The Threat of the Trees: Discussion Thread - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Bêthberry · 03-28-2003, 08:15 AM

Ithaeliel, Mattius, Brinniel and Auriel invite you to play their game, The Threat of the Trees.

Title: The Threat of the Trees

Basic Storyline: Isengard was taken back and reinhabited by Gondor after the War of the Ring, and has since begun to heal the wounds inflicted upon it by Saruman. Those who live there do not trouble the lands surrounding Isengard; rather they have attempted to make them better as much as they can. The inhabitants of Isengard and Orthanc dwell in peace, never giving anyone or anything reason to harm them, but of late they have suffered ill occurences.

In nearby Fangorn Forest, the treeherders known as the Ents have retreated deep into the heart of the wood and to the north, and there are few of them in number still, and yet fewer who are aware of their surroundings. The huorns in the outer regions of the forest have been left to move rampant, to take their paths as they will; and for whatever reason they have become hostile, even vicious. Lately they have travelled quite close to Isengard. Strangely, at around the same time, small human children and infants have disappeared, while strong, grown men vanish strangely, only to be found a few days later-- dead and mangled, as though crushed by strong hands other than those of a man. The people of Isengard are sure the huorns are responsible for these acts.

Quite recently, the High King of Gondor has heard of these terrible happenings, and he has come to stay at Isengard, greatly upset and worried for his people. He is faced with a problem: the Ents are out of the reach of any one man, unaware of the danger that Isengard's people face, and he does not want to annihilate the huorns, who were once only the fear of orcs. The king has sent messengers out in all directions, to seek out and return with anyone who has the courage to find the source of the huorns' sudden change in demeanor.

The purpose of the story is to .... Find the reason for the huorns' hostility, find the Ents, eliminate the problem to protect the inhabitants of Isengard.

This means we will know the story is over when .... The huorns return to normal and/or the Ents are able to manage them.

Starting Location: We will come from our various locations and meet up at Orthanc.

Likely destination: Fangorn Forest

Timeframes :

i) This game takes place in the Fourth Age at around year 1048.

ii) The story itself or plot covers three to four months.

iii) This game requires a time commitment of four months from me, the game owner and from the major players.

Characters :

Main character types are ....Men of Gondor/Isengard (both under the same king), dwarves, elves of Mirkwood and Ithilien, and any other of the free peoples common to Middle-earth at this time.

Secondary character types likely are .... Ents, huorns if you fancy a challenge.

Character types which would not belong .... There cannot be many elves from Lorien or Rivendell; there are few in Middle-earth by now from both those places. Also, hobbits- unless your character was wandering outside the Shire when he or she was caught by a messenger. Men are not allowed in the Shire at this point.

I (Ithaeliel) will be playing one character; a ranger elf who I played also in The Blue Mountains RPG.

Name: Endereth Naurelyr
Age: 3872 (2876 at time of Blue Mountains)
Race: Noldorin Elf
Rank: Commoner
Appearance: Icy blue eyes, fair of face, long straight black hair, wears heavy dark blue cape and hood and mithril mail under it.
History: She was born and raised in Lothlorien, but at a young age went a-shouldering with a small group of rangers to the western parts of Middle-earth (Shire, Lake Nenuial, Blue Mountains, etc.). After her fellows were slain while she was out on errand, she wandered alone, grieving for them. Endereth met her companions Mattius, Calentoliel, Rothalle, Radagast the Brown, and Faye Took in the forest below the Ered Luin not long after her companions were killed. While with them she discovered a gift of great magic (see below), and after they went their separate ways she returned to Lorien for a short while, then wandered alone to places she had not been before, in the south of Middle-earth.
Personality: Quiet and placid, yet independent. She is also a sad soul, and seems to carry a terrible burden. She does not believe she will be able to go to Valinor because of her abandoning Lorien.
Weapons/gear/abilities: She carries a long, deadly mithril-edged sword forged after her old one was shattered, some waybread, rope, and some medicines for minor injuries. She has extensive mental prowess; her greatest ability is to be able to see and speak to the dead in the Halls of Mandos, and when in need to speak to Mandos himself. She can cross the line between dead and living if her power is great enough.

The first post for the game: (Combination of Mattius and Ithaeliel's):

Mattius laid down into the golden foliage with a sigh of delight. The fall and autumn leaves crackled under his weight as the elf put his hands behind his head. The little river sang close by and birds harmonised beside it. Opening his eyes he looked up at the streams of brilliant sunlight breaking through the naked treetops. He still liked the Golden Wood; even a thousand years after Galadriel had left, Lorien still had something magical and elvish about it.

He sat up and looked for Radagast, the wizard was a few feet away, kneeling down and filling up a flask from the small stream. The birds were dancing about him as he chatted back to them cheerfully. With a straining groan he pushed himself to his feet and the birds flew skywards. Mattius jumped to his feet but spun around when he heard horses hooves on the ground. Indeed there was a tall man dressed in the garb of Gondor riding a tall brown horse.

"Greetings!" Radagast said as the rider slowed his stallion and jumped down.

"Good afternoon to the pair of you," he replied, "I am Arthos, Messenger of Gondor." The man removed his helm to reveal his shoulder length black hair and shook hands with the elf and Radagast. "I travel to the Northern Kingdoms of the Dale and The Lonely Mountain but came to these woods to search for a river or stream where I may refill my water supplies."

"Then you have struck luck good sir," said Mattius leading him to the stream and helping him fill his flasks. "May I ask why you are heading so far north of Gondor, for it is a long ride?"

"Indeed you may and indeed it is," Arthos said standing up to face the two travellers. "The King is in search of a hero, there has been problems in Fangorn." At this Radagast's mind sparked.

"Fangorn?" He asked in a calm voice.

"Yes I'm afraid so, people have been going in and are not being seen again. That wasn't so bad, people just tended to avoid it but just recently...." Arthos' voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Radagast said almost screaming.

"Well, bodies began to be found, ripped to shreds and now there are rumours of children being stolen from their beds during the dead of night. Things are looking really bad." For just a second Mattius caught the look in Radagast's eyes. Pure fear. "But I must be on my way, thank you for your help gentlemen." With that he put his helm back on, mounted his horse and rode north.

"What is wrong, Radagast?" asked Mattius.

The wizard looked up at the elf. "We need to go to Isengard immediately." Mattius nodded as Radagast began to walk south in deep thought. He would give Radagast time to speak his worries, one thousand years of being with him had let him know when to leave him be.

****************

It was dusk in Lorien.

The ever-darkening clouds loomed overhead, their grey mass turned different shades of pink in the wake of the sun. Far beyond, to the east, a vast canvas of sky gave off flaming auras of all the colors of a rainbow. Amid the painted wisps of cloud and air was an orb of dark gold, ever sinking further toward the deeps of the world.

It was on such an evening that Endereth walked through the woods of Lothlorien again, after many, many years. Only shortly after her escapades in the Blue Mountains had she even set foot in the land she had once called home. But long since then she was a ranger. She had no home.
In her travels she had descried many processions of her people on their way to Valinor. Her heart broke again and again each time she saw them, for she knew they would never have her among them. She was a lone wayfarer, never to find a home with the elves again. She had forsaken them for her own desires long ago.

Now, as Endereth walked through the Golden Wood, once great and lit with the magic of the Lady of Light, she was taken aback at the magnitude of its fading. No sunlight shone now through the trees, and the golden leaves of winter were not nearly so wondrous as they once had been. Still they fell in numbers at her feet as she wrapped her dark cloak tighter still about her chilled body. The whole wood seemed to shrink before Ender's feet as her clear, icy eyes beheld a land shrouded in dusky silver.

Ahead of her there was an opening in the trees, leading to the shining waters of the river Nimrodel. Beside it, a tall bey mare was leashed to a tree. She neighed and lifted her head slightly as Endereth approached. The ranger gave a wry smile and stroked the mare's neck. "Yes, I remember it too, Caeren. It used to be glorious, but no longer. Now, let us move on."

The elven ranger mounted her steed hastily and they made east, following Nimrodel upstream, as the last sliver of sun sank behind the hills. Its light still gave a golden hue to Ender's face as she left Lorien; for the last time, she thought. Her back turned to the forest, she was surprised to hear three voices speaking with serious tones. Sliding off of Caeren's back, Endereth ran to the source of the voices, though their persuns were hidden from view. As soon as she believed she was close enough, Ender gave a startled cry to see a messenger of the King of Gondor ride away quickly. Just a few feet away she heard the two remaining voices speak.

"What is wrong, Radagast?"

Ender stifled a gasp. Radagast? Was Radagast the Brown, wizard and bird-lover, truly here in Lorien?

"We need to go to Isengard immediately." It was the voice of Radagast. Endereth would know the commanding tone anywhere. And it must have been Mattius with him!

As Radagast appeared and began to walk southward, Endereth walked out from behind a tree, breathless, unsure of what to say. A strong-looking, fair-haired elf looked up as she appeared, looked down again, and did a double-take. "Endereth!" he shouted.

Radagast whipped around at Mattius' cry, his eyes growing wide, and he smiled in spite of himself. "Why, if it isn't the ranger Endereth! Mae govannem, my dear."

"Mae govannem, my old companions," Endereth replied, still reeling from the shock of seeing the two there of all places. "May I ask you both... what has just occured that requires a venture to Isengard?"

* * * * *

Other information of special interest that you would like to include: This is, in case you haven't already found out, a sequel to the RPG The Blue Mountains

Proposer/Owner (Please use your Barrow Downs ID): Ithaeliel, Mattius, Brinniel and Auriel (proposal sent in by Ithaeliel)

Contact : PM Ithaeliel please!

Thank you!

[ April 07, 2003: Message edited by: Bethberry ]

03-28-2003, 08:15 AM	#1
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	The Threat of the Trees: Discussion Thread Ithaeliel, Mattius, Brinniel and Auriel invite you to play their game, The Threat of the Trees. Title: The Threat of the Trees Basic Storyline: Isengard was taken back and reinhabited by Gondor after the War of the Ring, and has since begun to heal the wounds inflicted upon it by Saruman. Those who live there do not trouble the lands surrounding Isengard; rather they have attempted to make them better as much as they can. The inhabitants of Isengard and Orthanc dwell in peace, never giving anyone or anything reason to harm them, but of late they have suffered ill occurences. In nearby Fangorn Forest, the treeherders known as the Ents have retreated deep into the heart of the wood and to the north, and there are few of them in number still, and yet fewer who are aware of their surroundings. The huorns in the outer regions of the forest have been left to move rampant, to take their paths as they will; and for whatever reason they have become hostile, even vicious. Lately they have travelled quite close to Isengard. Strangely, at around the same time, small human children and infants have disappeared, while strong, grown men vanish strangely, only to be found a few days later-- dead and mangled, as though crushed by strong hands other than those of a man. The people of Isengard are sure the huorns are responsible for these acts. Quite recently, the High King of Gondor has heard of these terrible happenings, and he has come to stay at Isengard, greatly upset and worried for his people. He is faced with a problem: the Ents are out of the reach of any one man, unaware of the danger that Isengard's people face, and he does not want to annihilate the huorns, who were once only the fear of orcs. The king has sent messengers out in all directions, to seek out and return with anyone who has the courage to find the source of the huorns' sudden change in demeanor. The purpose of the story is to .... Find the reason for the huorns' hostility, find the Ents, eliminate the problem to protect the inhabitants of Isengard. This means we will know the story is over when .... The huorns return to normal and/or the Ents are able to manage them. Starting Location: We will come from our various locations and meet up at Orthanc. Likely destination: Fangorn Forest Timeframes : i) This game takes place in the Fourth Age at around year 1048. ii) The story itself or plot covers three to four months. iii) This game requires a time commitment of four months from me, the game owner and from the major players. Characters : Main character types are ....Men of Gondor/Isengard (both under the same king), dwarves, elves of Mirkwood and Ithilien, and any other of the free peoples common to Middle-earth at this time. Secondary character types likely are .... Ents, huorns if you fancy a challenge. Character types which would not belong .... There cannot be many elves from Lorien or Rivendell; there are few in Middle-earth by now from both those places. Also, hobbits- unless your character was wandering outside the Shire when he or she was caught by a messenger. Men are not allowed in the Shire at this point. I (Ithaeliel) will be playing one character; a ranger elf who I played also in The Blue Mountains RPG. Name: Endereth Naurelyr Age: 3872 (2876 at time of Blue Mountains) Race: Noldorin Elf Rank: Commoner Appearance: Icy blue eyes, fair of face, long straight black hair, wears heavy dark blue cape and hood and mithril mail under it. History: She was born and raised in Lothlorien, but at a young age went a-shouldering with a small group of rangers to the western parts of Middle-earth (Shire, Lake Nenuial, Blue Mountains, etc.). After her fellows were slain while she was out on errand, she wandered alone, grieving for them. Endereth met her companions Mattius, Calentoliel, Rothalle, Radagast the Brown, and Faye Took in the forest below the Ered Luin not long after her companions were killed. While with them she discovered a gift of great magic (see below), and after they went their separate ways she returned to Lorien for a short while, then wandered alone to places she had not been before, in the south of Middle-earth. Personality: Quiet and placid, yet independent. She is also a sad soul, and seems to carry a terrible burden. She does not believe she will be able to go to Valinor because of her abandoning Lorien. Weapons/gear/abilities: She carries a long, deadly mithril-edged sword forged after her old one was shattered, some waybread, rope, and some medicines for minor injuries. She has extensive mental prowess; her greatest ability is to be able to see and speak to the dead in the Halls of Mandos, and when in need to speak to Mandos himself. She can cross the line between dead and living if her power is great enough. The first post for the game: (Combination of Mattius and Ithaeliel's): Mattius laid down into the golden foliage with a sigh of delight. The fall and autumn leaves crackled under his weight as the elf put his hands behind his head. The little river sang close by and birds harmonised beside it. Opening his eyes he looked up at the streams of brilliant sunlight breaking through the naked treetops. He still liked the Golden Wood; even a thousand years after Galadriel had left, Lorien still had something magical and elvish about it. He sat up and looked for Radagast, the wizard was a few feet away, kneeling down and filling up a flask from the small stream. The birds were dancing about him as he chatted back to them cheerfully. With a straining groan he pushed himself to his feet and the birds flew skywards. Mattius jumped to his feet but spun around when he heard horses hooves on the ground. Indeed there was a tall man dressed in the garb of Gondor riding a tall brown horse. "Greetings!" Radagast said as the rider slowed his stallion and jumped down. "Good afternoon to the pair of you," he replied, "I am Arthos, Messenger of Gondor." The man removed his helm to reveal his shoulder length black hair and shook hands with the elf and Radagast. "I travel to the Northern Kingdoms of the Dale and The Lonely Mountain but came to these woods to search for a river or stream where I may refill my water supplies." "Then you have struck luck good sir," said Mattius leading him to the stream and helping him fill his flasks. "May I ask why you are heading so far north of Gondor, for it is a long ride?" "Indeed you may and indeed it is," Arthos said standing up to face the two travellers. "The King is in search of a hero, there has been problems in Fangorn." At this Radagast's mind sparked. "Fangorn?" He asked in a calm voice. "Yes I'm afraid so, people have been going in and are not being seen again. That wasn't so bad, people just tended to avoid it but just recently...." Arthos' voice trailed off. "Yes?" Radagast said almost screaming. "Well, bodies began to be found, ripped to shreds and now there are rumours of children being stolen from their beds during the dead of night. Things are looking really bad." For just a second Mattius caught the look in Radagast's eyes. Pure fear. "But I must be on my way, thank you for your help gentlemen." With that he put his helm back on, mounted his horse and rode north. "What is wrong, Radagast?" asked Mattius. The wizard looked up at the elf. "We need to go to Isengard immediately." Mattius nodded as Radagast began to walk south in deep thought. He would give Radagast time to speak his worries, one thousand years of being with him had let him know when to leave him be. **************** It was dusk in Lorien. The ever-darkening clouds loomed overhead, their grey mass turned different shades of pink in the wake of the sun. Far beyond, to the east, a vast canvas of sky gave off flaming auras of all the colors of a rainbow. Amid the painted wisps of cloud and air was an orb of dark gold, ever sinking further toward the deeps of the world. It was on such an evening that Endereth walked through the woods of Lothlorien again, after many, many years. Only shortly after her escapades in the Blue Mountains had she even set foot in the land she had once called home. But long since then she was a ranger. She had no home. In her travels she had descried many processions of her people on their way to Valinor. Her heart broke again and again each time she saw them, for she knew they would never have her among them. She was a lone wayfarer, never to find a home with the elves again. She had forsaken them for her own desires long ago. Now, as Endereth walked through the Golden Wood, once great and lit with the magic of the Lady of Light, she was taken aback at the magnitude of its fading. No sunlight shone now through the trees, and the golden leaves of winter were not nearly so wondrous as they once had been. Still they fell in numbers at her feet as she wrapped her dark cloak tighter still about her chilled body. The whole wood seemed to shrink before Ender's feet as her clear, icy eyes beheld a land shrouded in dusky silver. Ahead of her there was an opening in the trees, leading to the shining waters of the river Nimrodel. Beside it, a tall bey mare was leashed to a tree. She neighed and lifted her head slightly as Endereth approached. The ranger gave a wry smile and stroked the mare's neck. "Yes, I remember it too, Caeren. It used to be glorious, but no longer. Now, let us move on." The elven ranger mounted her steed hastily and they made east, following Nimrodel upstream, as the last sliver of sun sank behind the hills. Its light still gave a golden hue to Ender's face as she left Lorien; for the last time, she thought. Her back turned to the forest, she was surprised to hear three voices speaking with serious tones. Sliding off of Caeren's back, Endereth ran to the source of the voices, though their persuns were hidden from view. As soon as she believed she was close enough, Ender gave a startled cry to see a messenger of the King of Gondor ride away quickly. Just a few feet away she heard the two remaining voices speak. "What is wrong, Radagast?" Ender stifled a gasp. Radagast? Was Radagast the Brown, wizard and bird-lover, truly here in Lorien? "We need to go to Isengard immediately." It was the voice of Radagast. Endereth would know the commanding tone anywhere. And it must have been Mattius with him! As Radagast appeared and began to walk southward, Endereth walked out from behind a tree, breathless, unsure of what to say. A strong-looking, fair-haired elf looked up as she appeared, looked down again, and did a double-take. "Endereth!" he shouted. Radagast whipped around at Mattius' cry, his eyes growing wide, and he smiled in spite of himself. "Why, if it isn't the ranger Endereth! Mae govannem, my dear." "Mae govannem, my old companions," Endereth replied, still reeling from the shock of seeing the two there of all places. "May I ask you both... what has just occured that requires a venture to Isengard?" * * * * * Other information of special interest that you would like to include: This is, in case you haven't already found out, a sequel to the RPG The Blue Mountains Proposer/Owner (Please use your Barrow Downs ID): Ithaeliel, Mattius, Brinniel and Auriel (proposal sent in by Ithaeliel) Contact : PM Ithaeliel please! Thank you! [ April 07, 2003: Message edited by: Bethberry ] __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.