January 21, 2024
Sunday Meeting
5:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place
Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for
Eastern, which is Valar time and LotRO /servertime.]
["Notes" come from Varda when putting the transcript online.]
Attending (and typed): (5)
Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon,
Eonwe, Sandalf13, Varda (presiding)
(Side chat from Pallando re
webwork.)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
Web:
Gaming:
World of Warcraft, Hearthstone,
Diablo 4, Diablo
Immortal, Warcraft Rumble, Lord
of the Rings Online
Tolkien:
Topic
from Varda: Tolkien Moment: In The Hobbit, Beorn
describes his version of Mirkwood to Thorin's Company before they
enter.
Some tangents include: trade, what food and drinkable water might
have been in Mirkwood (potential article for Mirkwood waterways);
(during After-meeting): what mithril might be (scroll down from
the joke question about the mithril gavel that started it), things that disappeared
from Middle-earth such as mithril and lembas (longish
section on lembas).
After-meeting:
Tolkien Chat continues.
(non) Flashgaming
Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games
afterwards.
top
Before-meeting
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 3:55 PM
Heya all.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 3:55 PM
Aiya!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 3:55 PM
Guess I made it in time for the meeting after all. For a minute
there thought I might be late because of all the stuff I had to do
before the snow starts.
[3:56 PM]
Got my cold food and cold drink and ready for the cold to settle in,
lol.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 3:56 PM
But now you've nowhere left to go, so let it snow, let it snow, let
it snow?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 3:58 PM
hehe
Arien Valar — Yesterday at 3:58 PM
Aiya
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 3:58 PM
heya
Varda — Yesterday at 3:59 PM
Aiya : )
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 3:59 PM
Hah, bought me a shrimp ring and it's still frozen after the ride
home.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:00 PM
Aiya!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:00 PM
Heya.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:00 PM
Maybe thaw in some water and munch during the meeting? : )
[4:01 PM]
@Bounder @Guild-friend Come on in for a Valar Guild meeting! Lurk,
chat gaming and Tolkien! Say hi to old friends!
[4:01 PM]
top
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:01 PM]
Membership:
[4:01 PM]
In important news, Eonwe has a shrimp ring we might all be
collecting around. Lord of the Shrimp Ring?
[4:02 PM]
Warmed up enough here to put the pot plants back out.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:02 PM
One shrimp to rule them all.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:02 PM
But it's cloudy, so hmm
heheheh
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:02 PM
Well, I do have 20 shrimp.... Anyone looking to be a Shrimp-wraith?
Varda — Yesterday at 4:02 PM
Do they look like pet wraiths? Maybe Jawas?
The Twenty!
A swarm?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:03 PM
No, you just carry around a shrimp and chant "Come back! To Aquaman
we shall take you!"
Varda — Yesterday at 4:03 PM
hehe
(We went to see Aquaman 2.)
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:04 PM
One does not simply swim into Mordor.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Chuck Norris does.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Carry a bowl of water with shrimp in it?
Heh, bet he can.
Sand surfing!
Well, rock climbing is more likely
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Thinking about it, I hope I'm not the first person to do a Chuck
Norris joke in this channel in 20+ years.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:05 PM
You might be.
Most of the ones I remember were in WoW chats. : )
A few slipped into LotRO, still do once in a while.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:05 PM
WoW once was a mess of Chuck Norris jokes vs Saurfang variants.
Arien Valar — Yesterday at 4:06 PM
chuckles and turns into shrimp wraith
Varda — Yesterday at 4:06 PM
hehhe
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:06 PM
Closest to shrimp wraith I could find is
https://aliens.fandom.com/wiki/Crammed_Wraith
Alien Species
Crammed Wraith
The Crammed Wraith is a purple creature that was
discovered on PNF-404 during Captain Olimar's Sparklium expedition
onto the planet. Only three individuals are known to be discovered,
all within...
Varda — Yesterday at 4:06 PM
The Shining Shrimp Wraith in the Sky!
Arien Valar — Yesterday at 4:07 PM
ha .. one shrimp to rule them all!
Varda — Yesterday at 4:07 PM
Now that's a pink and purple shrimp.
(You can tell our chats are serious, solemn affairs.)
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:08 PM
--> "Ghost Shrimp"
-- Not very appetizing.
Thalassinidea
Thalassinidea is a former infraorder of decapod
crustaceans that live in burrows in muddy bottoms of the world's
oceans. In Australian English, the littoral thalassinidean Trypaea
australiensis is referred to as the yabby (a term which also refers
to freshwater crayfish of the genus Cherax), frequently used as bait
for estuarine fishing; elsewhe...
Varda — Yesterday at 4:08 PM
Must mention that Arien in LotRO brought in a mass of refugees from
destroyed Anor to Landroval.
[4:08 PM]
[4:09 PM]
They don't look like my pet ghost shrimp in a fresh water tank. They
looked like moving glass.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:09 PM
Spooky.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:09 PM
Maybe, Eonwe, if we try enough butter and salt and cayenne?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:09 PM
Here we go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaemon_(crustacean)
Palaemon (crustacean)
Palaemon is a genus of caridean shrimp in the
family Palaemonidae.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:10 PM
That is the same shape as my little ones. : )
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:10 PM
Sounds like a digimon.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:11 PM
https://www.aquariumsource.com/ghost-shrimp/
Aquarium Source
Ghost Shrimp Care: Food, Lifespan, Breeding,
& Tank Mates
Ghost shrimp are incredibly useful to aquarists
for a number of reasons. In this guide we'll cover everything you
need to know!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:11 PM
--> last link on that page is the "glass shrimp"
Ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp is a name applied to at least three
different kinds of crustacean:
Thalassinidea, crustaceans which live in deep burrows in the
intertidal zone
Caprellidae, amphipods with slender bodies more commonly known as
"skeleton shrimps"
Feeder shrimp (glass shrimp): Palaemonetes, small mostly
transparent shrimp commonly sold for use in fre...
[4:11 PM]
Even better.
[4:12 PM]
See, this is how Eonwe derails a meeting: with Education! (edited)
Varda — Yesterday at 4:12 PM
We have an educational channel. ; )
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:12 PM
I'm starting to suspect you could spend a lifetime studying the
world of shrimps.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:12 PM
You could, Phar.
And it would be fun. : )
So much to study out there!!
[4:13 PM]
and yet, we goof around. guilty We can goof around and study
too, though!
Er, back to our regularly scheduled meeting.
[4:13 PM]
top
Web:
[4:14 PM]
The Games Site is coming along great! But I keep tossing more stuff
at Eonwe and plan to toss more for it.
[4:14 PM]
Aiya Sandalf. : )
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:15 PM
Aiya All! A chilly, cloudy afternoon in Lafayette, CO, but I made it
to the LIbrary....just like old times. A good place to be on a
Sunday afternoon: the Library, and the Valar Guild.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:15 PM
Sounds perfect, Sandalf!
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:16 PM
Indeed. I am just so glad to be here.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:16 PM
Aiya
Varda — Yesterday at 4:16 PM
We're glad you're here too. Cold weather there? Like with that funny
white stuff from the sky?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:17 PM
Last SUnday, after our meeting, the overnight low reached -26 Grad
F. Today it is in the high 20s ane cloudy, but no snow in the
forecase. Still very dry. All of the big snow piles from the last
storm remain, however.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:18 PM
-26F!! remains in lovely 43F home.
[4:19 PM]
On to
top
Gaming!
[4:19 PM]
Sandalf is gaming by being in a wonderful library, the greatest
place to hang out.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:20 PM
As a matter of fact, there are a few teenagers a few tables away
busily engaged in gaming...or at least, I think so...they emit
squawks, chirps, and exclamations every now and then, but no
conversation.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:20 PM
sounds like Angry Birds :)
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:20 PM
Could be!
Varda — Yesterday at 4:23 PM
: )
[4:24 PM]
Eonwe, for Gaming, would you like this handy mithril gavel? Newly
made. Might be a bit arrogant, but maybe not. Check it out!
toss
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:24 PM
Gavel turns its nose up Yep, completely arrogant.
Gaming:
[4:25 PM]
World of Warcraft:
This week's bonus event: Arena Skirmishes.
This week's PvP Brawl: Temple of Hotmogu.
[4:26 PM]
Seeds of Renewal out this week, like mentioned last week.
Dragonriding has expanded to everywhere in the World (of Warcraft)
flight is available, so now there's the Outland
Cup going through January 31st.
World of Warcraft
Mount Up for the Outland Cup! - WoW
Take to the skies of Outland with a new
dragonriding racing event!
[4:26 PM]
Call fo the Scarab micro-holiday is going January 21-23.
Check out This
Week in WoW. ---
World of Warcraft
This Week in WoW: January 16, 2024 - WoW
Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for
World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know
byte by byte.
Explore all that the Seeds of Renewal content
update has to offer this week and take to the skies once more with
the Outland Cup.
[4:27 PM]
Check out Blues
News. --
World of Warcraft
Blues News: January 19, 2024 - WoW
Stay up to date with World of Warcraft when you
join us each week as we round up some of the latest top blue posts
and discussions.
[4:27 PM]
And of course this week's hotfixes.
---
World of Warcraft
Hotfixes: January 18, 2024 - WoW
Here you will find a list of hotfixes that
address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight,
Wrath of the Lich King Classic, Burning Crusade Classic, Season of
Discovery, and WoW Classic.
[4:27 PM]
Hearthstone:
Patch
28.4 is out. ---
28.4 Patch Notes
Patch 28.4 brings the Delve into Deepholm
Mini-Set, so dive right in!
Diablo 4:
[4:28 PM]
A new
patch is coming January 23rd. ---
Diablo IV Patch Notes
We will continually update this article with all
patches the development team implements for Diablo IV.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:28 PM
Oh dang, outland cup, totally forgot...
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:28 PM
Diablo Immortal:
[4:29 PM]
This week's bug
fixes ---
Diablo Immortal Bug Fixes and Patch Notes for All
Platforms
We will continually update this blog with all bug
fixes and patches the team implements for Diablo Immortal on all
platforms.
Warcraft Rumble:
[4:29 PM]
Season
3 preview ---
Warcraft Rumble: Season 3 Overview
Get rumbling with a new season, new Leader, shiny
new Cosmetics, and hefty PvP changes!
[4:29 PM]
Lord of the Rings Online:
Update
38.2.1 is out this week. ---
The Lord of the Rings Online
Update 38.2.1 Release Notes
Here are the release notes for Update 38.2.1,
released on Wednesday, January 17th, 2024.
[4:30 PM]
Orion put out a letter
laying out expected updates for the year. ---
The Lord of the Rings Online
A Letter from Orion – January 2024
Read more about the year ahead in The Lord of the
Rings Online!
[4:30 PM]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHBI49aAHn8
YouTube
ExxKunArchive
And Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Program
Varda — Yesterday at 4:31 PM
hehe
A bit more on Lord of the Rings Online...
The Ill Omens event continues until the last day of January.
Code until Jan 25, for opening one lootbox: STEELKEY
Official
soundtrack on YouTube for Update 38: Corsairs of Umbar is
found at
[4:32 PM]
YouTube
Update 38: Corsairs of Umbar Official Game
Soundtrack
Update 38: Corsairs of Umbar Official Game
Soundtrack - The Lord of the Rings Online All compositions by Bill
Champagne unless otherwise noted. Play LOTRO fo...
[4:32 PM]
LotRO gamers who came to our kin branches this past week:
Landroval branch:
Arien
Beleg
Dis
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Nar
Varda
Crickhollow branch:
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Varda
Treebeard branch:
Varda
[4:32 PM]
Please note: Beleg! Been a while. And good to see Dis is still
active.
[4:33 PM]
StarCraft 2 group has been playing: Fangorn, Eowyn, Faramir.
Any other gaming or membership news to add? Requests?
[4:34 PM]
On to...
[4:34 PM]
top
Tolkien!
I have a Tolkien Moment for you. Then we can
switch to whatever other topics we want. : )
[4:36 PM]
This is especially for those of us that write and read the ongoing
Forum story. Hopefully all of you have taken a look at it sometime.
Beorn's description of Mirkwood to Thorin's party and Gandalf.
[4:36 PM]
The Hobbit, "Queer Lodgings"
"But your way through Mirkwood is dark, dangerous, and difficult,"
he said.
"Water is not easy to find there, nor food.
The time is not yet come for nuts (although it may be past and
gone indeed before you get to the other side), and nuts are about
all that grows there fit for food; in there the wild things are
dark, queer, and savage.
I will provide you with skins for carrying water, and I will give
you some bows and arrows.
But I doubt very much whether anything you find in Mirkwood will
be wholesome to eat or to drink.
There is one stream there, I know, black and strong which crosses
the path.
That you should neither drink of, nor bathe in; for I have heard
that it carries enchantment and a great drowsiness and
forgetfulness.
And in the dim shadows of that place I don't think you will shoot
anything, wholesome or unwholesome, without straying from the
path. That you MUST NOT DO, for any reason.
[4:38 PM]
End Quote.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:38 PM
That's probably why trade with Laketown/Esgaroth was such a big
deal.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:38 PM
Most likely.
Interesting bit about nuts there. Hadn't really thought about that.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:39 PM
If anyone can find anything wholesome to eat, I would imagine it
would be the Elves, but that may have been rougher the darker
Mirkwood got.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:39 PM
And perhaps why the Dwarven trade at the end of the Third Age was
not what it was earlier in the Age...
Varda — Yesterday at 4:39 PM
The elves knew what to hunt and most likely had ways of cooking to
remove poisons.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:39 PM
What if you have a nut allergy?
Varda — Yesterday at 4:40 PM
Don't eat nuts. : )
I wonder if the Beornings and Wild Men had a bit of trade with the
Elves for food?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:40 PM
But nuts were apparently the only edible food resource to be found
in Mirkwood...
Varda — Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Beorn didn't know everything the Elves were doing. : ) We read
of their hunting, having feasts.
Even now, we have ways of handling bad things in our food to remove
or negate them.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Perhaps it was because the lands that they last inhabited were
relatively protected from the depradatios of Sauron, and were
therefore still (relatively speaking) wholesome and productive.
[4:42 PM]
I wonder what kind of nuts were availalbe in Mirkwood. I suspect it
was too far north (at least the northern parts) for pistachios,
cashews, etc. Maybe almods and hazelnuts?
[4:43 PM]
And walnuts! (duh).
Varda — Yesterday at 4:43 PM
We know they sometimes left Mirkwood to ride fast and free outside.
Maybe they did a bit of hunting and gathering then as well?
Even acorns can be eaten, made into a kind of bread flour too.
Bitter if not handled right.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:43 PM
Beorn is coming at it from his experience, not the experience of the
Elves of Mirkwood, aye.
Acorns I'm sure were mentioned.
[4:44 PM]
Varda beat me to it, heh.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:44 PM
Acorns. Phew.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:44 PM
Any nuts they could collect could be made into a kind of flour.
They must have had eggs available of some kind.
[4:45 PM]
Salt would be likely, findable from deer salt licks.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:45 PM
Birds? Chickens?
Varda — Yesterday at 4:46 PM
Peacocks? ; ) Wood ducks?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:46 PM
Probably pretty stringy, but still edible.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:47 PM
Cook the stringy and game food right, and it can be yummy.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:47 PM
Butterflies...
Varda — Yesterday at 4:47 PM
Might grow some nice things inside that cavern, like an atrium.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:47 PM
But what about the water supply? Didn't Beorn warn them not to drink
from the streams that they encountered in Mirkwood?
Varda — Yesterday at 4:47 PM
True, they had black butterfiies that had to be finding nectar.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:48 PM
There had to be fresh water of some sort, likely controlled by the
Elves.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:48 PM
The one Beorn mentioned was the infamous Enchanted Stream that the
dwarves would find going across their path.
They were not to leave the path to look for better water.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:48 PM
Aye.
[4:49 PM]
Beorn wasn't giving them a lesson on living in Mirkwood, he was
telling them how to get through in one piece.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:49 PM
True. There must have been other streams further north.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:49 PM
Stick to the path. Get on through, carry what you can.
[4:50 PM]
Dwarves were strong and could carry a lot. Imagine those backpacks!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:50 PM
So you're saying the Fellowship didn't work Gimli hard enough :}
They didn't need Bill the Pony.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:50 PM
Water is pretty heavy, believe me, as I can attest from years of
geologic mapping in the backcountry, and having to carry in all the
water for the day. Hard work!
Varda — Yesterday at 4:51 PM
Still, if he expected them to be there into the time of nuts and
past, how did he expect them to have enough water?
Aye, it is incredibly heavy.
Maybe some kind of condensing of water?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:51 PM
Fill up before they entered, be sparing.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Gimli the Pony.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Was the river flowing into Long Lake fresh water? I forget.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Came from the caverns of the king. So they had plenty of water in
there.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:53 PM
They were closer to the end than they thought when they finally
broke off the path, so it seemed they could've made it.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:53 PM
There was one called the Forest River. Sounds like a hobbit named
it. : )
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:53 PM
:}
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:54 PM
If that hobbit thought it was the only river :)
Varda — Yesterday at 4:54 PM
There was another river, not named. (For the best with these names.)
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 4:55 PM
I believe that the Hobbits were a pretty no-nonsense, down-to-earth,
practical kind of people...and very literal. So a river in the
Forest should not be surprised to find itself called "The Forest
River." A very creative title, no doubt.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:56 PM
But what if you find a second one?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 4:56 PM
And a second would be called "The Second Forest River." Or "Billy",
whichever catches the Hobbit's fancy at the time. (edited)
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 4:56 PM
The Other Forest River, could also work.
Varda — Yesterday at 4:56 PM
hehe
[4:58 PM]
This has a little bit:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Mountains_of_Mirkwood
Tolkien Gateway
Mountains of Mirkwood
The Mountains of Mirkwood were a range of high
hills in the north-east of Mirkwood.
[4:58 PM]
Maybe we can get a waterways article for some places out of Sandalf.
; ) But he has so much to work on already!
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:00 PM
Something to add to my list of projects. I agree to take it on!
Varda — Yesterday at 5:00 PM
Any other comments on Mirkwood or something else of a Tolkien
nature?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:00 PM
It would be easy to build on the drainages in the Mirkwood area
based upon my extant geologic map.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:00 PM
aww, just for particular areas, not the whole world from before
time!
Ahh, neato.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:01 PM
Most of Mirkwood occupies a geologic basin.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:03 PM
Aha, found my Atlas of Middle-Earth at my desk instead of on
a shelf I can't get to for once, heh.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:04 PM
rearranges Eonwe's books to be near his computer
[5:05 PM]
maybe moves the computer...
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:05 PM
The Forest River looks like it flows south out of the Ered Mithrin
(Grey Mountains).
[5:07 PM]
The Enchanted river I'm assuming flows north out of the Moutains of
Mirkwood and joins with the Forest River.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:08 PM
Note that Mirkwood occupies most of what I refer to as the Mirkwood
Basin. I will try to trace out some of the described rivers/streams
and located them on a smaller scale map that focuses on the Mirkwood
Basin.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1198765979744878602/Geologic_Map_M.E._Revised_.jpg
Varda — Yesterday at 5:09 PM
We also are happy with hand-drawn black and white maps if that
helps. : ) Using someone else's map sometimes gets us in
trouble. Your suggested project sounds great!
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:10 PM
I think this is Sandalf's map
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:10 PM
The map above is taken from our my Chapter Three on the Valar Guild
website. I can redraw it, and perhaps focus on the Mirkwood Basin
first.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:10 PM
Can it be zoomed into to save you some trouble? I know little of
these things.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:11 PM
That might be the easiest.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:13 PM
We've reached the hour.
Eonwe, did that new mithril gavel behave well for you?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:14 PM
What does one use to keep the shine on a mithril gavel? Silver
Polish? Brasso? Something else? I sort of pose the question of the
geochemical nature of mithril in Chapter Three, but i did not do a
very good job of reaching any conclusions.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:14 PM
Well enough, heh.
A stern glare.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:14 PM
: )
[5:15 PM]
I assume whatever works on regular silver would also work.
Lots of elbow grease.
[5:16 PM]
Ok, mithril gavel. We'll let you have a try at the closing.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:16 PM
I seem to recall Dwarves could make mail and weapons that didn't
tarnish or rust.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:16 PM
gavel glides across the waxed table and bows to the hammerpad
the hammerpad raises up abruptly
bell-like bonnnnnng!
Well done! We would be happy to have you back.
[5:17 PM]
top
After-meeting!
Seems I remember that too, Eonwe.
Be something interesting to look up. Maybe a secret they learned
from Mahal.
LotRO can't use the Valar names but do refer to him as the First
Crafter. : )
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:18 PM
For those of you who are interested, from Wikipedia:
Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that forms over
copper, brass, aluminum, magnesium, neodymium and other similar
metals as their outermost layer undergoes a chemical reaction.
Tarnish does not always result from the sole effects of oxygen in
the air. For example, silver needs hydrogen sulfide to tarnish,
although it may tarnish with oxygen over time. It often appears as
a dull, gray or black film or coating over metal. Tarnish is a
surface phenomenon that is self-limiting, unlike rust. Only the
top few layers of the metal react. The layer of tarnish seals and
protects the underlying layers from reacting.
[5:18 PM]
Those Dwarves must have been geochemical wizards, to say the least.
Iron rusts (with oxygen) while the metals above tarnish.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:19 PM
Perhaps some sort of coating? Something clear like epoxy?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:20 PM
I have recently been uncovering my copper (Cu) specimens from the
Keewenaw Peninsula, and soakig them in vinegar, to clean up the
tarnish on the copper. It works. I then put a light coat of olive
oil on the Cu to help prevent retarnishing.
[5:21 PM]
As long as the olive oil remains on the specimen, it will prevent
additional tarnishing.
[5:22 PM]
Oil also works on steel items, such as knives and swords.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:23 PM
I've heard suggestions mithril is titanium, which doesn't seem to
tarnish or rust.
Or some places say doesn't tarnish, some say it does, so whatever.
[5:24 PM]
But mithril does seem to have many characteristics that make
titanium a likely equivalent.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:26 PM
The only problem is that Ti (titanium) is VERY heavy, and mithril is
described as being so light-weight as to render it of no particular
weight to its wearer...
And titanium is much more brittle than mithril, and not as easily
fashioned. So maybe an alloy that contains some amount of Ti, along
with other metals?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:27 PM
Hmm, everything I've read suggests titanium can be used to make
alloys that are as strong as steel at lighter weights.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:27 PM
True...but the amount of Ti is very small compared to the other
elements in the alloy, I believe.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:28 PM
I won't claim to know the actual chemical ratio, heh.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:29 PM
Definitely sounds as if we should consider alloys
But mithril was "truesiver"
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:29 PM
But mithril was similarly used to make that "light, durable alloy"
from which the mail and weapons are made.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:29 PM
Suggests some form of silver.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:29 PM
Solid quicksilver
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:30 PM
I don't know, if I found something as shiny as silver, didn't
tarnish, and was tougher, I'd say that was the "true" silver too :}
Varda — Yesterday at 5:32 PM
: )
[5:32 PM]
Something added into the mercury? Still sounds toxic to be wearing.
[5:33 PM]
Could be like you all said, it was just shiny and silvery, whatever
it was.
Alloy rendering the Hg safe, heh.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:34 PM
I think even Dwarves would've realized the problems with mercury
quickly enough to know not to make jewelry out of it.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:34 PM
Aluminum was used as jewelry by the Egyptians. Silvery color.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:34 PM
Tougher than Elves and Men, sure, but they're still made out of the
same stuff. Can't be any better for them in the long run.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:35 PM
So it's something that came from the other planet or asteroid that
hit Earth and left its traces. Nothing normal to Arda?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:36 PM
Is it something thought up by Aulë or Melkor? What could Aulë see it
being used for that would warrant all the dangers?
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:39 PM
Gotta give his dwarves something to specialize in
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:39 PM
hehe
[5:40 PM]
Then again, Aulë didn't necessarily know there would be a problem
with it when/if he thought it up. He wasn't expecting Eru to throw
in a new type of being that has to live in this world the Ainur were
singing about.
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:40 PM
The whole subject of Mithril is ripe for conjecture, and based upon
very limited "facts." I still like the idea of its being some type
of alloy, containing, among others, iron, titanium, silver,
aluminum, and perhaps a trace of molybdenum ("moly").
[5:42 PM]
It had to be an alloy, although Tolkien says that the Dwarves mined
it....suggesting that it was NOT an alloy, but occurred in its
natural state. Now that is a puzzler...if that is the case, we will
never know exactly what mithril is, because it is a new addition to
the Talbe of Elements.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:42 PM
Now you have me thinking about the alloy Aulë used to make
Angaino(r) in BoLT: Tilkal. It's an acronym. One moment I'll dig it
up and find out the components.
Arien Valar — Yesterday at 5:43 PM
right i think I have to go down .. eh up or underneath and find my
silvery shrimp .. err i mean mly soft pillow
and i killed the discussion alas
Namarie for now and have fun
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:43 PM
Namarie Arien!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:43 PM
Sleep well Arien :}
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:43 PM
Namarie!
Varda — Yesterday at 5:44 PM
Namarie, Arien : )
[5:45 PM]
I was abruptly called away, nothing bad, saying bye to Sauron going
to work.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:45 PM
"Tambë Ilsa Latuken Kanu Anga Laurë" ---> Last two are Iron and
Gold. I'll work on the other four, one sec.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:45 PM
hmm, that does sound bad.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:45 PM
Should I wish the Dark Lord to "work well"? I'm in a bit of a
conundrum :}
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:45 PM
Could ask him to do good work
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:46 PM
There we go :}
Copper, SIlver ,Tin, Lead are the other four. (edited)
Varda — Yesterday at 5:47 PM
Could mithril be so rare because it is a mix that appears to be one
thing? Forms under special conditions of heat and pressure?
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 5:47 PM
Oooops....the library is closing in 15 minutes. I must bring my new
books to the checkout counter and head home. I will check in again
later...Namarie!
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 5:47 PM
Namarie!
Varda — Yesterday at 5:47 PM
Namarie Sandalf!
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:47 PM
Re: Varda's "Could mithril etc." ---> Something that
happened in its (apparently) greatest abundance only in Moria.
(edited)
Varda — Yesterday at 5:48 PM
Deep underground, high pressure, temp, particular items that mix in.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:48 PM
Take care Sandalf.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:49 PM
Sandalf may wind up in a movie if he doesn't escape. The library
statuary and books come to life and chat with him.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:49 PM
Maybe it only forms where a Balrog has flapped his wings? ducks
Varda — Yesterday at 5:49 PM
hah, Balrog flame and whatever forms the shadow required?
[5:50 PM]
Follow the Balrogs!
Wait, did we kill off all seven Balrogs? No more mithril? Oops.
[5:51 PM]
The Nameless were doing the mixing?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:51 PM
No lembas, no mithril. I'm beginning to think the Elves and Dwarves
are taking all their toys with them when they go.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:51 PM
Sounds right. awww
[5:52 PM]
Lembas were not something whipped up in just any bakery, despite how
it seems sometimes in LotRO. : )
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:52 PM
The Hobbits left their toys, but I don't want pipeweed, I want
lembas and mithril.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:52 PM
And Beorning honey cakes.
[5:53 PM]
Agreed. : )
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:53 PM
Aye, and Beorning honey cakes.
Varda — Yesterday at 5:53 PM
: )
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 5:55 PM
And how about some of that immortality? Or do I have to go build an
armada and invade and---checks script oh, I'm sorry, that's
Pharazon's line :}
[5:59 PM]
Lembas: Aye, special corn that apparently Galadriel used up for the
Fellowship and didn't grow any more. Arwen likely knew the recipe,
she just didn't have the proper ingredients, and you can't just plug
in high-fructose corn syrup for sugar and expect everything to turn
out exactly the same :}
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 6:01 PM
Huh, really? It's the last of the lembas that they got?
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 6:01 PM
Yeah, mentions it in HoME somewhere, and also in Nature of ME.
[6:03 PM]
Short version: before the March, the Eldar were given a special corn
(maybe wheat, depending on your reading of "corn") that would get
them through, they saved some seeds, planted it every time they
stopped, Made it to Valinor. The exiles brought that corn with them,
and it continued to have the Valar's blessing on it.
[6:04 PM]
That shows that even in rebellion, the Valar cared. They could've
withdrawn that blessing and it would've been no better than a
regular crop.
[6:06 PM]
Along the way, it became (pretty much if not actual) law that the
corn was tended by the Lady, and the making of lembas done by them.
By the Third Age, Galadriel was it as far as who knew still how to
make lembas.
She taught Celebrian, and Arwen was no doubt taught (forget if it
mentions she was taught but it's a reasonable assumption), but
again, after the Third Age ended there was no more of that special
corn.
Varda — Yesterday at 6:27 PM
Awww. Thanks for looking that up for us.
Eonwë Valar — Yesterday at 6:31 PM
Actually, that's from memory so feel free to correct if any details
are askew, heh.
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 9:22 PM
Personal gaming report:
Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 9:34 PM
HALLO! Aiya!
Varda — Yesterday at 9:35 PM
Aiya
top
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 9:36 PM
For (non)flashgaming, https://www.kongregate.com/games/Kiddo_Victor/light-wanderer
this week
Kongregate
Light Wanderer
An innovative platformer where your flashlight
lights your way and can be used as a platform!
Check Out my most recent game
https://www.kongregate.com/games/...
[9:36 PM]
Aiya!
A puzzle platformer where you where you play a little cube running
around dark levels with a flashlight, so you can see ahead of you.
[9:37 PM]
You can also launch your flashlight to colored orbs to make new
platforms from.
In later levels, beware the red balls, presumably firey
[9:41 PM]
Blizzard gaming:
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 9:45 PM
Hearthstone:
Level 92 on the reward track. Probably a week and a half until level
100, when I'll get to pick one of 6 new class skins.
Also got death knight class to level 38 along the way.
The mini-set is in, for which I'll be saving 2000 gold.
[9:46 PM]
brawl is The Great Amalgamation, where every minion counts as each
minion type. You can get a ton of synergy going with that
[9:47 PM]
I personally threw a bunch of murlocs and mechas into my deck, but
there's a lot of other minion types as well you can go for.
[9:49 PM]
Warcraft Rumble: No new collection level yet. We did get the guild
score up to 20k before the season ended, so we got our new emote,
and season 3 has now started. A new blackrock leader, Thaurissan,
and new tower skins are the new guild chest rewards.
[9:50 PM]
Got one more dungeon level on horde leader Cairne, beating level 12.
New dungeon is for blackrock leaders, and I got 11 done with
Drakkisath.
Got the rifleman rare quality upgrade I mentioned last time, as well
as uncommon for skeleton party. No new talents though, gotta watch
out for 4 of them now
[9:51 PM]
5, technically, I suppose, since I can grab a second talent for
rifleman as well.
[9:52 PM]
WoW:
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 9:53 PM
Raiding continuing, and we got our last goal, heroic Fyrakk! Along
with queststarter for dragon mount customization. So now we've got a
tuesday off this week Next weeks will be to get everyone their
heroic Fyrakk achievement who didn't get it tonight.
[9:54 PM]
Last heroic boss of this expansion, and I've no idea what the next
season's going to look like for us, with all 3 raids for this
expansion getting bonus weeks, like in the previous expansion. I'm
sure we'll give it a go, if just for something to do and getting
some gear upgrades, but achievement-wise I think we can take it
easy.
It was really quick progress this time around, and we're happy with
that
[9:55 PM]
Weekly quest is arena skirmishes. I've not been having much luck,
but with enough persistence I've gotten 8 out of 10 wins this week,
including the trading post objective to get a win on 4 different
days of the week.
[9:56 PM]
As a random recipe reward I got an epic recipe for leatherworking as
well, the Infurious Spirit's Hood. I'm sure I'm missing a ton more
pvp recipes, but they've been coming in regularly, so that's nice.
[9:58 PM]
Dragonriding: Outland Cup started this week, though I didn't realize
it until Eonwe mentioned it earlier tonight But after that I
checked it out, and did some math to see how many badges I need to
get all the new stuff. I think that if I do the intro quest on 2
characters, and get silver medals on all the courses on one
character, it should be fine. So I've completed 2 of the 13 courses
tonight, which is a nice start.
[9:59 PM]
I managed to alt for just a little bit, doing one quest in
Revendreth with the mage, to follow Lost Sybille and meet up with
Theotar. I'll put that to the side again until I'm done with the
Outland Cup, but I should be making progress next week on one of
those at least
And that's my report for the week!
Varda — Yesterday at 10:01 PM
Thank you, Phar. : )
Ar-Pharazon-V — Yesterday at 10:02 PM
No problem, namarie!
Varda — Yesterday at 10:03 PM
Namarie!
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