Reviews by AngmarAndElfhild

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:44 am

Khazar,

We appreciate your comments.

Not quite sure what you mean by "original site." The origin of "The Circles" is a live action roleplay that I ran for 16 months. After 16 months of that, Elfhild and I are still shellshocked and are trying to recover. If we seem a little odd, it is because we are. Smile smiley face

The prologue is titled "Prologue - Yôzâyan" but Open Scrolls calls it "Chapter 1." Therefore, the chapters are slightly off. Perhaps the prologue is set in Numenor; perhaps not.

>The Nazgul should be perfectly-preserved Men. They are not
>windblown ghosts! I ran into the same nonsense you've described.

Then the three of us can commiserate. During the roleplay, I lost long-time online friends over disagreements about the Nazgûl, their bodies and their powers. Below is a collection of a few of the negative comments I have received over the past 16 months. I call it the "Hall of Shame." Smile smiley face

Perhaps you will think these are as humorous as we do.

"You portray the Nazgûl as having too much power."
"Disturbing wraith romance."
"This bloodlust/lust thing is really disturbing."
"I am disturbed at the torture and angst and would prefer that those logs be private because they are damaging. It's not exactly what they say. It's the debasement, all the Mordor stuff. In my opinion it is destructive roleplay and it depresses me."

I suppose this person wanted the SD archives to be password-protected because of their "disturbing content." Smile smiley face

>The films, IMHO, did nothing to help. Especially with the horses.
>Doesn't anyone actually *think* about these things? Oh, and as for
>the armor: I got to see the WK armor up close & personal at FIDM
>last year. It was rusty, broken, and had holes! WTF? Why wear it?
>Why bother? It's trash, just like the clothes he wore. It's almost like
>the costume people thought that somehow the Nazgul hadn't
>bothered to change their clothes in the last 4000 years or so.

I could not agree with you more. The book "The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare" tells in narative form, as though it were from the canon, all about the "neglected armor" of the Nazgûl and the Mouth of Sauron. Read it for a laugh.

>The Directives sound more like something that WK would issue,
>rather than Sauron.

Let us say in The Circles, Sauron becomes a bit of a control freak at times. Smile smiley face

Besides, the Nazgûl are busy with other things in this section.

>Yes, Gothmog has to be Nazgul #3. No Orc would get that kind of
>rank.
>Khamul of course was in charge at Dol Guldur, with another one. In
>"Circles" I would assume that he's still there?

I agree completely with you about Gothmog. By logic, it would seem that he would be the third, the Lieutenant of Minas Morgul. (Second after Khamûl)

Yes, Khamûl's messenger is still in Dol Guldur, but not during this part of the story, for there is a war going on.

Very interesting discussion, Khazar, and we appreciate your comments very much. Sorry about the redundancy of "maidens." Smile smiley face

Now Elfhild has some comments.

Angmar

***

Khazar,

Indeed, "Yozayan" was meant to be mysterious and surreal, filled with beauty and intrigue. It will make sense with the rest of the story in time. The idylic scenery and discriptions of Chapters 1 and 2 were meant to be peaceful and serene, the "calm before the storm" - the storm being the war, the defeat at Pelennor, the Months of Darkness and the death of the twins' mother. I try to keep from repeating the same word too many times, but somehow I missed the "maiden" problem. I shall have to sacrifice a few of the "maidens."....

"The Circles” started in a roleplaying game called “The Second Darkness” and the whole story was meant to be 2-5 chat log chapters. However, as Angmar and I wrote, we kept getting good ideas and before long there were ten chapters… and then there were twenty… It was then when we decided to make this a novel-length story; however, what we had written beforehand started in the middle of things with no introduction.

I had hoped to quickly bridge the gaps between point A and point B in approximately 13 chapters, retaining much of the original roleplay’s plot. Yet we decided that this rushed things too much, and there were many writing opportunities that we did not want to miss (the life of a captive can be very interesting...). As we wrote, too, we ran into many problems with logic in converting roleplay to story form. What makes a good roleplay can make a convoluted story. Also, roleplay can cheat characters, for one cannot be thinking of character development and giving a character interesting quirks and qualities when forced to write on the spot.

In SD, Elfhild and Elffled were just… there. One was bossy, the other was quiet, but basically all they did was serve wine, echo Western propaganda with the "good guys" and receive mild sexual harassment from the villain. I did not want them to be such, but it was the way they came out, both because I was rushed and because of the influence of another roleplayer who insisted everything stay G-rated and sickeningly sweet.

Do not consider what is currently happening in The Circles as the “back-story.” It is a tale of life, always continuing and changing, as told from the eyes of the two girls and the people they meet. Yes, the Nazgul do play a big part, but their constant presence is not for some time to come. There will be a chapter or so coming up soon in which we will see more of them, however.

Thanks for reading. Smile smiley face

Elfhild

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:47 pm

Aganuzîr,

Thank you for reading. The Mordor Special Mission Flying Corps was done in a doodle by Tolkien and is included in "J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator." A picture of this emblem can be found at http://www.forodrim.org/gobennas/heraldry/heraldry.htm

Note the Minas Morgul emblem. This is not the one I use but rather use the moon as depicted on the dust jacket of the 1954 The Two Towers. The 1954 illustration of the cresent moon was drawn by Tolkien; the skull on the moon was not drawn by him.

All of the peoples from Rhûn and Khand can be called Easterlings, but Haradrim are always Southrons. Tolkien refers to the people of Khand as "Variags." The Wainriders and Balcoth came from Rhûn. In this AU, it is to be considered that Khamûl came from the section of Khand that is closest to Rhûn, or northern Khand. Taking into consideration the curvature of the earth (the Middle-earth maps were designed for a flat earth, even though the world became round after Númenor sank) and comparing the whole of Middle-earth to a modern-day map, Khamûl came from what is modern-day Turkey, more or less. (There will be a lengthy discussion of the real world and Middle-earth in Chapter 15).

>Too rigid for mortals, IMO. Perhaps a maia Sauron could not
>understand human nature very well? Afrer all, when he was abroad
>in the wide world in the First and the Second age, he mostly dealt
>with evles and orcs…I felt the Directives were not enforceable, and
>really Ch. 14 proves that all too well. I hope poor Sergeant Daungha
>will not be punished too cruelly… I can't say he was a nice guy, but
>he hardly deserves to be castrated. After all, he did no great harm
>to the girls. Actually, I am surprised that his Captain has chosen to
>arrest and denounce Daungha, instead of scolding him in private and
>covering up for him.

The Directives are not enforcable, but we must wait until the next few chapters to see what happens to the woeful Daungha.

>Awesome kisses, by the way! I like your writing! Poor Elffled, it must
>be only the first of many similar experiences.

I would wager to say that she did, too, but it is doubtful that she will ever admit it.

Thanks to you and all of our readers.

Angmar and Elfhild

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Wed Jul 20, 2005 5:33 pm

Xyzzy,

Thank you for your kind words. We are glad that you were not disturbed. We have been told by some people that our work is too gothic for them, and the warning was issued just to let people know that there will be dark elements.

Not all Easterlings and Southrons and/or other vassal peoples will be evil. They will be viewed as products of their cultures and act accordingly.

Nazgul romance? Hmmm.... This story is not to be considered a romance; it is more of a drama. You will have to wait to see about romance aspects.

>And...khmmm, ARE the nazguls capable of sex? I mean a mortal girl
>will surely die of Black Breath! Or it does not bother the wraiths
>much? Perhaps, not at all? But can they endure long enough for
>some sport?
>I am afraid my comments are too silly

Your comments are not silly in any way. The questions you have asked have been asked many times before. The subject can become a very complicated one with people on one side seeing it one way and the people on the other side seeing it an entirely different way. We go on the premise that while the Nazgul are neither living nor dead, they are perfectly preserved, though by unnatural means, magic, in other words. Basically they are invisible men with great power, sorcerers.

Black Breath seems to be a phenomenon that can be controlled by the Nazgul as they wish. It would be impossible to deal with living troops if they succumb to overpowering horror in your presence. For example, a Nazgul speaking to a Southron commander: "General, you are to take the third brigade and harass the enemy's right flank." Instead of obeying the Nazgul's orders, however, the general falls to the ground in a shuddering heap. That would be a very stupid blunder upon Sauron's part, as more soldiers would die of Black Shadow in the Mordor armies than the enemy would kill. Troops can be intimidated into battle with fear, but too much fear is bad for morale, and also health.

Being perfectly preserved also could mean being perfectly virile. At least consider them so in this Alternative Universe. Smile smiley face

Here it is stated in Tolkien's Letters that the Nine Rings preserve or slow decay, sort of like how Nenya preserved Lothlorien. After all, the Three Rings of Elves, Nine Rings of Men and the Seven Rings of Dwarves were first created by the Elves, but all save the Three Elven Rings were sullied by Sauron. In Tolkien's world, the desire to preserve things in a constant state is considered wrong, for change is a necessary part of life. The Elves erred in trying to preserve that which they could not, and Sauron further corrupted this fault.

"With the aid of Sauron's lore they [the Elves] made Rings of Power ('power' is an ominous and sinister word in all these tales, except as applied to the gods). The chief power (of all the rings alike) was the preservation or slowing of decay (i.e. 'change' viewed as a regrettable thing), the preservation of what is desired or loved, or its semblance - this is more or less an Elvish motive. But also they enhanced the natural powers of a possessor - thus approaching 'magic', a motive easily corrupted into evil, a lust for domination. And finally they had other powers, more directly derived from Sauron ('the Necromancer': so he is called as he casts a fleeting shadow and presage on the pages of The Hobbit): such as rendering invisible the material body, and making things of the invisible world visible." - Letter #131, Tolkien Letters, p. 152

There are no "silly" or "stupid" questions.

Angmar

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:36 pm

Aganuzîr,

This is the correct interpretation on Chapter 12, a look backward into what was and will never be again for the two maidens. There will be more uneventful chapters in the future. Considering the length of this project, chapters such as this are necessary to get in fine details. Rohan now is nothing but a memory.

Remembrances of normalcy set against the background of the bizarre are chilling. The "demons," of course, are the Nazgûl but the captives have no idea what they are. I always like to think of them as the "Mordor Special Mission Flying Corps" as Tolkien called them. He even drew an emblem for them. I have always wondered if the Nazgûl here are symbolic of the airplanes of World War I. While, of course, artillery fire does not exist in this period, the Nazgûl can fire some wicked arrows.

Captain Kourosh was a Variag from Khand, as were Sergeant Daungha and Tooraj. Yes, the captain is a philosopher. In the Circles there are no "bad nations." All are simply humans or creatures that are molded by the societal influences that shape their lives. There will be both good and bad Easterlings and Southrons. There are also cultural differences with some cultures being viewed as "advanced" and others as being "primitive."

While Captain Kourosh is a philosopher and truly a civilized man, he is caught in a culture that still clings to more primitive ways. He knows that he cannot change that, but he hopes that social progress may yet be achieved. Sergeant Daungha is civilized, too, but he is a younger man, impetuous, headstrong, reckless, and sometimes very foolish. While both are totally relentless against an enemy, they are kind to their families and friends.

Yes, the perception of the West is very much akin to that of the Crusaders. Obviously the enemy is the "heathen" that must be conquered. The Arab culture was far superior to European culture at the time of the Crusades and the Arab culture had made far greater advances in medicine, mathematics, architecture and other areas.

>Interesting to me was the interaction between the Easterlings and
>the orcs. Normally in an army of men, a captain from a totally
>different division has very little authority over men of another
>division. (Or so I think, I can't really be sure). Here, it looks like the
>visit of the Easterlings was intimidating for the orcs. Were they that
>far down the social ladder? After all, in LOTR, Shagrat was the
>Captain of a large fortress…

I think there would be racial prejudices even in the East. While Captain Kourosh has an aversion to orcs brought on by experiences in childhood, he respects their loyalty and fighting skills. The men of the West under Aragorn would slay every last orc, believing them unfit to live. I see shades of ethnic cleansing here.

Sauron came up with the "Directives" after the fall of Minas Tirith. None other would come up with such rigid control. Sauron, wanting control and order, knows that only a strong force of will can enforce such order. As we see in Chapter 14, they were not enforceable and as the Mordorian armies move into Rohan, these directives will be impossible to sustain. Punishment, however, in such a situation would be unlikely to be forthcoming because it would be virtually impossible. After all, the primary goal is to defeat the combined forces of Gondor, Rohan and their Northern allies.

Chapter 15 - No hints there, but we might be returning to a more or less uneventful but necessary chapter.

Angmar and Elfhild

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:42 pm

Tourniquette said
> Oh, I know. I read some of the excerpts there (very fun), and I'm looking forward to it. I don't want you to stop what you're doing just because one of the chapters felt strange to me! Good stories are usually longer ones.

Tourniquette,

We are glad you are enjoying Second Darkness and The Circles. Circles will be a very long story, perhaps even a book.

By necessity, Chapter 12 is a slow one because time was needed to introduce new characters and show further character development of established ones. There is always method to what we do, although it might take a very long time to bring an idea to fruition.

In Second Darkness, it took from March 2004 to July 2005 to get Frodo back to the Shire. Do not think, though, that the necessary slowness to allow for RPG is a factor in The Circles. There is no roleplay whatsoever involved with The Circles; it is all writing.

I think Elfhild and I will look back to this chapter as "the calm before the storm."

It might get a little more exciting in Chapter 13, which has just been loaded. Smile smiley face

Chapter 14 might be a little livelier even. Twisted Evil smiley face

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:41 pm

Tourniquette said
> Oh, I know. I read some of the excerpts there (very fun), and I'm looking forward to it. I don't want you to stop what you're doing just because one of the chapters felt strange to me! Good stories are usually longer ones.

Tourniquette,

By necessity, Chapter 12 is a slow one because time was needed to introduce new characters and show further character development of established ones. There is always method to what we do, although it might take a very long time to bring an idea to fruition.

In Second Darkness, it took about two years in Middle-earth to get Frodo back to the Shire (3019-3020) and in real time, it took from March 2004 to July 2005. Do not think, though, that the necessary slowness to allow for RPG is a factor in The Circles. There is no roleplay whatsoever involved with The Circles; it is all writing.

I think Elfhild and I will look back to this chapter as "the calm before the storm."

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:08 pm

Tourniquette said
> Again, very Tolkien-est. XD I think the back story takes up a bit too much time here, but it's still a very enjoyable story, and the writing is superb. Please continue!

Tourniquette,

I am glad you are enjoying the story, but I must warn you that you must be prepared for a long journey. Smile smiley face

The trip has barely begun. A lot can happen on the trail.

The orgins for The Circles was a roleplay called Second Darkness of which I was the gamemaster. That took over a year to finish before I decided to shorten the tale, and some, even now, were disappointed when it stopped. Just hang on to the pommel. This will be a long ride.

Angmar

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:27 pm

Aganuzir,

There is nothing like the knowledge that punishment will both swift and unpleasant to curtail public voicing of opinions. There was always the impression in the all-too-few orc comments that if you wanted to know what was really going on in Mordor, just overhear an orc conversation. Certainly the orcs feared Angmar; they had good reason to be terrified. As Gorbag said, "Grr! Those Nazgul give me the creeps. And they skin the body off you as soon as look at you, and leave you all cold in the dark on the other side." There can be no better inducement for tight lips than that threat.

As you know from reading Second Darkness, things can get very grim and unpleasant for transgressors in the Dark Land. That is why there are warnings on Ansereg that the site has "heavy character torture." You can look for the same in future chapters in the Circles. However, other than gaining healthy respect for the protagonists, no amount of violence is ever done for sheer shock effect on readers. Sometimes those who read have to dig under the surface for other meanings.

"Funny ideas on “what Angmar does with his girls”! I have a feeling one of the orcs is right, though…"

There might be more than a grain of truth in what the orcs said in Black Speech about "what Angmar does with his girls." The dilemma, though, is separating the truth from the rumors. Smile smiley face

Thank you, Aganuzir, for reading. Elfhild promises a new chapter soon. No hints. Smile smiley face

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Thu Jul 07, 2005 8:23 pm

Aganuzir,

Ladies are always first, so here will be Elfhild's reply to you, and then my comments will be forthcoming after hers.

Thank you so much for your comments on Chapter 10!

Elfhild is only sixteen and is still innocent and naive, filled with the exuberance of youth. She thinks, talks and daydreams a lot, but turns shy and bashful when actually talking with a lad. A smile, a word or a short conversation with a boy her age causes her to tremble, and she almost swoons from a kiss upon the hand. She dreamed of marrying Osric, the son of the village blacksmith, and after the wedding and the proceeding celebrations, live a good and relatively uneventful life. There would be children, then grandchildren, and then she would die around the age of eighty, a beloved matriarch revered by her family and friends, and completely unknown to the rest of the world. That was all that she had known and hoped for in life. But then there was a war...

No, Elfhild was not bespelled. Yes, she sensed the presence of the approaching Nazgul - the chill in the air, the shadows deepening - something which would have logically made the unsuspecting, superstitious Rohirrim freeze in terror. Yet this very aura of darkness both frightened and intrigued her. She found it highly sensual and seductive, yet she did not understand why. Perhaps it had something to do with her love of ghost stories and her fascination with death.

About Leofgifu... Yes, even in tragic situations, people will still fret about trivial things. Perhaps it is the mind's way of dealing with the shock - those little worries bring a sense of normalcy in a trying time.

About the orcs... Remember "Falling silent now, Elfhild and Leofgifu saw that indeed a band of orcs had gathered there. The brutes were laughing and talking amongst themselves, pointing at Elfhild and her aunt and then snickering at some crude jest of their fellows." They knew and perhaps they were laughing about that rather than the ongoing argument. Their comments were not recorded. Smile smiley face

We shall see how Elfhild fares and if she really is remembered...

Yes, the Nazgul horses seemed to be mearas, just like Shadowfax, or at least crossed with mearas. They were able to travel unbelievable distances in just a short time. You can't travel far on a dead horse, and mearas are hard to come by.

About Second Darkness... Yes, Eowyn was cursed, but how strongly the curse will affect her is yet unknown. During the Battle of Helm's Deep, she was in a state of mental turmoil from anger, grief and guilt and thought of nothing but avenging herself in battle and dying in the process. In the spring of the next year, she seems to have recovered somewhat, though she is still haunted by guilt.

Arwen has not left Middle-earth. She still dwells in Rivendell, but with the unstable situation of the world, an occupied Gondor and the constant threat of war, Aragorn has thought more of defense and survival than of marriage. Aragorn feels she is far safer to remain in Rivendell. The vision that Frodo had of Aragorn looking into the palantir had both truths and deceits. There was a fell winter and Eowyn was wearing a wolf skin, but Arwen did not leave Middle-earth. You would have to ask Angmar what happens next. Smile smiley face

Again, thank you for your comments.

Elfhild

***

Elfhild has answered many of the questions. I will now answer those that remain.

>I only hope you will not let Angmar become too romantic himself.
>That would be out of character.

I believe it would be safe to say that Angmar has no romantic interest in the maid. To do otherwise would not be in his character. Perhaps, though, he saw into some of her thoughts and recognized her deep interest in the arcane, and feels, as did Melkor, "There is a use for every thrall." Perhaps she will be a pet. Obviously, he has had others. He will reveal little of his true intents, whatever they may be, until he feels the time is appropriate.

Obviously, Peter Jackson or his film advisors ignored the quote from Gandalf that the horses of the Nine are real horses. Anyone who has ever had horses knows that they must be fed, groomed, watered, doctored and shod. In the conceptual stages of the movie, there was even some conjecture on giving the Nazgul a special "breed" of demon horse that would be handled by computer special effects. Hardly real horses. Strictly from a utilitarian viewpoint, abuse of horses will soon render the rider without one and the idea was for speed rather than stealth in tracking down Frodo and the Ring. Here, Jackson treats the Nazgul like they are brainless idiots who know nothing about horseflesh. The swords and armor of the Nazgul and Mouth of Sauron in the movie were even meant to be rusted from neglect. This is hokey and very unrealistic.

In Second Darkness, some of the Easterling nations are considering rebellion. Having themselves suffered in the defeat at the Second Battle of Helm's Deep, they can see chinks in Sauron's power. They have taken hope that someday, perhaps, they will be free from generation after generation of servitude to Sauron. Perhaps Sauron, even with His Ring regained, is not invincible. Ar-Phazaron, long years ago, had defeated Him, as had the Elves in the war in Eregion.

It is good to know you like The Circles better than Second Darkness. We have long been planning this project and looking forward to it greatly. Second Darkness, for the most part, never developed the kind of depth and maturity that Elfhild, Zaminbalak and I wanted. That should change in The Circles.

The final bloodbath in SD - yes, it was dirty and bloody and quite unexpected. Vartang's attack was not part of Sauron's design, unless he unwittingly fell into the Dark Lord's hands, which is entirely possible. Vartang is truly a "man of darkness."

The question of the mithril necklaces is handled elsewhere. Check your private messages.

Guntha was correct. The revenge against Frodo is beyond comprehension of mortals. Maiar have their own way and are inscrutable to even their own kind sometimes. Sauron used many of His servants and His own riches from the earth to wreak His vengeance. I think the Dark Master considered the ultimate outcome a triumph of its own kind.

Hobbits have never been a favorite topic of mine. Ashgaz is the kind of mistake that will never happen again. Fatty Bolger was very close to this type of fate in one of Tolkien's many rejected versions. He was kidnapped by the Black Riders but rescued by Gandalf. I never knew this fact before until I read about it recently.

Anyone who reads the HOME series will find this happening to them all the time. Here is this obscure happening that Tolkien either rejected or never developed and it is really fascinating. I just came across the reference to Hazad Longbeard in the story "Tal-Elmar" in "The People of Middle-earth." I never knew before that Tolkien wrote about a more primitive people who seemed to have little technology and used clubs instead of swords. The strange thing about this discovery, though, was I was already planning on using that concept in an upcoming story. Perhaps I never should have read it. At least no one can ever ridicule a story set in Middle-earth in which a group of undeveloped swarthy people, dressed in loincloths, capture women from a blonde Wainrider type race and take them as wives, despite the fact they already have husbands and children. Of course this story of Tolkien's takes up the approaching three Numenorean ships sighted just off the coast.

Eowyn... Ah, that is a tale in itself. Yes, she has "controversial" feelings towards Angmar and sometimes her dreams are quite extraordinary, I am told. Whether Faramir could ever please her or not remains to be seen. He will try though, I assure you.

Yes, sooner or later the readers will know the answers to most of the questions, whether in Second Darkness or in Circles. Thank you for reading and being such a great fan.

Angmar

The Circles: Book One: The Triumph of The Shadow · Mon Jun 27, 2005 7:58 pm

Aganuzîr,

Considering the fact that I have had the privilege of portraying the Lord of the Nine for over the year in a long running roleplay, I feel most comfortable now writing about him. Yes, you have beheld him coming in his own dark glory. The one beside him appears to be Khamûl, but he is not. This one is the Morgul Lord's lieutenant. Tolkien never said exactly who was the Lieutenant of Morgul, whether a Nazgûl, an orc or a man. The film, as we know, portrayed him as an orc. I felt that was an unlikely candidate since men were usually in command of orcs and it is hard to believe an orc could have arisen to such a lofty position. Whatever the case, for the sake of this story, Gothmog is a Nazgûl, Number Three in rank, or in Black Speech "Shakh Gakh."

Yes, you caught the first appearance Nazgûl, appropriately enough, in the ninth chapter. I am glad that you felt that the wait was well worth it.

What possessed Elfhild, among all the others, to raise up her head and look at him? That now will remain a mystery but I think the word "possessed" or one close akin might most apply here. The Morgul Lord has other things on his mind besides impudent maidens along the route. He has a whole battle ahead of him, one which he is destined to lose, and after that... it is best not said.

The orcs - much maligned creatures, underestimated and under appreciated except by a few. If you listen to the orcs, they will tell you the truth of the matter, and the words are not sweetened by the lore of the West. Humans, for the most part, will know little of their lore unless they chance upon it through some unexpected circumstances. Indeed Elfhild met one of the great balladeers of that age, but the poor maid probably did not have knowledge enough at that time to appreciate it. The orcs will be back, though, spreading their own kind of wisdom and truth.

"The ghastly face of death" - the sigil of Morgul can be interpreted several ways. I have seen a drawing of a full moon with a skull superimposed on it, and the symbol rests upon a black field. While that quite possibly is an accurate depiction, it just did not seem comfortable because of its pirate connotations in later legend. I do not know if Tolkien thought the same or not. I do know in this drawing when he depicted Orthnac, he depicted a star above it and a hand below, while above Minas Morgul, there hung a crescent moon and below the cresent moon within a red ring. I have found that Tolkien often did things that were more subtle, not overt signs of "evil." The crescent moon has a significance in arcane lore, and Angmar is, after all, the Witch-king. Therefore, for the sake of this story, I am using the crescent moon as his banner. I will use the other emblems Tolkien created, the cresent moon within the red ring and the Nazgul flight corps emblem, at later times.

The tower of Minas Morgul in Second Darkness always had nine levels, though the layout of the city and fortress will change in the Circles. I don't want to give away too much of this at this time but I have been working for some time on sketches and have tried to incorporate as much as is known and all good conjectures into my concepts. Just wish I could draw better. Smile smiley face

There is a whole series that Eowyn and I have been working on since October set after Eowyn is wounded at Helm's Deep. It is just not ready to go on the site yet. Eowyn, does, however make a comeback in the newest SD chapters. She is with her brother sitting in judgment in the temporary hall at Dunharrow, and finally, she does address, at least in thought, what happened to her in the Dark Tower.

The three girls left in Morgul? Everyone will find out soon enough there. Smile smiley face

Glad you are growing to like the new characters, Adibe, Debanni, Atar and Candon. There is more about them now on the site with more to come soon.

I was quite hesitant about the acceptance of the solitary R rated scene in SD. You are correct. I have desperately tried to avoid R rated scenes because of the preferences of one of the writers. I have felt all along that many of the stories suffered for it and were left hanging open-ended in the air. Yes, not necessarily the "HOW" but just an acknowledgement was needed. However, a writer felt uncomfortable with even that and so I steered dialog around the facts.

Ever, Aganuzîr, are we grateful for your comments. They are very helpful and most appreciated.

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