Title: A Stranger on the Sands
“And Aragorn went alone far into the East and deep into the South, exploring the hearts of Men, both evil and good, and uncovering the plots and devices of the servants of Sauron.”
This is the story of a Man known, for a time, only as “Dakheel” and of a land know, for a time, only as “Harad.”
Characters: Aragorn, Gandalf, Original Characters
Setting: Harad, Third Age 2980
Stories:
Ransom: As the son of a poor family in Harad, Hakim thought he knew what to expect out of life. But, when a stranger stumbles onto his land after escaping the Mountains of Shadow, he and his family see their lives upended.
Chapter One: Old Customs, Old Fears Chapter Two: The Limits of Charity Chapter Three: A Shuttered Light Chapter Four: The Empty Men Chapter Five: Dark Tales Chapter Six: And Are We Yet Alive Chapter Seven: And See Each Other’s Face Chapter Eight: Risk, Reward, and Ruin Chapter Nine: The Burning King Chapter Ten: Desperate Hearts Chapter Eleven: Be All My Sins Remembered Epilogue: For Peace Rating: T
Contents/Warnings: Violence (mostly off-screen), discussion and depiction of slavery, mentions of human sacrifice, injuries and medical gore
Word Count: 55,000 (over twelve parts)
To Save or to Salvage: Azzam is determined to save Aragorn-by any means necessary. A timestamp to “Ransom,” set between the tenth and eleventh chapters of that fic.
Rating: a fairly hard T
Content/Warnings: Graphic violence, corporal punishment, discussion of slavery, dark themes
Word Count: 8,500
Strangers: For better or worse, Aragorn left his mark on Harad.
Chapter One: The Tall Tark: Aragorn is bought by a slaver, who thoroughly regrets it.
Chapter Two: The Traitor’s Rewards: The Grand Army is almost as brutal to its own people as it is to its enemies. Aragorn seeks to undermine it from within.
Chapter Three: The Way Out: Hope is high as a resistance movement is born. But, tensions with his allies may soon destroy everything that Aragorn has built.
Rating: T
Content/Warnings: Violence (most, but not all, is non-graphic), depiction of slavery, discussion and depiction of corporal punishment
Word Count: 22,000 (over three parts)
The Wizard and the Goatherd: Chance drove Aragorn to Harad, but desperation drove Gandalf to follow him. A fortuitous meeting on the edge of the Haradwaith. A timestamp to “Strangers.”
Rating: K+
Content/Warnings: mentions of slavery, dark themes
Word Count: 3,400
A Thousand Lutes: In the aftermath of the War of the Ring, a captured Haradri encounters a healer who is more than he appears. A timestamp to "Ransom" featuring Ayman.
Rating: T
Content/Warnings: Medical gore
Word Count: 8,000