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

[Durelin]

As I've told Child, I like best the idea of the Fellowship rescuing the two children and triumphantly entering the slave camp with them. Well, not so triumphantly, since chances are there will be angry slavers at their heels.

Here's an idea: the slavers are getting prepared to go after the slave camp cause Imak's rather...irked...by them, and they seemed to have such an easy time of it last time; they can at least rough 'em up a bit more, capture a few more for some big money. They leave in the morning? Or perhaps even at night, and the Fellowship watches them. They lay low until just before/when the battle starts, and then in the confusion, rescue the children. Perhaps Athwen and Carl could then take them to safety, while the others fight the slavers from the rear. Then the Fellowship are the mysterious rescuers for the slave group, as they are better armed and better prepared.

Just an idea I wanted to throw out there. Which in and of itself might have been a bad idea, because it might just add to any confusion/difficulties.

What season is it?

I think the consensus has mostly been that it is hot, and even though it is Mordor and that could mean a lot of things, I think we can assume it's spring or summer.

Most likely it's actually summer, since I doubt the Fellowship would have left sometime in the winter.

Has anyone been thinking of it very differently?

[Folwren]

I was thinking it was summer.

Would a full out attack from the slavers on the group of slaves really be all that possible to do? I mean, it's possible, but it seems to me the slavers would come out definitely the winners, seeing as all of them are fully armed and are also trained fighters, also much better fed and physically prepared for a fight.

-- Folwren

[Durelin]

25 versus 65 plus an Elf, two men, and a Dwarf well-armed (and with six horses), plus an Istari (well, I imagine Aiwendil can hold his own in a fight, heh)...and then Athwen and Carl, who I think could take out a baddie in a pinch.

Numbers do matter. Besides, at least I'm not imagining the slavers as that well-armed. It's still Mordor, and it's not going to be a place where any good weapons and the like are easy to come by. And these guys are bounty hunters trying to earn money for a reason, so I imagine they're not well-off in any way.

That's at least how I've been picturing them, though perhaps I've been in my own little world....

And though the sixty-five includes women and children, they're by no means completely helpless, even if Khamir sometimes thinks they are.

Perhaps we could kill a number of slaves off to make things as realistic as possible? I'm always up for lowering the numbers in such a way.

If all else fails when it comes to realism, we pull the Istari card.

Speaking of which... What can Aiwendil talk animals into doing?

To try and be more helpful...a more specific response to this:

seeing as all of them are fully armed and are also trained fighters, also much better fed and physically prepared for a fight

Trained fighters I doubt. They're not soldiers. They're bandits who deal with human beings, essentially. And better fed, maybe, but the slaves are not weak. They've been living in worse conditions than they are on the move for years as slaves. Their bodies are probably reacting positively to such.

Just my thoughts, though they are mostly based on assumptions. Not that we have much else to go on.

[Folwren]

Oh, okay, that's fine. My thoughts were all based on assumption, too, and your assumption carries more weight than mine, I think.

-- Folwren

[Nogrod]

Some thoughts before I leave for the youth-camp...

I can't see any realistic scenario where the slaves go after the two kidnapped ones. The Easterlings took them at night by horses and the slaves don't know where and how far they went. And at the time of an imminent danger, splitting the group would be too dangerous and the chances of a successful mission minuscule.

So let the fellowship rescue them?

How about, if the slavers make a revenge-attack (to gain the lost property & new captives) the next night? The fellowship or some of the slaves might anticipate it and they would build a trap to them? Thence the situation might be made more even and the Fs & slaves might win.

The orcs would stay around as they would see that the slavers are not getting away when the day comes - waiting for the spoils the next night again. And how happy would they be to see almost all the slaver camp take to their horses and ride away when the night comes, leaving just the horseless ones + a couple extra perhaps to guard the camp (remember, they believe it was the few slaves with horses that made the robbery last night)?

Then on the next day after the nightly trap has worked and the slavers are defeated, the fellowship and the slaves would go to check the slavers camp for supplies and possibly meet the orcs there?

Or the orcs would get away from the slavers camp when seeing them coming towards the camp they have devastated and then the orcs would follow the fs & slaves in hope of supplies to steal from them?

Or something.

[Nogrod]

... a bit more, sorry...

So in the morning as the the fs & the slaves have greeted and appreciated each others (or not), they would realise that:
a) the slavers would be back the next night
b) open fight is too risky
c) fs knows where the slaver-camp is and could estimate there being lots of food & other stuff in there

They decide to move a bit forwards, finding a suitable location to the trap they would lay and then camp there?

In the evening they would put up decoy-sleepers by gathering sacks and bags and stones and whatever and cover them with blankets around small fires. Maybe a couple of guards out in the open just to look believable (not only one any more as they have the experience of the last night)? And all those able to use weapons - and to whom there are weapons to share - to wait in a suitable position, hidden from the sight of anyone approaching the camp?

Maybe some more sophisticated things too? If they would have a net, they could lay it through a suitable trail into the camp, laying it to the ground so that it could not be noticed from afar, and then hoist it as the riders come rushing over it? I believe we could come up with many possible traps together... If there would be a few trees or piles of stone / big rocks, some could hide in them and then drop the riders from their saddles with a simple rope that could be hoisted high enough when they pass the trees / rocks, whatever...

Just some ideas for you to elaborate...


Then a wish.

If the "battle" takes place before I come back, I would like someone of you to mention Hadith somewhere so that I could continue from there. My idea is, that he's now gotten an experience of not being able to do anything (the first phases of the first attack) and of succeeding (dropping the Easterling), of humiliation (been stolen the knife) and of a triumph (proving Khamir he had been right and making it somewhat in a "manly" fashion). So now he would need a real challenge with these manly arts he so much appreciates and seems to crave for.

So someone could note (or order, if it's Khamir ) him to take a responsible or tough place and maybe to notice him to have trouble with it. What I'm after is that Hadith would be very self-assured and proud to take that post and then learn that it's not so easy to be a hero...

PS.
I have sent Regin some outlines for the discussion between Ishkur's and Gwerr's little get-together from Gwerr's part. So Regin will be using Gwerr with my full approval and confidence while I'm away.

PS.2.
See you on the August 4th. I just can't wait to see where you have gotten this story by then!

[Folwren]

Good gracious! I like your thoughts Nogrod! Most of them, anyhow.

I really like the Fs and the slaves setting up some sort of ambush. That would be a good way to use their advantageous numbers and help get rid of a few of the slavers from the very get go.

However, about the orcs staying around. . .I would think that after having robbed all that they could carry, they would get out of their as quickly as possible. They don't want to stick around and run the risk of getting caught again. I think in their situation, they'd take only what they could carry, maybe (since they're orcs) destroy the rest, if they could do so safely, and then run off. But they're fairly smart- they won't do anything terribly unsafe. And I think that the slaves would really appreciate it if they didn't destroy the rest of the goods.

-- Folwren