The Hidden Valley
Prologue
There is a place not far from Rivendell, not far at all, a small place really, nestled in a wooded valley, besides a waterfall – Lundramir.
The Valley of Lundramir is how it is known to the folk who dwell therein. This valley is protected, for it holds a secret. It holds a hope for the future of Middle-Earth. It is a Template Town, an experiment, and it is most seriously sponsored by the Ainur, the wizards and their kind, who dwelleth mostly over the sea, in Valinor.
The Wizards watch, silently, knowing they cannot intervene directly in the fate of Middle-Earth. It has always been their way. Even when it came to the destruction of the One Ring, a score of years ago, they could not remove the Ring from the land, could not spirit it across the dimensional portal (over the sea) to the land of Valinor. They could not bring the War of the Ring out of that land. It had to be defeated there and only there. With Gandalf's help it was. But remember, he did not directly handle the object for any long amount of time, nor face many of the dangers that were ultimately involved. It was not his place to. To the hilt, he followed the code of Non-Intervention. And so it is with the Hidden Valley.
Though past dangers have been removed, the rosy fate of Middle-Earth is still not assured. In Valinor, the Seers are ever watchful of their young fellow-races. They are ever aware of tidings and fluctuations, ebbs and flows of fate that occur there. They watch with great concern whenever there seems to be a problem that affects a great number of beings. From afar they know how the hobbits fare. They can see how the politics of dwarves progress. They watch as the race of man grows in power, as it is right to do. They call the elves back to the Undying Lands when the elves presence is no longer necessary as a balance in Middle-Earth.
You see, the elves are a race of beings that hold a most deliberate energy for the land. They anchor the energy. Wise in all ways, light of heart, true in intention, the elves are a higher dimensional race. They exist in a slightly higher octave than man, for example. Their bodies are physical, yet less dense. Their biology holds more light, which they actually radiate. Their cells do not decay quickly, nor are they supposed to. It is only lower dimensional beings who age rapidly – beings who do not hold such radiance within. Courser minds, courser ideals, all of this leads to a physical body that is itself course. Light is trapped within, never shining out.
Because it is nearing time for most elves to leave, a new balance needs to be struck. Their light would be removed to over the sea. All things must balance, so what could replace them, what could anchor the finer energies in Middle-Earth? This is the problem facing the Ainur and measures are now being put in place to fill the vacuum the elven will leave behind them. The new hope will be in mankind, but there is also another.
This is where the fair Valley of Lundramir enters into the picture. There are one or two things that must be known about this valley. It is different, quite different, to other populations in Middle-Earth, though different in an agreeable way.
As mentioned, it is a Template City, and as such is sacred to those who watch over the development of Middle-Earth. For whatever happens in this city, happens in other places in the land, just like a template. Once the template is created, it can be copied over and over in other places, in other valleys, copied energetically. The Valley of Lundramir is making it possible for new opportunities to arise, a new box to be opened, a new chapter to begin. Here is how it differs to other places. Do not be shocked.
In this beautiful valley, man lives side by side with elf (the few who remain yet). They do not simply live in the one spot; they coexist harmoniously, willingly, cooperating with one another despite the challenge of their diversity and differences. There is more. With them live a sidelined group, an oft alienated group who are given a second chance. There are not many of them, it is true. Mostly they were shunned from their own camps, chased away under threat of death, tormented and reviled wherever they went, refugees who did not fit. What do you suppose happens to orcs that are rejected by their own tribe? Orc culture does not permit them to join other tribes, who are far too hostile to accept new members. Tribes are always exiling their fellows for ridiculous reasons. A suspicion, looking at each other the wrong way, territory disputes, property disputes, the list goes on. What happens to rejected orcs, who, near death, open their minds and ask for something more, a new chance. The ones who do not open their minds are left in the wilderness to die alone. Those who do ask, and there are many, are given that chance. They find their way to Lundramir. And there they live.
Can you now see why this special valley is kept a secret from the proud cities of men, and the even prouder forests wherein the elves dwell. It is too premature in this plan of the Ainur for others to understand the work that is being accomplished. The Objective: Harmony amongst Diversity. When it works, oh it is wonderful! When man, elf and orc can live together, work, struggle and play together, this is a great marvel. Yet it is delicate. The template is not complete, after all. It must be protected until it can grow, mature and be set as steel, unshakeable against prejudice.
Is there anything that can destroy the work that is being accomplished in the soft, hushed valley? That remains to be seen. Now our story proper must begin, and we begin with a young elf male, Lanradhis, one of the first to heed the calling and settle in the valley. It is said that if life offers nothing new for the searcher, they will surely stumble upon the Hidden Valley and be accepted into its deep mists, where they will begin anew. And so it is.
Life goes on for the inhabitants, and the population grows slowly. Children are born, little ones who do not grow up with the old prejudices for they are not connected to them. They are connected firmly to the new template and so it grows stronger. The power of it can be felt, the new mental grid, the Template of Harmony.
