Cinnamon Raymaker
As she feels the air currents lifting her higher, Elwing looks down at the earth below, seeing some familiar mountain landmarks and feeling a great sense of loss for the places she knew were no longer above the seas in the mortal world. She begins to complete a final circle into the current she instinctively knows will take her speedily on her way and says goodbye to the land as she speeds on to the west across the expanse of ocean between the Blue Mountains and the realms of Vana and Sylvhara.
Elwing's mind begins to dwell on the time she passed over Vana and had been assailed by menacing dark forces which pressed in on her consciousness as they physically forced her from the sky. Fortunately, the light of day still shines brightly around her, which somewhat eases her sense of foreboding about a return crossing. Her eyesight peeled to the landscape far below, she notes the rhythmic forces of Lord Ulmo's kingdom as the swells ebb and flow. The play of Lord Manwe's breezes on the very caps of the waves appeals to her sense of oneness with the natural world. A lightness of spirit fills her heart, and she soars through the skies believing she is almost hearing the songs of Eru Iluvatar! Hope for the return of her beloved, and with him the precious silmaril, begins to build within her heart and inwardly she smiles at the thought.
After the passing of a few hours, Elwing spies the rocky coastline of Vana and the spread of the kingdom of Sylvhara, leagues further on. A sense of foreboding hits her again as she remembers the darkness and the feeling of her skin crawling at the discoveries she made while exploring the deep inner caverns of Vana. She drops altitude a little at the thought of being pulled from the sky by that dark menace once again, but this time perhaps falling to her death on the rocky outcrop below. As she flies by, she sees the small cooking fires burning brightly and the bloom of flowers upon the land. It seems things have improved since last she was here. Though she again begins to wonder what has happened to the awkward but noble young Teleri fisherelf, Nimros, who had disappeared so suddenly.
Shaking her thoughts back to the moment, she notices in the distance a huge spiral of smoke and flames whirling up into the air. Knowing she will have time to return to Alqualonde before she becomes exhausted, Elwing veers to the north to investigate further. As she does so, she ascends to a higher altitude to make sure those on the ground below cannot easily spy her. From this altitude she will also be able to see the extent of the disturbance.
After a few minutes, she approaches the source of the hellish spiral and what she sees disturbs her greatly. Buildings hewn into myriad piles of rubble. Huge jagged gashes cut through both buildings and the earth. The countless bodies of the unfortunate residents of this place lying in piles of blood and charcoal: body parts scattered all over the seared ground. Elwing feels the radiated heat rising from the devastation just as she sees the source of this carnage departing the scene - Balrog! Demon of fire, servant of Morgoth.
"Blessed Iluvatar! What evil is this which is happening in the world?" she thinks to herself.
Immediately, the adrenalin pumping through her body forces all her strength into the muscles powering those huge swan wings, and she regains altitude, veers westward and speeds on her way to Alqualonde to raise the alarm with one thought in mind: It appears the dark forces are alive and well in the mortal world.
> Next Elwing > Next Balrog
Elwing's mind begins to dwell on the time she passed over Vana and had been assailed by menacing dark forces which pressed in on her consciousness as they physically forced her from the sky. Fortunately, the light of day still shines brightly around her, which somewhat eases her sense of foreboding about a return crossing. Her eyesight peeled to the landscape far below, she notes the rhythmic forces of Lord Ulmo's kingdom as the swells ebb and flow. The play of Lord Manwe's breezes on the very caps of the waves appeals to her sense of oneness with the natural world. A lightness of spirit fills her heart, and she soars through the skies believing she is almost hearing the songs of Eru Iluvatar! Hope for the return of her beloved, and with him the precious silmaril, begins to build within her heart and inwardly she smiles at the thought.
After the passing of a few hours, Elwing spies the rocky coastline of Vana and the spread of the kingdom of Sylvhara, leagues further on. A sense of foreboding hits her again as she remembers the darkness and the feeling of her skin crawling at the discoveries she made while exploring the deep inner caverns of Vana. She drops altitude a little at the thought of being pulled from the sky by that dark menace once again, but this time perhaps falling to her death on the rocky outcrop below. As she flies by, she sees the small cooking fires burning brightly and the bloom of flowers upon the land. It seems things have improved since last she was here. Though she again begins to wonder what has happened to the awkward but noble young Teleri fisherelf, Nimros, who had disappeared so suddenly.
Shaking her thoughts back to the moment, she notices in the distance a huge spiral of smoke and flames whirling up into the air. Knowing she will have time to return to Alqualonde before she becomes exhausted, Elwing veers to the north to investigate further. As she does so, she ascends to a higher altitude to make sure those on the ground below cannot easily spy her. From this altitude she will also be able to see the extent of the disturbance.
After a few minutes, she approaches the source of the hellish spiral and what she sees disturbs her greatly. Buildings hewn into myriad piles of rubble. Huge jagged gashes cut through both buildings and the earth. The countless bodies of the unfortunate residents of this place lying in piles of blood and charcoal: body parts scattered all over the seared ground. Elwing feels the radiated heat rising from the devastation just as she sees the source of this carnage departing the scene - Balrog! Demon of fire, servant of Morgoth.
"Blessed Iluvatar! What evil is this which is happening in the world?" she thinks to herself.
Immediately, the adrenalin pumping through her body forces all her strength into the muscles powering those huge swan wings, and she regains altitude, veers westward and speeds on her way to Alqualonde to raise the alarm with one thought in mind: It appears the dark forces are alive and well in the mortal world.
> Next Elwing > Next Balrog