[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

**** Harad/Umbar - Gramil ****

Gramil halted his oliphaunt, drawing up under the shadow of a tall fir.

"Perhaps it is my way, to smile at death. What else can one do?" Gramil said, his voice was soft, "But I too shall speak plainly.

"To you, telling tales of horror must be merely an excerize, something you might do over a campfire or in a fantasy tale to entertain your friends. Clearly you have never experienced it in life. I, in real life, have experienced horror. I know what it is like, and what it is to speak of it.

"I have known those with hearts so remorseless and black, they would drive one to death out of mere convenience for themselves. Whose best, most noble thought is personal gain. That thought at least can be understood by normal men. But their worst... is incomprehensible. All one can do is relay the facts of what they've done. But in fact their deeds are merely the outer shell, not truly what one has seen.

"I have looked into the face of evil, and I've thought on it a long time. The nature of evil is remorseless, without compassion, without empathy. It is curiousity perhaps, or it would do nothing, want and curiousity without any differentiation between harm and good. It may enjoy good one day, and harm the next. It is eager to learn the morality of men - as a tool, as puppet strings. It views such morality as limitations, something it is far above. It is a consummate actor, can appear so kind, noble even - ha, but why? It is not sane.

"It is understanding that difference between harm and good, that keeps men sane. Understanding that difference, one can look into the face of inexplicable evil and not flinch, as it twists truth, and tries to convince you of its lies.

"Of course, it would be better to never have known it at all, to keep innocence - and the ability to flinch. I envy you that, Jarl of Dale, for all that it is hard for me to imagine now what a happy life you must have lived. May all your days be such. But do not think I have told you all. No. Nor will I. As we turn towards Nurn I remember... all too much.

"But we will find the boys," Gramil clapped Jarl on the shoulder, and prodded his oliphaunt forward, "where there's hope, there's will, and where there's will there's hope. The great shadow is gone. By comparison the lesser ones seem fleeting and weak. And maybe they are just ghosts from my past?" Gramil shrugged, shaking off his memories. "Maybe.. Nurn no doubt has changed in a year. But still, the way may be dangerous for them."

"As for plans..." Gramil rubbed his chin, thinking. "We cannot break from their trail. They've turned aside once, and may again. Here though, they broke this trail and that slowed them. We have the extra food, while they will likely stop to hunt. If we push on through sunset, that will give us an extra three hours. We will need to rest the oliphaunts, but we don't need to take the extra time to build a fire and cook for lunch as we have been. We have been moving at a very slow pace. In all we can cover in two-three days what they have in five. Unless they speed up or meet a trail, we should overtake them. At least we will be close enough to signal."

"Signal? How do you suggest we signal?" Jarl asked. Gramil grinned and said something in Harad to his oliphaunt.

"Cover your ears - !" Gramil announced. The warning was just in time.

She bellowed, and Jarl's mount gave a deafening trumpet in response. The sky rang for a moment, and Gramil listened. "No. They're still too far away."

[ October 20, 2002: Message edited by: Marileangorifurnimaluim ]