Palantír

Three of the legendary "Seeing-stones," the seven Palantíri, lie within the bounds of Arnor. The Palantir of Amon Sûl, the largest of the three at nearly 3' in diameter is located in the pinnacle of the Fortress.. The smaller Palantíri of Annúminas and Fornost were kept in the Royal Halls of both capitals. Unlike the jewels and lesser heirlooms of past Kings, the Seeingstones are never displayed in public; few outside the highest reaches of the Royal Court even have clear knowledge of their existence. Only Kings and their appointed Guardians are given access to the Palantíri, which are locked away in guarded rooms (often encased in steel "shrouds") high in the towers of the capital city. Only in Court are the Stones cited as sources of information, and those citations are also stored far from the public eye. The Seeing-stones are "connected"; that is, each Palantir transmits to and receives "silent speech" from another in use at the time, its "answering" Stone. The Stones display visual images of scenes and acts that have occurred, are occurring, or might yet occur, but they cannot transmit speech or interpret the images shown. Thus the need for Guardians and Seers, as well as Kings, to explain what the Stones have pictured is clear. The Palantíri are full of beauty and mystery. Perfect spheres of a dark hue when at rest, they look very much like crystal globes in the cradling cups of the marble tables upon which they rest. (An intent observer may notice a minute flame flickering deep in the center of an unused Stone.) The smallest Stone is only one foot in diameter, the two largest—the one at Osgiliath (in Gondor) and the one kept at Amon Sûl—are so great that a man acting alone cannot lift them. If dropped, the Stones are undamaged .Invisible to the uninitiated, unmarked poles within the Palantíri indicate alignment, and each Stone has an upright, proper position. Their permanent "upper" and "nether" poles must be placed in line with the earth's center in order for the user to see through their viewing faces. Lesser Stones are even tied to a set orientation; for example, the Palantir of Orthanc's west viewing surface has to be aimed westward or it would remain blank. Even more restricted is the Seeing-stone of the Tower of Elostirion in the Tower Hills, which is tied to the original Master-stone on the Elven isle of Eressëa and can only face westward, away from Middle-earth and over the Bent Sea. However, the major Seeing-stones can be viewed at many angles and can flash scenes of happenings in any direction and at amazing distances. For example, the Palantíri of Fornost might reveal to the Arthadan Royal Court scenes from a battle in Angmar or Osgiliath, a distance of hundreds of miles. However powerful, the Palantíri have their limitations, the major one being their failure to illuminate a scene hidden or cloaked in darkness. A viewer sees things as if he were present at the scene and subject to its conditions of lighting. Thus, action taking place inside an unlighted cave could not be viewed by a Palantir. The darkness of a cave is all but absolute and too much for a Seeing-stone to counteract. Nonetheless, the lightlessness within solid objects will not obscure a view to a place beyond them, so that a user of a Stone can gaze through "things" without hindrance. One can peek into a chamber through a door or even a mountainside, although the room's details might be obscured by poor lighting. Also, ungoverned visions are usually random, hazy glimpses enshrouded by a misty foreground, making the skill and knowledge of the Stones' Guardians crucial. To utilize a Seeing-stone fully requires many years of practice and education, plus the gift of "seeing," or correctly interpreting the vision. To begin, the viewer— whether Minister, Guardian, or Royalty—must focus his will and concentrate his energies upon the dark Stone, an exhausting effort in itself. Standing about three feet from the Palantir, facing the stone in the direction he desires to look, he brings forth visions—a battlefield scene, let us say. Should the user desire, he can enlarge his field of vision to display a vast host of enemies on the march, or he can focus upon a single object held in one warrior's hand—a weapon or a jewel, for example. In the case of communications between Stones, he can see the thoughts of the one with whom he deals— provided the "connecting" user is in accord and is able to clearly bring forth the image. The Palantíri cannot read the thoughts of an unwilling user, and in such cases what they display is totally a matter of the wills of the two users involved. After the rise of Angmar around T.A. 1300, the Stoneusers of Arthedain and Gondor have used the stones to communicate much more frequently. As trouble brews and boils over, the Dúnadan kingdoms try to put aside their differences and exchange information about enemy movement and strengths, and suggest and coordinate strategies to counter them.

Item type

Magical