Fan Fiction – Page 5 – LOTRO Players

Doviel and Meluil

Story by Doviel

In honor of Meluil’s forthcoming begetting day celebrations, Doviel escorted her cousin through the dangerous territories between the west and Lothlórien. It had been a long time since her cousin had been home, and it was a special occasion. Not only was it a begetting day festivity but envoys from Greenwood the Great had crossed the Anduin and arrived with tribute for the House of Tuilinn from a House in the noble court of King Thranduil. Long ago, the lovely elleth, Meluil, caught the eye of a Sinda lord.

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Continue reading Doviel and Meluil

Laralini and the Fish

Letters from the West: My Only Friend, The End

Dearest Bria –

It has been countless months since I began writing you about my journeys, and fatigue is my constant companion. I have ventured into Central Gondor, a land that no longer seems like home. Borowolf, our brother and esteemed captain of men, has seen too much of battle and has chosen to stay behind in Rohan to assist in the rebuilding of that land. I fear the rumors of ‘evil trees’ that accompanied our entrance into Western Rohan were true in his case. He grew weary from combat and no longer could he motivate men as he once could. His sapped skill, along with our experiences at the Hornburg, proved too much for this once brave warrior, I fear.

I left Borowolf at Helm’s Deep and pressed onward towards the region that was once our home. Though I am also weary, I continue to push through endless creatures, beasts and quests out of pure obligation. Our fabled companion, the son of Arathorn, does his best to rally us, but my spirit will not lift. All I see is the constant darkness that surrounds us and the endless grind that lies ahead. I miss my companions. The once merry band of rugged adventurers – Viabrant, the jolly minstrel, Rolfkrage, the fearless champion, my fellow hunters Morielraen, Anaka, Ivanlasse and Keishira, and even the grumpy dwarf Aurvald have all been absent from our adventures for nearly a year’s time. Were we separated in battle or while traveling through difficult terrain? I cannot even recall. They are simply gone, and it is only I who is left, gazing east at this cursed blackness and my eventual fate.

In truth, I know not what lies ahead, good Bria. When I began this quest, I thought to see it through to conclusion. But with each passing day, my resolve grows dimmer. The ongoing battles and the absence of my companions have sapped my will. Perhaps it is best to leave the conclusion of this tale to those with fresher legs and sharper minds. When I began this journey, I was youthful and confident. Now, I am weary and wise. I may be of better use to the people of these lands by assisting in the rebuilding, as Borowolf has chosen to do. Perhaps it is time for Braxwolf the righteous to lay down his bow for good.

Keep hope, Bria, for there are good free people carrying the banner of the king. I may be among them one day. But for now, I must rest.

Your brother,

Braxwolf

—

Letters From the West: Back Home Again in Gondor

Dearest Bria – Letters From the West

Today my quill finds itself filled with Gondorian ink as my adventures have brought me closer to you than the days before my banishment at the hands of the mad steward. In the end, it was our brother Borowolf’s sense of duty that convinced me to risk death at the hands of my own kinsmen in order to lend our services against the growing evil in the east.

Much time has passed since our last discourse. I have seen things that will be one day be immortalized in song and scroll. Fields of Rohan burned beyond recognition. Battles and sieges of epic proportion. Armies of orcs as far as elvish eyes can see. Cities filled with the dead, their ghostly appearances being the least dangerous of their cursed characteristics. And finally, the soil of my homeland. I had no idea when I left to battle evil in the west that my return would find Gondor in an even more dire state. I only hope that your distance from the white city has provided some refuge from the ongoing attacks. When I left Osgiliath, I felt that my absence would be a boon to the troops. Captain Boromir seemed on the verge of victory prior to my forced departure. Alas, Boromir was also pulled away on an even more desperate quest, and that quest would prove to be his end, and so ended much of the hope for the defense of Gondor.

But I write to you, dear Bria, not to spread the gloom that seems to have overtaken this land. Instead, I bring a message of hope! For I have stood on the wall with Théoden King of Rohan. I have seen the strength of men! And that strength also gives me the courage to venture back into Gondor at my own peril. I can see now that the ancient beacons have been lit. Trust me when I say that the call for aid will not go unheeded! I have seen the wizard’s staff broken, his lies silenced. I have seen the proud and strong horselords face an overpowered foe, and with nothing to lose, emerge victorious. These allies are not mere ruffians and tribesmen, Bria. These are the men of history. Our people must respond in-kind. We must remember our Númenórean heritage. For one does now move towards Minis Tirith who shall reclaim the throne, and we must fight for him. He is worthy, he is strong, and he is ready to lead us. His name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and he is our king. He will unite the armies of men under the banner of the white tree and vanquish the evil from our lands.

We are in the midst of our story, dear Bria. It is a story with an ending that is not yet revealed, but one that we should be confident of. Surely the evil that lies ahead cannot be as savage and vicious as the abominations from Saruman. However, one thing vexes me. There have been many whispers among my companions about the hobbits who carried a trinket into the woods near the Great River. The wizard seems especially concerned. I know not why their absense from this battle would raise such alarm. Surely two soft hobbits could not turn the tide of such a large battle! We need now place our faith in the men of Gondor, and of Rohan, as it is clear that the other races of Middle-Earth remain scattered and uninterested.

Every story deserves to have an ending. I feel that my arrival in Gondor signals the beginning of a glorious ending.

Sincerely,

Braxwolf

—

The Last Ringbearer Book Review

First off, let me start by saying this is the very first review that I have ever done for anything! So bear with me here

Secondly let me say, there are some *Minor* Spoilers here. So your warned ahead of time (I did not spoil all of it)

I recently read a very interesting book (Some people call this a work of Fan Fiction and not a Book) called “The Last Ringbearer” By an Russian author Kirill Yeskov

This is a very interesting be it odd little book. It’s a retelling of the war of the ring, from the Orc’s perspective.

Think of the Tolkien account as an “history written by the victors”. Mordor is not an evil place, far from this. It is described as a peaceful country on the verge of an industrial revolution.

The reader must forgot all what we know of the Tolkien world as this turns it upside down. What we think as the “Good Guys” are not so.

The tale begins by recapping the War of the Ring. The Ring itself is a luxurious ornament, but powerless, crafted by the Nazgûl (a group of ancient scientists and philosophers who take turns as the Nine to guide Mordor through its industrialization) to distract Gandalf and the Elves. The Aragorn we know is not the same at all Aragorn is no more than a puppet of the elves (in a very interesting twist in my opinion) who has been instructed to take the throne of Gondor by murdering Boromir.

The story it’s self it’s pretty good, but it’s a bit of a hard read notably, a confused switching back and forth between past and present tense in the early chapters. I found myself having to reread a few sections, to figure out what was in the past and what was now. Also, I found it rather odd that at certain points it would get very in depth on Military and Political tones, then it would pull back from this and get back to the story proper. Once I got past this I really enjoyed it. For the most part, though, “The Last Ringbearer” is a well-written, cleaver take on the lore (Once you get past what you THINK you now of said lore)

Where the story get’s interesting it the twist that is provided to the reader.

As I said, this story is told from the other point of view, so the main hero is a field medic from Umbar (a southern land), who is ably assisted by an Orocuen (An orc) The big twist here is the orcs are not the orcs we know from Tolkien but an ordinary man. *Plot Twist* They’re given the task of destroying a mirror in the elf stronghold of Lorien before the elves can further use it to infect Middle-earth with their alien magic. (I won’t spoil any more of the plot, but there is more to the story, well worth the read)

It’s a pretty good twist on the famous tale we all know. it’s slow in some points and there is a lot of political and military intrigue that is thrown in, for fans of those types of the things.

Now for the part most of you have probably been wondering about all long (if you still with me and reading this) The book has been translated into several languages, but it has not been commercially released in English. Several English language publishing houses have considered undertaking a translation, but the plans have always been abandoned due to the potential litigation from the Tolkien estate

In 2010 the book was translated into English by Yisroel Markov and released as a free and non-commercial ebook; this release has been officially approved by Kirill Yeskov himself.

If you want to read this book for yourself it’s available in English for free in PDF, Epub, Mobi, and Txt formats here.

As I said earlier, if you can get past the few minor nitpicks I had, It’s a fun read, slow in some parts and there are some odd translations that take place (As it was taken from the original Russian) Anyway, it’s free, so you don’t have anything to loose by checking it out!