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IMLADRIS

IMLADRIS
The group is told to take a week of rest in the Last Homely House as the injured and sick among them heal. The Elves promise them that after the injured are healed, there will be a great Council, with representatives of several peoples in attendance. There Lord Elrond will meet and assist them with speaking with the Green.

Until then, they can wander the peaceful halls of Rivendell, which are filled with travelers from all over the Wilderlands who are making a rest stop while they travel through the lands of Middle-Earth.

There are many halls in Rivendell, but the most notable part of Rivendell is the Hall of Fire, a great feast hall where people can eat, drink, and be merry. Alongside chairs, cushions line the floors in much of the hall. This is the great social hall of Rivendell, where the Elves and their visitors share news of lands far beyond, tell stories, or perform music. The music here almost sounds divine, especially when the Elves sing and play instruments, but they're just as eager to hear songs from other lands, so if any of the squad decide to share, they'll be glad to listen.

Some of the hall's guests are a touch more lively than the others, like a party of dwarves staying at Rivendell. Their stories are a mite more adventurous and if you get in their good graces, they might be willing to share some of the beer they brought with them. Listening to their stories or their talk about their craftmanship is a way to get into their good graces. They have news of the lands beyond.

The Elves love learning, so there are libraries the group is allowed to browse, though they mostly only contain tales of Middle-Earth (for now), though the Elves seem to be collecting what books about other lands they can. These libraries often have viewing stations with telescopes pointing at the sky. Though concerned about what it portents, Elves have been almost delighted by the changing skies, enjoying the challenge of trying to understand how the sky has been knitting itself together with the addition of new worlds.

There are also beautiful balconies here, overlooking the gorge and the waters below, and terraced gardens filled with flowers, bushes, and flowering trees. Their rooms are open to the outdoors and have beds that seem grown into the shape of bed-frames instead of carved. The bathrooms actually have running water. The Elves have figured out how to direct the clean running waters of the gorge in primitive indoor plumbing. Water for hot baths has to be heated first in brass cauldrons over coal braziers before getting dumped into the bath, but are at least located right next to the tubs.

Different flowing slides and fountains can also be used as waterslides for the adventurous, though this will make the Elves tut in disapproval. (X cw: warning for mild nudity from a distance.)

It's time for the squad to rest, eat, and regroup. If a great Council is going to be called involving them, it might be a good idea to make sure they go into it as a united front, because the Green is clearly fine with trying to make decisions for them.

OOC DETAILS
❧ Cursed Weapons/Powers: So they know about how they'll be treated: those with cursed weapons and dark powers will be tolerated by the Elves after entry. While they'll get the same general treatment, the Elves around them may at times seem uncomfortable. Those with cursed weapons will only be distrusted a little, as the weapons themselves will seem more suspicious than their bearers. Those with dark powers or some kind of dark nature (such as being a vampire, Necromancer mage, werewolf, etc.) will be treated with the greatest distrust. But they'll be allowed to wander freely.

❧ Communication: The Elves will make it clear a Council will be called when the injured have time enough to heal and that the group can stay in Rivendell until they're all healed and refreshed. They'll be told they'll be equipped with weapons, clothes, and supplies when they eventually leave. The characters can move freely and characters can stay at the bedside of injured friends.

❧ Injuries: Characters with morgul-blade wounds will be find that any areas or limbs where the shard was will no longer hurt but will be numb at first, with feeling returning over several days. They'll be physically weak for several days at well, winded when walking a short distance. Within a week or two, depending on their constitution and the severity of where the wound was, they'll be able to walk on their own and start to rebuild stamina. Other non-Morgul-blade injuries will heal fully within a few days of treatment.

❧ Clothes: The group will not yet be fully equipped for their travels (that will happen upon leaving) but everyone will at least be given new clothes in Elven styles since theirs are dirty or torn. These are in many different colors but most commonly colors found in nature, like green and blue. Characters without appropriate footwear will also be given light and sturdy boots that will somehow be in their size without their size being asked. They'll also be given basic toiletries like scissors that can be used to cut hair and beards. There are no razors, however, because the Elves don't need to shave so they don't keep them on hand.

❧ Food: Food and drink are plentiful. The food leans towards fruits and veggies but there's enough game for any meat-eaters, cooked well in unknown spices. Wine is abundant, some vintages more inebriating than others. The restorative cordial miruvor is available to help weary travelers get their energy up and revive their strength. It doesn't get characters drunk but helps them revive their strength. It has a light, pleasant floral taste and smell. Beer can also be provided, though that of the traveling dwarves is superior to what Rivendell has to offer.

❧ Weather/Atmosphere: Rivendell is open to the outside air but the temperature is always perfectly temperate and pleasant. The sun shines frequently and is only lost behind shimmering mist. Sunsets and sunrises paint the sky in sections of the valley in every color imaginable. The valley is safe to travel in as long as they don't go back past the Ford of Bruinen or through the gap in the mountains past Rivendell on the valley's opposite end. The air is filled with the smell of green things and delicate perfume of flowers.

❧ Archivist Spells: Around the valley, Archivists can bank up to (4) iterations of a water spells that blasts a brief torrent at an enemy, with the force of a fire hose.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh!"

That's one of the nicest things someone has ever told him ~~ever~~ in this world. No, Dan's lies don't count. In fact, now that he has someone in his corner, he doesn't need to depend on him, or to even see him again. He's not a toy, he's not the emotional equivalent of the ugly friend, and while he might be the hate glue that keeps everyone together he doesn't have to be there for it. He'll just flee every interaction, allowing himself to speak to Filbo and Jennifer every now and then. Also Elle, but only when she's a mountain lion.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"Sure! Anytime!"

Filbo is a chronic people pleaser, really, but he embraces that role and turns it into a completely genuine thing. Part of it is because he hates loneliness, and he hates having been alone in the past, but he does want to connect with people and for others to connect with each other too.

Intending to distract Price somewhat, he waves at everything that could be seen from the balcony.

"Also look! We're in this place! It's so...otherwordly!" Filbo says, apparently really not realizing that yes, by definition everything here is otherwordly. To someone who all he knows is a typical city and whose experiences with the world out there are limited to a town and a months-long expedition into a deserted island, Rivendell is absolutely fantastical. "Does anything get your attention? Or is it all stuff you had seen before?"

Maybe Price has seen places like this one before! It could be this is all so normal and mundane it warrants no attention at all, but still!

"Yes, it's beautiful." Price agrees with an unfamiliar warmth in his voice "I missed looking up at the sky. I have been unable to do so for many years."

He is referring both to prison and Project Freelancer. He remembers how excited he was to be flying all the time while doing his job, it was like a dream come true, and then it became a nightmare. While on the Rig, he still didn't look at the sky much when he went out on the roof, truth is he wasn't used to it. He still isn't used to it now, but these moments of solitude are giving him the time to witness this beauty for many years.

"Usually too busy to take a breather, Price?"

There are so many reasons to be unable to enjoy simple things such as looking up at the sky. The least bad is that you simply are so immersed in your life and job stopping to relax for a while and just look upwards is impossible, he thinks.

"Yes, I suppose. I'm also glad I get to see animals, I really like Daniel's horse."

He gets sad because, again, Dan. He probably won't be able to pet Concrete Blonde anytime soon, too.

"However, there is also a lot of value in the workplace. I find myself missing that too."

How has Dan managed to bring that horse along all this time Filbo has no idea. Maybe at some point Price somehow will get his own horse too. It could happen!

"What¿s your job, exactly? I mean, what is it usually like?"

"It was mostly paperwork." note the usage of the past tense, Price is unfortunately not delusional enough not to acknowledge that the happy times of his life have been over for a while and will never come back "But there were many interesting parts, like interviewing the agents and our artificial intelligence."

Definitely sounds like a paper pusher. The sort of paper pusher who...apparently doesn't have that job anymore -- the past tense is definitely noted. Filbo considers for a moment if he should ask questions or if this is a touchy topic, and decides to ask more anyway. He's a little bit too curious to back down right now!

"I-I see! But, um...what is...artificial intelligence?"

Technology in his world stagnated pretty badly, without progressing much since a couple decades ago or so. Grumpuses never invented computers, and of course, that means a lot of modern inventions simply don't exist. Television and the movie industry are doing well despite that somehow, though.

The concept of 'artificial intelligence' is a complete mystery, so much he can't even make the association of Cammie's new robotic animal with those words, even though he met it a very short while ago!

Ah, how do you explain artificial intelligence?

"An artificial intelligence is...A technology we are studying. They are programs which operate through mathematical algorythms and principles, and they are employed to assist humans. The Director and I were running a military organization, so we wanted to use this technology to enhance the armour of our soldiers. It did not work out due to...Complications."

So it is technology to assist you, with military uses, including improving armors. Huh.

"Sounds very sci-fi"

Extremely so! Price is a man from the human far future, and clearly it has advanced to a point where everything is hard to imagine for the average grumpus. A time where simple drones can be invented somehow but boomboxes and reel films still are commonplace probably is far away from having this sort of special programs for any use, military or not.

"What sorta complications? The technology wasn't working properly?"

"AI can be so advanced that it can develop emotions like human being. Sometimes, like in the case of the one we have been using, it can be even based on a human being. I believed, and still believe, that channelling the energy of those emotional patterns properly could be very helpful to our cause. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case for all those patterns."

He shrugs.

"There were also ethical debates being made at some point, but those were, as always, excuses to police our studies and discoveries."

Oh dear. That attitude towards things like ethical debates is not news to Filbo. Now that's an argument he has heard before in the somewhat recent past from someone he knows at home. With some luck these discoveries about artificial intelligence and channeling the energy of emotional patters didn't involve 'dangerous methods' or 'questionable behavior' for the sake of success.

It probably did, he thinks. Welp.

"That's how it is, I guess. I know someone who would say all those problems are just because slack-jawed babies don't understand the benefits, or...something like that"

Filbo's reply is very neutral, that's for sure. As he sees it, a lot of the time the concerns aren't unfounded, but he can't judge without knowing what was going on -- and he can tell a can full of worms when he sees one.

This is not a can of worms, this is a tank full of worms.

"Mh."

Price side-eyes Filbo, trying to think of what kind of crimes he could've possibly committed. As many obfuscating factors as there are, Filbo seems to have this...Suspicious air to him. Not in a way that is going to hurt Price, just in general, and this compassion kind of confirms it.

"Well, there were risks and understandable concerns. It's the judgmental statements that I am not fond of."

A secret great quality of Price is that he doesn't mind opposing opinions, in fact he's always very curious to learn, and if an enemy didn't have the pretense of acting like they were morally superior he would even support them. He does have, after all, admiraton for the Reds and Blues, despite them playing a role in tearing down the project. If anyone were to ever need someone to bury a body, Price is the right person.

The good thing about Filbo is that while he's unmistakably a softhearted person with moral standards, he's not one to preach to others. He's likelier to be an enabler, even if he doesn't take active part in stuff. The most he has done actively is help cover up the true deadly nature of Snaktooth Island as a witness with false testimony, and he had good reasons to help with that.

"Maybe there will be other chances in the future"

Chances that, hopefully, won't include flagrant ethical violations.

The future, really? Price doesn't have a future, he learned through Carolina that he is going to die on the Tartarus. Whatever this is, it's a nightmare without a meaning. Or who knows, maybe it's hell. That's what he gets for not believing in the afterlife, now here he is being punished at basically all times. Still, he will pretend that there is a future to look forward to, as an act of courtesy:

"What do you mean by that?"

Edited 2022-02-19 18:23 (UTC)

"Like...maybe even though this one didn't work perhaps you'll get another chance at some point. Hopefully...without violating any ethical codes? And without getting judged"

He shrugs.

"It probably won't be anytime soon but I'd say sometimes what went wrong is that it wasn't the right time or the right place. Who knows"

Filbo absolutely should not be encouraging Price like this. It's not even telling Price what he wants to hear because that's definitely not what's happening, it's encouragement to avoid looking into the past and focus only in what's ahead -- the mindset he himself uses to deal with problems, really.

Were he to know the extent of everything that happened, he would probably outright try to nudge Price away from the terrible parts of the plans, but knowing nothing at all other than the vague allusions Price made about some's reactions Filbo fell into his usual kind of encouragement. He completely means every word of it, but it's definitely not the sort of thing he should be saying.

"I'm not sure, it was a...Peculiar situation."

He grimaces, then emits a deep sigh.

"On one hand I am glad that there isn't that much pressure, but...I really liked my job. And--"

He pauses for a moment, wondering whether he should say it or not. Yes, he should, all the little tidbits he drops are just bait to let people believe they have him figured out. They haven't, even those who got a couple things right.

"And I doubt I could be that skilled again, my performance has been...Worsening, lately."

Worsening, he says...

"W-What do you mean?"

A lack of practice, perhaps? Like Caleb, who asked people to help him practice his magic to turn people into animals, he wonders.

"I wasn't able to get my agents back, while on the Rig."

He legitimately used to think he was becoming old and stupid because of that failure, but ever since he got here it was confirmed.

"And now, everything is hard..."

Of course, he doesn't suspect that Rowena injured him that severely. He doesn't know magic, it is not something measurable.

'Everything is hard' is such a mood and it's one Filbo sympathizes fully, that's for sure.

"I guess it's not the sort of difficult time that's solved with someone else's help either, huh..."

If it was something as simple as having someone with you to help, Price wouldn't be so affected by it, he's sure. Filbo is aware Price's relationship with people in general is currently...rough, to put it kindly, but he doubts Price wouldn't reach out to someone else if he felt that was what was needed.

Telling in such a situation to ask someone for help sounds...insulting, in his opinion, so he doesn't.

Edited 2022-02-19 21:12 (UTC)

Price massages his temples. Great, another headache.

"Sister Sawbones helped me when I lost consciousness. Although I still feel...Unwell. Perhaps I just need some more time."

Yeah, no, he knows that he is no longer the genius he used to be. He outsmarted people and it allowed him to survive, it was his whole identity, and now he can't have that anymore.

"........"

Filbo winces. He takes Price saying that as a bit of a confirmation that yes, maybe letting Price stay away from people is not a good idea. Last time he saw him Price wasn't fainting and being all weakened, then he went away, and now he returns and he's sickly and not in prime condition.

You know what, he's going to take this matter into his own paws.

"Alright, listen me for a moment here. You probably do need some more time to feel better, but personally speaking it'd be nice to know you're taking care of yourself, so...how about you come see more often? At least so I can make sure you're not feeling worse and fainting somewhere far away from Sawbones or any other doctor.

Then, once you're in good shape, maybe you will be able to deal with everything else. I dunno if I can even help with your problems, so I won't promise anything about that, but the least I should do is...um...make sure you're kinda okay?"

Okay enough to deal with your problems, pretty much.

"Sorry, I'm just kinda worried...eheheh..."

Worried enough to feel he should make such an offer to at least watch out for Price's health.

Edited 2022-02-20 01:11 (UTC)

"Really?"

Price is surprised. Filbo seems genuinely worried about him rather than worried about others getting hurt because of him. It's the first time in forever that something like this happens. Last time it happened was way before Project Freelancer, meaning something that he completely blocked out. His life before the project simply doesn't count.

"I'd like that."

"Great!"

Price accepting is such a relief. Filbo isn't sure what he'd have done if he had said no -- well, other than stew in worries and most likely try to convince someone else to check on Price from time to time. Now that'd have been a pretty difficult ordeal and he knows it.

"I was kinda afraid you'd say no!"

"Are you...Are you sure you actually want to do this?"

He bites his lips.

"I understand that you want to contain the damage and look out for the team, but you don't have to put up with me if you don't want to."

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