"— This curious, humble-sized hen, with feathers stained like the twilight sunset and the screams of a legion of Orcs, greets me in gentle purrs and fills my days with a joy that only such a cherished lil clucker can provide.

"Dumpling will attack my face in my sleep when she finds out I've been spending time with her sworn enemy - a chunky bird."

For any LOTRO Landroval server players, here are the dates for this year's Weatherstock!

Official flyers for Friday and Saturday's Weatherstock Concert Series, July 12th and 13th.

"The coming of the adventure could have been foreseen by looking out of a portal anytime in the previous lifetime.  But Arda 922 only took on significance when the Beacon of Andunie began to shimmer in the dark of Benjimir's quarters."

- Loxonica Omber, "Through the Crystal, Darkly."

Benjimir’s quarters afforded him a wide porthole that stood deck to ceiling. He spent untold hours there, pondering the endless stars and journey now ages old and bound to last for many more beyond his own life.  For a year now he had looked to the red and blue points of light.  A planet and moon it seemed.  The ships of the fleet were to pass by it en-route to their intended destination.  He no longer needed the visually enhanced projection on the porthole to pick them out.  His own ship, the Entulesse would be the third of seven ships to pass through.  The first, Andustar was less than a  year from its encounter.  The Meneltarmir a year after and his own remained some five years away.

Benjimir’s quarters on Entulesse were also more office space than a stateroom, a perk of his role as patriarch of the Thursby family.  A modest bed and personal care space were attached.  He came to his rank by promotion through provost marshal, regent and finally election as the steward of the monarchy.  It was the now defunct bloodlines of the Kings and Stewards which had set its people into the stars, leaving behind their world to other races.  A wall of relics near sacred to the people aboard the seven ships gave material testament to the reality of the mythic tales of their history.

Chief among these relics were the Silithar, a gem which once was used in forging a sword wielded by kings.  The sword had remained on its homeworld in the keep of a being known only as the Blue Lady.  Should it or one able to wield it be needed again the Lady would provide it to another.  

Near to the sword were other items of metal, daggers, including one passed for many generations to the matriarch of the Thursby family.  One dagger was said to shimmer in different hues when danger approached it's owner.  

On a small tripod on the shelf was a dark, marbled crystal.  It was the Beacon of Andunie.  It was kindred to the seeing stones of the past ages.  However rather than give the holder means to see through the span of time and space it provided personal Revelations.  

The Beacon of Andunie would shimmer and glow it was thought to signify to it's guardian of the impending approach of momentous moments.  In this way the crystals guardian customarily meditated while holding or gazing into the Crystal.  Indeed, it was precisely in this way that a seeing stone akin to the beacon itself had prompted the High King to set his people assail in the stars, seemingly directing them to the point in the sky the seven white ships were even now approaching.  This quest had become the mandate of the Thursby family with the end of the line of Kings and old line of Stewards.

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