[IC] Middle-Earth: A Guardian of Durin’s Folk { Angel & Torack }

I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned 'wilith
('The world is changed; I can feel it in the water, I can feel it in the earth, I can smell it in the air.')

Once that much was, is lost. For none now live, who remember it. It began with forging of the great rings; Three were given to the elves. Immortal. Wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf Lords. Miners and Craftsman of the Mountain Halls. Nine...And Nine rings were gifted to the race of men. Who above all else, desire power.
For within each ring, was the power to will and govern each race. But they were all deceived...for another ring was made.
In the land of Mordor; in the fires of Mount-Doom. The Dark-lord Sauron, forged in secret. A master Ring; To control all others.
And into this ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all! One by one, free-lands of Middle-Earth, fell to the power of the ring.
But there were some, that resisted. A last alliance of elves and men, marched against the army of Mordor.
And on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth.
Victory was near. But the power of the ring, could not be un-done.
It was in this moment; when all hope had faded. That Isildur, Son of the King. Took up his father's sword......Sauron, the enemy of the freepeople's of Middle-Earth was defeated.
The ring passed down to Isildur, who had this once chance. To destroy evil forever.
But the hearts of men, are easily corrupted. And the ring of power; has a will of it's own. It betrayed Isildur....to his death.
And some things, that should have not been forgotten. Were lost. History became Legend, Legend became Myth.
And for Two and Half Thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until; when chance came. It ensnared a new bearer.
The ring, came to the creature Gollum. Whom took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains.
And there; it consumed him. The ring, brought to Gollum; unnatural long life. For five hundred years, it poisoned his mind.
And in the gloom of Gollum's cave...it waited.
Darkness crept back into the forest of the World; Rumor grew of a Shadow, in the east. Whispers of a name-less fear. And the ring of power perceived.

[AngelBites15]

Several years later, during the Third Age, within the Shire...

An elderly Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, was at peace, living comfortably within the spring-like realm of his surroundings. No threats. No restrictions. Just...living freely.

My Dear Frodo,
You asked me once, if I had told you everything there was to know about my Adventures. And whilst, I can honestly say. I have told you the truth...I may not have told you, all of it. I am old now, Frodo. I am not the same Hobbit, I once was. I think, it is time for you know...what really happened.
It began in a land, far away to the East. One you will not find in the world of today....

---

The dwarves had been caught completely off guard by the attack of the dragon. They had been safe and secure in their stronghold in Erebor for so many years, they had almost become disillusioned with the rest of the world, thinking they were almost untouchable. But even with all their warriors and weapons, they could not stand against the might of a Firedrake of the North. Smaug decimated any attack they tried to put forth to protect their homeland, and the King's treasure horde.

Seeing that it was hopeless to keep fighting, and only lose more lives, Thorin, the young dwarf prince, pulled his grandfather Thror to safety before he could dive into the swirling mass of treasure after the Arkenstone which he had lost grip on, and called the retreat. As all of the Dwarven people of the Lonely Mountain were driven from the homeland by the deadly Firedrake, a winged feminine figure was elegantly crouched atop the mountain, watching the disaster before her.

The ember of the fire reflected from her luminous yellow-green eyes, giving off a reflective, glowing effect on them, while her sharp, metal finger-cuffs dug into the rock below her. The Raven-black catsuit she wore, with a few feathers being embedded into the material, matched with the horned headdress, made her represent pure evil. She wasn't phased when she watched the destruction before her with a cold-eyed gaze.

Robbed of their homeland, the dwarves of Erebor wandered the wilderness; a once mighty people brought low.

Spreading her huge feathered wings, the feminine being took flight, away from the mountain.

The young dwarf prince took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of men. But always, he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, where he had seen dragon fire in the sky, and a city turn to ash. And he never forgave, and he never forgot.

---

As the elderly Hobbit sat, and wrote everything down into a leather bound book, so his dear nephew Frodo would know of his tales and achievements. Those years ago, was an adventure that was, what you could say, quite unexpected. On that day...it all began with the awkward visit from the wizard Gandalf the Grey.