Dojo Darelir, the School of Xenograg the Sorcerer

[In The Hobbit, Bilbo] has two other qualities besides [the Ring]. One is luck. The dwarves notice this more than once, with Thorin for instance saying, as he sends Bilbo down the tunnel to the dragon, that Bilbo is ‘full of courage and resource far beyond his size, and if I may say so possessed of good luck far exceeding the usual allowance’ (chapter 12). Earlier on, after Bilbo had rescued them from the spiders, ‘[the dwarves] saw that he had some wits, as well as luck and a magic ring – and all three were useful possessions’ (chapter 8). This belief that luck is a possession, which one can own, and perhaps even give away or pass on, may seem to be characteristically dwarvish, i.e. old-fashioned, pre-modern: it is a commonplace of Norse saga, for instance, where there are many lucky and unlucky cloaks, weapons, and people.

— Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, p. 27

Author’s emphasis.

Axe-fighting was a complex and demanding dance. It looked much more brutal and simplistic than sword-work, but in some respects it was vastly more subtle than the ballet of the swordsman. The killing edge of an axe was in a position to harm an opponent for a much smaller percentage of engagement time than the killing surfaces of a sword. Axe fighting was about swinging and circling, moving and evading, choosing the moment to land the blow. It was about seeing that opening coming three or four steps ahead, like a good [chess] player, and then taking advantage of it without telegraphing the stroke. It was about predicting the interface between swing and moving target. Misjudge that, and you’d lose the fight.

— Dan Abnett, Prospero Burns, chapter 12

While visiting Alais‘s home in Matlal, the young sorceress Amanda thu-Darelir has a dream-vision of terrible consequence:

Amanda’s Nightmare

I still role-play Xenograg live on Rings of Honor, Dragon’s Mark Red Dragon Inn, and AOL Instant Messenger. I log all chat sessions and occasionally transcribe one into a proper story. My latest page in the Other Fiction section is one of these. Xenograg summons one of his students, Wyheree, to Dojo Darelir for a secret mission:

Rescuing Grimblade