A/N: Ignore me, I'm writing this as a worldbuilder for my own RPG-type-thing that I plan on writing at least one novel with. The next chapter of If I Could Turn Back Time is in progress. Also, TIMELINE WHAT TIMELINE WE DONT NEED NO STINKIN TIMELINE

The rain pouring down out of the sky certainly felt real, Talion would give them that. And the cold that came with it, too; it felt just like the same chill that came every time he ended up on patrol or in combat while it was raining. It soaked through his chainmail and the padding underneath, but he stayed out in the wet just to enjoy the weather.

"Don't stay out too long."

Talion started and looked back. The elven smith NPC was stepping away from his forge, wiping the dust from his fingers, a faint smile on his lips. "You might not catch your death in this weather," he said, "but I can't imagine that the side effects will be very pleasant."

Even as he spoke, a notification popped up on Talion's heads-up display. You are Chilled! Received Slow Debuff - Movement speed reduced by 10%. He grimaced.

The elf chuckled. "You're welcome to come in, you know," he continued, sweeping an arm to encompass the rest of the forge, "If you're waiting for someone, they'll still be able to see you. Unless you're just enjoying the rain?"

"A little of both," Talion answered, stepping under the roof. With the exception of the living quarters and the roof overhead and the wide chimney where the actual fire was, the forge was open to the elements, letting him watch the rain coming down. "My family said they would meet me here, but they're not due for another-" He briefly tapped into the menu to check the real-world clock. "-ten minutes."

Lord of the Rings wasn't the first virtual reality game he'd played, but it was the first one that used quote-unquote "full-immersion virtual reality" or "FIVR", to play. It wasn't the first FIVR game on the market, either, but it was the first to be controlled by an AI that could make real-time changes to the game. There were even rumors that the AI was self-learning and actually existed as an in-game NPC, though no one was quite sure which one, not even the actual game developers.

Which was a little alarming, but Talion was sure those were only rumors. Why would a world-governing artificial intelligence choose to interact as a simple NPC?

He blinked back to himself when he realized the elf was speaking again. "Your family? What are they like?"

Talion could have spent literal days gushing about his family, but being in-game talking to an NPC wasn't an excuse to infodump everywhere. Too many personal details given out online was a recipe for disaster, even if it was to an innocent "person". Still, he said, "My wife is a doctor, and a damned good one to boot - one of the best in the Sol System. I've lost count of the number of cases she's been called in to consult on. Our son is planning to follow in her footsteps, at least a little; he wants to become an army doctor, but he's still in high school right now. And our adopted daughter wants to go into politics - diplomacy, international relations. She's got the pedigree for it, even though her father was a traitor."

"Is that how she came to be adopted?"

"Yeah." No one had been sure how long Castamir had been selling information to the enemy, but he'd given away enough information, compromised enough agents that the trial seemed almost a farce. He'd been sentenced to death, leaving Idril alone in the world. Or as good as alone; Talion had seen the way even her closest relatives had looked at her afterwards, like they expected her father's corruption to have spread to her by osmosis or something, even though she was the one who turned him in. He'd known better, and after discussing it with Ioreth, they had offered to be her new family. Idril had jumped at the chance, having known Talion from when he briefly served as her bodyguard while overseas with her father, and none of them had looked back. Dirhael had been happy to have a sister, too.

"I wish her luck then. Such actions affect the family long after the traitors themselves are gone."

Talion raised an eyebrow. Something about the elf's voice... "Is that experience talking?"

"In a way," the other replied, "I'm familiar with the tales of Fëanor and Maeglin."

The man quickly pulled up the appendices. Fëanor was an elven smith of old who inadvertently set many of the game's historical events in motion. Much of his family had been cursed as a result of his actions against the gods of the realm, and they were shunned by most people. The elf himself had been killed by the evil god Morgoth, the "Black Foe of the World". Maeglin was another elf of a kindred tribe who had betrayed a great elven city to its doom because he wasn't allowed to marry his cousin. The city in question, Gondolin, was now the stronghold of a terrible sorcerer under the command of Morgoth.

The elf seemed to understand what he was doing because he was waiting patiently when Talion closed the appendices. "Sad, isn't it?" he said, "Both of them did such great things for our people - Fëanor was a legendary smith, and he made the great Silmarils and many other things besides, and Maeglin was a superb swordsman - but now their names are cursed, their families looked on in suspicion."

"Yeah," the man answered, "it is sad."

From there they moved on to lighter topics, like any beginners' quests nearby, which shops in Bree would give him the best deals for loot, and a little bit more about the elf's own history. He was from Eregion to the south, one of the twin elven realms, one on either side of the spine of the Misty Mountains with the dwarven realm of Khazad-dûm between. He learned his craft there but came north to Bree - or "Newhaven" as it was sometimes known - to lend his skills to all the new adventurers coming to their lands to help beat back the darkness.

"I do not think Sauron and Morgoth can ever truly be defeated," said the elf, wrapping the handle of a sword in leather, "not until the Dagor Dagorath, the Battle of Battles, and the Day of Doom. But in the fight against evil, sometimes stalemate is victory."

"Fair," Talion replied, "but an endless war wears down at both sides - at least in the real world. Here we just respawn."

"The gods are great indeed, to call you and your fellows back to life as many times as are required for you to do what you must. Is this your family now?"

Talion turned - only to get half-tackled by his children. He laughed and squeezed them tight, marveling for a moment at the detail of the virtual world. He could feel the texture of the cloth, the individual mail rings and rivets in the plate armor, and the dampness of the rain slowly moving off.

"Dad!" Dirhael cheered, "You're here! I told you this was a good idea! Now we can see you even while you're deployed!"

"Yes, yes, you were right," Talion said with an edge of amused exasperation, "It's good to see you too, Dirhael. And you as well, Idril. I'm surprised you're playing as a barbarian, though. I would have thought a knight or paladin was more your style."

"Maybe in a few months," she replied with a grin, "That's when they're supposed to start the multiclassing features, but right now I just want to hack up some orcs."

"That's fair." They stepped back, and he held out a hand. "Baranor. Always good to see you."

The other man shook. "Likewise. How's the frontier treating you?" Baranor had been Idril's closest friend since childhood, and he'd stood by her side throughout the revelation of Castamin's betrayal and the subsequent trial. They had slowly moved into dating after the execution.

Talion shrugged. "It's there. Not a whole lot happening where I am."

"Thank goodness. No need to invite trouble."

But then he too stepped aside to let Ioreth come forward, and Talion felt a smile pull his lips up. His wife was the only one who had chosen to play as one of the elven race, mostly because of the bonuses it gave her class, but she still looked very much like herself. The only real difference was the slightly pointed ears peeking through her rich brown hair. She stepped happily into his embrace and tilted her head up for a soft kiss.

Then they stood and held each other for a moment; it had been months since they had last seen one another.

Of course, after too long, their children started making impatient noises, so they stepped back. "All right, all right," Talion grumbled, "Are we ready to go then?"

"I think so. Wait. Dad, do you not have a bow? You can't be a Ranger without a bow."

"That's a stereotype, Dirhael, and I have a sword."

But the boy was already turning to the elven smith. "You're a shopkeeper, right? Do you have any bows and arrows for sale?"

"Sadly I am not yet a bowyer or a fletcher," the elf answered, "but I do have a bow you may borrow, so long as you promise to bring it back."

He looked to Talion, who said, "Of course."

New Quest Received! Azkâr: Reach level 10, then return Azkâr to its owner. Reward: ?

Huh. Okay, that was weird. Talion had never seen a quest without a listed reward. Maybe it changed based on the class or something.

The elf disappeared up a set of stairs leading to the living quarters over the forge, then returned carrying a longbow - though no quiver. Once he accepted the weapon, Talion saw why.

Azkâr (Unique): A gift from the dwarven smith Narvi of Khazad-dûm. Charged by the power of its wielder's spirit, Azkâr does not require ammunition like most bows. Instead, it fires bolts of magical energy, the number of which is equal to 100 x your Player Level. These bolts recharge once per day. If normal ammunition is used with Azkâr, it deals additional damage equal to your Player Level x Dexterity. Additional Properties: This bow is Unbreakable. This bow is Soulbound to you; it may not be traded or given away except as part of a quest. Augment slots: 5.

Holy shit. "Thank you," Talion said, more than a little stunned, "Hang on, I never actually caught your name."

The elf smiled. "Tyelpë."

"Tyelpë," the man repeated, struggling a little with the pronunciation, "Thank you. I'll bring Azkâr back soon."

"They all say that," the elf replied, a little sad and resigned, "Good luck on your quests."

"...level cap's at 100 right now, but still, that's ten thousand arrows you're just carrying around!"

"That's nice, Dirhael, but I'm still not keeping it. Who knows what penalties failing the quest carries." It was a nice bow, though. "What are these augment slots? Exactly what they sound like?"

"It looks that way." Ioreth walked alongside him, the appendices open in front of her. From the outside, it looked like she was reading an ancient book at least two inches thick, cover worn and pages yellowed but still clearly readable. Apparently it was possible to change its appearance, but both Talion and loreth had left theirs as the default. "The augment slots let you add additional effects or properties to whatever has them, and it looks like the augments themselves run the gamut."

"I wonder if there are any for magic users," Baranor said.

"Probably in wands or staves, yeah, but I don't know about spellbooks. I suppose we can find out as we go along."

Their party was a mixed bunch. Idril was a barbarian for both tanking and close-range fighting. Dirhael was a paladin so he could tank and heal. Ioreth was a cleric - or "Priestess", as they were known here - for healing and buffing. Baranor was their wizard DPS. Talion had picked a Ranger, which here was essentially a druid with lesser spellcasting power but no environmental limitations (arctic druids couldn't travel in the desert, etc), plus better weapons options.

None of them had chosen one of the rogue classes, which would be a problem if they had to do any infiltration work, Talion thought absently as they headed down the road out of Bree, but maybe there would be players willing to join up for a time, either for coin or for allies elsewhere.

As they walked and talked, the man also took the time to look around. Bree was far from a perfect idyllic fantasy town, but it seemed all the more real for its flaws, even the rain that had turned the unpaved parts of the road to mud. 'Though,' he thought, wrinkling his nose at the smell of horse shit, 'perhaps it could have done with a little less realism. Maybe there's something in the system settings…'

He fiddled with his controls for a little while until Ioreth spoke. "Tyelpë was kind of cute. I can see why you were flirting with him."

The man almost tripped, but thankfully his relatively high Agility score let him recover before he went down in the quickly drying mud. "Okay, first of all, flirting requires intent," Talion protested, "I was just being friendly. Second, he's an NPC, love. I know we discussed adding a third, but I would have gone for another player character first if that had been my intent."

"Still, I know we have the same taste in men, and I don't hear you denying that he was cute."

"...Yeah, he was."

Breathtakingly handsome, more like. While Ioreth had stayed closer to the down-to-earth side of elven appearances, Tyelpë looked like full elven nobility, complete with the elegance and grace of the High Elves from the press releases. There had been a few others like him in Bree, mostly among the player characters, but to his (and his wife's) partial eye, he was better and more beautiful than any of them. Kinder and more compassionate, too; even if he was generated by an AI, he'd still come to help new players and lent Talion a legendary weapon for his first ten levels.

Talion pulled up his own appendices to look at some of Azkâr's properties. They seemed self-explanatory, but still. "Soulbound" was exactly what it said it was; he was the only one who could use the bow, even in his own party. "Unbreakable" was also what it sounded like; all in-game weapons and armor had a certain "Durability", or the number of hits they could make or take before breaking, and Unbreakable items had infinite Durability.

It was the "Unique" that threw him a little; that meant that in the entire game world, there was only one Azkâr. Higher-level players could theoretically make their own versions of it and nickname it "Azkâr", but it would still show up as a regular bow, without the Unique property. Not to mention they would have to fill the Augment Slots; he wasn't seeing any enchantments that could be laid on the actual bow that would have the same effects.

Whoever this "Narvi" was, he'd given one hell of a gift.

By then, their party had passed out of Bree and through the farmlands beyond, and a notification popped up. You have reached the edge of the town's safe zone. Beyond is the Wild, where fell creatures roam free; be sure you are prepared before setting out. Note: If you die in the Wild, you will respawn in your Home or the last town you visited.

Idril was looking at their map. "Our first quest is in that direction." She pointed. "A farm overrun by goblins. Not much, but a good starter quest."

"Tyelpë told me about that one, too, " Talion said as they turned down that branch of the road, "He said they're probably operating out of a cave nearby, if we want to hit them there for some additional loot. We'll have to actually search for the cave, though; it won't have a quest marker."

"I'm down if everyone else is."

"More XP and loot, what's not to love?"

Talion exchanged an amused glance with Ioreth and set off after their children.

"Wow. Tyelpë was on the money with this one! Literally!"

Talion barely caught the sack of coin Idril tossed to him. Received 5 silver, 50 copper. Received 2 rough amethysts.

The man checked the notification that popped up with the gemstones. Once cut and polished, gemstones may be sold or made into jewelry or other adornments. They may also be enchanted to produce Augments, if your weapons or armor have Augment Slots available. Certain gemstones take some types of enchantments better than others, so choose wisely.

Interesting. Talion put it out of his mind for the moment; Azkâr was the only weapon he had that had the slots, and he wasn't about to tamper with Tyelpë's bow without permission.

He joined the others in looting the cave, and they all came away with the equivalent of five gold apiece and some halfway decent weapons and armor. "One of us must have high luck," said Baranor, giving his new staff a twirl, "These are actually pretty good drops."

"'Luck'?" Talion repeated as he finished buckling on his new sword.

"It's one of your stats, but you can't put points into it the way you can with the others. I've heard that some quests will reward you with boosts to your luck, but the rest of the time you have to grind for it. The developers put it in as a way for the Admin Up High to reward and punish players, since it's not technically supposed to interact with us directly."

"You heard that rumor too?"

"What rumor?" Ioreth drifted over. She hadn't received a new staff like Baranor, but she did have new robes which decreased the mana cost of her spells.

"Supposedly the AI administrator is running around the game world as an NPC," Talion told her.

"What, just one? Isn't it technically all of them?"

The man shrugged. "That's just what I've heard."

"Same here," Baranor added, "My brother Serka, one of his friends is on the AI's dev team. They say it's doing that to learn from real people so it can make the game's interactions more natural, so they let it be, though they are keeping a close eye on it. Apparently it's learning faster than they expected."

"Some caution is always good," Ioreth agreed, "Machine learning has been dangerous in the past, but hopefully this will help us make strides toward a better future. If we had AIs to support the medical field, I'm sure we'd see an improvement in the quality of healthcare."

"And you could actually work on your research." Talion gave her a playful nudge.

"True enough, though I do enjoy consulting now and then."

They finished up the rest of their quests and went back to Bree so that they didn't log back in in the middle of a goblin mob - or worse. Talion didn't think they would encounter any of the orc captains yet or the faceless horrors called Nazgûl, given that the strongest in their party just hit level 4 right before they entered the safe zone, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He wasn't quite sure how the random encounter tables rolled or even if they varied between levels. Their band hadn't encountered anything worse than a young warg, which he'd shot as fast as possible before it could pounce, but he wasn't holding his breath.

On their way to sell their loot and get more adventuring supplies, Talion and Ioreth stopped by Tyelpë's forge, but the elven smith was completely focused on another project, bright blue eyes nearly glowing as his hammer and hands shaped the metal.

"Dedicated to his work," said Ioreth as they headed off again, "I think we can both respect that."

"Without a doubt."

Despite Ioreth's father Hallas's most dire predictions, their mutual respect for each other's dedication to their chosen careers had formed the foundation for a relationship twenty years strong. The old man was still seething about it, that some Army brat had stolen away his beloved daughter before he could marry her off as a trophy wife. It helped that they'd saved each other's lives about a year into their "relationship"; Talion had recognized that some unknown asshole had walked into Ioreth's hospital with an assault rifle under his jacket while he'd been picking her up for their lunch date. He'd protected her from the weapon's fire, and she'd been the one to stop him from bleeding out and later dug out the bullets and stitched him up in surgery.

"So what do you think?" Talion asked, gesturing to the world around them.

"Mm." Ioreth turned to look at him. "Well, it's a definite improvement over staticky video calls once a month, that's for sure."

The man smiled at that. "It is, isn't it." He tilted his head down even as she tilted hers up, and they shared a gentle kiss, unaware that they were being observed.

Their kids caught up with them soon after, and they all bade one another farewell before logging off.

Talion logged back on a week later to find that his kids had done some leveling in his absence, though not too much; Dirhael's healing abilities were more limited than Ioreth's, so they had to be more careful in the Wild.

Still, he was early again, so he went to Tyelpë's forge. The elf was helping some new players - very new, based on their gear and player profiles - and after a few minutes, he sent them off with some decent quality starter gear and a few words of caution about entering the Wild. Then he noticed the Ranger, and his smile widened. "Talion! Welcome back. How is Azkâr treating you?"

"Very well; I can't thank you enough." The elf gestured for the man to join him, and they both sat on a bench looking out towards the street. Talion pulled out the bow and laid it across his lap. "It's incredible, and I'm guessing this Narvi was as well, if he's the one who made it. Was he a friend of yours?"

"He was indeed. We got to know one another through a mutual love of smithing and would trade techniques and teach each other new skills when we had the time. Sometimes we collaborated on projects - at least, up until he got too old. He passed about thirty years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Losing friends is always hard."

"That's the price my people pay for living among mortals," Tyelpë said with an edge of sadness, "One day all of you will disappear, and we will be alone again, bound to this world until its ending."

"But you'll have fond memories to remember us by," Talion said.

"True enough," the elf agreed, "but I would rather have the people."

"No arguments here."

"You've lost people as well?"

"Yeah. Actually, it was because of Idril's father. My company had always been tight - we went through basic training together, and somehow most of us ended up at the same posting. He leaked our movements to the enemy, the rebels, and they ambushed us. Eighty of us went out... fifteen came back."

"I know it's trite, but I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry for yours. Losing friends is always hard, no matter how it happens." Talion rubbed his thumb over one of the limbs of the bow. It was a recurve, but favored the straight lines and sharp angles of dwarven craftsmanship rather than the elves' elegant twists and smooth curves. "What was Narvi like?"

They talked a little more about the people they had lost until Ioreth arrived ahead of the others. Talion stood to embrace her, which she returned. "The kids are eating," she said, "They'll be on soon. Good to see you, Tyelpë. How's business?"

"Doing very well," he said with a smile, "All these new adventurers keep depleting my stock almost faster than I can replace it. Hopefully as they all get stronger, they'll be able to reopen the passes through the Misty Mountains in the east and the Blue Mountains in the west."

Locked regions for future in-game expansions? Interesting. "What can you tell us about that?" Talion asked.

A notification popped up before Tyelpë could speak. The Rhovanion, Beleriand, and Númenor Expansions are still in development. Check back later when they become available!

The man swiped it away to listen to the elf, who had produced a much larger map. "Eriador is this land here, where we are now," he said, pointing, "and this northern part was once a kingdom of Men known as Arnor. Sadly, one of the Nine Nazgûl, the Witch-King, destroyed much of the land and drove Arnor's kings into the wild. I've heard rumors that royal blood still runs through the Rangers of the North, though they stay hidden to protect against Sauron's predations." He shook his head.

New Quest Received! Blood of Kings: Investigate the rumors of royal blood among the Rangers of the North. Recommended level 10+. Reward: level-scaled XP and coin, improved relationship with the Dúnedain Faction.

Ioreth must have received the same notification, because she swiped to get rid of it as well.

"Rhovanion is the land to the east of the Misty Mountains. The Anduin - the Great River - divides the mountains from the forest known as Greenwood the Great. There is a city of wood elves somewhere within, but we had no word from them for some time even before the passes closed.

"There is also the dwarven kingdom of Erebor further east than that, along with some settlements in the Iron Hills, and the Mannish city of Dale on the shores of the Long Lake.

"Towards the south on the near shore of the Anduin is the elven forest of Lothlórien, where Galadriel rules."

"I've heard of her," said Ioreth, "They call her the Lady of Light. Is she as powerful as they say?"

"She is," Tyelpë confirmed, "but though I doubt she would harm you intentionally, you should still be cautious and respectful if you encounter her. 'The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows.'"

Both Talion and Ioreth nodded in agreement.

"Further south is Fangorn Forest, where supposedly some Ents - Tree-Herders - yet remain, though I myself have never seen them. Beyond that are two kingdoms of Men: Rohan, a land of skilled horsemen, and Gondor, kin to our own Arnor, though in a much better condition. Their line of kings is ended, though, and a steward rules in the king's stead. Both Gondor and Arnor were founded by those who fled the island of Númenor after it fell into darkness.

"East of Gondor... is Mordor, Sauron's land and home to all manner of dark creatures. Little is known about the land inside its borders; few who enter ever return." Tyelpë shuddered and shook his head again.

"What about up here? What's in 'Forodwaith'?" Ioreth asked.

"A lawless land. True wilderness, with no civilization to speak of."

Forodwaith is a PVP-enabled zone, with scattered dungeons full of monsters... and vast riches, for those willing to brave its dangers. Recommended level 50+.

Both of them swiped the notification away and signaled for the elf to continue.

"Beleriand lies to the west, between the Blue Mountains and the Belegaer - the Great Sea, also known as the Sundering Seas, where Númenor lies. Morgoth, Sauron's master, holds sway in the north, and much of the south lives in terror of him. Still, there are a few holdouts, realms of elves and men and one or two of dwarves, that stand against the darkness, including the Sons of Fëanor. But Morgoth is much stronger than Sauron, who in his turn is stronger than the goblin and wild orc armies that close the passes through the Misty Mountains. It will be some time yet before even the greatest adventures can open the way back into Beleriand, and Númenor beyond."

By then, the kids had logged on, and they too exchanged cheerful greetings with Tyelpë. Then Idril said, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we've got questing to do. Can we catch up with you later?"

The elf smiled. "Of course. Slay some goblins for me."

"Will do!"

The group went back to the goblin cave from last time, though they didn't get nearly as much loot from it this time. "Maybe that's the sysadmin's way of getting us to explore some more instead of just grinding one location," Dirhael suggested as ldril divided up their loot, "That's my bet."

"Agreed. Dad? What's up?"

Talion squinted at the ground. "I think I just succeeded on a perception check, 'cause now I see some kind of trail leading deeper into the hills."

"More goblins?" Ioreth came up next to him and tried to see what he did, but she was a Priestess, not a Ranger. She didn't have his "Survival Proficiency", which apparently included wilderness tracking. "I'll take your world for it."

"Lead the way, Dad."

He did so, but as they walked, Baranor murmured, "... Huh. That's weird."

"What's up?" Idril asked, throwing a glance over her shoulder.

"Has anyone else looked at Tyelpë's character sheet? I'm not the only one seeing all those hidden markers and question marks, right?"

"'Character sheet'?"

"Relationships tab on the menu. You want NPCs, sorted by Most Recent Interaction."

"...Huh."

Baranor was right. Things started getting murky right away, because "Tyelpë" wasn't even his real name. Whatever it was was listed as [Hidden], and his level was three question marks. His race - Ñoldor Elf - was the only thing that didn't have some kind of concealment on it; even his profession was listed as "[Hidden], Smith, [Hidden], Shopkeeper."

Talion tapped one of the markers and read aloud, "You must improve your relationship with this character to discover more information about them or unlock it on their profile. Current: Acquaintance 2; Required: Best Friends 50."

"Holy shit!"

"What?"

Baranor quickly explained the relationship system. It ran the gamut from "Blood Feud" to "Honorary Family" - or "True Love", if you were looking for that and the character was romantically inclined towards your characteristics. "Essentially you have to be one step away from the highest relationship tier to learn what's up with Tyelpë. From what Serka and his friends have told me, depending on the NPC on question, it could take months, even years to reach that level."

"How is that any different from a real-world friendship? But he must have some serious secrets if that's how high you have to go to learn more," said Ioreth.

"And there's Azkâr." Talion hefted the bow. "He has a legendary weapon just lying around? In the starter area? Something's definitely up."

"Well y'all have fun with that," said Idril, "I'm here to fight bad guys, not talk to NPCs, no matter what they have onhand."

"Now you should definitely keep the bow."

"Still not happening, Dirhael," Talion replied, "Baranor's right; it could take a while to figure out what Tyelpë's secrets are, but I'm sure as hell not gonna do anything that compromises my relationship with him. What if I need to borrow Azkâr again in the future for dungeon delving or something?"

"That's fair," Dirhael nodded.

"Good. Now are we gonna get back on track and figure out where this trail leads?" The man gestured with the bow, an energy bolt nocked, and they all fell in again, heading through the hills.

Their party stumbled back into Bree hours later, groaning, though for more than one reason. The trail had led them to a goblin encampment at the base of the watchtower of Amon Sûl, or Weathertop in the common tongue. The creatures had been using it as a lookout tower to lay ambushes for travelers, which made the road unsafe. As a result, there had been almost a literal ton of loot from the many NPCs the goblins had waylaid.

But the road was safe again, and they said as much to the captain of the town guard, who promised to get a garrison established there to stop the goblins from setting up shop again.

Quest Complete! Goblin Menace: You have cleared the Weather Hills of goblins, allowing the town to secure the roads east once more. Reward: 20 gold, 1500 XP, +100 reputation in Bree and the surrounding area.

They sold most of their loot, with the exception of what they intended to keep for themselves. They had also received a quest item, a Tattered Note in an unknown language which they kept carefully hidden for now. Then they went to the tavern to celebrate, even though more than half of the party was technically underage. Still, Ioreth agreed to let them have some fun as long as they let her control their purse strings so they didn't blow all their coin on booze. The Prancing Pony certainly would have appreciated it, but the three of them wouldn't have been happy later on when they needed the money.

Other players were celebrating as well, along with the NPCs, and Talion wove through the masses with wine for himself and Ioreth. "Next logon I'll find Tyelpë and return Azkâr," he said, handing her the glass, "I went by his shop, but he'd already closed for the day."

The fight against the goblins had been brutal, far harder than just clearing the surrounding area, but the whole party had finally reached level 10, meaning they were ready to leave Bree/Newhaven behind and start exploring the rest of Eriador.

"Or maybe you can do it now," Ioreth said, waving into the crowd. She smiled and made a "come here" gesture, and after a minute, the elven smith emerged with his own glass of wine. "Tyelpë, come join us."

"Ah, thank you." He sat in the remaining chair at the table with a sigh.

"Hard day?" Ioreth asked, "Adventurers being insufferable?"

"You have no idea, " Tyelpë groaned.

Talion watched the elves talk in between sips of his wine. The light from the sconces and hearth gave them both a golden cast, and the smoke seemed to wreathe their bodies and scatter the light like a halo, making them both seem even more ethereal than their race usually did. How did he get lucky enough to know such beautiful, wonderful people, much less end up married to one of them?

It took him a minute to realize they were both looking at him. "Huh? what?"

Ah, there was the eye roll he was familiar with. "I was just telling Tyelpë that I believe you have something for him?" Ioreth said, the playful Talion you useless bisexual grin pulling at her lips.

"Oh! Right!" He covered his blush by pulling Azkâr out and presenting it to the elven smith. "Here you are. One bow, as promised."

Tyelpë blinked but accepted the weapon, briefly running his fingers over the bow's smooth string. "You know, out of all the people I've lent Azkâr to, you're the very first one who's actually brought it back?"

"That's kinda sad," Talion said with a wince.

"Agreed," said Ioreth, "How many people have you let use it?"

"A few dozen."

"That's even worse!" the man nearly yelped. That was a nearly infinitesimal fraction of the players entering the game, but still. "A few dozen? Gods, no wonder you thought I wouldn't bring it back."

"Indeed. But I'm glad you did." The elf looked back up with a slightly sly smile. "Come see me next time you're here. I'll have a little something for you to make it worthwhile. For both of you."

Quest Complete! Azkâr: You've reached level 10 and returned Azkâr to its owner. Reward: Your relationship with Tyelpë has increased to Friends 1. Return at a later time to receive further rewards.