Galadriel leads Tuiwen beneath the last bright mallorn terraces, descending toward a secluded grove at Lothlórien’s western boundary. The golden canopy thins behind them.
The grove lies quiet beneath the roots. Ward-lights hover low among the moss, each pale glow fading as it drifts toward a living tree marked with unfamiliar silver scars.
Galadriel
Here the redirection touches the living wood. Do not mistake its beauty for safety; every departing light leaves this boundary more exposed.
Galadriel circles the tree without touching it. The scars form branching arcs across the bark, too deliberate for natural weathering and unlike the ward-script of Lothlórien.
Galadriel
These marks answer neither summons nor wound. They are instructions, carved into the tree’s memory and renewed whenever a ward-light passes.
One fading light pauses beneath the lowest scar. Silver briefly brightens along the bark, revealing a narrow line that points beyond the grove, toward the western dark.
Galadriel
Study the pattern, Tuiwen. Tell me whether it leads the lights toward a refuge, a prison, or a door we must never open.
“"I saw something similar in Caras Amarth. The enemy was using channels such as this to give disturbing commands to the Woodmen in order to drive them out of Southern Mirkwood. Saruman was the author of that scheme. I was able to locate the channels and close them."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Lore, rolled +3)
Tuiwen
I saw this pattern in Caras Amarth. Saruman used channels like these to send disturbing commands to the Woodmen and drive them from Southern Mirkwood. I located those channels and closed them.
Tuiwen traces the silver scars without touching the tree. Her memory aligns the marks with the command channels beneath Caras Amarth: the same deliberate branching, the same imposed turn, the same pressure upon living roots.
Galadriel
Then this is Saruman’s architecture, carried into an older ward. You have recognized the hand behind the instruction, not merely the shape of the path.
At Tuiwen’s explanation, the basin’s lights rearrange themselves. The hidden channels beneath the grove become visible in silver, and one narrow branch separates cleanly from the rest.
Galadriel
Your knowledge gives us an advantage. We can distinguish the command channels from Lothlórien’s natural warding and follow their imposed route without opening the sealed roads.
The separated branch points westward, ending at a concealed junction beyond the grove. Its silver light marks a place where the imposed instructions can be severed without harming the living tree.
Galadriel
You closed Saruman’s channels once. Here, you have shown us where his design begins. We may contain this redirection before it drains another ward-light.
“"With your permission, I will seek out the junction which is the source of these instructions and close it, as I did before."'”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Tuiwen
With your permission, I will seek out the junction that is the source of these instructions and close it, as I did before.
Galadriel
You have my permission. Do this under my authority, and accept that Lothlórien will hold you publicly responsible if the living wood suffers.
Galadriel opens the concealed way with a gesture. Tuiwen follows the separated silver branch beneath the grove, reaching a buried junction where Saruman’s instructions knot around the living roots.
The junction answers her recognition. Its imposed channels brighten, revealing commands turned inward toward the ward-lights, while Lothlórien’s natural roots remain clear and unharmed.
Tuiwen closes the channels one by one, severing the forced turns and sealing each cut with clean light. The redirected ward-lights halt, then return along their rightful paths.
Galadriel
It is closed. The ward is protected, but your name now stands before Lothlórien as the guarantor of this severance.
Above them, the scarred tree releases a soft silver glow. The grove’s scattered lights strengthen, while the hidden junction falls silent beneath the roots, contained but marked by Tuiwen’s oath of accountability.
Quest Complete
Protect Lothlórien from the withdrawing ward-lights
Skill Upgrade: Survival Superb→Legendary