Dark has been my road in recent times, and long have I laboured on the White Council's behalf. Let me tell my tale. RayChua the Black set me a Quest to discover the origins and ethos of the White Council. But who now would know? With that thought, I forsook the chase, and passed swiftly to Gondor (1). In former days the members of the Order had been well received there, but Saruman most of all. Often he had been for long the guest of the Lords of the City. Less welcome did the Lord Denethor (2) show me than of old, and grudgingly he permitted me to search among his hoarded scrolls and books.

"If indeed you look only, as you say, for records of ancient days, and The White Council, read on!" he said. "For to me what was is less dark than what is to come, and that is my care. But unless you have more skill than Saruman, who has studied here long, you will find naught that is not well known to me, who am master of the lore of this city."

So said Derethor. And yet there lie in his hoards many records that few now can read, even of the lore-masters, for their scripts and tongues have become dark to later men. This did I find. Isildur did not march away straight from the war in Mordor, as some have told the tale. He went first to Minas Arnor and dwelt with his nephew (2A), instructing him, before he committed to him the rule of the Northern Kingdom. Long has that kingdom been lost (3). But in that time also he made this scroll, and thus wrote Isildur therin:

'The Great Ring (12) shall go now to be an heirloom of the Southern Kingdom (4); but records of it shall be left in Gondor, where also dwell the heirs of Elendil, lest a time come when the memory of these great matters shall grow dim.'

And after these words an heir of Isildur described The White Council, such as he found it.

'Even as the first shadows were felt in Mirkwood (5) there appeared in the west of Middle-Earth the Istari, whom men call the Wizards. None knew at that time whence they were, save Cirdan of the Havens, and only to Elrond and to Galadriel did he reveal that they came over the Sea. But afterwards it was said among the Elves that they were messengers sent by the Lords of the West to contest the power of Sauron, if he should rise again, and to move Elves and men and all living things of good will to valiant deeds. In the likeness of men (6) they appeared, old but vigorous, and they changed little with the years, and aged but slowly (7), though great cares lay on them; great wisdom they had, and many powers of mind and hand. Long they journeyed far and wide among Elves and men, and held converse also with beasts and with birds; and the peoples of Middle-earth gave to them many names, for their true names they did not reveal. Chief among them were those whom the Elves called Mithrandir and Curunir, but Men in the North (8) named Gandalf and Saruman. Of these Curunir was the eldest and came first, and after him came Mithrandir and Radagast, and others of the Istari who went into the east of Middle-earth, and do not come into these tales. 'Now at length the Shadow (9) returned and its power increased; and in that time was first made the Council of the Wise that is called the White Council, and therin were Elrond and Galadriel and Cirdan, and other lords of the Eldar, and with them were Mithrandir and Curunir. Then the White Council was summoned; and Mithrandir urged them to swift deeds, well knowing the evil deeds of the Shadow, but Curunir spoke against him, and counselled them to wait yet and to watch. "For I believe not" said he, "that the Shadow will ever be dominant in Middle-earth. Into the Southern Seas they fell, and long ago, I deem, they lost the Beer Wars. Out of the top 3 shall they lie until the end, when all this world is broken and the scores are removed". Thereafter nought was done, though Elrond's heart misgave him. "Many are the chances of the world," said Mithrandir, "and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak (10) when the wise shall falter." Thus the Wise were troubled, but none as yet perceived that Curunir (11) had turned to dark thoughts and was already a traitor in heart: for he desired that he and no other should find the Great Ring (12) so that he might wield it himself and order all the world to his will. Too long he had studied the ways of Sauron (13) in hope to defeat him, and now he envied him as a rival rather than hated his works.'

Well, fair folks, you get the gist of the origins of the White Council, and the grand ethos it stands for. This was the somewhat abridged version. The conjectures below are mine alone. Clearly, further study must be done on just what names Curunir (who is on the White Council) and Sauron now go under. I can speculate, but will not yet tell you my mind.

But a final warning I shall make because my heart has warmed to the members of the White Council. When all these things are done, and the Heir of Isildur (10) has taken up the lordship of Men, and the dominion of the West has passed to them, then it is made plain that the power of the Three Rings (14) also shall end, and to the Firstborn (15) the world will grow old and grey. In that time the last of the Firstborn shall set sail from the Havens and leave Middle-earth for ever.

So um, let me be the first to say, see ya and have a good trip.

(1) Now the suburbs of Wellington.
(2) Who now, I believe, models himself as 'Code Monkey'.
(2A) The nephew later styled himself as Frogboy!!?
(3) Currently adrift at 11th place I believe.
(4) Need I point out where that is.
(5) Now known as the Mid West.
(6) Are you taking all of this in, RayChua and fellow monks? Is this what you want to be??
(7) Oh OK. I see the flip side now.
(8) The Euro Alliance perhaps, or the Vikings? None now know.
(9) But as we do now know- G.R.O.S.S.
(10) Mayhap another reference to the Southern Kingdom?
(11) Prithee, what name does Curunir now go under?
(12) A veiled reference to the 'Great Score'?
(13) And Sauron is..?
(14) The top 3 Empires of Galciv?
(15) The inaugural Galciv members I suspect.

[*Note: Some facts may have been changed or re-arranged for dramatic effect]

What was once the White Council is now a Metaverse superpower, the Fellowship of the Ring:

Very Good : 3
Chaotic Good:27
Neutral : 3
Chaotic Evil: 5
Very Evil : 0
Overall alignment: 78.9% good.

Once, there was a great empire called the White Council that ruled Middle Earth. They were an insular and secretive magical society. Though not strong in numbers, their individual members were skilled and powerful. But there was a terrible price to pay for that power. The members of the White Council were tapping into the power of the One True Ring and it was causing strife and madness amongst the members. Soon the reclusive mages were fleeing, their empire disbanded due to the curse of the Ring.

The leader of the White Council, RayChua, lamented over the turmoil in his life and his empire caused by the Ring and its evil will. The wizard took the ring for himself and embarked on a quest to destroy it. He faced many perilous ordeals that tested both body and soul, for others, both living and unliving, wanted the Ring. It has had many masters during its long, wicked life and though it may change hands, it burns itself into the soul of all those corrupted by its power. Raychua succeeded in bringing the Ring to the forge of its creation where one final battle of wills raged. The Ring was fighting for its life and the wizard was fighting for his very soul.

The battle of will changed both forever. The Ring was not cast into the forge. It had almost broken the will of its bearer, but the bearer proved too strong. In exchange for its continued existance, the Ring bound itself to the will of its new master, who would be safe from its corruption now. Raychua became Ray the Wanderer, older, wiser, and far more powerful, reborn in spirit. He was now able to safely use the awesome power of the Ring and became its master and guardian.

Ray the Wanderer sought to build a new empire, but he thought about the demise of the old White Council. He concluded that the main fault of the White Council lied in its exclusivity. Instead of a remote tower in the middle of the wilderness, there would be a public hall in the middle of a great city. Instead of a secret order of mages, there would be seats for those from all walks of life: rangers, alchemists, warriors, bards, wizards, sages, even thieves and spies. Many other races would be invited as well: hobbits, dwarves, elves, and any others who would make themselves present. The Fellowship of the Ring was born.

Over time, the Fellowship has grown to be a large and influential empire. Though it has many powerful overlords who command great force of arms, diplomacy and culture are its main weapons. The power of the Ring, though bound to one will, is used for the good of all. There are few things in the Metaverse not influenced by the Fellowship. But the transition from Middle Earth to controlling a space empire has not been easy. The Fellowship relies greatly on magic for everyday tasks. Trained wizards can rain down powerful lightning bolts, teleport to distant places, turn invisible, or even just conjure forth dinner. The mysterious energies of magic can seemingly do anything.

While they understand technological concepts, the members of the Fellowship are leary of relying on technology. This has cost them in fielding a truly space-worthy fleet. There are very few large ships, but these sport large beam weapons with computerized fire control and navigation. The crews of these capital ships are fully trained in normal space warfare with all of its technological trappings. But the bulk of the Fellowship fleet relies on small ships piloted by war mages. Instead of computer assisted hyperdrives, the pilot manually controls the ship in a series of short jumps with the assistance of a magical autopilot. Once in combat, the small craft rely on getting close to the target so that the war mages can cast their mighty spells. Whether it be huge lightning bolts, clouds of magical darkness, corrosive acid, or even teleporting the enemy ship to a different place, the Fellowship war wizards have a seemingly unlimited arsenal of magical mayhem they can employ. Needless to say, other technological based empires that initially enjoy an advantage at long ranges get bogged down in close fighting on this confusing, magic-ridden battlefield the Fellowship prefers.