Hunt for the Palantíri Discussion Thread

[Rinfanawen]

Hey players, this is Rin checking in. I can't wait for the game to start. It sounds so exciting! I'm looking forward to see what new characters, and new RPers will come to join in, so come on, you guys. Let's get this thing going!

[Taralphiel]

Hello everyone!

I'm also stopping in to let you all know I'm here, and very excited about starting this RP.

I think this is one of the most challenging characters I've done so far, so if I do make a few mistakes, please let me know

Tara

[Orofaniel]

Well, hello everyone!

I can't wait for this RPG to start, as I've told Regin many times before.

There are already so many interesting characters, and I know there will be more. Hopefully the spots will be filled soon so we can get this rollin'..

Until then,
Orofaniel

[Regin Hardhammer]

Hi all,

Thanks for checking in. I will be traveling back home until Sunday night and will not be able to answer any pms or post until then. Looking forward to a great game. Let's get these spots filled.

- Regin

[Arry]

Hello! I would very much like to play in this game as an Elf.

Thanks, Arry

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Character Description Form:

1.) Have you ever played in an RPG at the Barrow Downs? – YES/NO - Which one?

--- Yes – Bloodstained Elanor (ongoing)

2.) How many RPG’s on the Barrow Downs are you currently involved in?

--– 1

List them, please:

--- Bloodstained Elanor

Please note you may play in only 2 (TWO) Shire games at one time. Exceptions to this may be made for this on a case by case basis by the Shire Moderators. (The Green Dragon Inn DOES NOT count as a game for this.)


3.) Have you posted in The Green Dragon Inn – YES/NO

--- Yes
_______________________________________

Main Character:

NAME: Carandû

AGE: 631

RACE: Elf, Sindarin, originally from Imladris

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Longbow of mountain yew; hip-hung quiver on the right side; plain short sword in a leather scabbard on his left hip. Has been trained to use a spear, but does not own one.

APPEARANCE: 5’11”; dark hair, shoulder length, pulled back with a thin leather strip; twinkling grey eyes; stocky for an Elf (many evenings spent in the harbor-side taverns tipping back the northern ales); soft, worn black boots; comfortable dark colored breeches held up with a brown leather, brass buckled belt; long sleeved, loose, tunics in white or tans; and a serviceable grey-green cloak brought with him from Imladris.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: For an Elf, he is a merry fellow. His eyes are crinkled at their outer edges from the smile that often graces his still fair face. He’s a loyal crewman, dependable, and able at any job thrown him. He is a fair hand with his weapons; will not hesitate to speak up if he feels a plan offered is foolish. Weakness, eh? – Perhaps an overfondness for spirits of the drinkable sort, and batter-fried fish with those lovely overland imports from the western borders of the Shire – taters.

HISTORY: Born in III 2410 in Rivendell. In III 2510, following her tragedy of the previous year, Elrond's wife,Celebrian, took ship and sailed West. Accompanying her to Mithlond were a troop of dedicated warriors from Imladris, among them Carandû, a name since chosen by himself (He was called, before he chose to stay in Mithlond, Gillas - that being his birth name.) He was young enough at the time of that journey to refuse the Lady’s kind offer to take her protectors West with her, though many of his fellows did go on the ship that bore her.

Three of his fellows, all about his age stayed with him, and of those three, two returned to Rivendell within the year, and one stayed on - Annûlas, his younger, by two years, brother. The two brothers took a liking to sailing and have crewed on many of the local ships that make the trading runs along the northern shores. They are favorites in the Inns and small taverns that cater to sailing men. Their voices make quite lovely harmonies when they sing, and they are great collectors of sea-going songs favored by mariners.

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Carry-along Character:

NAME: Annûlas (Annû, for short)

AGE: 629

RACE: Elf, Sindarin, originally from Imladris

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Longbow of mountain yew; hip-hung quiver on the right side; does not bear a sword, but has a thick oaken club with a knot at its end that has knocked the tar out of many a person or beast that crossed him.

APPEARANCE: 6’ 1”; dark hair, mid back length, braided in a thick plait worn down his back and tied off with a leather strip; twinkling grey eyes, much as his brother’s are, but a little deeper in shade; trim and wiry muscled; soft, worn black boots; comfortable dark colored breeches held up with a woven rope, brass buckled belt; long sleeved, loose, tunics in white or tans; and a grey-green cloak, twin to his brother’s, brought with him from Imladris.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: He, too, is a merry fellow. And smiles just as easily as his brother. He’s a loyal crewman and dependable. He has no fear of heights and is often the first to offer to go up the ladders when needed. He prides himself on his expertise with knots. Like his brother, he is a fair hand with his weapons. Prefers to let his brother take the lead in things – but is often wheedled into doing so against his will and better judgement by his sibling.

HISTORY: Born in III 2412 in Rivendell. Accompanied his brother to the Grey Havens when Celebrian took ship and sailed West. He has learned to love life on the ships as much as his older brother. But his greatest love is when they have time to sing together.

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Arry’s post

Carandû clamped his wide-brimmed hat down firmly on his head, tying it securely, as he left the protection of the hatch way. The hat was of tightly woven fiber, covered with thin, cured sealskin. It kept the rain from his eyes as it pounded down on the ship, but did little to save his face from being drenched by the waves as they crossed the bar into the bay. It was his oilskin pants and overcoat that protected him from the main onslaught of the frigid waters. Inside the haven of the ice bay, the waters were at least a little calmer. Though, you can’t tell by him!, he thought, eyeing the figure of Rôg clinging for dear life to the ship’s railing as his stomach protested the mixing of the his last meal with the heaving of the ship. Carandû’s earlier offer to tie the man to the railing so that he wouldn’t pitch overboard had been waved away by Rôg. It had been with some reluctance that he’d left the green-tinged fellow on deck, but then he’d noted the deathlike grip Rôg had on the railing. And apparently it had kept him safe from the overwashing waves.

Annû, he could see, was up on the main cross spar, shinnying back toward the rope ladder with its ratlines that ran down the length of the mast. The sails, on his side, were secured. He saw his brother make some sign to the other who had gone up with him – it looked, though as if the other one had also managed to secure his sections and needed no assist. Carandû waved for his brother to come to him once his feet had hit the deck. ‘I’ve brought your boots and a pair of dry socks,’ he said, pulling Annû beneath the shelter of a small overhang near the wheelhouse. ‘Get them on before your toes fall off!’ Annû grinned at his older brother and ducked a friendly cuff as he replied with a ‘Yes, ammë!’

‘I saw something when I was up top,’ Annû said, jamming his feet into his boots. ‘Over there, as the gull flies, from where Rôg is hanging on. To the right, where that glacier comes down to the lip of the bay.’ He pulled his brother to the railing, slipping along on the slippery and still wave-tossed deck. Narrowing their eyes, they peered off toward a shallow cove at the edge of the bay.

‘She’s a trim vessel,’ grunted Carandû, his brow furrowing at the far-off sight of the Corsair ship. ‘I’ll give her that. They’re well anchored, I see.’ He pursed his lips and hmmphed at the sight, wondering how familiar the captain of the vessel was in these far northern waters.

‘I know,’ commented his brother, picking up on his thought. ‘They don’t keep moving her along the coastline or pull her out to deeper waters, she’ll be bound fast in the ice by week’s end.’

‘Easier for us, though, if she does get stuck!’ Carandû turned questioningly toward his brother. ‘You know – in all the berths we’ve had with Luindal, I can’t recall us ever coming this far north on the Sea-Spirit at this time of year. Old Captain Ferrin’s ship – yes; Remember? He liked to come up in the early spring before the thaws, get the first of the thick winter pelts in trade.’ He looked expectantly at his brother.

‘Oh, no! You’re not giving me the job of questioning the Captain! You do it; you’re the one who thought of it.’ Annû pulled his jacket tighter about him and nodded toward the stairway leading below-deck.

Carandû sighed, and nodded he’d think of some way to approach the subject. ‘But first let’s sample a small taste of the Spirit’s spirits; fortify my courage, so to speak. I hear tell that Cap’n Luindal’s laid in some of the sweet, fiery brandy-wine from The Star and Swan.’

Before turning to go, the two offered their assistance to Rôg who seemed to mumble something in the way of an affirmative. Arms hooked through his as support, the trio made their way to the stair and down.

[Lalwendë]

Hope this is all laid out as it should be! I'm hoping to play as a Pro-Corsair (bad-guy) Lossoth.

Character Description Form:

1.) Have you ever played in an RPG at the Barrow Downs? – NO

2.) How many RPG’s on the Barrow Downs are you currently involved in?
None

3.) Have you posted in The Green Dragon Inn – YES
_______________________________________

For your character please include:

NAME: Tarn

AGE: 37

RACE: Lossoth (Men), Pro-Corsair

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Tarn does not possess any finely wrought weapons of war, however, the tools of his trade have proved more than adequate for defensive purposes. He is equipped with two knives: one long and sharp, the other serrated, for skinning and cutting. He also has a harpoon, from his time whaling. Tarn is also known, and feared, for his fists.

APPEARANCE: Tarn is a tall man, and of average build, yet he looks much larger due to his bulky layers of clothing. He wears felt breeches with over-breeches of pale coloured hide, tucked into long, heavy boots. His layers of clothing include a linen undershirt, a thick woollen jersey, a leather waistcoat, an old, weathered overcoat made of reindeer leather and a wolfskin cloak about his shoulders. His hands are large and he wears rabbit skin gloves, the fur on the inside to provide protection from the cold. The four remaining toes on his left foot have turned black from a severe case of frostbite. He has dark hair, with a smattering of grey at the temples; he wears his hair to his shoulders and it is unkempt and wiry. Tarn has a square face, with a broken nose, and a wry smile which reveals his remarkably white teeth. His eyes are deep set and dark blue, and he has a habit of squinting, from the many times he has been abroad in the depths of the winter storms.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Tarn is a useful man to have around, as he is a skilled seal trainer, and he also has a deep understanding of the environment of the Ice Bay. He is a man who will not run from a challenge or a fight, although he is able to turn on the charm when needed. Tarn’s biggest weakness is that he is prone to arrogance, and he resents the Lossoth chieftains deeply, thinking himself superior to them. Tarn attracts other malcontents, and though he prefers to be alone, and is quite aloof in their company, he is often at the centre of plotting and scheming.

HISTORY: Tarn is of pure Lossoth blood. His forefathers were born, lived and died on the ice. He was brought up by his grandfather due to the brutal, but not unusual, deaths of his parents. Tarn believes that they died while trying to take one of the great white bears during a hunt. He was a child at the time, and it was natural that his grandfather should take responsibility for his upbringing. A tough man but with a deeply hidden soft heart, he taught the boy all the hunting, survival and fighting skills that would see him through life, but he also took the time to tell him many of the old tales, and to make sure he could read.

At sixteen, Tarn was an adult and began to take a full part in the life of the extended family, but soon, his grandfather passed away. The headship of the family passed to the next elder, Tarn’s Great Uncle, a man who had a weakness for the drink. Tarn’s resentment grew each day he toiled hard, only to see his share become smaller while his Great Uncle’s nose grew redder and his temper shorter. After a while, he took off on his own, so much had he grown to loathe his Great Uncle. He found work doing jobs for other groups of Lossoth, including journeys on whaling ships, but he always felt isolated and excluded. He saved all that he could until he was able to buy his own sled and team of dogs. From then on by choice he became increasingly isolated from the rest of the Lossoth as he went on his own independent hunting trips, returning with all manner of furs and hides.

In the past few years he has taken to training seals to search for treasure amongst the shipwrecks. He noticed it was a good chance to gain himself much wealth, and was determined to learn the skill. This determination, coupled with a natural understanding of animals, did indeed prove to be valuable, and he has profited from his latest venture, pulling several treasures from the ocean.

When the Corsairs arrived, he tried to keep a distance from them at first, being naturally wary, but upon seeing how most of the Lossoth appeared to be uneasy about the incomers, he decided that perhaps they might not be so bad after all. To Tarn, something that most of the Lossoth disliked, especially something that the chieftains disapproved of, must surely be a good thing.

One morning not long after the arrival of the Corsairs, he decided to show off his seals, who managed to retrieve some silver plate from the ocean in full view of the Corsair captain. Later that day he was invited to speak to the captain, who was interested to know if Tarn could help him locate the treasure he sought. As Tarn spoke to the Corsair he was impressed by his authority, and began to think that this kind of power was something he would like himself. The captain did not really need to make many promises, as Tarn had already silently decided he would like to work with the powerful Corsairs, but just one look at the swords and knives that the captain promised was enough to get Tarn's allegiance.

*********

Carry on Character:

NAME: Thynne Tarlsson

AGE: 14

RACE: Lossoth (Men), Pro-Corsair

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: One bone handled pocket knife

APPEARANCE: Thynne is a little more well-fed than most low status Lossoth youths. He spends a fair amount of his intelligence in seeking out the tasty food he relishes. Thynne is quite strong, but is not tall. He has dark hair which he keeps trimmed short using his pocket knife; this makes his hair uneven. He has a small scar on his chin as a result of an accident with a harpoon. Thynne wears plain breeches, two heavily patched woollen jumpers, one with an attached knitted hood, and an old bearskin cape. These are his only clothes and they were not made for him, so they are both well worn and slightly too big for him.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Thynne is intelligent, although he often puts this to use in the wrong way, trying to get what he wants rather than what others want of him. He is very subdued, learned from years of submitting to the whims of his drunken father, but he is willing to turn his hand to most tasks. His weakness is a good meal.

HISTORY: Thynne has been brought up by his father since he was five, although his mother and sister live close to the Ice Bay, and he sees them now and then. When his father left his mother, he took Thynne with him, as he could see the boy would be useful in helping him earn money. His mother was too scared to say otherwise. Thynne has spent most of his life carrying out whatever work his father wishes of him, from gutting fish to carrying messages.
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Lalwendë's post

Tarn looked out of the door at the brewing storm with an angry look on his face. He had to go and feed his seals and leave the warmth of his new stone hut behind him. He felt such pride in having been able to build this humble dwelling that he did not like to leave it. One of his cronies, Talsson, was slumped by the fire in a drunken stupor. They had been playing knucklestones and Talsson had lost his money to Tarn. The agreement had been that if Talsson wanted another game then he would have to offer the labour of his son, Thynne, to Tarn. The man, drunk as he was, knew that the labour would not be handsomely rewarded, and he knew that he could lose the profits he normally gained from hiring out the lad, but he would not lose face, so the deal was done.

Thynne, a well-fed fourteen year old, sat in the corner of the hut on a pile of furs, staring at Tarn, wondering whether his new job was a good thing or a stroke of bad luck. Tarn looked at the lad and motioned with his head towards the door.

“Get yourself wrapped up, there‘s a storm coming in. You will come with me now and start by learning how to feed the seals” Tarn watched as the youth scrambled into his warm clothes. “I suppose you can swim?”.

Tarn was the seal handler, but he rarely went into the water these days. He paid those with little hope, such as Thynne, to do this for him. He himself had survived by carrying out hard labour such as this when he left the family, so he didn’t see any harm in others making a living this way. Sometimes, he thought he was doing them a favour. If he’d had any children of his own then he’d have had them working with the seals as soon as they could walk, and that would be for free. But this lad looked strong and bright enough, he might have hired him anyway, had his father not been such a drunken idiot and offered him at half the going rate.

*********

Tarn stood a bucket of fish on a flat rock by the side of the water and let out a long, piercing whistle. The lad pursed his lips and tried to copy him. Tarn laughed. “I suggest you get some practice in, though I doubt you’ll ever truly master it the way I have. Watch me.”

Again he whistled, and ten sleek bodies came towards them through the water. The dog-like faces of the seals surfaced; they could smell the fish and came right up to the edge of the rock, circling and crying. The smallest one heaved itself out of the water, and his head bobbed up and down expectantly.

“This is the youngest, I think you could start with him,“ Tarn said to the lad, who had stepped back a little from the creature. “No need to be afraid of him, he’s learning just like yourself”. Tarn put one of the silvery fish into Thynne’s hand and the lad gingerly offered it to the young seal, who carefully took it, and slipped back into the water. Tarn quickly threw more fish out to the older seals, to keep them from taking the fish from the youngster.

“Why did he have a golden tag in his ear?” said the boy, suddenly finding his voice.

“That,” said Tarn, “Is how they are identified as my own seals. As soon as one is born I put the golden ring into his ear, and then anyone knows that he is mine. If one were to be hunted, then that hunter would have to pay dearly, probably with more wealth than that of five chieftains.” Thynne looked shocked. “But that, thankfully, has never yet come to pass. And these fine sailors, they seem to appreciate their worth as much as I do.” Tarn looked solemnly towards the cliffs, where the masts of the Corsair ship were rolling to and fro in the swell.

Tarn admired the Corsairs, with their proud bearing and fierce talk. He was eager to do well for them, partly because he might get greater rewards, but also because he wished to earn their respect. He was starting to form notions of making some kind of allegiance with them. Tarn did not exactly fawn around the Corsairs, as grovelling was not in Tarn's nature, but he made sure to impress upon them how invaluable he was, and made great show of both his skill with the seals and what he considered his status among the other Lossoth.

Tarn and Thynne threw out more fish, and several seals came out of the water, nudging Tarn’s legs with affection, which prompted him to scratch their necks. He started to do a few of his training rituals while the lad stood and watched, shivering in the driving rain and wind. He was hungry and licked the remains of the fish from his gloves. Having finished this, he squinted out to sea, where his attention was caught by a ship being tossed about on the waves.

Tarn soon noticed that the lad wasn’t paying him any attention. “Look sharp, lad, or it’s just the diving you’ll be doing. Thought you were brighter than that.” He looked up to see what Thynne was peering at and he soon picked out the shape of a white ship trying to tack into the bay.

“By the stars…”

[Phervasaion]

I have a profile for a pro-corsair lossoth. Hope it’s good.

1.) Have you ever played in an RPG at the Barrow Downs? – YES
Which one? Reclaiming the city, Hunted and Last Ride of the Heir.

2.) How many RPG’s on the Barrow Downs are you currently involved in?

List them, please: None


3.) Have you posted in The Green Dragon Inn – YES
_______________________________________

For your character please include:

NAME: Rydoc

AGE: 39

RACE: Human, Lossoth

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Rydoc has no real weaponry, and his knife is the only thing classed as a weapon that he carries around with him. He also has an old rusty sword, which he keeps at his house, but if he were to hit someone with it then the sword would most likely break, rather than the person beneath it.

APPEARANCE: Slightly shorter than the average height, but Rydoc is quite a bulky fellow, so if anyone needed to do some lifting and carrying of large and heavy objects, then Rydoc would be their man. He has many layers of clothing, but his warmest piece is a coat made from the pelt of a white wolf.

He has dark hair and a brown eye colour, and he also has some facial hair, which helps to keep his face warm in the extreme weather conditions at the Ice bay. In fact, Rydocs fingers and toes go numb very often due to the cold, even though he is extremely precautious about how warm his clothing is.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Rydoc is quite a kind and talkative person to be around, if you stop on his good side, and seems to get along with most people. He has a tendency to speak what he thinks and believes that he has a right to express his own opinion, and disagree with other peoples. Rydoc, along with quite a few other Lossoth’s, is not happy with the actions of the chieftains at present, and would like to see them overthrown.

Rydoc is definitely a useful person to be around as he can build, hunt and also has knowledge in seal training (thanks to his friend Torn). But, even though he is good with manual and physical work, reading is not his strong point. Do not, however, mistake him for being unintelligent as he has the potential to be very clever, but he simply hasn’t used the potential yet.

HISTORY: Rydoc was born by the Ice bay and he grew up, leaning many of the ways in which he would need to survive. His father was his mentor and he taught him most things including reading, which he still hasn’t entirely grasped due to not having enough time. He also taught Rydoc many physical duties, like hunting and building ice houses. After His father died, Rydoc continued with everyday work at the bay, and one of his main jobs was helping people build new houses or repair old ones, for a price that is.

Rydoc also took to traveling in his sled, in fact, when he had no work to do he could travel round all day with his five dogs. Of course, Rydoc never went out of the ice bay, but he still enjoyed to visit all the places that he could get to.

He became quite good friends with Tarn, as they seemed to have a lot in common and he conversed and spent time with him often. More importantly, they shared the same views on how the current chieftains should be dropped, but, whereas Tarn didn’t like the fact that they were higher than he, Rydoc simply didn’t think they were helping the Lossoth’s enough. Some time back, Tarn began to instruct Rydoc in the ways of seal training, he is still a beginner and has much to learn, but Rydoc seems interested in it and is coming along quickly, so he has been given a few seals of his own. With these seals, both Tarn and Rydoc are aiding the Corsairs to find an ancient treasure.

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First post: Rydoc sighed as he looked out over the bay at the incoming storm clouds. Well, he thought to himself. That’s going to be bad news for the corsair ship. He and Torn had recently decided to lend them seals in aid of their task, in hope of getting an award of nice new weapons, which would help them overthrow the chieftains and appointing someone else to rule the clans. Rydoc didn’t mind who led them, if they managed to overthrow the chieftains, and he even considered leading them himself, but Rydoc lacked some important leadership qualities.

Rydoc clambered to his feet and walked over to where he had left his sled and dogs. “Okay fellas,” he said allowed to the dogs. “Let’s have a trip round the bay and then get home before the storm reaches.” With this, Rydoc gave a flick of the reigns and without hesitation the five white dogs leapt forward and into full flight.

They were riding round the bay for at least half an hour, when a familiar face game into Rydoc’s view. It was Torn, with a young lad who looked as if he was working for him. Rydoc new that the boy was the son of Talsson, a drunkard who was always loosing his money, though he new not the boys name, and as Rydoc brought his sledge to a halt he noticed an amazed and yet angry look upon Torns face.

“Seals okay Torn? You look a bit daunted,” Rydoc said as he approached them, Rydoc then saw for himself what they were looking at. Far out from the bay in the mists Rydoc made out the outline of a ship coming slowly towards the harbor where the Corsair ship was. His heart began to beat faster, the ship was surrounded in fog and the storm clouds were circling above it and yet the ship was managing to stay afloat with ease. To Rydoc, it almost looked as if it were a ghost ship, but as it got a little closer he noticed the Elvish symbols upon the ship.

“Well, that would explain why it stood afloat so easily in this storm…” Said Rydoc looking at the ship in a calmer, but slightly annoyed manner. “The Elves of Cirdan have some of the greatest ship builders, or so ive heard, though I don’t know why they need to go poking their noses in this business. I have nothing against the Elves but their enemies are the Corsairs, and so, at least in this moment in time, that makes the Elves our enemies.” Rydoc new that if the Corsairs failed in their mission due to the Elves interference, then Torn, Rydoc and all others on the side of the Corsairs would most likely not receive their payment of weapons from the Corsair Captain.

“Yes,” replied Torn. “And if they prevent us from getting our weapons after all the hard work we’ve done, I shall not be too happy.” Rydoc nodded when suddenly a crack of thunder bellowed above his head.

“Well, that’s my cue to get home. See you tomorrow Torn,” said Rydoc, and with this he leapt on his sled and went with great speed to the south, towards his home.