~The Middle Earth Messenger~

March/April 2004

Messages from Eru	Index
..right this is me, Gwai, I kind of accidently zapped Eru's message..sorry..and please..be mild? Eru Phil

Library Update

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Over the two years of the plaza's existence, the library has always been a source of constant wisdom and insight into Middle Earth's both complex and intricate history. Since I last reported, we have moved a considerable way along the road of making the library a one of the most comprehensive and reliable Middle Earth research stations on the net. We have completed the first age and are almost done with the third and second ages. The fourth age is coming along nicely but MM still insists more time is needed on this age and as such he has not gotten round to producing articles to be written about thus proving that even R/As are not completely perfect (despite PG's beliefs to the contrary!!) Just like last issue, I have been rooting around in the library to find this month's winner of the (very prestigious) "MG's article of the month award" and I am pleased to announce that the winner is Meler for producing a rather fabulous article on The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, possibly the best battle to have been fought in the third age. Rather than spend ages telling how great the article is and boring everyone to death, I have put in a little extract from the article to give you a taster. If you wish to read the full article then please visit The Battle of the Pelennor Fields by Meler "Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising, I camd singing in the sun, sword unsheathing. To hopes end I rode and to hearts breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red nightfall!" --Éomer To Denethor and Gandalf's worst fear, it was no mere orc captain that led the great assault upon Gondor, the last great free Kingdom of Men. It was one with far more power and fear. The Witch-King, Lord of the Nazgul, had great. But to his misfortune as well victory was slipping and the darkness of his master was breaking to soon. He was not in the least defeated yet. For in the north, Lorien, Dale, and Erebor had also been attacked this same day. Nothing could stop them now. Against the black tide of Mordor and its countless armies Gondor had merely five thousand men, half of which came form the southern fiefs. But as the indomitable gate of the great city was broken and cast down, the dawn came with new tidings. The horns of the Mark, Gondor's best ally and friend were heard in the North. The Rohirrim had come. "Now the hour is come, Riders of the Mark, sons of Eorl. Foes and fire are before you, and your homes far behind. Yet, though you fight upon an alien field, the glory that you reap shall be you own for ever" (Return of the King "Battle of the Pelennor Fields"). The six thousand men were split into three main groups led by Elfhelm, Théoden and Éomer. Thanks to the carelessness of the orcs, they were able to sweep into the battle without any walls held against them. No tidings came to the black captain that his plans held any flaws. The Rohirrim charged onto the field of battle. The hosts of Mordor were driven back at the fierce onslaught. The joy of battle was upon the faces of the Riders, and they sang as they slew. Elfhelm's men rode in among the siege weapons and wrought what havoc they could there. Théoden's followers clashed with the cavalry of the Haradrim and was successful. The Haradrim fought hard but the fury of the Northmen burned the hotter and there skills were the better. The standard of the black serpant foundered, as did the King of the Southrons. A shadow then fell over Théoden and a black dart smote him to the ground. The Lord of the Nazgul, on a hidious creature came down from the sky. As Théoden lay dying, Dernhelm threatened the Witchking, who laughed in his face: he could not be slain by a mortal man. Then Dernhelm unmasked himself. It was Éowyn, and she was no mortal man. Merry was by the fallen King, and when he saw the Witch-king break Éowyn's shield and arm with his mace, he stabbed the Nazgul in the back of the leg with the sword of the Barrow-downs, wrought to fight this very enemy, so that it broke "the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will." Then Éowyn pushed her sword between his unseen head and nec,k and he fell before her. Éowyn was stricken by the force of her own blow in with a power greater than her and fell to the ground in a swoon. Both Théoden and Éowyn were carried into the city. When Éomer saw his sister, his rage was kindled anew and he fought even more valiantly. "faithful servant yet master's bane lightfoot's faol, swift Snowmane" --The epigram of Théoden's gravestone in the battlefields. Talented though the Library writing team is, we cannot hope to achieve our goal without more writers, which is where other plaza members come in. We want the library to be a team effort and creation so, if you are interested please visit Our thread in The Library and Newsletter forum and sign up for an article. As an added incentive all articles published on the library will be awarded with a certain amount of points. Hope to see you there! By Master Gamgee

Advanced Lore of the Month

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Odin, the origin of Gandalf? Tolkien was fascinated by Norse mythology and this is most revealed through the character of Gandalf. In this month's Ad Lore article Odin, the origin of Gandalf the similarities and differences between Gandalf and Odin, the King of the Norse gods, are explored. Both are depicted as old men with beards and they both ride the fastest horses in their worlds. Yet Odin is a supreme god who is often portrayed as being cruel. Gandalf is not a god and is always compassionate. As for what Tolkien had to say about the similarities between Odin and Gandalf, he wrote in Letter #107 "Gandalf as a figure of fun rather than the Odinic wanderer that I think of." But the Norse influences are not restricted to Gandalf. In the thread it was brought up that Tolkien attributed the positive aspects of Odin to Gandalf, and the negative to characters such as Sauron and Saruman. This thread looks to be one that is worth keeping an eye on, and anyone who is interested in mythology or what Tolkien was influenced by should come and check it out. By Nylara

Rivendell

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It's been rather a busy month in Rivendell this month, plenty of comings and goings and happenings and…things… Let's see, do you remember Survivor? Despite showing all the signs of being dead and buried, Survivor is being restarted by yours truly now in the hope that we will, one day, find out who the One True Survivor is. A new thread, with new rules, and the chance for spectators to comment, no less, will be open soon, so do stop by to have a look! Middle Earth Idol has reached its final round, with representatives of 6 kingdoms battling it out to be declared the ME Idol and the best representative of their kingdom. Rivendell wishes its representative, Tinw, the very best of luck (and the same to the other 5, too, of course)!! The Hall of Unfinished Business, a duelling thread run by Mor Galad, has also restarted, and it's the perfect place to challenge friend or foe to a nice invigorating fight to cheer up the dull Spring! Mor Galad's wife, Lilu, has also just finished another round of the Necromancer's Fortress, an impossibly hard game that involves all the participants dying…repeatedly! There'll be another round starting on May 1st, if any of you missed out, so don't panic! Rivendell is now (almost) a democracy, with the opening of the Imladris Parliament! It's open to all races, so if a legal career interests you, you can just pop in, or you can just come along for the view one day! Also starting soon is the Bereth Edenidhrinn, the Feast of the New Year, a cunning plan by Aduchil. Starting the 27th March, this will involve competitions such as Best Battler, Best Loremaster, Best Song/Poem, etc. There should be signup threads dotted around your kingdoms/Lore and Language forums/LotR Site, Shop and Plaza related forum in the near future - keep an eye out for ones that may interest you and join in! Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish our adorable ruler, Arlo, a Happy Second Plazaversary! He's a brilliant ruler and a really great member of Rivendell…Eru only knows where our kingdom might be without him. If you want to add your congratulations to the list, there's a thread in Rivendell rather inventively titled: "Tâd Idhrinn - Happy Plazaversary, Arlo!" in case you miss it. That's about all that's happened in Rivendell this month - the Drill Team, Debate Team and Word Sleuth teams continue to do well (go Riv!), and the Army are currently happily beating the brains out of the Dwarves (and vice versa!) - it's business as usual! A few threads currently open: Chamber of Artists (EAA) Bards' Guild of Bereth Edenidhrinn Towers of No Return ~ Obliteration Hall of Unfinished Business Council of Elrond (Foreign Announcements) Conundrums of Arda (Riddle Thread) Writers Guild of Hidden Exits Imladris Parliament By Eithil

Khazad-Dûm

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There are a few things of note currently happening in Khazad-dûm: 1. Discussion, nomination and election of a council of five. Khazad-dûm is the most active kingdom on Plaza with approximately 70 threads running and posting frequency in peak times reaching up to eight posts a minute. This puts an enormous load on the two rulers, Marin and Annolori. Much of that work is simply what would be called monkey work. To reduce that work load and to spread responsibilities a bit more evenly the King and Queen have decided to form a council of five which will relieve them of some of the burden. They have put the proposition to discussion and the reaction of the dwarves shows that such a council finds great approval. Rather than risking burn out and losing the royal pair many dwarves are willing to put in their work to support them and give them a chance to participate in a more visual way in Khazad-dûm. The chains that tie them to the Throne Room alone have grown heavy indeed. The proposition was met with great interest and a discussion of how exactly the council should be constituted, and what its tasks would be, is still ongoing. There are two points of note: The inclusion of a Honorary Member from another kingdom or not, and a regular payment of salary to refund the loss of points while doing the legwork. The rulers are in favour of both and nominations have started to give the dwarves a possibility to vote for those people they trust most with this work. The elections will probably be held within the next two weeks. 2.Mayor RPG. Reclaiming of Moria After the Queen had been kidnapped and the kingdom of Khazad-dûm thrown into turmoil late in December things had settled down a little in the last month. But a week ago a researcher unearthed an old script by the renowned dwarven scribe JRR Tollkühn. It details the events which led to the retaking of Moria in the year F.A 218, thirty years ago. Although still recent history, many dwarves are unaware of the events as they have come to Khazad-dûm only after the orcs had been driven out and Khazad-dûm re-taken its former glory. To give all dwarves and other interested visitors a chance to read up on those events, the parchment is slowly being published in instalments. The first chapter has already been made available, describing the events in the Throne Room in Erebor, the clash between old King Gloin II, his heir Durin VII and the house of Fundin. JRR Tollkühn's parchment, however, is not a dry recounting of facts… no… he shows an eye for the turmoils and emotions that ran deep and rampant, and does not leave out the small people either. Although the main protagonists King Gloin, his heir Durin, Balin, Lord of Dreams (Annolori) and his irascible mother Najla take centre stage, JR has taken the pains to show the little people and their stories as well. There is the old miner who had survived for years under siege in Moria and now has come to offer her services and her knowledge. There is the young maiden spoiling to make a name for herself, the widow who has lost her husband barely a month after the wedding, the family man who is torn between duty and desire and the colourful nincompoop Mayor Johnny Twinkletoes, Dragonslayer, a character well known from children's bedside stories. Due to the nature of the story JR has written it was decided to publish the fourth chapter at the same time as the first as it was relaying events, although surmised by JR from later accounts, that happened in the meantime in Khazad-dûm among the orcs. That early spring of the year FA 218 they were not yet aware that they would soon face a major onslaught on their ancient halls, but true to orcish nature were still busily labouring away at traps and pitfalls. We can only look forward to reading how the dwarves will overcome those obstacles in the future. The first chapter of JR's epic story offers high quality reading and a gamut of emotions and colourful characters. We encourage all those who love a good story to drop by and read up on one of the major events in Fourth Age Middle-Earth. The game is open to all but we require players to assume a dwarven or minion role and post a short bio in the sign up thread. These are the major news, but Khazad-dûm is still running three watering holes, one for each taste.. if you like it rather distinguished you may want to select the Burx pub or Mex restaurant, each of them usually run under a topic. If you just want to have a decent sit, or lay down you might take a look at Sargeant Graniteheart's establishment, currently the Starflower Cymbal. As the name indicates you may very well run the risk of somebody using your head as a musical instrument, a door stopper or a cloth to wipe off the table tops. If you are prone to headaches in the morning from overindulging… or don't have the same resistance to headbutts as a dwarf we counsel you to keep clear of this establishement. The influx of Honorary Members to the clans of Khazad-dûm has been steadily growing and many a HM has almost become part of the estabilishment. To show the dwarves' appreciation of the work these honorary members do one seat on the future council is open to them. Another establishment I wish to mention: the Khazad-dûm University. The university was inaugurated last month and has already started lecturing on dwarven lore and Khuzdul A… unfortunately the course on the dwarven language has already floundered, due to the difficulty of the material… and the lecturers tendency to overtax the intellectual capacity of her students. The lectures will be reworked and a new course offered next semester. It is hoped that by that time we will also be able to hold lectures on poetry, mining, gem cutting and other typical dwarven activities. The army as well is thriving with the return of our gabilkapn Tangled Axe. This past two weeks the Anghâk had engaged the troups from Rivendell in a training war to estimate strength and weaknesses of individual members as well as the overall structure and organisation. We are looking forward to further training battles in the future. By Freyr Strongeart

The Shire

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Once again, there was plenty of excitement in the Shire this last month. With contests, revamped threads, and Plazaversaries, the Shire was bustling with activity. It started off a little sad as we said goodbye to Jenom, one of the dearest and eldest Hobbits in the Shire. She will be greatly missed, but we look forward to a visit from her now and again. We had two wonderful Hobbit Plazaversaries this month. The first was Loralinn who is known for her friendly, sweet personality. It was a joy to sit back and remember the days that have passed since she walked into the Shire. It was also the month of Prisca Gamgee's second year Plazaversary. Visitors from all across Middle-Earth came by to share a few memories and present gifts. There is still time to stop by and let Lora or Prisca know how much we appreciate them and what they have done while in the Plaza. There was also a Hobbit of the Month named, Marigold Took. All I can say about that is, it is good to have such wonderful rulers and friends in the Shire and Plaza. A Hobbit always feels at home in the Shire. The Shire Idol Competition came to its finale as a winner was finally announced. It was a difficult competition with baking, singing, and general Hobbityness going on. It was also very hard for a winner to be selected as all the contestants had done a wonderful job on each task. The winner was Eamane who will now represent the Shire in the next phase of the IK competition. Starbreeze came in second and received the respect of all the Hobbits for having gotten so far with her excellent entries. Pippy was a most excellent moderator of the competition and kept everyone one organized and quite entertained through the whole process. The Hobbit ancestry competition winner was announced as well. Many Hobbits had presented grand family trees with lists of respectable Hobbits going all the way back to the Bullroarer himself. The first place winner was CLBaggins and the second place winners were Icy Baggins and Aethelwyn. The Shire Valentine's were also announced with some lasses ending up with Gollum while others with the dear Samwise Gamgee. It was very fun for everyone to see who they got matched with, and we thank Pippy and Ember for putting it together. The Shire Debate team got started up again with several new members. The first debate was held with Fangorn on the topic: The Ents played a greater role in the War of the Ring than the Army of the Dead - with the Shire taking the opposition. It was a close debate, but the Shire came out as the winner. The Debate team is currently in the middle of its second debate. The Shire Coney Racing team on the other hand is gearing up for its final run. Four Hobbits made it into the Race of Champions: Rashi, Icy, Lal, and Pippy. The Derby race will be held in the Shire, so feel free to stop by and cheer on one of the teams. The Shire Drill Team has been going strong. The competition has been tough and the Hobbits know that the final IK competition will be even tougher. There have been a few new threads as well as a few re-opened threads in the Shire this month. The Caption Contests are back up and running with Erowen as the new manager for the thread. Sandyman's Mill was reopened as well as the Dear Rosie Column. A new thread started by BB is the Lord of The Rings letters. This is a thread where participants write letters from one of the characters in the Lord of The Rings to there loved ones or in correspondence of some sort. Currently, letters for the Fellowship of The Ring are being written. A thread titled the Shire Players has also been opened by Mitzi Baggins. It is the Shire's theater and has had a very large response. An Art Gallery has been opened for all the gifted artists in the Shire. Several drawings have already been posted. The final thread to be added to the Shire's long list of activities has been a building application thread for Hobbits to sign up to be a vendor for the revamped Shire market. With all these new activities, it has been quite an eventful month for the Shire. As always, let me conclude by inviting all members of Middle Earth to visit the Shire. We have more than enough food and lodging to give visitors a grand welcome. If your feet or heart grow weary of the trials and worries of Middle Earth, just head over to where the grass is always green and a friendly face is always near by. By Marigold Took

The White Council

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This month has been a special one for the members of the White Council, and has seen many new threads popping up like mushrooms. All types of activities are offered and even the picky wizards would have difficulty in saying no to them. Us wizards have decided that it was time to open up our own little market place instead of going to other kingdoms to buy what we need. So we have set up a small pavilion near the River Isen, with a few shops selling the basic essentials like the Scroll Shop, where you can find all the parchment that you need to write that great romance, or the Vintage Valinor where you can buy that special antique to put in your room. Thinking that it's time to put our Middle Earth magic in order, a few wizards have opened a guild called the "Coa Ingoleva" where magic and mysterious powers found among the peoples of Arda will be studied and researched and dissected in order to better understand and govern the use of magic in Isengard. The research has already started and as it seems to be a huge undertaking, all helpers are welcome. It seems that a mysterious pack of unnatural animals have attacked Edoras and it is up to the wizards of the White Council to RPG this and find out all they can. As the wizards set out for Edoras, they are attacked themselves outside the Isengard gates and manage to capture one of the creatures, who reveals to be one of the "Lantaminë", a follower of the burning moon, and servant to the "Morniëole". After unravelling some clues, the wizards ride off to the Eryn Vorn, a small cape in the south-western Eriador. For more updates on this quest, please stay tuned to the next issue. Threads of interest to those inquisitive readers: Ye Olde Staff Shoppe - 3 Twigs StarQuality Robes Ltd., Yet Another Stitch Fires of Industry VII Sagely Tidings for the Common Wizard 2 Parma Knolwe- LbN, Roverandum The Armoury of Isengard VII ISENGARD'S HERALDRY AND GENEALOGY DEP. - N°5!! Isengard Carnival Diary, Part 10 By Donedhelien

Minas Tirith

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As always, the white city is very busy with activity and change. One of the biggest happenings is Queen Laielinwen’s birthday bash, where we are celebrating her two-year plaza anniversary. The Gondorian debate team also won their argument of "Turgon used Gondolin as an excuse for not aiding the Elves in their fight against Morgoth." against Rivendell by a score of 72 to 46. The Gondorian Word Sleuth is also currently facing off against Fangorn and Khazad Dum and team also The White Tree Theatre has also has a play called "The Orcs that say Ni!" set to come out sometime this month, with the script written by Trey Andurandir. Another happening in Minas Tirith is the Fourth Age Royal Academy awards featuring awards such as pride of the kingdom, which went to Erlend and Most Eligible bachelor, which went to Arteris, though that is only a few of the honored awards. Since the opening of the Marketplace, the apprenticeship program has also been started which gives people a chance to apprentice at a shop and potentially become an owner. By Aela Táewe

Lothlorien

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From the moment the kingdom was formed, Lothlorien has been host to many exciting and entertaining events. From, the formation of the many teams to many RPGs. But, the most exciting event was yet to come. Since the kingdom began, we knew that we would be soon facing the might of Morgoth and his terrible army from Mordor. The Rulers quickly started recruiting elves for the army and within a matter of weeks we had many signed up. But that still would not be enough to conquer the might of the armies of Mordor and the WC. Luckily, Rivendell's army and half of the good Wizards consented to come to our aid which put us in a much stronger position to combat Mordor's attack. Then, in January of the New Year Mordor launched an attack, which shook the very borders of our kingdom. From the North and East came a flood of Orcs, Warg Riders, Cave Trolls and Uruk Hai that our defences were hard pushed to counter attack. From the South and West cam a flood of even stronger Orcs, Uruk Hai and Archers which did a lot of damage to our outer defences. But we fought on and, eventually after weeks of hard fighting Mordor began to retreat back to their homelands. The Victory was ours, but we had paid for it with many lives and our Golden Wood will take a long time to recover from the fires and swords of the enemy. In order to try and heal the Golden Wood from it's wounds it received due to the bitter war, a clean up operation has been set up to try and bring the wood back to it's healthy and clean self. It is taking place in the Mallorn Horticulture Centre and is being run by WhistfulThinker. Any volunteers from any race (even Mordor as long as they behave themselves *looks at Mo* are welcome to come along and help rebuild our fair kingdoms forests and other vegetation. On the lighter side of the news folks we finally have a permanent ruler. As many already knew, Seregon was only ever going to be a temporary ruler and unfortunately, she finally had to say goodbye to us all as she returned as the admin Vana. To replace her, Master Herdir came in to rule along side Ally and we welcomed him with great pleasure and support. So, if you'd like to join me in a toast to him and his continued rulership of our fair realm. *Raises champagne glass and take a swig. Cheers, then returns to the news* We also have our Middle Earth Idol competition, which is still going on and has so far received hundreds of creative and imaginative entries from many elves in our kingdom. For those new elves or for those who just cannot be bothered to get over to Lorien and look for themselves here's what it's about. Basically, it is about finding the member whose plaza character is truest to Tolkien so if an evil minion's character was more evil than an elf's character was nice then they would win. The competition is now closed however so nor more entries please. The winners are going to be announced shortly and will be in the next kingdom report. Lastly, there is now a Jeweller in Lothlorien called The Lothlorien Jewellery Association where people from all over Middle Earth can come and biy Jewellery for their loved ones (as it's near Valentine's Day!) or for that special someone you just couldn't think what to buy for (how much like a commercial did that sound! *makes mental note not to do that again*) Anyways, we are currently taking orders for Valentine's Day so feel free to come along and place your orders folks! That just about rounds up the news for this issue oh by the way, did I mention we won the war! Oh yeah, I did. *Sees Mo coming at him with some big, sharp implement and runs* Namarie folks!! Master Gamgee

Meduseld

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Meduseld has been growing as wild as the grasses on the Rohirric plains as spring comes around to the fair kingdom. The Rohirric Horsemanship Trials have been continuing for quite a while, headed up by our very own master horse-lord, Starfire. The Riddermarket is flourishing with over twenty shops for Rohirrim and visitors alike to shop for products from all reaches of Middle Earth. Ele Isenfolme, the former First Marshal of the Elite Cavalry, just recently earned the title of Miss Rohirric Idol, competing through challenges such as a Rohirric Translation of a poem, telling of campfire tales, a character history, , and a final event of a 50 plus line poetic saga of Rohan. All around Edoras, banners and streamers have colored the roadways and each rooftop as all of Meduseld celebrated on March 7th the first anniversary of the coronation of our LadyLord, Eomer of the Mark, she is known as Lana Leothblod, NeverLana, Llanawha? and many other names. Ambassadors came from all the kingdoms to express their congratulations, and brought gifts, among which you could find: a shirt with a Dr. Pepper logo, a ring, a dining set with horse-heads, a few poems and songs, a saddlebag, a chair made by Hobbits out of an old ale barrel, and a pony-shaped rug, among others... Many of her subjects also came to express to Lana their affection and joy to have such a dedicated ruler (and some of them couldn't really believe time had passed so fast). In Cavalry news, we regret to announce the resignation of our Second Marshal of the Mark, Amhran, but the promotion of Encait to Second Marshal, Malorn to Third Marshal, and Eleowyn to Feldmarshal of the Westmark. With an influx of new trainees, the Cavalry has been playing catch up, adding in several new trainers to the roster and diligent efforts to train approximately 60 new applicants, many of whom are finishing up their training and becoming part of the full ranks of the Cavalry. But growth in the Cavalry has been countered with destruction. Recently the Cavalry has suffered the loss of the Aethelmund, struck by lightning and burnt to the ground. While no lives were lost, several were wounded in the surrounding events, including but not limited to the drawing of blades on the First Marshal Sicilius by a civilian, a drawing of blades by Ele on another, a fateful duel between the First Marshal and the Former First Marshal while a prisoner was resisting arrest, and the burning of the Aethelmund with several wigends trapped inside. The Aethelmund is currently under construction, while Siolformanu Tavern has served as the Cavalry pub for when the wigends take a break from construction and Inter-eored training. The Dragon Room was the home of a heated debate also over whether uniforms should be implemented throughout the Cavalry, and if so, what would the uniform entail. Inter-Kingdom wise, the Debate team is off to an excellent start, defeating KD in the first round of the IK Debates. The Word Sleuth team is fairing well, being the first team to earn the 100 point bonus for using their entire rack of letters for IMMEASURED. The Drill competition is coming to a close after an excellent season; the final round versus Lothlorien will soon finish, and the Drill Tournament is due to start in April. And in IK racing, the Meduseld team has faced an unfortunate streak of bad luck, but the blonde riders are hopeful that their luck will change for the better as the season draws to a close. Is there anything else going on in Meduseld? Surely. The Mongoose themed Pub just opened, the Campian is training new warriors while the Campstede is providing a safe place for duels. For more info on what is going on in Meduseld, check out the latest Raedboda By Anawen Wigendohtor and Gemaetancwen

Fangorn

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Fangorn has been a busy place as of late with new activities sprouting up all the time, for all of you who don't regularly visit I would encourage you all to visit as much as you can, I can guarantee we have every activity you could possibly want. Tall and Short Week: We are currently celebrating the meeting of Treebeard and the Hobbits (Merry & Pippin) which was on the leap day of the 29th of February. In celebration of this event we had joint activities with the hobbits in Fangorn for the greater part of two weeks. We had the "Entish Squares" where contestants and quote un-quote "celebrities" were in the squares answering the contestants questions, which was ran much like the popular American television show Hollywood Squares®, except of course without Foo Foo Blondes and that type of general insanity, though some insanity is still encouraged . The game Turned out to be a CAT and no one won oddly enough, thus meaning we should be opening our Tic Tac Toe guild shortly so next time we can win. We had a Fangorn/Shire scavenger hunt to where contestants had to search through the archives, threads, and KP's of both the Fangorn and the Shire. It was a tough game but Eamila Bolger came through with the win with 68 marks. Check out all the new additions to the main forum page it's bark-tacular! We have recently opened a new guild in fangorn named the "Entish Crafting Guild" It is open to anyone and everyone who has an interest in crafting building or anything of that sort. It coincides with many threads in fangorn to provide a great service to you and your threads (Ex. They can make bowls by your specifications and then have DelkENTsen make whatever dish you like and then cater!) So keep a look out for this new thread it's really great. We actually do not have any new brand spankin' new activities (yet) but we have had a revision of our DelikENTsen thread which is also out deli/catering service. It works much like the hobbits strawberry star brewery if your familiar with that, so head over there and place an order for your special event! Squizzel Races: It has been an up and down season for the squizzel races with losing racers and struggling to find their subs. If I remember right our current record is 3-4 though i could be wrong that sorta thing happens from time to time, (not that much mind you *wink*) so we are counting on another strong win in the derby this year to which I have all of confidence that our team will do better than in the regular season. Not all of the information has been released yet so I can't confirm this either, but I do believe that Fangorn is hosting the Derby and our very own Dev Denali will be the moderator so look out for that and get your rat, lava snake, rocket powered oliphant or whatever ready for it, it will be blast forsure. Treegarth: For all of you who haven't seen the Treegarth for awile we went under a massive reformation about 3 weeks ago which made our defense organisation more organized, constructive, and many other great things on top of that. We have 2 new Shepherds Thom GreenLeaf and ENTLORD1. Here recently we lost one of our Shepherds due to RL constraints, Telepwen Nimbrethil Shepherd has left for a unknown amount of time, so good luck to her on all of her journey's. And in light of that we are currently in a voting process for the next Shepherd of Nimbrethil and the Candidates are Legolas and Caradoc. The Treegarth is open to all races and is currently in the Training phase so all are welcome to join at any point we hope to see you there. Now to end it off with a poem from our Writers Woods by Maiarian Man titled: The Smile of the Morning Sun, How Thee I love The smile of the morning sun, how thee I love. I love thee softly, a gentle reflection of the light you sprinkle upon the angelic fields of moistened grass, And upon the leaves of even the most humbles tree which dares to greet you at the breaking the day. I love thee gently, as I grace your golden hair With my fingers, as finely as my fingers can, Holding it with such a subtle passion, Like a child holding a young butterfly with utmost care and awe. I love thee boldly, for as I see your splendor, Rising above the horizon and stretching across The lands and across the roofs of mortal life, It seems I have no gold nor gems worthy of thine eyes, or words worthy of your ears. I love thee vigorously, as a fire which no water Could ever reduce to mere ashes. I dare say, that if I match you in one thing, It is in the immortal fire which burns in my own heart for thee. By Düncirith

Mordor

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A Revolutionary Uprising There was movement in the shadows of Mordor. Whispers crossed the lands. Talk of a ‘revolution’ had begun. Finally, the members of Minas Morgul, the Mordini and other independent warriors announced that there was to be a revolution in Mordor. Attempting to rekindle the old flame of Minas Mornie they would do whatever they could. With Lord Sid and Annunwilya leading the rebel forces, they grew in might and took Cirith Ungol unawares. Slowly both sides have grown stronger and now the Morannon is unleashing their forces on the revolutionists. However, unbeknown to all but himself, the black captain of the Morannon, more Elda , has turned to the side of the rebels. This new RPG is turning out to be an epic. What will the outcome be? Can the warriors of the Morannon discover the treachery of their lord in time? Shall the revolutionists sweep over the Morannon? Only time shall tell. Route 666 – Journey through the Dark Lands The bravest of the brave in Mordor, have teamed up to venture through the unknown darkness of Mordor. The teams are as follows: *Team A: bashtakh, Star Flower, more Elda and Red Snow *Team B: Methril, Gorsereg and Nell/Loke *Team C: Shelob the Dark, Mandallah, Roguey and Linmoriel. They have to get past daring deeds, and dangerous obstacles, such as raging mumaks, savage sea creatures and irritating riddles across the way. The name of the game is to figure out certain riddles given to use by the Game Master, Rohanna, and then we are given the directions to give us the one step we need to get closer to the final destination. A fun and originally Mordorian RPG. Lava Snake Racing All of Mordor’s training with their lava snakes has finally paid off. In the inter-kingdom championship they didn’t lose a race. They are currently having an in-kingdom race, however there are only four racers, so although it makes it easier to get a podium finish, they are looking to recruit more followers to this growing religion. They are calling for any minions to take part in the races. Mordor has claimed some of the best racers ever and they wish to continue this trend. Prison Pits of Torment Screams and shouting comes from a near by room and a minion of the dark lord screams “Change or you’re my sword shall enter your heart”. This might be shocking to some, but for us in Mordor, this is the norm. The Prison Pits is a uniquely Mordorian thread where people from the other Kingdoms, usually masochists, come and get tortured by our many fine orcs, urak-hai and until recently the feared Winddancer. the experience is quite a once in a life time experience. You can’t say you have really visited Mordor without making a stop by there first. Mordor Idol The search for the greatest minion was conducted in Mordor and there was a lot of talent thrown around in the process. It was not administered in the same way other kingdoms found their idol however. Mordor held one round to get 10 finalists, the cream of the crop. Lord Sauron then set those 10 minions five challenges. Once the challenges had been completed, the voting began and soon the winner was announced. It was an intense battle, but after a very high quality speech, Grishnak won the prize of Mordor idol and went off to represent all minions in the middle-earth idol championships. Dear Troubled Tyrants Have a problem? Need advice? This is the perfect place for you then. Many people have come to this place because Mor gives advice that only a minion with vast knowledge can give. Many out-siders come here to get advice from Mor because he is bluntly honest and is not afraid to help non-minions dwell into their dark sides. Mor has had many success cases so the next time you need advice come and get it by Mordor’s Resident Agony Uncle. By Bashtakh and Star Flower

Poetry Corner

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To celebrate and honour one of the Plaza's Poetry and Fan-fiction rulers Araweth, I have taken the bold liberty to choose one of her poems. For a year now she has dedicated herself as Goldberry to watch-over and guide all that dwell in the Poetry and Fan-fiction forum. Congratulations Ara! To read more of Araweth's poetry please check out her thread in the Poetry and Fanfiction Forum: Lady Orpheus The Grey Sword I am the Grey Sword. I am the blade of mist and leather. I am blood shed on the field. I am the tired, the weary The already fallen, the silent cause, The empty cottage. I am the Grey Sword. I am your pride, your hatred, Your psalms of war and dirges of peace, Your broken nails, your rotting teeth, I am a crier and prayer of different means. I am the rolling wheels, the pounding feet, The sleepless night before the war. I am the tattooed face and the loveless queen, The senile king who rides before the masses, The dirty glass, the empty bar, The signpost driven into muddy tundra. I am the Grey Sword. I am your savior. I am lost, alone, forsaken, bitter, Arrogant, heartless, soulless, helpless. I am the ends, not the means. I am the winter. I am the walker. The Grey Sword. Remember. By Araweth

Valinor comings and goings

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These past couple of weeks have seen a plethora of new arrivals into Valinor. Let me here list them in brief, and they be in no particular order, so no offense meant to any of ye… Mirluin Ererana stepped down as Saruman, and Philthrandir was promoted as Saruman to rule the White Council alongside the ever gracefull Elen Sila. Lulani became Lady Gothmog, dreaded Balrog of Mordor after Mo resigned as Sauron passing his ring on to Mandallah's finger. Mo is now gracing the Administrators team in Valinor as Mandos. Lothlorien saw a big chance with the resignation of Alkthoniel as the Lady Galadriel giving the reigns to Lairë Vendelotë Alkthoniel has been promoted to a well deserved administrators position as Manwe. And Elenedhel, our beloved Weaver has folded up her loom and has left Valinor to frolic about in her beloved Rivendell. And sadly Elwing, our Lady Varda, has resigned and said her goodbye's to the Plaza. We will miss her and her presence shall be missed. Congrats to all of the new Rulers and Admins, and all of those who have celebrated their Ruler/Adminversaries in the past month! By Elanessë

Inter Plaza competitions

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*The Poetry and Fan Fic forum has always held their regular competitions in the forum, which have always proved to be a huge success. The last poetry contest was on "The Silmarils" and the winner was Gil-ulial . Anyways, the present poetry contest is now underway and this month's subject is "Beren and Luthien" .Good luck and happy writing!! *Now for the big one folks. The one you've all been waiting for *drum roll* Yes, it's the very popular, the ever-successful Middle Earth Idol. For those of you who don't know what this is, first of all where the heck have you been? And secondly, here's an explanation. Middle Earth Idol is a plaza-wide competition to promote plaza characters, this will reward those who spend time in their kingdom and that have developed their characters closely inline with Tolkien's world. Hopefully through this others will be inspired to delve deeper into the activities of their kingdoms and into Tolkien's realm. So far, we have elected 10 kingdom champions and from that 1 finalist from all (or nearly all) the kingdoms has been chosen. Here are the finalists: For Rivendell : Tinw For Minis Tirith : Terithavrindiel For Meduseld : Ele Isenfolme For the Shire : Eamila Bolger For Lothlorien : Nuviel Antulien For Mordor : Grishnak For the White Council No representative For Khazad-Dum : No representative For Fangorn : No representative The voting procedure is now closed and the winner is Emilia Bolger..Congratulations! *Another great competion has been set up by long time Plaza godess our dear Varda Elwing. It is the " Dear Mr.Tolkien" contest.It is worth to have a look in that thread and read some of the brilliant entries. The competition is closed and the winners have been announced: 1st Place: Eruwen 21 2nd Place: CL Baggins 3rd Place: Laifana By Master Gamgee and Moonlite Shadow

The Plaza Shop

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The Fanatics Shop is running beautifully and there are many interesting things you might want to check out. For example the new release of "The Tolkien Ensemble" two CD set. These disks feature music from the motion picture soundtracks in a classical opera style. A great listen and a great value! Also in the Fanatics shop are new advanced graphics life sized movie stand ups. Great for those of you who like to take a little Tolkien home with you. The new Lord of the Rings board game is featured there as well, with an expansion set coming soon. On the statistics side of things, the plaza is doing very well for itself these days. There is an average of 21,000 page views each day on the plaza, with a total since October 2002 being a whopping 8,474,321 page views! Keep supporting the plaza, and for any of you that are able, take a look at becoming a Supporting member. Every little bit helps the plaza stay alive! And last but not least: The Return of the King DVD's can be pre-ordered in our Plaza shop!! Be good and Have fun! By Elvensight

Keep the dream alive