien’s works, they’re Jewish-coded. there is a long history of theft and desecration of Jewish religious items and artifacts by Christians. while I immediately thought of indigenous people having our graves robbed and our sacred items stolen for display in private homes or museums, and our spiritual practices commodified for settlers, I want to acknowledge that my voice isn’t the one that should be the loudest. personally, I’m of the opinion that either the writers are trying to comment on the Jewish coding with this plot or else they’re ignorant of it and have unintentionally echoed real-life acts of antisemitism in their story that’s meant to be addressing some sort of anti-indigenous racism. (I personally don’t feel as if these dwarves are meant to be Jewish-coded, but I’m not Jewish myself and don’t feel comfortable drawing that conclusion definitively.)

I didn’t intend for this blog to turn into prolonged discussions of the flaws of this adaptation, but I do think that there are flaws worth pointing out. it concerns me greatly that the version of this story with the greatest amount of racial diversity and the greatest focus on racial diversity is failing to even begin to meaningfully address the racism in the source text, and is introducing additional racism or reinforcing the biases of the author.

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Creature Types: Mystic

Art by  Matt Cavotta

What is a Mystic (flavorfully)?

Flavorfully, Mystic is not a well defined creature type. Mystics appear to be a type of spellcaster who gain their powers from pure spirituality without a specific connection with a divine entity. While the first two Mystics are clearly Taoist monks (and yet not of the Monk creature type), the Mystics in Odyssey are nomads who gain powers for unclear reasons.

What is a Mystic (mechanically)?

The initial two Mystics were random green creatures in Portal: Three Kingdoms. They’re both 2/2s for 2G, which feels more like a coincidence than an intentional decision to have them mirror each other.

The Mystic type reappeared in Odyssey, where it appears on five White Human Nomad Mystics that have a Threshold ability to grant Flying. One of them is also Green.

And then Mystic disappeared. Forever. Despite a large number of creatures with Mystic in the name.

Can I make a Mystic deck?

While it’s not unreasonable to use all the Mystics in a single deck, and the fact that five of them have Threshold abilities means they all work well with the same strategy, the need to get seven cards in the graveyard doesn’t really work well with their designs as aggro creatures. Mystic Penitent is potentially a one mana 2/2 Flying Vigilance creature, which sounds amazing, but filling your graveyard quickly takes time away from playing aggressive creatures. Mystic Enforcer, potentially a 6/6 Flying for 4, would also be great on curve but the setup necessary to make it work means it doesn’t compare favorably to many other aggressive options.

The Mystics are also only legal in Eternal formats, which means an even harder brand of opponents, and there aren’t nearly enough to make a commander deck.

Sixty card super casual is about all you’re going to pull off here.

Is Mystic a good creature type?

Mystic is an obvious mistake. While there’s a clear mechanical identity, there’s no actual need for the creature type, especially when those with a shared identity are already Nomads. Further, ‘Mystic’ is a viciously undefined term in a game with Shaman, Wizard, Cleric, Druid, and now Warlock. It’s obviously not a supported type, too, as there are some two dozen creatures with Mystic in the name that aren’t of the Mystic creature type. Granted, some of these are things like “Mystic’s Familiar” and “Mystic Snake,” but others are “Elvish Mystic” and “Stoneforge Mystic.”

Curiously, the new Spellslingers game does use the type Mystic, which encompasses Druids, Shamans, spellcasting Monks, and Stoneforge Mystic. It also includes a few magical creatures, such as making the unicorn a “Mystic Beast.” It’s a great type option for a game with limited types, and a complete creature type rework could definitely make use of it… but as is, Magic has basically forgotten it exists, and that’s fine. It’s a dead creature type and should probably stay that way.

[ekhidne]

Tom Holt’s YouSpace series is fun. It’s science fantasy with a lot of absurdity and a convoluted plot. It’s a little too proud of its cleverness sometimes and the characters’ personalities are all very similar (men one way, women another), but the parallel world setup is neat. Mordak the Dark Lord from the Tolkein-esque world is my favorite character so far.

 *Became the Goblin King by not dying

*Goblin Kings get their heads cut off for losing wars, so clearly the important thing was to prevent wars through diplomacy and tricking the Dwarves into signing a truce. Peaceful retirement from being king was not a likely option.

*While he was at it, set up a health care system. Tied himself in knots trying to philosophically justify why this was all actually Evil.

*Said forget it and just bought an Elvish newspaper to run thinkpieces about how all his actions were Secretly Evil. PR for his subjects, since being portrayed as a bloodthirsty monster could only help keep him on the throne.

*Constant snarking with his Elvish secretary. Tintuviel is competent, morally suspect, and overall breathtakingly condescending. She’s fun.

*Has to persuade his people (proud battle maniacs) to become basket weavers for a while. This actually works.

*Participates in a class-action lawsuit against colonizers from a parallel world. Turns out mining uranium for centuries has had negative effects on his people.

*Canon ace

*Has a daughter. He is very proud of her.

Basically a softhearted manipulative bastard who’s very sensible and a little pathetic and he’s also a Dark Lord.

[thaumaturgekitchen]

Human Cultures

(For an explanation on how all this works plus some cultures for elves, see here. Other cultures: Dwarves, Orcs, Halflings)

Next up is humans, and damn, they sure do have culture. Humans in D&D (and, y'know, in general) are traditionally quite varied and adaptable, so I took this as an opportunity to make some cultures which focus specifically on how humanity engages with the unknown, and which consequentially get a little funky genre-wise. We've got something vaguely gothic-horror-adjacent, some spelljamming sci-fi, and the setup for a weird sort of quasi-Isekai. Is this a take on our modern world? An alternate history? What happens to a Tolkien-esque fantasy land once the magic's fully faded away? Who knows, but it sure does have trains, those wonderfully ambiguous touchstones of some-time-after-medieval-fantasy.

As far as the common language for this one in particular goes, there's some awkwardness here with how D&D typically handles human languages (or the lack thereof). You can make up a language as appropriate, or use a regular D&D language like Elvish to represent traces of language preserved in old stories from the world-that-was.

The final culture here is a pretty typical fantasy kingdom with a bit of draconic flair, if you're looking for something that will slot neatly into most fantasy worlds. That said, if you're hoping for more generic cultures to suit humans (along with folks of any other ancestry), keep an eye out - I've got something planned for Wednesday.

And now, the cultures:

Grim Townsfolk

Beyond the walls of human towns, monsters stalk the night. Dragons lurk in every cave, witches flit across the night sky and consort with demons, and elves weave strange spells and steal children's breath - or so the stories go. Faced with a strange and dangerous world beyond their comprehension, their fear gave way to paranoia. They made walls of stone and laws of iron, bound angels to their will and submitted to the rule of petty tyrants, all in a bid to keep the dark at bay.

Common language: Celestial

Pick two:

Gain proficiency in Perception

Gain proficiency in Religion

Gain proficiency with pikes and heavy crossbows

Gain proficiency with carpenter's tools and mason's tools

Learn the spell Detect Evil and Good. You can cast it using any spell slots you have and can cast it 1/long rest at 1st level without expending a spell slot.

Astral Voyagers

Born in the twilight years of a dying world, these humans came together in pursuit of one last, great hope. They gave all they had to built a fleet of spelljamming ships - one that could carry their children and their legacy for generations to come. And when at last they pierced the sky and emerged into the swirling splendor of the astral sea, they found that they were not alone. Now, these voyagers soar across a multiverse teeming with life, making new friends and taking on crewmates wherever the astral winds carry them.

Common language: Any

Pick two:

Gain proficiency in Persuasion

Gain proficiency in History

Gain proficiency with navigator's tools and tinker’s tools

Learn the Mending cantrip

Learn the spell Comprehend Languages. You can cast it using any spell slots you have and can cast it 1/long rest at 1st level without expending a spell slot.

Faded Fantasy

The ages turned, and the world forgot. Now the maps are fixed. Now trains roll through once-sleepy towns, and old houses sit empty as the families who once lived there move on. Yet in the far corners of the land there are traces of what came before, in snippets of stories and prayers to gods whose names no one remembers. And every so often some brave fool walks away and vanishes past the far mountains, in search of a land where elves and dwarves still walk the earth, and dragons still soar the skies.

Common language: Any

Pick two:

Gain proficiency in Persuasion

Gain proficiency in Investigation

Gain proficiency with vehicles (land) and one type of musical instrument

Gain proficiency with one type of artisan's tools and one type of gaming set

Learn the spell Ceremony. You can cast it using any spell slots you have and can cast it 1/long rest at 1st level without expending a spell slot.

Friends of the Dragon

Once, there was a wild and fearsome dragon who rampaged across the land, laying waste to all she touched. Though she was mighty, she feared what would happen were she to show the slightest hint of weakness. Yet one day, a few human farmers came to her not with swords but with kindness, to tend to her wounds and learn from her wisdom. In time, she learned to walk among them and share her magic. A town grew up around the dragon, then a kingdom, as she put her great strength to work healing the land and making a home of it. And though she has since grown ancient and weary, the kingdom she helped build still prospers and its people still cherish her.

Common language: Draconic

Pick two:

Gain proficiency in Animal Handling

Gain proficiency in Medicine

Gain proficiency with one type of artisan's tools and one type of musical instrument

Learn the spell Cure Wounds. You can cast it using any spell slots you have and can cast it 1/long rest at 1st level without expending a spell slot.

Learn the spell Chromatic Orb. You can cast it using any spell slots you have and can cast it 1/long rest at 1st level without expending a spell slot.

[arnold-layne]

extra fun world to live in. i have a feeling that even if your book is the next harry potter best-seller there won't be that many self-insert fanfics about it huh. anyway, sorry i'm getting scatterbrained but this whole explanation gave me two different questions. first of all, what's the landscape like? there's forests and grassy places, but how it is articulated around that? mountains and valleys? flat land? do they have sea access? etc. and also, second question, if that's not spoilers, if magic-stopping metal kills elves in a few days, does that mean your elf protag is progressively getting worse while he's in the cage?

im SO SORRY it took me like a century to answer this i promise i love your asks im just exceptionally bad at maintaining conversation 😭 idk really, are there many self-inserts in the game of thrones fandom? because i kinda want to show that the world is cruel but i dont wanna stress it too much. i don't feel like adding blood and gore helps realism or stuff like that. at some point it just becomes violence for the sake of it. and i also feel like the amount of self-insert fanfiction depends almost entirely on the characters, not world, because people usually write self-inserts for shipping purposes. and im not sure my characters are the type that get many self-inserts, but it's not up to me to decide 😄

the landscape is the stuff i developed the least tbh 😅 all i know is that the human mc lives in a small mountainous country where food is often scarce (you can't really grow a lot on mountain slopes, and livestock is not a completely foolproof source of food either), but there are a lot of mineral resources to compensate for that. the mountains where the kingdom lies are surrounded by forests where the elf mc is from. i imagine this setup is located somewhere north, so the climate is pretty harsh. then there's tundra to the north and then the sea, but it's navegable only in summer. to the south after forests there are mostly grassy plains and hills with predominantly nomadic population, occasionally intercepted by lakes, with few rivers flowing through the lands, but those that are there are huge. life is mostly concentrated around them, so a lot of land remains unexplored, which means elvish population thrives there. they don't necessarily need to live in forests: like humans (even better than them), they can adapt to different environments. there are few elves in the mountains, though, so the citizens of that little mountainous kindgom aren't really familiar with them like southern people are, thus don't really harbor the same animosity towards them. that's where my worldbuilding ends tbh 😂 the empire that the little kingdom is a part of (it's kinda an self-governing province that can manage its internal affairs but has to abide by the empire's policy in external affairs. and also pay taxes. it's a long story) is fighting with its southern neighbour for sea access, though. i made that up right now, i didn't have the reason for the war before that, i just knew there is a war, but it actually seems pretty fitting, thank u <3

regarding your second question, yes it does 😈 but the journey to the mountains took much longer than its needed to kill an elf, a few weeks actually. and he was getting progressively worse all that time, and it damaged his health so badly it rendered him disabled for the rest of his life, but it didn't kill him like it would do other elves. the reason is a spoiler though sorry <3 that will be so interesting to explore actually, how a member of a species that have incredible regenerative abilities to the point of being capable of growing back their limbs, which means there are very few disabled elves out there, will deal with such a betrayal of his own body. i find this topic very interesting but i hope it won't come off offensive 😥

[lasclpi]

The lord of the rings editions

have released new Lord of the Rings trilogy and Hobbit trilogy sets remastered for 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos. Just in time for the holidays, Jackson, his creative team, and Warner Bros. That’s why Peter Jackson couldn’t let his Lord of the Rings trilogy sit around and collect dust. Those experiential advancements, to which mainstream viewers are becoming more attuned, are prompting other filmmakers to ensure that their classics live up to the standards of the “living room cinema” revolution. The Christmas Day release of Wonder Woman 1984 will mark the first 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos title on HBO Max, and it won’t be the last. Pictures would release its entire 2021 film slate directly to HBO Max raised questions about the future of the theatrical experience, it also made clear to film lovers that having a quality home entertainment setup is more essential than ever. While last week’s industry-rattling announcement that Warner Bros. So each Wednesday throughout the year, we’ll go there and back again, examining how and why the films have endured as modern classics. And during all this, you’ll have to keep constant vigil on the corruption track.2021 marks The Lord of the Rings movies’ 20th anniversary, and we couldn’t imagine exploring the trilogy in just one story. You’ll move along quest paths which depict fighting, friendship, hiding, and traveling, and use quest cards to gather runes, help defend against Sauron’s corruption with life tokens, end conflicts quickly, or hide to avoid them altogether. Even the One Ring mini now has the authentic elvish script, and will neatly fit around the base of the Ring-bearer’s mini when they choose to use it.ĭuring your quest to destroy the One Ring, you’ll play over four game boards, one each for Moria, Helm’s Deep, Shelob’s Lair, and Mordor. Each miniature is detailed, from the hobbit’s hairy feet to the frightening new Black Rider miniature, which replaces the previous punchboard Sauron token. In LTR20, these have been upgraded to plastic sculptured miniatures, including all the Hobbits, Sauron, the One Ring, and the Threat Die. In the 2000 edition of the game, the tokens, markers, and game die were punchboard. LTR20 encompasses gameplay that covers the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy of books, including the dark depths of Moria, the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the gloom of Shelob’s Lair, and the desolation of Mordor. In LTR20, you control the fate of the Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins of the Shire, as he and the Fellowship of the Ring (you and up to four other players) make a treacherous journey across Middle-earth to destroy the One Ring, while avoiding and defeating the evil forces of Dark Lord Sauron. Related: The 10 Best Lord Of The Rings Games (According To Metacritic) The new LTR20 edition includes all the beautiful John Howe art and Reiner Knizia design elements from the previous edition, and comes with a set of newly sculptured miniatures, markers, tokens, and dice. The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Anniversary Edition ( LTR20) is the one edition to rule them all, bringing back the classical cooperative gameplay and famed design from the first edition 20 years ago. The Anniversary Edition is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2020. Fantasy Flight Games recently revealed The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Anniversary Edition, a precise replica of The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game first published in 2000, but with new high-quality upgrades.

[mnikhowozu]

Edgar nudged his chair closer to the display as yet another cosplayer squeezed by them, the bright lights of the convention hall’s vendors room beaming down on the display before him. It was quite the setup, though relatively unremarkable for such an event. It was by and large the same faire that one could find at any renaissance festival or reenactment event, glittering, thick rings with semi-precious stones inlaid, and about a hundred elvish-engraved ones mimicking the one ring.

Eric, for his part, was torn. He’d been hemming and hawing over the display for 20 minutes now, now and again requesting the vendor get something from behind a glass case, or otherwise plucking a ring from those left out himself. He would scrutinize it for a long moment, make an unsure noise, and then move on to the next one. Edgar was certain he’d watched his younger brother go through just about everything they’d had. And then through it all again.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect, you know,” he said, drumming his fingers over the hand rest of his chair. “She’s going to like it either way. Have something custom made.”

Eric didn’t even look down as he replied, still eyeing the compartmented pewter ring he’d been eyeing for the last 5 minutes.

“But I want it to be.”

It was kind of pretty, in a way. In the way that he knew his little brother found very cool. A dragon wrapped around a tiny container, topped with a polished garnet. It was far from dainty, but then again, Arden wasn’t the daintiest of people. They liked fancy, artful things. They had good taste, as far as Edgar was concerned. But the dragon was…well, it was a little much.

“I know. But it’s not like they’re going to say no.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” Edgar pursed his lips, cocking a brow and fixing his brother with a familiar look.

“Well don’t—Spoil it for me. I like the surprise,” He sighed heavily, placing the ring back in the velvet setting of the display case. Back to square one. “I’m just…torn.”

“Her panel isn’t going to last forever.”

“I know that!”

“I’m just giving you fair warning.”

Eric grumbled something under his breath, reaching up to brush his long, dirty blond hair out of his face and push up his glasses. The haircut, Edgar knew, was a purposeful imitation of Dethklok’s rhythm guitarist’s. Arden always liked to joke with Eric that he pulled it off better.

He was glad his brother had someone so wholly accepting. She really, really loved him. It warmed his heart to see.

Especially after all the trouble Eric had always had with the fairer sex.

“Okay. Okay—I think…this one.”

Edgar was pulled from his reverie, drawing his attention to the ring his brother was now holding out for him to look at.

It was comparatively simpler than anything else Eric had been looking at— A simple, silvery band in the design of a serpent chasing its own tail, and between its teeth where the ends met, a dark green, glimmering stone. Tourmaline, maybe? It was going to be pricey, but it wasn’t like they couldn’t afford it right now. Besides, they had a big payday coming. Hopefully.

Edgar raised his brows, humming. “I like it. I think you should get it.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes.” There was an edge of finality to his tone that brooked no argument. Eric only nodded in response.

He watched as his brother caught the attention of the merchant, and he found himself lost in thought once more, a bit misty-eyed. His baby brother. The reality of all of it came down on him, and he found his usually taciturn expression lifting as he watched Eric pay for and stow away the ring in his coat.

He wondered how things would change in the next few months. Mom had always wanted grandkids, but he’d not exactly had a lot of luck in that department for a little while—though there was one person in particular he was starting to form a bond with. Maybe that would lead somewhere. Just thinking about her put him in an even better mood.

Every day the future felt a little bit brighter. Maybe they were finally both starting to get a little settled.

“Let’s go pick up Arden, before she starts looking for us. Can’t have her getting too suspicious.”

“Yes. Let’s.”

He almost smiled.

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hiii Lena how are you? Okay now I have a FEW bebé-adjacent questions. Fist off: Anything you can tell us about Arainia and Blade’s kiddo?? I’m so soft for the thought of babies born into the Shepherds 🥺🥺(or just soft for beebies in general) Also is there like,,,any precedent set for pregnant Shepherds? Paid family leave 😅? I’m assuming they’d have to be upfront to their superior about it if they choose to carry to term and are probably put on desk duty? What about the other parent, assuming it’s a Shepherd-Are they like,,able to request assignments close by/shorter assignments later in the pregnancy? (for example I’m guessing all ROs would be pretty adamant about sticking nearby) In the original novels, were there separate setups in the compound for married shepherds/ ones with kids ? This is a LOT lololol 🙈

Hi kingdom, I’m doing great, and I hope you are, too! And yes, I’m all for bebé questions!!!

Anything you can tell us about Arainia and Blade’s kiddo??

Yes, their first child was a boy named Tamwyn, Tam for short! He was the spitting image of his father, but with Arainia’s eyes and Elvish ears, and he was a very serious little baby, peering around at the world with silent gravity befitting a Bronwyn. Arainia was kind of like “...is our baby okay” but it turned out that Uncle Chase and Uncle Trouble could always make him laugh! Thus, they were always on babysitting duty whenever both Arainia and Blade had to go out of town for a mission...

(This isn’t necessarily canon because it was written when I was like 15 maybe, which was before I knew Riel was going to blast off and commit treason and I’m pretty sure it’s an AU where Junoth didn’t die or I hadn’t done it yet RIP)

Anyway, as you can tell, it was a slightly chaotic but very loving infanthood for him! The official books stop when Tam’s about six months old, but I always had plans for him to grow up to become a strong Battle-Mage like his mother. He’d be a quiet, sensible, somewhat sensitive boy who had to dig deep to access his latent power in his youth. As a young adult, he would have been more confident and possibly headstrong--I feel like he would have had an intense teen rebellion phase--and eventually would grow into a powerful leader with a measured way of seeing the world, but still with a strong sense of empathy and emotional intelligence! He would have been very close to his uncles; would have had a teen crush on Kana, Halek and Wintry’s kid, that probably would have faded quickly; and I feel like he would have an academic side and would want to help Uncle Red with his magical research as a kind of intern, which would annoy Blade deeply, though of course he’d never say so!

There was also always the plan for them to have a second kid, a daughter four years younger than Tam named either Lyra or Amaya, who would have been more Ket like her dad and would have had an unusual mix of both arma and a little magic! She would have been more spunky and energetic than her brother and probably would look totally different from the rest of her dark-haired family due to the weird Mage genetics!

Also is there like,,,any precedent set for pregnant Shepherds? Paid family leave 😅? I’m assuming they’d have to be upfront to their superior about it if they choose to carry to term and are probably put on desk duty?

In the books, relationships were very strictly forbidden within the Shepherd’s Order, more so than they are in the game; it was a rule that had been carried out for hundreds of years, since the founding of the Order, so there wasn’t really a precedent set for both parents being Shepherds when one got pregnant! In the old days, you’d most likely be fired if you revealed that you got another Shepherd officer pregnant... 😅

Prior to Blade assuming command, there was paid family leave for a Shepherd officer to take time off and raise their children, but it was always expected that their spouse, partner, or what have you was from outside of the Order. Most were put on desk duty until closer to their due date, but some chose to take time off immediately upon discovering their pregnancy. Lunar Corps division officers (those who took on more urgent, specialized, or dangerous missions) were paid both a base salary as well as extra for most missions, which were graded according to risk. (The higher the grade, the more you’d get paid for taking that mission.) If you got pregnant and planned on having the child, you could take time off pretty much indefinitely and just keep the base salary, with bonuses thrown in if your superior liked you and thought you deserved it, of course. However, it was considered unethical to collect this money if you didn’t actually plan on resuming work with the Order after your baby was around three (though of course you could request to extend leave); so long as you actually came back to work afterwards, this was all legitimate.

However, things got messy once Shepherd couples got into the mix. Could both parties take leave, and for how long? Couples weren’t even allowed until Blade assumed command: he immediately changed the policy so that couples were allowed within the Order, but typically placed on different teams or missions, to avoid distractions during fights or work in the field. (This also applied to him and Arainia, though there were sometimes exceptions that had to be made.) He also allowed both parties paid leave with base salaries, but with the stipulation that one party should return to work after ten months to one year, unless they requested to extend that leave. 

Halek and Wintry’s child, Kana, was the first real “Shepherd baby”. Wintry chose to take the paid leave for the first year and a half of Kana’s life; they had also bought a restaurant as a side investment for whenever they retired, so there was income coming from that while Halek continued work as a Shepherd. And they were already on separate teams, so when she returned, it wasn’t that much of an issue!

What about the other parent, assuming it’s a Shepherd-Are they like,,able to request assignments close by/shorter assignments later in the pregnancy? (for example I’m guessing all ROs would be pretty adamant about sticking nearby)

If the Shepherds in question are Lunar Corps agents, it depends on their ranks! Lower-ranked agents were always placed on squads of seven and were assigned 80% of their cases and missions by higher-ups. But there were always missions placed on a roster that were “up for grabs” until a certain date, at which point they would be assigned to whatever team was available at that deadline. 20% of team missions could be one of those free missions, and if you were a higher-ranking agent no longer grouped into a team, you could also take on those missions of your own volition about 50% of the time. In short, you could choose about 50% of your own missions, because there were so many requests and petitions floating around all the time, so a Shepherd parent could just choose the missions that were close to home and pass on the ones that weren’t.

For the missions that they couldn’t choose and were assigned, you could always put in an unofficial request to your superior; they would usually do their best to accommodate you, but there were simply some times where there wasn’t any choice, especially if you had a specialized position that few others could replace. That duty comes with being a Shepherd, and I imagine it would be the same in the game! You can make the request and people will try their hardest to accommodate, but it's not a guarantee and if you can't meet the demands of the job, you'll probably be moved over to Solar Corps, which handles things like local patrols.

In the original novels, were there separate setups in the compound for married shepherds/ ones with kids ?

The Shepherds’ Tower in the books was actually more like a workplace and police precinct, so there were actually no living quarters or dormitories there! It was more like a skyscraper, and Shepherd officers lived in their own personal apartments or occasionally shared houses in Haven. There were some buildings that the Order rented out entirely just for Shepherd officers to live in, but these were few and far between.

In the books, most of the protagonists lived in small apartments in the Market Quarter; Blade and Arainia lived on the same floor of their apartment and the other team members lived close by or even on the same street; there was an ill-fated move where all seven (ten?) of them shared a big house in Whitestone (which in the books wasn’t just for aristocrats, it was just a nicer neighborhood) for like a year for some reason; and then Blade and Arainia lived in a house in the Market Quarter (I even remember their address, 771 Bomba Street) after they got married! 

Thanks for your questions, I had fun answering them! 🤗

[dailyadventureprompts]

Monster Hunt: Sungrekan. Stormwoken Queen of Dragons. 

(This is the finale of my “Wrathful Skies” adventure arc, which you can find HERE) 

Setup: Many ancient histories record the devastation of Sungrekan, who’s name translates in ancient elvish as some variation of “ The Hunger of the Innermost Earth” or “ She who devoured the mountain’s heart”. Though the truth of her being may have been forgotten and diluted over long ages, she has awoken from the imprisoning crush of stone to reign over the continent once more. 

While dragons of more recent eras have adapted to life alongside civilizations, Sungrekan is from a time before the first empires, when the powers of the day were kaiju, demi-gods, and nephilim.  No mercy lives in her volcanic heart, only a desire to subjugate her prey, and conquer her rivals. 

Sungrekan is queen of all she surveys, and from the vantage of a flying dragon, that’s quite a reach. The Stormwoken Queen will spend the first few weeks after her resurrection intermittently gorging herself on livestock and ripping the landscape apart in duels against other powerful creatures. Armies, mages, arch-predators, many champions will rise to meet Sungrekan only to disappear down her gullet. Should she continue unopposed, her domain will stretch out to rival an empire, though that may take many years and many burned cities along her way. 

Adventure Hooks: 

No one party of heroes can stand against Sungrekan, at least not with out divine aid. If the party fails to prevent her awakening, they must venture far afield gathering allies, and seeking artifacts that might halt her devastation

Legend speaks of a icy chalice that can quell any flame, though its use comes at a terrible cost. The quest to seek it out will be a massive questline in and of itself, and may lead to some grave sacrifices on the party’s behalf before the end is through. 

Some of the Dragon Queen’s old rivals are still kicking about, lurking in their own disused corners of creation. If the party feels like breaking them out of tartarus or using wildmagic to resurrect them from undersea fossils, the party may just have a chance at killing the dragon in this titanic clash. 

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Guardian of Creatures; AU! Queen x oc female x reader Chap. 13

*Author’s note*

Well been awhile since I did an update for this series but here I am with another update! This time we’re gonna turn back the clock and find out what happened to our gang of mistfits when Serafina left them. So as I told you all before, Oded Fehr plays an allied wizard for John and Serafina, but now we get introduced to a new THREAT to our heroes. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter and until next time :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@queen-paladin

@queensdivas

@queendeakyy

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@glitter-at-the-panic

@kinole009x

@geek-and-proud​

@wormzteef​

_________________________________________________________

Chapter 13,

The Ambush

*2nd Person POV. The morning after Serafina leaves*

The next morning you awoke to the desert sun shining in your tent.

“What do you mean she’s gone!?” you hear John’s voice snap with anger.  You peek out of your tent to see the boys all standing around under the desert sun but Serafina was nowhere to be seen.  John stood in front of Freddie, his hands fuming with his purple magic while his sons Seraffel and Thor stood behind their father, the same look of anger across their faces.

“I’m saying what is true. She’s gone on her own path.”

“What is it with you fucking Nagas and your riddle talk!? Where exactly did our mom go!? And I swear to god if you don’t start making any sense I’ll freeze you so bad you won’t start to thaw till the next Ice Age!” Seraffel warned.

“Always barking but never biting. Really Seraffel you’ve threatened me thousands of times since your hatching and you’ve yet to hold up to that threat. No matter how old you were.” Freddie spoke nonchalantly, like he didn’t even care for the ice dragon’s threat.  You walk up to Brian and ask him.

“What’s going on here?”

“It would appear that Serafina has gone off on her own somewhere. John and Serafina have rarely been apart from one another, the longest I’ve seen them be apart is when Roger and I were first sent by Freddie to save them.”

“Freddie please just—just tell us where our mom’s at? She could get captured or-or killed!” Thor pleaded.

“Your mother can handle herself. Right now she needs to go on this path on her own.”

“Fred normally I would agree on with what you say but this is no time for a pissing contest! Grindelwald knew we were in New York, who’s to say that the rest of his family or even his spies could be out here looking for us right now!? What if her power alone is not enough?” Roger said as he paced back and forth with worry.

“For someone who claims to care for her you seriously underestimate her Roger dear.” Roger halted in his spot to stare at the Naga. “Serafina’s path lies on a different path than ours for the moment. This part of her journey will come to pass with what we need for the final phase of ending Grindelwald’s followers once and for all. Now will the four of you get your heads out of your arses and understand Serafina is more than capable of taking care of herself and isn’t some fragile little maiden that always needs protecting!”

Freddie’s eyes glowed a fearsome yellow and his voice grew deeper and more snake like.  

“Now then, we should reach the Medjai coven by the sun’s highest point if we leave now. Burn the tents and get rid of any evidence of our trail here.” Freddie slithered onward.

As the boys went on with Freddie’s orders, you then ask Brian once more.

“Will she be okay?”

“Serafina is unlike any other witch I’ve met before. Elf or otherwise. She has power unlike anything I’ve ever seen. If I had to say who I should be more worried for, I’d say it’s whatever poor unfortunate soul crosses her path.”

Once the site was cleared up of any of your traces, you continued onward to the Medjai covenant.  It felt like an eternity had passed until finally as you all came up over a hill and just down below, several village stood there in the middle of the desert.

“We’ve arrived.” John spoke as he urged his black stallion onward.  You followed behind him, then his sons, Brian and Freddie, while Roger flanked in the rear.

As you all approached the entrance into the village, several men in black garb with most of their faces covered, held up their wands towards you guys ready to strike.

“Waqaf!” one of the guards spoke up.  Your horse whinnied and reared on it’s hind legs.  You held onto the reins as tight as you could as you tried to calm your horse down.

“Whoa, whoa boy whoa easy!” you tell your horse.  John’s horse nickered and anxiously paced forward and back.

“We’re not spies! We’re friends with your covenant leader Ardeth Bay. My name is John Deacon and these creatures are my friends.” The guards looked at one another suspiciously when a stern but warm voice proclaimed.

“Let them pass!” soon riding on top of a camel was an Egyptian man with long black hair, two Arabic tattoos on each cheek and one across his forehead, and chocolate brown eyes.  He sported a mix of a goatee and beard which went well along his strong jawline.

He was a big man on the muscular side, probably standing at around 6ft, maybe a couple inches.  But it was the way he just seem to carry himself that made it seem like he was a true leader, a chieftain maybe.

“This man is under my protection. Anyone who tries to even lay a curse upon him shall face immediate exile, do I make myself clear?” the way his voice commanded these guards, it just made goosebumps come across your arms.  The guards put their wands away and bowed with their left feet forward and their right arms crossed over their chests, hands going right over their hearts.

He then turned to John and soon his camel and John’s stallion stood face to face of each other.

“Welcome back my friend, it’s been a long time.”

“I wish the circumstances could be better Ardeth.”

“Well, it is most definitely an upgrade from being lost in the desert for days on end without water and hardly any food.” John chuckled embarrassingly but then the two men clasped hands with each other in a firm handshake.

Then they taking back their hands, kissing the side of their index fingers and placing it on their foreheads before placing their hand before their lips once again (must be an Arabic greeting).

“You and your friends have had a long journey not only from your last hideout but also across the desert. Come, satisfy your hungry and quench your thirst. And for two of your companions, regain their energy.” Ardeth said the last part as he looked to Roger and Seraffel who both looked practically exhausted.

“Thank you Ardeth. We appreciate you giving us a place to rest and regroup.” John thanked him.  Ardeth bowed his head before urging his camel forward.  You all follow behind the leader of the Medjai sorcerers and as you enter the village, you can see hundreds of Arabic witches, wizards and young children running about going about their day.

Some were selling robes, others had potions and spell books for sale, animals were also being sold at what almost looked like a petting zoo setup but it also had dogs, cats and falcons in their cages.  Horses and camels were also on sale at the shop, each wearing a price board around their necks as they went about either pacing around the fence, drinking their water, or eating the food provided for them.

This entire marketplace was just a buzz with people.  As you passed by, some of the Medjai wizards and witches looked at you and your friends.  Some were in awe, others were skeptical, and the rest held respect as they bowed their heads to you and the others.

Soon you arrived at a large tent.  It seemed a pretty good decent size (maybe about 8ft long and 13ft. wide) for all of you to fit inside.  The front flaps were a stripped pattern of cream and, at least to you, an earthy kinda brownish-red.  The rest of the tent was an earthy tone of dark green and brown stripped pattern.

You all unmounted off your rides and Ardeth walked up to the tent and opened it up for you all.

“Enter my friends, eat and make yourselves at home.” John bent down to take his shoes off before entering inside the tent.  Brian did the same thing and gave Ardeth an Elvish thank you by placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head.  Ardeth did the same motion and Brian entered inside.

Roger, Thor and Seraffel, then Freddie followed behind after Brian.  You undid the last of your laces on your shoes and set them down beside the rest of the shoes that aligned the tent.

“You are the human savior the Naga Freddie has foreseen, aren’t you?” he said to you.

“Well—I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that. I mean yeah I did save John and Serafina’s sons from being imprisoned for all eternity but—other than that I’m not really all that special.”

“I disagree. You have a strong powerful aura within you. You may not yet realize it but it’s in there.” His strong, calloused hand gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze of reassurance.  “Every creature on this earth whether mortal or mythical has that power. It’s only up to those brave enough to seek it out. Not all heroes are of just one image.”

He walked back over to the flap of the tent and opened it up for you to walk inside.  You enter in and soon Ardeth follows right behind you.

Whoa! This tent was bigger on the inside! Various and beautiful kaleidoscope-like patterned quilts hung along the walls of the tent. There was a pool at the center of the tent and that’s where you saw both Seraffel and Roger, half naked, in the pool rehydrating themselves after being under the hot African sun for the past couple of days.

Thor was just drying off his wet hair (probably just getting out of the pool himself) wearing a white Arabic tunic.  Freddie was curled up under the shade fast asleep, while Brian and John were conversing quietly to themselves.

“Hey (n/n) get in the water’s amazing!” Seraffel called out to you.

“It was amazing till you nearly froze it over yah overgrown icicle!” Roger snapped.

“Oh whatever you’re made out of water yourself you’re fine.” Seraffel waved off nonchalantly.  You shook your head at seeing those two argue pettily.

“Maybe later guys.” You gave them an answer.

“I apologize for what happened with my guards out front. We’ve been needing to increase security for our coven.” Ardeth said as he went over to the kitchen to make some drinks for us.

“We understand Ardeth. My grandfather—is resilient.” John spoke lowly.

“He is. Unfortunately, it was not your grandfather or his followers that I was referring to.” At hearing this, most of you all look up at the leader of the Medjai sorcerers confused.

“What—do you mean then?” questioned Thor.

“It would seem Grindelwald has finally convinced an even greater foe to side with him.”

“Who?” you ask.

“The Shadow Sorcerers.” At hearing that name, everyone in the room went frigid with fear.  Even Freddie’s eyes had opened at hearing their name.

“Who are the Shadow Sorcerers?” you ask.

“A separate branch of one of the most powerful and most dangerous wizards and witches. They branched off during the time of Thomas Deacon, they viewed his radical thinking of submitting themselves under the Sorcerer Supreme’s rule unlawful. So they branched off, became their own branch of sorcerers.” Freddie first explained before John joined in.

“Once my grandfather became Sorcerer Supreme, he tried to sway the Shadow wizards not as pawns, but an ally. A secondhand ally you may call it. Some of the Shadow covens agreed and allowed some of their students to transfer into our school. To study our way of magic. But they made for certain that they would never submit themselves under the rule of the Sorcerer Supreme. At least not without something to gain from it.”

“They value their pride more than anything else in the world. But it would seem some of the Shadow covens have decided to go fully under Grindelwald’s thumb. Their source of magic comes from the most ancient and most darkest of all magic. Using their very own shadows as an extension of themselves in order to take down any enemy.” Ardeth said.

“The Shadow coven takes their inspiration of their magic based on the animals that you humans refer to as Nocturnal animals. Even basing each specific family off the Latin name of said animal. I’ve even seen the Shadow Sorcerers even control other beings to their will by using their own shadows against them. A few of my people before the massacre learned that the hard way.” Freddie said.

“How many Shadow sorcerer covens are there?” asked Thor.

“There are 10 main covens of Shadow Sorcerers, and then depending on the Nocturnal animal they are inspired to emulate, the covens get subdivided into classes based off the species. The covens with the most subclass are the Felines, Rodents, and Mammalia clans.” John answered his youngest son.

“So that means we’re screwed.” Seraffel exclaimed angrily.

“Not necessarily my young ice dragon.” Ardeth added.  “I said that some of the covens have joined Grindelwald. You see there are some that have remained either undecisive or wish to remain neutral. But I’m afraid the ones that did join along with Grindelwald, are one of the most strongest Shadow Sorcerers of all.”

“Which coven classes joined alongside him?” Brian asked. Ardeth sighed and said.

“I—truthfully do not know the exact number. But the one that has been skulking around here lately come from the Corvus clan.” You noticed John clenching his hand into a fist and even saw it tremble.

“So what do we do now?” asked Seraffel.

“Right now my friends you rest. And I strictly ask that you do not leave this tent as the sun sets. The shadow wizards tend to do their hunting at night. And whatever you do; Never. Turn on. The lights.” With that, Ardeth left you guys alone to your thoughts.

“Damn. Siding with the Shadow Sorcerers. Grindelwald must be getting desperate if he wanted to ask for their help.” Roger said.

“Does Grindelwald fear the Shadow Sorcerers?”

“To an extent. My grandfather is many things, a coward is definitely not one of them. But he is aware of who is powerful than even him. He must’ve sueded them to a deal that not even they could refuse.” John said. He lowered his head down to his hands and run his fingers through his hair anxiously. “I just hope and pray to Merlin that Serafina’s at least not in Egypt anymore. Or at least nowhere where a Shadow wizard could be.”

“She’ll be fine John. She’s stronger than you realize.” Brian comforted the anxious young wizard.

For the rest of the day, you all rested and pretty much stayed inside the tent because after traveling the desert for 2 days none of you even thought about wanting to go back outside.

When the sky became dark, it was as Ardeth said, no lanterns or lights were coming on in the camp.  Not even lights from the tents or houses nearby were up.

“Man, Ardeth wasn’t kidding. Not a single Medjai has their lights on.” You said as you came back into the tent.

“Then we must do the same.” Brian said. He went up to one of the lanterns and turned off the flame candle inside.  Roger did the same to his side of the room, and on and on until finally the entire tent was nothing but pitch black.

You adjusted yourself on the soft red velvet couch (well it felt more like a bed with how big it was).

“Goodnight everyone.” You say.  They all reply with a goodnight and soon you all fall into a silent sleep.

‘(Y/n).’ a ghostly whisper calls out to you.  You moan and try to go back to sleep but the voice calls out to you again. ‘(Y/n)~’ the soft gentle coo of this man’s voice reminded you a lot of your grandfather.  The grandfather you lost back in the War.

He had moved to a small town of Leuven in Belgium after remarrying a woman named Pamela Janssens.  She was nice and she really helped your grandfather out of his depression when your grandma died of a heart attack.  He enjoyed the Belgium countryside and the people were nice to him even from being from America.

But when the German troops invaded Leuven, you were told by your mother (who was the daughter of your grandfather) that he had been shot and killed by a German soldier and Pamela had been raped before being brutally murdered and then their house was burned to the ground.

Your granddad was like a superhero to you.  Even in his old age, he never let anything bring him down. That’s why he was able to still pick you up even as you became a teenager.  When you received word of his death from Pamela’s sister, it crushed your entire world.

‘(Y/n)~’ the voice called to you again.  No it—it couldn’t be him. There’s no way.

“Granddad?” you whisper as you sit up.

‘It’s me.’ You gasp and quickly hop off the couch. ‘I’m here.’ The voice called out again.  You peek outside of the tent but it’s nothing but pitch black outside.  The crescent shape moon hardly gave off any light but it was then a small blue flame stood before you.  It danced and you swore that it had eyes staring up at you.

A trail of them soon popped out, leading away from the village. Something in your gut didn’t seem right but there was a magical force that was just beckoning you to go forward.

‘Hummingbird. It’s me.’ No way…..it—it was him.  Only one person ever called you hummingbird and that was your grandfather.  You then find yourself walking out of the tent and followed the trail of blue flames, each one of them disappearing as you walked through them.

*3rd Person POV*

Freddie’s eyes snapped open as he looked up in time just to see (Y/n) leaving the tent.

“Roger! Roger!” Freddie hissed quietly.  Roger groaned and turned his back on Freddie, burying himself under his pillow. “Thor! Seraffel!” the dragons only kept snoring softly, well Thor was.  Seraffel was mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

Rolling his eyes, Freddie decided it was up to him to get their human savior back.  He peeked his head out of the tent, his tongue sticking out to taste the air, hoping to get a scent of where they had gone.

He left the tent and soon spotted some fresh footprints leading away from the village.

“Damnit!” he slithered forward following the footprints as fast as he could, hoping it wasn’t too late.

A few feet from the village, he soon heard the sound of wings flapping.  Quickly finding a rocky ledge to hide under, he soon saw 4 figures land down a few yards away from him and soon the figures of 4 men in black robes stood there.

However one of them kept out his black feather wings out and he spoke to the three men.

“With them separated it’ll be easier to take them down. But leave them alive—for now.” The three wizards soon took off on foot now to find (Y/n).  Each going a different direction in hopes of ambushing them.

Freddie kept his eyes on the leader who merely just stood there, scouring the entire desert sand.  There was something off about this Shadow sorcerer just standing there, he had to be plotting something.

Suddenly out of nowhere Freddie felt three steel blades being shot into his back.  He arched himself but as he turned around he was caught by surprise as the figure of the leader fired some type of gas at him, all the awhile saying BOO!

Freddie swatted the air but it was too late.  His vision soon started flashing back to the day his entire race was killed.

“Aww, having trouble?” the leader’s voice (sounding thunderous, haunting, almost demonic).  Freddie saw the leader’s eyes glowing the same haunting blue as Thomas Riddle Deacon’s eyes.  The very same cold blue eyes that stared back at him as he slaughtered each and every Naga. “Watch the stars, have a drink!”

Freddie began thrashing around trying to get rid of this horrifying memory but all he kept seeing was blood spurting, the flash of green light, and the agonizing screams of his family.  He soon felt some sort of liquid being dumped onto him as the Shadow Sorcerer continued to taunt him.

“You look like a snake who takes himself too seriously.” His palm soon sparked out a blue fireball and as Freddie finally went calm for a split second to look up at the wizard, he told Freddie. “You want my opinion? You need to lighten up.” He threw the blue fireball at Freddie and soon he was being burned alive.

The leader soon disappeared into the shadows as Freddie screamed in pure agony.  The blue flames eating away at his coils like a hot grinder slowly and torturously burning away every inch of his skin.  Somehow he managed to send a telepathic cry for help to John who immediately woke up.

“Freddie!” John shot up exclaiming which soon woke everyone up. Brian’s elvish hearing soon heard Freddie’s torturous screaming.

“Come on!” everyone soon left the tent and raced to help the Naga.  Suddenly all the lights in their tent came on and the shadows soon came alive.

Razor sharp teeth and red eyes surrounded them as they now felt themselves being bound by the shadows.  John tried to break free but he soon heard the very same thing happening to the tent next to them.  And the home after that, until the entire Medjai was either screaming in terror or with their last dying breath.

“Hello John, remember me?” soon entering the tent with Ardeth also trapped within his grasp was a lean stature man with short black hair, ice blue eyes, a strong jawline and skin as pale as the moon.  He looked to be about his mid-30’s possibly even 40s. But it was his voice.

His voice that was soft and lulling like a lullaby, but it held an icy, haunting tone to it as well.

“Jonathan Corvus.” He smirked.

“It really has been too long. How’s little Fina been?” John snarled softly but soon let out a groan as he felt himself being squeezed tighter by Johnathan’s magic.  “And you know, it is very surprising to not see her here with you. I mean back at school you guys were—heh stuck together like glue.”

“Dad, you actually know this son of a bitch?” Seraffel asked.

“Now that is quite rude. Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners?” A shadow spear shot out and struck Seraffel in his thigh.  He let out a painful scream.

“Seraffel!” Thor screamed.  Seraffel groaned and growled in pain.

“Dragons always were quite brutish for my taste. But I guess that’s why you and sweet, sweet Fina adopted these monsters. Freaks till the end.” The shadow spear slowly went deeper into Seraffel’s thigh.  The blood now starting to ooze further down his pant leg, he threw back his head trying to hold in his agonizing screams.

“What do you want from us Corvus!?” John demanded.

“Well truthfully we were ordered to take you and your little band of monsters to see your dear old grandfather but it seems we’re one short. So—you’re coming with us till you tell us where Serafina Black is.”

The last thing any of them ever saw was pure darkness as the shadows wrapped around them till they couldn’t breathe.

*2nd Person POV*

You kept following your grandfather’s voice until you came out towards the Nile River.  Whatever light from the moon directed itself into the water, almost giving it a crystal like glow to it.  Panting after running so hard you couldn’t hear your grandfather’s voice anymore.

“Granddad?” you called out. “Granddad!” again nothing but silence.  Suddenly something whooshed behind you.  “G-Granddad?” soon a figure appears out of thin air.  He had a black hooded cloak covering himself from whatever light there was and he just stood there silently for what felt like eternity.  His hands slowly came up and you were frozen with fear at just who was now standing a few feet away from you.

John’s grandfather, Grindelwald Deacon.

You quickly take out John’s wand from your hip and aim it at him.  Even though your hands and legs were trembling with fear you tried to stay strong.

“You stay right there! I know who you are!”

“(Y/n) (L/n). I am not here to hurt you.” His soft whisper of a voice said to you.  Hearing him speak in the flashback was one thing but now that he was actually standing here before you it—it made you feel……cold. “I only want to help.”

“Help me?!” you snapped quietly.

“Yes.” He told you. “You are so very, very far away from home. Far away from everything that you know, far from those that you love.” You thought back to your family.  You hadn’t even really been keeping them updated on everything since you took the job in trying to discover John and Serafina’s secret club.

No, no he’s manipulating you! You’ve seen this before with John the night Serafina’s family was slaughtered don’t. fall. For it!

“I said don’t take another step!” you warned.  But your façade was easily dropping as your hand trembled even worse.  And still, he kept walking closer and closer to you.

“My child, I would never see you harmed. Unlike with what the Naga has told you.” What? What is he talking about. “Dear one, it is not your fault that your very birth was planned to go along with the Naga’s plan for vengeance. It is not your fault that you were forced into this world, if you were siding alongside me I would ensure that you were free to live your life. A world where your very existence is not meant to satisfy someone else’s gain.”

Even though you wanted to strike this man down, no matter how much rage and fear was starting to build up within you…….he was right.

Everyone so far has kept calling you the ‘Human Savior’. You didn’t ask for any of this. And why did it have to be you? Sure you might have gone along with it but now—now it was starting to feel like a game to you.  That your only purpose for even existing was just to satisfy Freddie’s plan.

“I—I……” you loosened your grip on your wand. Grindelwald’s hand slowly comes up and wraps his fingers around John’s wand.

“You are an innocent. So go now. Leave this place, return to the life that you know.” With that he apparated into smoke and disappeared from your view.

You debated and debated long and hard.  Yes you had come this far already but—was it really worth it? Why did it have to be you? Why couldn’t someone else take this job? Clearly John and Serafina have something to gain out of saving all these creatures as well as their entire community, why did you need to be involved?

Suddenly something pierced right through your back. Although no blood spurted out from you, you still felt like something was piercing your very soul.  Your right arm suddenly shot out and twisted itself inward.

What—what was happening to you? You tried to resist but each time you did, you were forced to contort and twist about until you were pulled to your knees.

“What’s…….”

“Thought you would realize just what we were? Guess Muggles really are as stupid as they come.” Soon coming out was a strong-bulky looking man who had shadow-like tentacle arms coming out from behind him, his hands seeping out a black aura (much like John and Serafina’s magical aura).

“Shadow sorcerer.”

“Oh look it does speak.” You narrowed your eyes at the insult but your eyes were forced to go wide-eyed.  “Such manners, nothing but beyond neanderthal anger. Running about like starving goblins.” You soon felt yourself being lifted up into the air, still unable to gain even the slightest ounce of control back.

“What did—you do…..with my…..friends?”

“The same thing I’m about to do to you, muggle.” In a flash, the shadows shot right towards you until you were cocooned in complete blackness.