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Post by Elfhild on Feb 10, 2021 19:12:34 GMT
That is an AWESOME idea about having a tavern named after Gollum! "The Skulking Imp" or something like that might be a good name. The welcome sign would have a primitive drawing of Gollum on it, of course. No one really knows what sort of creature Gollum is, so they might think he is some form of goblin.
The topography of the map that Angmar and I created is based upon "The Atlas of Middle-earth" by Karen Wynn Fonstad. She depicts a canyon of some sort between the eastern spur of the Ephel Duath (listed as Eregwath) and the western wing of the Ered Lithui (listed as Ered Anguath). Book 8 explores the region around the Gap of Nurn, and some of the legends that have risen up around the Dreadful Gorge.
Angmar and I planned on filling out the map more as we wrote. Some ideas on the map never left the embryonic stage, such as the underground river near Barad-dur. I don't think we ever wrote anything about it. Also, some areas which we wrote about aren't on the map, such as hot springs in the Ered Lithui.
A lot of the later books are set in and around Turkurzgoi, a major city near the Sea of Nurnen. Years ago, I drew a map of the city. I will post it someday in the future, but it needs a lot of work.
Gollum's potential fate will be discussed in a future chapter, which, if all goes well, will be posted sometime in April. It would be GREAT if I could post that chapter on March 25, but it would be a LOT of work for me. This wasn't a chapter from the original Book 6, but an independent story I started writing in 2010.
Once upon a time, I had thought about writing a separate series set within The Circles universe that focused on the forces of the West and certain canon characters, and this story would have been part of that series. However, I never had the time to devote to such an ambitious project, so I never finished the story or started any others. When doing the rewrites, it occurred to me that this story would fit in really well in Book 6. So now I need to actually finish it.
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Post by leyara on Feb 21, 2021 20:40:32 GMT
What an ominous ending!
Best of luck on your editing of Book Nine - I'm quite excited to see your worldbuilding for Turkurzgoi and other locations in the East. I'm quite in favor of more character descriptions! I think the she she-orcs are some of the most memorable characters in the series even though they appeared only for a few chapters.
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Post by Elfhild on Feb 22, 2021 7:36:42 GMT
Thanks for your comments about the she-orc chapters. Angmar and I had a lot of fun writing those. Book Six is somewhat shorter than some of the other books. If all goes well, the last chapter should be posted sometime this summer. Book Seven is set in Southern Gorgoroth and features two new cultures that Angmar and I created for the story. Yes, that ending IS ominous...
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Post by leyara on Mar 9, 2021 5:59:14 GMT
Three chapters, what a wonderful surprise! Aunt Leofgifu is more than a little defensive about her relationship with Ali - I definitely get the feeling that she's trying to justify it to herself as much as to the twins. At this point she's probably not even allowed to change her mind and end the affair without serious consequences. I quite liked Esarhaddon's dream - choked to death by greed and luxury. Perhaps a warning of things to come? As for Ubri, I wonder if he's daring enough to move against Esarhaddon directly? The Shakh is already in a weakened position with his injuries, and the fewer the guards, the easier it is to build a faction big enough to support a mutiny.
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Post by Elfhild on Mar 10, 2021 3:13:10 GMT
Leofgifu's story is told through the twins' eyes, so the reader is left to guess as to her motivations for getting into a relationship with Ali. His pick up lines generally involve making some promise in exchange for favors. Perhaps he offered her safety from the other guards. Leofgifu might have also felt threatened by the other captives. After all, she betrayed Goldwyn's escape attempt.
I was never certain if Angmar's original plan had been for there to be a traitor among the Rohirric captives. Leofgifu's betrayal was written at a much later date. However, it makes sense for there have been a traitor, as so few of the captives managed to escape. Only Goldwyn's three sons were able to make it to safety, and the fate of the two women who jumped in the Anduin was left unknown. (Waerburh and Ascwyn)
The "Sultan" in Esarhaddon's dream seems suspiciously like Sauron...
With Esarhaddon wounded and there being fewer guards, the caravan is in a precarious position, isn't it?
The next few chapters leave the caravan, however, to return to some old familiar characters.
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Post by Elfhild on Mar 13, 2021 7:17:27 GMT
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Post by leyara on Mar 17, 2021 0:39:47 GMT
I really enjoyed Sauron's reflections, particularly his thoughts on Aragorn. If only poor, abused Skri hadn't been summoned - there's the fateful order that spelled the end of Captain Lieutenant Kourosh. Now that we've caught up to the events at the end of Book 1, I do hope this means we see Sergeant Daungha at some point in the future. Of course, he's still probably quite a while away, considering he's heading east from Minas Tirith with no horse...
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Post by Elfhild on Mar 17, 2021 1:30:54 GMT
Actually, a bit more time has to pass before the current storyline goes past the events of Book 1. "Silence in the Dark Tower" coincides with the end of the first half of Book 7.
Sergeant Daungha does make a reappearance in Book 9, then comes back for Book 11, where he is the main narrator. The bad thing is that Book 11 is a hot mess. In order for me to finish it, I am probably going to have to do a lot of rethinking and rewriting. This was one of the first books that was written, and it was abandoned at about 3/4 of the way through. Angmar came back to it twelve years later, but this was the point at which his health really began to decline. He never could figure out how he wanted to end that book.
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Post by leyara on Mar 30, 2021 6:27:39 GMT
Apologies for my absence the past week. I really enjoyed these chapters, The Halfling Who Would Be King most of all. I'm trying to find the words to describe reading that chapter... I felt like I was reading the books again, except with even more emotions. Frodo's thoughts, Sam's reactions, Skri's appearance - it was heartbreaking. I find that I can't quite believe Sauron when he claims that every eruption of Orodruin is intentional... though it does make for a nice excuse for any of his tantrums. Finally, I was exploring the Chamber of Nazgul Lore and found a handful of broken links due to site shut-downs - I'll make a separate thread in Other Topics on the subject. Attachments:
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Post by Elfhild on Mar 31, 2021 0:00:43 GMT
Thank you for your kind words on the recent chapters. To be told that your story reminded one of the books is a high honor indeed.
Sauron is not always the most reliable narrator... I think the mountain acts on its own, like a natural volcano, most of the time, but Sauron seems to be able to control it as well.
These two chapters have been very difficult to write, especially Chapter 29 (not yet posted). It can get confusing when you have multiple POVs from characters who are visible and invisible. I had to keep rewriting paragraphs because I kept forgetting Sam can't see Frodo, and can only guess at his precise location. Also, when Sam looks at the Nazgul, he has a very different vision than that of Frodo, so I had to keep that in mind as well.
The Cracks of Doom is about to get VERY crowded.
I see you have added a new avatar. It looks good.
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