#And it makes sense for at least some to be very bitter about doriath's ongoing neglect of the world outside its borders

[shrikeseams]

#mostly i just want there to be some sort of folk song warning people away from strange songs from beyond the trees #you follow them and before you know it #you're holding a bloody sword above the slain bodies of your kith and kin #(yes this implies that the deserters participated in the second kinslaying) -@eleneressea

Upon consideration, the likeliest path would be Doriath ➡️ Dorthonion (since arguably arafinwians have closer ties to doriath, this seems like the likeliest choice for restless and/or disillusioned marchwardens) ➡️ scattered during the Bragollach ➡️ sheltering with, and ultimately joining the feanorian east.

But after the third kinslaying, that's not a narrative anyone wants to accept, so it becomes the feanorians seducing loyal iathrim away. Being seduced away by magic runs more along Melian or Luthien or Eol's MO, but wh has that ever stopped a good folk song? (C&C in Nargothrond seems more like appealing to self-interest than actual magical seduction, but your mileage may vary.)

the thought occurs to me that there's a distinct possibility that some Doriath march-wardens deserted, seeing the perils of the outside world and wanting to defend people from them…

and possibly they deserted to the Fëanorians.

[shrikeseams]

#mostly i just want there to be some sort of folk song warning people away from strange songs from beyond the trees #you follow them and before you know it #you're holding a bloody sword above the slain bodies of your kith and kin #(yes this implies that the deserters participated in the second kinslaying) -@eleneressea

Upon consideration, the likeliest path would be Doriath ➡️ Dorthonion (since arguably arafinwians have closer ties to doriath, this seems like the likeliest choice for restless and/or disillusioned marchwardens) ➡️ scattered during the Bragollach ➡️ sheltering with, and ultimately joining the feanorian east.

But after the third kinslaying, that's not a narrative anyone wants to accept, so it becomes the feanorians seducing loyal iathrim away. Being seduced away by magic runs more along Melian or Luthien or Eol's MO, but wh has that ever stopped a good folk song? (C&C in Nargothrond seems more like appealing to self-interest than actual magical seduction, but your mileage may vary.)

the thought occurs to me that there's a distinct possibility that some Doriath march-wardens deserted, seeing the perils of the outside world and wanting to defend people from them…

and possibly they deserted to the Fëanorians.

[eleneressea]

#And it makes sense for at least some to be very bitter about doriath's ongoing neglect of the world outside its borders#The kind of resentment that someone like celegorm could make hay out of...#Hello I think I've found a way to reconcile celegorm's evil servants with my pet tinhat theory#That some disillusioned and bitter iathrim were behind the murder of Elured and Elurin @shrikeseams

(First off, I love your tinhat theory, it's great—either with the view of they got ditched and/or stabbed by their own people, who then lied, or this little view of ours that Celegorm's cruel servants are ex-marchwardens so disillusioned by Thingol and Dior's neglect for everything outside Doriath and the killing of Celegorm—who, whatever else he was up to, was still on the front lines!—that they abandon children to die as revenge. Either way: juicy.)

The problem with Doriath -> Dorthonion is the massive evil valley of spiders in between them. Doriath -> Nargothrond could work, though they wouldn't be on the front lines there. Doriath -> Himlad only requires crossing a river and then you're right there to be picked up by Celegorm. Probably it depends partially on which end of Doriath you're on, and also how much planning you did; the ones who think about it and make a plan go to Dorthonion (skirting around the edges of Spider Central) or to Hithlum; the ones who just snap one day go to Himlad or Estolad and join up with the Fëanorions. Either way, a lot of them end up with the Fëanorions after the Bragollach and the Nirnaeth, since they're the ones with the most stable leadership.

And then, well, either they stick around for the attack on Menegroth or they don't.

the thought occurs to me that there's a distinct possibility that some Doriath march-wardens deserted, seeing the perils of the outside world and wanting to defend people from them…

and possibly they deserted to the Fëanorians.