[Elora]

Goodness! I've found my way back, after being lost in a proverbial wilderness that has delayed me past my promised return dates.

Snowdog - Hope you don't mind that I comandeered Ranne a little. I figured she'd be an excellent candidate for the "fly on the wall" perspective in House Morthaniawen. Let me know if I've trodden on your toes and I'll remedy it. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]


On my post, I've waded back in with a few allusions and attempted to weave Ruiel back in with developments. Perhaps some explanations are in order.

I focussed deliberately on cracks widening in the relationship between Dryea and Alethea. I sense a competitive relationship there, with Dryea used to being top dog (so the speak). I made a point of Alethea being the recipient of praise and Dryea only criticism. Ruiel just can't accept Rat.... erm, I mean Rhir and I've continued her unreasonable stance on that front.

What would seriously damage Morthaniawen is if they turned on each other. Alethea on Dryea, Ruiel on both daughters in the end. Just a nugget of an idea in forward planning, that one.

I also figured that Ruiel would be well aware of correspondence concerning Umbar going to the Steward. Being one of Umbar's most experienced and highest placed spies, it would be natural for her to be ordered to act on rumours of war coming from Gondor.

Ruiel will decide to continue with what has already been set down, but perhaps more aggressively. She'll encourage Alethea to develop a relationship with Adrama, seeing that as another part of Minas Tirith she has a claw in and never suspecting Alethea will turn against them. She will meanwhile push Dryea hard to befriend Findulias.

If blame for the rumours comes to Morthaniawen, Ruiel will happily name Adrama as the source of the lies and in the process sully a well regarded family and sow distrust amongst Gondorian nobles. Questions of treason could float about in that case. Perhaps it is the bond Alethea forms with Adrama that causes her to turn against Dryea and Ruiel.

All thoughts bouncing around my skull.

Another question I have to deal with concerns Ruiel's fate in Act V. Is she jailed, does she flee, does she abandon her daughters to their fates with cool disregard, condemning them to the fruits of their illjudged actions (in her manner of thinking)?

Anyways, right now Ruiel will work hard to play both sides of the divide off against each other. That is my focus for the present.