The Kinstrife

Part 33

In which we search the basement of Melkor’s ruined temple on Tol-Cirya; foil an attempted arrest by the Cor-Aran; Ragnor hands accounts of the Rhavas affair and the Great Council to Daeron, for the King and Queen, respectively; Neithan asks Ragnor how his family would react to a 3^rd candidate for the throne; is Neithan the Straight Man? We set out for Harad with Zimrakhil and discuss the 3^rd candidate with him around the camp fire.

Night of July 2^nd 1441

We are in the lower vaults of the ruined Temple of Melkor, mopping up the aftermath of our raid on Ulbar’s Morgoth cultists. Somewhere during the fight, I took a gash in my thigh, I can’t recall exactly when and Ilviren took several wounds during our assault on the dais (Ilviren fought valiantly and killed Ulbar himself). Even Brand is wounded; though I’m sure he remained in the rear ranks and was never in the fray. As Aerin treats our wounds, the last few skirmishes end mainly in surrender and Colfen starts planning the retreat. Someone cuts free the sacrifice from the altar who is thankfully still alive and very grateful for our intervention.

Once Aerin has finished, I feel as right as rain and offer to help but Colfen gives the distinct impression that, though grateful for our aid, he now wishes to deal with ‘his people’, the Ethir folk, without our interference. His treatment of them is surprisingly avatyarë (literally ‘forgiving’); a few are bound but seem to accept his direction without question now Ulbar is dead without apparent coercion.

Such being the case, I acquiesce to Brand’s desire to explore, though it occurs to me to ask him why. He replies that he was given the plans of the Temple by the weird old woman in Pelargir who also gave Ilviren a magical gem connected with the sea, Pimm an ‘Elven’ cloak and Aerin an arrow, calling our little cabal the ‘kingmakers’. It seems she gave no reason for doing so but Brand has assumed ever since that this temple is an objective – not that Brand wouldn’t want to visit it in the first place. Well it was an invigorating scrap so it seems only fair to indulge him.

Brand, reading his map, leads us through a door, turning right toward a large chamber at one end of the complex on the lower levels, which Brand reckons is all that’s left intact. I draw sword again and take the lead in case of any stray cultists or other nasty surprises.

We find a storeroom, jury rigged as a cell and floored in ordure, evidently the holding cell for sacrifices, such as the poor wretch we rescued. It seems otherwise without note until Brand spots a door he insists has been concealed by magical artifice – well he ought to know and as passage is marked on his map.

Alas, Brand knows spells of locking but not of unlocking so we search for a catch and Ilviren strikes lucky. At this point Brand produces a small crowbar! (Evidently he takes his hobbies seriously and has no need of unlocking spells.) It takes a lot of effort from all of us but eventually a hinge gives way under Ilviren’s strain and suddenly the job is easy.

Behind the door, another narrow corridor stretches ahead. Again I lead the way and we duly emerge at one end of a long chamber, the end of which is wreathed in darkness. We see endless wooden racks, all empty, stretching out in to the shadows but Brand claims he can detect something with a faint magical radiance from the far end.

Fearful of what may be hidden in the dark, Ilviren and I lead with drawn swords, Brand and Aerin follow with torches and Pimm, still in full armour, guards the rear, but we encounter nothing save for an old box holding some swords (Brand claims they are magical but they look very inferior), two water-damaged scrolls and a cracked goblet.

The goblet and swords are made of a black metal I’ve not seen before. The swords bear the phrase ‘strike fear’ in an elven script. Brand thinks the scrolls are still usable but their condition would make them difficult to read. He thinks they are in the Black Speech of Mordor, which he recognises but cannot read. He reckons they might prove useful in developing counterspells. Ilviren takes the swords, intending to dispose of them.

There’s nothing more in the room and further searches elsewhere reveal only a blocked stair; time to go.

As we return to the site of the fighting, we hear raised voices. At first I suspect Colfen’s captives have turned on him but then I hear some shouting loudly ‘Halt! Cor Aran! You are all under arrest!’ Sheathing my sword, I emerge in to the torchlight to see a man of middling height and appearance with five men surrounded by several dozen Ethir folk, including Colfen.

I ask what is going on and evidently the earnest young man, who turns out to be called Cemendur, recognises me and immediately his face falls, though what he expected to achieve with five men against several dozen is beyond me. He should be grateful I’m here to prevent his tiny force’s annihilation. Rallying well, he demands the prisoners be given in to his hands, claiming that we should have advised the authorities beforehand of our action.

I’m afraid I rather enjoy pulling rank and, lying quite shamelessly, I tell Cemendur we had official sanction that all these men are with me. Looking around it is rather hard to tell who was on which side during the fight. I think I could probably choose correctly four out of five but to Cemendur’s eye everyone looks ethnic Ethir, some might look more battered and beaten but there’s plenty of Colfen’s men who look just as bad. Since Colfen has bound no one, they all look pretty much alike.

It also becomes clear that Cemendur has not done his homework and in fact has no idea whether we have official sanction or not. Colfen chimes in with a reference to Mardil, promising to send a token prisoner to the Cor Aran for questioning, and Cemendur has little option but to save face by ordering his men to help tidy up. We all row back (Ilviren dumping the black swords overboard) and turn in late.

July 3^rd 1441

I rise earlier than I would like to finish my reports before handing them to Brand to be copied in his neat hand. Then I call on Colfen to tie up loose ends but it seems he has everything in hand and has already sent a couple of ne’er-do-wells off to Cemendur. He tells me Neithan won’t be leaving for a fortnight but of course we will be leaving for the Haradwaith imminently so I ask Colfen to tell Neithan that I would like a word with him before he sets sail. I wonder what’s keeping him in Umbar?

Back at the Drunken Southron, Zimrakhil sends word that he will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Brand has finished the reports and they read very nicely, Brand having made additions from his own copious notes and tidied up my Quenya phrasing. I take them to Daeron personally; one for the King purely regarding the Rhavas affair, the other for the Queen covering the Great Council in general and the Rhavas affair in brief. We part amicably, Daeron advising me to keep my own copy of both documents; I have my original draft.

Colfen sends word that Neithan is available this afternoon so I drop in on his ship, where he has stayed throughout, to exchange pleasantries. In the guise of complimenting Colfen, I let slip last night’s raid and it’s clear that it is news to Neithan. I describe it in the broadest terms and he says he is reassured to know Colfen views Melkor with antipathy – apparently he has had reason to doubt Colfen’s loyalty until now. I ask why he employs someone he regards as dubious and Neithan cites Colfen’s unquestionable ability but I suspect reasons more political: Neithan would need someone with strong influence in the Ethir to govern effectively and if I knew a wasp is in the room I would like keep it where I can see it.

Abruptly Neithan asks what would be my family’s reaction to a third candidate for the throne. I confess I’m flabbergasted (though I hope I hide it well – at least well enough for Neithan to suspect no prior knowledge); I had thought this information to be privy to only a few. I give him a diplomatic reply, saying only that as cousins of the Queen and staunch supporters of Castamir, for them to change their allegiance at this point would shock and surprise a lot of people, which is only the truth.

I advise him that of course I cannot speak for my family and he would need to approach my father but, in honesty, I advise him that it could not be good for Gondor to suffer further civil war. Therefore the candidate, if he existed, would have to be unquestionably better for it to be worth while. I don’t say as much but Neithan must be aware that it would take a very exceptional candidate indeed to draw the necessary support from both Castamir and Eldacar.

Neithan offers to convey my entourage as far as the Ethir Garrison if I return from my tour within a fortnight. I advise him that I may be tempted to tour Harad more widely and am unlikely to be back in time but nevertheless the offer remains open.

Returning to the Drunken Southron, I discuss this ‘third candidate’ with Brand: I don’t like the way this is tied up with ‘dark cults’ and Melkor worship. Neithan did not come down to cases and I don’t think he knows anything firm. I can only assume he’s heard of this from the Queen who seemed to think well of him at last mention. She may have conveyed word of Khoradûr’s cryptic aside while we were in the marshes.

Well if it was a subtle test of my loyalty to the Royal family, I shouldn’t think anything I said should cause trouble at home, while at the same time our options should remain open. I need to discuss this with my father before he commits the family to anything extreme; I don’t like the shadows looming behind the ‘third candidate’ at all and I have evidence that Khoradûr may have been connected with the Straight Man. Brand wonders if Neithan himself might not be the Straight Man; if his guess is right, it would make Neithan rather darker than the image he portrays.

July 4^th 1441

We spend the morning packing and preparing before meeting Zimrakhil in the early afternoon. He has horses for us, at which Aerin and Ilviren groan, but there’s also a cart full of provisions on which non-equestrians can ride. Zimrakhil has two helpers; not subservient enough to be servants and not assertive to be enough colleagues. I guess they must be family – I’ve gained the impression that Harad folk are very clannish and place family loyalties ahead of all others. There are also the six of us (Aerin, Brand, Ilviren, Pimm, Al-Han and I) and a dozen guards – evidently Zimrakhil sees potential dangers in the road ahead. The first day is easy, on a good road, and we reach a major staging post with an inn after a few hours.

July 5^th 1441

This morning we’re all feeling the previous afternoon’s sun but Zimrakhil has headgear to cover our necks and Brand dons entirely native clothing. What is more daunting is that today we switch to camels! However, despite initial apprehensions and the creature’s vile temper, I find my camel as easy to ride as any horse, easier perhaps.

We strike out in to the desert and the going is much harder today. The route, while marked, is much less frequented and in the evening we set camp under canvas. The tent is huge with separate rooms for Aerin and Ilviren, another for Brand and Pimm, one for Zimrakhil and another for Al-Han and me. The guards and Zimrakhil’s nephews sleep outside with a constant watch through the night.

I feel dried out and dusty and the others all look equally uncomfortable, except for Brand, so we all accept the native clothing offered by Zimrakhil, cooler by day and warmer by night – who would think we could feel so cold in the desert but it rapidly becomes quite chill after dusk.

So, now that we’re away from Umbar, we’ve all gone native and there’s probably no one else within a dozen miles, Zimrakhil opens up: his first choice of subject is… the ‘third Candidate’! It’s beginning to feel as if this is a very open secret indeed. I confess I heard mention of a third candidate for the throne from Khoradûr and that I’m intrigued but that he seems backed by dark cults. However my knowledge ends there.

As intended, mention of Khoradûr puts Zimrakhil on the moral defensive but after a brief repeat of his earlier apology he seems little fazed. He confesses that the ‘third Candidate’ is being pushed by the Southron Confederacy, the leaders of which Zimrakhil describes as his ‘superiors’. I get the impression that he means this in a spiritual sense, as well as political.

Zimrakhil confesses that the Southron Confederacy has strong connections to dark cult worship chronic to the area. He claims not to like this but says his knowledge of the link has grown slowly with time and he feels he has few options for the moment. Personally, I wonder at his loyalties and make a mental note to tread carefully with him.

I ask who exactly the ‘third Candidate’ is? I have long wondered whether some long-forgotten Black Numenorean scion of the Royal House from the Second Age might not have been preserved but Zimrakhil surprises me; he says a magnate house of Gondor a few hundred years ago adopted an unknown heir of the Royal family of the time.

The boy, Gildor, was the son of Tarranon and Beruthiel and the house was that of the Princes of Lond-Ernil. In time, Maeglin, grandson of Gildor and now lord of Morthond, married Miriel, the sister of Prince Adrazôr of Lond-Ernil. Maeglin and Miriel have one daughter and one son. That son was named Orodreth but due to calamitous circumstances during the recent civil war has since changed his name…to Neithan!

This throws all my suppositions awry. It now looks as if Neithan may have knowledge of his own inheritance. Hitherto I have viewed him with sympathy, as someone basically moral and dutiful who was put in an impossible situation through circumstance and the manipulations of people wiser and more unscrupulous – people very like my father.

But I wonder just how innocent Neithan might be. Was his killing of Eldacar’s son, his friend, that forced? Is Neithan tainted by the forces massing behind him? Is he aware of them? Now his direct question as to the support of House Hyarmenost seems more sinister, as does his offer of a trip home. I hope his sentiments regarding Melkor were in earnest.

Zimrakhil says the Southron Confederacy’s plan is to present Neithan as a viable alternative to both Castamir and Eldacar with the Karma of Aldarion, which Zimrakhil knows to be in Fuinur’s Well in the Mirror of Fire, in or near the Raj, as ‘proof’ of his blood. No doubt the dark forces behind the Southron Confederacy intend to rule through Neithan, thereby suborning all of Gondor.

Zimrakhil says he still intends to take us to Celebrindor’s construction site and investigate what is happening there as he is still concerned at the lack of word from the tribe he mentioned. He is willing to take us further in to Harad but he warns against my meeting with the Southron Confederacy as this would be dangerous. He seems genuine, though I can’t help recalling the other Zimrakhil, who was the last High Priest of the Temple of Melkor on Tol-Cirya.

To do list:

Approach Zimrakhil over the Umbar portion of the Key of Fuinur’s Well while touring Near Harad

Visit Celebrindor’s construction site in Near Harad

Inquire after Perhaladin – might be a cult for Ragnor

Discuss with Neithan his intentions vis-à-vis the ‘3^rd Candidate’

Advise Father that coins used to pay Khoradôr may have come from The Straight Man and that Neithan may be the ‘3^rd Candidate’

Ask Granny Serni why she gave me the jewel?

Who was Tevildo from the Benish Armon tomb in the Ethir Anduin?