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HOME SWEET HOME

Elrond let the gang decide when to leave, providing hospitality and medical care until they're ready. When the quest calls to them and they know it'll tug them along soon, he makes sure each is fully supplied and armed with weapons of their choosing, some custom made. They each have a pack, food supplies, and extra clothing. All of them get offered sturdy boots, even those who have stranger body types like Filbo.

He gives the group four copies of a book transcribed with the prophecies that had been brought to Rivendell, to be studied and interpreted on their journey.

Those who mentioned knowledge of the One Ring are briefly pulled aside away from the guests at Elrond's Council. They're implored to keep it secret, for the knowledge of Frodo's task could lead to people trying to steal the Ring when he's on a journey to destroy it.

Crowley is also released from the dungeon, with Elrond apologizing for the Elves' caution. It's at least clear he's been shown some of the same hospitality. He's healed up, well fed, and clothed in replacement clothes just like they all are.

Elrond's final goodbye to the whole group is warm and genuine.

"Namárië. It is a word we use for greetings and goodbyes. It means 'be well.' Whether you seek to help this world or try to find a way home, it is our hope that whatever paths you tread fly beneath your feet, and whatever obstacles you face are quickly overcome."

A pause.

"It would be easy to try to make you feel that the hopes of those in this new world go with you; but such burdens should only be carried by those who choose it. The Green will not admit it, but they have done you a great wrong. If you try to only find your way home, it's justified, and I hope you do find it."

Yes, there are prophecies, but making people do something by force is wrong, and all weary travelers deserve to find their way home. After a brief time of saying any goodbyes, they get to make their way to the other side of the valley. On the other side of the pass is the castle the Green spoke about.

The castle is a Frankenstein monstrosity that seems cobbled together from many buildings and machines. The second the last of the gang piles inside, it starts moving, massive legs clanking along. But where it's going is unknown. At least that means they have time to explore, rest, and get settled.

There are many mystical objects and mysteries within. One half of the castle seems to be a strange frozen realm of faerie, with strange sights to explore. But even the warmer side of the castle has its oddities. Magic waterfalls that show memories, and a scrying pool that shows frozen images of home, locked to the times each member of the squad left theirs. There are magical doors that lead to sights beyond the imagination, strange collections and even entire small realms, some beautiful, some dangerous.

The three magical creatures, Jonald, Ronald, and Rolkien constantly get underfoot trying to get the group settled, but refuse to talk about their former master, seemingly hurt at his leaving the castle.

The castle also seems to like assigning roommates for some of the group, making it so doors only open to their assigned room anytime they try to go to a place to sleep, even teleporting to them to the room if they fall asleep elsewhere.

It's a strange place, sometimes dangerous, sometimes annoying, but at least they have even more time to rest, train, plan, and prepare. They will have a few weeks to adjust to their new normal.

Then...who knows where the road will take them.
OOC DETAILS
❧ Prompts. The mods aren't doing prompts, but players can check out the page on the Moving castle for inspiration. The castle has many mysteries and oddities and absolutely anything can be behind the magical doors.

❧ Food and water. The castle seems to have an internal pressurized water supply and food is plentiful...for now. The food supply will not last forever but some food was left behind by the castle's previous occupants. There there's enough for a long break without hunting. There is some fresh food that's rotten and needs to be thrown away but whoever lived here clearly knew how to keep food prepared. There are cooking oils, flour, and sugar for bread and baked goods. There is jerky of various types of meats, dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, stores of nuts, jars of preserved fruit and jams (and empty jars to make more), and hard cheeses that need only a little mold cut off them to still be edible. Some of the jars have confit, meat cooked and preserved in lard, or garlic preserved in oil. A small root cellar has a few barrels of potatoes, parsnips, and onions.

It also has some barrels of beer and bottles of wine.

There are also dried herbs hanging in bundles from the kitchen ceiling, jarred pickled vegetables, and vinegar for pickling more. There are also fresh veggies the group can harvest together. The gardens will not be infinite in supplying the group but luck has it that many vegetables are ripe for harvest right now. The squad can pick juicy tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, radishes, blackberries from a small thicket, squash, and plenty of zucchini. The garden does need tending to stay healthy. Aside from harvesting from it, weeds need to be pulled, beans and tomatoes need to be trellised, spoiled veggies on the ground need to be tossed away.

❧ Bathing. There is no soap other than what the Elves may have given them but there are hot baths. The water has to be heated on a fire down the hall and carried to the tubs.

❧ Weather/Atmosphere: The air outside and inside is on the warmer side. Even though the stone is cool, the cooking fires warm the air to something comfortable. The air outside in the gardens is warm and sunny, with the occasional cool breeze due to the altitude.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It is very rare that someone actively tries to misuse a resource. If anything, most mistakes come into play while trying to do something beneficial. There is a reason why we have a saying that goes 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'."

Nothing sums Project Freelancer's fate quite like that saying. Depicting the Director and Price as agents of pure malice is a misled fantasy.

"That's...not great to hear when we have a lot of resources in our paws and we're gonna try to use them for something as unambigously beneficial as saving infinite worlds and lives"

Especially if they're being manipulated somehow! At a time like this, 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' seems like a prediction instead of a saying.

"Not that you're wrong, I guess. I mean, look at me, ahahaha...I have...magic and I dunno that well what I'm doing with it and I'm pretty sure sooner or later I'm gonna do something I shouldn't"

Filbo currently has some dark magic stored away with his Archivist skills. That's almost guaranteed to be a bad idea and he knows it, but he has it anyway!

"When survival is at stake, it is not unusual to go through with desperate measures which might backfire. In fact, I find it preferable to inaction, to refusing to take a possibly very successful step in the name of something so...Subjective as doing the right thing. The real problem is that, regardless of calculating the risks and benefits, regardless of predictions, hindsight is the only way to tell whether we were correct in making one choice as opposed to another."

Price shrugs.

"Morals are a blind spot for everyone. That is why a practical plan should be the priority."

"Man, this castle really has a sense of humor, pairing us in the same room"

Price dripping with pragmatism and Filbo with his boundless optimism. Ideologically, they're almost diametrically opposed.

"But...you got a point, I'm not gonna say you don't. That's just how it is. You know what's gonna happen? We're gonna have a lot of tough decisions and there probably isn't gonna be a result where everyone will end happy. I'm a mayor, I know so well there's always gonna be someone getting the short end of the stick"

Still, he shrugs.

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't at least try! A-And although it's just gonna be one voice, I'm at least gonna try to stay true to what I think, but...

...even if things go in a direction I don't like, I'm gonna come along. For the sake of our survival"

At the end of the day he'll swallow any distaste and aid in what needs to be done. He's a team player! If everyone decides to take a hard decision and, for example, forsake a village for the sake of survival and for the quest to work, then although it'll taste so bitter he'll accept it because he's sticking with this group to the end.

Sheepish, Filbo chuckles.

"Sorry, that must have come unsolicited. But hey, we agree to disagree, eh?"

Physically restraining himself from showing annoyance or discontent, Price holds his wrists behind his back like the Director would do. It doesn't nearly come across as equally aggressive, perhaps for the best. Price's disposition only knows three modes: helpless kitten, regal confidence, and murder. He picked the mold that looks less like an emergency service one.

Listening to Filbo's rambling, he smiles patiently.

"Indeed."

Edited 2022-04-06 11:14 (UTC)

Not realizing Price's body language, then he asks:

"Do you think all that was a little naive?"

He has to ask that. Filbo is generally down-to-earth and not as naive as he could be, perhaps surprisingly enough, given his demeanor. However he's well aware there's a fine line between optimism and outright deluding himself, and he always tries to stay on the side that's not unrealistic.

"If it was you probably shouldn't hold back. You probably know better than I do about this sorta thing!"

It's pretty easy to see from Filbo's eager tone that he means it. True, Price may have done a lot of very, well, criminal stuff, so trusting him on moral issues isn't going to work, but as he sees it, it's worth asking him anyway.

Whether the question is a test or not, Price is going to act like it is, for his own safety.

"I believe we don't actually have any choice other than doing our best to deal with the issues we are bound to be confronted with. We will encounter dilemmas and disagreements, and while it is important to be on the same page as we go through with a plan, differing opinions should be encouraged. Some courses of action might be more dangerous than others, although that would largely depend on the issue at hand first and foremost. Either way, echo chambers are unhealthy environments."

Filbo nods.

"Alright! Gotta keep it in mind, then. Thanks for your opinion!"

Maybe the reason why so many different people were brought instead of just a specific type of profession is because the Green wanted to avoid them to all think exactly the same -- in which case they sure succeeded on that regard. This has to be one of the least organized groups Filbo has ever seen about this kind of thing.

You do you, Green, he thinks. It was your decision, you made this bed, whatever happens is, pretty much, the consequences of your choices.

"Hey, how have you been holding up? Did Rivendell treat you well after we talked?"

Price's expression saddens.

"I have been having some...Physical problems, but it's alright."

Filbo blinks.

"Still with physical problems...?"

It has been a while since Rivendell. The elves took so good care of them, in general.

"H-Hey, do you have some sorta condition? Anything that could make you feel like this for so long?

Or, maybe, what's up is that Price's despair is still weighing on him, making his physical state frailer. That's far harder to solve, and perhaps even more urgent.

"Someone has used magic on me and I was...Injured as a result."

Dan, Jennifer and CT are the only ones who know - and Dan knows because he was there.

"I was not supposed to survive."

Perhaps it would have been better if he didn't. He lost his agents, he lost his power, and he lost the functional parts of his brain that allowed him to keep composure and to do the necessary scheming to have people under his thumb. Basically he lost everything that defined him.

Filbo stares at Price for a moment. Someone attacked Price with magic. Price already mentioned magic doesn't really exist in his world -- or at least it hasn't happened where Price could witness it, meaning...it probably was while he was somewhere else.

Here in the Wilderlands, most likely, unless he has gone visiting other worlds before and this isn't his first time.

Still, if it had been one of the many horrendous monsters and enemies that have tried to attack the group, why wouldn't Price just say that? Why be so vague? There's one possibility, isn't there? It could be someone in the group did it, for some reason.

"...who...who did that to you?"

Filbo seems alarmed. How not to be?

"It doesn't matter, she's gone."

Except the brain damage is still present. He massages his temples to relieve the headache.

"I'm just...Bothered by how limiting this is. If the Director saw me like this, he--"

He can't even finish the sentence. The Director betrayed him, and that already hurts enough, but the idea of the man being actively against him is unbearable.

"It doesn't matter she's gone! She hurt you and now you're in a bad state because of that. I know doing anything about that isn't possible now, but...still...

...

...I'm gonna be on the lookout for if anything happens to you during the night. Just in case"

Since they're roommates, better keep an eye on Price because something with such longstanding effects could be dangerous. Filbo wouldn't forgive himself if he was there in the same room and failed to notice anything, that's for sure, so he takes that decision right then and there.

"You know, you haven't said much about the Director. Your boss, right? What kinda person was he?"

Well, having an employee conduct dangerous and amoral procedures already says a lot, but the question stands.

"It's been a few months already."

Which he says in order to reassure Filbo, but it isn't reassuring at all. No one should go with untreated brain damage for months, then again the causes were not physical, there was no need to practise surgery to get broken pieces of skull out of his brain or what have you. It's hard to tell how to respond to something that doesn't even exist in his world.

His train of thought gets interrupted by the question.

"The Director was..." he pauses for a moment, because how do you even explain Leonard Church? "Revolutionary, in his field of expertise. He was hard-working, and brave. He wanted to help win the war, and since he could not go on the battlefield himself, he found another way by creating his organization. He was selfless, but then...His personal problems took over him, and he lost himself. He became harsh, even irrational at times, until he took his life."

He lowers his gaze.

"Everything around him has met a terrible fate," Price himself included "and now everyone chooses to remember him as a monster...But that's not who he is."

Edited 2022-04-14 12:36 (UTC)

It's for the best Filbo doesn't find out just how long ago it happened. Admittedly his concern is justified, given it's been a couple weeks or so since they talked in Rivendell and Price still hasn't shown improvement, but if he heard it had been going on for months chances are later he'd try to find someone with enough medical knowledge somewhere around here to do something about it. True, there may be good intentions involved, but at the same time it's kind of overbearing...although not unreasonable.

"Oh. I'm...sorry to hear about that"

The Director is dead, and Price obviously respected him. It feels kind of insensitive to ask if him being dead is another part of the reason why Price has been feeling all that despair, but Filbo is...pretty sure it is.

"So he was a selfless person he still is remembered as a monster..." A sign of bias on Price's part, perhaps? "Was it because of his methods?"

There has to be a reason why Price still thinks so highly of him. Filbo himself does a lot of mental gymnastics when he likes someone, maybe Price does the same.

"Yes...But here is a thing I don't understand: why is it wrong to sacrifice a smaller number of people in order to ensure the safety of everyone else? Is it not better to make this choice with the greater good in mind?"

He stays silent for a moment.

"There were a lot of complications under the practical aspects, many actions were unwise and had repercussions that were too severe. I can understand that part, and I agree, but I don't understand the principle."

Hell, all his life he has been treated like he was worth sacrificing for the good of everyone else, why is it different all of a sudden?

"...I mean...yeah, I get your logic. In terms of numbers there's no room for argument, but if I had to guess why most people aren't okay with it is, well...

...it's because most people don't want to be sacrificed"

As simple as that, as he sees it. The good of the many does matter, and it matters far more than most people would like to admit, and Filbo himself, by virtue of his job, was facing it already. Still...

"There'll be some who will be okay with being a sacrifice, but a lot of others will think otherwise. Not only that, the majority of those people will have loved ones and friends who won't want to see them be sacrificed. Almost nobody thinks about the greater good because...to them, the people in their lives are irreplaceable and important.

It...maybe it'll sound selfish of them to put themselves, or their loved ones above the greater good, but their opinions are as valid as any other. It's much easier to value what you have and can see, instead of the more...um, abstract? Abstract concept of the greater good?"

That's just how it goes, he'd say, and it's not like anybody can be dismissed as disposable. Perhaps it comes easier to Filbo to see it that way, because he's softhearted like that, but still.

"Being sacrificed is not a pleasant experience." he nods, wanting to make sure he conveys that he has been on the other side.

His expression darkens when Filbo speaks of loved ones. If that's the criteria, no wonder he always gets discarded.

"I see..."

Filbo shrugs. "But, you know, you probably shouldn't listen much of what I say about this kinda thing! What do I know."

His tone went kind of flat when he said those last four words -- not because of anything Price said, it's just a bad memory. He...knows more about people sacrificing themselves than he'd like to, having witnessed others do it, and having cooperated in making sure that sacrifice would stick. He kind of feels like he buried them with his own paws, if he had to be honest.

"You gotta have a lot of courage to let that happen to you, though. Not just anyone would...accept being sacrificed for anything or anyone, greater good or not"

Edited 2022-04-18 04:10 (UTC)

"I believe that if all the plans worked, the sacrifices would have been worth it." he explains, it feels so logical to him "Is that wrong?"

"........."

Well that's a tough question, isn't it?

"How...many sacrifices are we talking about?"

As if that'd help make a judgment on this, but at least it wasn't an immediate 'no it's not okay and you're bad for even suggesting it'. Looks like Filbo is actually giving it thought.

Price is about to answer but then stops.

"Do AI fragments, simulation troopers and civilians count?"

That pretty much says it all.

"I...think first one is a yes, then a 'maybe not', and of course civilians count!"

Price, why wouldn't civilians count? Filbo can kind of see why the first two perhaps wouldn't, but of course civilians would count!

Price thinks about it for three minutes.

"I see. Nevermind, then."

He shrugs. Just the way he shrugged when he blew up the state of Florida. Was it unnecessary? Yes, but he was so excited, pressing buttons is fun.

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ahelpingpaw - 2022-04-20 23:13 (UTC) - Expand

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myagents - 2022-04-21 16:44 (UTC) - Expand

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