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The winter has definitely fallen now. Outside in the garden our lovely flowers grow between the fresh fallen snow, announcing the promise of spring returning to us. But first two other months have to come before the sun carried by Arien will make larger circles and the day will lengthen again. The winter snow lays still all over Imladris. It is a bit too early for the first signs of spring to begin peeking through the white tapestry, little snowdrops and the green leaves of crocuses. Our healer hearts are looking forward to the next season.
~ Aikari
Kingdom EventsNew SCRs Revealed!With the coming of CelebrÃan to Imladris the rulers decided it was time for a change. A change in SCRs, that is! The pictures of famous ellons and elleths had not been updated since the installment of the tribute ranks in April 2004, and Rilómë and Ealena together contrived to surprise the kingdom with a new group of icons this month. They contracted Khamûl (previously known as Reikon) to fit them into the yellow borders and on January 14 the new set was revealed.Immediately it was clear that not only did some of the Elves receive a new face, but that some lesser-known Elves of Imladris had been replaced by other members of the First Race. The special tribute ranks of Gildor Inglorion, Lindir, Galdor, Erestor, CÃrdan and Legolas and of course CelebrÃan, who is now given shape by Ealena, will only be a memory from now on. In their place the elves of Imladris can aspire to be the maker of the Silmarils for a month, the mighty Fëanor who captured the light of the Trees in three beautiful gems and caused a chain of events that eventually led to the downfall of Beleriand. Or perhaps you would rather be fair Nimloth, wife to Dior Eluchil, and the grandmother of Lord Elrond? Of course, if your tastes run to the more rugged humans of Middle Earth, you could be Elrond’s twin brother Elros, who chose mortality and reigned as King of Númenor for over 400 years. Perhaps you dream to be the silver-footed Idril? She was a Princess of Gondolin, who fell in love with Túor and was one of the three Elven Princesses to give up her immortality for love. The last of the new guard is Maglor son of Fëanor, who raised Elrond and Elros after their parents had sailed West. The only elves who have remained from the old guard are Eärendil the Mariner, who has been given a more manly appearance and now sails the heavens with a Silmaril on his brow and a beard on his chin; His wife Elwing, who carried that same Silmaril on her chest as a bird, gave birth to both Elrond and Elros and is now a beautiful young lady with lustrous black locks; And Ereinion Gil-Galad, the High King of the Noldor who fell at the Battle of Dagorlad and has been given, you better believe it, a less mud-stained face. Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, are still there as well, but they are the only ones for whom a new picture could not be found. So if you have a photo secreted away in some obscure corner that you think is perfect for one of the Twins, bring it forward and mail it to the rulers, so that maybe soon they too will have a new icon to sport! If from these descriptions you have become curious about what they look like, take a look in the Rivendell Roots thread in the Kingdom forum. In there you get to vote on which of the two Maglor-options will win, and note well, if you are active and contribute to the kingdom of Imladris, you may very soon be the proud owner of one of these beautiful icons for a month! ~ Merl Moriestiel
Celebrian's ArrivalThe beginning of the Third Age was a quiet period and time seemed to trickle by more slowly. Aside from the ocassional skirmishes and the dangers of the road, Arda seemed devoid of any major conflicts and lived in relative peace. In this period of time the Valley of Imladris was allowed to flourish even further under the guidance of Lord Elrond Half-Elven. With the help of trusted friends and a council of wise Elves he ruled wisely and successfully. Even so it seemed Lord Elrond was more happy of late and seemed to be in a genuinely dreamier mood than one would normally have expected. He frequently sat in audience with the Elflord he had fought alongside, the lord Celeborn. In the early hours of the day he could be seen strolling along the riverbed with the most beautiful daughter of this lord. Rumors soon started to echo through the valley, whispers of happy tidings, and the excitement swept through those in the Last Homely House. There was no hiding it from those experienced and knowledgable eyes. The Lord of the Valley had found a very precious thing, the most precious thing one could ever hope to find. He had found someone to love; a thrilling expectation rose amongst the Elves.
~ Rilome 
Newbie PerspectiveI suppose I should start with how I came to find the plaza. I have always been a fan of RPGs, and a huge fan of Tolkien's work. So I was searching the web one day for any online games that had to do with LOTR, and I just happened to stumble upon a link that led me to the Plaza. I looked it over, and was amazed. I had never seen a game that was forum-based where you had to RP your character. It caught my attention faster than someone giving away free money. I was excited and anxious to get started, so almost immediately I joined and took the quizes that were available to me. Once I had enough points, I went to the kingdom page to complete the first part of molding my character. In less than 10 seconds, I had made my choice. I am always partial to the most agile in battle, I can't say exactly why, but I am. So the obvious choice was an elf – I just had to choose between Imladris and Lothlorien, which again was not a tough decision to make. One of my favorite places in Middle-earth had always been Rivendell, so I joined, and I don't think I could have made a better choice.Once I had become an elf of Imladris, I searched the topics and found a few RPGs to join. Arandin Talvyr (THATS ME!!) is currently taking part in our very own Rivendell Maze, the RPG Voices of the Dead, and the newly started RPG Gold Fever. All of them have a great story line and I absolutely love posting in them. I have also joined the Host, and I can't wait to take part in more training and some Host events! And last but not least, one of my favorite so far is the Scrolls of Rememberance topic, which is basically a topic where you have Journal entrie, used for development of your character. I go in not having a clue about what I'm going to come up with, and end up learning more about my character all the time. I absolutely LOVE it! So far I haven't made many friends, but then again I've just been here a few days total, actually four days to be exact when I submitted this article to the editor. One person has contacted me and has encouraged me greatly. This person would be Tinw; she had read my post in the Valley of Imladris, and contacted me to tell me that she was impressed with my post, and that I was a very promising RPer. Thank you Tinw! It was greatly appreciated, and I hope to only get better as my stay in Imladris continues. I do hope to make many many new friends, and keep the friendships throughout my stay in Imladris, which I hope will never end. There aren't many things that I do know besides basic facts, but what I do know is that I have found quite possibly one of the best communities in an RP, or best communities in general, to be a part of. I look forward to meeting more of you, and thank you for having me and making me feel welcome! ~ Arandin Talvyr
KindlingThey never understood her;Whispers, sideways glances, as they gossiped -- How could a mother choose to die, Tell everyone her son had consumed her from inside? They crowded around him, All sympathy and shaking heads, Throwing themselves at his feet. I always knew; He was like a fire, Relentless, devouring us all with the heat of his passion. Does a fire destroy with purpose, Or does it merely consume all in its path? Small comfort to the logs if it be an accident. It was a bright day, full of Light When first he walked into my father’s forge; I know, I remember, Yet in my mind our meeting is become dark and shadowed. Our eyes met, We stammered out a few trite phrases, And my heart knew with both joy and despair That my doom had revealed itself to me. As had many Elves before and since, My heart gave itself away, never to be returned. Others were jealous, in awe -- “Look at Nerdanel, who won the mighty Feanor.†Yet even then my heart knew, Foresaw the grief to come. The beginning was beautiful, Unmarred as of yet. His passions could turn to love, not only to hate, And we saw his gentleness even through his intensity. Nor was he the only one with burning heart; He loved me most of all Because I alone could meet his blazing eyes, Could flare up with returning passion, But a passion I could check with sober reason. Finwe did him no favor, I fear; Loving father and grieving mate, Gave no lessons on how to cool emotion and rage. In the end, I cannot fault him; Who among even the mighty Noldor Could have taught the Spirit of Fire To check and restrain, to fight against his nature? He sought to consume and possess me as well, Then loved me all the more (at first) When I could love him yet not be consumed. Then came that fateful day, Forgotten moment sealing the Noldor’s doom, and ours as well. Rejoicing, overwhelmed with hope and desire, He returned to me. “This crystal I have made,†Stumbling over words in his eagerness, “It can hold light! I can capture light!†Already the longing -- Now pure, but later so easily corrupted -- To make a masterpiece, a tribute to the Trees, That no one might ever forget them. His eyes burned with the light of Telperion, With a deeper, more intense light from within, And my heart feared…. I knew not what. He saw my fear, came down from his euphoria, Until his eyes glowed no more than forgotten embers. “Oh, my love,†he said with gentle and infinite tenderness, “You are precious to me -- Far more precious than anything of metal and crystal.†The son we conceived that night, Moment of our greatest love, Has always been -- I will confess -- my most dearly beloved child, Whose life and dark, bitter oath still haunt me. It was the beginning of the end, However much Feanor might refuse to see; His bright, shining spirit, That could have lit a path guiding other to the light, Became instead darkened, poisoned by Melkor, Its intensity once again consuming, Taking, never giving. His temper, always hot, began to destroy; Words of scorn and bitterness, Words like the fell swords he forged, Slicing open the hearts of those who loved him. Words that left tears aching in fierceness like the shedding of blood, Tearing and shredding long after they hit their targets. Many times as his words twisted in my gut like a finely honed dagger, His voice echoed back to me: “You are precious to me.†Meant to show love and compassion, Those words came to seem more a mockery than any others. As I tried to keep my calm, Not to be consumed or destroyed by his need, To rein him in as much as I could (To do what he had never learned to do for himself) For the sake of our people, For the sake of our sons (With hearts growing steadily darker And full of rage As they followed their father’s angry path), Through all of this, I longed to cry out: Is this your love? Is this how you treat Those precious to you? Stop your folly and leave your precious crystals, Oh my love, Before you destroy us all in the flame of your spirit. I lost him. We grew estranged, As his lust for the Silmarils -- Great masterpiece and greater woe of the Noldor -- Ate him alive. Slowly the Elf I had loved -- Love, so weak a word! -- With all of the force and conviction my heart could hold, Disappeared. “For Feanor began to love the Silmarils with a greedy love, And grudged the sight of them to all save to his father and his seven sons.â€* Thus the history books have recorded The beginning of his madness. How few have read the heartbreak that was mine, Written between the lines of a few simple words -- “To all save to his father and his seven sons.†From the few that saw, I got no more than pitying glances, Save only from the great Olorin Who sat with me to listen. Ever his counsel woke my heart from despair And gave me the strength to survive The darkest of nights. And dark they were. Of our last parting I cannot bear to tell -- The face of my beloved, Now eaten by wrath and grief, Or the many Noldor who followed him to their doom. Like so many sticks they gave themselves to him, Following blindly to be used and thrown away Like so much cold ash. Greater still, the grief of losing Seven sons, raised and cherished, Now used for his revenge. And of the wise and sea-loving Teleri… My heart breaks; I can say no more. It took many years to hear of the end From those who straggled back. I was weeping, weeping as Nienna For the loss of one so bright and true, Of a preciousness to me not wholly dimmed By dark red rage. Nonetheless, I felt it, My heart constricting as my self-exiled love, Driving himself away because of greed and lies, Reached his end. Hearts, lives, all around him, All burned away as far as his flaming passion could reach; Like any fire does, He burned up -- One last great fiery blaze -- And was gone, Ashes, Himself the last one consumed. Here I dwell, alone in Aman, Broken but not destroyed, In peace and grief, grief and peace; Awaiting the Unmaking of Arda When he shall be released again And once more, healed and whole, Blaze forth with the great silver and golden light of the Two Trees Shining from his eyes. *â€Of the Silmarilsâ€, The Silmarillion Note of Full Disclosure: I wrote this poem a few years ago for a poetry contest we held in Imladris. We don't allow double-dipping point-wise; however, since I'm not receiving any points for this anyway, I wanted to share it with youall (if I have already published this in the Herald, forgive me! I tried to look back and didn't think I had, but I've been contributing to the Herald since I first joined the Plaza, and one sometimes forgets such details). I have always been haunted by the few details Tolkien gave us about Nerdanel, and what her life must have been. This poem was my attempt to wrestle with that life and try to find some peace with the loss she suffered, as well as consider how full of passion and fire she too must have been in order to marry Feanor and, at least for a time, hold sway over him. I hope you enjoy it. ~ Nenuphar
Riddles
Puzzled? The answers are below. Answers
~ Arandin Talvyr
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