Duristahn's Tale
The Fall of Roengad
"And so it begins" whispered in Mogruith in satisfaction. I had betaken of the ring. Upon my finger it rested, so beautifully dark, glinting sinisterly. 'Twas true. My kingdom had strength a thousand time's more than my rivals, for I now wielded the power of the devil's diamond. A power so great that even I could not harness it, but at the time, I knew not of what fate had befallen me. Roengad looked stricken. But I could not see him. All I could see was my greed, my very own death, personified in such a lowly, but grand form. "Sire," Roengad began with uncertainty. He was not sure it was his place, but he could not let me fall into shadow, therefore he spoke. He was the most loyal of my subjects and would willingly die for me. And for that he would never be forgotten. "Sire, you cannot take of the ring. It was wrought by Mordor craftsmen in the fires of Mount Doom. It will do naught but destroy you--" "When I ask you for your wretched advice, then thou shalt know! I order you to remain in silence or I'll have you hanged!" I screamed in passionate fury. The ring's malice and dire intentions had begun to taint my soul. My gaze which had been looking upon Roengad in utmost wrath fell once more to the cursed gem. "All has been done." Mogruith turned to leave down the halls, for he sought exit from this place. In the name of Sauron, his mission was accomplished. His dark deed fulfilled. This kingdom which would soon fall to ruin. Roengad, who's hand had been clutching the hilt of sword, could no longer stand idly by and rose upon Mogruith with a flash of his blade. "Turn now and face me, you heinous fiend! In the honor of my King , King Duristahn, I shall have your head! You will not leave Rokuin alive!" Mogruith rounded and sneered at Roengad. " Son of Breorn, do you honestly expect to defeat me? For you are sorely mistaken. It will be my pleasure to eat your innards from the blade of my sword and bring your head to Sauron in triumph! There is nothing in your power that you can do to save this fool's soul." Amongst the utterance of his last words, he withdrew his sword; which had been concealed within his robes. This was no ordinary sword. It was a Baradurian Blade, engulfed in flame. At the unsheathing of this magnificent Mordor weaponry, the band upon my finger began to scorch my skin. I screamed in agony, staggering about whilst the ring began to glow an eerie red and the stench of my burning flesh filled my nostrils. Roengad, whose attention had been diverted from Mogruith, looked in dismay upon me as I fell to my knees weeping. Filled with rage, he swung his sword in a wide arc, narrowly missing Mogruith's head. The Mordor messenger ducked and with a murderous roar and baring of his fangs he beset his blade into Roengad's thigh, moving so swiftly that he was all but a dark blur. Roengad collapsed upon the ground at his feet. Mogruith then raised his flaming sword above his head and sent it plunging downward in an attempt to behead the fallen chancellor. But Roengad quickly rolled out of the striking range and heard the sickening clang of metal against stone. He crawled to his feet, daring to not look upon the gaping flesh wound he had suffered. Tears streaming from his eyes, he fought onward and the deadly battle turned into the likes of a fencing match. As the twilight fell into darkness, the flames on Mogruith's blade illuminated all in its presence, and I could see both the fear and anguish burning in Roengad's features. I rose to my feet, having lost all feeling in my finger and stood, looking on in horror as Roengad's leg went out from beneath him and he fell with a loud thud. It was then that Mogruith drove the Baradurian Blade into his heart. He stood erect, towering over Roengad in triumph, drawing his sword out of the stiffened form. Mogruith crouched down and slashed open Roengad's stomach, his innards spilling out onto the stone. He then reached into the gore and wrenched out a length of intestine and began to eat it, ravaging what was left of such a noble man. "No...no..This cannot be!" I moaned, for remorse had fallen upon me, and it was more than I could bear. Mogruith turned his hideous head and smiled, blood falling from his lips. "All that could have been is lost.....as of now, your soul belongs to Sauron, and you can do naught but accept your fate. It begins. Your race shall fail and you shall fade..." Mogruith stood and sheathed his sword, as I fell once more to my knees. "Please..." I begged, although I do not know what it was that I beseeched of him. If it were salvation that I sought, I would surely not find it in this creature of the shadow. He felt no remorse. He felt nothing. And I was doomed the same. He turned away, his black robes billowing in an intangible wind, and disappeared into the darkness. "What have I done?? What ---" I was overcome with guilt, babbling inanely and weeping in defeat. Out of the dark came the thunder of footsteps as a dozen of my men came rushing towards me waving torches in the inky blackness. "My Liege, what has happened here??? How has Roengad fallen?" came a voice. I could not look at them. I was too ashamed. "Mordor messenger.....killed him..where is he??....has he left the gates??" "Nay. No one has left the gates....." "Where is he?? WHERE??!" I roared. "He must die!!! We must destroy him!!!" "He's gone mad..." another voice murmured. The same voice, I assume, belonged to the man that tried to lift me to my feet. "Don't touch me!!!!!!" "You need to be attended to, Sire. We cannot leave you here. You must go to your bedchamber and rest...." "Leave me be!" I screamed as I wept. I had been reduced to a blubbering idiot, a weakness and a flaw for all to see. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggrrrrrgggghhh!" At that moment, I was seized by several hands and uplifted. By the light of the torches, I could see the puddle of Roengad's blood, spreading vastly over the flagstone. I could hear the men whispering about me, as their grip on my flailing limbs tightened. "Devil's diamond?" "How has it gotten here?" "'Twas the messenger...." "I knew that tragedy would come of this...." "Roengad? Wherefore?" "Only the King knows, Mortimir."
"And so it begins" whispered in Mogruith in satisfaction. I had betaken of the ring. Upon my finger it rested, so beautifully dark, glinting sinisterly. 'Twas true. My kingdom had strength a thousand time's more than my rivals, for I now wielded the power of the devil's diamond. A power so great that even I could not harness it, but at the time, I knew not of what fate had befallen me. Roengad looked stricken. But I could not see him. All I could see was my greed, my very own death, personified in such a lowly, but grand form. "Sire," Roengad began with uncertainty. He was not sure it was his place, but he could not let me fall into shadow, therefore he spoke. He was the most loyal of my subjects and would willingly die for me. And for that he would never be forgotten. "Sire, you cannot take of the ring. It was wrought by Mordor craftsmen in the fires of Mount Doom. It will do naught but destroy you--" "When I ask you for your wretched advice, then thou shalt know! I order you to remain in silence or I'll have you hanged!" I screamed in passionate fury. The ring's malice and dire intentions had begun to taint my soul. My gaze which had been looking upon Roengad in utmost wrath fell once more to the cursed gem. "All has been done." Mogruith turned to leave down the halls, for he sought exit from this place. In the name of Sauron, his mission was accomplished. His dark deed fulfilled. This kingdom which would soon fall to ruin. Roengad, who's hand had been clutching the hilt of sword, could no longer stand idly by and rose upon Mogruith with a flash of his blade. "Turn now and face me, you heinous fiend! In the honor of my King , King Duristahn, I shall have your head! You will not leave Rokuin alive!" Mogruith rounded and sneered at Roengad. " Son of Breorn, do you honestly expect to defeat me? For you are sorely mistaken. It will be my pleasure to eat your innards from the blade of my sword and bring your head to Sauron in triumph! There is nothing in your power that you can do to save this fool's soul." Amongst the utterance of his last words, he withdrew his sword; which had been concealed within his robes. This was no ordinary sword. It was a Baradurian Blade, engulfed in flame. At the unsheathing of this magnificent Mordor weaponry, the band upon my finger began to scorch my skin. I screamed in agony, staggering about whilst the ring began to glow an eerie red and the stench of my burning flesh filled my nostrils. Roengad, whose attention had been diverted from Mogruith, looked in dismay upon me as I fell to my knees weeping. Filled with rage, he swung his sword in a wide arc, narrowly missing Mogruith's head. The Mordor messenger ducked and with a murderous roar and baring of his fangs he beset his blade into Roengad's thigh, moving so swiftly that he was all but a dark blur. Roengad collapsed upon the ground at his feet. Mogruith then raised his flaming sword above his head and sent it plunging downward in an attempt to behead the fallen chancellor. But Roengad quickly rolled out of the striking range and heard the sickening clang of metal against stone. He crawled to his feet, daring to not look upon the gaping flesh wound he had suffered. Tears streaming from his eyes, he fought onward and the deadly battle turned into the likes of a fencing match. As the twilight fell into darkness, the flames on Mogruith's blade illuminated all in its presence, and I could see both the fear and anguish burning in Roengad's features. I rose to my feet, having lost all feeling in my finger and stood, looking on in horror as Roengad's leg went out from beneath him and he fell with a loud thud. It was then that Mogruith drove the Baradurian Blade into his heart. He stood erect, towering over Roengad in triumph, drawing his sword out of the stiffened form. Mogruith crouched down and slashed open Roengad's stomach, his innards spilling out onto the stone. He then reached into the gore and wrenched out a length of intestine and began to eat it, ravaging what was left of such a noble man. "No...no..This cannot be!" I moaned, for remorse had fallen upon me, and it was more than I could bear. Mogruith turned his hideous head and smiled, blood falling from his lips. "All that could have been is lost.....as of now, your soul belongs to Sauron, and you can do naught but accept your fate. It begins. Your race shall fail and you shall fade..." Mogruith stood and sheathed his sword, as I fell once more to my knees. "Please..." I begged, although I do not know what it was that I beseeched of him. If it were salvation that I sought, I would surely not find it in this creature of the shadow. He felt no remorse. He felt nothing. And I was doomed the same. He turned away, his black robes billowing in an intangible wind, and disappeared into the darkness. "What have I done?? What ---" I was overcome with guilt, babbling inanely and weeping in defeat. Out of the dark came the thunder of footsteps as a dozen of my men came rushing towards me waving torches in the inky blackness. "My Liege, what has happened here??? How has Roengad fallen?" came a voice. I could not look at them. I was too ashamed. "Mordor messenger.....killed him..where is he??....has he left the gates??" "Nay. No one has left the gates....." "Where is he?? WHERE??!" I roared. "He must die!!! We must destroy him!!!" "He's gone mad..." another voice murmured. The same voice, I assume, belonged to the man that tried to lift me to my feet. "Don't touch me!!!!!!" "You need to be attended to, Sire. We cannot leave you here. You must go to your bedchamber and rest...." "Leave me be!" I screamed as I wept. I had been reduced to a blubbering idiot, a weakness and a flaw for all to see. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggrrrrrgggghhh!" At that moment, I was seized by several hands and uplifted. By the light of the torches, I could see the puddle of Roengad's blood, spreading vastly over the flagstone. I could hear the men whispering about me, as their grip on my flailing limbs tightened. "Devil's diamond?" "How has it gotten here?" "'Twas the messenger...." "I knew that tragedy would come of this...." "Roengad? Wherefore?" "Only the King knows, Mortimir."