Tapestry of Dreams, Part 2 Discussion

[alaklondewen]

Close, but not quite. Book 1 will end with the men setting out. However, if the women run off (by dreams or rebellion or whatever), it will end with them finding out the ladies are gone and heading out in search. In game time, it would be great for the women to take off the night before so that their disappearance is discovered right before the men leave.

Then Book 2 will then begin where Book 1 leaves off.

Does that make sense?

[Celuien]

Dawn came grey and cold in the hills of the Ered Nimrais. The pale, chilled sun shone at its weakest over a ramshackle wooden hut, overhung by a grove of dying trees. Gloom hung in the air. Yet despite the dismal scene, a few pallid rays, mingled with light flurries of snow, made their way to shine through the unpatched chinks in the hut’s poorly repaired roof and the few spaces left around its shade-darkened windows.

The hut’s interior would now have been almost visible to a visitor, had any been bold or foolish enough to venture near it. Evil rumors surrounded the valley it occupied: rumors of a cruel witch - or wraith - who haunted the valley, turning it to a place of dread. Few of the hill-folk dared to come near. And if they did venture near the cursed valley, for so it was named since Sæthryd had come there, they returned with a haunted look in their eyes and faintly whispered tales of ill fortune barely escaped. If they returned at all. It was little wonder that the hut saw few guests.

The sun crept higher, and the light grew brighter. Now it illumined a dusty table and chairs, a few wooden dishes, metal knives, a few traps for game. And, in a corner, a few strands of blonde hair on a pillow. Below the hair, a pale face slumbered until, as the light rose again, the eyes snapped open. Sæthryd awoke.

She rose, stretching her arms above her, and stalked to her fire. Its last embers were beginning to go out. She added a fresh log and stirred the dwindling flame back to life. A red light flashed over Sæthryd, casting her shadow over the walls around her.

How many years had she been here, living this solitary existence? Sæthryd had lost count. One day flowed into the next, adding at last into weeks, months, and years. Little interrupted her routine. Up in the morning, a quick meal, and out to scavenge a few roots and herbs. To check her snares for meat. And, most importantly, to see that no intruders trespassed upon the secret ways of the mountains.

For those secret paths belonged to the Dead. Most had gone, years ago, before Sæthryd came to her hidden valley, before she walked along the ways they once haunted. Yet their presence remained. She knew. She saw. She heard, as now and again, the dead spoke to her. Of course they did. It was only natural that they did so. For she was dead too. Sæthryd never lived. She was born dead beneath the shadow of the dead mountain. Born dead to walk with the dead until at last her body completed its slow death and left her lifeless mind to wander free. That was how things were meant to be. That was why the dead had chosen her as their guardian. She knew it was so.

A thrashing in the brush caught Sæthryd’s ear. The valley is ours. The paths are ours. They belong to us. They belong to the dead alone. Abandoning the fire, she threw her door ajar and ran barefoot into the snow. The valley was hers. No one must be allowed to enter. She hurried to the sound, half bent at the waist, her hair flying in the waxing wind, and lunged into the winter-bare branches. They scratched her cheek, drawing blood. But she pushed on undaunted, until, the source of the disturbance discovered, she stopped.

A crow flapped in the brush, its foot caught in one of Sæthryd’s snares. She reached out grinning and snatched the bird, crushing its throat in her hands. It struggled to free itself and its wings flapped frantically. But Sæthryd did not cease the pressure of her fingers. The crow grew still. It is well. You too are now dead, little bird. As are all here. It is well. You may pass. Still smiling, she took the bird’s body and hurried back to her hut. It was cold, and her limbs ached for the warmth of the fire.

Inside, the fire was roaring. Ducking outside again briefly, Sæthryd scooped snow into a kettle and set it over the fire to melt. She sat by the fire, plucking and dressing her victim and, as she cut the bird into pieces and dropped them into the kettle, Sæthryd sang wordlessly in her mirth.

The snow began to fall heavily. A wind blew down the valley. Sæthryd’s song, like a wail both cold and wild, rose with the smoke of her fire. The noise, borne aloft by the weather, journeyed afar to be heard by the hill folk. They heard her call and whispered in frightened voices. The wild woman was awake.

~*~

Open for comments, suggestions, revision, or catcalls.

[alaklondewen]

Very nice, Celuien...she's quite a disturbing woman...I like it!

Feanor had a great question on the old thread about filling out a survey so we can all get to know the new writers. This is what Helen had previously said:

Originally posted by mark12_30
By the way, I'm trying to get a mental picture of each of you as writers and people, so I've been browsing profiles and questionnaires (remember "All About You"? I have very little info on either littlemanpoet or Imladris. If that's how you like it, I don't mean to pry! But if you'd like to add an "All About You" post or whatever that would be good too...

Part of the reason why I'm asking, is that I like to understand where people are coming from morally and spiritually-- mostly so I can avoid offending folks unneccessarily. Also I find it easier to explain what I'm thinking if I understand where others are coming from.

I think I'm formulating an RPG Writers' Questionaire of my own as I write this... (bubble, bubble, simmer...) Sure enough, here it is-- Please note it's totally OPTIONAL... If you do decide to fill it out you can either PM or email anwers-- no need to post 'em here if you don't want to.

optionaloptionaloptionaloptional
AllAboutFriendsOfNimrodel.rtf
optionaloptionaloptionaloptional

I say "yes" to filling them out if you are interested. I've only worked with Firefoot out of the new writers, so it would be a great way to get to know you all.

~Alak

[Celuien]

Originally Posted by alaklondewen

Very nice, Celuien...she's quite a disturbing woman...I like it!

Thanks!

Survey below:

The usual "All About You" questions:
Name (that you go by): On the Downs, Celuien. In RL, Nichole.
Age: 22
Occupation: Senior in medical school (well, in a couple of days)
Future Aspirations: Getting my residency in ophthalmology. Having a family - one of these days...
Goal in life: I guess that my ultimate goal is to live the best life I can from a morals and values perspective. And by doing so, to hopefully contribute towards making the world a better place. Does that sound too egotistical? I mean, I don’t expect to single handedly fix the world’s troubles ( ), but I do want to accomplish what I can, even if only in a small way.
Short term goals: Surviving the last year of med school. Graduation. Residency.
Passion: Life! Everything about it!
Hobbies: Procrastination. Playing the viola and piano. Website coding. Nature walks. Going to concerts and art museums.
Famous for (brag about yourself): Notorious for my weird sense of humor. Some people say I’m famous for being calm and never losing my temper. I hope so. But more on that later. Being the 'baby' of my class - I'm a little younger than my colleagues.
Fave book: Four way tie: The LotR. Silmarillion. Pride and Prejudice. Far from the Madding Crowd.
Fave movie: This changes frequently. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. The Lion in Winter. Casablanca. The Fellowship of the Ring.
Fave sport: Not all that interested in sports.
Fave store: Um… The grocery market? If not that, the music store to browse the sheet music collection. But my favorite one (Theodore Presser) only has a catalog now. No more walk in shop, sadly.
Fave music: Early Romantic era classical: Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn. Also other historical periods: Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Handel.
What you can't stand: Hatred, prejudice, bigotry.
What you plain dislike: Rush-hour traffic. Rudeness.
Who you admire: Anyone who treats others with kindness and patience.
What you most love to do: See hobbies.
Your self-confessed flaws: Getting back to that temper. I really have a hot-headed streak. Guess it’s the Southern Italian/Sicilian half in me. But I’ve learned to keep it under wraps most of the time, which I guess is a strength. I don’t always have as much patience as I’d like. And when my impatience or temper start to get out of hand, I can be sarcastic. I don’t like it. I have a tendency to hide my real self behind a wall of humor because I find it hard to talk about myself openly in RL until I really get to know someone well, which takes me a long time.
What intrigues/fascinates you: People. I’m a major people watcher. I like to try to get inside people’s heads and figure out what makes them act the way they do.
What scares you: Back to what I can’t stand.
Quotation to live by: “What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man.”

Value-specific:
What do you want most in a friend? Loyalty and kindness
What do you want most in a teacher? Patience and enthusiasm
What do you want most in an ally? Loyalty. Again.
What do you want most in a team-mate? Loyalty. Yet again. And good listening/coordinating skills.
What do you want people to remember most about you? When all is said and done, I’d like to be remembered as someone who cared.

Writer-specific:
Your favorite work you've written so far: I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I did any serious (read: non-technical) writing on my own. Biology major in college. Medical school now. Not much creative writing involved, or much time for anything outside of classes. And I tend to take a red pen to anything I write. Repeatedly. Actually, I find it very hard to reread what I write because I always find something I could have done better.
Your favorite character so far: See above.
What you plan to write soon: Posts for this game.
What inspires you to write: My characters. Once I come up with a character that I like, I enjoy putting them into situations and seeing how they deal with what happens. For getting ideas on what to write, I’m inspired by things I observe. The weather. People watching. Just about anything, really.
What makes your writing stall: Not knowing my characters well enough to understand how they would react to a scenario.
Do you get writers' block and how do you overcome it? Absolutely yes. I overcome it by taking a long walk in the woods. Nature has a way of clearing my head and giving me a new perspective on my problems. Either that or listening to music.

Middle-Earth specific:
Your favorite ME character(s)? Frodo. Sam.
What do you like about them? Friendship, loyalty, determination.
Your favorite moment(s) from the Trilogy? The farewell at the Grey Havens. The Choices of Master Samwise – favorite moment is when Sam holds up the Phial over Frodo. “And for a moment he lifted up the Phial and looked down at his master, and the light burned gently now with the soft radiance of the evening-star in summer, and in that light Frodo's face was fair of hue again, pale but beautiful with an elvish beauty, as of one who has long passed the shadows. And with the bitter comfort of that last sight, Sam turned and hid the light and stumbled on into the growing dark.” That's memorized.
Your favorite plot twist(s) from the Trilogy? Gandalf’s return as Gandalf the White.
Looking at your personality as it is, what race do you belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Probably human, though the personality tests always say that I’m an Elf. I’m very interested in music, literature and history. Elvish traits. But I don’t want to drag the world into the past or think that its peak is already gone. I’m looking to the future, and have a hopeful view of what's to come for the world, which is more human than Elvish. Or so I think.
What race would you *like* to belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Sindar. I’m fascinated by the Elves. I love their culture and knowledge. Though I’m not sure I’d want to be immortal and watch the world – from the established Elven perspective – slipping downhill. The High Elves are too distant for me, though, and I don't like the Kinslaying incident, so I prefer the Sindar.
What place(s)would you live in Middle Earth and why? Rivendell. Center of knowledge and learning.
Where would you want to visit? Why? The Shire, for the experience of the Hobbits’ lifestyle. Such fun.
How would you travel? On foot. I think you can really learn so much more about a place by walking it. It makes me feel more a part of the setting.
Besides the usual camping & travel stuff, what single special item is in your knapsack and why? Camera. For memory preservation. Maybe I am an Elf after all…

And that's all!

[Formendacil]

A survey?

You people DO know that I can't pass those things up...

Yes, I'm still not done Bergil's stats... Patience is a virtue...

Name (that you go by): Formendacil (or Form, Formie) around here. Michael in "real" life.
Age: 19
Occupation: Making pizza. (Horrid job- 'tis only a place-filler prior to school this fall)
Future Aspirations: Ordination to the priesthood. And then it's wherever God's winds take me.
Goal in life: To die with a funeral too full to fit in any one church. Or, in other words, to have them say "he was a good man"- and mean it.
Short term goals: Survive a month and a half more of pizza, visit 'Downers in Massachusetts, and get through a yard of red tape.
Passion: Liturgy- of pretty much any sort.
Hobbies: Reading... writing... LEGO!
Famous for (brag about yourself): "Smart aleck" in Sunday School, "the boy who wants to be a priest" in Church. A wry sense of humour. Too much LEGO.
Fave book: Either the Silm or the Lord of the Rings, depending on my mood...
Fave movie: At the moment... the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I won't stay pinned down on this matter.
Fave sport: Bunnock. Ever heard of it? I thought not.
Fave store: Toys 'r Us.
Fave music: Classical, followed by Country, but I'll listen to anything except Rap (and songs with lyrics that are... you know...). Pachelbel's Canon remains my favourite.
What you can't stand: Boorishness to women, bigots, people who patronise me.
What you plain dislike: People who order pizza at 12:59 am.
Who you admire: Pope Benedict... and it's not just the "I'm Catholic and want to be a priest" thing. He's good with words, good with ideas, a little shy, and very pious. Very similar to me in some respects- very inspiring in others.
Your self-confessed flaws: Irritation with idiots. Overweening pride. Poor ability at expressing my friendships.
What intrigues/fascinates you: The English language. So many meanings... so many words.
What scares you: Moths. The Devil.
Quotation to live by: "Take counsel with thyself and remember who and what thou art"- J.R.R. Tolkien

Value-specific:
What do you want most in a friend? Loyalty and longevity.
What do you want most in a teacher? Clarity.
What do you want most in an ally? Intelligence and trustworthiness.
What do you want most in a team-mate? A team ethic.
What do you want people to remember most about you? That I loved the Lord my God with all my heart and soul, body and mind, and that I loved my neighbour as myself.

Writer-specific:
Your favorite work you've written so far: I think it might be a 14-page, handwritten letter to Abercrombie of Rohan written while camping (yes, I had too much free time). It was rather pointless, rambled, and could have used some polish... but it was fun!
Your favorite character so far: For a gamer being invited to Gondor... I haven't got very many. Let's say Estahir, from the Green Dragon.
What you plan to write soon: Posts here, posts in AtM2, posts in the Eorling Mead Hall, posts in Werewolf, posts in Hookbills game, various PMs of overlong natures, application forms... and who knows what else...
What inspires you to write: That.... I dunno... itch, I guess... That desire to string words together and spin them into something moving and entertaining. I guess it's the desire to be like Tolkien.
What makes your writing stall: Overextending myself. Either that or running into real life problems that take away my time, so that I return without my initial enthusiasm.
Do you get writers' block and how do you overcome it? On occasion, yes. Typically, I can write through it, if properly guilted. I generally tend to feel dissatisfied with what I write in those times, though. Discussing plots and characters and reliving the "glory days" will usually pull me back.

Middle-Earth specific:
Your favorite ME character(s)? Gandalf, Aragorn, Elrond, Túrin.
What do you like about them? Gandalf's humanity mixed with wisdom, Aragorn's confidence, Elrond's calm, and Túrin's... flawedness.
Your favorite moment(s) from the Trilogy? The "Voice of Saruman". The whole chapter is... delicious. And the farewell to Treebeard/final breaking of the Fellowship.
Your favorite plot twist(s) from the Trilogy? Frodo didn't die in Cirith Ungol!
Looking at your personality as it is, what race do you belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Probably Númenorean- of the Faithful, I hope. I am smart, and, let's face it, I'm rather proud of that fact. I'm also generally serious. I even look the part a little: six feet tall and dark hair. Otherwise, I'd be a Noldorin Elf, save that I lack the capacity for fiery wrath.
What race would you *like* to belong to in Middle-Earth and why? The Vanyar. To sit at the feet of Manwë, and be content...
What place(s)would you live in Middle Earth and why? The Shire... for it is much like home.
Where would you want to visit? Why? Minas Tirith- 'tis the Rome of it's world: centre of learning and wisdom and an ancient city of ruins and tales.
How would you travel? Can't ride, can't swim, can't drive (this being Middle-Earth), I guess I'd walk. But, being a pavement pounder of sorts... that's fine by me.
Besides the usual camping & travel stuff, what single special item is in your knapsack and why? My breviary. Don't always use it... but I always have it on me so that the possibility of me smartening up and doing it regularly is always there.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Name (that you go by): Laura

Age: 20

Occupation: library clerk, student, editor, writer, visual artist

Future Aspirations: live happily ever after in all the important ways.

Goal in life: become one with everything

Short term goals: graduate on time...

Passion: creation

Hobbies: collecting and playing with toys

Famous for (brag about yourself): role reversals.

Fave book: The Time-Traveler's Wife

Fave movie: Pan's Labyrinth

Fave sport: curling

Fave store: any book or art store

Fave music: whatever, really, seems like a good idea at the time.

What you can't stand: hypocrisy

What you plain dislike: lima beans

Who you admire: His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

What you most love to do: I like to be

Your self-confessed flaws: I have about *this* much confidence most of the time, though I’m arrogant enough in seeming to fool most people; I’m a perfectionist when it comes to myself but I don’t always give others enough credit; when I’m scared or angry I sometimes say cruel things; I forget to eat for extended periods of time; I can’t concentrate unless I’m doing yoga; I don’t always pay attention to how legal things are; I forget to take care of my own health because I’m more concerned with other people’s...

What intrigues/fascinates you: love

What scares you: love

Quotation to live by: Wheresoever you go, go with all of your heart. -Confucius

Value-specific:

What do you want most in a friend? honesty

What do you want most in a teacher? creativity

What do you want most in an ally? A good left hook. Kidding… actually, honesty. Tell me if I’m wrong, don’t just stick blindly with me. I appreciate clear vision in those helping me. I'd never forgive myself if I accidentally led someone into a bad situation because they didn't think they could tell me I was being stupid.

What do you want most in a team-mate? communication

What do you want people to remember most about you? That whether or not I succeed, I do try.

Writer-specific:

Your favorite work you've written so far: It's called Sketches. Short story.

Your favorite character so far: Nick Whitby. Chef extraordinare, painter, solo academic with a thing for therianthropy. Has zilch idea how money functions in the real world, a twin sister, and an unrequited love for his best friend's girl, who was formerly his. Yeah... He's a sweetheart. Fun to write...

What you plan to write soon: a piece of what I'm told is creative non-fiction, a new climax for a novel that's been eating me (because I screwed up the climax), a short involving a shrink who wears tube socks under his man-sandals.

What inspires you to write: everything: the blue of the sky, the green of leaves in mid-July, babies laughing, a tall latte, the sizzle of bacon, the breeze that comes just before the cliched calm before the storm... being tired, being sad, smiling; sarcasm, cruelty, kindness; the color of pistachio pudding...

What makes your writing stall: occasional bouts of no confidence, exhaustion…

Do you get writers' block and how do you overcome it? Yes; procrastination in the form of doing a billion other things until I have nothing left to distract me from being unable to think of anything; ask for advice that I may or may not take...

Middle-Earth specific:

Your favorite ME character(s)? Fingolfin, Feanor, Eomer, Boromir, Morgoth

What do you like about them? Bravery, creative spirit, loyalty, I’m not quite sure, and pure conflict, respectively.

Your favorite moment(s) from the Trilogy? When the cock crows at sunrise and the Rohirrim appear to save Minas Tirith to the sounds of trumpets.

Your favorite plot twist(s) from the Trilogy? Eowyn/Dernhelm

Looking at your personality as it is, what race do you belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Noldo. Numenorean. One of those...

What race would you *like* to belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Elves; though they’ve experienced all of the world’s sorrows, they never fail to appreciate even the smallest of the beauties.

What place(s)would you live in Middle Earth and why? Dol Amroth… though I’ve got this thing about getting in the water, I love to be by the ocean and I suspect the sun over the water is rather amazing… I could happily live with Beorn though, and enjoy his diet.

Where would you want to visit? Why? Mount Doom; volcanoes, though they terrify me, have long held my fascination.

How would you travel? By horse: fast enough to avoid boredom on the road, slow enough to appreciate the journey.

Besides the usual camping & travel stuff, what single special item is in your knapsack and why? A beat up blue notebook with a black gel pen tucked into the spiral binding.

[littlemanpoet]

Reading Tapestry 1 again, I've got this notion that I'm not going to be put out about if it's too intimidating. Here it is; feel free to just tell me 'no'.

Not only to write fun characters and an interesting story, but make Tapestry 2 something readers not only want to, but enjoy reading on its merits as a good ripping yarn.

What does that mean? It means working together in discussions to post great mixes of narrative, action, dialogue, and inner-thought stuff. For example: I tend to post too much dialogue and not enough of the other stuff. Other writers get into the heads of their characters so much that I start to nod off. Shoot for balance that attracts the reader. If you don't want to shoot for this, I'm cool with it, but I'm going to shoot for it myself.

Reactions? Whippings? Thoughts? *LMP ducks*