Shemkel stood almost still, leaning
over the map table, seemingly lost in thoughts.
"Mae g'ovannen, Wolves." He
raised his almost black eyes and gave a long, assessing look to
everyone gathered in the hall.
He straightened himself and slowly, gracefully, rounded the table, then stood tall and proud, at the edge
of the wooden stage.
"I am glad that all of you heeded
my call to join me here, in our..." He gave everyone a slight,
amused smile. "Den..."
Shemkel opened his arms and waited
patiently, till everyone had a chance to take a look around.
"As you know, my name is Shemkel
Mornheneb, of Imladris, the..." He frowned at the word,
"...leader of the Wyld Hunt."
He waved his left hand around, pointing
at the listening people.
"You also know some of the
gathered here. Some you don't. Nevertheless, they are your brothers
and sister, thus you shall come to know them all today."
Shemkel paused for a while.
"... to know and rely on them, as
a pack of wolves does." There was a slight pause.
"Sadly, not all of us were able to
make it here, tonight. I have sent most of you with tasks" He
continued, his slightly predatory eyes sliding from one to another.
"Most of you have returned with
news and reports, some have sent me letters, some are still out
there, carrying out their orders."
Shemkel narrowed his eyes and clenched
his left fist. "For it is our responsibility to vanguard the
Free Peoples, to deliver critical information to our allies, and to
officials of these lands."
He clenches his teeth, all tense and
apprehensive. "I have recently come back from a scouting mission
in Angmar..."
Shemkel waited for the murmour in the
Hall to cease.
"Together with your reports from
Ered Luin, the Shire, Bree-land, Evendim, the North Downs, the
Lone-lands and Trollshaws, what I have seen makes me worry about the
future..."
The elf sighed and shook his head. "The
time of elves fades away. The fate of Middle-Earth soon will be upon
the shoulders of other races. Dwarves, hobbits... and Men." He
gestured towards Rokeler.
"For now, we linger still, even
though the call of the Sea is ever louder, more tempting. Yet we
shall not abandon you in a time of need. We will all stand together,
united, arm in arm."
Shemkel saluted, hitting the left of
his chest with a tight-clenched fist.
"But, even united, there are only
a handful of us. Even with our friends, the Rangers of the North, all
we can aim for are skirmishes, gathering intelligence, eliminating
important servants of the Enemy and preparing Free Peoples for what
is to come."
Shemkel nodded to himself and raised
his voice a bit. "The Council of the North has been called, a
concil that wishes to unite everyone against the Shadow that looms
over Angmar. And it is that Shadow..." He clenched his fists
again, his predatory feature became even more prominent. "That
we will all stand against, stalwart as ever."
As his Wolves whispered, he continued.
"Our own Shadows, our Blades, our Istyar, we all have our
responsibilities. The Shadows will continue to scout, to spot orc
warbands, to gather news of gathering foes. The Blades shall offer
their assistance in Ered Luin, in the Shire, in Bree-land, wherever
the local militia is unable to take care of the influx of brigands
and other unruly... element. The Istyar may have the toughest tasks,
like my daughter, Aralynia, who could not make it here on time
tonight..." He paused, lost in his thoughts for a moment. "...
for they are expected to protect the very knowledge, both that we
have, and that we have forgotten, against the Enemy."
"Soon," He coughed and raised
his voice again, "we shall issue orders, after the last reports
come in. For now, I can tell you that the situation in Evendim and by
the border with Trollashws is the worst and will require joint effort
in order to quell the brewing storm."
"For now, though," Shemkel
beckoned Rokeler to come forth, "we shall all get to know each
other better. This is Rokeler, my trusted brother."
He motioned Rokeler to address the
gathered.
After that, the rest followed his
example.
Outside, there was the late evening silence. In the North, though, hammers clanged onto anvils, forging
new weapons to kill the Free Peoples...
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