On second thoughts, the Tevildo idea could turn into something rather weird and ridiculous. It probably wouldn’t work.
Session 5-02: Scope of the Season
- Thread starter MithLuin
- Start date
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
Anywhere between Episodes 6 and 10; judging by your chart, Episode 6 is where Annael’s treachery is discovered, which hampers gathering intelligence for Sauron, and Episode 10 is where Fingolfin calls for the Big Push against Angband.
Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
Yeah, cats strike me as very unhypnotizable. Also, Sauron probably would not appreciate Glaurung hypnotizing his minions. We would have to decide whether we want Glaurung and Sauron to be working together.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
I think Sauron (and Gothmog) would be quite unsure about how to handle Glaurung. Sauron is brains with little brawn and Gothmog is brawn with not as much brains. Glaurung on the other hand is both. Either one could see Glaurung as a threat.
Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
I don’t think we should lose track of the bad guys before Episode 8 (or whichever episode we have the fighting at Aglon). Now, it’s possible to show the actual battle entirely from the perspective of the good guys, but we should probably figure out a reason for Orcs to be sent against Aglon, even if it is only for our own reference, to justify the inclusion of that event. Does Morgoth actually intend to capture the pass? Is he just testing his enemies here? Did someone get word that there was a big attack coming and he wanted to throw them off the scent of the Dagor Bragollach? Is Aglon somehow uniquely vulnerable?
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
I think he's testing them. The Pass of Aglon seems a smaller-scale battle since it goes unmentioned in the published Silmarillion. Maybe this is why he sends Glaurung to take East Beleriand in the Dagor Bragollach?
Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
It is definitely small-scale, but why would Morgoth want to waste any Orcs if he is building up for the Dagor Bragollach?
One thing I’ve thought of is to have the attack somehow connected to Díriel. We’ve brainstormed about having a story where Díriel secretly tries to get word to her husband. Maybe she finds out about the plans for the Dagor Bragollach and warns Curufin. The bad guys don’t want the Elves to be on alert for the Dagor Bragollach, so they make a small scale attack, and everyone thinks that was what Díriel is talking about.
We wouldn’t necessarily need to show all of this from the bad guys’ perspective since we want to keep the Dagor Bragollach a secret from viewers too.
Another possibility would be for Díriel to be caught doing something disobedient and the attack on Aglon to be launched as kind of a punishment to her.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
Did we brainstorm something like that?
Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
In one of our discussions, the script team talked about having Diriel write messages on armor or weapons she was forced to make as a potential future storyline for her. I don't remember if there was actually any discussion of this on the forums.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
It doesn’t seem to have come up. I have an idea of her assisting in Rhogrin’s escape, but after that...
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Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
The idea was that Diriel would be writing her name on the things she made and that someone would find one of these and show it to Curufin so he would know his wife is alive. I think we also talked about the possibility of Diriel being caught doing this.
There wasn't any more discussion than that, so I am expanding on the idea by suggesting Diriel pass on word of a coming attack in Season 5.
If we wanted to do the armor thing, the armor, perhaps the message could be discovered by Caranthir after he helps Haleth fight off the Orcs attacking her people. Or, since secret messages in Orc armor is not an expedient or reliable way to send detailed messages, we could have Diriel communicate some other way.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure what other methods of communication there are out of Angband, and since the armor is the main objects coming out, we'll have to make do with that.
I kind of love the idea of Diriel writing her name on orcish weapons, but I'm not sure it wouldn't be detected by anyone before it reached elvish eyes.
She would have to mark them with some kind of signature that orcs wouldn't notice but elves would. But then, what would the elves make of it? "Díriel is alive (good!)... and she makes weapons that kill us (not so good)"?
She would have to mark them with some kind of signature that orcs wouldn't notice but elves would. But then, what would the elves make of it? "Díriel is alive (good!)... and she makes weapons that kill us (not so good)"?
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
So what language would Elves know that Orcs wouldn't?
I think the problem is that she cannot use runes at all. Elven runes would make even the dumbest orc suspicious. She would have to engrave some kind of symbol. I dunno, I think we have to drop this.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
Can't help but agree.
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
Maybe because she had helped in Rhogrin's escape (if we go down that path)?
amysrevenge
Well-Known Member
Conversely, I think that this is a
Well if they can come up with a sign that looks acceptable to orcs, but elves can interpret as a message from her specifically, I'd be happy (if we're doing this, that is).
On the other hand, I'm not sure the orcs would mind one or two elvish features, as long as they get good weapons. It's obvious that the elves make the weapons in the first place, so it's not like the orcs won't touch elven made stuff at all.
Rhiannon
Well-Known Member
I think Diriel's ability to send a message through Orc armor depends as much on how thoroughly her work is scrutinized as it does her ability to conceal the message. If we want this message to get out in this manner, we can make Angband quality control as lax and Diriel's message as cryptic as they need to be for this to occur.
However, if we want Diriel to communicate anything more than "I'm alive," armor is probably not the best way to do this. If we want her to send a detailed message, I think she could either tell that message directly to the prisoners she helps to escape or use the escape of Rhogrin and Annael to get word out about the code she will be using to communicate her future messages. This code could be anything - lights, sounds, observable patterns in the prisoners' routines - and Diriel could use it to relay information in a more direct and timely manner.
If we tie Diriel's attempts to relay information from within Angband with Rhogrin and Annael's story, perhaps we could then have Diriel's messages not be trusted after Annael's treachery is discovered.
However, if we want Diriel to communicate anything more than "I'm alive," armor is probably not the best way to do this. If we want her to send a detailed message, I think she could either tell that message directly to the prisoners she helps to escape or use the escape of Rhogrin and Annael to get word out about the code she will be using to communicate her future messages. This code could be anything - lights, sounds, observable patterns in the prisoners' routines - and Diriel could use it to relay information in a more direct and timely manner.
If we tie Diriel's attempts to relay information from within Angband with Rhogrin and Annael's story, perhaps we could then have Diriel's messages not be trusted after Annael's treachery is discovered.