Another Darkness

Chapter 1: The Road Is Calling

A/N: This is the only one I'll be making (though no promises) I do not own an of JRR Tolkiens work, however I own Ithil Lysa and what she is (no spoilers). I also own characters such as Orma, Voron, Jorund and The Bad Guy, and any other crazy people I dream up. Any who, have fun. Please review :)

Whilst all was well for the races throughout the land, half-beings were still looked down upon, forgotten or even discriminated against. In this land far from the mainlands, far north above even the Grey Mountains, where uncommon creatures gathered either in exile or purposefully straying away from the land of men, elves and dwarves. Some were simply born here.

Ensam, the City Of The Planes, was an unruly place surrounded by planes of blue-green grass, a strange anomaly given from the icy climate. From the single spiraling tower in the centre, you could see the edge of the forrest that everyone knew beyond which lied the Grey Mountains weeks after. On the exterior Ensam looked a peaceful, albeit rundown place; however, inside the city it was everyone for themselves. No one knew how the city erected, given that none of the Northern Creatures could work together to build anything like a city. So it was simply inhabited, with no law and few morals.

In a dank tavern on the edge of Ensam, in the darkest corner, sat a figure hidden behind a heavy cloak. They cradled a mug of warm mead in their small hands. Ithil Lysa was one of the creatures born in the northern lands. She had no recollection of her parents or where she came from, nor was she identifiable as pure elf or pure human. She was an enigma amongst the creatures here. Ithil possessed the beauty of an elf, with the curves and athleticism of a human. Yet she was neither.

Her long black hair was so dark it shone purple at times, her eyes were the colour of sunset in an array of unusual oranges and pinks. Her skin was white as snow and her features were a blend of soft and sharp, with high cheekbones and soft, large round eyes like a deer. Her lips were a soft pink cupid bow, and her nose was small and dainty. Her ears had the slight point usual in elves. A woman like her would usually fair for the worst in this city, however, having lived here her whole life, Ithil had gained a reputation among the population in the North. She was not to be messed with. Armed with magic and knives that she knew how to use, Ithil held her own.

The woman stared at the opposite wall tiredly, for days she had been attacked with dreams of ruins and mountains somewhere south. Visions such as these were not unusual. Her magic was often unpredictable often flaring in strange places. Whilst she had somewhat mastered the offensive side of her magic, the Other Stuff was a mystery and uncontrollable to her. She had no tutor to teach her how to handle her Other magic.

Given the nature of her lifestyle here, it was a barely conscious decision to hold a knife to the throat of a person who had decided to sit with her. Ithil's strange eyes focused on the intruder to her thoughts. An incredibly elderly man with a large pointy hat sat opposite her with only mild surprise in his grey eyes.
"Vad vill du?" she hissed at the man. He frowned at her slightly.
"Do you speak common tongue, my lady?" He asked back. Ithil frowned. What was a southern man doing up here?
"Yes."
"Is it too bold for me to ask you to lower your weapon?" he asked softly. His eyes were kind as his words. Ithil nodded and lowered her knife.
"If you make a move, it will not be trouble to stab you quicker than you can blink." Ithil's common tongue was a little rusty, yet even the elderly man noticed the fluidity and song-like nature of her voice.

"My name is Gandalf the White. What's yours?" he asked, despite knowing the answer.
"I am Ithil Lysa," she replied. Gandalf retrieved a pipe from beneath his white robes and began to smoke.
"What can I do for you, Gandalf?" Ithil asked impatiently. The wizard cocked his head.
"I have come to recruit you," he spoke slowly, making sure she understood him. This only irked Ithil more.
"What for?" she asked before taking another mouthful of her mead. She looked around the tavern discreetly making sure no one was listening. Luckily, the place was fairly barren.
"I am devising a company to accompany me on an adventure. I need someone of the North to join me this time. I have heard many things about you, Ithil Lysa and would greatly appreciate your efforts." Ithil frowned again.

"Why me? Why the North?" she demanded, sitting up straighter. She had never been propositioned for a quest.
"Because, I believe, there is another darkness coming to this world that would not only affect the main lands, but those surrounding it. What we are looking for happens to be of the North."
"'Of the North', then you shouldn't mess with it. Artifacts from the North are dangerous and unpredictable."
"It is a person we seek."
"Then even more so! If this person is from the North then why are they South? If that is where we are going, because even I am not game to venture further North."
"Yes, it is to the South. We believe the person may have retreated to the South in search of something powerful. It is...not so much the person we week, rather what they may have found."
"So, it is too late to get there first, is that it?" She asked with a smirk. Gandalf nodded sagely.
"I'm afraid so. We must find this person and retrieve the artifact before whatever evil coming finds it.
"How do you know that the evil is not the one who found it? How do you even know of the artifact? How do you know of this person? You are not very clear on the details, wizard."
Gandalf was taken aback by the interrogation. Most people never asked this many questions.
"If the evil had found it, we would surely all be dead. We only know of the person and the object due to a prophet."
"So, this could all very well be a giant misconception and the evil could just be a bad feeling?"
"When you put it like that, yes, precisely." Gandalf chuckled to himself. It was far more complicated than that, yet it was a surprising accurate summation of the facts.

Ithil sucked in her breath and took to going over the proposition in her head. It was a fools errand that she really had no real investment in. Yet, she was incredibly bored and had always wanted to go South. She doubted they would accept her there. She could not be defined, and the southerners like their definitions.
"What do I get out of all of this?"
"I can offer you gold?" He suggested. Ithil crinkled her nose.
"No. However, in the south are the Elves."
"I cannot offer you elves."
"Of course not! I simply wish to speak to one. Preferably a very, very old one. " Ithil was secretly very excited at this prospect.
"Why, may I ask?" Ithil leaned forward and gestured with her free hand (the one not holding the mug) to her face.
"What do you think I am?" Gandalf looked stunted.
"An Elf?"
"No, I don't think so. I'd be a pretty unusual elf, wouldn't you say? However, the elves are very old, most have probably seen or heard of what I could be. I want to know what I am, Gandalf. Simple consultation is all I require.
"Well, we will be going very far south, near Mirkwood. It would prove a small problem to get consultation with the Elven king there, but I think I can talk him into it. I would take you to any of the other two, more hospitable, Elven Lords, but they are preparing for the oncoming storm ahead. Thranduil, on the other hand, does not often leave his precious Mirkwood to help with such affairs. He is very protective of his forest..." Gandalf seemed to be remembering something that happened in another time.
"He will do. I accept this adventure then. Who else shall be accompanying us, Wizard?"
"Well," he said standing,"I was planning on working my way down to recruit the rest of our company. This is the furthest stop North." Ithil stood with the wizard, nodding in agreement.
"We will need to head west first and go down past Carn Dûm, I am not overly fond of the idea of going past Gundabad, despite it being a short-cut. We still need to recruit so..." he let the sentence trail off and began walking to the door of the tavern. Ithil shrugged. Gundabad did not scare her, the forest before the mountains however, were terrifying. Only twice has she ever gone that far South.

The strange duo emerged from the tavern into the icy air of Ensam. Ithil pulled up her hood and followed Gandalf out of the city. This marked her first ever quest. She may even find out what she was. Something told her she would not be returning to the harsh northern lands for a long, long time.