Team Builder
Part 6
The Road. The Lone-Lands
As the goods-filled wagon, that they'd purchased back in the village of Bree, took them ever eastwards towards the elven settlement called Rivendell the witch known as Hermione Granger sat nestled between their more comfy bits of cargo and felt thankfully the trip was so far proving to be a smooth one. She had a lot to think about and motion sickness would be distracting, it would also prevent her from reading.
The former Hogwarts student was finding out that for the first time in a very long while that she felt happy about her life. She missed her friends, but it was so good to be able to travel freely, to be able to go places without having to look over her shoulders. In this world, there were no Snatchers or Death Eaters hunting for her.
Here no one cared that her parents had been dentists who couldn't trace their family back through hundreds of years of magical history. Even the Hobbits had only been a bit hostile towards her because that was their way and not because they had anything against her personally.
She still wished that she could have seen her friends one last time, to make sure that they were safe wherever they'd ended up, but she had a chance for a fresh start, somewhere far away from those who had wanted to hurt her just because she'd not been born into the right family.
Now that she'd finished placing expanding charms on their pouches so that they could carry a lot more on their person, Hermione didn't have much to do until they stopped for the night. This made her glad that her master and lover had given her access to the two magical books he'd gotten from the CYOA.
The book that contained all of humanity's knowledge from his world was very interesting, even if it didn't contain any useful information on magic since it didn't seem to exist in Marek's world outside of fiction. Yet it was the other book that held her attention and got her thinking.
This item was some sort of interface between them and the CYOA. If Marek had any points left they could have spent them and gotten useful objects, more powers, or even another woman to spend his time with. Until they completed the mission and went to a different world all she could do is use it to make some plans.
She'd have set it up differently if she'd been given the choice, however, there was no sense in pointing that out because it was done and she had no idea how rushed the Dragonborn might have been at the time. Her efforts would be better spent making suggestions for the future, helping Marek to spend his points more wisely.
What really grabbed her attention in the book was the choice of custom worlds.
WORLD RATING
URBAN FANTASY
Harry Potter (2nd Magical War)
There was an option for custom worlds. So did that mean her world was accessible to them? Could they go there and do something about the Dark Lord Voldemort? Going there any time soon would be foolish she knew that and even if she hadn't the danger rating made it clear, but if they got stronger as a team by adding members, and got the right equipment. Could they then go to her world and put a stop to the Death Eaters?
Hermione didn't like the idea of sharing Marek, but as she'd come to realise that this CYOA could take them to her world she'd also realised that they might need some powerful allies. Mere moments ago she'd been content to leave her old life behind because she didn't really have a choice in the matter. Now things were different.
"Master I need to talk to you," she said as moved to the front of the wagon.
She still found it odd how comfortable it was to refer to Marek that way. She was devoted to him, granted not by choice, but it still felt right. She liked being his. It was nice to have someone looking after her for a change.
"About what?" he asked.
It was a warm afternoon and their journey was a sedate one through peaceful countryside, not the ideal setting for such a serious conversation. Yet it was important so she shared with Marek what she had on her mind.
"We might be able to go to my world and help out my friends," she said.
She explained her plan as best she could.
"The Danger Rating is way too high for us right now" the young witch was now saying "But that can change".
Her Master stopped the wagon so that he could better listen and think about what Hermione had just been saying to him.
"It could take years to prepare to take down Voldemort and his Death Eaters" he warned "We'd likely end up setting up a rebellion against the Ministry he controls. We'd have to tear down the corrupt government the Dark Lord has set up. That means killing the Death Eaters and a few higher-ups at the Ministry as well, and that might just be to start with. It means going to war".
She didn't agree with that.
"If we have the right allies and tools we can find all of the Horcruxes. If we destroy then Voldemort can be killed" she insisted "If we take him out the Death Eaters can be sent to Azkaban".
Marek scoffed upon hearing that.
"Voldemort didn't take over just because he's powerful, he has supporters, people who believe in his agenda, so even if we did take out the Dark Lord it wouldn't change anything," the Dragonborn told her "The Wizarding World of Britain is run by a government that was corrupt and cruel long before Voldemort took charge. Look at all the danger and bigotry you were subjected to as a child. The only way to bring about any real and lasting social changes would be to overthrow the existing establishment before installing a new one".
Marek stopped speaking so that he could drink some water.
"I'm willing to consider going to your world to overthrow Voldemort even with the prophecy getting in the way and I'd help you find your friends," he told her "But I'm not going to put myself and people I care about in danger just so the Purebloods can bribe their way out of trouble and go back to running an unjust society".
She thought about what the Dovakinn had just said. Could she start a war to free her world?
"I'll need to think about it," she said.
They wouldn't be ready for her world for years as such she had plenty of time to think about it and to make her plans.
Weathertop. The Lone-Lands.
After several more weeks on the road, I'd decided that we'd stop for a few days at one of the landmarks on my map. There was no point travelling around Middle-Earth if we didn't stop to see the sites and this spot had a bit of history.
During the time it had taken to get here Hermione and I had gotten to know each other even more. I could tell that she'd become much more relaxed around me, even more so than she had by the time we'd reach Bree, and we were still having sex quite often as such I was quite happy with our relationship.
We'd also begun seeing more of this world. There was here than just a road. There were farms and a few hamlets, that were too small to refer to as villages, and the people there were willing to trade with us, something important for maintaining our cover.
They didn't have much so I'd been generous and ended up buying food that I didn't need. Thankfully, the Dremora Merchant who I could summon with magic was eager to buy anything I wanted to sell even if it didn't make me much money. I wondered who would purchase the junk I traded to him.
There seemed to always be a demand for a man who could fix things and so when we stayed in the hamlets built near the road I found some work to keep me busy. As for Hermione, she had a bit of experience with healing and we had some potions as well as spells. People weren't as mistrusting of magic as I'd worried so we avoided being chased away and no one tried to burn us for witchcraft.
In terms of money, I'd gained quite a lot. The Dremora Merchant was happy to pay in gold dragons, called Septims due to the engraving of Tiber Septim on one side and the symbol of Akatosh. Engraved on the coins were the words "The Empire is Law. The Law is Sacred" and on the reverse were the words "Praise be Akatosh and all the divines"
Coins from the Elder Scrolls verse also included silver drakes, and pennies. They didn't exist in the game as far as I could remember, and despite having done business with the merchant several times I still didn't know how many drakes made up a Septim and how many pennies were worth a silver drake.
Not that it mattered to me much as I had far more than I needed I just found the coins to be interesting. Although it was nice to have a source of both gold and silver that I could melt down should I need those metals and be lacking any iron ore to transmute.
I'd learned that in Gondor, the chief currency was a small gold coin called a Castar, and there was a small silver coin known as the Tharni that was worth one-fourth of a Castar. A man in Bree had identified them for me.
Also, I had a large number of silver pennies in my pouch, which was a type of currency used in Bree and other places here on Middle Earth. With the stipend that I got from whatever it was running the CYOA, I'd easily been able to purchase horses and a wagon.
Because the Dremora Merchant kept changing his inventory it was worth summoning it up every few days to do a bit of business. Mostly he sold weapons and armour, more than enough to keep the wagon loaded, but he sometimes had potions and a history book much to Hermione's delight.
While the tent, wagon and horses were set up on flatter ground I'd come to the peak of the watch tower that overlooked the Great East Road here in central Eriador so that we could enjoy the view. It was well worth coming up to watch the sunset. I'd consider this romantic if I cared for such things.
"I was thinking that we could take a detour and go north to find Sting" I mentioned to Hermione "It seems to be in a cave towards the mountains. It's being moved south for some reason".
Odd that since the sword was part of a troll's treasure hoard that the creatures were supposed to bring it down from the mountains sometime before the start of the Hobbit book when they migrated south sometime in the future. Perhaps the trolls had been moving around the area for years or maybe the sword was something they found while coming south?
"Sting, that's Biblo Baggin's sword isn't it?" Hermione asked.
I'd been sharing as much more lore with her as I could remember, and that turned out to be far more than I'd thought I knew.
"Well, it's more of a dagger," I said to Hermione as we started to make our way back down to the camp "And there's some other treasure there as well including some rather nice elvish swords. It's a bit of a trek, but I think it will be worth it to get our hands on some decent weapons and I think we can spare the time".
The swords could be useful for barter or as gifts to a potential ally. I might even be able to use them to get an audience quickly with Elrond.
"If you think it's worthwhile, I trust your judgment," she said.
I didn't need Hermione's permission to do anything it was just good when we agreed on a course of action.
Team Builder
Part 7
Troll Cave. The Lone-lands.
As we'd gotten closer to the location on the map where the sword called Sting could be found, as well as other treasures I hoped, I'd filled Hermione's head with as much of the lore as I could remember in case the information ever came in useful. I wondered if it was still a novelty for her to have someone else providing the information while on an adventure, or if it was getting annoying. Normally providing important information was her role in this sort of situation.
In the book and movie, the Trolls' cave was the hideout of the three trolls who during an early part of the story, captured Bilbo and the dwarves. The big monsters planned to eat Bilbo and the company of Thorin, but they spent so long arguing about how to cook the dwarves that they didn't realise that the sun was coming up until it was too late and they ended up becoming stuck as stone statues.
After Gandalf had rescued Thorin and his party, he reminded them that the trolls must have a cave or hole they could hide in so as to avoid the sun. After looking around they came across a big stone door hidden by bushes as we had done.
Attempts at pushing and incantations by Gandalf did not open it. Then Bilbo asked if the key he had found would help.
My memory of that part of the book was poor, but I felt certain he'd stolen the key while trying to prove his worth as the rogue of the adventuring party. My memory of the movie was much clearer and far more amusing.
Not that we needed to worry about finding any special keys thanks to one of my purchases.
Skeleton Key
Cost: 1
A special key that can get through almost any safe, lock, cyber-defence, or magic ward you can think of.
The cave served the trolls as their hideout from the sun, as well as their treasury and storeroom, and that treasure would be found shortly after the tolls turned to stone, an event still years in the future according to my calculations.
Not that the dwarves would find any treasure if they ever came this way, as I planned to take it, but since I also planned to totally derail this entire timeline by telling Elrond and Gandalf about how to find the One Ring before Sauron began making moves, it hardly mattered.
I'd been expecting to find the trolls hiding out here or for the cave to be empty because trolls aren't normally found in these parts due to their need to hide from the sun.
The cave was occupied and it wasn't a trio of trolls that we found within, instead, we found a small band of goblins and they were not happy to see us. They looked like deformed savages to me. They wore crude armour made of scraps of cloth, bits of metal and bones.
Their weapons were also primitive in appearance, but I was sure that could kill us with them if given a chance, so I decided not to give them one.
"ZUN HAAL VIIK!"
It was midday, I'd made sure we approached the cave with the sun at its zenith as it gave us an advantage, and while the goblins couldn't come out of the cave, they could have fired their arrows, thrown spears or rocks at us so it made sense to attack and not to give them an easy target.
My Shout made sure that they couldn't throw their weapons at us, and I ran into the cave before the goblins could recover their weapons. I lifted my axe, a dwarven one I'd purchased from the Dremora Merchant who'd gotten it from someone in the Elder Scrolls world, and I brought it down on the skull of a goblin who just stood there with a stupid expression on its pale face.
No sooner had its body hit the ground than the other goblins started to act. It made things easier for me that they didn't act in unison. I saw a couple of goblins go for their weapons while one screamed and tried to grab me. He, assuming they even had gender, didn't last very long.
The monster had no weapon and only crude armour to protect it, so I was easily able to drive my axe into his shoulder, and then when he dropped to his knees I swung again, almost removing his entire head thanks to the sharpness of the axe's edge and the strength of my blow.
I moved with purpose and avoided the thrust of a recovered spear just before I used my free hand to blast the goblin with lightning. The creature dropped to the ground as it convulsed. I didn't let it suffer for long. I was a warrior, not a sadist.
One of the last two remaining goblins, the group wasn't a large one, went for the entrance of the cave and screamed as it ran past Hermione who did nothing to hinder its flight. It wasn't a vampire, so it shouldn't burst into flames, but I figured that it was going to die out there unless it found shelter from the sun.
The last goblin had a wicked-looking blade and an expression on its malformed face that wasn't at all friendly. It was also the largest of the group and the most threatening looking so I assumed it to be the leader as creatures like goblins tend to follow the strongest as their leader.
I blasted this creature as well and while it remained standing it was unable to defend itself as my axe caved into another skull. There was something satisfying about doing that. It wasn't the killing, at least I didn't think so, but I felt good about winning.
With this skirmish over I headed out back into the sunlight just to make sure that the goblin that ran away hadn't doubled back to attack Hermione who wasn't paying proper attention to her surroundings.
She wasn't used to this kind of violence. I had the memories of a Dragonborn who'd thought and killed a lot of things, and I knew how evil goblins can be so this didn't bother me.
"We're a long way from the Misty Mountains" I commented as I came back outside "I didn't expect to find any goblins here".
The goblins had strongholds in the mountains to the east and while they didn't seem far away on the map we were still weeks away from Rivendell and the mountain range that divided Middle Earth in half.
Since I'd not been expecting them myself I didn't judge the witch for being unprepared, however, she would need to do better next time or she could get killed out here. To be fair I had attacked very quickly and the fight wouldn't have lasted more than a matter of seconds.
"Did you have to kill them?" asked Hermione.
She didn't sound as if she judging, rather she simply seemed concerned about me. Something I found odd given that they were goblins. It wasn't as if I'd just slaughtered some dwarves, elves or humans.
"Goblins and Orcs, if there is a difference between them other than size, are creatures descended by elves that were twisted and corrupted by Morgoth, who is basically Satan," I told the witch "Given the chance these things would have killed and eaten us, and maybe not in that order".
Sure there might be good goblins out there or at least natural ones, but I felt sure that this lot certainly were not nice ones because they were raiders and one of them was wearing human bones as part of its armour.
"Hermione, even if we could have stunned them and tied them all up securely there is no one to turn them over to" I explained "There's no Ministry here to handle magical creatures, and no Azkaban to hold them. The nearest bit of civilization that could handle them is Rivendell, but they don't take prisoners, they'd either execute the goblins or be forced to set them free. If they did that the goblins would go back to raiding and killing".
If she wanted me to go to her world and overthrow Voldemort and his evil regime then she couldn't be allowed to use her morality to hold me back. That would just get people killed and perhaps make the task impossible.
"Goblins like these can't move about during the day and they're can't be that many caves around here" I commented "Still I don't think we should be here once the sun sets".
The witch looked concerned.
"Sorry, I just thought that we would be safe in this world" she commented "I should have listed to you after that undead thing in the Barrow".
Hermione followed me back into the cave, and not for the first time I admired how she looked in her tight-fitting thieves guild style armour that I'd purchased from the Dremora Merchant and repaired while staying at Weathertop.
She wore a cloak to help keep herself warm and to help me not get too distracted by how good she looked in black leather. Getting to dress her up was a lot of fun and she seemed to enjoy the attention. I figured that she'd been alone for longer than she'd hinted at.
"When we left the Shire we entered a higher danger setting" I reminded her, and not for the first time "This world is at least as dangerous as mine and as yours when Voldemort is unable to act. Even without an active Dark Lord, there are still dark creatures in your world. Lucius Malfoy unleashed one on your school and you nearly died".
"Try to think of the goblins and such as something like Acromantula," I said to the witch "They aren't natural creatures, they were created to kill people, to serve evil, it's just what they are".
Hermione seemed to get the point.
"You're right," she said "I'm just not used to this sort of thing. I'll do better".
My witch cast some charms to freshen the air, but she didn't go far inside, wanting to keep her distance from the bodies I'd created. She wasn't used to gore. I'd be desensitised by video games and the memories of being a Dragonborn.
The cave floor was covered in bones, and things I tried not to think about, as well as a whole mess of plunder. There were brass buttons that had been added to pots of gold and silver coins. Necklaces, rings, amulets and other decorative items as well.
There was quite a lot here, far more plunder than a few goblins could have gathered. I wondered if this loot had changed hands a few times and been moved around by different gangs of raiders.
On the shelves was a good deal of food not suitable for human consumption, along with a barrel of foul-smelling ale. The clothes of the human victims were hung on the walls like trophies, there was blood on the clothing and other stains.
There was also a horrible smell in the air that Hermione's charms hadn't been able to get rid of fully. It motivated me to hurry up and take everything of value before sealing this cave. I didn't want any more monsters to be able to make use of it.
While looking around I found quite a few swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes, some were crude goblin blades, and others were forged by humans. They weren't worth more than those we had in our wagon, which was at the campsite we'd set up on flatter ground and hidden by charms.
I took the human-made weapons anyway in case anyone wanted them, and then I turned my focus on the elvish-made swords. There were four large swords, two were much like each other, but the other two were much fancier with beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts.
"One of these is the sword Gandalf uses," I said to Hermione who was keeping watch at the mouth of the cave "I'll make sure he gets it".
I forgot the name, and I could see that it was a hand-and-a-half sword. The other sword I would keep for myself, Orcrist if memory served, had a beautiful scabbard and jewelled hilt. There were runes on the sword which I didn't understand and might have some magical purpose or it could just be the name of the sword.
Before leaving I took all the coins and placed them into the expanded bag that Hermione had kindly made for me. While money wasn't a concern I didn't want this wealth to be lost and I could always donate some to the poor if only to make myself feel better about setting up my own treasure trove at some point.
"Take this" I instructed Hermione as I passed her Sting.
She looked at the dagger, which wasn't much bigger in her hands than it would be in a Hobbit's as she wasn't tall and she had a slender build.
"I've never used a sword" she commented.
That didn't concern me.
"You can lose your wand," I said "You need a backup weapon and I'm sure we can find someone to train you. Besides, the blade glows blue when orcs are near. That might save our lives one day".
I could teach her the basics, but given her slender frame, it would be better to find an elf to tutor her in the use of weapons.
"We need to seal this cave so that no more monsters can use it," I said.
Between us, we had more than enough destructive power to bring the roof of the cave crashing down while remaining outside.
"Let's head back to camp" I decided "We've still got quite a few hours of daylight left and we can start making our way back to the road".
The land further south was much flatter and the forests were less dense so there would be few places for goblins to hide. Still, I was thinking of finding out if I can summon and bind a Daedra to act as a guard I didn't want to rely on the wards alone if there were raiders around.
Team Builder
Part 8
Rivendell. Eriador.
"There it is," I said as I stopped the wagon at the top of a hill so that we could get a good look at our destination "The home of Lord Elrond".
It was a truly beautiful sight even when seen from this distance and larger than I'd been expecting if my sense of scale could be trusted at this distance. From the road, I could see a massive waterfall fed by streams coming down from the mountains that joined into a mighty river, all of that led into a gorge.
The buildings were mostly hidden by many large trees so until we got closer we wouldn't be able to see much in the way of details. The town seemed to be tucked in by the mountains and I knew that beyond the elven settlement that was passed through the mountains for those brave enough to risk the route.
"This is where Thorin Oakenshield and company will come when travelling from the Shire, across the Misty Mountains and into the Wilderland," I told Hermione "Which might not happen now since we are going to further alter the timeline".
I told Hermione all about how Frodo Baggins and his companions journeyed to Rivendell, where they met Bilbo Baggins who had set out sometime before. They had to get Frodo here in a hurry because he'd been stabbed by a cursed blade carried by one of the Nazgul.
"Following the destruction of the One Ring at the end of the Third Age, Elrond's ring lost its power, and so Elrond, and a lot of other elves left Rivendell to sail for Valinor," I said to Hermione "I wonder what happened to this place after the elves left, or rather what will happen".
She seemed amused by my words.
"You'd have so been in Ravenclaw" commented Hermione.
I agreed with her. I did love my books and I was hungry for all the information I could gather on this world. Plus I looked good in blue.
"This place is also known as the hidden valley," I said "But's not very well hidden, we followed the road to it".
I didn't sense the arrival of the elf who suddenly spoke to us.
"You can get lost even on this road, and not everyone can find this place," he said.
Hermione jumped a little as I almost went for my sword, but there was only one elf here and he didn't have a weapon in hand. He did carry a sword, a dagger, a bow and a quiver of arrows, however, his stance was relaxed his expression friendly.
I wondered how many of his kin were standing by ready to attack if we proved to be hostile. We might have a dozen archers nearby ready to end us at a signal from this elf.
"Greetings I am Elladan" he introduced.
I gestured to myself and to my witch.
"This is Hermione Granger and I am Marek Dovahkiin" I replied "I've come to speak to Lord Elrond about an urgent matter".
The elf didn't seem surprised by this.
"And why do you seek my father?" he asked.
I wasn't sure how much to say. I didn't know who else could be listening.
"It concerns a threat to Middle Earth" I answered "I need a wiser mind than my own to decide what to do about it".
The elf nodded as if he'd been expecting this.
"Many come seeking words with my father" stated Elladan "Even the wizards".
The elf looked at us as if seeking something.
"Are either of you one of the Istari?" we were asked "I had thought they all took on the guise of old men".
Hermione looked at me. I could tell that she was confused. I had told her about the wizards, but I couldn't recall if I had referred to them as Istari. To be fair there had been a lot to go over and many gaps in my knowledge that I was trying to fill.
"Aren't the Istari a group of wizards, you mentioned them before" she wondered.
Gandalf and the other wizards might seem like old men, however, they were in fact closer to angels than what she would think of as a wizard since they were normal for her. They were in reality spiritual beings who'd been sent to Middle Earth by what passed for gods in this world.
"The Istari are a group of Maiar, we'd call them angels in our world, who were sent to Middle Earth to advise the people here and help them resist Sauron" I explained, "They do look like mortal men who've mastered magic and have lived long lives because of it, but that's just a cover".
I turned back to Elladan.
"We're both humans," I told him "We just have access to some powerful magic".
Elves were magical themselves, as such there was no point in lying to them and trying to pretend that we were normal humans who were merely travelling. Elrond certainly wouldn't be fooled and might already be aware that we were heading this way. It would explain how his son happened to be here just as we arrived.
"My father will wish to speak with you," said Elladan "Follow me".
We did so at a sedate pace and this was good as Hermione had questions about Rivendell as she too desired knowledge, and Elladan was happy to answer them, some of the talking I listened to when not distracted by my own thoughts.
"Time is different here" I heard Elladan say "Even the short-lived men can find the quick passage of their lives slowed down by a stay here".
I wondered if that was a byproduct of elvish magic or just the result of spending time in a location that was so relaxing to be in. Decreasing your stress could extend your life and Rivendell was also a place of healing.
Another thing I wondered about was my own lifespan. Miraak was very long-lived, but he was the servant of a Daedric Prince and he spent much of his life in Oblivion, where time can work differently.
I recalled Arngeir the Greybeard, explaining to me that when the Dovahkinn absorbs a dragon's soul he or she absorbs its consciousness as well as its life force. A Dragonborn with a single dragon soul inside them would have a lot of life force since dragons are not mortal creatures, and I could recall taking in the soul of more than one dragon.
My thoughts about my own mortality were put aside as our horse and wagon were taken away by some elves. I wasn't concerned about them stealing from me as if they did help themselves, something I thought to be highly unlikely, it hardly mattered as both Hermione and I kept everything we cared about on our person in our expanded pouches.
Rivendell was a small town, or so it appeared. I didn't know what the buildings were all for and there seemed to be a fair few elves around so they could be homes. The elves had carved a lot of stone to make statues and even small bridges.
The elves had built their home without harming nature so the path we took twisted around trees and we had to cross over some streams before we met up with the ruler of this settlement.
Lord Elrond did not have a throneroom to meet us in like a human ruler might, nor did he meet me in private in a study, rather he met me in a garden that contained a large stone table.
I didn't see any guards around yet I felt sure that if for some reason either of us made a hostile move we'd find elves ready to deal with us, or Elrond could handle us himself as he was supposed to be a decent warrior in his right. Also, he had his won Ring of Power that could allow him to do many things I had no way of countering.
"I wondered if a dragon was approaching Rivendell," said the elf lord "It confused me when I sensed you coming from the west and not from the north. Yet I sensed no hostility".
Dragons also known as the Great Worms were evil creatures seen mostly in most northern Middle-earth. They were greedy, cunning, and malicious, much like goblins, and that made since the dragons of this world were creations of Morgoth. It would be worrying to think that one was in the area.
"You sensed us?" asked Hermione.
Elrond didn't explain how he knew were coming, he was waiting for me to tell him something. I began to explain as best I could who we both were and why we had come here. The leader of this place seemed to believe me. I knew he couldn't read our minds as they were shielded, so perhaps he sensed something with empathy or already knew much more than he was letting on.
Things became more relaxed after I'd done my best to explain that I was not the same kind of dragon as Smaug and his kin. As we spoke another elf came along and served some wine, that was much fruitier than any I'd tasted and it went down smoothly.
"So, what brings you to Rivendell, Marek Dovahkinn?" I was asked.
This was going to take some more explaining and I would have to confide in Elrond. Since he seemed to be extending some trust to me it seemed fair. Given that the fate of Middle Earth was at stake it would be foolish of me to hold too much back.
"I have a special map," I told the elf lord as I spread the item on the stone table before us "It shows anyone or anything that isn't shielded by magic. Including the location of the One Ring".
Elrond dropped his glass, it didn't smash on the stone table, but its contents were wasted. Clearly, he had not been expecting me to mention the One Ring during this conversation and despite the seriousness of this situation I couldn't help feeling amused about how I'd caused him to lose control if only a moment.
Looking worried he came over to check the map and saw that the One Ring was close to Goblin-town, which I knew to be a Goblin dwelling somewhere under the Misty Mountains, which was ruled by the Great Goblin if my memory served.
"I brought this information to you because I'm hoping that you can get The Ring and take it to Mount Doom before Sauron returns," I said.
Elrond gave me a questioning look.
"Sauron has been gone for a long time," he said.
He was either wrong or trying to hide the fact that the Dark Lord would soon return.
"I can't find Sauron on the map, but I knew that he will return and take on the identity of the Necromancer, he'll set up at a fortress called Dol Guldur" I informed my host "He'll start wars and thousands will die unless you destroy the Ruling Ring".
Elrond sat down as I did my best to explain a bit about the future. I was under the impression that Sauron had been at Dol Guldur before, but it was hard to keep everything straight.
"How can you know all of that?" he asked.
I had to choose my words carefully.
"It's hard to explain" I answered "I've seen glimpses of the future. I know that Sauron will return in a matter of years and that he will summon the Nazgul to him. He can't be defeated as long as the Ring is intact. It ties his spirit to this world".
They didn't appear on my map either. I hoped that it was because they were contained somewhere, or it could just be that people in the spirit world didn't register because they weren't really here in a physical sense.
"I will need to speak with Mithrandir," Elrond said.
That was the name given to Gandalf by the elves.
"You must stay here" insisted the elf lord "For your own protection, if the dark one is returning and he learns of you, of what you know, he will try to claim you".
Since Elrond has his own Ring of Power then he could protect Rivendell from Sauron to an extent so we would be safer than anywhere else.
"I had hoped to spend some time learning from your smiths" I mentioned "And my companion has a love of all knowledge"
This seemed to please the part-human.
"I'm glad that you will have something productive to do here, Rivendell is a place of peace and learning, not a stronghold, or a prison," he said "I have to keep you here, but it would be difficult for us all if you were kept as a prisoner here instead of a guest. You will find here that the troubles of the world diminished and time itself can be kept at bay".
At some point, I'd have to enquire more about how time worked here and how it could extend life for a human, assuming that it did.
"We will talk later" promised the leader of this place "For now you and your friend should rest. Feel free to explore Rivendell and speak with the people here. There is much you can learn".
With that we were left alone, but not for long as one of the locals appeared and offered to guide us to somewhere we could rest. Hermione, who had remained quiet during the talks, no doubt had many questions for me, some of which I could try to answer.
Team Builder
Part 9
Rivendell. Eriador.
Hermione and I settled in quickly, we were given room to set up our tent and left to attend to our own business for the most part.
The elves who lived here were polite and answered all of our questions when asked, yet while they were never rude, they seemed content to keep their distance from us.
None of the natives seemed interested in interacting with us unless it involved offering or exchanging knowledge or carrying out their duties as our hosts.
It was easy to get one of the locals talking about history, the geography of this world or even what some might call magic, however, the talk never become personal.
I didn't get the sense that we were a bother to anyone, or that they disliked us being here, and they didn't try to exclude us from anything, it was a polite indifference rather than any sort of hostility.
Perhaps it had something to do with humans being so short-lived when compared to elves. I could imagine an elf not wanting to become attached to a human who would die before too long.
Elrond was much friendlier, only he had little time to speak with me, and when he did our talk centred around the One Ring along with future events. He was very interested in how Middle Earth was going to change and seemed to trust my words.
Despite how important it was for us to talk it made sense that he was busy elsewhere as even with the elves leading what I would think of as a sedate lifestyle there would still be matters for Lord Elrond to deal with as a leader.
If my memory of the first Hobbit memory was anything to go by Elrond was not the kind of leader who sat in an office. He would lead patrols of the lands he had some kind of authority over to keep them safe from hostiles.
Still, he made an effort to chat with us and this morning he had invited us to have breakfast with him, and our talking was more casual than normal. It was a nice change from our other interaction with elves went.
Elf meals were lighter than human ones and contained lots of fresh vegetables with a little bread. If I needed a snack or some serious protein, we had our own supplies thanks to the CYOA, so I wasn't concerned by the lack of meat.
The meals we'd attended were often eaten with some formality by the elves even if they were relaxed. Evening meals were a big deal here, they involved music and the reading of poetry. Since I had no musical talent I was glad that I'd not been asked to perform and I didn't know any proper poems either.
Our host invited us to these meals because he was trying to make us feel like his honoured guests when we were in reality prisoners here, at least in some sense. It was more protective custody than being under some sort of house arrest.
Since Hermione didn't have my level of knowledge, nor was she as powerful as me, she wasn't as much of a threat. But she wanted to stay with me so was irrelevant if Elrond would let her go or not. Besides, she could still be of interest to powerful people.
As to why I wasn't concerned about the elves forcibly keeping us here, I didn't think they actually could contain us if I decided that would leave.
Even if Hermione couldn't teleport us out of here, I should be able to fight my way free, or we could just walk out of here and see if the elves were willing to try stopping us by using force.
Not that either of us had any desire to leave, and there was more than one purpose behind our being here.
"I've sent out messengers to find Mithrandir," Elrond told us "But the wizard goes where he wishes. It maybe be months before he makes his way here".
This didn't concern me as it was going to take months just to start learning about how the elves used what I would call magic.
The elves were warriors, craftsmen and scholars so they had a lot of knowledge to share.
"There are others I must speak to" our host mentioned.
I assumed he was talking about Saruman, maybe Radagast, and Lady Galadriel. They would be able to decide what to do and I hoped to talk with Gandalf about Saruman who might be trustworthy when it came to the One Ring.
"Master Marek I would like you to join us when we met and tell them everything you have told me" requested Elrond.
I agreed to this as it was part of my plan. If I could become one of the people who helped decide the fate of Middle Earth then that meant I had a lot of influence over this world which is what the being behind the CYOA wanted from me.
If that wasn't enough, then I had some ideas about going to Gondor and improving that kingdom so that it could better resist Sauron's armies should the One Ring not be destroyed.
I had a book that contained a great deal of information on guns and cannons that Gondor could use to defend its walls in the future.
Given the choice, I'd prefer simply to destroy the One Ring because anything I gave to Gondor could be stolen and used by Mordor. There was a risk of strengthening the enemy by trying to help people who could be my allies.
"Don't forget about the swords" reminded Hermione, taking me out of my thoughts.
I'd not forgotten them. It was just that the elf lord and I had needed to discuss more important matters.
"Yes I noticed the weapons that you, and Mistress Hermione, carry," said Elrond "They are of elvish make. Where did you find them?".
I took the two longswords, which were both rather plain compared to the others, out of the expanded pouch that my witch had made for me, and then I carefully placed the two more well-decorated weapons next to them. Hermione did the same with Sting.
"We came across a cave being used by a few goblin raiders south of the Ettenmores," I told the leader of this elvish community "I intended to use the two longswords to barter our way into Rivendell if it became necessary, I suppose they can now they are just gifts".
Elrond began inspecting the weapons.
"These are Elven-made swords from Gondolin" our host soon informed "During the First Age, these swords were forged by Elf smiths and saw action during the Goblin Wars. Most were lost during the Fall of Gondolin".
Hermione had something she wanted to ask.
"What's Gondolin?" she wondered.
Elrond explained to us that Gondolin was a city of the Elves that had been destroyed long ago. It was founded by Turgon the Wise, an elf king in the early First Age.
The Lord of Rivendell inspected the runes that had been carved into the blades of the two more fancy swords.
"This is Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver in your tongue" our host explained.
I would have to ask an elf about languages at some point. People must be hearing us speak some local human language, one that was understood even in The Shire.
We didn't have some sort of automatic translation going because when the elves spoke their language I didn't understand them.
"This sword might have been used by King Turgon or one of the Lords of the Gondolindrim" Elrond let us know "The smiths of that age can not be matched in our time as we have lost much of our knowledge".
Next, he inspected Sting, although it didn't have that name yet.
"Given its scabbard and the quality of the weapon, I would say that this dagger was used by an elf who held Orcrist or one of the other swords like it when in battle," he said, "It was clearly forged for an important leader or great warrior. Although it carries no name".
Not for much longer.
"It's called Sting" I stated "Trust me on that".
He took up the other fancy sword.
"This is Glamdring," he said, "It will have a whitish-blue glow when orcs are nearby, the brighter the glow the closer in distance the orcs will be. It was a common feature of elvish weapons forged during that time".
If Gandalf went after the One Ring he would need that warning of danger given how many goblins infested those mountains.
"This sword would be called F0e-Hammer in your tongue," Elrond said "Do you intend to carry both swords?".
It was tempting to keep both, but it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.
"I'm keeping that for Gandalf" I mentioned.
Elrond gave me a questioning look.
"He's going to need it" I added "It's just something I know".
The elf lord nodded. He'd quickly come to accept that I knew things about the future that I simply shouldn't and while I'd done my best to explain he didn't fully understand the nature of what had brought us here.
Elves didn't have an understanding of computers, but they did know about gods so Elrond accepted that Hermione and I were in the service of a very powerful being who had sent us here to fulfil an objective, possibly just for its amusement.
What mattered was that no one here saw us as a threat.
"If there are indeed dark times ahead and then this weapon will serve him well" he stated "These swords were used during the War of Wrath and to great effect".
Hermione looked concerned about something.
"Shouldn't you have all of them?" she asked "I don't like the idea of us keeping your cultural treasures".
Our host smiled at her. I was a bit annoyed at her for suggesting this given how much trouble we'd gone to acquire the swords, but I wasn't concerned about our host trying to claim them.
"A sword is meant to be used," he said, "The two longswords you recovered for us will both be placed on display and be studied. As for Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting, I think you will need them far more than we do. Besides, it was you two who recovered them".
Elrond stood up and directed someone to take the longsword to a place where they could be put on display. I made a mental note to go check out that broken sword they had here the one that cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand.
"If you two are going to use elvish weapons then you will need to be taught how to wield them correctly" he declared "I shall arrange lessons for both of you".
While I'd gained combat skills from the CYOA and I'd handled a group of goblins easily enough I'd be foolish to turn down instruction from an elf teacher who would have centuries of experience.
Sure I had magical spells and Shouts, but there were ways to counter magic so I would always need a good sword at my side.
"There is one last thing I'd like you to take a look at" I mentioned.
Carefully I took out of my expanded bag the gold ring I'd claimed after defeating the Barrow-Wight shortly after leaving The Shire. Elrond carefully took the ring and examined it.
"I think it might be one of the lesser rings of power" I mentioned "I was hoping to find out what it did and if it's safe to use".
Judging by the expression on our host's face there was a reason to be concerned.
"This is not the work of an elvish smith," he told us "This ring was crafted by a much darker hand".
I did not like the sound of that.
"Have you heard of Angmar?" we were asked.
I had, but I didn't know much about it so Elrond explained a little about it to us.
"Angmar was a realm established long ago by the Lord of the Nazgûl, he who became known as the Witch-King of Angmar. That land has a history you will have time to research on your own. What matters is that the Lord of the Nazgul had many minions under his command and not all of them were living creatures".
Elrond stopped for a moment, I wondered what he was remembering of that time. Had he been involved? Or did he lose people he knew during that conflict?
"The Witch-King dabbled in sorcery and in mimicry of his master he bond spirits to himself, just as Melkor and Sauron have done in ages past" we were told "The Lord of the Nazgul created lesser rings so as to bind his undead minions to him as his own ring binds him to Sauron. This ring worked to bind an undead creature to the will of The Witch-King and your encounter with it could be a sign that the Nazgul are returning".
Elrond gave the ring back to me.
"The ring has no power over the living," he said "Still I suggest you destroy it and our smith can help you do just that. I will speak with him".
A shame that it wasn't something I could use, but I can enchant my own gear so it wasn't a big loss.
"Thank you, my lord," I said.
Hermione and I were left to finish breakfast, once that was done we went back to our studies as there was much to learn and this place had an impressive library.
"Are you going to destroy that ring?" asked Hermione.
I decided that I would.
"Even if it could benefit me it's linked to the Witch-King who might be able to influence me if I keep the ring" I replied "And if it is linked to the Ring of Power that the Witch-King wears then it will lose its power when the One Ring is destroyed because they are linked together. The lesser rings I'm interested in pre-date the Rings of Power and aren't connected to them".
Perhaps it was better to look into forging my own Ring of Power. Once Sauron was defeated. If anyone had any clues about how to do that it would be the elves so it was time for the library.
Team Builder
Part 10
Rivendell. Eriador.
Time had little meaning in this elvish settlement and as such there was no chance of either Hermione or I getting bored while staying in Rivendell.
We both had our lessons to help keep us busy and one day easily became the next. We could have been here for weeks already, it was hard to tell, and it didn't concern me that a lot of time could be passing.
I wasn't just being tutored so as to improve my combat skills, which involved the use of the bow, dagger and sword, Elrond had arranged for me to learn the elvish art of crafting under a master.
It struck me as odd that elves only focused on a few different weapons. I hadn't seen any with spears, axes or maces, just different kinds of blads. Perhaps it was some sort of cultural thing.
Meanwhile, Hermione's tutor was instructing her about matters such as herblore and the history of this world that she felt she needed to know more about. She spent much less time than me learning about how to stab things.
That was fine as I just wanted her to be able to use Sting as a backup weapon should she lose her wand or for some reason be able to cast a spell.
Given her slight frame and lack of interest in physical training, she was never going to be able to wield a proper sword in battle. Besides, I much preferred to be the one doing the penetrating.
My combat skills as the Dragonborn were undoubtedly effective, yet crude, involving overpowering a foe with brute force, and to be fair the Dovahkinn is a powerhouse.
Despite this, while in Rivendell I could learn to refine my fighting style and once this business with the One Ring was dealt with perhaps I could learn from the Rangers and perfect my tracking skills out in the wild.
In the evenings I spent my time going over books that were written in Westron. Also known as the Common Speech, it was the closest thing to a universal language they had in Middle-earth, at least during this part of history.
Westron is for some reason presented itself as modern English to Hermione and me. Something to do with the CYOA I assumed, and it was a good thing that it did happen, otherwise, no one around here would understand us.
I couldn't take any of the books with me when I left as none of them were for sale at any price. Even if these elves did use money, they wouldn't have parted with them no matter how much wealth I offered.
So it was a good thing that I was able to secure a supply of parchment and ink, and then Hermione had enchanted a quill for me that would record my words whenever I spoke to it.
This meant that my research was a mess of notes taken from parts of books that I could understand along with some speculation of my own, but it was better than having nothing to refresh my memory once I'd left this world.
I could spend years studying here and only learn the very basics of what the elves were trying to teach me. As such, I was glad that Gandalf and the other important people Elrond had summoned here would take a while to arrive and that I could record so much.
"For Elves, their bodies and spirits work in harmony, and they claim that creation comes naturally to them," I said to the quill "The Elves were taught arts and crafts by the Valar over in Valinor".
Humans couldn't travel to Valinor so there was no chance of Hermione and I going there to learn from Valar directly. Although I doubted they'd have taught us anything given that we weren't a part of their creation.
"They were taught to place dedication and love into everything they make" I recorded "It reminds me of the old expression 'Made With Love' the idea being that you can put into something you are making the love you feel for someone. The expression 'he poured his heart and soul into it' could apply as well".
"It might seem like sentimental rubbish" I went on to say "but I feel otherwise. After all, didn't Sauron make the One Ring by filling it with his desire to dominate and his malice? That was more than just someone being poetic I think".
If my research was correct it was the literal truth even if the process of imbuing a part of your spirit into an object on purpose seemed to be something rather complex.
"So it seems to me that the secret of enchanting the way the elves do it is to put part of yourself into the creation," I said as the quill moved "What I wonder, aside from the exact method, is how you can do that without diminishing yourself".
Elves were different from humans and not just in physical ways. They worked differently in terms of soul. Human souls were supposed to leave Arda when their bodies died, although if this was so it made me wonder how Aragon found an entire army of ghosts.
Elf souls were bound to Arda until the end of time according to the lore. As such when an elf dies their soul is summoned to some place called the Halls of Mandos, where the Valar could re-embody the Elf in a body that was identical to the Elf's previous body.
"Since human souls are different then it might not be possible for a human to safely place some of his spiritual self into a created object" I was now saying "At least not regularly, not unless your spirit can be replenished in some way".
I suddenly remembered something the Greybeards did for the Dragonborn.
"The Greybeards when training the Dragonborn somehow transfer their understanding of a certain Shout via a process that reminds me of Soul Trapping" I recorded "They didn't do this too much, either because they didn't want the Dragonborn to advance too fast or because it might damage their spirits".
There was more to be put down on parchment.
"If the spirit is diminished and needs to be restored that might explain why elvish craftsmen took so long to make the Rings of Power" I mused "They didn't just need to learn about the method of crafting they had to allow their spirits to recharge after making the lesser rings of power".
I figured that I already knew how they managed that.
"One of the books I've read mentions that the spirit is not an object that can be broken into pieces or cut up," I said "Rather it is like a fire because it is energy. This might explain how Voldemort made multiple Horcruxes. He didn't really break bits of his soul, this is a misunderstanding, rather he somehow transferred a lot of his spiritual self into an object. If spirit can be replenished then that would explain why the main part of Voldemort's soul could still function even after creating so many Horcruxes".
Sauron proves that you don't need to be good to be spiritually powerful. He was able to restore much of what he'd lost after having the One Ring cut from his hand.
"Both the Greybeards and the elves seem to have peaceful lives involving introspection and meditation" I was now saying "They value knowledge over material goods and to an extent they isolate themselves from the rest of the world. The elves aren't too dismissive of the physical world, they care about their bodies and they wish to have beauty around. Elves don't seem to eat meat, but they aren't pacifists, in fact, they see great value in being a warrior. The Greybeards shun violence, yet are willing to train the Dragonborn despite him being a warrior".
It didn't seem as if you needed to be a Buddist Monk living up on a mountain and spending all your time meditating under a tree, or whatever it was you needed to do in order to reach enlightenment.
I figured that I would need to talk with some of the elves on this matter to see if I was on the right track. Elrond might be willing to explain some of this to me if he could find the time.
For now, I needed to focus more on how the spirit was used to enhance an item.
"Elves do use the word magic, but that seems to be a term they use because the other races don't understand how they make something that seems to be magical," I said to the quill "When they imbue an item with their spiritual energy it seems to give some properties of the spirit to the object such as permanency. The spirit is not affected by time as the physical world is. Time is held back in some sense in the places where elves live and in the objects they make. Orcrist my sword was forged thousands of years ago in another age, no human-made weapon could endure that long".
I took a sip of coffee, we had some in our supplies and I winced because it was stone cold. Then I got back to note-taking.
"So the elves seem to be able to imbue something into weapons that appear to be magical but it isn't magic," I thought out loud "How do they do that? Is it directed by their will? Sauron created the One Ring with the purpose of dominating the other rings. So can you imbue purpose onto an object via spiritual energy using your desire?".
I had another thought.
"When Hermione and I faced the Barrow-Wight an undead spirit bond by the Witch-King my steel sword had little effect on it, however Hermione's Patronus and my Shout both seemed to harm the spirit," I said the quill "So if elvish weapons are imbued with the power of the spirit they should also be able to effect spirits".
I carried on recording my thoughts.
"Brandishing a sword is something that can be done to frighten an enemy" I recorded "The Elves of Gondolin created blades that would shine with a light when orcs are near. Does it detect their spirits somehow?".
Since I didn't have a human soul, I was a dragon, it might be possible for me to create magical items as an elf could. Even if I couldn't imbue my spirit into an item I could still improve my abilities as a craftsman
"Due to their immortality, elves can reach levels of mastery in arts, crafts, and lore beyond that of any human," I thought out loud "So even if I'm wrong about imbuing objects with spiritual power I can still improve upon my techniques".
Hermione entered the tent that we were still sharing and upon seeing me at work she went to a chair to sit down with a book of her own.
"In addition to creation and craftsmanship, Elves can have great skill with healing. This can seem like magic to those who don't have such skills" I said.
I decided to stop there as I had something on my mind that I wanted to think about further. I didn't have a human soul. What had happened to my soul? It bothered me that I might not have my soul.
Hermione picked up on what had me a bit concerned.
"Knut for your thoughts" she offered.
I saw no harm in sharing.
"Do you remember what I told you about what makes me a Dragonborn?" I asked.
I'd explained to her as best I could about what it meant to be a Dovahkinn as we travelled to Rivendell. I didn't really understand it all myself, so I'd just done my best to help her understand what I am.
"You're a dragon in a human body," she said "To put it simply".
That was the crux of the matter.
"Well I use to be a normal human and so I should have had a human soul" I was now saying "What I'm wondering now is what happened to that soul. I am just capable of mimicking a Dragonborn or was my soul transformed somehow or was it replaced?".
Comprehending the spirit was an important part of understanding what made elves seem to be magical. If it was indeed their spirit that allowed them to create what seemed to be magical items then I wanted to learn this process.
Sauron was a spiritual being and could forge Rings of Power, if I had a dragon's soul, perhaps more than one, could I place some of that power into an object? and if I did would my spirit replenish itself?
"I never thought of that," said Hermione "I know souls are real because I've seen Horcruxes, but other than that I don't much about them".
Neither of us spoke for a moment.
"Is there anyone in this world who is an expert in souls?" Hermione wondered.
I had no idea, and I figured it might be something I would have to figure out for myself, and when it came to enchanting objects I did have other methods I just didn't want to use them here in Rivendell in case it offended our hosts.
"Gandalf might have some advice for me" I mused "He is a spiritual being that has taken physical form so he might be able to sense something about my spirit".
More research was required, but there was no rush, I should spend time with Hermione and find out more about what she'd been learning.