The Council of Elrond has officially dubbed you as the Ringbearer and has egregiously tasked you with the quest to cache your way into the heart of Mordor at the feet of Mt. Doom and retrieve Sauron's most evil cache, the "Eye of Sauron". The council knows that Sauron has poured a significant portion of his evil power into that cache, and retrieving it will therefore rob him of that power and weaken him to the point that he will be easily defeated by the armies of Gondor, who to this point have been powerless to stop him.
Never fear though, because they are not sending you alone. Members of the council have volunteered their services to guide and protect you on your quest, and Elrond has dubbed the company "the Fellowship of the Ring". Along on this quest will be Strider, whom you have learned is really named Aragorn, a man from Gondor named Boromir (whom you suspect is really after your GPS from the way he keeps eyeing it), a dwarf named Gimli, an elf named Legolas, your old buddy Gandalf (who finally showed up in Rivendell), Sam (your sidekick), and your drinking buddies Merry and Pippin.
The Fellowship sets off on their journey to Mordor, however the path is riddled with danger all along the way. For it is not only Sauron that has spies and minions out to get you. Saruman, once a friend of Gandalf, has joined forces with Sauron and is also in pursuit of the Ring. In order to avoid traveling right into the path of Saruman's armies, the fellowship decides to take the path over the mountains. But when Saruman causes an avalanche, it looks like it's the end of the line.
However, Gimli suggests you cut through the mountains. Not over, but "through", as in underground through the mines dug by his people, the Mines of Moria, or known as Khazad-dûm in the tongue of the dwarves. There is only one small problem with this plan however. Gimli remembers the way, but has forgotten how to open the enchanted gate.
The dwarves have hidden a cache inside the mines with clues to help you finish your quest, but you must first decipher the clues hidden in a cache by a wall a short distance from the gate in order to find it.
Once in the mines, you will have to search out the lowest and darkest chamber of the caverns and great halls that the dwarves have carved. Gandalf's staff will provide light for your journey (amazing how much his staff looks like a fluorescent light...)
Beware though, because the dwarves in their greed have delved too deep in the mines and have disturbed some ancient things that were better left undisturbed...
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Depending on when you come, you may want to take the stage 1 container with you for a short walk, like maybe to the nearby park to the east, to avoid arousing muggle suspicion. Several of the folks who work in the nearby building are aware of the cache, but there have also been car break-ins in this lot, so better to be on the safe side.
The final stage can only be retrieved between the hours of 8am-6pm M-F, but you are best off if you go between 9 and 5. Although the building is physically accessible 24/7, the orc patrols are much more vigilant after hours and on weekends and may give you trouble. If you are approached by one of the orc guards, please be honest about what you are doing there and comply with their requests. If you would like more information regarding accessibility and permissions for this cache, feel free to shoot me an email.
There is free 1 hour parking on many of the nearby side streets. You can drive right up to stage 1, but I would not recommend leaving your car there when you look for the final. You can also drive right up to the final, though it will likely cost you $1.50. The instructions provided at stage 1 for retrieving the final are designed for those approaching the final on foot, but you should be able to easily figure out how to get to the final should you choose to drive to it.
Congrats to Drew136 on the FTF!