WWXLV: The Fellowship of Saruman

[A Little Green]

"Well, my lady halfling", said Éomer, "if you do not explain your point better then I cannot try to explain myself and whatever it is about me that makes you uneasy. I have to cast my vote now, so based on reasons stated earlier,

++ Galadriel

because in the end she is the most sinister-looking of my suspects."


x-ed with lord Elladan and lord Bomba-ding-a-dillo

[Gwathagor]

Halbarad looked up and his face was grim, for these were his companions and friends.

“Who shall we follow? Where now is the path of wisdom? With Saruman gone, who now will lead us?

“Shall we follow Gandalf, who promises to withhold his vote, and then places it on the first bandwagon that forms, creating an elaborate theory to support his vote – a theory that contradicts his fellow bandwagoners’ reasons for voting?

“Or shall we follow Galadriel, who votes first, and gives no reason at all?

“Perhaps we shall follow the example of Elrohir, who votes his heart, and ignores his reason and good sense.”

He sighed again. He was still anxious, but his mind was clearer now.

“I do not know how I shall vote. Perhaps a traitor hides in the midst of the quiet and compliant and not among these three at all. I do not know. I shall likely wait until Bombadil has spoken, for he has shown both prudence and wisdom, qualities which I doubted he had at the beginning of the Day, and of which he has more than I.”

[Groin Redbeard]

Dain came wondering back to his companions with a sorrowful look on his face. He was not jolly and not mad, but very troubled.

"Well I've come to a decision at at last," he said heavily. "Lobelia, you seem to be the more troublesome of the fellowship, but I will not harm you today. For indeed if you were at all harmful I'm sure my cries of alarm would have sent a rippling effect through the wiser members of our fellowship, but it hasn't. Indeed only one has agreed with me on that part: Radagast, and that was only slight. I believe that the time for acting is now and those who delay are troublemakers, but the one that I accuse has out right refused to vote and will give us no better reason than to be patient and wait. Wait for what, for someone to be killed? Therefore the one whom I saw as the wisest among us is the one that I must accuse. May the Valar forgive me if I am mistaken."

++Gandalf

EDIT: X'd with Halbarad and Theodred

[Groin Redbeard]

"All this talk about lynching Halbarad is nonesense if you ask me." Dain said, after he had recounted himself with the companies discussion. "He is quite yes, but I still have to see some proven evidence against him. All we have now are a few gut feelings, this is no for any man to die: lynched on a bad feeling!"

EDIT: X'd with Gildor to the present

[Thinlómien]

"I had almost decided to pronounce my word of banishment against Mithrandir but then I paused to think if one of the servants of the Enemy would indeed be so openly foul-looking, if you catch my meaning... Already the sun has almost vanished and I can not choose. I do not like this."


edit: xed with Théo, Halbie and Daim
edit2: corrected a typo

[Nogrod]

"Good to see you back lord Elladan. Now I might just vote for you as you're present. Amnd you clearly were trailing "good-looking" suspicions earlier on. Not only to myself but to Radagast as well - and his case was even more out-of-the-blue than mine...

But still I like the actions of your brother even less..."

X'd from Théodred

[Gwathagor]

"Indeed, Master Bombadil, and what is more worrisome about Elrohir is that he did not even TRY to persuade us. Would a traitor do such?"

EDIT: Crossed with Lobelia

[Gwathagor]

"I fear I must vote for ++ Gandalf. I will explain my reasoning momentarily."

[Thinlómien]

"A silent moment before the end? Where is everyone?"

[Aganzir]

"Hiding. They are all traitors."

[Thinlómien]

"I have a bad feeling about this last minute voting flood that is to come..."

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

The dusk was coming when the Company stopped. They stood on a hilltop, with the valleys covered by holly forest behind them and barren lands in front of them, and the ground rising slowly to the east towards Caradhras, which far away still glowed faintly red in the last light of the vanished Sun. One by one white stars sprang forth as the sky faded.
"So it is me you want to leave," Gandalf said, stating the obvious. The others stood in a little distance from him in an unmoving half-circle. The old wizard leant on his staff and sighed.
"Even the wisest cannot always help, and I had the feeling this journey is taking a bad course," he said. "There is shadow above us, and Saruman was right. Alas, I cannot protect you against yourselves. I am not going to accompany you against your own will. Do you really want me to leave?"
Dáin Ironfoot clutched his axe. Halbarad shook his head.
"Mithrandir," said Gildor, stepping forward. "You have heard what Saruman told us. There are traitors among us. Yet you are very mysterious. If you know anything, or if you have anything to tell us, speak more clearly."
"I am afraid I cannot satisfy you, my dear Gildor," said Gandalf. "I actually do not know anything, one might say, or not more than most of you do."
Tom chimed in. "Hey and ho! My friend, if wisdom is what you show by being silent as stone, this is not what Tom expects from one like you. If that is so, you better go."
Gandalf looked at Bombadil. "So it seems, my friend... I pity I cannot help you anymore. Yet maybe this is the way it is meant to be: other hands must do the work while mine are elsewhere. You were always the moss-gatherer, and I was the stone doomed to rolling. Looks like I have to roll once again... but not with you. I wish you well, all of you."

Only silence answered him. Gandalf slowly turned his face to the north. He gave a final wave of his hand, and walked off at a surprising pace. The evening was closing in, and his cloaked figure quickly vanished into the twilight.

-----------------------------------------------

The Fellowship:

Aganzir - Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
A Little Green - Éomer
Groin Redbeard - Dáin II. Ironfoot
Gwathagor - Halbarad
McCaber - Elrohir
Meneltarmacil - Uglúk
Nerwen - Elladan
Nogrod - Tom Bombadil
Rune son of Bjarne - Galadriel
Sally - Théodred
THE Ka - Radagast
Thinlómien - Gildor Inglorion

Gone:

Gil-Galad - Gandalf (left the Fellowship in Eregion) - innocent
-----------------------------------------------

The first Collision is about to come. Traitors may start to PM each other already, and then send me their pick. Others may also send me their picks.

[Groin Redbeard]

Dain walked in silence listening to the argument of others. They were beginning to express their concernes and their suspicions of the other members, and this is when Dain spoke.

"Where is Eomer?" Dain said. "My suspicion falls on him at the moment, but I wanted to wait to see if he would talk, and it seems that he is nowhere to be found. I will give my opinion of him none the less and he can defend himself when he shows up.

"Eomer has in my mind been the most suspicious of all the fellowship right now. He speaks very seldom, infact only twice and one of them was to condemn Galadriel saying that she is the most sinister of all his suspects, but does not explain why. Indeed he seems to be the most hasy of us all.

"I now call on you to defend yourself against my accusation Eomer, Marshal of Rohan."

Dain fell into silence after this, listening to the conversations of others and waiting for Eomer's response.

EDIT: X'd with Gildor

[Gwathagor]

"I concur with Gildor that there is all too little talking going on.

"Presently, I am most suspicious of Elrohir and Lobelia. Galadriel seemd suspicious based on her vote of yesterDay, but since her explanation and apology she has not done anything else suspicious...indeed, she has said nothing at all.

"Elrohir's vote against Ugluk yesterDay was dangerous and flippant. It may have been the calculated decision of traitor wishing to hide behind a facade of semi-righteous indignation, or it may have merely been the action of an impassioned and angry, yet innocent. I cannot tell. However, the latter possibility is as dangerous as the former, if not more so.

"I voted for Lobelia to be Ringbearer, because I had great confidence in her courage and strength of heart. She has shown both of these qualities, but I do not like the way this has turned out for us. Since the beginning of our journey, she has been one of the most vocal members of our party and has accused nearly every member of the Fellowship, and most more than once. I have counseled scrutiny of all, but Lobelia has taken it too far. What are we to make of the fact that three-parts-out-of-four (three-quarters) of the Fellowship are, according to Lobelia, traitors? Finally, I do not like how her accusations seem to be based on personal dislike, with the circumstances interpreted to fit her biases."

EDIT: Crossed with Mistress Lobelia

[Gwathagor]

"I see Lobelia has decreased the scope of her suspicions. No doubt this will be for the best of everyone. I would speak further on what she has said, but at the moment I must travel ahead to scout out our path. I will return as quickly as I may, perhaps in 3 hours."

With that, Halbarad shouldered his pack and trudged off down the gentle boulder-strewn slope.

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by Lommy

I think he was either killed in order not to leave tracks - like I already said - or because Iarwain is a foul conspirator and wanted to kill someone only he had suspected in order to look more innocent, because in normal conditions traitors do not kill those they can turn the mob against.

" Fair Gildor, despite what others may say, I can see good reasoning in your words here. Though, if I may add now that i've looked back on the events of this journey I do not wholly think that brave Elladan's passing was trackless. There were not many, but a few who openly resented his judgement, but I do not believe they contained serious threats. If so, then we would have lost our heads indeed in such blindness. Instead there were others who did resent his words, but did not let their rage out openly, something that can be dangerous to a strained mind. If I may quote your own wisdom, we should look to what few words have been said by those who easily follow any suspicion. If anything, the traitors may be those who say this, or when confronted, they will come to defend those who unknowingly support them when the tide changes out of favor."

Radagast took a short sip from his waterskin and continued,

" Though Iarwain's actions do appear odd, I have to wonder whether if we were at his home or in his Wood, would he appear any more or less so. Though, I must think back more on this matter, since I cannot yet put names to trial so easily. Always remember, one swallow does not make a summer."

He resumed back to his analyzing of the past days as a bear searches the river, knowing that another look can bring a better catch.

[Aganzir]

Lobelia turned to look at Gildor and laughed dryly.

"So, at last, it has come to this! Yet I am glad that you seem to trust your own judgement, not that of Bilbo Baggins'. I hear you, and I can understand why you think the way you do. But my suspicions are those of an innocent.

"Also, I just remembered I was to accuse Halbarad of yet another thing: his reluctance to defend himself - until now that we have left Caradhras. It seems quite clear that in Hollin he tried to avoid the discussion swirling around him.

"Master Halbarad, I wonder why you find an angry random vote possibly more dangerous than the calculated decision of a traitor.
And why is it for the best of everyone that I have decreased my suspect list? Don't I have so many traitors there anymore?

"Éomer, you are sounding more honest now unless my old ears have lost their hearing. But I must disagree with you!

Originally Posted by Éomer

I decided also that lord Elrohir's vote, though hasty and ill-considered, did not straightly speak for treacherous intentions but rather of rashness or indifference. A traitor would try to affect the course of the voting more, I deem.

Or a traitor would try to survive. It doesn't matter much to a traitor who leaves, as long as he is innocent.

[A Little Green]

"I now call on you to defend yourself against my accusation Eomer, Marshal of Rohan."

"And Rohan will answer!" cried Éomer, hurrying to the others. "I have been scouting long and far today, master dwarf. I only just returned. What comes to my vote for the Lady Galadriel, I have explained my suspicion of her already. I found her the most sinister of my three suspects because I thought Gandalf might not have been that attention-seeking if he were a wolf, and there was a small doubt in my heart on whether the palantír had been trusted to his care. After all, he seemed a sensible choice for that from Saruman's part.
I decided also that lord Elrohir's vote, though hasty and ill-considered, did not straightly speak for treacherous intentions but rather of rashness or indifference. A traitor would try to affect the course of the voting more, I deem.
I did not have time to explain this along with my vote because I needed to let lord Inglorion talk as well.

"I have to support lord Gildor's question:

Those of you who did not vote in Eregion... who would you have voted and why? And why did you remain silent?

It has been troubling my mind as well. But there is another question I would like to ask as well. Why, lord Elrohir, did you cast your vote for Uglúk?

"I place my trust in my cousin Théodred, and not only because he is my kin, but also because his behaviour has looked sincere so far; in Dáin Ironfoot, who I have considered trustworthy for long, and still do; in Gildor Inglorion, for he has not given me any reason to suspect him; and in Uglúk, who looks to be among the most sincere in here. Indeed I now wonder if I have been deceived, for I hear Uglúk is very often suspected of crimes he did not commit so now that he is not widely considered suspicious, he might actually be guilty. For now I will still consider him innocent, trusting my heart instead of my knowledge of his deeds before he joined our company.

"My heart is torn about some of you. Master Bombadil I cannot understand, nor can I read his behaviour. Lord Radagast I fear, for his gentleness and friendly manner makes it feel difficult to suspect him at all. He has not given me any reason for suspicion as yet, but I fear that if he did, it would pass unnoticed by me and by others because of his kindness. Mistress Lobelia, though giving me an uneasy feeling, is grumpy towards all of us, which makes me think better about her; my heart says that she would try to be more agreeable if she were a traitor.

"Lady Galadriel seems more sincere to me now than she did before, perhaps because she now talks clearly, and in a plain voice instead of whispering to individuals. She seems to really have something to say.

"Lord Halbarad I am not decided about. I will think about what he has said and done for a while now."


EDIT: x-ed with Halbarad and Radagast

[Meneltarmacil]

Okay, I've got a lot of stuff that needs to be taken care of later with regards to hunting for food, so I won't be around in time for the deadline. I'm casting my vote now.

++Tom Bombadil

That Gandalf vote strikes me as suspicious.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Éomer

"Well, my lady halfling", said Éomer, "if you do not explain your point better then I cannot try to explain myself and whatever it is about me that makes you uneasy.

"Your beard."

++ Éomer

[Nogrod]

"what did I say about the uniform mind we had...? This is ridiculous as well.

Okay. Elrohir, Elladan or Gandalf for me. I will not venture too far at the last moment to catch a fish I have not looked at properly before."

[Nogrod]

"A good question master Halbarad. But maybe he just tried to avoid any scrutiny?" Who knows?"

[Nogrod]

How many around now as Gandalf has three votes and Halbarad 2 (and I don't wish to see him gone at least toDay)?

Okay. No one reporting in.

Sorry Olorin my old friend... I couldn't trust your self-security

++ Gandalf