When an ambassador leaves a court in a hurry, there is much talk, especially when this news comes following the tragic event of the ambassador’s lord falling into the hands of the enemy. It was now clear to most everyone in the Valley that Parnard had objected to the plans of the Lord Veryacano, for he had declared often, publically and privately, that it was a most reckless act of desperation that ought to have been reconsidered, but alas! – the Hammer Lord was so profoundly affected by the disappearance of his friend and Lord, that his actions exhibited a complete misunderstanding of the possible, and showed that he lived in a world of dreams. Well, thought Ambassador Parnard, the Hammer Lord’s love of our late lord, as well as his bottomless pride, caused him to neglect my counsel. What is needed is some calm diplomacy, something to keep the bloodshed and disgrace to a minimum. One summer's day, Parnard recorded in his diary that he has himself decided to fly to the Lord of the Hammer Order, to attempt to persuade him from his ‘calamitous folly.’
The character of Parnard was really not prepared to move the mind of Veryacano, for it knew little of its real nature, nor was he educated to understand the long and checkered history of the Noldor lord, who, in times past, was often ready to sanction acts of ruthless cruelty, and his cold, keen nature made him a little deficient in sympathy. All was very different in the Greenwood, where the wood-elves could not even bind up their rascally prisoner Gollum, out of pity and kindness. Parnard could never hope to win a victory over such a great strategist by appealing to the Lord Veryacano’s heart, and, suspecting this, he determined to seek out the Hammer Lord and speak to him of the dangers of engaging in his fruitless expedition, by couching it in a ‘practical argument.’ He informed the head of the House, Lord Vorongwë, of his intent, as follows:
My lord, I have acquainted you with the matters of the House, and inform you of my decision to depart from Imladris and seek out the Lord Veryacano. To understand the motives and act wisely, it is needful to grasp the matter in hand, and see it for what it is. Here is what we know, beyond doubt:
The dangers which have menaced our House were caused by the malice of the Shadow and its promoters, the wicked Men of the Wilderland;
That these particular Men are like unto hairy, savage beasts, ready to tear one another to pieces over some matter of insignificance; some wear axes instead of swords, and little else; and sit cross-legged on the ground slurping up their pottage into great, gaping mouths, as if they would suck down the very light and air into their black bellies;
That it was not such a very long time ago, since their unquenchable rage for fighting had arrived at such a heavy pitch, that they near killed themselves off in the bloodiest of quarrels;
That permitting them to kill each other has not been means sufficient to prevent a multitude of elves from being killed in the field, nor has it kept us from becoming entangled in their great mischiefs;
That the consequence of a pitched land battle will be deleterious upon our fortunes, for the difficulty and cost will be enormous, and the sufferings great, while the actual objective, that of returning our Lord Anglachelm, will not be successful, even if the Men are crushed underfoot, for the force of the Enemy is great, and there are not only presumptuous Men to rail against, but filthy Orcs, and foul things allied to the Shadow;
That our waning days are filled with uncertainty and the most disagreeable of circumstances, and we lament to see the most courteous and gentle of our race done to death by the wicked world of Men, in some way or another, should they willfully seek out that ill-omened folk. Yet it is a sore evil that cannot be revenged: to render evil for evil is brutish;
That our holdings in the south have been long neglected, and many are broken and abandoned, and the home of Celebrimbor’s folk is lost, and said to be tainted by an ancient evil: we should probably give them up as gone forever;
That we deceive ourselves, and should return at once to the Valley, and set about fortifying it for the coming storm, and make it a shining city for all our kin to dwell therein, and so drive off the clouds; but if we cannot do this, then we should flee these lands forever, for it is better to be companions of those who dwell in light than subjects of a darkling, dwindling kingdom;
That I cannot sit still to see my Lord Anglachelm’s work undone, and, one day, he will require me to give account, and he will not be pleased to hear us acting thus wrongly, and I would not wish to hand down this account incorrectly, and therefore, must carefully investigate everything from the beginning for my most excellent and auspicious lord, so that he may know the certainty of the things we have heard;
Your most humble and respectful servant,
Parnard Teludarion
