The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

Orcs ran in a panic!

Wargs fled with tails tucked tight!

If you want to know the reason,

Just ask the wizard Tarnes tonight!

The spontaneous, boisterous song of Fili, Kili, and their dwarven kin echoed through Fort Haight, only to be cut short by a violent tremor. A brilliant golden light flooded the room, and just as suddenly as it began, the shaking stopped.

The light faded, leaving a room full of dwarves holding whatever they could grab—hard baguettes, silver forks, half-empty mugs—and staring at one another in bewilderment.

"What was that?" Kili asked, leaning on a table and brandishing his baguette like a club.

Fili scanned the room, making sure none of his compatriots were injured, before letting out a sigh of relief.

Dwalin stood by the window, a half-eaten sausage still impaled on his dinner fork, its savory aroma wafting through the air. His gaze, however, was distant and dazed.

"Durin's beard…" he breathed, turning to the others. "You all need to see this. A huge castle just appeared out of nowhere."

Fili and Kili exchanged a look that was more resigned than surprised.

"Why am I not shocked?" Fili muttered.

Kili calmly sat back down, dipped his baguette into a bowl of honeyed milk, and took a large bite. "I have an idea, brother," he mumbled, his mouth full.

Fili also returned to his seat and his bacon-and-cheese sandwich. "What is it?"

Kili chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. "When we need to build our own outposts, we should ask Mr. Tarnes for help. He can just wave a staff, tap the ground, and poof—a fully equipped fortress appears." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Wait, does Mr. Tarnes even have a staff?"

Fili chuckled. "Perhaps he can just smash his greatsword into the ground."

Kili's eyes lit up. "Or blow on that whistle he uses to summon his spirit steed!"

"And then the castle appears!" the two brothers declared in unison.

Dwalin returned from the window, his spot immediately filled by other curious dwarves. He popped the now-cold sausage into his mouth and spoke to the brothers. "The fortress's location has changed again, just like the outpost yesterday."

Fili's curiosity was piqued. "How big is this new castle? Is it like Fort Haight?"

Dwalin shook his head emphatically. "Fort Haight? No, this is much bigger. It's not just a castle; it's an entire territory." He chewed for a moment, searching his memory for a comparison. "It's probably the size of old Dale-town, if you count the lands surrounding the walls."

At this, Kili began eating with renewed speed. "Then I have to go see it. I was born in the Blue Mountains; I've never seen what Dale looked like. Besides, Mr. Tarnes said he found me a teacher for magic, so I'll go find him."

Fili, not to be outdone, also began shoveling food into his mouth, clearly eager to see the new castle and perhaps learn a spell or two himself.

Meanwhile, within the towering ramparts of Castle Morne, Tarnes stood on the battlements where its former lord, Edgar, had made his last stand.

This version of Morne was pristine. The bodies of Royal Army soldiers and Misbegotten that had once littered the grounds in the Lands Between were gone. No corpses swayed from the gallows. In the main courtyard, the grim mountain of slaughtered nobles had been replaced by the quiet, unyielding figure of the Golden Tree, pulsing with a faint, steady light.

But the castle was unnervingly silent. Besides Tarnes, it was completely empty.

He walked the grounds alone, inspecting the facilities. Kenneth had been right; the castle was a self-contained city. It had artisan workshops capable of producing tools and weapons, a central trading plaza, and stately homes for nobles. Beyond the walls, a sprawling area was designated for civilian residences. The desolate ruins of Minhiriath had been completely transformed. The sudden appearance of the castle sent a clear message to any Orcs still lurking in the distance: this land had a new, powerful master.

Tarnes had placed Fort Haight to the northwest of Morne, near the Brandywine River, creating a strategic outpost for future trade with the dwarves of the Blue Mountains. The fort was now positioned on the very edge of the old ruins, a half-day's walk from the new castle—a fact Fili and Kili would soon discover with some dismay.

As for Sellen, her relay station and the old outpost had been moved to the northeast, just outside Castle Morne's towering gates. True to her nature, she disliked crowds and didn't object to the change in scenery, though she did express a slight annoyance at the new, longer walk to breakfast.

With this, the three bastions of his burgeoning kingdom formed an inverted triangle. An attack on any one point could be swiftly reinforced by the others. And guarding the main gate of Morne now stood a new, silent sentinel: a ten-meter-tall Golem, its enemy-detection range vast and its arrows absurdly large. Any Orc that dared approach would be pleasantly dispatched before it ever reached the walls.

But summoning the castle had drained nearly all the souls the Golden Tree had absorbed. He hadn't brought over its residents, and he couldn't afford to. The dozen extra mouths from Fort Haight had already strained his resources. He never imagined that the Elden Lord would be brought low by something as mundane as logistics. Food. Manpower. He needed both, and each created a demand for the other.

He sighed, the weight of his new responsibilities pressing down on him.

"What troubles you?" a familiar, mature voice asked.

Tarnes turned to see Sellen standing nearby, her Witch's Glintstone Crown hiding her expression. She had been watching him for some time.

"Is there something you need, Teacher?" he asked.

Sellen nodded. "Yes. Come with me to the cellar. I have something to show you." She extended a jade-white finger from the sleeve of her deep blue robe and pointed toward the Golden Tree. "It's related to that."

His interest piqued, Tarnes followed her. The underground passage was clean, all signs of the previous night's slaughter erased by the tree's power. Sellen opened the door to her small room, and the entire space was flooded with the azure light of Glintstone. She quickly retrieved a rectangular, deep blue crystal the size of her forearm and held it out to him.

"Take this," she said.

As Tarnes took the crystal, he felt a strange, subtle pulsing, as if it were alive. The crystalline patterns within resembled veins.

"This is…?" he began, a flicker of uneasy recognition in his mind. He recalled receiving something unnervingly similar from Sellen before—from her very body.

Sellen let out a soft laugh. "It seems you remember the primal glintstone I gave you, my dear disciple."

Tarnes gripped the crystal tighter, his expression baffled. "Teacher, what is this? Are you trying to…"

She removed her crown, revealing her beautiful face, and interrupted him. "Don't overthink it. This contains not my soul, but a blank slate." She continued in a calm, academic tone, "I observed the bodies returning to the tree. It's not difficult to deduce that the tree requires souls as nourishment, which it then converts into the Grace you use to summon things from our world. Am I correct?"

Tarnes nodded. But he knew she hadn't called him here for a simple confirmation.

"The tree's influence has a limited range," she explained. "Souls from corpses beyond its reach cannot be converted. So, I created this for you." She held up the crystal. "It is a primal glintstone modified to attract and absorb the souls of the departed, much like the tree does. Its storage capacity is vast. This way, the souls of creatures you slay far from here will not be wasted. You can collect them and bring them back. As for its name… you may call it what you wish."

She spoke as if she had just crafted a simple trinket, not a world-altering artifact.

Tarnes exhaled slowly. "Then let's call it what it is: a Soul Collector."

At that moment, a sudden, inexplicable chill ran down the spine of every Orc in Middle-earth.

With this, his greatest problem was solved. He would never lack for souls again.

Sellen nodded, then fixed him with an expectant gaze. Tarnes blinked, confused.

She sighed softly. "Go fetch me some breakfast. You've placed the relay station and Fort Haight entirely too far apart."

"Right. I'll go now."

Even as the Elden Lord, Tarnes obediently went to fetch his teacher's meal. Aided by Torrent, he quickly arrived at Fort Haight, where he found a dejected-looking Kili in the main square, with Fili attempting to console him. Rogier stood behind them, a helpless expression on his face.

"What's wrong with them?" Tarnes called out. "It's not like Fili and Kili to look so glum."

The two brothers forced a salute. Rogier bowed gracefully and explained, "They asked me to teach them magic, as you suggested. I tried the simplest Glintstone sorcery, Starlight, but… it seems these two dwarves have no aptitude for magic. They have no reserves of it in their bodies."

"I see," Tarnes said, his mind already working. He saw the flicker of hope in Kili's eyes and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Rogier. I think I have a way to solve their problem." He remembered Thorin's words about his axe—how using its power drained his stamina. Dwarves couldn't use sorcery, but they could use something else.

"Fili, Kili," he called out. "Fetch me a breakfast from the kitchens, then come with me. I will teach you myself."

(End of Chapter)

***

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