Poetry competition CLOSED 7th May 2021 5:32pm
WINNER
Viddax (Lord Viddax)
Viddax (Lord Viddax)
RUNNER-UP:
PoetsRevenge
NaPo 2021 Stomp the Prompt Comp
Poetry Contest Description
Admitted into the Fellowship of the Poem
Hosts: Ahavati & JohnnyBlaze
This comp is for one of the participants of the Official DU NaProWriMo 2021 Challenge to win an extra Tropheee! They may enter as many of their Prompt inspired poems here as possible. While only they may qualify for the Tropheee, any DUP member is allowed to enter!
The RULES!
1) After your poem ( at the bottom of your post ), Hashtag your entry with the corresponding prompt you used. For example: #22
2) You are not required to post these poems in the Official DU NaPoWriMo 2021 Challenge ( but if you do, be certain they adhere to the Rules of that comp ).
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/forum/competitions/read/11876/
3) No erotica or extreme content allowed.
Winner of the Tropheee will be decided by a panel of Team NaPo 2020 judges who did not participate in this comp.
May the Most Entertaining Prompt Inspired Poem Win!
01. Write about Love between Elves and Humans, or any other "unlikely" combination. Draw inspiration from the romance between Arwen and Aragorn, or Luthien and Beren ... but do it in the style of Elvish Presley! We can't go on together with fairie suspicious minds . . .
02. Fangorn the Ent was once described as "the oldest living thing under the sun in Middle Earth". However, Fangorn himself insists there are far older creatures than he. Regale us with tales about them!
03) Green Goblins known as Globulins from the Misty Mountains are spreading illness among the Orcs. Athelas, also known as Kingsfoil or asëa aranion, is a sweet-smelling herb with healing powers, such as curing wounds, poison, and counteracting evil influences. Can this ingredient be used in a vaccine?
04) It's the annual Wyrmington Heights neighborhood yard sale. You find plenty of authentic looking antiques, but suspect some might be reproductions. How might you test any items to see if they are genuine? Is that shiny, golden ring really beckoning you to pick it up?
05) Glimpsing the future in the Birdbath of Lady Galadriel, do you find modern society scary? Or are some things very similar, like how a Palantir resembles video chatting?
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Palantiri
06) The realm is being overrun with Werewyrms! There goes the neighborhood. These ginormous creatures are tearing up the countryside of Wyrmington Heights! What can you do to calm them down?
07) The Green Dragon Inn has closed its doors. Rosie Cotton must commute to Bree and tend bar at the Prancing Pony. As a Hobbit, she's not use to cities accommodating Human sized beings. Describe her challenges.
08) You represent the Dwarves in a Middle Earth debate forum. Write an impassioned poem ( speech ) about the wrong impression Elves have of Dwarves, but do so in a gruff and matter-of-fact way in which a Dwarf would speak.
09) Having wandered fron your Orc tribe, you stumble upon an Elf maiden and fall head over heels! Compose a love poem to gift her with ( but keep in mind that you are an Orc with a limited vocabulary ).
10) You just woke up wearing a war helmet in a horse trough after a rather rowdy party with Dwarves. Are there clues about as to what happened? Try to retrace your steps!
11) An attack is imminent and Gondor needs allies. You are tasked with carrying the Red Arrow, but misplace it along the way. How do you go about replacing it so that no one suspects what has happened?
https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Arrow
12) The Shire is overrun with absurdly large, talking groundhogs! Hobbit homes are being invaded! Tell us how the Hobbits will rid themselves of these groundhogs without using lethal measures?
13) You are a Brown Wizard whose spent life avoiding other Humanoid creatures. Your nature dwelling is stumbled upon by outsiders. How do you hide the fact that you are indeed a Wizard, but without using any magic? Create a "grand story" ( a lie ) of who you are using as many uncommon words as possible.
14) You're a harp-toting Elf known for your ability to spin dazzling tributes to monolithic structures. You join a competition to write the most awe-inspiring tribute to the Argonath or any other Middle Earthian monument.
15) You are just another Joe Blow Dwarf working in the mines of Moria. One day you decide to "loot" a bit of Mithril to sell on the side, but are caught red-handed. Talk your way out of such a sticky fingered situation!
16) As an Ent, naturally you speak very slowly. Others have difficulty sitting through your longwinded talks. Recite a poem as to why it is important not to be so hasty!
17) Sauron is hosting his annual Rave, but in order to gain entry, you must recite a poem to the Orc bouncers as to why you should be admitted.
18) Your application to the Nazgul Horsemen's Club explaining why you are worthy of joining the Black Riders has been accepted. Are you as dark, unearthly, and as bad-assed as you claimed?
19) Tom Bombadil, the most positive person ever, gave you a rhyming verse to recite should you find yourself in danger. Now is the time for that verse, as you find yourself about to get into a brawl with three Wights!
https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_Bombadil
20) During a dare to spend a single night in the Mines of Moria, you encounter a Balrog who insists he will spare your life if you write a poem glorifying him. Will you swallow your pride and save your hide in the process? Or do you defy him and risk yourself being swallowed?!
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Balrogs
21) You set out on a pilgrimage to follow the footsteps of the great Frodo Baggins. What are you hoping to experience or find?
22) Cornered by the Nazgul, these nine Ringwraiths break out into a dance routine. Will it be like Michael Jackson's "Thriller"? Or will it be a K-Pop power point presentation? Will the Witch King of Angmar lay down a rap trap you can't escape from? Word up. Boogeyman down.
23) Tell us about life in a kingdom where all forms of poetry other than ABAB rhyme scheme are outlawed.
24) A meeting is held about the lack of female characters in Tolkien's epic Middle Earth storyline. In attendance are Arwen, Galadriel, Eowyn, Rosie Cotton, Lobelia Baggins, Goldberry, Luthien, Shelob, Bell Goodchild, and Ungoliant to name what few there are. They decide to go on strike until Tolkien writes more substantial parts for women in general!
25) Dain Ironfoot, King of the Dwarves, declares it is time for the Lonely Mountain's residents to embrace Tiny Housing. As a Dwarf, would living like a Hobbit cramp your style?
26) Gimly the Dwarf: I asked for one golden strand from the Lady Galadriel's head.
Legolas the Elf: And her response was?
Gimly the Dwarf: She handed me her entire wig.
27) In response to many a critic's request that Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee come clean about their love for one another, Frodo publishes an editorial in The Hobbiton Times setting the record straight.
28) When Gandalf deciphers the writing engraved on Bilbo's ring, he uses an incorrectly programmed online Black Speech of Mordor to English translator. What does the Wizard recite that offends Elrond and the others attending the secretive High Council meeting?
29) It started as gossip about "Orcs" over a hedge that was misheard as "Orcas" ( Killer Whales ) and then escalated from there. Wormtongue mentioned such to Saruman the White Wizard who immediately went to work in Orthanc creating his very own Land Shark army! What is their language like? Are they really blood thirsty? Or did they turn out tame, longing for the sea?
https://media0.giphy.com/media/l0HlBI13qW1DUloe4/source.gif
30) The Mouth of Sauron is afflicted with strep throat, but he wishes not to disappoint his master when speaking to the Fellowship outside the Black Gate of Morder. He concocts a plan to fulfill his duties, but it goes horribly awry.
In the early days of Muddle Earth when the world was young, the Earthwyrm race flourished in all of the Arts, especially excelling in the Art of Poetry. So much so that the slug known as MOAR!ON grew jealous of their gifts, who then hatched a plan to control how all Poetry throughout every realm was written.
MOAR!ON gifted to the nine Earthwyrm Kings seemingly magnificent poems that when read aloud, deadened their minds with its brain numbing rhyme scheme that left them prone to his magic spells.
Unaware of his intentions, MOAR!ON in secret had crafted The One Poem ™, enslaving those Poembearers to his very will. Havng established complete dominion over their kingdoms, all forms of Poetry other than ABAB rhyming were outlawed by the Kings. And thus began a stifling of creativity, ushering in the Dark Age of Literature.
A thousand years of miserable verse was endured before the great uprising occurred, led by the Spiderweb Mistress of the Underground and her faithful companion, the Dark Knight. They met MOAR!ON face to face in battle as tens of thousands of Earthwyrms and moronic minions from the wastelands of Moardor slugged it out.
When all seemed lost and that tyranny would prevail, the Dark Knight snatched The One Poem ™ from its chain around MOAR!ON'S neck and with intent to destroy it, raced towards Mount Dumb ( pronounced "doom" in the Classic Speech ) where it was forged.
In retaliation, MOAR!ON used the last of his magic to transform the Spiderweb Mistress into the Eye of DUPon, which he took with him as a keepsake on his keyring before vanishing into the Blank Space to recuperate.
No one one knows what became of the Dark Knight or The One Poem ™. Legend has it that both were swallowed up by a chasm leading into unchartered realms of the Underground, never to be seen again for another one thousand years.
That is, until a peculiar, ancient looking scroll was discovered at a yard sale in the town of Wyrmington Heights. And this is where our story begins:
in a hole in the Underground, there lived a Glowyrm named DUGlo Baggins . . .
EPISODE 1/30
"Nine poems for the Earthwyrm Kings
on thrones of stone in halls of earth
because invertebrates can't wear rings
rendering gold n silver of little worth"
DUGlo began to flop sweat as the reality of his latest yard sale acquisition began to solidify. His bioluminescance was on full display from mounting anxiety. He fumbled for the bottle of industrial Strength Maalox on his kitchen table.
"One poem to rule them all
One poem to find them
One poem to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them"
Lady Ahavarwen and Lord Jaragorn quietly exited the room. The verse was too much of a burden for them to bear, especially that second stanza - "one" was used three times and "them" four times, aside from "all" rhymed with "all" and "them" with 'them"! Ugh! It represented everything in Muddle Earth they had been fighting against, condensed into eight lousy lines!
"This is The One Poem ™," said Ganjosh the Gray Lizard, as he examined the artifact in the light of the Full Wyrm Moon coming through the skylight of Bug End. It was the light that illuminated the script that was otherwise invisible to the naked eye. The Lizard quickly tucked the scroll into a bubblewrap envelope lined with tinfoil. He explained the method to the magic. "This is to block MOAR!ON from listening to our conversation, for he and the Poem are of a single mind."
The slice of pizza in Gimlyroo's mouth fell to the floor. "Oh, fudge!" he cried. "I just ordered Dominoes over the phone and gave them DUGlo's address!"
"Then we must figure out our next course of action," said Lady PRadriel of the Mothlorien Elves. Barefooted, she paced the floor with such effortless grace that not a speck of dust was disturbed. "Has anyone seen my Phial? It contains the Light of the First Poetry captured from the Dawning of Literature. A little help here, folks ..?" She peered into the cookie jar and all about the kitchen counters.
"There is no time for that now," declared Ganjosh, grabbing his magic walking staff. "We must leave as soon as possible now that our location has been revealed."
"I just lost all control of my large intestine," said DUGlo, clutching his abdomen. He slugged down the last of his Maalox, which afforded him little relief. And then he realized why - he had mistakenly been drinking from a strange, Elvish glass jar . . .
"Don't worry, Mister DUGlo!" said Satin Gamjeez, his personal Earthwyrm trainer. "You'll be right as rain in no time. Give me a minute to run home, pack a gym bag, and to tell Rosie Grace that I'll be gone for the month of April!" Now more than ever, with NaPoWriMo soon to start in just a few days and already being in jeopardy, his lovable employer needed someone to keep the Glowyrm in peak physical shape with poetry a'flowing.
Standing right behind them, Rosie smacked Satin hard upside the head. "Idiot." she said. "I'm coming with you." Then she beamed, clapping her hands. "We're gonna be bunkies!"
Just then Dwarves began pushing and shoving their way in through the front door and lining up to use the bathroom - so many that it became standing room only in DUGlo's underground abode.
The Glowyrm was flabbergasted at all these uninvited guests. "Ganjosh, what are all these Dwarves doing cramming themselves into my Hole?!"
There was much snickering throughout the quaint home.
"Because, DUGLo," said the Gray Lizard, adjusting his pointy hat, "we're going to need an army to pull off this $@%&ing quest."
EPISODE 2/30
Ganjosh and the others had promised to be back soon.
And the sooner, the better, as it was no easy task keeping fifty miniature Donkeys in line, let alone not be trampled by them. Eerowyn did her best with the critters on loan from the traveling petting zoo known as SHIRELAND, which was her father's business. She had specific instructions to bring all the Donkeys back home unscathed, as they were the main attraction. Since few people in Muddle Earth knew what a Donkey was, he passed them off instead as purebred Shire Horses.
"Relax, my Four Legged Friends," said Cool Dude Merry. "Let me sing you a Bard's tale that will calm your Asses." He merrily plucked away at his guitar with precision.
"There once was a hungry dragon
who munched on peasants by the wagon
and washed them down with a flagon
of blood drained from decapitated---"
"Stop it!" cried Summdir, the Elven General of the Mothlorien Elven army, at the ready with her blades out. "It's bad luck to be singing about dragons in dark times such as this!" Nervously, she glanced around at the sky, while the forest itself appeared restless.
Bursting out of the thicket came the Gray Lizard and a host of traveling companions, mostly Dwarves loudly rustling in their snailmail armor!
"We have to go," Ahavarwen said matter of factly as she leapt onto her Donkey. "We have to go NOW!"
From the direction of Wyrmington Heights came an awful shrieking noise the likes of which had not been heard for a thousand years. Everyone hurriedly mounted a miniature steed and galloped swiftly into the night.
Breathless, DUGlo hesistantly inquired, "What were those things chasing us?!"
Jaragorn, riding up along side him, replied, "Once upon a time, they were the nine Earthwyrm Kings of Muddle Earth. The One Poem ™ gifted to them by MOAR!ON corrupted their hearts and dumbed down their brains into being incapable of writing anything but poetry that pleased the Dark Wyrm."
"And now?!" DUGlo asked, unsure if he wanted to know.
"Now," said Jaragorn, "they are ..."
S s s s s h h h h h r r r r r i i i i i e e e e e k k k k k !
"... the Nasty Ghoulies."
The Glowyrm felt a change of underwear was in order. And he glowing more intensely than usual due to that strange water he drank.
PRadriel eyed him curiously and asked, "You look a little feverish - are you feeling okay?"
"Yep!" replied DUGlo, squirming nervously in his saddle.
=======================
https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2020/01/shireland-theme-park-hampshire-illinois.html
EPISODE 3/30
Our Fellowship of The One Poem ™ zigged and zagged over hill and through forest until the eardrum shattering shrieks of the Nasty Ghoulies abated far behind them. Then camp was made, although few were inclined to sleep.
"I've never been so scared in my entire life," said DUGlo Baggins as he fed baby carrots to the miniature Donkey he affectionately named John Ronald.
"Not nearly enough," said the Gray Lizard, parking himself on a hollow log. As he smoked a piped, Ganjosh elaborated. "The Nine are a frightening bunch, but their leader is a terrible bastard. He is the Ditch King of Humbug, a nightmarish valley that the living dare not enter on the sunniest of days. It is a swampland with the wretched stench of half emptied beer cans floating about - every stinking one of them teeming with inebbriated Borgul Beetles."
Jaragorn, given his poor gag reflex, almost threw up in his leather football helmet. Everyone else listening shuddered, for Muddle Earth was abound with tales of the legendary King of Humbug and his eight boogeyman dance crew.
Then there was much arguing going on as to what the next course of action should be, until Ahavarwen shouted, "Enough!" She removed a deck of cards from her cloak and held it out. "We shall let the Universe decide where we need to be based on which Location card is chosen. This knowledge will help us determine what we need to do when we get there."
Gimlyroo put down the axe he was sharpening and politely raised his hand. When acknowledged, he asked, "But who gets to pick the Location card?"
Ahavarwen sighed, rolled her eyes, and removed a second deck of cards. "Everyone pick one Character card. The person who ends up picking the MOAR!ON card will then get to pick the Location card."
"Excuse me," piped up Satin Gamgeez. "How do we decide which decks of cards we draw from in the first place?"
Rosie Grace in turn gave him The Look and said, "Be a good boy and repeat after me: Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one."
More arguing broke out amongst the Fellowship until a sleek raven swooped down and stole the top card from the Location deck. Before it could fly away, the card was pierced by an arrow that ended up stuck in a tree trunk. There was much ooing and aahing at the skill with a bow displayed.
From out of the dark strolled a familiar face. It was Lunalass Greenjeans of the Smirkwood Forest Elves. She plucked the arrow from the tree and approached them.
"Is this your card?" she asked, holding it up against her forehead. "Don't tell me what it is." A look of intense concentration came over her face. "I see a tall, black tower carved out of absurdian."
"It is the Tower of ThincTanc," confirmed PRaradriel. "Home of Salamandar, the White Lizard." She began to glide around the glade they were settled in. "And it is there that we can access the Muddle Earthenet using his P'lan Tier 3 connection and search for the The Dark Knight. He is the only individual we are aware of that knows how to destroy The One Poem ™. It's a long shot, but that's all we have to go on for now."
Lunalass sniffed the hair of her Elven comrades and said with a smirk that her clan was notorious for,
"You all stink of Dwarf."
EPISODE 4/30
High up in the forest canopy, the twin Tree Frogs Smuggle and Duggle angrily pined for their lost Poem. "They stole it from us!"
"Nasty Elveses and Dwarveses and Lizardses and Wyrmses, Wyrmses - oozy, disgusting, smelly Wyrmses dwelling in the armpits of the Earth."
"They burgled away our Precious Poem and left us to starve! How could we catch Flieses and Skeeterses and Minnowses without first lulling our prey to sleep with the Precious?!"
"We couldn't. So we'll teach them all a lesson, won't we? Yes."
"Yesssssss."
And the brothers took turns with a woodsaw, cutting a very large branch, gleefully saying in unison, "Let's see how you like our Hunger Games!"
When the hollowed out limb hit the ground and exploded into pulpy splinters, out flew an armada of black and orange---
"MOARDER HORNETS!" cried Jaragorn, startled awake by the crashing noise. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
Total mayhem and chaos ensued.
"Don't let them get the Donkeys!" Eerowyn exclaimed. "Or my father will have a Cow!" And then she thought, Ohh! Miniature Cows! Why didn't I ever think of that before?!
Lunalass shot numerous arrows at the marauding vespa mandalorians to no avail. "Their armor is too thick!" she hollered amidst their insufferable droning.
Cool Dude Merry had no time to compose a song. Instead, he beat them away with his guitar, while General Summdir punted several in the thorax.
"Head for the river!" commanded Ahavarwen.
DUGlo thought he had outrun the murderous creatures. Stopping to catch his breath, he suddenly found himself cornered by Smuggle and Duggle. Their plan all along had been to divide and conquer!
"Filthy Bagginses! Ribbet, RIBBET! Give us the Precious!" they demanded and grabbed at The One Poem ™ hanging from a chain around the Glowyrm's neck.
DUGlo yelled, "NOOOooooooooooooooo . . ."
And the neck of the woods he escaped into went silent.
Greetings, Great Poets! You're doing an amazing job! A few strikes ( which is to be expected ), and one casualty! Please remember that this is a user-friendly comp of all ages and extreme content cannot be permitted.
A special thank you to the Moderators who assisted us this morning.
If you have been awarded a battle axe, you may enter Day Four of the challenge!
EPISODE 5/30
The Moarder Hornets were relentless in their pursuit, but eventually the Fellowship outsmarted them by diving into the Brandy Wine River ®.
Satin Gamjeez cried, "Poor Mister DUGlo has gone missing! We HAVE to go look for him!" Rosie Grace consoled the poor sap, for DUGlo was Satin's bestest friend in all of Muddle Earth.
He was right, but it was too dangerous. Stealth was required so as not to alert the Moarder Hornets or any other foul beasts. They couldn't risk running around the forest calling out for the little Glowyrm. What they needed was an expert tracker.
Unfortunately, they didn't have one, so they had to settle for Lord Jaragorn.
Ahavarwen assisted, holding a piece of magnifying quartz to scan for the tiniest disturbance in the grass. Jaragorn stuck his finger in his mouth, held it up to the wind, and pointed towards the woods. They were off on their own, promising to be back in a jiffy.
Everyone else climbed into empty Brandy Wine River ® barrels and floated towards the Tower of ThincTanc. It was a bit of a nightmare stuffing each Donkey into a its own barrel, but it had to be done - they were too miniature to swim the strong current and Salamandar's tower was on the east side of the river.
That's when the skrieking came from the western river bank. It was the Nine Poemwraiths, slaves to The One Poem ™! They had dismounted from their miniature black steeds and with flaming (s)words in hand, began to . . .
. . . riverdance.
It was very unnerving.
"Keep paddling!" Ganjosh instructed. "We need to be at ThincTanc before sundown!"
"Why is that?" asked Summdir, bobbing around in the water.
"Because at night is when the Nasty Ghoulies really get freaky."
EPISODE 6/30
"A Wyrm lay here," said Jaragorn in the throes of discovery, pointing to the ground underneath Ahavarwen's magnifying quartz. "He struggled at the hands of two amphibious creatures." The Ranger dashed twenty yards to the north. "They dragged him kicking and screaming over here . . ."
"Right," said Ahavarwen in exasperation. "Because a few crushed blades of grass can tell you there was screaming. And besides, Glowyrms have no legs to kick with . . ?"
Jaragorn crawled on his hands and knees a few yards to the east and said, "There! His abductors paused to have an argument over what to do with DUGlo once they removed The One Poem ™ from his neck chain. One wanted to broil him on a shish kebob; the other wanted to boil him, then mash him, and stick him in a stew."
"O - M - G!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot. "You can't possibly know that!"
And if this wasn't enough nonsense to swallow, he finished by saying, "Then ... that's when a large bat-like creature descended from the forest canopy and spirited Mister Baggins away to its lair!"
Ahavarwen just glared, tapping her foot, with her arms crossed. "And you base this on what exactly?"
Jaragorn pointed up, replying, "Because said creature is currently perched fifty feet above our heads and is eyeballing you with ill intent."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Cool Dude Merry emptied water out of his guitar while Summdir used her Elvish blades to peel huge Leeches off of the Dwarves.
Rosie Grace dragged a waterlogged Satin Gamgeez from the Brandy Wine River ® onto the eastern bank. For a personal trainer, he was surprisingly out of shape. Being stressed with worry over Mister DUGlo wasn't helping.
John Ronald whinnied, missing his newfound Wyrmy companion, while Eerowyn wrung the water out of his tail.
"We haven't much time," informed PRadriel, whose white gown oddly was dry and shimmery as ever amongst the slew of filthy, soggy Dwarves. She pointed across to the western bank where the Nasty Ghoulies gathered, now shuffling around low to the ground and snapping their fingers. "The sun has almost disappeared and their rendition of West Side Story is a terrible thing to behold in the moonlight."
The Fellowship hoofed it on foot towards ThincTanc, carrying the Donkeys on their backs because the poor animals were tuckered out from all that paddling ashore.
The Nasty Ghoulies shrieked in frustration that their dance techniques were not intimidating enough without the power of The One Poem ™ in their Master's possession. They mounted their miniature black steeds and headed downriver to find a bridge to cross.
Upon reaching the mighty, black tower carved out of absurdian, Ganjosh reminisced, "Back in ThincTanc's heydey, the great Rainbow Coalition of Lizards held monthly councils here. We brainstormed up ideas on how to make Muddle Earth a more brighter, cheerful realm."
However, as they entered the front door that was left wide open, now it seemed to be deserted and fallen into neglect, sorely in need of a good dusting. And when they entered into the great oval hall, they were greeted by the strangest council meeting ever to take place in the tower's history.
Salamandar the White sat at the head of the table surrounded by a department store mannequin wearing red lingerie, a cardboard cutout of Aquaman, a life-sized replica of C3PO, a stuffed raccoon sporting a monocle, and a potted cactus.
"Greetings, Fellowship!" hailed Salamandar the White. "We were just discussing what to eat for the Superbowl party - spicy chicken wings or fondue dipped nachos."
Gimlyroo whispered in to Lunalass's ear, "I REALLY don't have a good feeling about this."
EPISODE 7/30
The White Lizard angrily stood up, aimed his magic staff as if a rifle, and loosed a magic fireball across the council table. When the smoke cleared, the potted cactus was nothing more than a pile of ashes in its chair.
Salamandar laughed and with an animated wave of his hand, said to his guests, "Oh, that little prick had it coming!"
He scratched himself inappropriately and wandered around the table. "Now, where is the rest of the Rainbow Coalition? I don't see Iggy Iguana with you. Charlie Chameleon? Nate the Newt? And where is that dratted Blabbergassed the Brown? He still owes me twenty gold coins! Cheapskate. All jabber-jaw talk talk talk, but never has anything in his wallet when it comes to picking up checks or tipping waitresses."
The Fellowship stood there listening to his rambling. They were the first real company he had in years, having had nothing more than inanimate objects and plants to chat with. Or so they were led to believe.
"Whatever!" The White Lizard scowled, surveying the group. "Is there a Dwarf convention in town? Or did I miss the Renaissance Fair this weekend? What are all of you people doing here anyway? You're interrupting my think-tanking!"
"We are in need of your P'lan Tier 3 Earthenet connection," replied Ganjosh. "A search for the Dark Knight must be conducted because only he knows how The One Poem ™ can be destroyed."
"The weapon of the Enemy has been found?!" exclaimed Salamandar. "Well, why didn't you say so! Please, walk this way!" And the White Lizard used his magic walking staff to steady his feet in entering the Grand Library. The Dwarves followed, doing their best to imitate his feeble movements.
There it it was on an absurdian pedestal - one of the few remaining P'lan Tier 3 Stones in the realm. Lady PRadriel breathed heavily onto the crystalline orb and polished it with her sleeve. She then gazed into it while her mind was firmly fixated on the Dark Knight.
"Look!" said Gimlyroo. "Something is appearing on the screen! It's ... it's ... Mister DUGlo . . ?!"
And there the little Glowyrm was, smiling and waving, with his nose pressed up against the globe. Oddly, he was glowing much brighter than usual.
"Why, Mister Baggins!" cried Satin Gamjeez. "Whatever are you doing inside that stone and how the heck did you get in there?!"
Rosie Grace sighed and said, "Bless your heart, Satin." And she thought to herself, It's a good thing he is easy on the eyes.
Through the intermittent static of the stone's connection, DUGlo excitedly replied, "Two crazy Frogs tried to steal The One Poem ™ . . ."
"Ugh," PRadriel grumbled and slapped the stone. "Lousy signal strength. Does anyone have any tinfoil?"
"It looks like DUGlo is safe!" said Cool Dude Merry. "And if I'm not mistaken, the coat of arms hanging on the wall behind him belongs to the abandoned Mudbug Sand Castle located on the Muddle Puddle Sea coast!"
Salamandar scooped up the P'lan Tier 3 and pitched it down a long hallway. There was a loud crash sounding of dishes breaking. Puzzled at his bizarre behavior, they all looked on confounded.
"Fools!" huffed the White Lizard with a toothy grin of disdain. "I expected Ganjosh the Gecko to be much smarter than this. You played right into my hands. MOAR!ON, my new master, will be pleased that after a thousand years of searching, you have have handed The One Poem ™ to him on a silver platter!"
And before anyone could utter a reply, The White Lizard disappeared in a flash of light and smoke.
"Well, now whaaaaaaaa---." Dwarf Razzerleaf began to say when the trap door beneath the Fellowship's feet opened and everyone tumbled down a chasm.
Greetings, Great Poets! If you've reached the Yellow Brick Road you may proceed unscathed into day SEVEN! If not, then you need to correct your entry prior to your 24 hour editing limit to remove your X. Elsewise it will remain, and the accumulation of two more will mean disqualification from the challenge.
You're 1/4 the way there, Entrants! You're all doing an amazing job! We've had only one casualty thus far, which is remarkable given the difficulty level of this challenge!
When you think you cannot continue, look behind you and see how far you've come! If you need encouragement or are experiencing doubt, reach out! Team NaPo is here to assist you over that finish line.
