Two elves walk into the prancing pony, one is covered in bits of bark and the other has leaves stuck in his colloar.
"The world seems to be getting more dangerous by the second," Celebrandir says. "Even in the trollshaws things seemed bad."
"We made it through," Lithuilas says. "The things surrounding Gwingris are more dangerous than anything in the forest around Rivendell."
"That may be true but it is not really a comforting thought about our home."
"It hasn't seemed to stop you from getting your daily cup of tea."
"Holly-leaves make fine tea when steeped properly," Celebrandir says.
"It's a bit bitter for my taste."
"You should be more open minded about tea. A good cup of tea makes even the worst days better."
"That may be true but it's hard to get tea in Eregion," Lithuilas says. "I'll let you keep it since you enjoy it more than I do."
"I'm just glad it's easy to find fallen holly branches. It's easy to just pay travelers to pick up a few branches while they move around the forest."
"There seem to be more people passing through since the dwarves started trying to reclaim Moria. What did you think of the seeds I had brought to you?"
"I was so happy to see that the forest will continue even with everything that's happening," Celebrandir says.
"I think the area will recover quickly if we can rid it of the wood trolls. I suspect they are the reason the hourn have started moving."
"How would they be doing that?"
"I think it's just they hold a great deal of dark energy," Lithuilas says "and because they are made of wood it is easy to corrupt the trees."
"Why are they after such a small area?"
"I suspect it's a staging point for continuing into the Trollshaws. Wood trolls would be difficult to contain inside a large forest."
"Is there anything we can do to stop them?" Celebrandir says.
"I believe taht the best thing we can do is keep them contained. Those that pass through are often attacked by the wood trolls and kill them. That is at least some help. I am more worried about the hourn and lurkers."
"Are they that dangerous?"
"No," Lithuilas says "the wood trolls are more dangerous. The problem is that the hourns and lurkers are supposed to be natural guardians and are attacking people without reason. I can only asume the dark energy is twisting them. That's the reason I was forced to have several of them killed."
"That's horrible."
"It is but once they get violent there's really no other choice."
"Do you know what's causing it?" Celebrandir asks.
"I suspect it has something to do with the half orcs that are swarming the land. I know they have been meeting with the wood trolls but I had that interupted and the leaders killed. I sent the adventurers south to deal with the half orcs. With any luck they'll help to stop the build up of dark energy."