Adventure of Tuiwen 2

Tauriel orders the subdued Orcs apart beneath the beacon, placing each under a separate archer’s eye. The brazier burns steadily above them as guards watch every approach.

She points toward the southern trails, where crushed grass and broken twigs vanish beneath the ridge. The prisoners remain silent, separated beneath drawn bows.

The archers tighten their watch while the beacon throws a long gold spear across the grass. Beyond it, several faint trails meet and divide, suggesting a wider search than the captured warband alone.

Tauriel holds Tuiwen’s gaze, protective resolve set against the distant shadow of Dol Guldur. The prisoners wait beneath the bows, and the beacon continues to announce the Woodland Realm’s defiance.

Tuiwen draws the Elven blade and sets its bright edge beneath the nearest Orc’s jaw. Her Oath-Bound restraint keeps the threat measured, while the blade makes its warning unmistakable.

Her Dol Guldur Veteran’s memory gives the question the weight of witnessed horror, while Protector of the Kin turns her danger toward the beacon’s safety. The Orc’s bravado falters beneath the drawn bows.

The answer comes quickly, forced from him by the blade and by Tuiwen’s unshaken will. Behind her, the beacon burns on, untouched, its warning now sharpened by a name.

The nearest Orc is bound more tightly and returned beneath the archer’s guard. Tauriel keeps the prisoners separated, while the beacon’s gold flame continues its defiance above them.

Tuiwen studies the signal brazier, then inscribes bright runes around its stone base. Her Oath-Bound restraint narrows the working to warning and defense, refusing any summons that would expose the Woodland Realm recklessly.

Beacon's Radiance answers first, gathering the flame into a pure white core. Sovereign Heritage follows through Tuiwen's blood, giving the invocation a royal voice, while the signal brazier becomes its steadfast vessel.

The fire climbs beyond the beacon tower and pours upward through the clouds, turning them gold and silver. Its immense light can be seen across the forest and far beyond the Woodland Realm.

The captured Orcs shrink beneath the radiant sky, their secrecy made useless. Tauriel's archers hold them fast as the beacon's hope spreads over every road, while its defiance carries toward the Hill of Sorcery.

Tuiwen’s words pass into the brazier through Beacon’s Radiance. Sovereign Heritage gives the flame a royal command, while Protector of the Kin turns its brilliance outward, carrying warning rather than challenge alone.

The signal brazier answers without consuming its fuel. White fire crowns the eastern height, then divides into radiant paths across the sky: one toward Dol Guldur, one west toward Rhosgobel, and a fainter third toward Lothlórien.

Within Dol Guldur’s shadow, hostile shapes recoil from the distant blaze. The light reveals the fortress against its own darkness, stripping concealment from any army that gathers beneath the Hill of Sorcery.

Oath-Bound restraint keeps the working measured: no reckless summons, no disturbance of the sealed roads, and no exposure beyond the warning’s purpose. The beacon remains protected as its light settles over the distant realms.

The captured Orcs tremble beneath the radiant sky, while the elves hold their positions. Across the forest, answering fires begin to kindle, proving that the Free Peoples have received the message and do not stand alone.

Tuiwen draws the Elven blade around the beacon, its edge scoring a perfect circle into the eastern height. Beacon’s Radiance fills each cut with white fire, while the captured Orcs recoil beneath their guards.

Her Sovereign Heritage gives the ward the authority of the Woodland Realm, and Protector of the Kin turns that authority toward every road, watcher, and ally beneath the beacon’s warning.

Tuiwen sets the Elven blade at four points of the circle. Forest Warden’s Insight guides the runes through living grass and stone without injuring the land, binding the protection to the beacon rather than the sealed mountain roads.

Oath-Bound restraint narrows the magic to defense: it does not summon foes, pursue them, or reveal more of the Woodland Realm than the warning already has. The wards wait in silence.

When Tuiwen closes the final sign, the circle hardens into an unseen boundary. Any evil creature crossing it will meet searing light, binding roots, and a force that drives it back from the flame.

The white fire steadies above the completed wards. Tauriel’s archers keep their positions, the prisoners remain secured, and no evil hand can approach the beacon without finding Tuiwen’s protection waiting.

Tuiwen lowers the Elven blade, leaving the beacon’s white fire enclosed within its ward. Oath-Bound restraint ends her working at defense, refusing pursuit or any summons beyond the warning’s purpose.

Tauriel orders the beacon party to hold the height and escorts Tuiwen down the eastern path. Sovereign Heritage lends Tuiwen’s report the authority of the Woodland Realm, while the light remains visible behind them.

They reach the Elvenking’s Halls before nightfall. The great doors open at Tauriel’s call, and Thranduil receives them in the council chamber as the beacon continues burning above the forest.

Tuiwen stands before the king with Tauriel beside her, ready to give the successful report: the beacon is protected, the Orc scouts are secured, and Dol Guldur’s returning master is named.