The Fellowship of the Fourth Age (Part 1): A New Beginning Discussion Thread

[Novnarwen]

Checking in..

For my main character, I'll play a female ex-slave. However, I'm still quite early into the writing process of this character, and there still might be a chance it'll turn into a man in the end, though I hope that won't happen. (Sounds rather odd, I know, but determining the gender of a character is most definitely the hardest thing about this process... )

For a minor character, I'd love to play a male Orc.

Hopefully, bios and post will be up by the end of the week!

I look forward to gaming with all of you!

Thanks,
Nova

[Folwren]

My first post is up with my bio. It's sadly long, but I was having fun.

Thanks so much for letting me have a minor character!! I'll have his post up sometime today or tomorrow.

Cheers everyone!

-- Folwren

[Firefoot]

If it's Orcs we're needing, I'd be glad to have one for my minor character. He can be male.

[Durelin]

To Everyone:

If everyone would like to simply finish the first post for their main character, the short bio for your minor character can wait until after the game has started.

We can then get things started sooner. We don't want anyone getting bored.

Thanks!

~Durelin

Edit:

The slaves escape from a plantation somewhere on the northwest shore of the Sea of Nurnen, correct? And now at the start of the RPG, they're camping out in the southern mountains? Does this mean that to get to the mountains they've already travelled about 100 miles (much of it being fertile land, granted), including crossing the west-east river that sticks out of the Sea of Nurnen (that's what I'm getting from looking at my map)?

Sorry, Firefoot. To answer your question: I was picturing the plantation being more Southeast. I am not sure if I was correct in this, though. I saw the most resonable place for the slaves to escape to to be the Southern range of the Mountains because otherwise they would have to cross the rest of Nurn, which means they would be much more likely to be recaptured.

What were you picturing, Child? And again, a thousand apologies if I've missed something...

[Firefoot]

Okay, that would make much more sense. Thanks for the clarification!

[Child of the 7th Age]

Durelin - Please clear your pms. when you get a chance.

Can't imagine why you'd have so many....

[Nogrod]

I don't know about you, but I felt I needed the lists this way to make myself comfortable with the host of people "starring" the roles in our game. Hopefully it helps you others too...

Btw. Should we have a list of important NPC's too - so of those people who would be in leading roles but would not be the ones we are writing? At least the slave escapees seem to me to be people who are mostly young and inexperienced - and surely there are some that lead those people. I don't think any 12-year old would take the lead. So should we just name a few leader persons, give them a character in one sentence and then see where we will take them as our common NPCs or something?

The inhabitants of Mordor

The Orcs, total of ?:
Regin Hardhammer - Ishkur, Orc rebel (male)
Undómë - Zagra & Mazhg, Orc rebel, sisters
Regin Hardhammer - Ungolt, Orc, female
Child of the 7th Age - Makdush, Uruk-hai
Nogrod - Gwerr, Orc rebel (male)
Novnarwen - Orc, male
Firefoot - Orc, male

The slave escapees, total of 56(?):
Nogrod - Hadith (aka Apples), slave escapee (male)
Firefoot - Slave escapee (female)
Undómë – Slave escapee, female
Tevildo – Azhar, slave escapee, 12 y/o female
Folwren - Kwell Dunfire, slave escapee, young boy
Orofaniel - slave escapee

The ex-slaves, total of 14(?):
Durelin – Khamir,Ex-slave
Orofaniel - Reagonn, ex-slave (male)
Novnarwen - Aedhild ex-slave (female)

[piosenniel]

If the fellowship crosses the mountains where the Poros River originates in the Ephel Duath - then they could have taken a ship to Pelargir (with a fair wind and with the river's current it would be less than 2 days.)

From Pelargir to the mountain crossing is a little over 100 miles on foot -- or horses could also be brought by ship.

~*~ Pio

[Undómë]

hmmmmm . . . Nogrod I'm not quite sure what you mean by NPC's.

Are you referring to the players' minor characters?

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Undómë

hmmmmm . . . Nogrod I'm not quite sure what you mean by NPC's.

Are you referring to the players' minor characters?

Not indeed, but to the Non Player Characters. If the slave escapees total something like 56 people and there are 6 writers with characters, it means that there are 50 people "coming along" - and some of those would be quite important characters indeed (if we play only the young "hang-arounds").

So what I was asking, was whether we should have something like a shared understanding that f.ex. the leader of the slave escapees is named Quahan and is 36 years old fiery character with a 10 year old child whom he protects over all else - or is she Dûmin, a 56 year old lady, the renowned maid of a chieftain killed long ago... or whatever. So that we would be writing the same people and the same story. Of course we may go on writing and then the first to write about the slave-escapee -leaders will get to invent their names and such, but we could also discuss them before they are actually written into the story...

Anyway you people like it. I'm still only at my second RPG here and am new to the ways these things are handled.

[Firefoot]

First post up - post #51.

[Brinniel]

Durelin has been kind enough to invite me to be part of this lovely RPG and I'm happy to join the roleplaying world again.

I'd like to play an ex-slave, particularly a female. Now, I'm not sure how soon I can have my profile and post up. I'm pretty busy for the rest of the day and well, tomorrow's my birthday (yay), but I should have it done by Thursday.

[Durelin]

Welcome, Brinniel!

Here's my post...

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Durelin's post - Khamir


- Out of the Caves -


“He said two months, right?”

Khamir sat on a large rock that sat along the stream’s edge and stretched out into the water. The moving current had shaped it and smoothed it after hundreds of years of beating against it. The water merely babbled across the rocky bed, though perhaps at one time it had rushed in the form of a large river. Still the boulder stood strong and unmoving, forcing the current around it. Somehow water always found a way to get through. Khamir had to wonder, watching even such a small current, how the beaver ever managed to build such effective dams. Fire, water, and air – all pushed and shoved until it found a way to get through. For fire, it was perhaps simpler than pushing and shoving, but it still seemed to flow, if considerably faster than any water rushing over stones.

The one-armed man nodded in response to Reagonn’s question. There was a feeling of restlessness throughout the group that could not be ignored. Khamir shared the feeling, even though he expected he minded spending hours out of the day and night in a cave less than most of the others. He was used to caves and sharp, imposing rocks, and trying to sleep on ground or on stone that would never be comfortable, knowing that there was always the chance of being discovered, and forced to rely on whoever was on watch. That was one of many times when a man had trouble trusting anyone.

“We have a decision to make,” he said simply. Leaning forward, he kept his balance so that he remained on the boulder as he dipped his hand into the flowing water. Scooping tiny puddle out, he splashed it on his face. Even the least bit of water did wonders. He poured another small handful of water onto his head, and ran a hand through his thick hair. That was one large thing he would miss when they did head out: the river. They would be hard-pressed for finding water on the journey until the reached the wilderness farther north.

It had been over two months since the King’s letter reached them, informing them that help was on its way. The message had asked the Mordorians to wait two months for help to arrive, and they had sent a message back agreeing. Even if this ‘help’ had not left Gondor until after they received the message from the former slaves, they should have been here by now. Sentiment had been that they were not coming at all from the start. Few felt like really trusting Gondor. It seemed their only hope other than each other, and some rather far off wilderness, was in that country though, in that King.

As a Haradrim, Khamir was raised to have no love for Gondor. But it had been years since the man really thought of himself as a Southron, or as a person with any sort of allegiance. He had severed all ties almost as soon as he was landed in Mordor, and since then, he had buried the remnants of any links. They reminded him too much of chains.

His years as a slave had hardened him, making him callous to all kinds of death and hardships. But, it had softened him as well. It had taken a great deal of his own suffering for him to realize a great many things. Now more than ever, he cherished what good things life had to offer. And he cherished freedom in all its forms. There was no way he could have denied any help he and his men could give to those runaways. And now…they were sixty-five strong, and it seemed they might have a future.

With the help of Gondor, of the seemingly generous Elessar, or not, Khamir would count himself among those who ventured to the northwest. Suddenly rising from where he sat, Reagonn could only watch as the Southron made his way to the small cave opening, and crawled down inside through vegetation that hid the entrance formidably from the outside. The surprisingly large cavern was lit by several torches, numerous side tunnels branching off from the open room that most of the group camped in. He nodded, waved, and said a few words in greeting to those that were gathered inside. They only ever went outside in small numbers, and a sort of unspoken order to things came about in which everyone got a ‘turn,’ whether it meant they were on watch, were gathering water or food, were taking some children outside for fresh air and sunlight, or actually had a short time of rest to themselves. He left the cave with a bag in hand to sling over his left side, so that the bag itself hung at his right hip. Once outside, he pulled several skins out of the sack, and began filling them in the river.

“Tell everyone that who wants to can leave with me in the morning,” he said, turning his head to look at Reagonn while he held one of the waterskins under the flow, “It’s not yet midday. That should give us enough time to prepare.”

Reagonn hesitated, but the darker-skinned man knew that it was not because his comrade was not paying attention. He was similar to Khamir in a good number of ways, one of which being that he was always focused, even when he did not appear to be. The gang leader found him to be a good person to have guarding his back, though different things drove each of them on.

Khamir’s lips twisted slightly in what could only be called a smirk, though anyone who knew him in the least bit, like Reagonn, knew there was only either or kindness or amusement behind it, or both. “Unless you want to stay here, that is.”

[piosenniel]

Bringing this forward:

WRITER/CHARACTER LIST


Major Characters


A. Group Sent Out by Aragorn

• Child of the 7th Age
  • Lindir, b.1258 Age of Trees, Noldor Elf (metal crafter, scout)
  • Radagast (Aiwendil), istar (teacher)
• Durelin – Vrór Redfist, 91 y/o Dwarf (stone mason)
• piosenniel – Rog, 42 y/o male from the East & Harad
• Tevildo – Dorran, 39 y/o Rohan (soldier)
• Folwren – Athwen, 39, y/o, Rohan, Dorran’s wife (healer)
• Hilde Bracegirdle – Carl Cotton, 50 y/o, Hobbit/Bywater (farmer)

B. Inhabitants of Mordor

ORCS - MAJOR CHARACTERS

• Regin Hardhammer - Ishkur, age unknown, Orc rebel (male)
• Undómë - Zagra & Mazhg, about 36 y/o, Orc rebels (sisters)

Orcs – MINOR CHARACTERS

• Regin Hardhammer - Ungolt, 28 y/o, Orc, (female)
• Child of the 7th Age - Makdush, 35 y/o, Uruk-hai (male)
• Nogrod – Gwerr, age unknown, Orc (male)
• Firefoot - Grask, age 9, (male)

~*~

SLAVE ESCAPEES - MAJOR CHARACTERS

• Nogrod - Hadith (aka Apples), 18 y/o, slave escapee (male)
• Durelin - Adnan, 15 y/o, slave escapee (male)
• Firefoot - Johari, 31 y/o, slave escapee (female)
• Novnarwen – Aedhild, 42-52 y/o slave escapee (female)

Slave Escapees – MINOR CHARACTERS

• Undómë – Brenna, slave escapee, 51 y/o (female)
• Tevildo – Azhar, slave escapee, 12 y/o (female)
• Folwren - Kwell Dunfire, 13 y/o slave escapee, (male)
• Orofaniel - Liviol, almost 20 y/o slave escapee (male)

~*~

EX-SLAVES - MAJOR CHARACTERS

• Durelin – Khamir, 37 y/o ex-slave (male)
• Orofaniel - Reagonn, in 20’s, ex-slave (male)
• Brinniel – Shae, 25 y/o, ex-slave (female)

Ex-Slaves – MINOR CHARACTERS

• Novnarwen - Eirnar, 29 y/o, ex-slave (male)

~*~

Mordor inhabitant - ??

• Thinlómien (MINOR CHARACTER ONLY) - ??? - SHORT BIO ONLY NEEDED

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by piosenniel

SLAVE ESCAPEES - MAJOR CHARACTERS

• Nogrod - Hadith (aka Apples), 18 y/o, slave escapee (male)
• Firefoot - Johari, 31 y/o, slave escapee (female)
• Novnarwen – Aedhild, 42-52 y/o slave escapee (female)

Slave Escapees – MINOR CHARACTERS

• Undómë – Brenna, slave escapee, 51 y/o (female)
• Tevildo – Azhar, slave escapee, 12 y/o (female)
• Folwren - Kwell Dunfire, 13 y/o slave escapee, (male)
• Orofaniel - Liviol, almost 20 y/o slave escapee (male)

~*~

Looking at the list, there seems to be different stories... 50+ slave escapees in question.

The major characters have written:
Nogrod: run with the people of his barracks who had a plan to kind of betray the others who uprised to make sure their own escape.
Firefoot: A loner who didn't want company, but found the other escapees after one or two days of lonely run.
Novnarwen: took her six weeks to come straight to the caves, so not one of the 50+ gang (or should be taken out from that?)

The minor characters had no specifics on their escape, but
Folwren: "joined the desperate group who tried to escape"

So Undómë, Tevildo & Orofaniel, what do you think? Should at least two or three of your minor characters come from that very same barracks who decided to let their friends down and just run for it without a fight and who thence succeeded, getting only a few other individual survivors on their numbers? (according to my narration, of course, but no one has protested - or read it - yet... )

In the utmost athmosphere of inconfidence we have written our slaves in (really, people do maintain their humour and manage to live in the worst conditions, but maybe our charachters (partly mine also) are just the only lunatics around... ), it would be nice to write with even one or two of us knowing each other beforehand, even fragmentarily. And surely knowing someone is no reason to trust anyone...

One possible tie that I thought of was Undómë's character who was said to be a "no-nonsense sort of woman with a helping hand for those who need it". I have written myself that my character had been taken care by the elders of the barracks because they pitied him for his rough fate. Then Granny Brenna might have known (or even been a friend of sorts) with either Hadith's father or mother, or both - they were roughly the same age-group, maybe a bit younger - and had been one of those who helped him. So she might be one with whom Hadith would have some trust - and possibly she would have some too for Hadith (well, never know)?

Or anything...

Do you think these should be discussed here or just individually via PM's?

[Durelin]

I've definitely noticed the instances where people don't exactly fit into any of the groups. I admit I did not notice so many until I got the chance to just sit down and read all of the posts over (finally had that chance).

I'm pretty sure these things are do-able - the only real issues with them are in the first posts.

I've been working on putting posts in order for going onto the game thread, but I found myself at a loss for where to place Firefoot's, Nova's, and Orofaniel's.

Question, Oro - what does your first post describe, exactly? It describes an escape. Were you envisioning that escape as recent?

In the utmost athmosphere of inconfidence we have written our slaves in (really, people do maintain their humour and manage to live in the worst conditions, but maybe our charachters (partly mine also) are just the only lunatics around... ), it would be nice to write with even one or two of us knowing each other beforehand, even fragmentarily. And surely knowing someone is no reason to trust anyone...

Well, when we open the game, the slaves will have been in the caves for over two months, and will have been on the road for a little while after that. So between the first posts and the start of the game, relationships could have easily formed.

Relationships before the escape are possible, too, and can certainly arise after the start of the game. In your first post, you normally don't establish too much about your character, because obviously what happens in the game is what is going to be important.

And I will say (hopefully Child doesn't mind me sharing this) - we've both noted that the slaves are in-fact less mentally sound than the Orcs seem to be, which is interesting indeed...

Okay, so for the loners, we'll just say that the 50 slaves include them as well, I think.

And I think such things can be discussed through whichever form of communication everyone feels more comfortable with.

And Nogrod, your narration works well, I think. I'm still not sure exactly where to put it, but its a good point to work from for arranging other posts around it.

Mostly I think the loners posts will stand on their own, reflecting the fact that they're loners, which, personally, I don't have a problem with. About the only issue is the one you bring up about relationships, Nogrod, and the kind of 'coincidences' that are involved. Those are as much a part of RPing as they are of life, though...

Sorry if any of my explanations were jumbled (and I do hope I answered at least some of your questions, Nogrod...I'm currently listening to my friend singing along to 'King of Spain'...

[Nogrod]

Durelin, and others too: I'll try to "streamline" Hadith's first post in less than 24 hours - meaning tomorrow for me, as it is 3AM here right now. I also think the basic story is okay, but I'd like to make it a bit more believable and correct the language a bit.

Just a question. I'm not sure if I have been a lazy reader, but is it true, when you say that (underlining mine):

Well, when we open the game, the slaves will have been in the caves for over two months, and will have been on the road for a little while after that. So between the first posts and the start of the game, relationships could have easily formed.

So does that mean all of the slaves or only the so called "ex-slaves"? I was just wondering that if some 50+ people would have lived together as refugees for over two months in a cave of sorts, there should be quite established relations between them already with likes and dislikes and so on...

I like surprises and being forced to react to new situations, but when writing the first posts in the actual game it would be nice to refer to some people you see positively or negatively - or at least recognizing them from the mass as you are on your own in the new situation. The normal human psyche seems to be quite fond of anything that is familiar... At least to my eyes it makes a bit better story and helps to establish every writer within the on-forming new community.

(When you just gather total strangers and start a "quest", it's different, but if the storyline says these people have been together for months or even their whole life, it would sound weird if they couldn't relate to each other but only via trial and error...)

[piosenniel]

Folwren

Dorran's age corrected. (though it was rather fun to think of Athwen as a cradle-robber! )

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EVERYONE

The posts are all on the RPG Thread.

The game will open Monday, July 3 -- very early, Pacific Time, U.S. (when I get home from work)


~*~ Pio

[Tevildo]

My apologies, Folwren. I have finally made the correction in the profile.

Many thanks Pio for setting up the thread and giving us the opening date. Durelin, Child - I will be back on Tuesday.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Here is the list of current "away" dates that I have. If I've missed yours or put something down in error, please let me know and I will add.

July

• Novnarwen: a few days in late July
• Folwren: July 10-14
• Brinniel: July 16-28
• Hilde: July 8-9
• Firefoot: July 20-29
• Nogrod: July 18-20

August

• Hilde: possible short dates in August
• Nogrod: first week of August
• Folwren: August 13-28
• Child: August 23-28
• Regin: August 23-30
• Tevildo: roughly the last week in August
  
  
• Thinlomien: joining the game in August

So far it looks as if our biggest problem will be late in August with at least four out.

I have not listed the coming weekend since we already know who will be missing: Tevildo, Child, Folwren, Regin, Novnarwen, plus Hilde for Saturday and Sunday.

[Firefoot]

I mentioned this to Durelin but I guess it didn't make its way here - I'll be gone from roughly the 20-29 of July.

-----

EDIT -- OK, you're on the list

~*~ Pio

[Folwren]

I'm sorry, everybody. . .I was going to be here this morning, but as it turns out, I wasn't, and I'm only here now, fifteen minutes before dinner time. I am just checking in now and later I'll have to read the game and write a post. Hopefully I'll be able to do it all this evening.

The reason I'm eleven hours later than I intended to be was because our horse, in another pasture for camp this summer, injured himself very, very badly. If any of you would, please pray, 'cause he'll need everything he can get. The cut is on his right hind leg and is very nasty and very dangerous to his health - and life, even.

Till later, all.

-- Folwren

[Durelin]

I'm so sorry to hear that, Folwren! That's horrible!

Don't worry about being gone; I just hope everything will be alright. Our prays are definitely with you and your horse.

[Nogrod]

Folwren, my praying for you and your horse would probably not be counted as I am no christian, but I will have my thoughts with you and your horse. They may not help in that framework, but I hope they might comfort a bit.

So sorry to hear that.

I wish your horse all the best.
(How clumsy one is with a foreign language... but I hope you got the idea)

[Firefoot]

So I'm going to be out until the 29th. You shouldn't need to do much with Johari; carry her as needed. Grask will likely just escape quietly back to the Orc group, now that Azhar and Kwell have been put out of sight. So I guess he probably won't be needed much either... but if he's needed, don't be afraid to use him, just don't kill him. Or Johari for that matter.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thanks, Firefoot. I've sent you a pm about something in the plot line. If you're still about, let me know. If not, it can wait till after you return.

_______________________

EXCUSED ABSENCES - WEEKLY REPORT : Brinniel is away through July 28; Firefoot through July 29

Nogrod will hopefully be back this weekend.

______________________
The decision for the fellowship is up. If you have any immediate questions or comments for poor Lindir, post today or tomorrow and he will attempt to respond quickly. If not, I will do a time condense post that gets the entire fellowship on the trail north late tomorrow evening (real time).

[Child of the 7th Age]

Updated General Absence List, or the Joys of Summer Gaming

Brinniel: July 16-28
Nogrod: July 18-22
Firefoot: July 20-29
Novnarwen: July 23-29
Nogrod: July 17-22; July 28- August 4
Child: July 30 - August 4 (should have access); August 23-28
Hilde: August 4-7
Durelin: August 8-16 (will have some access)
Folwren: August 13-28 (will have some access)
Regin: August 23-30
Tevildo: roughly the last week in August

Thinlomien: joining the game in August


If anyone has any extra dates that need to be added to this list, please let me know.

[Folwren]

In the post I'm about to place, I used Shae a bit, Brinniel. If you need anything changed, let me know, of course, and I'll be quite happy to change it.

Hilde, I'd gotten from your last post that Carl was going to tell Athwen about Shae's hands. That's what he was speaking to her about when Aiwendil walks up. (Anyway, it will be, once I place my post.) I did not think that he would have mentioned the stone just then. If you want him to tell her sometime, you can write it.

And I think that's all. If not, I'll edit this again after I finish and place the post.

-- Folwren

[Brinniel]

Her had feared being stopped by the slavers, attacked and forced to fight.

You mean "he" right? Not a major typo, but enough to almost confuse me...

I think everything looks good for Shae on your post, Folwren. I think I'll put in a save, but due the load of schoolwork I'm not sure how soon I can fill it. Friday night would probably be the latest; if that's too long, let me know and I'll remove it.

Folwren, most of my post will most likely be between Shae and Athwen. Let me know if there's anything specific you would like me to add into it.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Thanks Folwren. Carl with have to work up the courage to tell Athwen.

[Folwren]

Hm, yes, I did mean 'He had feared'. I'll fix that. Thanks.

I can't think of anything I want Athwen to do or say in particular, besidse trying to clean it and put something onto it to help it heal. She'll probably ask what it is from, though, but if Shae doesn't want to tell her, she's not likely to push for an answer.

Originally Posted by Hilde

Thanks Folwren. Carl with have to work up the courage to tell Athwen.

I thought so. Go ahead and work up the courage. I'm patient.

-- Folwren

[piosenniel]

I've set up the Player/Character List (Post 5) for quick referencing of characters bios.

And this mostly because of my own laziness in not wanting to scroll about the first pages of the Discussion Thread for the character descriptions.


~*~ Pio

[Folwren]

Originally Posted by piosenniel

And this mostly because of my own laziness in not wanting to scroll about the first pages of the Discussion Thread for the character descriptions.

lol! Is it not more difficult to make links than to scroll down? *chuckle* You're laziness is a very interesting laziness.

Thanks, all, for your kind words about my sister. I'm hoping and praying all goes well, too, I can assure you.

Now, I'm about to set to writing my post to fill that save...Maybe, Hilde, maybe she'll jump the trench in the right place. And, yes, the horse will jump the trench. It will make the fall in the tunnel twice as nasty because the horses will only be recovering from jumping something else...poor animals. We'll probably have some broken legs.

-- Folwren

[piosenniel]

Originally Posted by Folwre

lol! Is it not more difficult to make links than to scroll down? *chuckle* You're laziness is a very interesting laziness.

.....but I only have to make a single concerted effort to place the links!

And I've made lists of links so many times I can do it in my sleep.....



~*~ Pio

*crossing fingers as a ward against ill luck for your sister-in-law and her wee one

[Tevildo]

Except... Someone might volunteer to lead her to the safe spot/help point it out to her? Of course there are major risks for that person...but there are always heros of that nature.

But wouldn't Dorran do this? If it really was my spouse, I would be out there waving a flag like crazy. Should I put up a save for this, or maybe later on? Or should Athwen just rely on blind luck?

p.s. I hope your sister in law and baby are alright.

[Regin Hardhammer]

Here is the profile for my main character. Thank you Undomie for your advice. I will station my character as an advanced gaurd for the party.

- Regin


NAME: Ishkur

AGE: Does not know

RACE: Orc

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS:

Ishkur has a curved steel scimitar that he keeps in a sheath by his side. He wears an iron helmet, slightly rusted, with a visor that conceals most of his face when it is down as well as a suit of chain mail and an old iron shield emblazoned with the eye of Sauron.

His weapon of choice, however, is his large yew bow, which he is very skilled in using. He also has a quiver made of marsh reeds and arrows that he made himself from the precious few trees that he could find in Nurn. He does not remember where he got the bow, though he has used the weapon his whole life. The bow has intricate and unusual carvings and is unlike anything that other Orcs possess.

APPEARANCE: Ishkur is unusually tall for a traditional orc, around six feet in height. He is strong and muscular, although not as bulky as some of his companions. He has dark brown eyes with large black pupils that constantly dart around to spot trouble. His hair is a wild, thick, dark black mess on the top of his head that looks like an overgrown shrubbery. His teeth have fared fairly well given their age, most of them still hanging in his mouth, sharp and stained a pale shade of yellow. Like most orcs, he detests baths. His ears are large and curiously shaped, causing others to make occasional jokes, which he cannot stand. He wears a faded black cloth shirt, frayed and torn at the edges, long brown wool hose, and a pair of leather boots he scavenged from one of his human victims in battle.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:

Ishkur feels very strongly that he must take control of his own fate and not let others lead him around. He dislikes many orcs and often assumes that they are trying to take advantage of him. As a result, he does not have too many friends and sometimes feel antagonistic toward any who try and help him. He reserves special scorn, however, for his Uruk-Hai commander whom he sees as arrogant and conceited. Ishkur despises taking orders from him and is planning to desert and set out on his own. He hates the Uruk-Hai in particular because, during the late Third Age, these orcs were given the most desirable assignments, yet Ishkur always knew that he was smarter and just as fierce a fighter as any Uruk.

Ishkur never flinches from a confrontation. He is incredibly independent and often completes the task at hand while others delay because they are fooling around. Ishkur is unusually articulate for an orc and even uses words to trick his dim witted competitors. In the course of thousands of years he has indulged in many vices including pillaging villages, eating human flesh, and killing any elf or man that gets in his way.

He does not like that there are so many females in the group that he will be escaping with, but he is willing to travel with them as long as they don’t drag the group down

HISTORY:

Ishkur does not like thinking about his past because he can not remember anything from early in his life. He tries to block out these questions whenever they come to mind. Although Orcs do not have families, most of them can name their mother or father, but Ishkur is totally in the dark. He has seen generations of orcs die from illness and battle wounds, and he does not understand why he still remains alive. Ishkur remains quite secretive about his long lifespan and has never talked about it with anyone.

Ishkur’s earliest memories are of serving Morgoth in the Iron Prison of Angband during the time of the great wars with the elves. Ishkur survived the slaughter in Beleriand and, following Morgoth’s imprisonment, enlisted in Sauron’s service. After Sauron established himself in the black land of Mordor, Ishkur went with him, continuing to battle against Elves and men for many centuries.

For the past hundred years he has not seen much fighting since Sauron stationed him to guard over the slaves of a large plantation in Nurn. After the War of the Ring, when the Easterling landlords took over, many of the Orc guards fled the plantations. At this point Ishkur signed on with a local Orc chieftain. Now he has become frustrated with the stupidity of his group leader and decided to join the rebel faction. In this way, he hopes to stop others from boxing him in and have the chance to chart his own path.

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Profile for Minor Character


NAME: Ungolt

AGE: 28

RACE: Orc

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: Like most orc women, Ungolt has never been trained to fight with weapons. She has a large oaken club fashioned out of a fallen tree that she uses to kill game. Although Ungolt has not told anyone, she longs to fight with real weapons and wield a sword or spear of her own. She knows that in orc society those who are the best fighters earn the most respect. But she also sees that orcs frown upon teaching women combat and do not allow them to fight in battle so that it is very unlikely she will ever realize her dream.

APPEARANCE: Ungolt stands about 5”2 inches tall with dark grey skin and clear dark blue eyes. Once in a while she will even take a swim in a river and emerge relatively clean. . Her dark brown hair is straight and long, filled with tangles and tight knots. She does not have large muscles, but is extremely quick on her feet and dexterous with her hands. By orc standards she is good looking and sometimes attracts the attention of male orcs, in whom she has no interest.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
Being confined to orc breeding colonies all her life, Ungolt was forced to toughen up and find a way to survive. Over the years she has become increasingly numb and lost the ambitions she once had. She acts meekly and defers to authority because she was powerless in the hands of the males who controlled her life. Even after her escape, she continues to defer to the male orcs, both out of necessity and habit. She keeps her true feelings and wishes to herself.

All her life, she was forced to steal and lie in order to stay alive. She has no concept of morality and does not realize how her actions affect others. Ungolt always takes the easiest way out of a situation instead of the one that may benefit her in the long run. She has questions about her abilities and potential, yet these remain buried deep inside. Her anger against male orcs has always stayed hidden, but there is some indication that it may surface and explode if she’s forced to work with the men in a small and close knit band.

HISTORY: Ungolt does not know where she was born and does not remember who her birthmother was. From an early age she was working in the fields tilling the soil. Ungolt slowly began to increase her knowledge of crop farming and remember useful details from one harvest to the next. She saw which plants to put where, what kind of food was best for what crop, and what time of year each plant was ready for harvest. She learned these things almost unconsciously at the time, but it is possible they will be of great use later. She was sent to work in the breeding grounds at an early age because of her desirable appearance. Every day she would go to work and come back tired with little memory of what had transpired. The one thing she really missed was working on the land. After the fall of the great eye, she escaped from her farm and settled in a nearby community in Nurn. When she heard that the Easterlings were about to make war with the orcs she decided to join the rebels because she did not want to be hurt.

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Regin Hardhammer's post - Ishkur

Ishkur glared angrily at the small rock that he had been kicking around the dirt path. He was beginning to regret requesting advance guard duty. Ishkur hated waiting for others particularly when he had absolutely nothing to do. His mission as he vaguely recalled was to scout out the best path of leaving the orc encampment and guide others along it until they were safely out of range. A few hours ago, Ishkur had quietly slipped away and found a trail hidden by the cover of a grove of small trees not far from the southern edge of camp. He had told the others and now waited impatiently for the exodus of rebellious orcs to begin.

The minutes and hours dragged on. It was the women, he thought in exasperation. They always took a long time to move anywhere. Most of them were slow and weak and only served to drag down the group. It had been better when they were kept on separate breeding farms. The longer he waited, the greater the chance that their plot would be detected, and they would all be killed. A group of fifteen orcs fleeing the encampment was ample cause for suspicion by even the most inept captain in a bunch of dim witted misfits. Ishkur would have preferred simply leaving with a small group of male warriors, a much faster and safer plan, but such a dream was not to be. Even Ishkur grudgingly recognized that if their group had any hope of surviving on their own they would need more than a few male warriors. Numbers meant strength and safety. Individual orcs had always been regarded with disdain.

In all his years on Middle-earth, Ishkur had never before been part of a group that ran away from the orc band to which they were assigned. Of course, Ishkur was not participating in this little experiment just to be noble. No, he simply could not stand being lorded over by the pathetic Uruk-hai, the arrogant and overbearing leaders that controlled every facet of life within camp. The idiots thought because they could tolerate the harsh rays of the sun for hours on end they held some sort of superiority over the other orcs. His commander barked orders to his men with an air of marked contempt. He treated Ishkur as inferior, a class below him in intelligence, strength, and capability. The plain fact was that Ishkur was probably a match in fighting with any Uruk-hai and definitely had more brains.

Ishkur had tolerated such vile treatment far too long until he had finally decided to act. He would go with this new group, and they would stake out a territory far to the north of Nurn. From the moment he heard whispers about the expedition in the late hours of drinking around the campfire, he knew that he must join them. They would have the opportunity to go hunting and raiding on their own and would have no need for anyone to approve of what they did. He volunteered to be an advanced guard because he did not want to stay behind and help the weaker ones escape, but he found waiting ahead of the group agonizing. Ishkur returned to kicking the rock, hoping that it would be more interesting than staring in the direction of the orc encampment and wondering how quickly the others would come.

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[Undómë]

Nice bio, Regin!


My post is now up for the two sisters.

~*~ U

[Tevildo]

I have put up the profile for my minor character in my box. I left off the history section, which I hope is alright.

p.s. Correction .... I gave Azhar a two-sentence history. I think it says everything that could be said for anyone living in this situation.

[Thinlómien]

Just dropping in and announcing I'm alive (and playing at least one minor character later in the game) and I'm following the thread.

As my character(s) is/are coming in only in August, I assume there's no hurry for me to plan him/her/them. So, maybe nearer to August we could take a look what kind of minor character(s) the story needs.

[Novnarwen]

Profile for Major Character -- Slave escapee


NAME Aedhild

AGE: Unknown, though it is estimated to be between 42-52.

GENDER: Female

RACE: Men

WEAPONS: None, except for a sharp tongue (occasionally) and finger nails.

APPEARANCE Aedhild is a slave in appearance; the sufferings she has endured have scarred her. Her head was once covered with dark brown hair; over the last years though, grey strands of hair have become dominant. Due to blows to her head (punishment for inappropriate behaviour, few months after coming to the plantation), hair growth on the right side, just above the ear, has not occurred. This baldness is particularly visible now as her hair is thinner. Her thin face is dominated by her cool, grey eyes, which are abnormally glossy, giving her a sickly look. They appear to have a certain depth; some would perhaps say they reflected the complexity and insecurities of her character, others would claim they merely reflect her insanity. She has a delicate mouth, nicely formed lips, dull red in colour. Her nose is small and the tip is round and slightly asymmetric. Though her skin is rather dark, she appears pale and sickly. Her cheeks have sunk in, leaving her cheekbones as a prominent feature of her face. Figure wise, Aedhild is skinny and rather short. She is dressed in rags of cheap, brown and green fabric, stained to the unrecognizable by mud and other filth.

PERSONALITY: Aedhild’s personality is heavily dominated by her internal struggles. She has no roots and no or little knowledge about her background and family. Her history, her lack of memories of life without the hardships of slavery at a plantation have mainly, but not necessarily restricted to, led to abnormal and strange behaviour patterns; she assumes roles and characters at different times, not being entirely able to control or comprehend it herself. Sometimes she is violent, indeed a danger to herself, but more importantly however, a danger to others. This type of behaviour is most commonly triggered when exhausted from a day’s work or particularly hungry or cold. Under the extreme conditions she has lived her life, this behaviour has occurred at regular intervals, and though she behaves threateningly and is capable of doing unimaginable things, this has saved her lives on many occasions; the spontaneous and determined character she adopts at the same time was ultimately what managed to get her away from the plantation and slavery.

In addition to this illness or syndrome, she suffers from regular fits, which sometimes results in loss of consciousness. These fits started many years ago, after repetitive blows to the stomach and back regions, and the head. (She was beaten as a punishment for her most inappropriate behaviour (threatening one of the plantations guards), and was almost left to die in the field if it hadn’t been for some of the other slaves taking care of her.) The fits, which come irregularly and without warning, have greatly alarmed her when herself (if she ever really is herself), because they do not seem to cease over time; Aedhild might not be aware of how quickly she can change from being a silent, humble patient, but more importantly a vulnerable person, to an angry, violent (at times completely out of control) and irreversibly determined person, she is aware of the danger of the fits that occasionally occur. This weakness and vulnerability frightens her.

These difficulties have also made other people reserved in her presence; although at most times very absent-minded, Aedhild is not stupid; she is perfectly aware of people’s hesitation in approaching her either in friendship or any other relations. This awareness has made her very vulnerable, and she usually isolates herself, not wanting to be part of a bigger crowd. It also seems that her understanding of other people’s fears and hesitation trigger, if not the fits, than at least the more threatening behaviour patterns.

HISTORY: Aedhild has few memories of life prior to working at the plantations in Mordor. She has counted about twenty seven years at the plantations, but know that she was a grown woman, healthy and youthful, by the time she came to Mordor. Estimated age is in the range of 42-52. Although some features of her appearance bear resemblance to that of the Haradrim, it’s doubtful that she is a ‘full-blood’ Haradrim.

Aedhild remembers awakening by screams of horror. Suddenly, she found herself in the grasp of a horrid creature she had never set her eyes on before. Although there were a couple of people she thought she recognized, she recalls being numb and absolutely dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word; shocked by finding herself in the hands of an Orc, her body sore and aching, Aedhild could not do anything but stand still, unable to comprehend what was happening. Taken to a plantation in the eastern part of the region, she never saw the people she thought she recognized, perhaps knew in what seems to her another lifetime. The days, weeks, years after coming to the plantation have been nothing but hard work. When young, she worked in the fields, seeing to the crops and harvesting during fall. When time caught up with her, she was set to do other work, equally exhausting. During the time at the plantations as a slave, Aedhild has endured hardships that have aged her both mentally and physically.

Escaping from the plantation had been a rather spontaneous action; she and a dozen other slaves were to be transported to a nearby plantation. Although the escape seemed to have been planned by some of the other slaves, Aedhild had not been involved in any of the planning, and even to this day, she suspect that there was a hidden agenda behind their decision not to confide in her with their intentions. Regardless of her ignorance, Aedhild managed to escape with some of the other slaves nevertheless; some failed to escape, either killed by the Orcs who were involved in the transportation, or taken alive, their destiny unknown. Quickly, Aedhild found herself alone. Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine herself on her own. However, outside of the plantation, she was struck by the realisation that slavery had imprinted too many marks on her to be solely depended on herself. With no known roots, the discovery that she had nowhere to go was hard to bear; at one point, Aedhild even thought of going back to the plantation, even if it meant death.

One morning, six weeks after her successful escape, she stumbled upon some footprints, which eventually led her to the caves...

~*~



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Novnarwen's post - Aedhild


"Everywhere! They are everywhere! The devils!" Aedhild shrieked and cursed. It was early morning; the wet grass under her feet witnessed of the damp night air. The sun hadn't even rolled over the horizon, and yet, the ex-slave was up, growling. Her shrilly voice echoed; as the sound of her voice hit the stone walls of the caves, it sent out a wave of roars and noise, awakening the rest of the camp. With a peculiar expression, she jumped up and down, sprang from one side to another, twitching and shaking. The excitement reflected in her eyes seemed to belong to a being of another world; her movements were awkward and alien.

Few of the ex-slaves didn’t know that Aedhild was a highly unusual character. Already from the very beginning, they had noticed that she was different from most other they had stumbled upon in life; not only did she act irresponsibly and without thinking, but it had also become known amongst them that it was impossible to predict how she would respond to any given situation. In some cases, they would find her sitting quietly, completely avoiding eye contact, and keeping silent for hours and in rare cases days at a time. Occasionally on those particular days, she would perhaps mutter a few words, but no one could make out their meaning. Other times however, she would scream, curse, yes, act very much in the same way as she was acting now. These times, she would narrow her eyes suspiciously, walk about, and snap at people who appeared in any way she didn’t like or approve of. Unfortunately for everyone else, no one knew exactly what she did approve of. On these walkabouts, threats would roll any of the ex-slave's way, regardless of whether she had set her eyes on them before or not. The rest of the slaves had come to an agreement; though not spoken out loud, everyone seemed to share the same view on this particular matter; in sheer fright that Aedhild would do harm to anyone, or herself, sharp objects such as knives and daggers were kept from her.

“Lice! They are everywhere!” Bleary eyed and tense with excitement, the woman looked wildly around at the small group of people that surrounded her. Pointing fingers at all of them, she cursed violently, accusing each and every of them of conspiracies; her paranoia seemed endless. “You! You traitor! You have come to give us in, you sneaky scoundrel! Hand us over to them, think you are?!” As she spoke, saliva rained from her mouth. Her voice was cool and desperate, the volume increasing by a notch for every word: “He did this!” she continued, pointing directly toward a bearded youngster. “He spread those foul creatures, sent them to drive me mad! You filthy sc-sc...!!!!” Her words drowned in her screams as she sprang forwards; both her arms outstretched, she aimed for him. Terrified by this extreme behaviour and unexpected turn of events, the man named Eirnar took a few steps back, desperately looking around for a helping hand.

No on knew exactly where Aedhild came from; none of the slaves recognized her from the plantation they'd served, and even Aedhild hadn’t been able to explain in detail where she had worked and about her origins. Of appearance, she was a short, skinny woman, her skin dark, something that definitely could suggest that she was a Haradrim or of similar heritage. Other features gave another impression however, and since most people were growing tired of speculating about other slaves’ origins, Aedhild remained like many others; a slave with no past, who had just recently found freedom, the latter being obviously the most important point of focus. Aedhild was neither remarkably ugly, nor remarkably pretty. Her once perhaps handsome face seemed aged with the hardships she had endured. Her cheekbones had become slightly too prominent in her face during the last couple of years to make her appear beautiful, but her mouth was delicately formed and gave if not a pleasant appearance at least a hint of kindness. Sadly, the pallor of her face was sickly, and her pair of unusually grey, glossy eyes seemed to dominate her face altogether now. As her age was starting to show, her once dark brown hair was thinning with a hurried pace, and the bald spot on the right side of her head seemed to become more and more obvious. Years of abuse and beatings had marked her, more than she would ever come to realise herself.

As she came nearer, she closed her right hand into a fist. Still screaming, she hit him with all her might. It is difficult to say whether it was the power of that particular blow or if it was the shock of being hit by a stranger, a supposed ally, that made Eirnar stagger for a moment; regaining his balance however, he quickly managed to manoeuvre out of her way, avoiding a second blow. With one hand caressing his already red cheek, he grasped a hold of the short woman with the other. Aedhild wailed in horror; she kicked, spat and cursed, trying to loosen the man’s grip; “You traitor! You want to take me back! ”

Their eyes met for second; her grey eyes cool, but still empty of emotions. With a quick blow, Eirnar struck her unconscious. She never heard the man uttering a few words: "That will calm you down." Only those close by could hear the heavy heartedness in the tone of his voice.


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MINOR CHARACTER


Nonarwen's character - ex=slave

NAME: Eirnar

AGE: 29

GENDER: Male

RACE: Man of Gondor

WEAPONS: A rather robust knife he stole from an Orc as he fled. He's also made himself a club/bat-looking object of hard wood.

APPEARANCE: Eirnar is tall and skinny, but yet stout, with broad shoulders. He has a pleasant and friendly face; small, grey eyes, big nose and gloriously red lips. His chin is covered by a short brown beard. Like the other slaves, Eirnar is dressed in rags. He wars a pair of short pants and a grey shirt; on top of it, he wears a long, brown frockcoat of thin fabric.

PERSONALITY: Despite the sufferings he has endured as a slave, Eirnar is considered to be a both positive and outgoing person. Having escaped slavery, he has been given hope for a better future; his sufferings at the plantations have made him realise that he is very lucky to have escaped alive, and he values everything about his new existence, even though life is hard and primitive yet. He has great expectations for the future, and will rather take his own life than go back to being a slave.

Though the Gondorian isn't particularly bright, he is a man of action and very hardworking. Often, he rushes into situations and isn't always able to imagine the consequences of his actions. Sometimes, he isn't as thorough in his work as others perhaps hope he would be. He is on the other hand very humble, and glad to acknowledge his mistakes and do something to make up for them.

HISTORY: During the early years of the war against Sauron, Eirnar and his family were taken from Gondor to serve as slaves at the plantations in Mordor. His parents served at the same plantation as himself, but he was separated from his sister. At first, Eirnar wasn't able to handle his new existence and resisted it. Time after time, he was beaten. Soon enough however, he learned that as long as he was so young and weak resistance wouldn't get him anywhere. Eirnar managed to flee from the plantation some 3-5 years ago (he has lost track of time). He regrets the fact that his mother was too old to be able to follow, that his father died few months before his escape and that his sister seems lost to him forever.



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Durelin, Child - If you want me to change anything, I am happy to rewrite. Just let me know.

Thanks for your patience,
Nova

PS! I will be away a couple of days in early July, and a couple of days late July. I hope that won't be a problem... I should be able to catch up and write at least a post to insert somewhere...