The following story was entirely generated by ChatGPT+ with GPT-4. No revisions were made. No human writing was included (except tweaking the AI generated title). The featured image is also AI generated by Nightcafe.
Here is the prompt for the story:
Write a short story, in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien and his Silmarillion, using only primary sources, about an adventure into the very east and south of Middle-Earth.
In Pursuit of the Sun: Journey to the Eastern Light
In the beginning of the Second Age, in the days when the world was still young, there dwelt a great and wise Elf named Calandor, a loremaster of the House of Finwë. In the land of Aman, the Blessed Realm, he lived and studied, seeking to know the secrets of the world that Eru Ilúvatar, the One, had created. He was skilled in song and tale, and the histories of the world were ever before him.
Yet the world was vast, and much was there that he had not seen. And so it came to pass that Calandor desired to journey into the East and South of Middle-earth, to explore the lands and seas that lay beyond the sight of his kin. He bade farewell to his brethren and set sail across the ocean in a ship of pearl, borne by the wind of the West.
Long was his journey, for many perils lay in the way, and the seas were treacherous in those days. But at length, Calandor came to a great continent in the East, a land of mystery and wonder, where the sun rose in fire and gold, and the stars shone brightly in the night. Here he set foot upon the shores of the unknown, and his heart was filled with awe and yearning.
In this land, he came upon a race of Men who had not beheld the light of the Two Trees, nor had they heard the music of the Ainur. They were dark of skin and hair, and their eyes shone like the night sky, filled with the light of distant stars. These Men called themselves the Urimë, and they were wise in their own way, having learned much from the land and the creatures that dwelt there.
Calandor was welcomed among the Urimë, and he spent many years in their company, teaching them the lore of his people and learning from them the secrets of their land. In return, the Urimë showed him the wonders of their realm, and together they delved deep into the mysteries of the East.
One day, a chieftain of the Urimë, named Narëanor, told Calandor of a great and ancient treasure hidden in the southern reaches of their land – a gem of unsurpassed beauty and power, called the Silmaril of the South. It was said to have been created by Fëanor, the greatest of the Noldor, and had been lost in the cataclysms that shook the world at the end of the First Age.
Driven by curiosity and the desire to reclaim this lost relic of his kin, Calandor and Narëanor set forth on a great quest, accompanied by a band of the bravest warriors of the Urimë. They journeyed through the vast wilderness, crossing mighty rivers and traversing the sun-scorched deserts. The way was fraught with danger, for the lands were inhabited by creatures both wondrous and terrifying, remnants of the dark days when Morgoth held sway over Middle-earth.
As the company ventured further south, they came upon a great mountain range that stretched across the horizon, its peaks shrouded in mists and shadows. The air grew colder and heavier as they ascended the slopes, and the stars above seemed to burn brighter and more fiercely.
In the heart of this forsaken realm, they found the dwelling place of a dragon, a fearsome beast of great cunning and power, known as Ulkairë. The dragon had long ago claimed the Silmaril of the South as its own and kept it hidden within the depths of its hoard. Ulkairë was a creature of darkness, a servant of Morgoth in days past, and its malice was great.
Calandor and Narëanor, with the help of the Urimë warriors, devised a plan to retrieve the Silmaril from the dragon’s grasp. Through guile and daring, they faced the mighty beast and were able to wrest the gem from its lair, though not without great loss and sorrow.
With the Silmaril of the South in their possession, Calandor and Narëanor led the surviving members of their company back to the realm of the Urimë, where they were greeted with joy and wonder. The gem’s light, a remnant of the glory of the Two Trees, brought hope and renewal to the people, and they revered Calandor as a hero and a friend.
Years passed, and Calandor’s heart began to yearn for the Blessed Realm, for he knew that his time in the East had come to an end. He bade farewell to Narëanor and the Urimë, entrusting the Silmaril of the South to their care, that it might serve as a beacon of hope in the darkness.
And so, Calandor set sail once more, his heart filled with the memories of his time in the East and the friendships forged in fire and shadow. He returned to Aman, where he would recount his tale to his kin and write the history of his journey, so that it might be remembered for all time in the annals of the Elves.
Thus ends the tale of Calandor and his sojourn in the East, a story of wonder and peril, of light and darkness, and of the bonds that may be forged between the Children of Ilúvatar, even in the farthest reaches of the world.