Throne Room - Ladies and Lunch

Where now are the horse and rider? In here, probably.
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Elven Enchanter
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You walk steadily upwards, along the winding path that leads through the centre of Edoras, accompanied by the laughter of the stream that runs in its channel beside the way. Soon you reach the crown of the hill and climb the last flight of stone steps, passing the guards who sit on the stone chairs on either side of the topmost step. Now you face the heavy oaken doors of Meduseld itself, but they are unbarred, and swing open before you on well-oiled hinges.

Inside, the great hall of the Kings of the Riddermark stretches before you. The air is warm after the chill of the hill top, and the interior is dark after the bright sun, but soon your eyes adjust, and you begin to see the details – the mighty carved and decorated pillars that hold up the vaulted arches of the roof, the dark timbers nearly invisible against the blackened interior of the golden thatch. On each side you catch sight of the rich tapestries that adorn the walls, some ancient, some newer, their colours fresh.

At last you come to the end of the hall, and the raised dais with its three steps. There stands the throne of the Ruler of Rohan, directly in the light that filters through the windows. Lothíriel and Eowyn occupy their places as you enter, and watch your progress through the body of the hall. This hall has seen much, both celebrations and ill news, tragedy and moments of great joy. Now it is a place of joy, where the Rulers and their people gather to handle matters of state. Whoever you see, the royal family and the servants of Rohan wait to see what manner of news you carry, and what story you will bring to further enrich the tapestry that is the history of the Golden Hall.


It’s time for the ladies to be in charge. Lothíriel and Éowyn are in the Throne Room and are available for audiences. They are also planning to host a lunch for the people of Edoras. Come and meet these two strong women, help make lunch if you desire, or simply come and observe the drama that can occur in the Golden Hall.

Please keep things IC and somewhat formal as you are in the presence of royalty.

This is a loose RPG
An occasion for all Rohirrim, and indeed those of other races, to mix with the Queen and the King’s sister and with their fellows in a more formal setting. But even if it's formal, don't hesitate to bring in a new plot or storyline. Let things happen, use your imagination to make this thread as interesting as possible!

Time to have some fun!

Knight of The Mark
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Éowyn

Éowyn always loved a chance to come visit her brother and his wife, whom she had come to love as a sister. With Faramir being away (once again) on errands for the King, she decided to take the opportunity to spend some time in Edoras. There was also the matter of the recent devastating fires that had left some people homeless and with little more than the clothes upon their backs when they escaped. Éowyn wanted to do what she could to help.

Upon arrival, Lothiriel had suggested that perhaps they could host a luncheon. Éowyn had little opportunity to cook at home (Faramir had insisted on hiring a cook, for some reason), so she was looking forward to trying out a recipe for coney stew that she had been given.

She had carefully gathered together the ingredients listed, and had tried to follow the instructions to the letter. But something just was not looking right. Just before the appointed time for the lunch, Lothiriel found her in the kitchen, creasing her brow as she stirred the ever-thickening gray mass in the pot.

"Sister, dear," Éowyn asked, "I am so glad you are here. Does this look right to you?"


@Dimcairien Luiniel

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Lothiriel

After all the recent adventures regarding minions, fires, and Bema knew what else, Lothiriel was glad to have a day that was somewhat normal. Though if her sister-in-law Éowyn had anything to say about it, the day would not stay normal for every long. She was beginning to dread suggesting they cook a lunch for the townsfolk together, having heard about the fare that Éowyn tried to pass for food. The poor girl didn't know the first thing about cooking, but she certainly meant well.

Lothiriel entered the kitchen and was about to head for the pantry to knead the bread that had been rising for the last couple of hours when she was waylaid by Éowyn who asked her to check on the stew. Looking down in the pot, he couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it. Trust Éowyn to invent a new way to cause a cooking disaster.

"Did you add water?" she asked. Stew should be relatively easy to cook: broth, some chunks of (cooked) meat and vegetables, and a bit of water to stretch the broth if necessary. If she could determine what had gone wrong maybe there would be a way to fix it. Or if not, she could keep Éowyn busy for quite some time kneading the bread while she came up with more ingredients for the stew.

@Eléowyn

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Rihannon de Argosy

As Rihannon was walking along a winding path to Meduseld, the great Golden Hall, whilst keeping an eye on the porters who were carrying crates filled with herbs and spices (gifts from the rulers and people of Gondor to the King and Queen of Rohan), she mused about the series of unforeseen events that led to her journey to Edoras. It started with her parents’ voyage to Dol Amroth in late summer. Ostensibly, the reason for their trip was the desire to travel and see more of Middle-Earth; especially now that their children were grown and King Elessar’s reign brought peace to the Reunited Kingdom. However, among the reasons for Baran’s and Aliane’s journey was the wish to give their children, especially Roderic and his wife Laila, time and space to grow and settle into their new roles.

Then news of the terrible fire of Edoras reached Gondor and coordinated public and private Kingdom-wide relief efforts were made to bring aid to their allies and friends in Rohan. Her cousin Nessa, a healer working in Minas Tirith’s Houses of Healing, was one of the organisers of such a cause on behalf of the Houses of Healing. Since her duties prevented her from travelling, Nessa had asked Rihannon to go in her stead to Edoras with the relief convoy that was heading out from the White City. The young woman eagerly accepted the offer but was somewhat surprised that both of her brothers made no fuss about her decision.

She could understand why her quiet and serious eldest brother, Roderic accepted her decision without much comment. He could see that his sister was determined to go and help in any way that she could, and he trusted her abilities and judgement. On the other hand, Bran’s easy acceptance of her decision and his offer to accompany her to Rohan surprised her. He was the more overprotective of her two brothers, and this behaviour frequently provoked arguments between the two. However, no one could stay mad at Bran for long, and she did understand why he was behaving that way, although this behaviour of his did get on her nerves most of the time. However, it wasn’t until their arrival to Edoras that she found out the real reason behind Bran’s behaviour. She was furious at him and Roderic for keeping this from her, but in a herculean effort of self-restraint, she managed not to lash out at him.

Rihannon was jolted from her thoughts by the greeting of the guards at the entrance. Smoothing out the non-existent creases from her navy blue dress and taking out the documents from her satchel she approached the guards. They were vigilant (as was expected after recent events) but courteous, and once she showed them the documents and explained the reason behind her coming they arranged for an escort to take her and the porters to the Royal Kitchens. Strictly speaking, she didn’t need to follow the men carrying crates with herbs and spices to the Royal Kitchens. What she should have done, after making sure that the porters were directed to the right place, was find the seneschal and present him with the inventory list. They were to go over the list together and when both parties made sure that everything was in order, the seneschal would verify the document with his signet.

But the tall, green-eyed young Gondorian was curious, she had never been to a Royal Kitchen before, and since she was a lover of good food, not to mention a good cook herself, she wanted to see the place where delicious delicacies fit for a royal table came into being. The divine aromas of food in various stages of preparation greeted her even before she saw the entrance to the kitchen. She smiled happily while she inhaled the wonderful scents; the kitchen was indeed a heavenly place. With a slight spring in her step, she joyfully entered the Royal Kitchen and was about to greet the Royal Chef when she noticed the Queen of Rohan and the Lady of Ithilien, the King’s sister watching the procession of men who were carrying and depositing crates and her, a bit awestruck, standing at the entrance of the Royal Kitchen.

“Your Majesty, Lady Éowyn” she greeted them dropping into a curtsy. “I am Rihannon de Argosy from Pelargir, Your Majesty, my Lady. I was tasked to deliver these gifts of herbs and spices from the rulers and people of Gondor to Your Majesties” she said feeling slightly awkward because she found herself quite unexpectedly speaking to Queen Lothíriel in the Royal Kitchens. In which she shouldn’t even be in! She looked up to the women in front of her, they appeared amused more than angry for her stumbling in here. “If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to assist” she said feeling slightly foolish. She was in the Royal Kitchen surrounded by the senior chef, sous-chefs, cooks and apprentices. If Queen Lothíriel and Lady Éowyn needed help in the kitchen they certainly wouldn’t going to ask a lass from Gondor who skipped in there like a girl of 5 summers to help. Regardless of how good of a cook she was.

@Eléowyn @Dimcairien Luiniel
She/her.
Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant
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Lailyn (she/her)

Lailyn was skeptical when she heard about this Meduseld luncheon. What business did a humble beekeeper have eating lunch with important people like the Queen and Lady Eowyn? It took a great deal of convincing herself it might be worth going. When the day came, she was rather looking forward to the chance to get to know more folk from Edoras.

The branches of the trees in front of her new but old house were practically bowing under the weight of all the apples growing ripe and red and the air was sweet with their scent. With more than she could possibly eat herself, she opted to bake a few apple pies. As she bent to retrieve them from the oven, she smelled the singing fabric before she felt the heat or noticed the flames alighting the corner of her apron. “Oh damn,” she muttered and tore the apron off before stomping on it. The flames fizzled out without too much of a fight but that was her apron ruined. She chucked it on top of her ever growing pile of ruined clothes from these last few weeks. A visit to Awesnis was going to be in order sooner rather than later at this rate.

Fortunately, the pies were unharmed and their delicious smell soon filled the small house. At least the most important thing had gone right. While the pies cooled, she fumbled through layers of fabric in search of something suitable for the occasion but found only old, faded dresses practical for riding and working but maybe not royalty. Ah well, no use trying to be anything but yourself, she thought.

The two pies were packed into a basket and she set off into the streets with pale green skirts billowing around her feet. The next crucial task was not dropping the pies between New Town and Meduseld and she was in a hurry, hoping not to be late. As she passed through the bustling mid-day crowds, waving to faces she recognised, she held the basket close so as to protect its precious contents. A dog ran up with tail-a-wagging and it was all she could do not to lose her step or the pies while trying to reach out for a scratch between his ears.

After a pleasant walk and no further incidents, she climbed the steps up to the Golden Hall. “I’ll see if I can’t save you a slice or two,” she told the guards with a friendly smile before stepping through the open doors. She blinked. It was unexpectedly quiet inside and neither ladies were anywhere that she could see. If anything, she expected to be late, not early. Feeling quite uncertain about the whole thing now, Lailyn turned back around intending to ask the guards if she had gotten the day wrong or was so late she missed the feast entirely.

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