4-01: FRIEND OR FOE?
Teaser
Frame (Bag End) Greeting old friends. Gandalf and Balin visit Bilbo. They are on their way to the Lonely Mountain to commemorate the 7 year anniversary of the Battle of Five Armies; they do not invite Bilbo to join them.
Act I
1: (Camp of Fingolfin) News is exchanged between the Exiled Noldor
The Host of Fingolfin looking across the lake can see the camp of Fëanor set up on the other side. Angrod and Turgon are eager to confront Fëanor. Fingolfin urges patience. Fëanor will answer for his deeds; Fingolfin will confront him with a full army at his back as soon as their position is secured. Riders arrive at the perimeter of the camp. Greetings from Maglor, lord of the Fëanoreans. Everyone is confused; the messenger gives news of Fëanor's death and Maedhros' capture (not Angrod's death). Fingolfin and Fingon react to this news. They are no less angry, but their intended aggression has been cut off. Fingolfin informs the messenger of their crossing of the Helcaraxë to reach Middle-earth. The messenger reacts with awe, sympathy, and shame, but does not utter an apology or warm welcome.
2a: (Camp of Fingolfin) First meeting of the Sindar and Noldor
Círdan and Celeborn come out of the woods and approach Fingolfin's camp. The camp seems bigger than it looked from the mountain. They encounter perimeter guards, and a language barrier is discovered. The guards answer them in Quenya, which the Sindar do not understand, but they are invited into the Camp. Seeing another camp across the lake that was not there before, Círdan gestures at it, but does not understand the answer.
2b: (Camp of Fëanor) Fëanorean distrust and infighting
Maglor and Curufin react to the news of the returning messenger. Their father's half-brother will not attack them at this time, and they reached Middle-earth without ships by walking across the grinding ice far in the north. Curufin had coached either Maglor or the messenger, working to call the shots himself. Amras chastises them for the shipburning that landed them in this mess.
3: (Camp of Fingolfin) Breaking through the communication barrier
Finrod and Círdan have a conversation in Sindarin. They discuss the situation in Beleriand (Thingol is King of Doriath) and the why the Noldor came (to fight Morgoth). They are limited in vocabulary, but Turgon is amazed to hear them conversing as clearly as they do. Finrod's telepathic abilities explained. The Sindar and Noldor share a meal where Finrod acts as interpreter. Celeborn sees Galadriel for the first time.
4: (Angband) The Problem of Sunlight
Orcs are terrified of sunlight, flinching from it and running back into the depths of Angband. Morgoth soliloquizes on the source of sunlight (Laurelin), which he destroyed, as he will destroy this. He commands Gothmog to send out the Watchers. Gothmog says they do no like the sun; Morgoth impatiently tells him to wait for nightfall.
Act II {Time Skip}
5: (Camp of Fingolfin) Fingolfin reforges Ringil; Fingon makes a pitch for reconciliation.
The Noldor are settled in their camps. Fingolfin is at his forge, working on his broken sword. Fingon makes a passionate plea for reconciliation, but Fingolfin is having none of it. He points out all of the grievances they have against the Fëanorians, and makes a case against trusting them that Fingon cannot overcome. Fingon leaves, disappointed, but as he does, darkness rolls in across the night sky from Angband. The elves stare up, concerned, and someone says that in that darkness, it will be easy for enemies to sneak up on them. This gets Fingon thinking, and moments later, he is packing his sword, his knife, his bow, and his harp. When he sets out, the darkness has spread over the camp. No one sees him leave.
6: (Camp of Fingolfin) Celeborn sends a messenger to Doriath
Celeborn sends a messenger to Doriath, describing the darkness coming out of Angband, and the goings on of the camp. He communicates that there are two separate Noldor camps, but that it isn’t clear why. He mentions that the Noldor seem edgy and cautious, but who could blame them this close to the fortress of the enemy. As they conclude their conversation, an outcry (in Quenya) goes up in the camp, and they go outside. The messenger asks Celeborn what is being said and Celeborn says that they are saying something about the king’s son being missing.
7: (Thangorodrim) Fingon-not-infiltrating-Angband
Fingon approaches Morgoth’s fortress under cover of the dark clouds. He sees the gates, but they are impenetrable. Various shots of him climbing around Angband, unable to find a way in, while his frustration and despair grow. A bird’s eye view of him, then the camera switches perspective to the eye of an eagle. The camera pulls back, revealing that the bird, perched up high on the peaks of Angband, is immense and has an antlered deer in its talons. It eats while watching Fingon’s progress closely.
Act III
8: (Camp of Fëanor) Fingolfin’s Messenger Accuses the Fëanorians
A messenger from Fingolfin’s camp (Rog) approaches the gate of the Fëanorian camp with an armed escort. Maglor goes out to speak with him. He states that King Fingolfin’s son Fingon is missing. Rog forcefully asks Maglor if he is with them, and if so demands that they produce him. The Fëanorians are genuinely surprised, but proudly assert that Fingon, the rightful King’s half-cousin, is not among them. The situation seems headed towards escalation, which makes Maglor uneasy. He suggests that he meet with Fingolfin face to face, on neutral ground; Rog agrees.
9: (Camp of Fingolfin) Círdan and Celeborn
Círdan tells Celeborn that he is leaving to see to the disposition and resettlement of his people. He has been away from them too long and Celeborn clearly has the situation here in the north well in hand.
10: (A Neutral Pavilion) The Estranged Houses Meet
Maglor, accompanied by Curufin, Celegorm, Huan, and a small retinue, approaches the meeting place where Fingolfin is waiting, accompanied by Turgon, Finrod, and bodyguards. They sit across a table from each other under the open sky. The discussion opens in tense, formal diplomatic language. Maglor’s main goal is to use this meeting to establish a cease fire so that he can withdraw more completely, but he is unable to divert Fingolfin from questions about Fingon, and doing so arouses their suspicions even further.
11: (Thangorodrim) Fingon sings
Fingon is exhausted from clambering around the mountains of Thangorodrim, and sits down, having given up finding an entrance to Morgoth's fortress. He looks around, pulls out his harp, and begins to sing. It takes Fingon a while to notice that someone is singing along with him. He stops singing and the voice continues, and Fingon immediately starts looking around for its source.
Act IV
12: (Camp of Fingolfin) First meeting of Galadriel and Celeborn
Galadriel watches the meeting between the Noldor of the two camps from afar, a bit resentful at being passed over as a delegate to attend. Celeborn approaches her and asks what is going on (in halting Quenya). She explains in Sindarin that her cousin Fingon is missing, and they are meeting to try to find out what happened. Celeborn tries to ask her about more of the background behind why there are two camps, and she answers him telepathically that she does not have the words to explain and cannot talk about that. He is surprised and impressed that she shares Finrod's ability.
13: (Thangorodrim) Maedhros' plight.
Fingon finds Maedhros stapled to the sheer cliff far above his head. There is no way for Fingon to climb up. Maedhros begs for death. Despairing of any way of helping him, Fingon gets out his bow and readies an arrow. But he hesitates, unable to bring himself to kill his friend, and utters a prayer to Manwë. Then he dashes aside tears, draws back the arrow, and takes aim. Thorondor arrives from above, calling out for Fingon to stop as he lands beside him. Fingon is amazed. Thorondor lifts Fingon to the ledge above Maedhros, and perches himself on the cliffside nearby. Fingon tries and fails to loosen the iron band around Maedhros' wrist, and in his frustration asks Thorondor why he even brought him closer if he still can't save Maedhros, who continues to request his own death. Thorondor answers that it is his part to watch. He saw many things (the ships burning in Losgar, etc). And he saw Fingon's humility and wish to extend mercy, so he responded. It is up to Fingon to deliver the mercy he asked for. Fingon raises his blade.
14: (Neutral Pavilion) The meeting of the estranged houses breaks down.
The discussion among the Noldor has gotten heated. They move beyond accusations about Fingon and are now bringing up their other grievances of the betrayal and the lives lost. Fingolfin draws Ringil. The arrival of Thorondor brings everything to an immediate halt as they all react to the sudden appearance of a giant eagle. Fingon descends holding Maedhros' body. Then Maedhros gives a sign of life, and his bloody stump is revealed. The gathered Noldor react to the sudden return of the wounded Maedhros and the reappearance of the missing Fingon. The conflict is abandoned.
Frame: (Bag End) Bilbo packs a bag; Gandalf smiles. Bilbo says that of course he's coming along, which was what Gandalf wanted, wasn't it? After all, if these Men and Dwarves and Elves are going to be in one place, they're going to need someone looking after them and keeping the peace, so Bilbo had better go.
Tag: (Angband) Morgoth receives news of Maedhros' escape, and expresses his utter confidence by laughing at the sad divisions between the Noldor and their complete ineffectiveness.