Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-25754873-20141220155141/@comment-67.22.249.68-20150103045518

Hey, contributor 58, the South Harad trading co. is an enormous corporate empire, with a monopoly over trade with all nearby peoples, such as Gondor, Rohan, Mordor, the Grey Elves, and even some further off places like Arnor and Lothlorien. They also have trade, but not a monopoly over, Mirkwood and Dol Guldur and Gundabad. In order to find steady trade, the East Harad traders would need to seek their fortunes in trade much further away, and that involves more expense. Therefore, though they could be a rival, they wouldn't be locked in a proper financial war with the South Harad trading co.

Eureka stood at the edge of the inner keep, using his Elven vision to scan the distant mountaintops. Yes indeed, the Dwarves who had hid themselves beneath the White Mountains were on the move. Eureka was surprised at their numbers. It turns out it was a good thing that he built his fortress on the foothills instead of on the mountains themselves. He considered following the Dwarves with his armies to give them help, but he decided against it. No, it was better to focus on more pressing matters.

Meanwhile...

Deep in the forests of the Coldfells, a shadowy figure stood beneath a tall tree. It waited there for an hour, silent an motionless, to the point where a bird landed on his shoulder for a few seconds. Eventually, another cloaked and hooded figure appeared beneath the shadows of the trees, and spoke in a soft, sibillisant, almost serpentine voice.

"What word from the mountainsss?"

"The ssstumpy hairy onesss who live beneath the earth have ssent many of their number to take the city of fire and darknesss from the black-sskinned beastsss. They have alssso formed a friendship with the fair onesss beneath the white peaksss, and the royal onesss of the white city."

"Intriguing. But it matterss not. Sssuch mattersss are not oursss to be concerned about."

"But what of the nestsss in the city of fire and darknessss?"

"Abandon them."

"Very well. You should at leasst return thisss information to the temple."

"Indeed."

The two hooded figures turned away from each other and walked off.