![]() The already partially blocked Sirannon had formed a pool before the doors which contained some sort of monstrous horror from the depths of the Earth, referred to as the Watcher in the Water. The title text ponders what would occur if the Sirannon, a stream running adjacent to the path leading to the doors, were to be completely blocked with the doors left open. It is unclear whether this is because the opposite of the password has been spoken, or because the doors take offense to the word/concept frenemy, of which xkcd has previously made fun in 919: Tween Bromance. The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says mellogoth. ![]() The Sindarin word-root coth, in its lenited form goth, is best known as part of the name of Morgoth (literally, "Black Enemy") of the Silmarillion. This is a portmanteau of "mellon" and "goth", much like how "frenemy" is a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy". White Hat then wonders aloud what the Elvish word for "frenemy" is, and Cueball postulates "mellogoth". The doors apparently open off-panel when the password is spoken. In this comic, Cueball, White Hat, and Megan reenact the scene, with Cueball taking the role of Gandalf. See the Wikipedia article Use–mention distinction. Only after many unsuccessful efforts does Gandalf realize it is actually a very simple riddle: The password is the Elvish word for "friend" ("mellon"), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Speak mellon, and enter". The party leader ( Gandalf) initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter. There's a spoken password to open the doors, an Elvish inscription on them provides a clue: "Speak friend, and enter". The comic is based on the Lord of the Rings, specifically a scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, where the eponymous fellowship is trapped outside the door to the Mines of Moria. How do you think the Watcher would fare against a drenched Balrog? Title text: If we get the doors open and plug up the dam on the Sirannon so the water rises a little, the pool will start draining into Moria.
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