June 8, 1997

Middle-earth time is:
Early Afternoon on Highday, Day 17 of September, 3011
Real time is: 10:43:12 MST on Sun Jun 08 1997


Garden
This is a pleasant little garden filled with many beautiful flowers and shrubs. Many of the shrubs have turned color, washing the garden throughout with splashes of vibrant golds, bronzes and multitudes of browns and reds. Many of shrubs and flowers seem to think it is still summer, though. A path leads out of the porch in the west, circles a small, grey limbed and honey bloomed bush, and plunges north, leaving the garden through an arch in the surrounding wall. To the south, large golden-red shrubs surround and seclude smaller hedges and flower beds. A trail leads down a slope in that direction to another part of the garden.
Contents:
Elrond
Dulin ben galadh

Glendor steps down from the porch, and walks into the garden. He seems to be very distracted, perhaps to the point of day-dreaming. His unfocused gaze wanders off to the East. His face shows intense emotions, even though there is nothing out of the ordinary he could plainly see in this direction.

Elrond sits in the garden with a trowel, industriously weeding around a rosebush.

Glendor suddenly stirs and looks around, as if searching for something he felt. He notices one of the rose bushes trembling, and makes his way toward it, careful not to trample any of the flowers.

Elrond continues to work on the rosebush.

Glendor approaches the bush from the opposite side, and peeks over it. "Oh... Mae govannen, Hir... I saw that someone near the rosebush, but didn't expect to find /you/ here gardening..."

Elrond looks up and chuckles lightly. "Sometimes I do it to relax ... beauty is created by small efforts. Mae Govannen!"

Glendor nods, and looks around, "And beauty you certainly do create here." He looks around again, then adds quieter, "I will leave with the memory of this place..."

Elrond smiles at that, then looks more serious. "So, you leave? Have our scholars foound aught to help you?"

Glendor nods, slowly and somewhat reluctantly, "Aye, time for me to leave. Your smiths and scholars were of not a small help, we do know alot more now about this matter. Still, we're far from understanding the secret"

Elrond smiles. "So tell me what you have learned. I had some suspicions when last we spoke, I wonder if they have been confirmed."

The clear sky is covered by a layer of clouds rolling in from the south.

Glendor plucks a dry leaf from a branch, and twiddles it in his fingers, while gathering his thoughts. "We think the tablet bears a mark of Gondolin"

Elrond smiles at that, a faint, quirky smile. "Ah. I wondered if it might be that."

Glendor nods, "It does seem this way. The concentric circles, and the letters of Ancient Tongue, written in the script of Gondolin"

Elrond straightens up, letting the trowel slip to the ground. "There is, of course, a connection between Gondolin and Eregion."

Glendor nods again, following you with his eyes as you stand, "Aye, that is so. Although we do now know yet what role does it play here. Neither do we know what the letters mean. They are D and L, written inside the circles. Both are written in a single stroke. This is a script of Gondolin, as my father taught me"

Elrond frowns at that, furrowing his brows thoughtfully.
Elrond says, "That sounds familiar, yet I cannot quite place it ... a smith's mark perhaps?"
Elrond says, "Let me think a moment here ..."
Elrond frowns, thinking back as if dredging ancient memories.

Glendor nods quickly, tossing the mangled leaf aside, "That's what we think too. It is repeated on all drawings I made, kind of shows up through the patterns of fear. Perhaps this mark is indeed a part of the true writing"

Elrond says, "Where did I hear of the like ..."
Elrond trails off, looking slightly puzzled.

Glendor tilts his head slightly and watches silently.

Elrond says, "Ah! Now that might fit the riddle, somewhat."

Glendor's brows furrow, and he leans forward slightly, "You know such mark?"

Elrond says, "No, but there was a refugee's tale out of Ost-in-Edhel. One of the smiths there was of Gondolin, and was rumored to have been working on the secret of galvorn ... the tale was that his smithy was outside the city, and he had sought to hide it before the Enemy's armies approached. I do not know if that was his mark, for it is one unfamiliar to me ... but it might fit, speculative though it is. He was,, I was told, a strange elf, once a student of Maeglin's. I canot recall his name."
Elrond frowns.

Glendor's eyes widen and his face distorts into a frown, "Maeglin? The one who succumbed to his lust for Idril and tried to take her to be his just as the Enemy was burning the city?"

Elrond says, "Aye. The tale is fragmentary for me ... this smith is one who had renounced his allegiance to Maeglin, and protected Idril at the last ... or so I am told. But he was his apprentice at one time. IF any smith of Gondolin would have made a tablet such as you describe, though, it would be he, I should think."
Elrond says, "Though this is speculation, not proof, without knowing the meaning of the mark."

Glendor nods, thoughtfully, "I was wondering about that... who from Gondolin would have empowered his creation with such dark power... What you say makes sense"

Elrond nods. "It makes a certain sense. Though we need to identify that mark. Must you leave before we are sure?

Jalanthas comes up the bank from the southern part of the garden.
Jalanthas has arrived.
Jalanthas bows deeply to the two before him. "Sorry if I have interrupted..."

Glendor sighs, "I fear we do. My heart is filled with uncertain worries, which I cannot place. We have tarried too long." He pauses, "But may be showing the tablet to one of your smiths, Imal, as soon as possible, /is/ the better way now"

Elrond nods at that. "Yes. Most certainly."

Jalanthas walks up to the porch.
Jalanthas has left.

Glendor suddenly looks doubtfull, "Lethendriel's opinion of her was very high, despite her young age..."

Elrond smiles. "She is good with books ... if it is in our library she will know where to find it if anyone does."

Glendor chuckles, "Well, then we might get along better than I thought"

Elrond laughs. "Be sure to speak with her befor eyou leave."

Glendor raises his brows slightly, evidently surprised by your reaction, then nods, "Of course, if she is going with us, I'll speak to her!"

Elrond ahs ... "Yes, of course ... I momentarily forget she was going with you."
Elrond says, "Well, in that case you are probably ready to go ... you will be leaving today?"

Glendor smiles slightly, then quickly shakes his head, "We would not dare to carry the tablet itself over the mountains. Something worth saving from Gondolin must be of great value." He nods and interupts himself, "Today or tomorrow, as soon as we're ready." He suddenly looks up, and continues his previous phrase, "You said "Galvorn?!" - then it may be valuable indeed!"

Elrond nods. "Indeed it may. Speak to Imal, see what the scholars have unearthed."

Glendor bows slightly, and straightens up, "I will, Lord. With your leave, I will now go to see to the party business"

Elrond says, "Very well."

Glendor bows again, "Namarie, then. May the light of Valar dwell forever in your Valley." He turns, and walks away between the rows of flowers.

Elrond nods. "And on you as well."

You walk up to the stone porch of the house.