A LESSON IN RUNE MAKING

Frodo portrayed by Hobbitness
Kufdur portrayed by Eowyn
Dakgal portrayed by Angmar

Dakgal: *Frodo sleeps in his cell in darkness. There is the sound of dripping water and somewhere deep inside the walls the gnawing of rats. Faint memories of the Shire move wistfully through his sleeping brain. Exhausted from many days in the dungeon now, his sleep is disturbed by visions of the Witch-king thrusting the Morgul blade into his shoulder*
Dakgal: *He tosses in his sleep and mumbles, almost wakes up, and then he can feel something on his foot... something furry. He wakes up, screaming*
Frodo: *Frodo bolts upright, raising himself on his arms with a cry. He scrambles away from the thing that bit his foot, across the cell floor. In the dim torchlight he perceives it is another rat*
Dakgal: *Just a rat, out searching for a crumb of left over food*
Frodo: *And he had just been dreaming of his old room in Bag End*
Frodo: *Anger boils up in Frodo at his horrible situation, and he lashes out in fury. He reaches for the rat and tries to wring its neck, but it only bites his hand. He drops it and it scurries away. Frodo tries to go back to sleep but he is restless*
Dakgal: *In his cell, the water drips continiously from one spot in the ceiling, every drop seems to hit Frodo. In Frodo's brain, the water goes... BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM*
Frodo: *He gives up on trying to avoid the water*
Dakgal: *And it will not stop... drip BOOM... drip... BOOM... like a drum on his senses... is he going mad?*
Frodo: *At least it is cool as it drops onto his fevered forehead, the only thing that keeps him from shouting with frustration*
Dakgal: *Down the hall he can hear the sounds of footsteps. Torches flicker in the grate on his cell door*
Frodo: *Frodo is reminded of the drums in Moria....DOOM DOOM DOOM...they are coming. And now they are his masters. He shudders, still unable to believe his fate*
Dakgal: *The bars on the grate are illuminated by the torches, casting strange looming shadows on the walls of his cell*
Frodo: *Frodo cries out in fear and shields his face, crawling backwards until he reaches the back wall of the cell*
Dakgal: *He hears voices now* Aye, Matey, they say we can 'ave a bit of sport with 'im tonight
Frodo: *He panics at what they might do to him*
Kufdur: *sadistic laughter* 'ar 'ar 'ar
Frodo: *Or where they might take him...to Sauron, or to Sam*
Dakgal: *The cell door opens and through the door come two orcs, one of them bearing a torch*
Frodo: *He can't believe he dreads the thought of seeing Sam now, and against his will bows his head and wipes away tears*
Dakgal: *The one with the torch stands in the doorway, as though he is waiting. The bigger one starts speaking* Aye Matey, 'e aint more than a speck of a thing, is 'e? Ardly a mouthful
Kufdur: *holds torch* Nar, just skin an' bones, 'e is
Dakgal: You know, mate, no one would even miss 'im if we took a leg, an arm
Frodo: *gasps and begins to shake...you never know if they are serious when they talk like that*
Kufdur: I don't know, mate.... the Eye might get angry, 'E might.. but 'ed make nice bone to chew upon... 'ar 'ar
Dakgal: Garn! There ain't no fat on 'im! Maybe just a finger? A toe?
Frodo: *slumps in the corner almost fainting*
Kufdur: *Still holding torch, he approaches Frodo, eying him with hunger in his eyes*
Dakgal: Look, mate, I get first dibs at 'im
Frodo: *opens his eyes to find the ugly orc peering into his face*
Kufdur: *turns to other orc* I's just lookin', that's all *kicks Frodo*
Frodo: *cries out*
Dakgal: Garn, mate! We ain't to 'urt 'im! 'e's got business on 'Igh
Kufdur: *Stands back from Frodo, looking disappointed, sulks*
Frodo: *panting and holding his side*
Dakgal: *The bigger orc looks at Frodo and his fangs flash in the light of the torch* Mate, you know what I'm called? *he says to Frodo* You, 'alfling
Frodo: *silently meets the orc's gaze and shakes his head*
Dakgal: Do you know what I'm called?
Frodo: *shakes his head again*
Dakgal: I am called the Disemboweller. Why do you think that is, mate?
Kufdur: *snickers evilly*
Frodo: Because...
Dakgal: *He draws a knife from his belt and looks at it and laughs*
Frodo: *faintly* Because...you have killed many?
Dakgal: See this knife, mate? 'Ow it gleams, 'ow sharp it is?
Frodo: *nods breathlessly*
Dakgal: I always whet it and keep it sharp, for occasions just like this mate
Kufdur: *licks his gruesome lips*
Dakgal: You, Kufdur, put your torch in the wall 'older. Grab 'im while I do the work *he laughs maliciously*
Frodo: *Thinks that maybe the orc will kill him. He is afraid of the pain, but it should be short, and then he would be free...he almost hopes the orc does kill him*
Kufdur: Aye matey *walks over to wall, puts torch in holder, then walks back. He looms over frodo*
Frodo: *Looks up at the orc, wide-eyed, but too tired to struggle*
Dakgal: 'Old 'im mate, this will be quick.... or maybe it won't *he laughs*
Kufdur: *Lunges on Frodo suddenly, pinning him to the ground*
Dakgal: Pick 'im up mate, I like im standin as I see their eyes while I do the work
Frodo: *the wind is knocked out of him as the orc thrusts him to the ground*
Kufdur: *Grumbles, but gets off frodo, grabs him roughbly by hair his head and pulls him to standing position*
Frodo: *groans and clutches at his hair, his heart racing*
Dakgal: *He twirls his knife as he walks towards Frodo* Lookey ere mate
Kufdur: *Looks at Frodo and licks his lips greedily*
Frodo: *Tries to take his eyes off the knife and look at the orc*
Dakgal: *he looks to the other orc* Mate, you think I should do it quick, or slow?
Kufdur: Hmmmm *looks at Frodo, with thoughtful expression on face, for a few painful seconds*
Frodo: *loses some of his resolve and his head drops with a slight sob* Oh Elbereth
Kufdur: Gut 'im real slow mate, put a maggot 'ole in is belly
Dakgal: *He laughs, viciously, then saunters up to Frodo, still twirling the knife*
Kufdur: *At the mention of Elbereth, he angerly shakes Frodo by his hair*
Frodo: Please, I'm sorry....please...
Kufdur: Shut yer mouth maggot, or we'll make it more slow than we plan.... har har har
Dakgal: Har har har! Look at the little maggot squirm! *he walks over to him, puts the blade to Frodo's stomach* Can you scream real loud, shire-rat?
Kufdur: *snickers* Aye, sing us a merry little tune
Frodo: *Why is it that no matter how many times he goes through this, it never loses its terror?*
Dakgal: Har har har! Akh, sing us a lively tune
Frodo: *Frodo gasps as he feels the cold blade against his stomach. He looks down at the blade then desperately up at the orc*
Dakgal: *The orc's eyes sneer at Frodo* Mate, I like it when they screams reallllll LOUD
Kufdur: *nods vigorously* Aye, scream reallll loud like 'e says!
Dakgal: Shire-scum! *he holds the blade tightly and begins to thrust it slowly into the skin of Frodo's stomach* 'Ow you like that, matey?
Frodo: *Frodo does not bite back his moan because they want to hear it. He is afraid of what they will do if he is silent*
Dakgal: *The orc feels the blade slicing, tearing open the fabric of the hobbit's shirt* Mate, tell me when it urts
Frodo: *breathing heavily, he whimpers* It hurts!
Kufdur: *guffaws and slaps his side*
Dakgal: Funny ain't they Kufdur, when they squeal like pigs
Frodo: *tries to move away from the blade as the orc pauses*
Kufdur: Aye, keep squealin pigglet! squeeeeee... oink oink *makes pig noises*
Dakgal: *the bigger orc throws his head back and laughs* HAR HAR HAR! Squeal pig!
Dakgal: *With his other hand, he tears open the cut he made in Frodo's shirt* White, ain't e mate?
Frodo: *prays silently*
Kufdur: *the arm holding frodo moves back slightly and he leans his head over and looks at the tear* Aye
Dakgal: 'e won't be white long when the blood starts flowin!
Frodo: *He has been through scenes like this countless times, but never knows when death will come*
Dakgal: *he pushes the knife into Frodo's stomach a quarter of an inch*
Frodo: *screams*
Kufdur: *laughs* Keep squealin' pigglet
Dakgal: I ain't even knicked im yet!
Dakgal: Wanna die, pigglet?
Frodo: *He would not die, yet he would....he hesitates. He would not die, but he would be free*
Dakgal: *The orc turns the knife around in the cut*
Kufdur: *Eyes glitter with sick pleasure at the sight*
Dakgal: *Blood flows out of the wound*
Frodo: *Claws at the floor screaming, his back arches*
Dakgal: Mate! Pick im up! Piglet needs to see wots appenin
Kufdur: *Grabs Frodo's hair again and hauls him up*
Frodo: *His heart is beating so fast he has difficulty standing*
Kufdur: *Shakes him like a rug then lets him hang*
Dakgal: Piglet you made this 'arder on yourself! And now your fine shirt is all bloody Wot a shame!
Frodo: ....I'm.....sorry....
Kufdur: *snickers evilly* Aye, 'is fine shirt all messed up.... a pity mate *snickers more*
Dakgal: A pity, wot a pity!
Frodo: *Looks down at his stomach. At least it is not a very deep cut*
Dakgal: Messy piglet, ain't e?
Kufdur: *nods* Bleeds like a stuck 'un don't 'e? Har har har
Dakgal: Garn! Like a stuck pig!
Dakgal: We ain't through with you mate, not by a long shot
Dakgal: *He goes back to Frodo and takes the knife and puts it on the wound opening and slowly carves a section of his skin. He writes the runes of his name*
Kufdur: *Observes dukgal writing runes* Write my name there, won't ya mate?
Dakgal: Nar! Mate, it's my name!
Kufdur: Awww but I wants my name on 'im too!
Dakgal: Want me to do the same to your guts, mate, to stop your squawkin'?
Frodo: *It takes no effort to cry out loudly now*
Kufdur: *eyes widen* Nar! *sulks quietly*
Frodo: *He tries to squirm away from the knife to no avail*
Dakgal: You can't write, mate! Not one rune!
Kufdur: Nar!
Dakgal: Just a few runes, mate, they taught me ow to make my mark
Frodo: *Tears carve rivulets in the streaks of dirt on his face*
Kufdur: Ya know 'ow to make mine?
Frodo: *The knife remains in his stomach as the orcs talk*
Dakgal: *Frodo is forgotten about as the two orcs argue*
Dakgal: I ain't writin your name, mate!
Frodo: *Finally his tormentor moves his hand away to gesture to the other orc*
Kufdur: *is disappointed*
Dakgal: *He walks to closer to Frodo and looks at the rune on his stomach* I made a mistake ere, mate. This part of the rune ain't done right. Blimey! I ave to do it over!
Kufdur: *Snickers at the other orc... he ain't as smart as he thinks he is*
Dakgal: Shut your trap! Or I'll shut it for you!
Kufdur: *Glares momentarily but turns his attention back to Frodo*
Frodo: *Frodo looks pleadingly at the orc with the knife* Please don't
Dakgal: 'Old 'im tighter
Kufdur: *his grip tightens on frodos hair*
Dakgal: There, that's right matey. This part won't take much longer
Frodo: *His hands go up to his head trying to loosen the other orc's grip*
Dakgal: *the big orc pretends to be inspecting the work and looks at it long* Garn! That's a bad mistake
Kufdur: *Smacks Frodo's hands with his free hand*
Frodo: *Frodo lowers his hands and wrings them*
Dakgal: *He whips the knife up and towards the gash on Frodo's stomach, draws one of the marks longer, puts a slash on another part of the rune*
Frodo: *jolts and whimpers*
Dakgal: *Then he backs away and looks at it* Aye, mate, that's good andiwork!
Frodo: *Exhausted, looks up at him*....Is it over?
Kufdur: *Looks down at Frodo's stomach inspecting it* aye *wishes he could write runes in frodos stomach*
Dakgal: Mate, it ain't the best but it's good enough
Dakgal: *he reaches out his free hand and grabs what is left of Frodo's shirt and picks him up and holds him by the collar*
Dakgal: Mate, I want you to remember me!
Frodo: *dangles in the orc's grasp*
Frodo: *manages to say* Yes sir
Dakgal: I put my mark on you so you won't forget Dakgal
Dakgal: and remember this, you squirming piece of scum
Dakgal: if I ad orders to I would ave run it through your craw!
Frodo: *Angmar's mark is on him, Sauron's mark, and now this orc's mark*
Kufdur: *leers knowingly at frodo*
Dakgal: *then he releases his hold on his collar, drops Frodo on the floor and kicks him viciously on the foot*
Frodo: *sits up and holds his foot biting his lip*
Kufdur: *he looks down at frodo and goes over, stepping on his foot with his heavy boot*
Frodo: *cries out again*
Dakgal: Nice artwork, ain't it mate? The Great Eye would be proud
Kufdur: aye aint bad, aint bad indeed
Dakgal: Now listen ere, you little maggot
Dakgal: you get all cleaned up tomorrow. you have an appointment
Dakgal: *he laughs*
Frodo: *groans*
Dakgal: ave*
Frodo: *holds his head in his hands sobbing*
Kufdur: *slaps his side laughing sadistically*
Frodo: *It must be Sauron or Sam, or both, and nothing could be worse*
Dakgal: *He looks down at Frodo and laughs, the torchlight catching the gleam of his leering eyes*
Dakgal: Wouldn't you like to know Shire Rat who wants to see you tomorrow? *he slaps his thigh as he laughs in derision*
Frodo: *looks up at the orc with hatred*
Dakgal: We'll save it for a surprise, wot, mate!
Frodo: Who is it?
Kufdur: *slaps his side again and guffaws* aye mate a surprise!
Frodo: Is it the...*this is still hard to say* the Master?
Dakgal: Garn, mate, you are a curious little rat
Kufdur: *circles around frodos form on the floor then lunges suddenly, putting his face with its foul breath into frodos* wouldnt you like to know???
Kufdur: *gets back up and guffaws again*
Frodo: *grimaces and moves away from Kufdur*
Dakgal: Har har har har!
Dakgal: Wouldn't e like to know!
Dakgal: *he walks over to Frodo, bends down and looks in his face* Surprise, wot mate, don't you like surprises?
Frodo: *trying to compose himself, he shakes his head*
Dakgal: We'll leave it that way mate. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise now would we? har har har
Kufdur: har har har har!!!
Dakgal: *with that he rises and motions to Kufdur to get the torch and come with him*
Kufdur: *he walks over to the wall and gets the torch..... then goes back to frodos form, looks it over, and spits on it... then follows dukgal*
Frodo: *wipes the spit off his face*
Dakgal: *he opens the door, then he turns back to Frodo* Aye mate, the Master does like is surprises
Frodo: *tries to find a position that does not hurt his back or his stomach...he settles on his side*
Dakgal: And just for you, mate, just for you *his sadistic voice says*
Frodo: *Frodo tries to block out their voices, uses the shreds of his shirt to try and stop the bleeding*
Kufdur: *Kufdur sneers evilly, his fangs glimmering in the torchlight, and he snickers*
Dakgal: *The orcs walk through the door, shutting it and locking it behind them*
Frodo: *Frodo wants Sam desperately...the old Sam who used to be the only one he could trust*
Dakgal: *Frodo can hear their voices as the two walk down the hall laughing* Like a pig wasn't 'e mate?
Kufdur: *laughs* Aye, like a pig 'e was
Frodo: *Now he is alone, completely alone with cruel captors who ever devise new ways to torment him*

Return to Third Age: Eve of the War of Second Darkness

Return to Index