X Marks the Spot

This month's challenge is our annual Matryoshka challenge but with a twist.

If you've ever created for a Matryoshka challenge, you know that you receive a series of prompts that you open one at a time as you work on your fanwork, using each to guide how you take the next section of your fanwork. This month's challenge uses this idea but using a map as the means by which you will select your next prompt—choose your own prompt adventure!

How to Participate

First, choose your difficulty level. This will determine how many prompts you will complete over the course of the challenge.

• Beginner: Two prompts
• Easy: Three prompts
• Medium: Five prompts
• Difficult: Seven prompts

Next, choose a starting point. (If your fanwork will focus on Morgoth/Melkor, you may choose to start in Mandos.) Prompts may be found beneath the map.

Start your fanwork using that prompt. How you interpret the prompt is entirely up to you! When you are ready, you can follow one of the paths leading from your original location to choose your next prompt. Note that the prompt list will include next locations, and hovering over these links will show you the prompt for that location. There are a few one-way paths marked in red that have conditions on them. If those apply to your location, details will be given after the prompt. Once you've completed the number of prompts for your difficulty level, you have completed the challenge!

Some locations have special conditions for specific characters. If that character features in your fanwork, that condition applies.

A few locations have two prompts to pick from—as it is Orctober we have set up a path for those who want to walk in the shadows.

Because prompts are on a map, you do not need to sign up in order to participate in the challenge. Just pick a prompt on the map and get started!

Please note that you do not need to include the locations on the map in your fanwork, although you are certainly welcome to do so if you'd like to add an extra layer of difficulty. For example, the prompt for the location of Himring on the map is "A character faces a challenge in nature." You need only respond to this prompt in your fanwork; it does not need to take place or even mention Himring.

Matryoshka Prompts for Other Fanwork Types

If you want to create a fanwork other than fiction for a Matryoshka challenge, you can use any of the following approaches to your prompt set:

• You can, of course, use the Matryoshka rules for fiction. For example, if you are making a fan vid, you could open each prompt one at a time to guide the storyline and selection of video clips.
• You can use each prompt individually to create a series of flash fanworks using either the prompt title or the full prompt (or a mixture of both). For example, if you chose a Medium challenge and want to make fanart, you could do a series of five sketches that fit each of the five prompts.
• You can choose all of the prompts at once and make a fanwork that incorporates them all in some way, using either the prompt location or the full prompt (or a mixture of both).

This challenge opened in October 2022 .

Prompts

Choose your prompt from the collection below.

View Prompts

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Hover over the link to your next destination to preview the prompt. Click to go there.

For those who would like to follow the Orctober path, Thangorodrim, Angband, Anfauglith, Taur-nu-Fuin, Tol-in-Gaurhoth, and Nan Dungortheb are the Orctober prompts. (If you'd like to do Orctober on the Difficult level, remember that Mandos is an option from any point on the map...) You do not have to follow the full Orctober path to use one of the locations/prompts on it.

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Aelin-uial

Prompt: A character gets carried away.
From here, you can venture to Brethil, Doriath, Gates of Sirion, Menegroth, or Mandos.

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Aman

Prompt: A dream of a faraway place
Fëanor/Fëanorions proceed to Losgar.
Fingolfin and all who followed him proceed to the Helcaraxë.
The path to Balar is open to all other characters.
You may also choose to go to Mandos.

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Amon Ereb

Prompt: A character can see something far off
From here, you can venture to Aelin-uial, Pass Of Aglon, Gates Of Sirion, Havens of Sirion, Nan-Tathren, Sarn Athrad or Mandos.

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Anfauglith

Prompt: Splendor lost
From here, you can venture to Angband, Taur-nu-Fuin, March Of Maedhros, or Mandos.

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Angband

Prompt: Under_____ (fill in the blank; make your own prompt)
From here, you can venture to Thangorodrim, Anfauglith, Ard-Galen, or Mandos.

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Ard-Galen

Prompt: The calm before the storm.
From here, you can venture to Angband, Dorthonion, Mithrim, Tol Sirion, or Mandos.

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Arvernien

Prompt: A character seeks safety.
From here, you can venture to Eglarest, Havens of Sirion, or Mandos.

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Barad Nimras

Prompt: A character is useless.
From here, you can venture to Brithombar, Eglarest, or Mandos.

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Belegost

Prompt: Character finds an old map.
From here, you can venture to Ered Luin, Menegroth, Nogrod, Sarn Athrad, Stockade Of The Haladin, Thargelion, or Mandos.

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Brethil

Prompt: Character experiences nostalgia.
From here, you can venture to Aelin-uial, Doriath, Nargothrond , Eithel Ivrin, Tol Sirion/Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Dry River, or Mandos.

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Brithombar

Prompt: Character spots something they have never seen before.
From here, you can venture to Barad Nimras, Eglarest, Isle of Balar, Nargothrond, Vinyamar, or Mandos.

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Doriath

Prompt: A character gets lost.
From here, you can venture to Brethil, Aelin-uial, Nargothrond, the Dry River, Tol Sirion/Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Menegroth, Nan Elmoth, Pass Of Aglon, or Mandos.

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Dor-lómin

Prompt: A letter arrives.
From here, you can venture to Hithlum, Losgar, Mithrim, Vinyamar, or Mandos.

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Dorthonion

Prompt: Character finds something empty.
From here, you can venture to Aelin-uial, Ard-Galen, Ladros, Mithrim, Nan Dungortheb, Taur-nu-Fuin, Tol Sirion, or Mandos.

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Dry River

Prompt: A character stumbles onto a secret.
If you choose to go to Gondolin, be warned that the only way out for most characters is Mandos!
From here, you can venture to Brethil, Gondolin, Tol Sirion, or Mandos.

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Echoriath

Prompt: A heavy loss.
From here, you can venture to Nan Dungortheb, Brethil, Dorthonion/Taur-nu-Fuin, or Mandos.

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Eglarest

Prompt: Help from an unexpected quarter.
From here, you can venture to Arvernien, Barad Nimras, Brithombar, Isle of Balar, Nargothrond, or Mandos.

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Eithel Ivrin

Prompt: A reflection.
From here, you can venture to Brethil, the Dry River, Nargothrond, Tol Sirion, or Mandos. (Note that you should not return to the location you came to Eithel Ivrin from.)

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Ered Luin/Ered Lindon

Prompt: An uphill battle.
From here, you can venture to Maglor's Gap, Lake Helevorn, Belegost, Nogrod, Sarn Athrad, Stockade Of The Haladin, Ossiriand, Thargelion, or Mandos.

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Gates of Sirion

Prompt: A revelation.
From here, you can venture to Aelin-uial, Amon Ereb, Nan-Tathren, Nargothrond, or Mandos.

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Gondolin

Prompt: Something lost is found.
Only Aredhel or survivors of Gondolin may follow the Way of Escape to the Echoriath.
Huor or Húrin get a lift from the Eagles and may proceed to any location north of Doriath.
All other characters proceed to Mandos.

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Havens of Sirion

Prompt: Coming and going.
Eärendil, his crew, Elwing, or Ainur may choose to go to Aman.
Everyone can venture to Amon Ereb, Arvernien, Isle of Balar, Nan-Tathren, Taur-im-Duinath, or Mandos.

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Helcaraxë

Prompt: Setting out on a journey.
The path to Aman is closed to you.
From here, you can venture to Lammoth, Losgar, or Mandos.

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Himring

Prompt: A character faces a challenge in nature.
From here, you can venture to Amon Ereb, Lake Helvorn, Maglor's Gap, the March Of Maedhros, the Pass Of Aglon, or Mandos.

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Hithlum

Prompt: A productive alliance.
From here, you can venture to Dor-Lomin, Losgar, Mithrim, or Mandos.

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Isle of Balar

Prompt: Feeling alone.
From here, you can venture to Aman, Brithombar, Eglarest, Havens of Sirion, or Mandos.

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Ladros

Prompt: Character finds the remains of something from the past.
From here, you can venture to Anfauglith, Dorthonion, the March Of Maedhros, the Pass Of Aglon, Taur-nu-Fuin, or Mandos.

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Lake Helevorn

Prompt: A character is given good advice from an unlikely source.
From here, you can venture to Himring, Maglor's Gap, Stockade Of The Haladin, Thargelion, or Mandos.

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Lammoth

Prompt: The rising of the sun.
From here, you can venture to the Helcaraxë, Losgar, or Mandos.

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Losgar

Prompt: Discover something has been forgotten.
The path to Aman is closed to you.
From here, you can venture to Dor-Lomin, Hithlum, Lammoth, Mithrim or Mandos.

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Maglor's Gap

Prompt: A vulnerability.
From here, you can venture to Himring, Lake Helevorn, the March Of Maedhros, or Mandos.

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Mandos

Prompt: What happens after a character dies.
You cannot return to Beleriand from this location unless ...
Melkor/Morgoth may start in Mandos and proceed to Thangorodrim.
Lúthien may return from Mandos one time only to any point on the map.
From here, you can venture to Aman. However, Glorfindel is the only character who may return to Beleriand - all other characters must remain in Aman.

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March of Maedhros

Prompt: A character is defensive.
From here, you can venture to Anfauglith, Himring, Ladros, Maglor's Gap, the Pass Of Aglon, or Mandos.

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Menegroth

Prompt: Something vital is missing.
From here, you can venture to Aelin-uial, Brethil, Doriath, Nan Dungortheb, Nan Elmoth, or Mandos.

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Mithrim

Prompt: A character must work together with someone they don’t particularly like.
From here, you can venture to Ard-Galen, Dor-Lomin, Hithlum, Tol Sirion, or Mandos.

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Nan Dungortheb

Prompt: Weaving a tangled web
From here, you can venture to Ard-Galen/Taur-nu-Fuin, Brethil, Doriath, the Dry River, Nan Elmoth, the Pass Of Aglon, Tol Sirion/Tol-in-Gaurhoth or Mandos.

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Nan Elmoth

Prompt: An unexpected visitor.
From here, you can venture to Doriath, Nan Dungortheb, the Pass Of Aglon, Sarn Athrad, or Mandos.

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Nan Tathren

Prompt: Planting a seed.
From here, you can venture to Gates Of Sirion, Nargothrond, Havens of Sirion, or Mandos.

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Nargothrond

Prompt: Someone listens to your problems.
From here, you can venture to Amon Ereb, Brethil, Brithombar, Doriath, Eglarest, Eithel Ivrin, Gates Of Sirion, Menegroth, Nan-Tathren, Vinyamar, or Mandos.

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Nogrod

Prompt: In the dark about something.
From here, you can venture to Belegost, Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Ossiriand, Sarn Athrad, or Mandos.

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Ossiriand

Prompt: Eat, drink, and be merry ...
From here, you can venture to Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Sarn Athrad, Taur-im-Duinath, Tol Galen, or Mandos.

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Pass of Aglon

Prompt: Not a lot of options.
From here, you can venture to Amon Ereb, Anfauglith, Himring, the March Of Maedhros, Nan Dungortheb, Nan Elmoth, or Mandos.

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Sarn Athrad

Prompt: Friend becomes foe.
From here, you can venture to Amon Ereb, Belegost, Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Nan Elmoth, Nogrod, Ossiriand, Stockade Of The Haladin, Thargelion, Tol Galen, or Mandos.

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Stockade of the Haladin

Prompt: Barely holding on.
From here, you can venture to Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Lake Helevorn, Sarn Athrad, Thargelion, or Mandos.

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Taur-im-Duinath

Prompt: The road less traveled.
From here, you can venture to Amon Ereb, Gates Of Sirion, Havens of Sirion, Nan-Tathren, Ossiriand, or Mandos.

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Taur-nu-Fuin

Prompt: Never laugh at live dragons
From here, you can venture to Anfauglith, the March Of Maedhros, Nan Dungortheb, Tol-in-Gaurhoth or Mandos.

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Thangorodrim

Prompt: It comes in threes.
From here, you can venture to Angband or Mandos.

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Thargelion

Prompt: The shadow of the past.
From here, you can venture to Belegost, Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Lake Helevorn, Maglor's Gap, Sarn Athrad, Stockade Of The Haladin, or Mandos.

TolGaurhoth

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Tol-in-Gaurhoth

Prompt: A famous reputation.
From here, you can venture to Brethil, the Dry River, Nan Dungortheb, Taur-nu-Fuin, or Mandos.

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Tol Galen

Prompt: A sudden change
From here, you can venture to Ered Luin/Ered Lindon, Ossiriand, Sarn Athrad, TTaur-im-Duinath, or Mandos.

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Tol Sirion

Prompt: Something too good to last.
From here, you can venture to Ard-Galen, Brethil, Dorthonion, the Dry River, Doriath, Mithrim, or Mandos.

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Vinyamar

Prompt: The start of something ambitious.
From here, you can venture to Brithombar, Dor-Lomin, Nargothrond, or Mandos.