So, I Had A Horrible Horrible Idea Of Morgoth Catching Wind Of The Remaining Feanorions Now Having Possession

So, I had a horrible horrible idea of Morgoth catching wind of the remaining Feanorions now having possession of the remaining heirs of Luthien and managing to bring them all into Angband.

So now Maedhros is doubting whether he was ever rescued in the first place, Maglor has completely resigned himself to eternal torment, and Elrond and Elros have grown up in Angband under the thumb of Sauron and Morgoth.

I’m probably going to use this to explore the workings of Angband and how growing up there would effect E&E. And also how it would mess up Maedhros and Maglor even more.

Tw- this panel of the Angband Gothic Au contains themes of domestic abuse. I’d rather censor it now, than accidently hurt someone.

Part of a collab with @outofangband- an illustration of this https://outofangband.tumblr.com/post/625288703684870145/some-eldritch-horror-inspired-angband-drama-part 

They might have been lesser, once.

They might have been lesser, once. In a time filled with blurry memories and bright sunshine. In a land adjacent, where they were never beset by orcs, never dragged into the deep and the dark, never forgot the sight of light and stars.

But that was nothing more than a dream to be clutched at in their darkest, most shameful moments.

They learn Song at the knees of the greatest elven minstrel, a forge-maia that could rival Eonwe in might, and the Dread-power Mighty Arising. They learn to Sing with the voices of the long-dead and not-yet-born, too many voices and not enough throats. Their skin cracks like a feathery mantle and their eyes flash with the predatory instincts of one who knows they are untouchable.

They eat better than most. Their teeth have sharpened in Angband and they have learnt how to use them. They sing their nails sharper and harder until they can claw and rip and tear. Their fingers pop and twist and bend as they stalk the labyrinthine hallways. 

Angband’s uncanny architecture has no effect on them. They grow up running around the halls; guided by a scratching in the base of their skull that blurs and warps their vision until the corridors re-align and set themselves in front of them in a neat ordered fashion. They learn to hide in the shadows while they do this; other elves dislike the many eyes they have to open, and orcs are not like the Lieutenant and His Highness and treat them like all the others.

They try not to get angry anymore. The last time they did, Elrond was angry at an obstinate patient and in his rage he sang their joints out as their bones cracked to the marrow and blood flowed like an oil spill. Something inside him sang with the thrill of the kill, prey crushed in the maw of a predator.

The Lieutenant had clutched him close and stroked his hair as Elrond sobbed into his chest.

It wouldn't have happened in another life. In another life his first kill would have been a rabbit that he and his brother had hunted. Maedhros would have congratulated them and Maglor would have skinned and cooked it for them all. In another life they didn’t know they could be anything other than elves, didn't know how to properly sing.

In another world they didn’t know what the Lieutenant’s voice sounded like as he sang to them, didn’t know how to creep along the edges of the shadows, didn’t know the sound of their fingers and neck cracking as they shifted their bone structure.

They might have been lesser, once.

A diagram of the some of the more common injuries among the elves of Angband. Longer explanation under the cut.

Elves working under Sauron directly often work either as healers or lab assistants or both, and that means they have to wash their hands a lot. This is done with soap with large amounts of caustic soda (lye) because Sauron 1. enjoys cleanliness 2. enjoys watching them wince as they do it.

Weavers/textile workers only develop calluses because they need to be kept happy so they can breed to supply more elves.

Agricultural workers get larger rations because agricultural work is not only physically demanding, its a reward for especially loyal elves, so extra rations are part of their ‘reward’ (they still aren't enough though). Because of the higher risk of infection, overseers are only allowed to use blunt force trauma as a punishment so there isn't a high turn-over rate.

Mining is the lowest position an elf can hold, and so comes with a variety of health problems. Overseers are authorised to whip/beat them, or break bones if they want to. Elves often develop severe lung conditions from toxic fumes or inhaling dust, and its very common to die that way. Miners are also intentionally denied water and food, so dying of dehydration or starvation is also common. It’s also the norm for miners to develop muscular/skeletal issues,

most overseers do not target the legs- an elf can work more with a bad arm than a bad leg.

None of this applies to elves in the throne room. They exist purely at Morgoth’s whim.

So, @outofangband had a brilliant idea that Morgoth would force maedhros to dress as a priest of Manwe so I decided to illustrate it

The main idea was that 1. normally there would be a long robe underneath it that morgoth just doesn't let maedhros wear, and 2.normally the feathers would be eagle feathers but Morgoth replaced them with crow feathers out of spite.