It is told
that in the time of Middle Earth many fabulous towers existed. Some
were built for the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment; places
of study and learning, bright and happy
environments.
There were some though that were dark
indeed; places of despicable acts, places where creatures with
black hearts and ill will were
formed.
Today, only a single tower
remains – Minas Tirath – built by men descended from
Gondor. But, the legacy of the other towers lingers on. This then
is the tale of Saruman and the mighty tower Orthanc in the place
called Isengard.
Saruman
came to Middle Earth as the Chief of the Istari and was the head of
the White Council. But he concealed his secret desires for power
and glory and the One Ring.
Saruman took the tower of Orthanc for his fortress and here he
began to build his evil armies. Using wood from Fangorn Forest to
fuel his fires, Saruman built weapons of destruction. He heeded not
the guardians of the Forest who were named the Ents.
The roads of Isengard were paved with stone-flags dark and hard;
and beside their borders instead of trees there marched long lines
of pillars, some of marble, some of copper and of iron, joined by
heavy chains....
To the centre all the roads ran between their chains. There stood a
tower of marvelous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old,
who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not
made by the craft of Men, but riven from the bones of the earth in
the ancient torment of the hills.
Later
during the War of the Ring, the Ents took great revenge upon
Isengard and held Saruman captive in his own fortress. Many years
have since passed. Fangorn Forest has grown and in so doing hidden
what remained of Isengard and the might tower Orthanc. Yet deep in
the heart of Fangorn, Saruman lives – ha!
Held captive by the Ents, he is constrained, bereft of his powers,
his lot is one to curse and think on.
Find him if you can – release any lost souls he has snared
and bring back an image to prove your worthiness – but leave
him incarcerated lest he wreak his havoc on mankind once
again.
But beware. Fangorn Forest is no friend to man nor beast. Modern
navigational aids will not serve you well except a small compass.
You must study maps – ancient and modern to discern the very
whereabouts of the Forest and once found use trail craft as the
Fellowship once did.
Follow in the footsteps of Strider, Legolas and Gimli as they
sought their lost companions. There remains only this slip of paper
to guide you. What information it contains is in the ancient
language of Cirth Erebor. There are two images also. We know not
what they represent but they are important for your journey.
Good Luck.
Keep us informed as to your progress. And if others seek to follow
in your footsteps we'll aid them best we can. If you become
disoriented or lost remember this: There is no exit to the West and
the Misty Mountains; there is one exit to the East where the waters
flow to; and there are three exits each to the North and South.
What paths there are exist only in the Eastern part of
Fangorn
Day 1 - Looking for Fangorn
The merry
band of adventurers happily set forth to follow in the footsteps of
the Fellowship. Armed with the note now translated from Cirth
Erebor to English they struck out from Minas Tirath and headed
North West in search of Fangorn.
"I don't know about a Quercus leaf," said one," but whomever wrote
that note certainly had a quirky sense of humour."
"Yes," replied another, "it took us a while to realize that it was
Latin for our common Oak tree, and when you look at the image it
certainly does look like an Oak leaf - what can it mean?"
A third adventurer, a small, dark and wizened character cackled.
"You'd still be back in Gondor if it wasn't for me. Oak leaf be
damned. Whatever it is you'll need an eagles sharp eyes to spot and
it's no longer its true colour."
Day 2
– Fangorn up close
“Well here we are at last.” said one hale and hearty
fellow, but to no reply. Somehow, simply being near the vast trees
of Fangorn brought a silence that was all pervasive.
The band of adventurers had determined to approach Fangorn from one
compass direction based on the translation of the note.
They’d walked the length of the Forest and determined that
there were three entrances.
One guarded by a massive Macrocarpa; another that led past a line
of Oaks that looked deceptively alive; a third that had no
particular features.
Day 3 – Fishy tales
The adventurers debated long into the night as to which entrance to
choose. One suggested the giant Macrocarpa was a sign; another that
the Oaks were guardians of the route; a third that the least
obvious route was indeed the most obvious route to take.
Eventually, the small wizened character barked, “Fools,
fools! It matters not which entrance ye take if ye don’t know
your route thereafter. What path will ye take once ye enter
Fangorn?” Silence. “Look past your stomachs then, and
consider the fish. Is this simply tomorrow night’s supper, or
is it something much more important?”
A young lad then pipped up. “You know, the markings on the
scales of the fish have been bothering me.” “Go on, go
on”, cackled the wizened creature. “Well, I know
they’re blue and white mostly, but there seems to be a
pattern. What if it was some sort of trail to
follow…..”
Day 4 – Bowed but not Broken
Eventually the adventurers decided upon the path to take, started
to decipher the route to follow, and set off. At the first junction
they checked their interpretation of the trail map and headed off
in the direction indicated.
“Well done young lad”, said one. “You’ve
solved this riddle neatly”.
Suddenly another shouted, “Hey, I’ve found some Supple
Jack here, oh, and some here too.” Several of the adventurers
leapt off the path into the undergrowth and started searching
around.
“Get back on the path.” said the wizened one.
“Not only will ye place yourselves in danger from who knows
what, but we don’t need to look for the Supple Jack until
we’ve reached the end of this trail
map”.
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