The Art of War

A Lord of the Rings fanfic-like thing

By

EvilFuzzy9


It is a most curious endeavor that I and my friends undertake in the writing of this chronicle. We do not, with this labor, seek to create a narrative to entertain, or a manual to instruct. Certainly much of what we put down in this book is factual, or at least as close to such a thing as any guessing may come, and one might thus take some manner of education from it, but that is not our intent.

This is a labor, ultimately, for our own purposes, to chronicle the observations we have made, as well as the things which we have been taught. Not to pass these things down to future generations, for much of the things in this book are evils best left forgotten, but simply to remove them from our own cares.

Read this at your own peril. Within we have collected much of the blackest lore of our Age, secrets of sorcery and warfare too terrible to be used, but too great to let fade.

All things deserve preservation, even if the knowledge of them should break you.

- Legolas son of Thranduil, Prince of Eryn Lasgalen


With all due respects to the prince, I must inform you that he greatly exaggerates. Certainly much of what we have stored in this tome is knowledge of a fell nature, but hardly anything so black or evil as his words imply.

By and large, this is a chronicle of warfare and its curiosities. Not a record of past wars, or a documentation of great battles, but rather a collection of observations on tactics, armament, and yes, even some of the dark arts used by both sides in the great War of the Ring, and those which led up to it.

I suppose one could consider such things as better forgotten, but we dwarves at least have long memories. Many are the generals who failed for lack of lore, the captains who perished in want of knowledge. Not that we intend this to instruct, for largely this work is just a curiosity of ours. But bitter is the ache of lore forgotten, and better we put down what we know in this book than leave it for future generations to rediscover through hardship.

- Gimli Elf-friend, Lord of the Glittering Caves


What my associates mean to say is that they are overfond of high talk, and wish to make this thing out to be more than it actually is, whether for good or ill. But in truth this is just some old soldiers jotting down what they've seen, heard, and been taught.

Nothing more than that, really.

- Master of Buckland, Meriadoc the Magnificent


I'd say Merry has the right of it. Legolas and Gimli just like to hear themselves talk... or would you say, 'See themselves write,' in this instance?

Well, whatever the case.

This was all Elessar's idea, anyway.

- Thain Peregrin Took


A/N: I dunno. I guess I felt like doing something else that isn't smut, and so decided on this... thing... for the LOTR, which I have again been swinging back into recently with Battle for Middle-earth II, War in the North, and Return of the King.

It's a very seasonal interest, with me.

Chapter added: 5-22-14

TTFN and R&R!

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