Valar Guild

February 21, 2016 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)

AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

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Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending: (4)
    Arien-(Valar)/AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Lenwe-(V)/perseid28, VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting
    Pidgin and Skype suggested as more for consideration for meetings.
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
    Shoutbox up for those logged into our Forum.
Gaming
Tolkien:
    Topic : Fall of Numenor
After -meeting:
    Ar-Pharazon: more gaming news including flashgaming reviews.
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Before-meeting
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
VardaValar1 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Phar! You made it. :-)
ArPharazonV: Yes! I need to stay in the room though, apparently, or restart AIM to get in again. Still feels a bit iffy.
VardaValar1: ok. My computer is lagging, before AIM.
ArPharazonV: I didn't even change anything and I'm still using the 5.9 version (shouldn't go out of support until march 15).
VardaValar1: ugh
ArPharazonV: Just a temporary hiccup, I hope.
VardaValar1: Will you be changing soon? Don't want you to be stuck with something falling apart.
ArPharazonV: I already have 7 installed. Just not using it yet.
ArPharazonV: And Pidgin too.
VardaValar1: Whether it looks great or not, I really need someone helping with keeping transcripts.
ArPharazonV: I did a lot of experimenting the last few meetings.
VardaValar1: heh, good to hear.
VardaValar1: What do you think of Pidgin? I've been considering it.
ArPharazonV: Arien and I tried Skype too, which works, and even makes it easy to save transcript in a way.
ArPharazonV: Ehrr... not done too much of it yet, the room wasn't working for me in that either.
ArPharazonV: It seemed less useful, really. But that might be a matter of not knowing how everything works.
VardaValar1: Skype less useful or Pidgin?
ArPharazonV: Pidgin.
VardaValar1: Never had anyone send a transcript from Pidgin, don't know.
ArPharazonV: Skype too, but a viable alternative if the room-thing doesn't work in its entirety, like last few weeks.
ArPharazonV: Huh, I didn't look into that, really.
ArPharazonV: But for now, I'm here.
VardaValar1: Huzzah!
VardaValar1: I think I have Skype installed somewhere. :-)
ArPharazonV: We should probably add you then :-)
VardaValar1: Aye
VardaValar1: Gorlim says he's used Skype
VardaValar1: Does Skype have both text and voice?
ArPharazonV: It does, but I don't use the voice thing. It requires calling in.
VardaValar1: Like a phone call? Teleconference?
ArPharazonV: Something like that.
ArPharazonV: It's originally a phone-alternative, I think.
VardaValar1: But good for text?
ArPharazonV: I think so. Not checked if there's a length limit though.
VardaValar1: Be nice to know if it holds something meeting-length.
ArPharazonV: Can't find anything about a limit on a first google search.
VardaValar1: Bodes well :-)
VardaValar1: Any Arien sign?
ArPharazonV: Afraid not.
VardaValar1: ok, maybe on Rift
ArPharazonV: Says she hasn't been online in about 22 hours.
VardaValar1: Invitations made
VardaValar1: Arien flying in :-)
AriehnV has entered the room.
AriehnV: PHari :-D
ArPharazonV: Aiya! :-)
AriehnV: Aiya Varda and PHARI :-)
VardaValar1: Aiya Sunshine :-)
VardaValar1: You are not alone. :-)
AriehnV: it is good to see you both :-)
ArPharazonV: Feels more lively already, eh? :-)
VardaValar1: Here's an url from Gorlim, pretty entertaining:
VardaValar1: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/02/the-30-best-fantasy-book-series-of-all-time.html
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: had lotr but didnt have anything by moorcock or zelazny
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: yeah.. it was bogus but an interesting thing to see what the children think is good. for example they had GoT in the list and I find it beyond borning
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: this was the comment that set the list on fire..
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: K Tempest Bradford • 5 days agothis is the whitest, most boring list possible.
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: heh sjw at work .. :-)
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: it wasnt numbered but it had the Black Company as the first series and thats a pretty good epic fantasy
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: But folks really objected to not have any Elric / Eternal Champion or Amber in the list
VardaValar1: Maybe we should make our own list. :-)
ArPharazonV: Ah, of course Discworld's in there too.. ;-)
ArPharazonV: Pratchett, whose Discworld books imagined what might happen if the characters of an ostensibly high fantasy-type universe grew up a little, only to develop thoroughly modern foibles and anxieties.
AriehnV: yes i miss Darkover and The Heralds of Valmar though ^^
ArPharazonV: Yep, that sounds like a good summary :-)
AriehnV: Glad that The Pendragon Saga and The Broken Empire made it in there
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: for example they skipped Riddlemaster of Hed (all 3 vols). I dont now if a lot of folks read it but its probably better written than 99% of the stuff out there
AriehnV: although those were a bit of a scary read
ArPharazonV: I think it's more the "most popular" rather than the "best"
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: Bards of Bone Plain reads like epic poetry.. McKillip has a touch with language thats mighty
VardaValar1: You have a point.
VardaValar1: Have to wonder what makes a story "best". If it's popular, it did something right, maybe.
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: I also noticed that they skipped Elizabeth Moons Paksenarian novels
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: i would make 2 lists with two criteria and merge them.. im appreciate literary epic fantasy but not at the expense of story
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: lots of folks dont like new wave british writing (like Elric) but it was a mighty story
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: i was thinking of Eternal Champion stuff.. lot of different styles there..he wrote like 15 different trilogies
VardaValar1: Anyway, we were considering whether to put our question out on our own forum, or on the LotRO forum, or where?
VardaValar1: [Kinship] Morwena: i cant believe that they skipped Amber tho.. and for the matter Jack of Shadows.
VardaValar1: ok, maybe I should get this into the more formal meeting even if it's just us three here. :-)
VardaValar1: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
VardaValar1: Membership:
VardaValar1: We are still here, a venerable and still active group. Thank you for helping to keep it going since October 4, 1997!
AriehnV: Hooray :-D
ArPharazonV: Huzzah!
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VardaValar1: Web:
VardaValar1: I started to work on an article, but it might turn into a poem instead. ;-) Still diggng around. No art ready yet.
VardaValar1: Would Conan be a model we might consider for Art? Fantasy, also Gaming? Not all that Tolkien...?
VardaValar1: I've been waffling over it. A model by DeepGroover-T upcoming.
ArPharazonV: Interesting view on Aragorn perhaps...
VardaValar1: Heh, maybe. A fantasy king from way back
AriehnV: some link :-)
VardaValar1: DeepGroover is still working on it, so no pressure yet.
VardaValar1: Here's the starter on it:
VardaValar1: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208633244928121&set=rpd.1220035571&type=3&theater
VardaValar1: Sword not in hands yet, but you get the idea.
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VardaValar1: Gaming:
VardaValar1: StarCraft 2:
VardaValar1: Blizzard announced some changes to co-op play, then released those changes in patch 3.1.3.
VardaValar1: Heroes of the Storm:
VardaValar1: Blizzard announced two upcoming features.
VardaValar1: LotRO:
VardaValar1: Turbine was going to put some servers in Europe, probably Amsterdam, but learned that by working with the current servers, they could keep them in the USA.
VardaValar1: So they're trying that. They think it will go well, but for now, we're experiencing weird lag and crashes. Probably working on code in the background too.
VardaValar1: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?600902-Data-Center-Update

VardaValar1: Oh, back on Web, pardon:
VardaValar1: Our forum now has a Shoutbox, a live textbox, enabled.
VardaValar1: It goes for about 200 lines, probably not enough for a meeting, but nice for conversation with a buddy who's on the forum when you are. :-)
VardaValar1: Eonwe was wondering if people would like to keep it?
ArPharazonV: It looks interesting, yes, but it'll be weird to have something on the forum that isn't permanently archived.
VardaValar1: It's just for chatting, and aye.
VardaValar1: People don't seem to be chatting on the main forum. Need a subject to get everyone interested, I guess.
ArPharazonV: Shoutbox might help the more casual chat, true.
VardaValar1: Arien and Phar, Eonwe and I all tried it. Those comments are still there. :-)
VardaValar1: Looking at it right now.
AriehnV: yes i would suggest to keep it active
AriehnV: its nice for what you said and gives members a chance to keep comments active during the day in an easier to use feature than the forum .. i mean as in quicker accessible
VardaValar1: Beats trying to post to each other back and forth. I've tried that, and it sort of works.

VardaValar1: Any other general gaming news?
ArPharazonV: Love is in the Air is almost over in WoW, get your stuff while you can!
VardaValar1: Thanks :-)
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VardaValar1: Tolkien:
VardaValar1: Did anyone have a topic in mind, before I step in? Considering Tolkien Moments.
VardaValar1: We can discuss them if we like too. :-)
VardaValar1: This part is quite long, but considering excerpts.
VardaValar1: Silmarillion. "Akallabeth".
VardaValar1: Not quoting yet...
VardaValar1: The Numenoreans had a transition period between being the people who had earned the Land of Gift and having it sunk. Even the Faithful were somewhat disturbed.
VardaValar1: The whole thing was over the new-found fear of death, which at first they had properly received as the Gift of Men.
VardaValar1: But then they began to fear it instead of considering it a gift.
ArPharazonV: When your life is good, it's hard to imagine the afterlife being better :-)
VardaValar1: True
VardaValar1: They lacked data. :-)
VardaValar1: They knew the elves could go to Valinor by sailing or after death, even if they had not done good deeds in their time in Middle-earth. They seemed undying, and the humans felt cheated.
VardaValar1: They complained to the Elves. The Elves were disturbed and reported the words to Manwe who was grieved to see a darkness on the noontide of Numenor.
VardaValar1: So
VardaValar1: he sent messengers to the Dunedain, who spoke to the King and all who would listen.
VardaValar1: They explained that going to Valinor would not make Men undying.
VardaValar1: /quote
VardaValar1: And were you so to voyage that escaping all deceits and snares you came indeed to Aman, the Blessed Realm, little would it profit you.
VardaValar1: For it is not the land of Manwe that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land;
VardaValar1: and there you would but wither and grow weary the sooner, as moths in light too strong and steadfast."
VardaValar1: /endquote
VardaValar1: The King brings up Earendil who still lives, but were reminded that he has a fate apart, adjudged to be one of the Firstborn, and can't come home again to mortal lands.
perseid28 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: This was going on in the time of Tar-Ciryatan the Shipbuilder and his son Tar-Atanamir.
VardaValar1: Aiya Lenwe :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
perseid28: Aiya :-)
VardaValar1: To the Numenoreans, the Elves going to Valinor seemed unpunished even if they did wrong, being undying.
AriehnV: Aiya Lenwe
VardaValar1: But that was not reward or punishment, but fulfilment of their being.
VardaValar1: They couldn't escape, bound to the world, never to leave it for as long as it lastss, "for its life is theirs".
VardaValar1: The Numenoreans felt they were being punished with death for the rebellion of Men, although they had but small part.
VardaValar1: But it was not first appointed as a punishment.
VardaValar1: /quote
ArPharazonV: Question is, why would they want to escape? They were doing pretty well on the other side of the ocean :-)
VardaValar1: (true)
VardaValar1: (grass is greener?)
VardaValar1: "Thus you escape, and leave the world, and are not bound to it, in hope or in weariness.
VardaValar1: "Which of us therefore should envy the other?"
VardaValar1: The humans answered back that they were required to have a blind trust, hope without assurance. "And yet we also love the Earth and would not lose it."
ArPharazonV: Maybe humans and elves should switch fates now and then, get an idea of what the other side thinks, and maybe they'll want to go back to their original.
VardaValar1: heh. Maybe so.
VardaValar1: The Messengers admitted that even the Valar didn't know the mind of Iluvatar concerning Men, and were not shown all things to come.
VardaValar1: Humans could change things, not stuck with a destiny.
VardaValar1: (last line was purely mine)
VardaValar1: The Messenges go on to say
perseid28 has left the room.
VardaValar1: "your home is not here, neither in the Land of Aman nor anywhere within the Circles of the World.
VardaValar1: The Doom of Men was a gift, that only became a grief to them because
VardaValar1: "coming under the shadow of Morgoth it seemed to them that they were surrounded by a great darkness, of which they were afraid;
VardaValar1: and some grew wilful and proud and would not yield, until life was reft from them.
VardaValar1: "We who bear the ever-mounting burden of the years do not clearly understand this..."
ArPharazonV: Or they're just attached to the world they grew up in.
VardaValar1: Aye. Quite natural.
VardaValar1: "The love of Arda was set in your hearts by Iluvatar, and he does not plant to no purpose.
VardaValar1: "Nonetheless, many ages of Men unborn may pass ere that purpose is made known; and to you it will be revealed and not the Valar."
VardaValar1: This answer was not terribly satisfactory. After all, they wanted to know what was in store, not some vague thing.
VardaValar1: Some of the Numenoreans were going to the shores of Middle-earth, no longer being great helpers, but after tribute.
VardaValar1: The Messengers had come to Tar-Atanamir.
VardaValar1: He was the 13th king, and Numenor had been around for 2000 years.
VardaValar1: more than 2000.
perseid28 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: It was "at the zenith of its bliss, if not yet of its power'>
VardaValar1: ".
VardaValar1: Aiyata Lenwe. :-)
ArPharazonV: Looks like the zenith of its bliss was already behind them.
VardaValar1: Tar-Atanamir was quite underwhelmed with what the Messengers had said, and his people followed his lead.
VardaValar1: Sounds like it to me too. On the drop.
VardaValar1: Atanamir was the first Numenorean to cling to life beyond all joy.
perseid28 has left the room.
perseid28 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Lenwe's having a tough time - visiting his folks so he's in an odd situation.
VardaValar1: Have a hand! Maybe we can help you stay on the internet. :-)
ArPharazonV: *staples Lenwe to the chatroom*
VardaValar1: Tar-Ancalimon, Atanamir's son, was next king (14th) and of like mind.
VardaValar1: *duck tape handy*
VardaValar1: *duct tape*
ArPharazonV: ...more friendly, yes
perseid28: hopefully the duct tape worked :-)
VardaValar1: Numenor became divided at this time.
VardaValar1: Yay!
VardaValar1: The larger party was called the King's Men, in agreement with him.
VardaValar1: They became estranged from the Eldar and the Valar.
VardaValar1: They grew proud.
VardaValar1: The lesser party were the Elendili, the Elf-friends.
VardaValar1: They were still loyal to the House of Elros, but wanted to keep the friendship of the Eldar, and hearkened to the counsel of the Lords of the West.
VardaValar1: They also named themselves the Faithful. But,
VardaValar1: they too were troubled by the thought of death.
VardaValar1: Nobody escaped in that climate.
VardaValar1: So the bliss became diminished.
VardaValar1: But it's might and splendor continued to increase.
VardaValar1: The kings and people had not wholly abandoned wisdom, and at least still feared the Valar even if they did not love them.
VardaValar1: They still didn't break the Ban or sail beyond appointed limits too close to Valinor.
VardaValar1: But they started delaying death any way they could, built great houses for the dead, tried to find methods to resurrect the dead, or prolong their days.
VardaValar1: The land was filled with tombs of incorrupt dead flesh.
ArPharazonV: Getting a Frankenstein vibe from that.
VardaValar1: hehe
VardaValar1: They turned more to revelry and pleasure, wanting more goods and riches.
VardaValar1: After the days of Tar-Ancalimon they neglected giving first fruits to Eru,
VardaValar1: and rarely went to the Hallow on the heights of Meneltarma in the midst of the land.
VardaValar1: In Middle-earth, the Numenoreans built their first great settlements on the west shore, for their own land seemed shrunken to them.
VardaValar1: They found no rest at home.
VardaValar1: They completely ceased acting as helpers and teachers in favor of lords demanding tribute.
VardaValar1: The tribute was carried back to Numenor.
VardaValar1: The Elf-friends had small part in such shenanigans, visiting more often then with the elves of Gil-galad, aiding them against Sauron. Their stronghold was in Pelargir.
VardaValar1: (Pelargir should be familiar with LotRO players. )
VardaValar1: Sauron rose again in Middle-earth and grew, at this time.
ArPharazonV: "Shenanigans" is a good word, but feels like an understatement in this case...
VardaValar1: He "turned back to the evil in which he was nurtured by Morgoth, becoming mighty in his service".
VardaValar1: Aye, bad word choice on my part, not fitting with the rest.
ArPharazonV: You actually had me wondering if it was in the book :-)
VardaValar1: Sorry about that. :-)
VardaValar1: Paraphrasing pages of stuff to get it in here.
VardaValar1: Interesting that it's not until now that Sauron realy turns back to evil.
ArPharazonV: Hehe, that's fine.
VardaValar1: All of this is the transition time, where we see the boulders starting to shake before the landslide.
ArPharazonV: Hmm. Maybe he felt like those who were still left in Middle-earth before the Numenoreans started sinking, weren't worth the trouble.
VardaValar1: In the days of Tar-Minastir (11th king), Sauron had fortified the land of Mordor, built the Tower of Barad-dur.
VardaValar1: After that, Sauron worked to become the king over kings and a god in Middle-earth.
VardaValar1: unto Men at least.
VardaValar1: Sauron hated the Numenoreans for the "deeds of their fathers and their ancient alliance with the Elves and allegience to the Valar".
VardaValar1: He remembered that Tar-Minastir rendered aid to Gil-galad in the time when the One Ring was forged and Sauron fought the Elves.
VardaValar1: And here were the Numenoreans, powerful, wealthy.
VardaValar1: Sauron hated and feared them, figuring they would try to take away what he had gained.
VardaValar1: In fear of the Lords of the West (presumed still friendly with the Numenoreans), Sauron withdrew from the coasts.
VardaValar1: This is the time of what are called the Black Numenoreans.
VardaValar1: This next part deserves a quote, pardon time needed to type, feel free to comment. :-)
VardaValar1: "Yet Sauron was ever guileful, and it is said that among those whom he ensnared with the Nine Rings three were great lords of Numenorean race.
VardaValar1: And when the Ulairi arose that were the Ring-wraiths, his servants, and the strength of his terror and mastery over Men had grown exceedingly great,
VardaValar1: "he began to assail the strong places of the Numenoreans upon the shores of the sea."
VardaValar1: "In those days the Shadow grew deeper upon Numenor; and the lives of the Kings of the House of Elros waned because of their rebellion,
VardaValar1: "but they hardened their hearts the more against the Valar.
ArPharazonV: Life and death for a Numenorean is like quicksand. The more you struggle, the faster you sink.
VardaValar1: "And the nineteenth king took the sceptre of the his fathers, and he ascended the throne in the name of Adunakhor, Lord of the West, forsaking the Elven-tongues and forbidding their use in his hearing.
VardaValar1: /endquote
VardaValar1: I suggest that it's at this time that the tottering point hit Numenor. Ar-Pharazon inherited this atmosphere and mess later on. Next up was Ar-Gimilzor, greatest enemy of the Faithful.
VardaValar1: The White Tree was then untended and began to decline. He stopped any use of the Elven-tongues, and punished those secretly welcoming the ships of the Eldar from Eressea.
VardaValar1: That's the end of the scope of the transition. Although more could be said for when it became bad enough for Eru to step in and change the shape of Earth.
VardaValar1: The Lords of Andunie were still around, of the line of Elros from Silmarien, daughter of Tar-Elendil, the 4th King of Numenor.
VardaValar1: That's the line that Aragorn comes from.
VardaValar1: But also at this time, all that was going on was known to Manwe.
ArPharazonV: Facepalming all the way.
VardaValar1: The Valar were wroth with the kings of Numenor, ceased giving counsel and protection. The ships of Eressea ceased coming to Numenor.
VardaValar1: heh, aye.
VardaValar1: The Lords of Andunie secretly aided the Faithful, but could not be open, and tried to use their quiet counsels to change the the hearts of the lords of the Sceptre.
VardaValar1: Tar-Palantir tried to stop the downward slide, but was too late. Numenor was too changed.
VardaValar1: Since the hearts of the people were unchanged, the Valar were still angry with the Numenoreans. The good king was not enough.
VardaValar1: HIs daughter Miriel should then have become the next ruler.
VardaValar1: Pharazon married her, although she did not wish it, and became king.
VardaValar1: He learned that Sauron was putting forth his might and calling himself the King of Men.
ArPharazonV: It should have been mine!
VardaValar1: There you go!
ArPharazonV: *channeling Boromir*
VardaValar1: hehe
VardaValar1: Sauron declared that he was going to drive the Numenoreans into the sea and destroy even Numenor.
VardaValar1: Phar, would you like to take up the story at this point? We could stop here or even a while ago.
VardaValar1: Just meant to hit the transition period.
ArPharazonV: Feel free to continue :-)
VardaValar1: As you said, Ar-Pharazon intended to take that title of King of Men for his own.
ArPharazonV: I was referring to the throne of Numenor, actually. But close enough :-)
VardaValar1: He decided without counsel of the Valar or the aid of any wisdom but his own, to compel Sauron to become his servant.
VardaValar1: Hey, you already had that handy chair. Not even a recliner, meh.
VardaValar1: So Ar-Pharazon had a great store of weapons made, and many ships.
VardaValar1: In Middle-earth, Men saw "his sails coming up out of the sunset, dyed as with scarlet and gleaming with red and gold, and fear fell upon the dwellers by the coasts, and they fled far away.
ArPharazonV: Geeh, where've I seen that line before *checks email signature*
VardaValar1: Thought you might like that. :-)
VardaValar1: "But the fleet came at last to that place that was called Umbar, where was the mighty haven of the Numenoreans that no hand had wrought."
ArPharazonV: That's right, we dug it all out with our feet.
VardaValar1: Now we know!
VardaValar1: Seven days travel, no one stopping them. Pharazon commanded that Sauron come before him and swear fealty.
VardaValar1: Sauron came.
VardaValar1: He left the Tower of Barad-dur and came.
VardaValar1: He made no offer of battle.
VardaValar1: He realize he could not trust even his greatest servants to go up against the Numenoreans.
VardaValar1: So he did it himself. :-)
VardaValar1: /quote
VardaValar1: "And he was crafty, well skilled to gain what he would by subtlety when force might not avail.
VardaValar1: "Therefore he humbled himself befoe Ar-Pharazon and smoothed his tongue;
VardaValar1: and men wondered for all that he said seemed fair and wise."
VardaValar1: "But Ar-Pharazon was not yet deceived..."
VardaValar1: Takes one to know one?
ArPharazonV: Couple of anti-Valar generations make one paranoid.
VardaValar1: Not wanting to let Sauron out of his sight, oaths of fealty or not, Ar-Pharazon took him as hostage for himself and all his servants in Middle-earth. Ringwraiths etc.
VardaValar1: /quote
VardaValar1: "To this Sauron assented as one constrained, yet in his secret thought he received it gladly, for it chimed indeed with his desire."
VardaValar1: /endquote
VardaValar1: Sauron looked on Numenor astounded, filled even more with envy and hate.
VardaValar1: Ere three years had passed, Sauron flattered his way into being the closest to the secret counsels of the king.
VardaValar1: All the counselors saw this and fawned over Sauron, save Amandil, lord of Andunie.
VardaValar1: The land changed, people changed, many of the Faithful became afraid and fell away.
VardaValar1: Then Sauron turned Ar-Pharazon and his people to the worship of Morgoth.
VardaValar1: Can't get any lower than that.
ArPharazonV: I should've seen it coming, really.
VardaValar1: Hard to do. That Sauron is one fast talker.
VardaValar1: Even if Ar-Pharazon changed his mind, almost everyone else was taken in.
VardaValar1: So just go out with a massive navy and go to the lands of the Deathless and become undying yourselves.
VardaValar1: They get there, see no resistance. (Sounds like what happened in Middle-earth.)
VardaValar1: No one is around.
VardaValar1: Manwe doesn't want to kill off the greatest humans in the world, brothers of the Valar, and doesn't want to anger Eru by committing fratricide.
VardaValar1: So he turns over his lordship to prevent such horrible murder on his part, to Eru.
VardaValar1: Eru has no such worry.
VardaValar1: He sinks the ships, sinks Numenor, changes the shape of the world from flat to round separating Valinor from Middle-earth.
VardaValar1: The Faithful are allowed to take ships to Middle-earth in very scary circumstances and barely make it.
ArPharazonV: Eru knows where they're going anyway, so what does it matter?
VardaValar1: He's fine with it. These were the good guys.
VardaValar1: Meneltarma blew up and Numenor sank.
ArPharazonV: Must've been a sight.
VardaValar1: Sauron hadn't expected anything this bad.
ArPharazonV: And I meant Eru knew where the people he killed would be going, anyway.
VardaValar1: True.
VardaValar1: Sauron "was robbed now of that shape in which he had wrought so great an evil, so that he could never again appear fair to the eyes of Men,
VardaValar1: "yet his spirit arose out of the deep
VardaValar1: "and passed as a shadow and a black wind over the sea, and came back to Middle-earth and to Mordor that was his home
VardaValar1: "There he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dur, and dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise,
VardaValar1: "an image of malice and hatred made visible; and the Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure."
ArPharazonV: "Meh, I left my best suit back there..."
VardaValar1: Oops.
VardaValar1: Looking for where it says the fate of Ar-Pharazon.
VardaValar1: Got it
VardaValar1: /quote
VardaValar1: "And all the fleets of the Numenoreans were drawn down into the abyss, and they were drowned and swallowed up for ever. But
VardaValar1: "Ar-Pharazon the King and the mortal warriors that had set foot upon the land of Aman
VardaValar1: "were buried under fallling hills: there is it is said they lie imprisoned in the Caves of the Forgotten, until the Last Battle and the Day of Doom."
VardaValar1: /endquote
VardaValar1: And yet he seems to have been given internet. Was that merciful or not?
VardaValar1: Pardon, mood breaker there.
VardaValar1: Done.
VardaValar1: I recommend reading the whole thing on your own. So much there.
ArPharazonV: Very merciful, I'd be terribly bored otherwise.
VardaValar1: Ar-Pharazon hesitated at the shore, started to have second thoughts, but pride drove him on. Too far to go back by then.
VardaValar1: You're welcome.
VardaValar1: Any further comment, suggestions, more wires or dumb-waiters down to Phar?
VardaValar1: *picks up a hammer out of the rubble*
VardaValar1: *gently taps the table*
VardaValar1: *Masses of rubble appear, burying the table and room.*
VardaValar1: *We rise up out of it, dusting ourselves off.*
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VardaValar1: After-meeting:
VardaValar1: Free chat. :-)\
VardaValar1: More there about Sauron and the Ringwraiths than I had remembered at first.
ArPharazonV: No names though!
VardaValar1: Aye. Grrr.
VardaValar1: Enough names in Tolkien's writings to fill an Encyclopedia already. And we wantsss more.
AriehnV: right ma ha .. sorry for my being silent but i followed in reading
VardaValar1: A lot to read!
VardaValar1: Probably be scary going back to check the spelling etc in the quotes. *peeks upward* Fast typing. Coffee cup held the book open nicely.
VardaValar1: Someday, may get these books as e-books on the internet. Easier to search and quote.
VardaValar1: But really have to notice every word when typing it in. Interesting.
VardaValar1: Oh, I can't prove the throne of Numenor wasn't a recliner.
ArPharazonV: Thrones should be recliner, to show the ability of the king to be lazy when he wants to.
ArPharazonV: *recliners
VardaValar1: After a long day of listening to gripes, one wants to show them the soles of the boots.
VardaValar1: His grape vines are growing onto my land!
VardaValar1: Guess it's time to see about feeding Manwe and all these Vanyar around the mountain.
VardaValar1: Ever wonder why they are always hanging around Taniquetil? :-)
ArPharazonV: Best chef of Valinor lives up there.
VardaValar1: Originally had thought about talking about the Vanyar. Maybe another time. This one sort of jumped out at us.
VardaValar1: Hey, chef! We could use some help in these huge kitchens! How did that recipe go?
VardaValar1: And which room do we keep the salt in?
VardaValar1: Will scroll back and check out your gaming news. Cheers!
ArPharazonV: Alright then! Phar's personal gaming news coming up!
ArPharazonV: I've got 3 flashgames for ye this week!
AriehnV: namarie from me and thanks for sorting out Phar's aim trouble :-)
AriehnV: i ll see yhou next week
ArPharazonV: Namarie :-)
ArPharazonV: Well, sorting out..
ArPharazonV: it just.. kinda seemed to fix itself
ArPharazonV: so I hope it stays fixed?
AriehnV: let us hope so
AriehnV: :-) there always is hope
AriehnV has left the room.
Flashgames
ArPharazonV: http://www.kongregate.com/games/light_bringer777/learn-to-fly-3 is the first game I'll give you! Sequel to a fun series wherein you play a penguin who wants to fly, and you get to upgrade his equipment as you go along. Now with more game modes!
ArPharazonV: http://www.kongregate.com/games/2DArray/spewer is the second game, a platformer where you play a blob in a laboratory and need to spew your way past obstacles. Bit icky, but cute!
ArPharazonV: and finally http://www.kongregate.com/games/eliolanda/sum-links is a math game where you have to link up squares with sums and subtractions to get the amounts required.
ArPharazonV: So 3 very different games this week!
ArPharazonV: Now,
Blizzard games.
ArPharazonV: Heroes of the Storm: Lunar Festival ends on tuesday! If you want to finish the quest for the Elder Monkey portrait, better get it quick :-)
ArPharazonV: Still doing some quests, gaining some levels. Nearly level 8 with Lunara, which unlocks a quite beautiful skin for her standard model, in my opinion. Otherwise, progressing all over the place!
ArPharazonV: Getting some practice with the new hero Li-Ming too, but my experimental arcane orb "artillery" build wasn't working out, even against AI. So I went back to a missile-build and topped the charts on my first match.. so I think I'll stick with that :-)
ArPharazonV: Hearthstone: Interesting brawl this week, with all your minions having taunt and charge. Got away with another cheap build, though, which is good.
ArPharazonV: Got a bunch of packs for my gold this week, including the last common card I was missing from the classic set. Bit of a milestone, though not very impressive ;-)
VardaValar1: Grats :-)
ArPharazonV: Thanks :-)
ArPharazonV: Diablo 3: Much progress! Finished my set, got the shield I wanted for my crusader, and made it over Paragon level 200. Chapters 4 and 5 of the season journey finished, but chapter 6 is a tough one, including several timed runs and a bunch of stuff on Torment 9. I'm struggling along on Torment 8 now, but I'm getting a lot of legendaries and set items for my trouble, and have got several legendary gems over level 25, which is an important threshold, because they gain their secondary effect at that level.
ArPharazonV: My current focus, gear-wise, is certain bracers and a set of 2 rings that I'm after, the latter of which is pretty vital to surviving on Torment 9 and 10 right now. I'm dying a few times now on T8, luckily it's not permanent :-)
ArPharazonV: WoW: Not much news, again! Still fighting the toy-rare each day, still trying to get the Nemesis quests done. Only 65 more kills for the Undead quest, then I only have Goblin and Panda to go. Might get those boosted, some friends got it done pretty cheaply.
ArPharazonV: I did get a new mount this weekend, the Flametalon from Alysrazor in the Firelands. In the same run we got a friend of mine the rare toy that turns catform into a firecat, which we'd been trying to get for a long time!
ArPharazonV: So it was a very lucky raid.
ArPharazonV: I also joined a group this friday in Highmaul, a previous raid in this expansion, to try for achievements, and we got all but one of them. I'm sure that one will come at some point though!
ArPharazonV: And next tuesday, if we get the people for it, we'll be trying out Mythic difficulty in the current raid, Hellfire Citadel, for the first time. Should be interesting!
ArPharazonV: Love is in the Air ends tomorrow morning, but I didn't get the mount. Unless I try again before then (and very likely even then!) I'll have to wait until next year to try again.
ArPharazonV: And that's my news for this week!
perseid28 has left the room.
ArPharazonV: *testing* still here?
ArPharazonV: Yes, I am.
VardaValar1: Hiya Phar :-)
VardaValar1: Yes, yes you are here.
ArPharazonV: Hi :-)
ArPharazonV: Saving and sending transcript!
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