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AJ eaten by orcs? Now that's an idea I'm sure there are still some around in Mordor.

Most execellent post. The scene with AJ in the bath was scary indeed, and it would be well if rumour of what happened doesn't reach Faramir's ears. Also, I liked the conversation over dinner. Poor Adûnakhôr. His situation is getting worse now.

I didn't mind the sap at all The dream makes even more sense when one's read the Dreams story before.

And Yôpharaz, oh, I laughed a lot about that fellow. He's such a bloody iditot, and certainly deserves coming to a nasty end. Most likely, his own arrogance will see to that.

Oh, and it was nice to see you found a character to call Aurens, and that he even seems a decent fellow He wouldn't be looking like Peter O'Toole, though, or would he?

Am going to read the post again now (read it late last night ...), and then am going to work on mine.

Khorazîr wrote:

AJ eaten by orcs? Now that's an idea I'm sure there are still some around in Mordor.

Up to you I guess. I my own vague ideas for a fanfic, I thought that a few years just after the War of the Ring would be spent getting rid of all Sauron's creatures. Rather like at the end of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe".

I'm bucked that you like my idea!

I think Tolkien even mentions something like the cleansing of Mordor in his letters. But I can't imagine that every single orc was caught then. Some, I'm sure, managed to hide in the remote parts of the mountains. Sometimes, looking at certain people nowadays, I believe their descendants are still among us.

Anyway, new post is up.

Whew, Faramir knows!

This is getting close to the best bit - the face-off!! I wish I could join in, playing someone like Narejde, but I'd bring the standard down.

Pharzi keeps things interesting in one more way! She's fun!

Slight technical error: As they set off to rescue Sakalthôr's family, a waning moon is shown just after sunset. For the moon to be up after sunset, it has to be waxing. (Yeah, I'm a perfectionist.)

I'd be interested to know what the writing on the tombs says, if you can be bothered.

Raksha The Demon wrote:

I addressed the issue, at least in part, about a year ago in one of my stories; called Better Days Ahead. If anyone's interested in seeing it, I'll provide a link.

Yes, please, and where is it in the canon? "Letters of JRR Tolkien"? I'll have to look for that. This story being set Fourth Age 10 (correct?), it wouldn't be hard for the cleansing to still be happening.

I'm not entirely sure there's something about what exactly happened to the orcs in LotR. Perhaps in the appendices, but I'd have to reread them. There is, however, a statement by an orc to one of his fellows as to what they'd like to do if it weren't for Sauron's commands. It's in the conversation Sam overhears at Cirith Ungol. There, the orcs wish they could do more or less what Raskha described: live free in small bands, and do what they pleased.

Thanks for the remark about the moon. I could have sworn to have seen a waning moon (as well as a waxing one) at evening-time, but apparently that's not possible ... Hmmm. Must look more closely next time the moon is visible at all. Since the moon must be waning to fit earlier mentions in the text, I'll modify the post accordingly.

Yes, Pharzi is fun. I was almost as surprised as Faramir, because when they reached the river, I suddenly recalled that lions don't like water. So, yeah, there was a problem I hadn't planned.

As for the new hideout, they are going to learn a little more about it. It's going to be interesting to see how superstitious AJ and his men really are. Many of his soldiers, especially those hailing from the vicinity of Ihimbra, would have been raised on ghost-stories and tales about the cursed valley.

Ooh yes, I can't wait! Well, I can and I will, really.

As to interesting methods of revenge, I've just been read back, and there were some good things mentioned: Dorgil said stitches wouldn't help AJ when Faramir finished with him, but he might give him some anyway; and Khorazir said to cut him up for soup and feed it to the pigs. How many methods can be used on one person?

Thanks Raksha! I'll read the other chapters later in the month when my internet connexion is throttled.

This whole scenario has captured my imagination. I've done up a mini-plotline for some orcs, led, as in Raksha's chapter, by Shagrat, who could possibly be around Ihimbra in time to eat AJ. Feel free to use it if you like it!

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Shagrat and his company are at the final battle at the Black Gate. When everything starts to collapse because of the Ring's destruction, they flee south and east, avoiding places like Cirith Ungol which they know will be scoured. They are well away before Elessar's armies move in.

They keep moving, heading generally southwards, and make a more permanent camp in the southern arm of the Ephel Dúath. Along the way they are joined by other escaped orcs, mostly trackers and scouts (as these would have the skills to avoid the Gondorian soldiers). With their skills the company cover their tracks and keep aware of the activity of Gondorian search parties.

Faerthurin is the leader of the last search party. She tracks them from the small river flowing into the Sea of Nurnen (westernmost one), where they watered on their way south, to their hideout in the mountains, but they got wind of her and are on the move again by the time she reaches it.

Faerthurin tracks Shagrat's company through the mountains and further south, through Harondor towards Umbar, but now the orcs head south-west. She gets closer and closer to them (thinking of Beleg searching for Túrin), each camp she discovers more recently abandoned, but finally they reach the coast, and somehow buy passage on a ship. With no way of telling where they are now headed, and no ship to follow them in, Faerthurin is forced to terminate the chase, and returns to Minas Tirith in defeat.

Shagrat's company sail a short way south along the coast before quarrelling violently with the crew/captain/all, at which they are promptly put ashore. Unsure whether they have really shaken off the pursuit, they keep moving around for a while, and eventually make a hideout somewhere east of Ihimbra.

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Feel free to use some or all if you wish! Information about Faerthurin available on request. BTW, where in Umbar is Ihimbra?

Have comments to make later when I'm done with retail therapy, but to answer the question of where is Ihimbra, here's a peek at the map I put together (with a glimpse of the top-secret calendar of events ). Obviously it's a screenshot; I thought I had the map itself in my photobucket but turns out I didn't.

Thanks a lot for the link, Raksha, and the information about the orcs and Faerthurin, Estel.

Shagrat and his lads must be pretty desperate to travel south (so much heat and sun! -- must be pure torture for orcs used to the gloom of Mordor, and not as resilient against light as the Uruk-Hai of Saruman) and try and hide somewhere near Ihimbra or Umbar. The whole area round the Bay of Umbar is rather densely populated, because a major trading-route runs through it, so they wouldn't remain unnoticed for long (nor un-hunted, as the Haradrim hate them, too).

But that said, who knows what's going to happen? AJ definitely deserves being eaten by orcs! We haven't planned all the details of the next chapters of the story yet. And as for AJ's demise, well, it's likely there's going to be a long queue of people lining up to achieve it, each with a nasty method in mind. But as is the way with these stories, most likely he'll meet his end in a totally different way yet unknown to us.

For now, I have to see to my next post (and I've only got a rough idea what's going to happen there, too ... ). So I'll do some other things and wait for inspiration to strike

Bother!! I might have known there'd be some fatal flaw.

I had the impression that Shagrat was an uruk, and that the first ten or so of his lads were also uruks, but they still wouldn't go so far, even after loot, would they? Hey, could they hide in the cliffs? Or do they hate water just as much? (Not rivers at least: see Nimrodel.)

Thank you so much for the map, Lady_of_Rohan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIeCtWC9unU

My alma mater is sponsoring a contest via YouTube, and part of the way they're going to choose finalists is based on view count, so view, view, view. Prizes include a couple thousand dollars in cash or gift cards, an XBox 360, a 42" flatscreen LCD (or plasma, can't remember) HD TV

You'll get a look at some English geeks dressed up like ninjas, President Bush in the shower, and a cool shadow that I noticed one day, among other things.



Khorazir made the comment in an email that it would be interesting to see the supper scene from AJ's point of view, so I'm going to take a sidestep from the main story and write that up. Have also worked on a short story that I can't show anyone because it features the new baby. But the muse demanded it be written, so I had to write it.

Oooh, and what a cute story this is Once it's safe to publish, I can put it up on my website, if you want me to. And I very much look forward to the AJ-pov scene.


As for the video, it's great . I like the idea with the screens. Also, I'm impressed that you mentioned the composer's name and music source, because I'm always annoyed if filmmakers (mostly those making documentaries for TV) don't state their music-sources in the credits, after getting all of their stuff from movie soundtracks.

Thanks.

Argh, yes, I know what you're talking about. I've heard some great stuff on TV and have no idea where it came from.

Khorazir and I are both working on posts, and from the sound of it, neither of us really like what we've come up with so far. Boo.

But believe me, we haven't forgotten the story. We have an almost-daily e-mail exchange going, and there's usually at least one plot element being discussed, if not more. Lately we've even been passing the master calendar file back and forth, adding upcoming events and stuff like that.

So, yes, things are definitely happening with Checkmate, even if there's nothing in public to show for it yet. It's not a dead story by any means.

I can only second that. I've been wanting to work on my post for days and days, but on most of those when finally I had time to actually do so, it was also time for bed, because I have to rise quite early for school. But since there's a weekend ahead, I hope to get some writing done there.

Otherwise, I've been very busy with school and commissions. Both are enjoyable, but leave little time for other things. The Gladden-Fields series is not forgotten. Actually, there are two pictures, begun last year, that await their completion. But at the moment, commissions with a tight deadline must come first. But I already look forward to returning to illustrating Tolkien. I do miss it.

My next post is almost done, and it should be online before next month A new drawing is also finished, to be posted today.