WWXLV: The Fellowship of Saruman

[Aganzir]

"Actually, I might vote for Éomer, also. There's an aura of strangeness and deliberate misunderstanding about him - I can't explain it better, but I do not feel too good about him."

[Nerwen]

Elladan returned from his scouting expedition to find the company in an uproar, with everyone accusing everyone else. Desperately he tried to work out what was going on.

"My friends," he said finally, "much as it grieves me to say this, I am seized by doubts of Mithrandir's sincerity. His extreme reluctance to state his suspicions, his near-threat to Gildor– it even troubles me that he voted Halbarad because he questioned my brother. Why, even I– knowing well how hard it is for either of us to be objective where Orcs are concerned– think Elrohir should have given some grounds for his vote– as a matter of form, at least.” His voice dropped. "My dear grandmother's vote also seems a little too easy...” He shivered. “...But that way madness lies...

'And yet, it is true that Halbarad has said little of substance, and that his manner makes me uneasy. I know not what to think.

'Master Iarwain I am also not sure of... why does he say I was "bandwaggonning" when I merely commented that he was being unhelpful early in the piece? He was."

EDIT: X'd with Théodred, Lobelia, Éomer, Tom, Gildor and Lobelia again.

[A Little Green]

"Well, my lady halfling", said Éomer, "if you do not explain your point better then I cannot try to explain myself and whatever it is about me that makes you uneasy. I have to cast my vote now, so based on reasons stated earlier,

++ Galadriel

because in the end she is the most sinister-looking of my suspects."


x-ed with lord Elladan and lord Bomba-ding-a-dillo

[Gwathagor]

Halbarad looked up and his face was grim, for these were his companions and friends.

“Who shall we follow? Where now is the path of wisdom? With Saruman gone, who now will lead us?

“Shall we follow Gandalf, who promises to withhold his vote, and then places it on the first bandwagon that forms, creating an elaborate theory to support his vote – a theory that contradicts his fellow bandwagoners’ reasons for voting?

“Or shall we follow Galadriel, who votes first, and gives no reason at all?

“Perhaps we shall follow the example of Elrohir, who votes his heart, and ignores his reason and good sense.”

He sighed again. He was still anxious, but his mind was clearer now.

“I do not know how I shall vote. Perhaps a traitor hides in the midst of the quiet and compliant and not among these three at all. I do not know. I shall likely wait until Bombadil has spoken, for he has shown both prudence and wisdom, qualities which I doubted he had at the beginning of the Day, and of which he has more than I.”

[Groin Redbeard]

Dain came wondering back to his companions with a sorrowful look on his face. He was not jolly and not mad, but very troubled.

"Well I've come to a decision at at last," he said heavily. "Lobelia, you seem to be the more troublesome of the fellowship, but I will not harm you today. For indeed if you were at all harmful I'm sure my cries of alarm would have sent a rippling effect through the wiser members of our fellowship, but it hasn't. Indeed only one has agreed with me on that part: Radagast, and that was only slight. I believe that the time for acting is now and those who delay are troublemakers, but the one that I accuse has out right refused to vote and will give us no better reason than to be patient and wait. Wait for what, for someone to be killed? Therefore the one whom I saw as the wisest among us is the one that I must accuse. May the Valar forgive me if I am mistaken."

++Gandalf

EDIT: X'd with Halbarad and Theodred

[Groin Redbeard]

"All this talk about lynching Halbarad is nonesense if you ask me." Dain said, after he had recounted himself with the companies discussion. "He is quite yes, but I still have to see some proven evidence against him. All we have now are a few gut feelings, this is no for any man to die: lynched on a bad feeling!"

EDIT: X'd with Gildor to the present

[Thinlómien]

"I had almost decided to pronounce my word of banishment against Mithrandir but then I paused to think if one of the servants of the Enemy would indeed be so openly foul-looking, if you catch my meaning... Already the sun has almost vanished and I can not choose. I do not like this."


edit: xed with Théo, Halbie and Daim
edit2: corrected a typo

[Nogrod]

"Good to see you back lord Elladan. Now I might just vote for you as you're present. Amnd you clearly were trailing "good-looking" suspicions earlier on. Not only to myself but to Radagast as well - and his case was even more out-of-the-blue than mine...

But still I like the actions of your brother even less..."

X'd from Théodred

[Gwathagor]

"Indeed, Master Bombadil, and what is more worrisome about Elrohir is that he did not even TRY to persuade us. Would a traitor do such?"

EDIT: Crossed with Lobelia

[Gwathagor]

"I fear I must vote for ++ Gandalf. I will explain my reasoning momentarily."

[Thinlómien]

"A silent moment before the end? Where is everyone?"

[Aganzir]

"Hiding. They are all traitors."

[Groin Redbeard]

Dain walked in silence listening to the argument of others. They were beginning to express their concernes and their suspicions of the other members, and this is when Dain spoke.

"Where is Eomer?" Dain said. "My suspicion falls on him at the moment, but I wanted to wait to see if he would talk, and it seems that he is nowhere to be found. I will give my opinion of him none the less and he can defend himself when he shows up.

"Eomer has in my mind been the most suspicious of all the fellowship right now. He speaks very seldom, infact only twice and one of them was to condemn Galadriel saying that she is the most sinister of all his suspects, but does not explain why. Indeed he seems to be the most hasy of us all.

"I now call on you to defend yourself against my accusation Eomer, Marshal of Rohan."

Dain fell into silence after this, listening to the conversations of others and waiting for Eomer's response.

EDIT: X'd with Gildor

[Gwathagor]

"I concur with Gildor that there is all too little talking going on.

"Presently, I am most suspicious of Elrohir and Lobelia. Galadriel seemd suspicious based on her vote of yesterDay, but since her explanation and apology she has not done anything else suspicious...indeed, she has said nothing at all.

"Elrohir's vote against Ugluk yesterDay was dangerous and flippant. It may have been the calculated decision of traitor wishing to hide behind a facade of semi-righteous indignation, or it may have merely been the action of an impassioned and angry, yet innocent. I cannot tell. However, the latter possibility is as dangerous as the former, if not more so.

"I voted for Lobelia to be Ringbearer, because I had great confidence in her courage and strength of heart. She has shown both of these qualities, but I do not like the way this has turned out for us. Since the beginning of our journey, she has been one of the most vocal members of our party and has accused nearly every member of the Fellowship, and most more than once. I have counseled scrutiny of all, but Lobelia has taken it too far. What are we to make of the fact that three-parts-out-of-four (three-quarters) of the Fellowship are, according to Lobelia, traitors? Finally, I do not like how her accusations seem to be based on personal dislike, with the circumstances interpreted to fit her biases."

EDIT: Crossed with Mistress Lobelia

[Gwathagor]

"I see Lobelia has decreased the scope of her suspicions. No doubt this will be for the best of everyone. I would speak further on what she has said, but at the moment I must travel ahead to scout out our path. I will return as quickly as I may, perhaps in 3 hours."

With that, Halbarad shouldered his pack and trudged off down the gentle boulder-strewn slope.

[A Little Green]

"I now call on you to defend yourself against my accusation Eomer, Marshal of Rohan."

"And Rohan will answer!" cried Éomer, hurrying to the others. "I have been scouting long and far today, master dwarf. I only just returned. What comes to my vote for the Lady Galadriel, I have explained my suspicion of her already. I found her the most sinister of my three suspects because I thought Gandalf might not have been that attention-seeking if he were a wolf, and there was a small doubt in my heart on whether the palantír had been trusted to his care. After all, he seemed a sensible choice for that from Saruman's part.
I decided also that lord Elrohir's vote, though hasty and ill-considered, did not straightly speak for treacherous intentions but rather of rashness or indifference. A traitor would try to affect the course of the voting more, I deem.
I did not have time to explain this along with my vote because I needed to let lord Inglorion talk as well.

"I have to support lord Gildor's question:

Those of you who did not vote in Eregion... who would you have voted and why? And why did you remain silent?

It has been troubling my mind as well. But there is another question I would like to ask as well. Why, lord Elrohir, did you cast your vote for Uglúk?

"I place my trust in my cousin Théodred, and not only because he is my kin, but also because his behaviour has looked sincere so far; in Dáin Ironfoot, who I have considered trustworthy for long, and still do; in Gildor Inglorion, for he has not given me any reason to suspect him; and in Uglúk, who looks to be among the most sincere in here. Indeed I now wonder if I have been deceived, for I hear Uglúk is very often suspected of crimes he did not commit so now that he is not widely considered suspicious, he might actually be guilty. For now I will still consider him innocent, trusting my heart instead of my knowledge of his deeds before he joined our company.

"My heart is torn about some of you. Master Bombadil I cannot understand, nor can I read his behaviour. Lord Radagast I fear, for his gentleness and friendly manner makes it feel difficult to suspect him at all. He has not given me any reason for suspicion as yet, but I fear that if he did, it would pass unnoticed by me and by others because of his kindness. Mistress Lobelia, though giving me an uneasy feeling, is grumpy towards all of us, which makes me think better about her; my heart says that she would try to be more agreeable if she were a traitor.

"Lady Galadriel seems more sincere to me now than she did before, perhaps because she now talks clearly, and in a plain voice instead of whispering to individuals. She seems to really have something to say.

"Lord Halbarad I am not decided about. I will think about what he has said and done for a while now."


EDIT: x-ed with Halbarad and Radagast

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Éomer

"Well, my lady halfling", said Éomer, "if you do not explain your point better then I cannot try to explain myself and whatever it is about me that makes you uneasy.

"Your beard."

++ Éomer

[Nogrod]

"what did I say about the uniform mind we had...? This is ridiculous as well.

Okay. Elrohir, Elladan or Gandalf for me. I will not venture too far at the last moment to catch a fish I have not looked at properly before."

[Nogrod]

"A good question master Halbarad. But maybe he just tried to avoid any scrutiny?" Who knows?"

[Nogrod]

How many around now as Gandalf has three votes and Halbarad 2 (and I don't wish to see him gone at least toDay)?

Okay. No one reporting in.

Sorry Olorin my old friend... I couldn't trust your self-security

++ Gandalf