The Fourth Age
Full of fright, fervour and fear was Flynagin’s fate of late.
Ever since returning from Gondor, the mirth that once defined him was all but forgotten;
Though making Fiontann’s acquaintance and investing in Hamglen certainly came with some rapport, it was almost entirely without struggle. The journey to and fro’ to Falathlorn came with some struggle to his companions, but not to Alagnir, son of Guvadan who had just returned from a real battlefield. The road through the Shire hardly challenged him, but the haste with which they passed did not permit them to enjoy any of its simple wonders.
Despite feeling at home back in the Bree-lands, he was too often reminded of his times in the South: whether it be his chance reunion with Atharann in the Thirsty Boar or how Mornenion’s library mirrored Elrond’s in its magnificence. These were the only two joyous moments he could recall since returning North.
The most painful reminder of his harrowed destiny however, was the task which he wished he could delay no further. Before returning from Ered Luin, Alagnir turned north at Oatbarton and to deliver the tidings and belongings of his late kinsman, who had rode south with Grey Host but not returned north. On the shores of Nenuial beneath a clear September sky, he passed on these tidings and wept with his next-of-kin as if it was his own father he had lost.
Bearing the Star of the North proudly upon his shoulder, he pushed Finrod on one of his hardest rides yet. Through night and day he rode and returned to Hamglen not long after his companions from Falathlorn. An uneasiness lurked in the air as the lamps of guards illuminated the foggy midnight sky, and a breeze urged him onward to the barracks, but his wits were beside him after his tireless journey.
What happened next shook Flynagin to his core. Though his memory of the events in the barracks was faint and riddled with dread, he knew one thing for certain. Evil had returned to Eriador. A necromancer assaulted Hamglen. Misfortune followed him every direction he went. Before long, the enemy’s servants passed through their meager defenses and the might of the Black Steel would be tested...
