Script Discussion S05E08

Nicholas Palazzo

Well-Known Member
Hey, in this session (which will be held on 2/7 @ 8:30 Eastern), the Bëorians return! Adanel is old and getting Andreth ready to take over, and we get the second Bëorian migration. Also, Aredhel is trying to reassert her relationship with now-young-adult Maeglin, who gets a field trip.
 
Here's a snapshot of where we currently are in the season:

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So, it has been 45 years since we've visited Nargothrond. It has been the same amount of time since Aredhel and Eöl agreed to get married. So, in both our elven and human stories, we are seeing a lot of changes in that amount of time. In both cases, the story is something along the lines of 'what seemed good has turned sour due to entombment'. Andreth comes up with a good and healthy choice for her people, and talks Finrod into it. Aredhel...well, not so much (though she does try).

I can see parallels between the stories, but I'm not sure if we're necessarily going to have good thematic links. The closest I can come is a 'think of the children!' approach to how the issue at hand will affect the next generation.
 
Scene 12 is a placeholder.

What we need to happen is to create a situation where Azaghal King of Belegost is visiting Laurin King of Nogrod to feel out the possibility of alliance (not just trading agreement, but military alliance) with the Noldor. And Eöl, the guest of the dwarves of Nogrod, is not invited to be part of those discussions (his enmity with the Noldor is well-known, and his friendship was with the former king, who has since died).

The goal for the scene is to create a situation where Eöl is ignorant of this snub (and thus unaware that a private political negotiation is happening), while Maeglin figures out what is going on (at least enough to know that there is important business discussing the Noldor, and that Eöl is being deliberately excluded). So, the question is...how to accomplish that? Assume for a moment that both Eöl and Maeglin speak and understand Khuzdul. Also assume that we don't want this scene to consist of Maeglin snooping/eavesdropping behind a door while an important conversation happens. Separating the two characters is fine.

Any suggestions?
 
Scene 12 is a placeholder.

What we need to happen is to create a situation where Azaghal King of Belegost is visiting Laurin King of Nogrod to feel out the possibility of alliance (not just trading agreement, but military alliance) with the Noldor. And Eöl, the guest of the dwarves of Nogrod, is not invited to be part of those discussions (his enmity with the Noldor is well-known, and his friendship was with the former king, who has since died).

The goal for the scene is to create a situation where Eöl is ignorant of this snub (and thus unaware that a private political negotiation is happening), while Maeglin figures out what is going on (at least enough to know that there is important business discussing the Noldor, and that Eöl is being deliberately excluded). So, the question is...how to accomplish that? Assume for a moment that both Eöl and Maeglin speak and understand Khuzdul. Also assume that we don't want this scene to consist of Maeglin snooping/eavesdropping behind a door while an important conversation happens. Separating the two characters is fine.

Any suggestions?
How about a marketplace scene where nobody’s buying from Eol?
 
Maybe Maeglin is being shown around by a friendly dwarf guide when he sees from a distance a Noldor delegation (Curufin who can speak Khuzdul or even Maedhros himself) arriving and being given VIP treatment by the King himself, and realises something is afoot but keeps this information to himself. (He is already very wary of his Father) He then realises that his father is not the great Elven Lord he has been brought up to believe he is.
 
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Maybe Maeglin is being shown around by a friendly dwarf guide when he sees from a distance a Noldor delegation (Curufin who can speak Khuzdul or even Maedhros himself) arriving and being given VIP treatment by the King himself, and realises something is afoot but keeps this information to himself. (He is already very wary of his Father) He then realises that his father is not the great Elven Lord he has been brought up to believe he is.

That's not a terrible idea. But one of our goals was to show just how socially intuitive Maeglin is, which is why we were trying to avoid eavesdropping or happenstance.
 
I do like the idea of Maeglin getting a tour of Nogrod.

For one, it gives us an opportunity to show off how awesome Nogrod is! Lots of chances for worldbuilding and exploring who the dwarves are in that sequence.

But more importantly, it separates Maeglin and Eöl (Eöl doesn't need the tour; he's been here before). And it also gives Maeglin a new dwarf friend to talk to. We wanted to avoid snooping/eavesdropping Maeglin, so putting him into an ongoing conversation with one particular dwarf allows a relationship to develop. We can see what interests Maeglin, and see what he manages to pull out of this conversation.

So, rather than details of the tour 'giving away' the existence of an important meeting happening, it could be his tour guide who is not quite cautious enough to reveal how unusual a 'state visit' from Belegost is, and that having the king there is a big deal...which naturally leads to conversations about the events planned. If Maeglin expresses interest, he could be dismissed in a 'that is a closed door event' kind of way - only dwarves invited by King Laurin himself will be in attendance. Maeglin may even assume that his father would be one of those invited...until he later talks to Eöl and finds out, actually no.

I think that we are imagining the rift between Eöl and Maeglin happening as a direct result of this trip. Maeglin realizes that his father is not quite the hotshot he thought he was, whereas his mother...she really is the sister of the king of Gondolin. So, by the end of the episode, he is 'choosing' Aredhel and Gondolin over Eöl and the dwarves....but he was excited to go to Nogrod in the first place and Eöl still considers him a trustworthy mini-me at this point.
 
This is the second or third time we introduce another dwarf don't we?
Do we need another secondary dwarf sidecharacter to fill outbthese roles? I mean... we do not necessarily need 3 people
 
Yes, this would be the third time 'new' dwarf characters are introduced this season. While the disadvantage is 'all these characters' the advantage is...we aren't asking the audience to remember the dwarven characters beyond the episode in which they appear. So, I think it is okay to have a token dwarf of Nogrod be Maeglin's friend...for the scenes with Maeglin here. We're not asking them to remember this dwarf later.
 
Haha, you don't have to agree with me! Certainly, the dwarves who were introduced in Episode 2 or 4 could reappear here as part of the Belegost delegation, accompanying Azaghal. After all, they would be the ones who are interacting the most with outsiders as the 'trade caravan dwarves'. It's just that this is our chance to meet a dwarf who lives in Nogrod, and get to know that perspective on the story.
 
As one note, the name of Andreth's little brother (who is the troublemaker in Nargothrond) is Bregolas. Bregor is Andreth's older brother and Barahir's father. While Bregor will be 'there' during this time, he's not a character the way Bregolas will be. This preserves Bregolas as the father of Baragund and Belegund. Maybe we can make sure Bregor's bow goes to Barahir and later Beren and winds up in Doriath.
 
My apologies for posting this so late! Here is the first draft of the script for Episode 8 (now with Frame scenes).


Comments and suggestions welcome! You may leave them here in the thread or directly on the document by suggesting an edit or adding a comment.

Episode 8 will be discussed in the podcast session on Thursday May 20th.

I listened to several soundtracks on loop while writing this; Fairy Tail for the Andreth scenes, and Ennio Morricone's The Mission for the Nogrod scenes. Code Geass OST for the Frame. :)
 
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One storyarc in Episode 8 is Andreth visiting the Haladin in Brethil. This serves as a 'cultural exchange' (with Andreth seeing how they live, apart from the Elves), and an opportunity to finally see the Haladin in a peaceful situation after their many ordeals.

I think it would be appropriate for Andreth to bring a gift for Haleth from Nargothrond, and for Haleth to give Andreth a gift when she returns to Nargothrond. These gifts should help tell the story of the 'cultural exchange.' Any suggestions on what those gifts might be?
 
Also, the question has arisen...what is the motivation of the 'friendly' dwarf of Nogrod seeking out Maeglin and offering him a tour? Is there something the dwarves of Nogrod wish to know about Eöl, and will therefore casually question his young son about?
 
Gifts: For the Haladin, bolts of cloth that is used to create their herald? This is the Haladin's herald, right?

How about the herald being stitched onto a black field to symbolize the Haladin's triumph over Tevildo?

As for what the Haladin give to the House of Beor, how about weapons like spears and axes? They'd really come in handy in Dorothonion.
 
Hmm... i never saw the Haladin as great weaponmakers really.I mean, what could they have which the Noldor cannot provide them with better?
 
Maybe some beautiful woodcarvings - no joke! Or nice mantles of some unknown black animal fur...

Btw. When will we meet the Drúedain? They have been left out so far if i am right, or did they appear somewhere in the background and i do not remember?
 
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