Silver scale | 1 book in silver scale books

Trolls and the brown wizard.

The Company rides its ponies through a muddy forest as it rains. They all look cold, wet, and miserable. "Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori says. "It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf answers back, earning a horsy laugh from Silveria.

"Are there any?" Bilbo asks, and Silveria perks her ears up. "What?" "Other wizards?"  "There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names." Gandalf says. "And who is the fifth?" Bilbo says. "Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown," Gandalf says, and a slight grin is on his face. "Is he a great Wizard, or is he...more like you?" Bilbo says, and Silveria stiffens a chuckle and continues to focus on the path.

Gandalf looks slightly offended. "I think he's a very great wizard, in his way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world." He says.

➳

Radagast runs through a forest. He examines a dying plant. "Not good; not good at all." He exclaims. As Radagast continues running, we see many dead animals lying around. Radagast plucks a mushroom and puts it in his bag. He feels and tastes the sap of a tree that appears to be infected; he grows more and more worried. He whistles and his bird appears. Radagast lifts his hat, and the bird and its mate land in their nest, which is on Radagast's head. Radagast gasps and runs over to a hedgehog lying on the floor; it appears to be dying. He cradles it.

"Oh no! Sebastian! Good gracious." he says. Running through the forest, Radagast brings Sebastian to his home, Rhosgobel. He attempts to cure the hedgehog using various medicinal and magical techniques, to no avail. The hedgehog's family surrounds it, and Radagast tells them to move. "Move back! Give him some air, for goodness sake!" Radagast continues his treatments, but they don't work. The hedgehog writhes in pain.

"I don't understand why it's not working; it's not as if it's witchcraft..." A strange look comes over his face, and he speaks in a different, deeper voice than before. "Witchcraft. But it is. Dark and powerful magic." Hearing a noise, Radagast looks up and sees several giant spiders crawling up the side of his house. Radagast hurriedly braces his door shut with a bench. The hedgehog suddenly croaks, gasping for air, then seemingly expires. Radagast seems to be about to cry; however, the house starts creaking with the sound of the spiders crawling over the roof. Radagast runs over to his staff and pulls out the bluestone embedded at the top. As all the small rodents and other animals in his house flee, Radagast cradles Sebastian and whispers a spell while holding the bluestone to the hedgehog's muzzle.

"Lerya laman naiquentallo" [not translated onscreen: Free the animal from the curse]. "Sí a hlare ómaquettar" [not translated onscreen: Now hear words of my voice]  "Na coilerya en-vinyanta" [not translated onscreen: Be its life renewed]. Sí a hlare ómaquettar. Na coilerya en-vinyanta." The spiders begin to break through the thatched roof. Radagast goes into a trance-like state, and his spell grows more and more potent as darkness falls over the house. A black, inky shadow is slowly extracted from the hedgehog and the stone. Suddenly, the hedgehog gasps for air and wakes up, and light returns to the area; the spiders crawl off the house. Running outside, Radagast sees spider webs all around his house, and he sees the giant spiders crawling off into the forest.

"Where on this good earth did those foul creatures come from?" His bird flies to him, and he converses with it. "The old fortress? Show me."  Radagast rides through the forest on a sleigh pulled by several giant rabbits. As he proceeds, the woods become dark and gloomy, covered in cobwebs. An old, ruined fortress is seen in the distance.