When the Valar made this island, they attempted to make it as physically diverse as possible. All kinds of terrain can be found here. In the center we have the mountain Meneltarma, which is surrounded by many foothills. All around the island, of course, is the beach with its diverse ecology. Throughout the rest of the island, there is a mix between grassland and forest, we a heavy emphasis towards the grasslands.

There is forest in the Andustar; firs and other evergreens in the north, for it is colder in that region save for in Forostar (and there are very few trees there, except for on the moors), and great woods of birch, beech, oak, and elm grew there. In Hyarnustar there were few trees, but in Hyarrostar there were an abundance, and they were of many different species.

In the last branch, Orrostar, it was also fairly cold, and there were few forests there. In the center, in Mittalmar most of the land was either the awesome mountain Meneltarma or was covered in grasslands and foothills. Many varieties of exotic trees were grown in Númenor, including lairelossë, malinorë, nessamelda, oiolairë, taniquelassë, vardarianna, and yavannamírë, to name but a few.

As for the plains, they are also spread throughout this island. Admittedly, there are not as many grasslands on the branches, save for the moors of Forostar and the barrens of Orrostar. However, in Mittalmar is one of Númenor's greatest regions and plains, called Emerië.

Once, many centuries ago, Númenor had more forests than grasslands. This was in the time of the ship-kings, when our timber was a vital resource and great care was made that it would be a long-lasting one. However, with a focus on building metal ships, and with our large timber economy in Endor, the forests are less protected.

Speaking of the metal ships, Ar-Pharazôn's penchant for metal is also affecting the terrain of the island. More and more of our land is being turned into vast industrialized mines, and many of our slaves in Mordor feel the unjust crack of the whip when they slow down in their harvesting of various metals. I wish I could blame the attraction to iron on Sauron (who does seem, to appreciate it), but Ar-Pharazôn has always preferred iron to other, more traditional, materials.

Interestingly enough, despite the strange attraction that Ar-Pharazôn has towards metals, he has never made any move to ally with any of the dwarves. I could perhaps understand his reluctance to ally with the Longbeards, who the Elves have allied with in the past (over 1500 years ago, admittedly), but there are more clans than just them. The dwarves have vast amounts of gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, steel, and (best of all) mithril. I would say that almost anything is worth the price of being able to trade with the dwarves for mithril. For some reason, no other race besides the dwarves is able to work with the metal.

This is one of the few areas where Sauron and I agree. Although Sauron tends to think that it would be better to conquer the dwarves and steal their labor, whereas I favor slightly less violent methods, we both agree that mithril is a valuable resource. I am especially confused because, as far as I can tell he has no reason to dislike the dwarves.

Through an old friend of mine, I have met this very interesting young woman named Eluni. She has showed an obvious interest in my job. She also seems very interested in the journals I keep, perhaps because the journals are a portal back to a time that she no doubt considers ancient history. She seems to spend more time with me than with her friends and family, a fact which no doubt worries her parents, Todapher and Azgartârak.

However, I think I will mention training her as a court scribe (and possibly as an assistant Steward) to her. Rather than seeing the offer of apprenticeship as the sentence of isolation that most see it as, I think she would see it as a gift. I feel confident that she will one day make a great Steward.

-From the Abridged Journals of Arnuzîr

It took the better part of the day of Telimperion and Immortal to get from their camp at the other side of the city to the main gates. However, considering the weeks of travel that the path had saved them, Telimperion considered it an acceptable price to pay. While they traveled on the main road, they were surrounded by a mob of others heading into Minas Tirith. The reasons that people had for visiting Minas Tirith were as varied as the people themselves.

Some people, like Telimperion and Immortal, were there to try and see the King or some other important official and petition him for some favor or another. Others were escaping their previous lives and attempting to start new lives amidst the vast sea of options that existed in the city. Others were envoys from other countries or other regions of the Reunited Kingdom, here to gain diplomatic or economic with Minas Tirith.

The throng of people was the main delay in their advancement to the main gate. While the people moved fast when there was space, the slow pace of the guards checking people in at the main gate caused them to barely move at all. In time, however, they did make it to the gate.

The woman at the gate was looking very tired, no doubt eager for her shift to end.

"I don't suppose either of you two have some kind of identification in you, do you?" she asked in a despairing tone.

"I do," said Telimperion. "He doesn't, though," she added, pointing to Immortal. She handed over a piece of paper marking her as a citizen of the Reunited Kingdom.

"Seems to be in order," the woman droned. "I'll have to supply the man with one, however. What's your name?"

Before Telimperion could answer for him, Immortal broke his silence and said "Tu-Ankh."

"Age?"

"27," he lied.

"Occupation?"

"Retired soldier, mercenary."

The interview continued on like this for several minutes until the papers were entirely in order. "Don't lose these, m'kay," she said.

Tu-Ankh bowed. "Of course not, my dear." After that, they were in. Telimperion saw that the woman was relieved once she was finished with them and felt happy for her.

Once they were inside the city, they could see its magnificent splendor again. Telimperion felt dazed just by looking around. Everything about it was massive, especially when compared to the Vale where she had spent her entire life. Tu-Ankh grinned, seeing her awe. "It's only a model," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said 'it's odd to see you so quiet,'" he said louder. Telimperion gave him a mock punch in the shoulder. Tu-Ankh clutched at his shoulder, willing to play a long.

"What should we do first?" wondered Telimperion.

"We should probably find a place to stay. I'm sure there will be plenty of hotels relatively close to the White Tower built for the specific purpose of housing visiting petitioners. About how much money did you bring?"

Telimperion was having trouble hearing Tu-Ankh over the sound of the bustling crowd. It seemed that they were in some kind of marketplace, for the streets were crowded with stalls and vendors desperate to be eye-catching despite the sheer amount of them. She shuddered, deciding that the city was not a place for her. Too much noise, too many people, too many buildings, not enough space, not enough animals, not enough silence. "What?" she yelled.

Tu-Ankh repeated himself. "I brought around 200 Miriain," she replied. "How many days can we afford to stay, do you think?"

Tu-Ankh ran some quick calculations. "Hmm, well, if we try not to spend much on other things besides food and a place to stay…I reckon we can stay about a month." He paused, seeing something. "Hey, this place looks promising."

The building in question seemed fairly simple as far as architecture went. There wasn't really much that stood out about it. The rooms in it were bigger than most residential rooms, but definitely nowhere near some of the upper-tier rooms in the city. The price was around average, and would definitely allow them to stay for quite a while.

"Well, what's next?"

Tu-Ankh yawned. "Let's get some sleep; the sun has gone down. Tomorrow we can see about getting an audience."

Telimperion was relieved to sleep on a real mattress for the first time in over a week. She slept very well, not waking up until well after dawn. She lay in bed for several minutes before getting up and getting ready for the day. She discovered that Tu-Ankh had already been up for an hour, also preparing. Finally, when both of them were ready, then left and took the long walk up to the White Tower.

Even though she was getting used to it by now, Telimperion was still quite overwhelmed by Minas Tirith. Despite having never been inside, Tu-Ankh seemed to be doing fine. Several reasons jumped to mind right away. He could have easily been in other cities. Perhaps his long life and massive experience had made it easy for him to adapt to foreign areas. Perhaps he was exceptionally good at covering up his discomfort. Regardless of the reason for his comfort, Telimperion was more than happy to let him lead.

They arrived at the White Tower at noon. A helpful guard told them that all petitioners were supposed to go into Outer Courtyard B. They had some trouble finding it, but they did eventually find there way around the massive structure. When they got there, there was quite a line, although not quite as long as what she had expected.

Wherever the line went to, it was not to the King. As though he knew what she was thinking, Tu-Ankh whispered, "it seems as though the line goes to some kind of screening process similar to the gate. We will present our various petitions and they will…judge them I guess."

"Hmmm. I had hoped we would be seeing the King or some court official, not another screen."

"I imagine that the King and his officials are very busy with trying to run a very young and large Kingdom. I'm surprised that King Elessar personally listens to petitions at all, instead of having lesser functionaries handle these things for him."

"Well, whatever the reason, I and many others sure are glad that he does it," she said.

"Oh, believe me, so am I. I'm just surprised, that's all," he quickly replied.

The line, despite its length, moved with haste. Clearly, whoever was manning this post was more efficient that the main gate. That, or this task was faster. Soon enough, they were once more answering someone's questions, someone's prying into their life.

"So, what's your petition?" the man working there asked.

Telimperion had prepared a response to this question ahead of time. "We seek to petition King Elessar for financial aid for the Vale, military aid against the invading Kolfinna and the Keraq'ar. Finally, we seek a cure for the curse that is on this man, Tu-Ankh."

The man seemed unimpressed by Telimperion's litany of misfortunes. "Well, given that the severity level of your various petitions averages out to about 50, and looking at when King Elessar has open times, you will be seeing the King…at noon two weeks from now."

Telimperion gasped. "Two weeks? Do you realize what could happen in that time before we get a chance to act?"

The man had no patience for Telimperion's out burst. "Leave or you will get no audience at all," he growled. "Next!"

Having no choice, Telimperion and Tu-Ankh walked back out of the White Tower. Telimperion vented her rage the whole way. "I can't believe this! Two weeks is far to long! How can you just stand there so passively?"

Tu-Ankh looked Telimperion right in the eye. "Honestly, I'm surprised we wound up with only having to wait two weeks. Just you wait; the time will fly by. Plus, we can explore the city in our free time," Tu-Ankh explained.

"Oh, this just great," Telimperion said sarcastically. Nonetheless, she stopped her complaining and they walked back to their inn in silence.

"Well, now what?" she whined. "We came all this way for nothing it seems."

"I told you, two weeks is like nothing."

"Nothing!" Telimperion roared. "Do you have any idea how many people could be killed by the multitude of threats we face? How many will die from starvation? All while I sit here, helpless-" Telimperion broke off and began sobbing.

Tu-Ankh moved closer to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Telimperion," he whispered softly. "Look at me." At first she didn't respond but when he gently repeated his request she looked up. "Tele, everything will be absolutely all right. I swear by Ilúvatar that no matter what the cost everything will end up fine for you."

Telimperion looked up with a glimmer of hope. "Do you really mean that?" Tu-Ankh nodded. "Oh, thank you," she sobbed. She embraced him, once more happy.

Tu-Ankh spoke once more. "Now, to answer your question, I think we should go look at the houses of healing. Perhaps they will have a way to end my life."

"Don't be so depressing," Telimperion grinned, knowing full well the irony of her statement. Tu-Ankh couldn't help but laugh and she soon joined in.

Aulenmir woke up early and tried to rouse Peladin and Sirilfa. "Alright, you two, rise'n'shine! We've got a big day ahead of ourselves."

Sirilfa groaned and turned away from Aulenmir. Peladin, on the other hand, rose groggily and attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on?" he yawned. Sirilfa kicked him as soon as he did so. "Shush! I wanna sleep."

"You sure 'bout that?" Aulenmir asked. When he got no response he added, "I guess Peladin and I will have fun on our own."

This got Sirilfa's attention. "What are we doing?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that her question was nearly the exact same as her brother's.

"Get up and find out," Aulenmir replied, refusing to directly answer the question. Soon enough, everyone was up and outside of the house. It was far colder than it was the last time Aulenmir had been on an extended trip, so he made sure that everyone was properly dressed. It wasn't even dawn yet, and the children, despite their eagerness, where clearly having trouble keeping their eyes open. However, some walking would soon solve that problem.

"All righty then. Here's the plan for today. Although I can get much of my own supplies from the mountain or, in dire times, from the Ephûl, there are some supplies that neither of them can provide." Aulenmir suddenly stopped talking, reminding himself that the Ephûl were going to be dropping off some food tomorrow. He wouldn't be able to spend the night outside.

"And…" said Sirilfa impatiently.

Aulenmir glared at her. "Mind yer manners," he said crossly. "I'm not your mother, but I can discipline you just the same." He waited for his message to get through, and then continued. "For example, wheat doesn't grow on the mountains, and neither do many fruits and vegetables. Cutlery and other dining implements are generally not naturally occurring either. Rope and clothing are creatable using things growing on the mountains, but it's easier to buy them.

"So, every now and then I head down to the town in the lower altitudes of the mountains. Not many people live in the town except for the permanent traders and lawmen. Everyone else is there to trade or, if they are resting on a climb, to eat. Usually, I am able to bring in some meat to trade for money and then buy stuff with that." Aulenmir gestured to several packs.

"Now, there are a few rules that I must establish for the town. First of all, you are not to leave my side. I need to be able to see you at all times, and I don't want to be districted by continually having to check on you. Second, do not talk to anyone unless I do too, and even then do not talk to him or her first. Third, you can each pick out one special thing that you want. Oh, and fourth you two need to help by carrying one pack each."

Both of the children were very excited to be able to go down. They began to daydream about what they should get in town. Sirilfa was thinking about getting some clay. Peladin wanted to buy a quill, ink, and paper.

The walk down to the town actually didn't take quite as long as Aulenmir had expected. He had thought it would take over two hours but it barely took one. The advantage of this was that there weren't many people in the town yet, but many of the traders had already set up. Aulenmir headed over to one of the ones that he knew well, a man named Yoggorath. Yoggorath waved him over, obviously excited to see him.

"Ay, Aulenmir, long time no see, eh? It's been near a year since you were last in town. What's been keepin' you busy, then?" Yoggorath then looked down at Peladin and Sirilfa. "Oh, I see. You've gotten busy then," he said with a wicked grin.

Aulenmir chuckled. "I think they're a little to old for that to be the answer. These are my nephew and niece, Peladin and Sirilfa. To answer your question, mostly I have been busy writing, though I also spent some time reading too."

Yoggorath laughed heartily. "You are such an intellectual, Aulenmir. I don't think I understand half of what goes on in your mind. I guess that's why I'm a trader and you're a hermit, eh? Now, what've ye got fer me?"

"Just the usually, Yoggorath. Some meat, some herbs with medicinal properties, and a little bread baked by these two over here."

Yoggorath ran some quick calculations in his head. Yoggorath might not be one for intellectual discussions and history, but whatever he said he was still one sharp man. Aulenmir didn't know any other traders who could do math as quick as he could, or who could wring a profit as smoothly as Yoggorath did. Usually, Yoggorath charged Aulenmir fairly, because he that Aulenmir would know when he was being ripped off and would take his business elsewhere. Other naïve customers were not so lucky.

"I can give around 50 Miriain for it."

"Sounds fair enough. Nice doing business with ya, Yoggorath." Aulenmir nodded to the trader.

"The pleasure is mine," Yoggorath grinned.

After talking with Yoggorath, Aulenmir and the children went around getting the supplies they would need. Aulenmir bought some more clothes for the kids and himself from a couple of cloth merchants. He also bought several lengths of rope from a nearby stall. Aulenmir made sure to get plenty of flour and some fruits and vegetables. A diet of entirely meat wasn't the healthiest, after all.

Aulenmir also fulfilled his promise by buying the children the gifts that they had asked for. He kept them in his pack, though, and told them that they could play with their gifts once they got back to the cabin. He still had some money left over, so they treated themselves to some fine food in the tavern.

While inside and waiting for their food, Aulenmir couldn't help but over hear the conversation of several men inside.

"I hear that the attacks are getting worse," said one of them.

"I thought that the government had sent in help," said another.

"Just a rumor. Far as we know, the government doesn't even know about the orcs," said a third one.

The second one spoke again. "How'd them orcs get here anyhow?"

The third spoke again. "You think we know, idjit? Somehow, them Keraq'ar bastards got here and are causin' trouble. I say we do something about it!"

The first one spoke up. "Leave it to the Ephûl," he said in a deep voice. "They have numbers and experience. All we have is-"

"Don't say it!" the second one hissed.

"Hey, did you two catch the game last night?" the third asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

Aulenmir, seeing that his food had been served, turned his attention away from the men. Orcs in the Ered Nimrais? It can't be! Aulenmir was also concerned by the mention of the Ephûl. Could that be the favor they want? He wondered.

Thankfully, Peladin and Sirilfa chose that moment to get into an argument and Aulenmir's attention was moved away from the three men and into settling their dispute. Thankfully, he got them to calm down without drawing any attention. Peladin and Sirilfa had been extraordinarily well behaved throughout the day (the argument not included), and things had been going very well. The little trip had proven to be a success.

Aulenmir still had a few coins left, but he didn't need anything else. Glad that everything had gone well, they returned back to the cabin. The walk back seemed to take a lot longer. In fact, they didn't get back until after dusk. By this point, they were so tired that everyone just had a quick dinner and then went to sleep. There was to be no story time tonight.

The Steward, for whatever reason, had decided not to live in the government building that most of the other government workers lived in. In fact, the only ones who didn't live there were either border guards or rangers. This made communicating with him difficult, which is probably what Arvegil wanted. Like Altariel had said earlier, he really wasn't the man for the job. He only wanted the job for its prestige, not for the actual power the job had. Altariel would soon get him in the right frame of mind, though.

Arvegil's manor was isolating in more ways than just physically. The place was also incredibly grand looking, to the point where it was intimidating. It also served to emphasize the class difference between him and his servants. Altariel had been forced to come here two times before and had hated it both times. She hoped that this would be the last time that she had to do this.

She knocked on the door three times in rapid succession. She waited for a few minutes before she knocked again, this time much harder. She wasn't sure how long it would be before she felt like kicking down the door. However, shortly afterwards a servant opened the door. Altariel smiled, even though she wasn't feeling very happy in general. "I heard that Steward Arvegil wished to speak with me."

The servant bowed. "Yes, Lady Altariel. Please, right this way." The servant led her up several flights of stairs and through a series of hallways before they finally reached a very ornately styled door. The servant knocked politely.

"Enter," a bored voice called out.

Altariel stepped in and gave a low bow. "I had heard you stopped by my office to speak with me, My Lord."

"Yes. I have some information on the tensions that I believe would be of great interest to you. I need everything up here to be peaceful before King Elessar makes his journey up here, understand?"

"Of course, My Lord."

"Good. The essential cause of our problem is this: humans are being slaughtered in their homes, and only humans. No hobbits are slaughtered. What's more, our killer seems to slaughter all humans indiscriminately, which most likely rules out the Dunlendings and entirely rules out the rangers."

Arvegil certainly was much better at getting to the point than Sam was. However, his reply raised an important question. "Why have I not heard of these murders yet?"

Arvegil shrugged. "We've been trying to keep things quiet, but it's unlikely that no one knows. You probably weren't looking hard enough, or you need no informants."

Arvegil's condescending words rekindled Altariel's rage. "Thank you, My Lord," she said with clenched teeth. "I have a message to deliver to you, by the way." She pulled a letter from her pocket that was addressed to Arvegil and began to read aloud.

To whomever is the Steward of the North at this time,

The bearer of this letter is my personal envoy and carries with her my full power and responsibility as an Inquisitor of the Reunited Kingdom. If she suspects you of failing to properly carry out your duties, she has the full power to remove you at once. Any attempts to hinder her will serve you not.

Elessar, King of the Reunited Kingdom, King of Gondor, Lord of Minas Tirith, and heir Isildur

Upon hearing the contents of the letter, Arvegil went pale. He saw that it contained Elessar's official seal, and knew that it was real.

"Understand?" Altariel said simply. Arvegil nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Good," she said smugly, and walked out on Arvegil. She was going to solve this mystery; she would figure out who was killing hobbits and men, and she would do without Arvegil's interference.

Mermacil and the others made their way much faster in the dark, but still not as fast as he would have liked. Several times, they were forced to hide from approaching orc patrols and then continue on their way. Luckily, now that it was winter the nights were slightly longer, so they had more time to travel. They spent the majority of their nights traveling, only pausing every now and then to eat and use the bathroom. They would also usually pause roughly an hour before down to practice some of the skills they were working on earlier. Mermacil was becoming almost competent with the longsword.

They were walking through a small dip in the ground when Mermacil called for a brief rest break while he took a look at his map. "All right, it looks like we are only a few days away from the Guard House. Soon, we should have an answer to why this massive army is here."

"Thank Eru!" said Elarë. "I swear if we have to walk much further my feet will fall off."

"Do not worry," Kith'tar said. "We will be fine."

"Does anyone smell that?" asked Lt. Samnon. Kith'tar sniffed the air.

"Fascinating, now that you mention it-" Kith'tar suddenly dove at Elarë, knocking her down. Elarë was about to protest this treatment when she noticed that an arrow had buried itself in the sand near where she had been standing.

"Orcs!" shouted Hannish.

Sure enough, standing at the top of the dip where several orcs. Most of them were armed with bows, though some were armed with swords. Seeing that they had been spotted, they readied themselves for battle.

Mermacil began shouting orders. "I count ten of them! Kith'tar, Lt., and Hannish, you go after them! Elarë and I will go the other direction and look for other groups."

Almost before he had finished speaking, the three rushed off to perform the task expected of them. Each of those three was a competent warrior in their own right. Hannish was older than the rest of them; he had Númenorean blood that kept young. This meant that he had been able to fight in the War of the Ring and was still in service now. He had fought his first fight will defending Minas Tirith and had later gone on to fight outside the Black Gates.

In the forty-plus years since then, Hannish had done his best to make the Reunited Kingdom secure from all threats. He had trained extensively, to the point that he surpassed most of his teachers. In another world, perhaps, Hannish would have been regarded as a master swordsman. Here, he was just a good soldier.

He targeted three orcs and informed the others who he had picked. The orcs all went at him at the same time, almost feeling sorry for the tark who had dared to fight them. They never stood a chance. Wielding the heavy weapon faster than most would have thought possible, Hannish quickly swung it at the face of the orc on his left. Since the orcs were scouts, they were only wearing light armor, and the orc failed to block the thrust.

Spinning around the attack the other two, he tried the same tactic on the next one, but this one was prepared. He dodged the thrust and then counterattacked with a thrust of his own. Hannish quickly brought his blade back down to parry, then spun his blade up, neatly disarming the orc. He quickly finished the orc off.

The last orc didn't even wait for him to face him before swinging at him. Hannish brought his blade up to parry, but the orc was strong. He was disarmed, but before the orc could take advantage of this fact, Hannish dropped to the ground and swung his legs at the orc's, knocking him down. He quickly retrieved his sword, and then blocked several attacks by the orc before spotting a weakness in his defense and finishing him off.

Lt. Samnon had been a ranger in the Gondorian army. He had joined after the war, so he never saw action on the scale that Hannish had, but he had still been in many fights, and he had also been trained by some of the best. In addition, he had physical attributes that even the toughest wrestler would rival. He wielded two short swords, and he wielded them quickly. Often, fights he started were over almost before they had begun. When he selected his three orcs, he charged at them.

Almost instantly, utilizing one of his many ranger skills, he saw where their defenses were weak and focused on them. Dodging, ducking, parrying, and spinning, he nimbly avoided the orcs blows. Then, with several quick thrusts, he killed them.

Lastly, Kith'tar knew how to fight as well. Although he had not been part of the military, he had grown up in a region were fighting was critical to survival. While Hannish and Lt. Samnon might have adopted fighting, Kith'tar was born to it. Even for one of his people. Kith'tar had a natural knack for fighting. He specialized in unarmed combat. However, for the purposes of fighting armed opponents he also trained himself in the ways of the quarterstaff.

He approached the remaining orcs, quarterstaff spinning rapidly. Try as they might, the orcs couldn't penetrate his defense. One of the orcs was wearing a red sash. Kith'tar, deducing that he was the leader of this band, went for him first. The orc had not picked to lead this expedition for no reason, however. His reflexes were excellent and he dodged Kith'tar's blow. He made a hand gesture and he and the other orcs began to retreat.

Mermacil saw this and called out to the three warriors. "No, do not let them retreat!" Hannish and Lt. Samnon, having already killed their orcs, went after the remaining four. Hannish neatly disarmed the closest one and then killed him, while Lt. Samnon caught up to the next two and swiftly killed them. However, the orc with the red sash already had a good lead, and they knew they would never catch up to them.

When the group reunited, the fighters were all looking very sad. "I'm sorry we let one get away, Mermacil." Hannish said sadly.

"Hopefully, it won't matter," Mermacil said, trying to remain positive. "We are already over a week ahead of the main group. Even if that orc runs all the way back, it will still take him at least three days to reach them, and it will take them much longer to get back here. We can reach the Guard House by then."

Lt. Samnon sighed. "I hope you are right. We will have to move much faster now. Let's go!" With that, they set off, walking nearly twice as fast.

Parthekos stopped walking once he saw the marker. The word that was inscribed on it was faded, but he was able to make it out. It said, in the language of the orcs who lived in this land "Rhoneregurgigan", which meant "the land of the orcs of the Orocarnis". Parthekos took this as a sign that he was getting closer. He didn't see any orcs in the immediate area, but he knew that a vast amount of them had moved here shortly after the War had ended.

They had interacted peacefully with all other surrounding groups. The elves were surprisingly friendly with them; going so far as to help them settle in to their new home and helping to protect them from the vengeful hands of the nations that Sauron had hurt most. This was certainly friendlier than the elves relationship with Hyarragash. To be fair, the Kirranmar had driven the elves out of the land that would become Hyarragash, and many of the elves that had survived that war were still alive and kicking.

Their peaceful stance had endeared them toward Hyarragash and the priests of Azao. Most of the other nations in the eastern regions of Middle-earth were either allies of the Kirranmar or blood enemies. This, coupled with the fact that their old religion had been toppled around forty years ago, left them good targets for the Azaon priests.

Parthekos continued forward, now officially in the land of the orcs. The orcs tended to be fairly territorial; they had been through a lot and were not keen to lose much more. He was fairly sure that a group from one of the nosloni, or clans, would soon approach him. Sure enough, a cloud of dust kicked up by the orcs running was soon visible not too far off.

The orcs were carrying spears and were wearing armor. One of them, a woman by the looks of it, shouted at him in their language. "Sit down and put your hands were we can see them!" she barked.

Parthekos, having thoughtfully studied what was known of the orcs before he left, understood their language. However, he decided that this was an advantage he didn't want to squander, and faked ignorance. "Please, I do not understand," he cried.

The orc glared at him, then repeated her command. "Sit down and put your hands were we can see them!"

Not wanting to risk the obviously painful spears, Parthekos immediately complied. "Search him," the orc commanded. Parthekos had been traveling light, bringing with him only a single sack of food and water, and his priestly robes. He hadn't brought with him any weapons, for there were few who would dare attack a priest, and what little else he needed would be provided by the land or its people. Or, with a little luck, the orcs.

Seeing that he was clean, the orc turned and spoke to him. "I am Fulazuntê. I lead these furgezjti, or "hunters", as you tarki would call them. Identify yourself and state your purpose here."

Parthekos took a deep breath to calm him, and then spoke. "I am Parthekos, priest of Azao. I am here to bring the religion of the sun to the urgi."

Fulazuntê narrowed her eyes, thinking. Suddenly, she spoke. "We will take you to our gohil. She will decide what shall be done with you." Parthekos nodded to show that he assented, and then allowed himself to be led away. The orcs were all silent as they brought him to their camp, which turned out to be more than two miles away.

The moved him quickly through the camp, refusing to allow him to have any interaction at all with the other orcs. Soon, they were outside of the leader's tent. Inside was an old, matronly looking orc. She was eating some lunch when they entered, but stopped to chew out Fulazuntê. "Why have you brought this man to my tent."

Fulazuntê kept calm. "He is the man we spotted entering our lands. I captured him, and him claimed to be a priest. We seek your judgment."

The orc waved her hand. "I care not. Make him undergo the trial of trust, if you must. Take him out of my sight."

Fulazuntê hauled him to a different tent, this one with guards set around it. She spoke to him in Kirran. "This is your new home. Tomorrow, you will undergo a trial to see if you can be trusted. If you succeed, we will allow you to stay and preach your god. If not…" Fulazuntê paused and gave an evil grin. "If not, we execute you." She turned around and walked out of the tent, leaving Parthekos alone with his fears.

Liriel continued to help with the excavation efforts. As it turned out, there was more karthal than just that piece. Unfortunately, Liriel's powers drained a lot of energy from her, so they were of limited used. Guband, unfortunately, ruled out most of her other suggestions.

"Perhaps we could get a drill of mithril?" she wondered.

"I know that the Barish Empire is willing to spend a lot on this project, but if we could buy a drill of mithril we might as well just buy Minas Tirith and have the Reunited Kingdom end The Swarm for us."

"Fine then. What if we found someone else like me?"

"Do you know how long it took us to find you? Try again."

Liriel began to get desperate. "We could try and explode it."

Guband snorted. "I wish. As it is, we'll hurt ourselves more than the rock."

Liriel slammed her fist on the table in frustration. "I just wish there was some way around this damn rock."

Pazij spoke up from the corner of the tent. "If it makes you feel better, it's a pretty good sign that we are own the right track."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Mithril and karthal are both very rare rocks. Mithril, while a very useful rock, wouldn't be nearly as valuable if more of it was around. Karthal is somewhat more plentiful, but not to the point that we should be finding entire deposits so far away from the Congatra."

"So, you think this is caused by whatever is causing The Swarm?"

"I think it's a fair assumption, that's all," Pazij replied.

Suddenly, from outside the tent, there came a series of shouts. "I think they want you again," said Guband.

"Guess so," Liriel muttered. Outside, she came to a hole that was nearly twenty feet deep. She was honestly surprised that hadn't reached the Swazverai yet. The excavators lowered her in and she went to work. This new layer was much deeper, and she wasn't sure she had it in her. However, she was finally able to see a good place to focus her energies and shattered the rock.

This time, instead of crumbling, the rock began to fall. Liriel felt a feeling of relief, knowing that they must have finally broken through. This feeling was quickly replaced by a feeling of panic. The rocks suddenly stopped falling out from underneath her.

She was in a large tunnel, obviously manmade based on the smoothness of the walls. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever in both directions, although that was probably just because her only illumination was the light from above. Of course, it was near night, so that wasn't much. The cave smelled rotten, as though filled with molds and fungi. However, underneath that physical sense of rottenness, she felt a more spiritual rottenness, as though something was trying to destroy her spirit.

"Please, get me out!" she cried. She heard noises in the tunnel, and began to weep. Soon enough, a rope was lowered and she was pulled back out. As soon as she was out, she stopped weeping, feeling foolish for having done so.

Guband and Pazij rushed over to her. "What's that matter?" asked Guband.

Liriel shuddered. "There's something down there," she replied shakily. "There's something terrible and evil and nasty and-" She couldn't continue. Guband and Pazij got the gist of what she was trying to say anyways.

Pazij grimaced. "Looks like we're going to need some backup," she said.