The Great Forest

[Ally C]

OOC: I'm a fan of Tolkien's work and just thought I'd offer the following 'scenario' which is of course inspired by his writings. I don't know if I'll have time to develop a story here, but would welcome any comments and criticism anyway. I hope you enjoy the following short piece.
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THE GREAT FOREST

The forest was old beyond the reckoning of men. Some said it was old beyond the reckoning of time itself. It had stood since before Ents had trampled the earth; but its exact origins are lost, as sure as any would be who set foot therein.

The trees had long since turned black inside and shunned the sunlight. They grew few leaves on their thick, gnarled boughs, for their mighty roots had penetrated deep into the soil beneath them. Deeper still into the bedrock, until they found dark and poisoned streams far beneath the surface. Streams which had themselves once seen the light of day, but had vanished during ancient battles when the world had been torn asunder and made anew.

So it had slowly taken place: at first a whithered branch here and there ... and with the inexorable passing of time the slow death of the forest itself. This change did not go unnoticed. In happier times elves had lived there, for there was much that grew that could be eaten, and the streams which danced across the forest floor where clear and pure, and had not been tainted by the evil that remained underground from so long ago.

The elves had noticed that all was not well from when the first signs appeared. They had tended the trees as best they could, but to no avail. Some had said that if dwarves had lived in the region the source of the evil would have been dug up long ago. Others had pointed to Moria, and said the loss of such a mighty forest was better than finding out what lay beneath. Whatever the case, underground it remained; entombed in stone as it fed the forest above with evil.

As the hearts of the trees grew darker with each passing year, so too the forest itself became darker. Gone were the songbirds and small animals that roamed freely. In their place came the cruel cacophony of crows, the heavy noise of large and evil creatures, as they prowled through the near-hidden paths that crisscrossed the thorn-bush filled forest floor. As for the elves, they had long since left this place. Many had set sail on their final voyage, others had headed to safer havens where others of their kin still resided.

Only one now remained. She was Alcina, meaning in the tongue of men 'Powerful Friend', for she had been lost to the forest before her naming, and Mother Earth had nourished her as best it could. Rarely was Alcina seen at the edges of the forest; but when she did venture there she was known and hailed by any passing by. For it was of no small amazement that one so young in elfen years could survive alone. Only 33 years, as reckoned by Men, had she been alive, yet all who lived and travelled near the great forest where glad to see her, for they knew that she slew many great and dread beasts, and thus did she receive her name.

So it was that Alcina came to be. Some hailed her as the princess of the Great Forest. Some likened her to Ellandriel, but she was no faerie queen, and her realm was so different to Ellandriel's Ageless Forest. Things were soon to change even more; for evil begets evil, and that which lived beneath was awakening ...

[Edited by Ally C on 03-27-2001 at 02:59 AM]

 

[Ally C]

feedback welcome

I'd really appreciate any comments from other writers out there. This is my first online attempt, and it's difficult to guage your reaction if there isn't one! I'm not looking for praise, just want to know if I've done the genre any justice, as I'm more of a reader than a writer.

 

[Lady_Siren]

OOC: Mind if I join and you write quite well in my opinion

IC: Her name was Athena she was an Elven warrior, she mostly kept to herself usually. Not many knew her though they knew of her. She was the daughter of a very respected elven lord. Her father had ounce ruled over a good portion of the Great Forest before it had died. Athena herself had lived there for a while but her father had one day decided he would find out the evil that killed his forest and had left for the underground, that day was the last day anyone ever saw of her father. Afterwards the kingdom had fallen apart and everyone had left the forest Athena was then left alone. She left the forest in search of some place where she might live. For days she traveled but found no where where she might be comfortable. She ended up in a forest so beautiful, much like the Great Forest in it's earlier days. There she fell into an exhausted sleep and had awoken with fairies everywhere. From that day forth they had taken care of her and taught her many skills. When she reached an age equivilant to 18 in human years she left on her own to travel the world with one goal in mind, to find and destroy the evil of the Great Forest.
So here she was standing but a few feet of her childhood home, a few feet from where her life had begun. Athena took a deep breath and lead her horse into the forest...

 

[Ally C]

OOC: Feel free to develop this thread any way you like Lady_Siren. I can't guarantee being here on a regular enough basis to keep things going. I wrote the piece as it's something I've been wanting to do for ages. I'll be 'lost to the forest', as it were, but if you want to continue and involve others, that would be great. The forest is big enough for us not to meet at first anyway, so if anyone else wants to help evolve this small corner of a Tolkien inspired world, go for it. I don't think this would necessarily mean the 'story' collapsing into a convuluted mess - more that the scenario I've presented can be used for any 'explorers' who may want a platform for characters they've used before or for developing / introducing new characters. The Great Forest can be a story within other stories if you like - other travellers can offer their own 'experiences' of it as they go between other threads / adventures. I've hurried my own story along below, but don't let that rush any of you into action. Like I say, there's a lot of Forest to be explored.

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IC: Although known to many beyond the borders of the forest, if only as a rumour to some, a bedtime story to others, Alcina was very much alone within that dark and dreary place. Mosses and strange plants, many poisonous to the touch, covered the ground. Where leaves still grew high in the ancient canopy they had now darkened and became with age like darkened leather. Under this dreary roof of dead and dying vegetation the sunlight flitted here and there. In any other place this would have been pleasing to the eye, but not here, for the light played tricks on the eyes - and many an errant traveller had lost their way upon entering that place.

As with any forest, a host of creatures dwelt; but this place was now inhabited by grim beasts who hid themselves for the most part until night when they came out to feed. Spiders of great size had entered the forest some time ago from secret places in the mountain passes to the East. Now
that side of the forest was most perilous, for it was strewn with webs as strong as steel, yet as fine to the touch as the most delicate silk. Wargs had been heard at times from the northern borders, and some had even said that Orcs and Goblins were moving into the forest in small groups.

It was a widely held belief by those who cared for such matters that the forest, though now corrupt and in decay, was still a place of Elven lore, and thus not entirely lost to whatever Dark thing dwelt there. For Elves left their mark on wherever they passed in ways that Man could not. Neither did they delve into or quarry the land like the Dwarves. And so it was that some streams still flowed which could be drank from, and berries and the like grew near these which could be eaten, if one had the skill to know them.

But now something had changed, another of her kind had come, and that which slept stirred yet more as one who is about to wake at any moment. The Dark thing no doubt felt the energy of another of its most ancient of enemies. Alcina felt the menace growing as she ran to the heart of the forest. It was there that she kept the last physical reminders of her people. The sword which Glorfindel himself had once held, in happier times, before he fell to his doom. Her Elven bow and arrows, which she used when hunting foul creatures, and which Elrond himself was said to have made. The sword was glowing now in its hidden place, proclaiming the coming of a foe who was mighty indeed. Alcina ran ... she could not see the sword, but felt it calling her. She had to gird herself for battle, this she knew - and ran on she did, as fleet of foot as a deer through pathways hidden by time itself.

But this time the heart of the forest had turned blacker than night itself. Evil hung in the air, the earth shook violently, and Alcina knew that the sleeper would soon rise. She was nearing her secret place now, filled with dread like never before. Part of her wanted to turn and run the other way; to go and warn she who had come to leave and leave now. She knew it was too late for that. What she didn't know was that her secret place was no more, as she stumbled out on to the edge of a great pit full of foul vapours. There, some way down she saw the Sleeper surrounded in fire, and slowly moving. The flames did not harm the Dark thing that wakened, for the flames were of its own making. It was then that Alcina wept and fell to her knees. She had never before seen what lay at the foot of the pit, but she still knew that a Balrog had come.

[Edited by Ally C on 03-27-2001 at 03:01 AM]

 

[Morgoth]

OOC: I am a great admirer of Tolkien's work(as you can see by my name) and would love to join. One minor issue concerns me, though. What era is it? Morgothian, Lost Year, Chain Years, Post- War, Sauron, Post- Evil?

 

[Ally C]

OOC: Hi Morgoth. I've deliberately left any specific reference to an 'era' as I felt it might be useful for participation by others who aren't fully versed in all things Tolkien. Think of the 'Great Forest' as embodying the spirit of Tolkien's work, rather than being 'true' to it. I know that this might be an issue for purists, but I think that there may well be just as much room to explore fantasy and character development (if not more) without recourse to specific (i.e. 'outside of the Forest') details / history. I'm reminded of a book I read some years ago called "Mythago Wood", which was by Robert Holdstock (I may be wrong about the author) ... [have you read it?]

Like I said earlier, I lack the time to regularly make contributions to any stories here, so feel free to strike forth on your own adventures. You never know, you may come across 'Athena' in your travels?

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IC: No doubt Ally's sword - for it and other of her gear had tumbled into the pit - troubled the Balrog; for it was fashioned using the Elven cunning and magic of bygone times, when Elves were still at peace with the world and held dominion over much of its fair lands. Ally looked once more into the pit at the Darkness that lay there. Filled with dread she backed away from the edge on all fours, turned and ran into the forest. She knew that her home was doomed and headed for the one thing in the whole world which could save her ...

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena glanced around, she could feel the evil hanging in the air, she could feel it pressing down upon her to the point where she could barely breath. She resolutely continued walking into the forest heading deeper into the belly of a monster it seemed. The deeper she whent the less light there was and the more the evil pressed upon her. Her horse danced around sensing the danger that lurked around them. Athena kept a firm grip on her horse the other hand resting on her sword hilt. She knew where she was headed. She was going to her old city, the elven capital that was destroyed so long ago. Her birth place...

 

[Ally C]

The ancient trees though twisted and rotten, had seemed to show some semblance of respect for Alcina in the times before the coming of the Balrog. Even then, they were precariously clinging - like a young sapling on a cliff-side - to memories which where as elusive as the wind. But now the black sap which rose in their ancient timbers seemed to beat with a fresh vigour, keeping tune with that which slowly sat up in the pit. Added to this baleful melody was the beating of drums throughout the forest ...

Somewhere, far off, a horse danced uneasily, its nervous percussion echoing in the cold air ...

[Edited by Ally C on 03-27-2001 at 03:02 AM]

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena continued to stay alert and she walked through the forest. As the sun set she realized she needed to rest and found a semi clean spot. She tied her horse to a low hanging branch and sat down leaning against a tree. She wondered what had happened to make this place turn evil so fast, what contaminated all she held dear? Athena sighed softly her eyes drifting closed as she slipped into a restless sleep.

 

[Morgoth]

Infar, a human warrior, sat at the edge of the Great Forest. He stood up and sighed wearily. "Why do I have to go through here?" he asked himself. But he already knew the answer. So he tied up his pak and checked up on his weapons, then walked through the gates.

 

[Ally C]

All stories which have ever been told are but part of one great story. Like a bustling city of Men, or the vast underground dwellings of Dwarves, these stories teemed with many lives which revolved around each other without any apparent meaning. But the random design of life was tempered by powers which, although diminished since the Beginning, still intervened from time to time in affairs of the world.

It was such a power which was now felt in Alcina's heart as she ran. For that which the Elves fashioned was not crafted without purpose, and the magic that resided in Elven creations lived on, some saying that the work of the Elves had at times a life-force of its own. So it was that the greater story now could be felt making its presence known. For all that has and ever will happen is never without reason. It was not by chance that Glorfindel's blade had found its way to Alcina, even though it was lost to her back in the pit. It was not by chance that Athena had returned. It was not by chance that another was at this time entering the Forest, not one of her own kind this time - but a Man. For good cannot exist without evil; and just as the balrog had awoke and other foul creatures moved in the forest, so too good had returned - had been drawn to this place to confront the gathering darkness.

But this was no time to go unarmed, and though she knew this place so well Alcina also knew that she was in great danger. The path she took led East toward where the spiders lived, yet she hoped that this path would be avoided by Orcs and the like, for all creatures were filled with dread at the thought of those things descended from Ungoliant.

When the mind is filled with fear and doubt, when the body is lost in headlong flight, these are the times when it is all too easy to miss the warning signs. For the path was newly trampled and leaves and twigs were newly snapped by the passing of others ... yet Alcina had failed to notice.

On and on she ran ... into the next small clearing. It was there that the first black arrow pierced her, sending a sharp pain through her right leg as it tore into her thigh. The second arrow entered her right side also, just above the hip. She stumbled, half falling ... trying to reach the other side of the clearing and lose herself in the forest, just as the third arrow punched into her shoulder. Darkness filled her mind as the horrid grunts of Orcs filled the air. Confusion and fear made her do the last thing she should have and she stopped momentarily, and leaned upon a tree as a fourth arrow struck near her head. Watching as if in a dream, Alcina saw the black sap run forth from the tree like the blood which now ran down her body. With a last effort she stumbled on into the darkness ahead of her as a final salvo of arrows whistled through the air ...

[Edited by Ally C on 03-27-2001 at 03:03 AM]

 

[Lady_Siren]

Atena awoke with a start sitting upright. She heard the whistle of arrows though it was a great distance from her. She jumped up wondering what was happening. Making a quick decision she jumped onto her horse and headed in the direction of the arrows. She had a sense of dread fill her body and yet she rode on.

 

[Morgoth]

Infar heard orc arrows. His training instantly took over and he charged through the woods and saw an elf being attacked by orcs. Drawing his sword, he leaped into their fray and went to work.

 

[Ally C]

Hidden in the undergrowth Alcina pulled the arrows from her. She had thought that Death would be marching through the forest, coming to claim her, for the arrows of Orcs are tipped with poison, and she had waited for the final darkness to fill her body and carry her soul away forever. It was now plain to her that the Orcs had been hunting for food perhaps - for their arrows were not poisonous; and though in great pain, she knew that Death was not at hand.

Lost in the task of removing each arrow and trying not to call out in pain, Alcina had almost failed to notice a curious change in the Orcish noises in the near distance. At first they had called in loud wails of celebration as they anticipated her death. But now the screams which filled the air had changed in tone completely. They were screams of fear and flight. Now the clash of swords was heard, and Alcina crawled as best she could back toward the clearing and watched in marvel. Death had come after all, but not for her. A man was there, and as she watched he turned quickly, beheading a great orc with one fell swoop, as others crashed out of the forest and charged him. In the forest archery had its limits, and the Orcs had surely spent their supply of arrows by now, for they swarmed out of the trees at he who had come, black swords drawn for battle. It seemed that a great host of Orcs was at large, for on the dark tide came. But the man stood his ground, wielding his sword with great skill. Dark fountains of blood spurted through the air as Orcish limb was cloven from Orcish body. The man's face was lifeless as stone as he concentrated on his grim task.

Though filled with awe, Alcina did not see how this one man could with-stand such a foe. She felt sick to her very core as she turned and vanished slowly into the forest. For though the warrior was mighty indeed, she was sure that he could not endure forever, and that the Orcs would soon be on her trail once more. It was with the heaviest of hearts that she now staggered away, the cries of battle becoming lost amid the gloom. Her wounds had healed enough for her to risk moving faster now; and though she had lost much blood, the dread which filled her gave forth an energy which carried her on into the forest, until all sounds were completely lost to her.

[Edited by Ally C on 03-27-2001 at 03:05 AM]

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena arrived at the clearing just in time to see a man fighting and killing all the orcs. She then noticed an orc sneaking up behind him "watch out"! she called quickly and seconds before the orc could kill him Athena shot it with an arrow of hers directly between the eyes. She hopped off her horse and unsheathed her sword. She needed a good fight, one to put her back in practice and with that thought Athena joined the man in killing the orcs.

 

[Morgoth]

"Welcome to the part", grunted Infar. "Could I ask of your name, Mi'Lady? Damn, these orcs are too simple for my tastes.

 

[Ally C]

OOC: I've just been having a glance through some of the threads here and there are so many brilliant storylines. I think this forum really does provide a valuable outlet for creative writing and exploration of fantasies. You may have taken note of my hasty departure from the battle? The reason for this is that I cannot commit to making regular contributions to ongoing stories, much as I'd like to. This being the case I'll stay 'one step' ahead, so to speak, for the time being. It'll save me boring you by making you wait for my next random instalment. I'm not sure if this will be feasible in the long run, as it would be impractical for me to keep 'running off' everytime you appear on the scene! Thanks for your contributions nonetheless. It's a very satisfying experience seeing others inhabit and interact within the 'Forest', and I can certainly see the appeal of bringing back the 'King and Country' thread, for example. I know you are busy elsewhere with other characters and adventures, but again, a big thanks for taking some time to help me out with my first foray into ORP here at Lit. I was thinking of maybe appearing in smaller cameo roles as different characters just to add some depth to proceedings. At least this way I'd be able to have more input when I am here. Would this work? I know I'd have to introduce and explain any new characters, but is this a practical idea? Let me know what you think. In any case, however you decide to participate here in the future (if at all!), I'd just like to make it known that I have no problem with anyone 'leading' the storyline here. The more the merrier too; so if you want to initiate further (new) scenarios in the Forest - go for it! I'll be darting in and out from time to time as best I can!

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena glanced at the warrior and flashed him a smile as she shot an orc that was coming out of the forest with an arrow. "My name is Athena, and you sir? "

 

[Morgoth]

"I am Infar. Pleasant day out isn't it? Wish there were some Balrogs or at least some trolls around, though", said Infar calmly, his blade singing as another orc collapsed.

 

[Behemoth]

Entrance of a bumbler....

Suddenly both Infar and Athena turned, weapons wielded, as a crash issued from the thickets.

"oh, bumbles and bogawarts, where am I now? Why can't I ever make it THROUGH these cursed thickets, oh, my apologies, great and noble trees, but you block my vision, oh, BOTHER!!!"

Athena glanced warily at Infar. He grimly returned to his task.

With a great thrashing of branmbles, a newcomer appeared before them, riding a small donkey. It brayed loudly, stuck by thistles.

"Oh, no, we can't be put in ANY DIFFICULTY by our masterm, now can we, my dear idiot? Dear me, no, mustn't inconvenience the ANIMAL, of course, not, oh bother...."

Athena and Infar turned from this strange visage, not sure of his identity or allegiance but assured of his harmlessness, at least for now.

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena turned her attention from the new arrival and back to the battle at hand, if you could call it that. She swung her sword and cut down another Orc. She glanced at the Infar out of the corner of her eye then once again turned her attention back to the Orcs.

 

[Behemoth]

My oh MY!

The newcomer blew a strand of brush out of his face, straightened his tunic, and looked up. Suddenly he realized the situation he was in.

"My oh MY!!" he excalimed, as he watched these two combatants forging a path through their adversaries. Quickly he pulled out a musty tome, well worn by the ages. He Read quickly, muttering to himself, then pointed a finger. A bluish haze surrounded his hadn, then his arm, and a small concussion shook the air. Athena and Infar whirled again to see what this previously innocuous traveller was up to. They saw him again, sitting atop his donkey, five dead charred orcs around him. He grinned shepishly.

"Well met, my colleagues?" he wheedled.

 

[Lady_Siren]

Athena's eyes widened at the show of magic. Recovering from her shock she smiled at the new arrival, "Welcome" she said deciding that he was on their side.

 

[Behemoth]

OOC: INfar, infar, oh wherefore art thou, Infar?

 

[Morgoth]

OOC: Behemoth; I am not angry with you. Do not get that impression when you read these next few sentences. I;m just trying to be helpful Adress people by their usernames, not their characters. Do not expect all users to be on at the smae time as you, or maybe even the same week as you. Try to keep other people's character controlling to a minimum. Hope you take these hints, or you might find a less than warm welcome from some people. I know I did when I first started. A side not: There are only 2 types of real magic in Tokien's world: Extremely powerful fire( think dragon, balrog, and Morgoth fire) and medium and weak lightning spells. You're character's spell, of course, could have been a medium lightning.

IC: Infar turned to look at the strange person. "Who are you?" he asked.