ATM II Planning/Discussion Thread

[the guy who be short]

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

NAME: Angawen Tupsë

AGE: 31

RACE: Men (Numenorean / Gondorian)

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: A sharp brain and a honeyed tongue. A small vial of poison carried at all times in her cloak. And her bodyguards, of course.

APPEARANCE: To say she is striking would probably not convey her true nature, as striking seems to have an element of soft perfection in it. She is attractive, but with a hard quality about her, possibly due to her high cheek bones and pale skin. Her hair is blonde, her eyes brown, her mouth downturned in a not unpleasant way. She is tall and commanding, and dresses well, in colours that complement her.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: She is a shrewd and selfish person - above all else, she cares for her own self-promotion. This is both the great strength and weakness of her character. She does not jest, but is rather an austere figure of authority who takes her work and herself very seriously. Though in the frail body of a woman, she has the stomach of a man - two men, in fact, and the rest of their bodies as well, for her protection.

HISTORY: It is uncommon to find a woman of high rank in Gondor. Angawen can thus be typified; she is incredibly uncommon.

Wed at a young age to a man of importance in the law business, an advisor/judge of sorts, in the Kingdom, she lived with him for many of her years, cared for him, but bore him no children. Every great man has a woman to drive him forward, they say, and certainly this was the case with Angawen's husband. She was privy to all the secrets of his profession and his life, for he loved and trusted her. Furthermore, he knew her intellect to be formidable, and would consult her often for her thoughts.

He had died in mysterious circumstances (of which she played a significant part). And, as his wife, she knew all that he had known when he was an honourable citizen of Gondor, so she was accepted and inaugarated as an advisor for the king in his stead for the case they had been settling at the time - a disputed assignation, almost ironically. Her ability to discern fact from fiction had so impressed the King that she had been allowed to stay on, against protocol, as one of his advisors.

With the coming on Mardil, she had shown her ruthless ambition in her willingness to desert the former monarch and embrace the newcomer. He had allowed her to keep her rôle, and indeed, been impressed by her in his turn, to the point of sending her to Mordor to represent his will.

[Kath]

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio


NAME: Igör

AGE: With accumulated ages of all the body parts, somewhere in the thousands.

RACE: Human, Orc, Elf, Dwarf, whatever was lying around.

GENDER: Mostly male.

WEAPONS: Carries small knives in little pockets created by sewing extra flaps of skin onto his own body. Can also drown people in spit if he gives into his natural lisping impulse.

APPEARANCE: Around 5’11”, but slouches to create the illusion that he has a hump and so appears a good 5 inches shorter a lot of the time. He moves with a limp, but this is an affectation, and when he needs to move fast he certainly can. His hair is long and dark, he knows it looks a little odd but it was a gift. One eye is bright blue and piercing, the other is red and moves independently, sometimes even turning itself round entirely. He wears a shirt and trousers for modesty, but no shoes as he has a hobbit’s feet.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Igör is very friendly and good-natured and would love it if everyone could just get on. He is unfailingly honest, incapable of lying. This might seem to make him an odd choice for a diplomat, but his truth is absolute, which means he isn’t always saying what people think he is. He has an incredible gift for healing and has been well suited to life in Mordor, what with the strange accidents that happen, or the people that turn up in pieces. He can also move silently and swiftly.

HISTORY: His ‘parents’ were assigned to Mordor long before the records began to be kept properly, so he has no idea why. He was created many years later and has worked in a number of jobs including being a healer in one of the hospitals, assistant to a mad doctor and an Elvis Presley impersonator. He found it hard to keep a job for long though, until he became a diplomat and found that the skills that had frequently got him fired seemed to be a requirement for this job.

[Lhunardawen]

pio, I've edited Maika's bio.

OKEY-DOKEY! ~*~ Pio

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Boromir88 will be joining us as the final Gondorian diplomat. NAME ADDED TO LIST ~*~ Pio

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Once everyone has their bios up, we'll be ready to get this started!

[piosenniel]

Fea

2 questions:

Are you going to do a 2nd character as you had once mentioned on the original proposal?


Are you going to revise the First Post for the game as you mentioned in this thread?

~*~ Pio

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Are you going to do a 2nd character as you had once mentioned on the original proposal?

Yes. S/he'll be a cameo. I'll PM you the bio once I write it.

Are you going to revise the First Post for the game as you mentioned in this thread?

Just a couple tiny edits purely for clarification. I'll post when I do it.

[Boromir88]

POSTED TO PROPOSAL ~*~ PIO

Name: Bearugard II

Age: 37

Gender: Male

Race: Gondorian

Weapons: A small piercing dagger

Appearance: 6'3", slim build, jet black hair of shoulder length, and hazel eyes. He always wears the best attire, flaunting his fur cloak, and his radiant robs of green and white.

Personality/Strengths/Weaknesses:
Bearugard is very gifted at persuasion and getting what he wants, no matter how it is done. He's always been the type who doesn't care what "means" you have to do, as long as it fulfills the "end" purpose. He will cast around a lot of threats (though many of them are meaningless) and when that doesn't work everyone has a price.

Despite the rich robes and stout look, he really is a daddy's boy and is used to getting what he wants. In all actuality the robes and wealth make him look more powerful than he actually is. For beneath it all he's really just a pathetic, spineless worm.

History:
Bearugard II is the son of Bearugard I and Losandra of Dol Amroth. He is an only child, and because of that, his parents spoiled him and rewarded him with anything that he asked. Losandra had died from an unfortunate accident when Bearugard was just turning 8. One day the family was having chicken for dinner. Losandra had bit into her chicken breast and a tiny bone broke off. It got lodged into her throat and she choked to death.

Bearugard's father (who was a counselor to the Lord of Dol Amroth) grieved deeply for his wife's loss, he would never wed again nor would he eat chicken. Because of his wife's death Bearugard felt like he must protect the only memory of his wife he had left, their son. Bearugard II became more and more spoiled, and because of his father's influence, was appointed as an honorary diplomat of Gondor.

[the phantom]

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

2.) How many RPG's on the Barrow Downs are you currently involved in?
Just this one.

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

For your character please include:

NAME: Mardil II

AGE: 24

RACE: Human

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS (no magical, super-hero, mithril weapons. Just good solid Middle-earth weapons and armor only that is appropriate to the race of the character and the time period.): Mardil loves weapons. Now that he is King and no longer resides in Mordor, he doesn't go everywhere heavily armed. He does, however, have a few throwing knives on him at all times (and a few poisons), and is girt with Anduril, which his wife stole from Minas Tirith before she ran away to join Mardil in Ithilien.

APPEARANCE: Mardil has a lean athletic build with a height slightly less than the average Gondorian. He has blue eyes, and long, dirty-blonde hair.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: (No half-Elven characters. No mixed-type characters. No super-heroes. No assasins. No one all powerful, martial arts proficient, or having any magical traits. Just regular characters with normal abilities for their races only.): Mardil II bears himself in a very kingly fashion. Some think of him as arrogant, while others think of him as dignified and regal. He tries not to be condescending, but despite his efforts he comes across as such at times because he believes that his judgment is usually the best and his thoughts the most accurate. In his defense, he is indeed very intelligent and more wise than you would expect from a man of his age.

Mardil used to be scared to do things because he was afraid to fail, but he has overcome this problem for the most part, thanks to his sense of duty. He takes the responsibility of being King seriously, and does what he can for the good of Gondor.

When forced into a fight, Mardil II will not hesitate to cheat to win. Mardil II not only has every reason to live, but also dislikes being injured in any way, and so likes to end fights quickly and unfairly so as to avoid death or discomfort. In his defense, Mardil doesn't walk around picking fights, and so when a fight happens it is nearly always the other who caused it. Since being out of Mordor, though, fights are very rare. His guards take care of any who wish to harm Mardil.

Also, Mardil is no longer a womanizer the way he was in Mordor. He's married now, but you'll find out more about that later.

Mardil has a very persuasive tongue and can be very charming, and people who spend much time in his company find it hard to disagree with or dislike him. He can also be very straight forward and candid, especially behind closed doors. He doesn't try to compromise with people. Instead, he speaks his mind and attempts to show precisely why people should agree with his position.

HISTORY: Mardil II was born to Denethor IV, the Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor. He has a younger brother and sister, and a wife, Morwen, daughter of the former King of Gondor who still sits in Minas Tirith, Aranar.

The kingdom of Gondor had been in decline for some time when Mardil II's grandfather, Ecthelion IV was born. Ecthelion was a great orator, and very ambitious. During his years as Steward and Prince he did all he could to gain political power in the Kingdom.

Though he never did it publicly, he spread rumors about the King, about how all of the problems throughout Gondor were his fault. After a while, there began to be a small faction called "The Steward's Men" who were more loyal to the Steward than to the King.

The King was not blind to any of these developments, but he could not do much about it, because the people of Gondor, even those who were not Steward's Men, loved Ecthelion greatly. He had a way with people, as do all great politicians.

His son, Denethor IV, was also greatly beloved. In his early years he served in the army and navy, and won many glorious victories. When he returned from the field to take his position as the Steward, he soon proved that he had inherited his father's ability to speak and win people over to his side. He was also a brilliant economist, and invested his wealth in strategic places- places that would earn him power. By the time his son, Mardil II, was born, the Steward wielded King-like authority over his own province, Ithilien, and had influence nearly equal to that of the King over the lands to the East and South.

Not surprisingly, the sitting King, Aranar, was rather disturbed when his rival, the Steward, named his son Mardil II, after Mardil, the first steward to rule Gondor. And so, the King began plotting how to rid himself of the whole Steward problem.

First, he began a campaign of rumors against the Steward, attempting to lay most of the blame for various misfortunes at his feet. This never worked too well, but it did win some of the masses to his side. He also started a secret army that disguised itself as raiders from the East and attacked shipments and stole cargo headed to and from Denethor and his friends in Ithilien, thus loosening some of the economic hold he had on several organizations. After the winds of power and opinion began to blow against the Steward, the King decided he had enough control over his Kingdom to get rid of the Steward's lone heir and not cause a civil war. At this time, Mardil was eighteen and in Minas Tirith studying at the royal university.

The night after the King had finished making plans to banish young Mardil II to Mordor, he went walking in the palace garden and caught his daughter, Morwen, and Mardil making out in one of the fountains. The enraged King called for the guards and accused Mardil of doing this simply to spite him, but in fact Mardil and the King's daughter had long been in love, but could not be so publicly because of the hatred King Aranar bore Mardil and his family.

After his daughter begged and pleaded, the King agreed not to have the guards kill Mardil on the spot, but nothing she could say could stop the King from exiling Mardil to Mordor, which was as good as a death sentence, because no one ever returned from Mordor unless the King wanted.

Two years after arriving in Mordor, Mardil received news that Morwen had been married to a Prince from Dol Amroth. The report was not true, but Mardil believed it (Mardil was prone to pessimism), and his behavior and character took a rather large turn for the worst. But after five years of exile, Anakron, who had long believed that Mardil II was destined to become King, took it into his own hands to rig the machine that produced candidates for the Escape From Mordor. During the escape, Mardil was forced to complete challenges and work with others, and many of his better traits began to emerge once again.

In the end, the two Blue Istari demanded that Mardil II subject himself to their authority and rule Gondor under them, but Mardil refused. Mardil saw their desire to rule a realm that was not theirs (and the threatening way that they went about it) as a sign that they were very much like their fellow Wizard Saruman.

The Blue Istari attempted to foil Mardil's return to Gondor, but Mardil was transported to the far away Shire by some unknown means. Upon his return to Gondor, he found that the hearts of the population of Gondor were largely turned to him. They had all heard about his words and deeds during the entire Escape From Mordor, and were won over by his charming personality, brave deeds, and especially his loyalty to his kingdom in the face of the Blue Istari.

When the people of Gondor then found out that Mardil II had been wrongfully sent to Mordor by King Aranar, their loyalty went completely over to Mardil, especially when he was joined in Ithilien by Morwen, who escaped from Minas Tirith bearing Anduril, which she stole from her father. Morwen and Mardil were wed a few short months later.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ PIO

FIRST POST FOR GAME


“You’ll never prove anything.” He spat in her face, his thin, pale lips parting to reveal yellowed teeth. His sour breath made her stomach turn, but outwardly she was serene, her bright grey eyes unusually cold and calculating. Wiping the saliva from her cheek, she patted him condescendingly on the head with her wet hand.

“You’ve forgotten where we are. I don't need to prove anything to anybody. This is Mordor. Habeas corpus doesn’t apply.” Alli Umfuil, escaped prisoner of Mordor and newly instated spymaster of the king looked down at her desk and the heaps of paper thereupon as the sounds of desperate screams echoed down the dark and foreboding hall through which the unlucky prisoner was now being dragged. She was not about to explain to the man that, as spymaster of the king and confidante of Illamatar, she had access to the sort of information that he’d never in his wildest dreams imagine. With one night’s unsettled sleep, she’d spotted the felon even as he lurked in the shadows of his favorite haunt. The king was unhappy with the rate of unsolved murders in the back allies behind his palace… bad for the tourist industry, as it were. Alli had found the killer and sent her own team of guards to capture him before he could strike again. She knew that criminals must be watched, preferably stopped, but she’d inspected the dungeons of Mount Doom Palace and Casino and found herself pitying those trapped therein.

She poured a basin of water, scrubbing the remnants of spit from her pale hand. She kept her stomach muscles tight, willing herself not to gag as she splashed cold water upon her face as well. Patting her pearly skin dry, she answered the light knock on the extremely large set of double doors into her office. The torchlight cut through the darkness to illuminate shackles on the walls… the former spymaster had had a flair for the dramatic before his yet unsolved death.

“Yeah!” she called by way of invitation. The doors opened and the king entered, his peg-leg clicking on the flagstones. He ducked through the doors, standing fully once inside, the cathedral ceiling accommodating his bulk.

“Roggie,” she greeted with a tired smile and a bow. “What can I do for you?”

“I see you’ve captured the killer.” She nodded, sitting down behind her desk and absent-mindedly sorting papers that her secretary had forwarded to her into ‘look at immediately,’ ‘consider taking a peek at later,’ and ‘conveniently lose in the fireplace.’

“He wasn’t much trouble… injured one of my men, but it wasn’t much… certainly not enough to send him to be checked out by incompetent nurses. I told him to stay off that leg for a few days. Sent him on vacation. I owed him a few days for the extra time he put in to help me set up my contacts. He knows a lot… I’m not sure how comfortable I am with his knowledge of my network. I mean, he only knows the contacts I chose to be my findables… If they’re caught, no biggie. They’ll be helpful in the mean time, you know?”

Roggie sat on the floor, his legs stretched before him, his body comfortably heating the otherwise cold room, his faint burning glow illuminating the chamber with soft red light. It was imprudent to have a wooden castle with a balrogic king, but Alli got cold easily with the inescapable stonework. She was always happy to have Roggie of Morgoth in her presence, both for physical warmth and the ability to share that which plagued her mind.

“I’m not over-working you, am I, Alli?” he growled concernedly. He looked menacing with his patched-eye and combustible body. Alli reached casually behind her and pushed her window open to let the early summer breeze come through; the room was getting a little smoky and her eyes were beginning to water. She glanced around the area outside her office before continuing, trusting in her privacy precautions to keep their conversation away from the ears of strangers.

“Of course not, Rogs. It’s just… well… I’ve not seen Aimè in weeks and I know that there are at least two werewolves still out there, and the wizards have been causing all kinds of trouble…”

“Actually, you’ve just named why I stopped.”

“Aww, not just to visit with your best pal?” she teased lightly.

“You know I like to visit with you but-“ he stopped, seeing her laugh. “Anyhow… I received a letter from the wizards today. The gist of it was that if I can’t get Mardil to stop being such an arrogant” Alli laughed at Roggie’s impolite phrasing of Mardil II of Gondor’s personality. “Basically, if I can’t work out some sort of something getting Mardil to agree to a few concessions, they’re going to rework the Dweomer into something, to quote them, “far more ominous than mere words can describe!!!!”. Yeah, Alli… they actually used four exclamation points. The darndest thing, really.”

“So what are you going to do?” Her papers were forgotten. She looked across her desk at her friend, their eyes nearly level with him seated on the floor.

“Nothing.” he said.

“So you’re going to let the wizards… do whatever it is they’re going to do?”

“I’m not groveling to that egotist. If it weren’t for him, I’d have both legs still. If it weren't for him, this country would be a lot easier to run and you know it. Just because he felt the need to seize control of Gondor doesn’t mean he has control of Mordor.”

“Oh, Rog, I… I meant to tell you… the King’s Law is weakening ever since Mardil seized power. Every border guard I’ve got’s been sending reports on it. Mardil actually… well… he really kind of does have control. The more power he gets, the less power the spells have to keep your borders closed and your people here.”

“I spotted that illegal emigration is at an all-time high…”

“Yeah, well… it’s Mardil’s fault. If he’d just work something out with the wizards, but he’ll never do it. You know how he is with people telling him what to do.”

Roggie sighed, laying back on the formerly cool stone floor. “Alli, how am I supposed to run this place with my people leaving and a pair of crackpot old Istari changing the rules any time we get them figured out? They’re pressuring me to treat with Mardil and quite frankly, I don’t want to.”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” Roggie sat up, shocked. “But… even after—“

“Roggie, it’s been a year and he's married now anyhow. And I’m your top advisor. Surely I ought to be living up to my job by doing the things that you can't and telling you when to let me?

"You sure as heck can’t travel to Gondor and work out negotiations with Mardil. Even if you could just up and leave your responsibilities, the Dweomer still has you and nearly every one of your staff members trapped here. I’m better suited for the travel, I’ve got contacts in his palace as well… If you’ll lend me some ambassadors, I can get this worked out in no time flat. Just give me permission, Roggie, and I'll go to Gondor.

"I've been granted the right to freely come and go. I can ride out, convince Mardil to send some diplomats, and we'll all treat here. It will be easy enough for me to do and downright impossible for almost anybody else.”

The king stood, bowing low to his friend. His good eye looked teary, but Alli ignored it politely as good friends sometimes must.

After a short time of visiting, Roggie left, the enormous doors closing behind him with a tiny click disproportionate to their size. Alli looked at her desk again, tears now in her eyes. Why had she offered? She’d never particularly wanted to see Mardil again… now she would be forced to deal with him and knowing his mind for strategy, he'd invite his wife along for the discussions.

Yes, she loved her job… she loved to know things, and having the best job in the kingdom for somebody that likes to find things out kept her content. But negotiating a treaty with Mardil?

She pitied the ambassadors that got between them all.

Unwilling to get out of the comfortable chair it had taken her seven days of combing Roggie’s castle for, Alli called loudly for her secretary. The woman stepped from the shadows near the door, looking severe with her half-moon spectacles and neat chignon.

“Ms. Martinet,” Alli said. “You listened? Of course… I needn’t ask. I did a good day’s work when I recruited you for this job.

"The king will provide you with a list of names shortly. They are the ambassadors he'll have chosen. I’m riding out this afternoon to treat with King Mardil; no need for you to worry about anything on that end. I’ll get names and information on everybody that he picks to accompany me back and brief you on my return.

"We’ll need suites for them, of course, and private chambers for them all to work in… all of the amenities. And every second they’re in Mordor, I want to know who is doing what, when, and with whom. You know the drill. I'll want logistics taken care of while I'm gone. You'll have about a week before I'm back with Mardil's cronies and we can get this mess fixed.”

“Yes, Miss Umfuil.” Ms. Martinet finished scratching the details of her orders on a yellow legal pad and disappeared once more.

Reflecting, if she’d known it, King Theoden of Rohan (may he rest in peace) upon the brink of battle so long ago, Alli, with her head cradled in her long fingers, muttered softly to herself… “So it begins.”

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The edited first post. Hopefully that's clearer.

I have one or two comments for everybody before we start posting, but they can wait until the thread is open.

[piosenniel]

Reminders for an RPG in play:

• Please remove your signature from EVERY post to the RPG thread - including SAVES
  
  
• Don't use smileys in your RPG posts or icons - e.g., etc.
  
  
• Don't highlight any part of the RPG text.
  
  
• Don't use the 'Reason for Editing' function on your RPG posts. If it's critical that other players know that you've changed something, then put a post on the Discussion Thread about your edit.
  
  
• No OOC (out of character comments) on the RPG thread - use the Discussion Thread.
  
  
• SAVES should be filled within 24 hours/48 at the latest and may be removed from the game at the discretion of the moderator.
  
  
• Swearing, sexual conduct, or obscenity of any kind are absolutely prohibited. There are no exceptions.
  
  

  . . . I always ask myself if any of these words or euphemisms for cursing would be found in Tolkien's works. So I always say no to cursing and to any 'pseudo-cursing'. They need to keep it clean. -- per The Barrow-Wight

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~*~ THE GAME IS NOW OPEN FOR PLAY ~*~


~*~ Pio

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The game is now ready for posting. First read this:

Gondorians MUST keep in mind that the Kings Law and Anakronism Dweomer are still in effect, though have been acting oddly. Gondorians are NOT allowed to act uncanonically. In ATM1, even speaking of anakronisms was enough to get you Assigned to Mordor. The rules stand.

If a Gondorian diplomat acts anything out of the ordinary for a traditional Gondorian diplomat, there will be Consequences.

Now everybody, go introduce yourselves.

And don't forget, this is supposed to be comedy.

Have fun! I'm glad to be working with such a great group of writers. Let's make this something the entire 'Downs will want to read.

[the guy who be short]

*Poke*

Language, Fea?

May I also ask about this ban on obscenity. We can still do romance, can't we?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Ah yes, thanks for reminding me. Language issues: remember that Gondorians speak Westron. No non-Middle Earth language used by them or there will be Consequences.

There were more details to it, but in my preoccupation, I've forgotten. TGWBS, could you please clarify the language issue for the good people, since I suspect that my first paragraph doesn't make sense?

Obscenity: I'm not fully aware of the extent to which this ban implies, but the rule I want everyone to go by is "If you wouldn't want your ten-year-old sister reading it, don't post it."

Romance is very much allowed, but keep it tasteful and "in the spirit of Tolkien."

[Diamond18]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Ah yes, thanks for reminding me. Language issues: remember that Gondorians speak Westron. No non-Middle Earth language used by them or there will be Consequences.

Well, if I unwittingly have one of the Gondorians slipping up in one of my posts, I hope you'll just ask me to edit and not assign them to Mordor.

Obscenity: I'm not fully aware of the extent to which this ban implies, but the rule I want everyone to go by is "If you wouldn't want your ten-year-old sister reading it, don't post it."

What if, hypothetically speaking, I'd happily corrupt the mind of my hypothetical ten-year-old-sister with all manner of hypothetical obsceneties? *innocent, sweet smile*

I won't post anything I wouldn't dare to post anywhere else in the forum.

Romance is very much allowed, but keep it tasteful and "in the spirit of Tolkien."

What, no chance of putting the Travest-O-Metre to work? (For those not familiar, the T-O-M was created by Squatter of Amon Rudh for use in measuring the the level of outrageousness in REB posts.) Well it's a good thing Skittles is too insane to fall in love. Unless Nilp agrees to cameo, of course.

[Celuien]

Absolute cheese in romance is still allowed, though, I hope. Or else LMP's and my plans will be disarranged for one cameo subplot...

It's entirely tasteful, so long as one is fond of cheddar.

[Diamond18]

I do believe that cheesey romance is more in the spirit of Tolkien than any other variety.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Because the King's Law and the Dweomer are currently so unpredictable, not all mistakes will have immediate consequences. Also, no characters will be faced with Consequences due to somebody else's posting (though they may if they respond in a manner unfitting a Gondorian).

Basically it translates to: this is so up to my whim that it's not even funny.



And I very much look forward to watching Anakron's cheesy romance, ergo everyone should have fun with looooove stories. As long as they fit with your characters.

And Diamond, should the Travest-O-Metre be used (yes, I'm familiar with it) or should my humble little game ever be otherwise placed upon the level of REB, I am quite sure that I will sort of... well, die of shock and happiness.

[the phantom]

I added more history to Mardil's bio. I typed it fast, so just let me know if some things don't make sense.

I'm hoping I'll have the time tomorrow or the day after to do a write-up on why Mardil sent the particular ambassadors that he did, so I would ask my ambassadors not to talk about their Mardil related dynamics until after that post is made.

[Diamond18]

he went walking in the palace garden and caught his daughter, Morwen, and Mardil making out in one of the fountains.

Tasteful. I like it.

Anyway, I have some ideas for Skittles' first post but I'm not sure I want to make hers the first one out the gate, so I'm holding off. Should we work out which Ambassadors approach each other for the questions-thing or is everyone going to make the rounds?

[the phantom]

Tasteful. I like it.

How else could I have said it? "Making out" is not a very Middle-Earthian term and doesn't sound that, er, formal, but if I had said something like "romantically entangled", it might have caused people to think a lot more than what I intended.

[Diamond18]

Actually, it was the "in the fountain" part that caught my eye.

[the phantom]

Actually, it was the "in the fountain" part that caught my eye.

Oh, well of course it was in a fountain. Wet is sexy. The only thing hotter than Morwen is a drenched Morwen with dripping hair, and the only thing hotter than making out in a royal garden is making out in a royal garden with water falling all over you.

I mean, just think. Would the MJ-SpiderMan kiss in Spiderman 1 be nearly as cool if it wasn't raining? Of course, the upside down thing made it cool too, but the rain sealed the moment.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

We'll try to keep making out to a bare minimum, shall we? Tolkienesque, loves. I don't want B-W shunning me and mine, if you follow.

Edit: Tp, please? Behave? Do I have to tell Di what you said about her last night?

[Diamond18]

What? What? What?

tp: Well, duh, that's why it caught my eye.

Fea: We'll have to get pretty nasty to rival the antics that took place in the Entish Bow, which B-W was a posting member of. So I wouldn't worry too much.

(A little Orc on Elf action, anyone? I rest my case.)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Diamond18

What? What? What?

(A little Orc on Elf action, anyone? I rest my case.)

I'm fully aware given that I've read it. Still... please tasteful? Please? There's a lot more freedom in Gondor. This isn't a traditional game, but it's still a Shire game, it's still my first game, and I'm still petrified and paranoid something is going to go horribly wrong. While I usually don't play it safe with anything, this I'm playing safer than strictly necessary.

Can we pretty please not give me an ulcer?

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Fea

Can we pretty please not give me an ulcer?

Yes, madam.

And remember all, we're not all grown-ups here.

[Diamond18]

Ohhhhh *sigh* Okay.

And being a REB reader, you no doubt know that it was Esty who wrote all the really naughty stuff. I had two romantically inclined protagonists and all they ever did on screen was bicker. So I'm a good little girl.

[the guy who be short]

Originally Posted by Hroa

Obscenity: I'm not fully aware of the extent to which this ban implies, but the rule I want everyone to go by is "If you wouldn't want your ten-year-old sister reading it, don't post it."

Excellent! I have no ten-year-old sister, therefore no rules apply.

Just kidding, of course. I'll be good. Promise.

Originally Posted by Carbon

Well it's a good thing Skittles is too insane to fall in love.

And Angawen is too... Angawen to fall in love. I doubt she'll be engaged in any romantic encounters in this game, though there's always...

I really need to get round to reading REB. But I'm rereading ATM atm (just to get back into the swing of it) so it will have to wait.

Concluding the section of my post involving romance / obscenity (delete as appropriate), could I just say I don't think we should go overboard. The Gondorian ambassadors in particular will have to remain canonically pure. And the Mordorian ambassadors... well, who's going to be attracted to Igör? There doesn't seem much opportunity for romance in the game, excluding certain characters who already have an established relationship.


Language

These are ideas I was sharing with Fea last night. (We were on MSN, just incase tp misinterprets that...)

As a) The official language of Mordor is Modern English and b) The utterance of an anakronism results in permanent assignment to Mordor, it follows that Gondorian ambassadors a) Do not speak English, b) Feel no desire to speak English c) Will be assigned to Mordor if they speak English (and thus lose their office of ambassadorship) and d) Speak only in Westron.

The Mordorian ambassadors, meanwhile, should be learned in Westron so that they can communicate with their Gondorian counterparts. Conversations between the two groups should take place in Westron. Conversations between Mordorian ambassadors can be in Westron or English, depending on whether they want the Gondorians to understand or not.

However, this has the discrepancy of Gondorian ambassadors always being assigned to Mordor. By entering Mordor, they come into contact with Anakronistic life and thus notice Anakronisms. This should be enough to assign them.


As it is, I'm not sure how much of the above stands. It's up to Fea. Hopefully she'll clear it up soon.

EDIT: Of course, as Mardil is King and the King can decree who is to be assigned to Mordor or vice versa, we could simply have Mardil declare that the ambassadors are permitted to view, notice and mention anakronisms without assignation. This has the added advantage of showing the weakening power of the Dweomer. We can still keep the language aspect as we do this, though, as it can hardly be expected that any Gondorian should be learnt in the tongue of anakronisms.

[Kath]

Perhaps they can be excused from the normal rules due to the circumstances?

EDIT: Ok I've posted. Anyone who thinks I've misused their character is wrong because I've used no names! Feel free to grab a line if you want it though. Fea I'm hoping this meets with your requirements.

EDIT2: Oh yes, also, are we doing the whole anakronisms in italics thing again?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by the guy who be short

By entering Mordor, they come into contact with Anakronistic life and thus notice Anakronisms. This should be enough to assign them.

It is enough. The trick is to pretend it's not real. What? I saw no large iron box on wheels speeding down the road with extremely odd and loud music shaking both it and the ground in the near vicinity. I've no idea what you're talking about.

There are going to be certain exceptions to the anakronism rule which Alli will be kind enough to point out (like icebreakers). You know how paperwork and international travel work... the silliest rules. Basically, the Gondorians have been briefed that they are not to notice anything out of the ordinary lest they be assigned or lest the Dweomer take effect on THEM. They might, as a matter of interest, not want to notice Igor.

Of course, as Mardil is King and the King can decree who is to be assigned to Mordor or vice versa, we could simply have Mardil declare that the ambassadors are permitted to view, notice and mention anakronisms without assignation.

That won't do at all. Mardil is NOT the King that created the King's Law therefore I'm not letting him change it. It is weakening, which lets people leave (which is what caused this whole problem), because of him, but if he tries to simply change it, Roggie will not be happy because it means that Mardil is not only allowing but helping illegal border swapping.

Originally Posted by Kath

Perhaps they can be excused from the normal rules due to the circumstances?

Nope.

Fea I'm hoping this meets with your requirements.

Yep.

EDIT2: Oh yes, also, are we doing the whole anakronisms in italics thing again?

Oh I'm sure we probably should...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Perhaps more clarification for the Gondorians is needed?

An MSN discussion with TGWBS (bolded meaning the important part):

---------------------------------------------

TGWBS: are we allowed to notice assignments?

TGWBS: or mention them?

Fea: depends

TGWBS: and we definitely shouldn't learn English, right?

Fea: if you have an official drive a car around

Fea: the *consequences* will be quick

Fea: if you have an official trip over paris hilton's dog

Fea: they won't be

Fea: that sort of thing

Fea: don't be afraid to notice things

Fea: just don't talk about them

TGWBS: lol, no active participation in anakronisms, you mean

Fea: exactly

TGWBS: passive anakronistisising is alright

Fea: haha

Fea: you've got it

[Diamond18]

Umm... tgwbs, I think we have a conflict with our posts. I put the save up to make sure that people knew my post relied on Skittles going right after Igör. Could you edit your post to make it so that it happens after Skittles has done her stuff?

Oh, and do you want me to change Angawen's replies in my post? I had her participating but that doesn't seem to match with her attitude in your post. So I can attribute those lines to someone else.

[the guy who be short]

I've got to be off.

Diamond - Don't worry about your post. I'll edit mine later to fit in with it, if it just means making everything happen roughly the same but a little later.

And yes, please make Angawn's words somebody else's.

[Diamond18]

Originally Posted by the guy who be short

And yes, please make Angawn's words somebody else's.

Done. They belong to Bearugard now.

[the guy who be short]

Post editted to 1) Fit in with Diamond's earlier post and 2) Insult Skittles a lot more.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

First conflict solved. Here everybody, have a cookie.

[Diamond18]

Lovely.

I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Skittles' switchblades and Angawen's body guards are going to become acquainted in the future.

[the guy who be short]

Hmm. I was planning on having them fall to Mordor. But anything goes.

[Diamond18]

I didn't mean killing them, necessarily, just that they may be called upon to defend Angawen. I would settle for non-lethal cuts if you had other plans for their demise.

[Formendacil]

Well, I've posted things along with Hyarmenwë's three statements... I hope I haven't terribly twisted anybody's character in my usage of them. If so, let me know, and I'll fix it as best I can.