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Aiwendil · 08-10-2003, 08:48 AM

Rog/Balrog Options

I can think of the following general ways to handle this:

1. As in the current revision, the slaughter done to the balrogs is turned into the slaying of a single Balrog. This has the advantage of maintaining most of the structure of the original narrative. It has the strong disadvantage that it specifies that a Balrog died here.

2. Eliminate Rog completely. The advantage is that the whole problem disappears. Also, this would remove a potential problem with the name "Rog". The disadvantage is that we lose a substantial portion of the narrative. Also, it may prove very difficult to make a clean break, and the narrative may lose some internal coherence.

3. Eliminate or obfuscate the Balrog. That is, remove any statement that specifies that a Balrog is making this attack from the coils of a serpent - it is merely Orcs, or something else. Then retain Rog's attack against these enemies. The advantage is that it eliminates the death of the Balrog while retaining Rog's role. The disadvantage is that it changes the whole thrust of the narrative at this point and makes things significantly less dire (and Rog less heroic). Also it may prove quite difficult to actually construct the text.

4. Retain the Balrog (or Balrogs), retain Rog's attack, but eliminate the death of the Balrog. The advantage here is that we retain most of the structure of the narrative and alter it only in one detail. The disadvantage is that we would be required to insert some fabricated text for the outcome of Rog's attack (something to the effect that the Balrog was driven back, I suppose).

That's all I can think of. I like none of the options, but I'm pulled a little toward 4.

08-10-2003, 08:48 AM	#23
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Rog/Balrog Options I can think of the following general ways to handle this: 1. As in the current revision, the slaughter done to the balrogs is turned into the slaying of a single Balrog. This has the advantage of maintaining most of the structure of the original narrative. It has the strong disadvantage that it specifies that a Balrog died here. 2. Eliminate Rog completely. The advantage is that the whole problem disappears. Also, this would remove a potential problem with the name "Rog". The disadvantage is that we lose a substantial portion of the narrative. Also, it may prove very difficult to make a clean break, and the narrative may lose some internal coherence. 3. Eliminate or obfuscate the Balrog. That is, remove any statement that specifies that a Balrog is making this attack from the coils of a serpent - it is merely Orcs, or something else. Then retain Rog's attack against these enemies. The advantage is that it eliminates the death of the Balrog while retaining Rog's role. The disadvantage is that it changes the whole thrust of the narrative at this point and makes things significantly less dire (and Rog less heroic). Also it may prove quite difficult to actually construct the text. 4. Retain the Balrog (or Balrogs), retain Rog's attack, but eliminate the death of the Balrog. The advantage here is that we retain most of the structure of the narrative and alter it only in one detail. The disadvantage is that we would be required to insert some fabricated text for the outcome of Rog's attack (something to the effect that the Balrog was driven back, I suppose). That's all I can think of. I like none of the options, but I'm pulled a little toward 4.