Middle Earth

Not sure about Orcs, where they described in the book, I'd have them as brownish-grey. For sure Tom is older than Treebeard, he's part and parcel of the formation of Arda. The wings of Balrog, I did watch something on that, it's more they were shadows than solid wings, I think the films did a decent job of portraying that.

Elves.. dunno.

Frodo wrote:

I suppose we suppose that The Book is the only reliable source?

Tom Bombadil is a difficult subject. ;-) He isdescribed as the 'Eldest', but it is also written somewhere that Treebeard was walking around in Middle-Earth before anyone else...
Balrogs, hmm. Gandalfs Balrog falls down, together with Gandalf, and climbs steps, together with Gandalf. That doesn't sound as if he had wings... But at some point, he also jumps out of a high window; that would surely be a strange move, without wings?
About orcs: I also picture them as more or less grey, but I don't know why.
And about the elves: I don't think their ears are mentioned at all in the books, pointed or otherwise? It would surely be interesting to know where the idea of the pointed ears comes from. (Maybe the Vulcans have something to do with it?)

Treebeard is described as the oldest living thing, but Tom is not ‘living’ in the same sense - he is other yet part of Arda - a bridge between ‘other’ and ‘of’ - Treebeard is of the world, Tom is between other and of, not a living thing of the world but not seperate either.

He is older though.

Greetings Middle Earth! I would like to inform you that I have been elected as the new Delegate of 10000 Islands. You can find out some information about me and the elections in this Dispatch:

44th Delegate-Elect of the 10000 Islands

by The Union of Free Provinces of Juiulia

A Shelter from the Storm!

Greetings, Islanders and the rest of the World!

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As of 17/09/2026 at 05:50 UTC, I, Juiulia have become the official Delegate-Elect of 10000 Islands. It is admittedly something I never foresaw in my time here at XKI. When I first joined, my impression of a Delegate was similar to the one felt when thinking of the serving President or head of state whilst being an average citizen. Now, I not only get to bear that title as soon as the transition is over, but I also get to carry the responsibilities it comes adorned with.

Whether you cast your vote in my favor or not, I want to thank you for your initiative to take part in the political aspect of XKI. I'll try and do my best to deliver as much as it is expected of me.

I joined XKI back in 2019, and have been blinking in and out of activity since then. I joined TITO in 2021 because I believed that every region had the right to self-determination, safe from the hands of those ill-intentioned who wish to conquer and take them as trophies. In 2023, Chief Executive Markanite called upon my name to be included in the Hall of Heroes as the 135th Knight of TITO. In late 2025, I was elected for my first term as Senator for Blue Canaria North, and was re-elected once in 2026. As part of the Special Elections held this very month, I had cast my candidacy to eventually win uncontested. I choose to believe that I won because of the genuine will of having me in office rather than because there was no-one else to vote for.

Please make sure to endorse both Pantso and Juiulia during this transition period!

Why I'm here

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I have stated in my campaign post right here that it is my intention to focus mainly on two issues that have gradually undermined our region: Inactivity and the Population Decline. Although I may have other goals in mind, these two are the principal issues that I believe we should all work together, as a region, to solve. It is not my intention to discredit the efforts of our very hard-working officials, be it serving in office or not; these problems are infinitely more structural than they are anyone's failure.
I will address these affairs soon enough, and with the help of anyone who expresses their initiative. For now, anyone is welcome to suggest courses of action that we could begin to discuss.

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Due gratitude

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Please join me in thanking Pantso for his tenure as Delegate from July 2025, and as Senator for 2 years before that. His term has shown a great deal of excellence, and set the bar perhaps too high for me. Also, another round of thanks is due to all XKI officials for keeping the region alive and kicking. Without their efforts, we would have been long gone.

Thank you Delegate Pantso!

Thank you Chief Executive The United Royal Islands of Euramathania!

... and a thank you to every Islander, whether in office or not!

A message to the rest of the world

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Whether you are an Islander reading this or the citizen of a foreign region, I wish to extend my willingness to take part in peaceful cooperation. However, there are some principles that I believe should not be ignored. Whatever political alignment I might consider myself a part of, it is crucial that the will of our Islanders is respected. 10000 Islands has historically refrained from taking sides (when it doesn't come to Gameplay, of course), often being considered a neutral region in terms of ideologies. This is mainly because most of those serving in the government of XKI believed that every opinion matters regardless what they personally believe in. While I would gladly take a certain position, it may not be what most Islanders feel inclined towards. It would not be the course established by our history. This applies the other way around, too. It is true that you cannot satisfy everyone at once, and that is why I place all my bets on proportional representation. On the outside, XKI seems neutral; but on the inside, there are many citizens with diverse opinions, all of whom deserve theirs to be respected.

If you're interested in reaching out to discuss matters pertaining to the World Assembly, please contact me via NS Telegram or Discord.
If you seek to establish an embassy between our regions, you are welcome to do so by following the steps, if you meet the requirements, found here.

I will also designate a Foreign Affairs Secretary to aid me in all relevant matters. This designation will be announced in a dispatch as well.

Thank you for your attention! - Juiulia

Read dispatch

Orcs are described by Tolkien as sallow-skinned and swart. Sallow means sickly yellow. Swart and swarthy mean dark-skinned, but do not specify a color.

In Letter 210, Tolkien said: "They are (or were) squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths..."

In The Fellowship of the Ring, a massive orc-chieftain is described with a broad, flat face that was "swart" with eyes like coals.

In The Two Towers, the Uruk Hai of Isengard are noted as being "swart, slant-eyed with thick legs and large hands".

"Letter 210"

Wow! What is this? Letters of Tolkien with an official numbering system?
(A bit like the Letters of Paul etc.? ;-) )