wilderlogs | THE COUNCIL OF ELROND ※ RIVENDELL ※ LOG 3

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THE COUNCIL OF ELROND ※ RIVENDELL ※ LOG 3

THE COUNCIL OF ELROND
OOC POST
[After a long rest, the group is gathered up and brought into a Council. They're led down a long winding path to a circular area carved out of stone. The bubbling waters of the Bruinen can be heard rippling nearby and birds twitter from the boughs of the trees. With the birds nearby it's easy to see how the talking ravens that told them to go to Rivendell might have learned of the many councils held about their existence.]

[There are enough seats for all of them but also many other seats that have been filled by travelers from near and far. The dwarves have sent Gloin, one of the dwarves that stood with Thorin Oakenshield against the dragon Smaug. Faramir of Gondor has been sent by Aragorn to represent the race of Men. The Wizarding World has sent Kingsley Shacklebolt, once the Minister of Magic, now a wizard ambassador to other lands. Tiffany Aching, a twenty year-old witch sits in one chair, a representative of the witches of the great Ramtops Steading of the Disc, who are not a nation like the others, but are just really, really nosy when it comes to other people's business.]

[They are just some of many who stand before the squad, drawn to this place to speak to them because of many different prophecies uttered by many different sages and prophets.]

[And standing in the center of the circle, waiting for them are two very small individuals, no larger than hobbits. They look even more Elven and spritely than the Elves. These two are the prophets that the gathered people trust the wisdom of the most. The two Gelflings, Kira and Jen, watch the squad join the Council with sharp and knowing eyes.]

[To allow members of the group that are trapped in the Brugh to participate, members of the squad can magically enlarge and set up their magic mirrors so it's almost like the Brugh members have a magic window into the Council, where they can speak and listen.]

[After they are all settled, a clear bell rings out, a last call for the Council and a signal that it's about to start. The faces of everyone that turn to the squad are grave. Some are slightly concerned or pitying, because of what they've heard about the group. A weight is about to be placed on their shoulders.]

[Elrond stands and gestures to them all. He says:]

Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to offer counsel on matters that will affect every land that makes up the new world we have all been bound to. Thanks to the threat of Mordor and the Golden Nation, and the destructive nature of the Wilderlands itself, our lands stand upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. Yet we have been told by many prophets and sages that one group, one band of individuals, might change our collective fate.

[He gestures to the squad now.]

Your fate has been tied to our own; your choices may lead to our doom - or they might save us all. For that reason, we have all gathered here today to offer our knowledge, guidance, and wisdom, and to tell you of the prophecies spoken of in our many lands that concern your place in the Wilderlands.

[Now he gestures to the Gelflings who stand in the center of the circle.]

Of all the prophets and great sages among our peoples, the Gelflings are the most gifted at foresight. They have spent their days dreaming under the stars, untangling the webs of destiny that bind us all. They, above all others, have divined the most complete visions that concern your fate, and so they will speak for us all. After they speak, the council will be open to all to discuss these matters.

[The male Gelfling steps forward, and gestures first to himself and then to his female companions.] I'm Jen and this is Kira. We've spent many nights dreaming, seeking the truth of what has happened to the world - what has happened to many worlds.

[Kira says:] We've seen the threads of fate that bind you and know who has ensnared you. This land once belonged to the spirits of the Green. A calamity befell it, one that's beyond even their understanding, causing other worlds to be drawn in to their realm. They wish to separate the worlds and unbind their realm from the other worlds that have intruded.

[Jen says:] They, too, have gifts of foresight, even greater than our own, and unlike us, they can see the past and future in many worlds. They've looked into your own worlds and have chosen you all because they believe the gifts and traits you possess fit into their visions of salvation.

[Jen spreads a hand and whispers words he learned from his masters, the wise UrRu, that are not exactly a spell - just a simple utterance of truth, something that washes away the illusions of normalcy over reality. This reveals something on every member of the group, a mystical mark on their bodies, etched into their souls by the Green in glowing lines of green entwined with gold. This mark is on all their foreheads, and is a symbol in the Green's own strange spirit language that marks them as the saviors of the natural world.]

[Kira says:] They've marked you as their own. But this choice isn't something handed down by a divine force or all-seeing being, it's based on their guesses. On their own predictions of possible futures. They are right in that you're capable of this, but have brought you here according to their will and bound you together, even changed some of you, hoping you'll serve them.

[Jen says:] And though some individual spirits of the Green are sympathetic to other life in the Wilderlands, many of these spirits don't care for the fate of anyone other than themselves. The Green has chosen you to save the Green alone.

[Kira says:] While the Green brought you here against your will, you still get to choose which paths to take. You have the ability to choose to unbind yourselves and save only yourselves, or to save only the Green so that you can go to your homes.

[Jen says:] Or you can choose the more difficult path to save us all, and to stop more worlds from being torn apart. To do that, you must empower the spirits of the Green that are willing to help save life beyond themselves: the Spirits of the Seasons, who each will place a task before you.

[Kira says:] You must also defeat the Dark Lord of the East, Sauron, and the Witch of the West, the Unfinished Princess. While many are fighting these enemies, you have the greatest chance of making sure that all those who resist them aren't fighting in vain.

[Jen says: And you must awaken the Childlike Empress, who sleeps in her Ivory Tower. To do all these tasks is to do the near-impossible, but only by walking all these paths can you save more than the Green.

[Kira says:] We wish we could give you more but our view of the future is imperfect. All we can do is place the truth before you: a great burden, especially since all the prophets of these lands can tell you of the roads you must follow, but few can tell you how to defeat all the evils you'll find on them, or even which ones you would face for sure.

[Jen says:] But this is all we can give you, A glimpse of what might be and the choices you must make. [Jen's expression is deeply sympathetic, almost sorrowful.] For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I was once...Chosen by a prophecy. Destined to end the reign of a great evil and heal my world. But the prophecy led to... [It's hard for him to say.] It led to the loss of our people; they were all killed to try to stop the prophecy from coming to pass. And now Kira and I are the last of our kind.

[Jen holds Kira's hand tightly in his and continues:] It hasn't been an easy path to walk and your path - I fear that yours will be much harsher. I hope I'm wrong.

[The two Gelflings share a look with each other that comes with their shared understanding. They are bound by what they are and bound by what they lost and it's clear they wouldn't wish that weight on anyone else.]

[Elrond beckons for them to step back and take a seat and they take seats in small chairs at his side, their hands still clasped tightly.]

[Elrond looks at the assembled squad, and says:] And so we ask - nay, we beg - that once you leave this Council, you try to walk these paths for the salvation of us all.

[He gestures with a hand to some of the assembled Elf servants and another bell rings, clear and bright.]

Now we must all speak of these matters, and will answer any questions you have about the state of the world, and what tidings others have had of prophetic visions about you that have been seen in their own lands.

NOTES
✦ Free-for-all Post: This event will be in "free-for-all" format, meaning that threadhopping is encouraged and that threading should be treated in the same conversational way as network posts with branching threads.

✦ Joint network Post. Due to the magic mirrors being widened and set to float, characters in the Brugh can participate in the conversation, even if they can't be there physically. When posting please note if your character is in the Brugh when started a thread by putting Brugh in the subject of one of the earliest posts.

✦ Post in bracketspam format. Plots and mod-run events in the game are meant to be in actionspam format to keep a brisk pace. Characters that are interacting via the mirrors are also technically doing it on the network.

✦ NPCing. The mods will handle all the fantasy npcs and some may show up that aren't specifically listed in this post. There are many people at the Council.

✦ It's okay if the conversation gets messy. It's a giant group that's going to be talking here. That means it's natural if side conversations happen, interruptions happen, or things get missed because people are talking over each other and switching conversational partners.

✦ A private discussion will happen later. A crossroads post and private conversation among the squad will happen after the Council so they can decide for themselves what to do next and how to handle what they've learned.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Can't say I disagree with him. Frankly, our odds of success are astronomically low. Anyone would say we winning and saving everything would be a miracle of major proportions. Too bad miracles don't exist.

[Because the witch in charge of handling down the miracles is a humongous jackass and you don't want her anywhere near you. Ange hopes Bernkastel is nowhere in this conglomerate of magic lands or they all will have a lot of trouble]

It's not like we have the option not to do anything, so let's do what we can and hope it won't end with painful deaths for everyone involved.

Go team.

[Yaaaaaay, positivity]

Indeed.

If only you had a King of Knights, or someone who led armies that destroyed entire planets full of foes.

[ Loken gives Harper a cold look. ]

Edited 2018-07-15 02:02 (UTC)

[Revan's eyes widen slightly before she realizes "someone who led armies that destroyed entire planets full of foes" is Loken referring to himself.]

I was leading a small unit almost as mismatched as this one against a galactic empire before I got here. It's doable. Not easy, but not impossible, either.

Harper does have a point, though. This group needs to start meshing together better, and soon, or we're going to get nowhere fast.

I don't disagree, but that's something that has to grow. It can't be forced.

[ Loken shoots a glare over at Mita and rumbles. ]

We have our work cut out for us.

[Mita notices his glare, and shoots one right back. And then points a single finger to her forehead in a very obvious warning gesture.]

We do. Especially if people can't learn to act like adults.

[He looks pointedly at Loken and Mita. He doesn't really care if they get along or not, all he wants is for them to stop going out of their way to antagonize each other.]

[ Loken looks back, colder than a winter on the ice planet of Inwit. ]

[Hiccup looks right back, not even blinking. This wasn't the place or the time for the pair's passive-agressive snits. Loken, at least, should've known better.]

[Harper points.]

See, Captain America gets it.

[He says, without any mention of the fact that he's partly responsible for how terrible they're meshing.]

Edited 2018-07-15 02:40 (UTC)

Look, if I could make friends with the guys that spent three years taking potshots at me so we could save a world? I think we have a pretty good shot.

None of you has even tried to kill me yet.

[ It's... actually pretty hopeful for Simmons. The odds are long, but have they ever not been long? ]

You may be a big shot back home? But here you have no army, no weapons more advanced than a crossbow, and no tech. [Harper draws a tool out of his belt that fritzes and sparks in a way that looks all wrong.] And you're not going to get any tech anytime soon because it doesn't work here, even when it's in perfect repair.

[He tucks it away.]

You leading armies to destroy entire planets is the problem. Guess what? We're the little guy here. We're not even small fish in a big pond, we're phytoplankton in an ocean full of sharks.

[He can't handle this destiny crap. A fight against impossible odds, against enemies much bigger than him, maybe. He's done that before. But the idea that it's aaalll on them and they don't have a ship like the Andromeda backing them up? And there's no chance of building up a fleet of any kind? Yeah, he's freaking out a little.]

A fair point, if that was my only experience. But I have fought shadow wars as well, one Astartes against a world where need be. My existence is war, be it splitting the heavens with lance-fire or in a sewer with a knife.
[ He frowns, realizing that sounds boastful, even if it is all utterly true, and is voice becomes far gentler, almost pleading. ]

It can be taught, and it can be done. The first thing we must maintain is the will to confront the darkness, the second thing we must do is arm ourselves wit knowledge and steel, and it would seem that the people of this council are willing to offer both.

Also, we have some advantages due to our... supernatural bond with one another. If the group moves far enough ahead, the laggards are pulled along with us. We can use this tactically, if we apply our wits and mind to it. We are not without resources, unlike our desperate struggle on weathertop. It will be a long fight, and we may not all see the end, but I promise you this: It can be done, and it will be done, as long as we continue to defy our foes and deny their advances at every chance we can.

[That...quiets him down a little because part of why he was getting so antagonistic was the idea that some of them were buying into this with the valiant warrior mentality.]

All I wanted was to try to get people looking at this like it's a losing fight.

That doesn't mean you hide in a hole or give up. Or if you do hide in a hole it's at least to pop out and ambush who you're fighting and stab them in the neck.

[He licks his lips, trying to figure out how to put himself out there with something other than engineering. He knows Trance wants him to try to get along with everyone. He offers what he can: that he's not entirely a coward, that he knows how to fight the kind of fight he thinks this is.]

I've, uh, crawled through plenty of sewers in my time, with plenty of knives. My world was...occupied. By the absolute worst pieces of -

[The hate almost bursts out of him and he clamps it down because now's not the time. Then he works his jaw a little and lets out a little huff of air.]

Destiny don't mean squat. That's all I was, uh. Trying to say.

Edited 2018-07-15 02:54 (UTC)

[She leans forward, speaking directly to Harper now that he's backed down, her voice warm but backed by conviction. Revan focusing all her attention on someone can be an intense experience...fortunately, this time she's smiling in encouragement.]

And we need that point of view. If we were unanimous about this entire mess, I'd be worried. Diversity is a strength. [She gestures to the assembled Council.] We have to take care that it doesn't become divisiveness, but please don't stop speaking up when you see a problem.

It's true, most of us are out of our element for this grand quest being set upon our shoulders.

[How nice of Hanbei to cut in.]

So indeed we won't be get far without working together under the same plan of action. Luckily for everyone here however... I can count at least one source of strategic genius in this group.

[ Loken addresses Harper as well, grateful for Revan's intervention as always. ]

I agree, in principle. A naysmith was a welcome part of the command structure of my legion, and the role I generally played, in fact. We'll win our fights not because of destiny, but because we fight harder and more intelligently than our foe. There may be times when a direct confrontation is possible. It would seem we have some allies amongst the men of this world, though I suspect our task won't be leading armies.

[ Regarding Harper's pained outburst at the end, he simply meets his eyes and nods, a little bit of the pale warriors' mien changing to seem almost haunted. It would seem he himself has fought under occupation, before. After that, he looks to Hanbei. ]

Oh? And who is our strategic genius? [ Loken, while confident in his abilities as a commander and a leader, would never name himself such, so he's curious who this newcomer has decided is one. ]

[And of course the youth(?) would predictably seem so sure of himself right after announcing such a thing.]

The fact is, I am that genius. But it appears there's a good number of us familiar with following or commanding armies, I hope it's right for me to believe there's more than just myself who can claim similar...!

[Said boasting is not very effective on the cat-sized rodent riding on his shoulder. Seems like they're used to hearing such things that it ignores Hanbei in favor of being curious about this crowd.]

[ Arturia allows herself a gratified smile at Loken's vote of confidence before she speaks up. ]

I have lead armies both great and small and forged the kingdom of Britain together with diplomacy and with the sword.

[ That it all ended in blood and fire because she wouldn't bang her wife is a whole other thing but there's no need to get into that. ]

We are well equipped to meet our fate and to triumph against our foes. A difference of opinion is welcome but there is disagreeing with a course of action and then there is... defeatism.

[ Her nose wrinkles. That's the best word she can think of for it. ]

We can win. We must win. We will win. To have any other thought is to invite defeat.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

THE COUNCIL OF ELROND ※ RIVENDELL ※ LOG 3

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