Orphaned, then Exiled, now perhaps cast adrift on a raft from the ruins of Numenorë. At least, that's how it feels some days. Yet we've packed up this thread before and moved house, and survived. Let's make it so again. :mrgreen:
Anyone and everyone is welcome. :mrgreen: The only 'house rules' are the usual 'please respect and support everyone else', leave your muddy boots in the porch and please don't feed the dragon cheesy-poofs.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The Orphanage:
‘the family’ have been known to lapse into role-playing from time to time, so here follows a brief description of the setting. The great hall of the orphanage ran the full length of the building, from the oak door at the front to the french-windows (with dragon-flap) at the back. There were bedchambers to the left, and directly to the right ran a corridor with kitchens and stores opening off it. The walls were hung with tapestries of varied hues, showing themes from ancient tales; Leoba’s favourite was the one which depicted the Lady of the Lake clasping Excalibur, woven with every imaginable shade of blue and green thread. At the top end of the hall, to the sides of the front door hung four large pictures of Boromir; a gift from Rho. A large brick-built fireplace was set into the right-hand wall with two enveloping leather armchairs huddled close, complete with large feather-filled cushions embroidered to match the wall-hangings. In the centre of the hall stood a large trestle-table, covered at one end by a map of Middle Earth and stacked with journals and parchment filled with scraps of verse and long-laid plans for adventure. Set nearby were a couple of large black leather sofas, and a carved oak linen chest in which all sorts of ‘junk’ was kept. In the far corner by the french-windows, stood a spiral staircase, carved from oak with designs of intricate tracery and leading up to a minstrels’ gallery running the full length of the left-hand wall. It was backed with bookcases filled with works of history, literature, music and art. Suspended from the low-hanging timber rafters, over the rear doors, was the Orphanage Banner which Scribbles had gifted them: a wide, wide banner, consisting of four side by side panels and trimmed with bright silver cord. Each corner sporting a large silver tassel. The first panel was richly worked in the black, white and silver of Gondor. The next section was a copy of the Easterling banner, the deep red background worked with bright white and silvery grey. Next in line was a chilling copy of the Mordor Banner, the baleful red eye glaring out from the black velvet. And last but not least was a panel with a richly embroidered copy of the shield for the House of Haleth. The whole piece seemed alive, as though a thread of life energy was woven in and among the embroidery and stitchery. Directly outside the great glass doors at the end of the hall lay a terrace with sun-loungers, a well-stocked bar with every drink imaginable and a brick-built barbecue. Steps lead down to a swimming pool, carved of smooth granite, surrounded by natural falls and river ferns and giant rocks for diving from. And beyond that lay soft springy grass, starred with daisies and bordered with azaleas and rhododendrons.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The Library: a collection of useful links
* Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus
* Information about horses for the uninitiated
* Epilogue.net’s search page
* Ardalambion: the best site about Tolkien’s languages
* Maps of Middle Earth
* Encyclopaedia of Arda