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

[Child of the 7th Age]

UPDATE ON LOCATION AND WHERE WE ARE GOING:

I've gone ahead and edited the proposal and all posts (both discussion and game thread) so that the slaves are all leaving from the foothills of the southern mountain range (and this is where the Fellowship will initially go.) The escape party will head to the western corner of the Sea of Núrnen and then north across the Ash Plain (as stated in the letter to Elessar), a trip of some 200 miles (assuming they are on the western side of the Sea) .

As far as the location of the original plantation goes, it's likely this won't figure much in the story unless someone describes their exact escape route. My guess is that it was to the west of the Sea, but I can live with anything. (This was never mentioned in the proposal itself or the posts that have gone up so far.)
__________________________________________________ ____________

Pio,

Great minds think alike....

Yes, I 've sent a draft of my post to Tevildo and Hilde (because I've used their characters at one point) and this is the route I had the fellowship travel: down the Anduin to Pelargir by boat and then on horseback across the mountain pass near the mouth of the Poros River. Then they go south and slightly east to the mountain range.

__________________________________________________ ______________

Re non-playing characters:

Nogrod,

You raise a good point -- that we have to remember this is a larger group (65 slaves of various types, about 15 orcs, and the 7 members of the fellowship). If we talk about the larger group, we'll need to be careful not to contradict each other concerning all these folk who do not have individual posters. However, my preference is to keep things flexible---not to try and define each subgroup and each leader prior to the actual game starting.

We've had a lot of stories that involve the migrations of large groups (especially hobbits in the Shire) and this approach has worked well. Sometimes when we need an extra speaking character or two, we invent "carry-along characters" in the middle of the game: minor characters for whom we put up a bio on the discussion thread. (Tevildo did this by inventing the healer Leod in the middle of the recent Flames game in the Shire..... ) Sometimes we just refer to other families or individuals in very general terms without naming names. You can definitely refer to other people or groups by name in your posts.....just don't have them speak or take an active role unless you put up a bio.

You never know where a game is going or where it will lead. It's good to leave some things undefined to build in a measure of flexibility that can be used to back up the plot as it develops. Plus, learning to coordinate this kind of thing as the story develops post by post is a mark of a well run game.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Child of the 7th Age

Nogrod,

You raise a good point -- that we have to remember this is a larger group (65 slaves of various types, about 15 orcs, and the 7 members of the fellowship). If we talk about the larger group, we'll need to be careful not to contradict each other concerning all these folk who do not have individual posters. However, my preference is to keep things flexible---not to try and define each subgroup and each leader prior to the actual game starting.

I agree with your point on flexibility - and it's always more fun when things are not too tied up beforehand. But the problem I see here is that there is no clear leader person in the slave escapees. Maybe Firefoot, Undómë or Orofaniel could come up with that kind of person as their characters haven't been revealed yet? Durelin's character seems to be one that in a way "leads" the ex-slaves, but without anyone to balance Khamir's lead, it might get a bit boring to Durelin... But surely, we slave escapees might be just a band of puzzled people who lost their elders as they sacrificed themselves to help these out from the plantation. I would just wonder if those elders didn't leave a single reasonable person to help the escapees on their flight.

[Firefoot]

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.

Nogrod, I think I am now in awe of your ability to just come up with names like that. It takes me forever.

My first post is almost finished, I'm trying to figure out how to end it. Right now it just sort of trails off.

Edit: it won't be Johari to take note of a particular leader... she doesn't necessarily want to be with the rest of you escapees anyway.

[Nogrod]

And sorry about the fuzz once again... I'm not trying to press anything, just curious to see how this will work.

Originally Posted by Firefoot

Nogrod, I think I am now in awe of your ability to just come up with names like that. It takes me forever.

Thanks. But I think it's just the single fact of not being an English-speaker by nature or nurture... (and having read Scandinavian and Middle-Eastern myths enough) The words and the syllables in Finnish just ring differently and make it different, I suppose.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Nogrod,

I'd have no problem if the posters for the slave escapees want to get together before the game opens (or early on) and decide on the discussion thread if they have a clear leader. I'd also have no problem if someone agreed to develop a secondary character with bio who could technically be the leader, the posters decided to play things out gradually, or they agreed that, given the particular characters who are represented in the game, there simply is no clear cut leader for the group. I think any of these scenarios is believable. So far, a lot of the slave characters are young (one elderly) and they would probably not emerge as leaders at least in a military sense. I think that's what you're referring to.

I do think it would be hard to have a leader who is not played by an actual poster (i.e., at least a minor character). There will be various negotiations and planning in the story and presumably the "leader" would be expected to speak.

With the exception of Undómë's, we don't have any character who could be considered a slave elder (and her character is not a typical elder). I agree with you that most elders were likely killed on the plantation or in the escape.

I honestly think that other posters will give Khamir a run for his money, even if he emerges as the only leader for the combined group of slaves and ex-slaves. Very soon these two groups will merge (actually they have to merge to survive) .....by definition, everyone is now an ex-slave. (Durelin and I even considered not having a separate group of ex-slaves but decided to keep them.) Usually, posters are not reticent to create conflict and dilemmas for their leaders and other companions, even if they have young or elderly characters.

Plus being a leader is a relative thing, especially with Tolkien. Someone may have a strength that pushes them forward for one scenario. But in another situation someone else will take over.

Since I have no slave character, Durelin may have more feelings/ideas about this since she does have a slave character and will be more active in that "wing" of the story.

[Durelin]

I considered the NPCs option (it's something I've been working on for a RPG elsewhere, lately, so I immediately considered it for this game when Child and I were discussing the issue with keeping the number of players down but the numbers of characters up), and I tend to always use at least one or two NPCs in a game, though I am terrible and tend to make things up as I go along, giving a name and face to characters as I go along.

If this is something everyone wants to pursue, I'd be happy to come up with a few. Or, heck, I'll come up with the whole rest of the ex-slave gang if you want me to.

But, flexibility is very good. A few NPCs might not be bad, either, but I'm not sure how necessary they are, especially ahead of time. In my experience, at least, roleplaying has been more about glimpses than anything else. It's not about the whole picture itself, rather about individual parts of that whole picture, that reflect that whole picture on a smaller scale. (I do hope that made sense.) So, we don't really need to know who everyone (or close to everyone) is in the story.

I think that a set 'leader' for the slave escapees at this point isn't really all that necessary, except that it is probable that someone emerged as a kind of leader on their way to the mountains. But a leader can always still be emerging from the group (I really want a better way to put that, but can't come up with one right now) - and that leader could be anyone's character. If you'd prefer to have a determined leader right now, though, I'm sure that can be worked out.

As Child said, it really would be better if the leader type was actually played by someone.

Oh, and Khamir isn't too much of the leader type, so I'm sure everyone will have plenty of chances to take charge when he cannot, will not, or messes up...and they'll have chances to trip him up and take charge if they wish, too.

Edit: Oh, almost forgot: your list is almost all correct, except that there are 50 slaves (I said 56 escaped, but only 50 survived to the mountains...that's a dangerous trek, I doubt all of them would have survived), and there are 15 ex-slaves including Khamir. Sorry about the confusion with all the numbers (mostly that's my fault).

[Child of the 7th Age]

Here is the beginning post of the fellowship. Many thanks to Tevildo and Hilde who allowed me to borrow their characters.

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

Child of the 7th Age's post


- The Fellowship Arrives in Mordor -

The sun beat down on the weary travellers as they cautiously guided their horses through the rocky foothills of the southern mountains. By all accounts, they were a strange assortment: one Hobbit, an Elf, and a middle-aged Dwarf, plus two younger men and a woman who was apparently a healer. Near the rear of the group rode a tall greybeard with a staff strapped to his saddle and a snowy owl perched firmly on his right shoulder.

They had been journeying over a month. Elessar had seen them off from Harlond, the harbor for Minas Tirith, and they had sailed down the Anduin to Pelargir where horses were provided for their eastward trek. The group had travelled along the Poros River and finally arrived at the tiny pass that crossed over the Ephel Dúath. Getting through the mountain pass had taken longer than expected; they were now five days late in meeting up with the slaves.

Coming onto the flat plain of Nurn, they had headed south to the hills until they sighted a small mountain stream that had a surprisingly large group of trees growing on the bank. The ground was covered with vegetation, bramblewood patches and tangled thickets of shrubs that obscured their clear view of the land. From the description in Elessar's letter, this had to be the location of the caves, the place in the mountains where the slaves of Nurn had promised to meet them.

At the front of the column rode two scouts: Lindir the elf, and the young man Dorran who was a Rider of Rohan. Yet, despite their sharp eyes and ears, they could see no sign of the cave or hear any noises other than the normal babbling of the brook.

"This is it. I am sure....the place described in the letter. But where are they? And where is the entrance to the caves?" Dorran looked over at his companion.

"It has to be here," Lindir replied. "But most likely the slaves would choose a place well hidden from Orc eyes. I expect the caves are partly underground with their entrance concealed by thick shrubs or grass. The slaves may even be hiding inside, thinking that we are intruders. Still.....I wonder. They were supposed to post a sentry who would guide us in."

Dorran mumbled in frustration, "What we need is a dog to pick up their scent, or a small burrowing animal! We'll never find them this way, and night will come in a short time."

At that moment, there was a clip-clop of pony hooves as Carl Cotton rode up behind them and politely interrupted, "Excuse me, sirs. Maybe I can help. I do have experience with small holes in the ground." Carl dismounted and disappeared in the brush. Within five minutes he had returned, one of his sleeves hanging askew, torn by a thornbush, and a puzzled expression spreading over his face.

"I think I've found it. The cave is sunk into the ground just as you said...very cleverly hidden. Only.....something seems very wrong."

The hobbit turned and beckoned to the others to get off their horses and follow him into the thicket and over to the entrance of the cave.
__________________

[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.

[Novnarwen]

Hi!

My Post is now up. It's slot #45. (I'll probably make a few edits, still some proof-reading to do, but thought I'd let you guys know that the skeleton is up at least...)

I've also added some to Aedhild's history. I do not know whether she's what you, Durelin and Child, had in mind for an ex-slave and whether my additions helped to 'fit her in the gang', because to be honest, I don't really know how to make her fit.. (Durelin, please see your PM).

Minor character coming soon...

Cheers,
Nova

[Durelin]

Welcome, Brinniel!

Here's my post...

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

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.”

[Child of the 7th Age]

Pio.....

This isn't the official list. I just needed to see all the characters together....

WRITER/CHARACTER LIST

Major characters are identified with an asterisk


A. Group Sent Out by Aragorn

*Lindir, Noldor Elf (metal crafter, scout) - Child of the 7th Age
*Radagast (Aiwendil), istar (teacher) - Child of the 7th Age
Vrór, Dwarf (stone mason) - Durelin
*Rog, East & Harad - Piosenniel
*Dorran, Rohan (soldier) Tevildo
*Athwen, Rohan, Dorran’s wife (healer) - Folwren
*Carl Cotton, Hobbit (farmer) - Hilde Bracegirdle

B. Inhabitants of Mordor

Orcs

*Ishkur, Orc rebel (male) - Regin Hardhammer
*Zagra & Mazhg, Orc rebel, sisters - Undómë
Ungolt, Orc, female - Regin Hardhammer
Makdush, Uruk-hai male - Child of the 7th Age
Orc, male - Nogrod
Orc, male - SHORT BIO ONLY NEEDED - Novnarwen
Orc, male - SHORT BIO ONLY NEEDED - Firefoot


Slave Escapee

*Hadith (aka Apples), slave escapee (male- 18 yrs.) - Nogrod
*Johari, slave escapee (female) - Firefoot
Brenna, slave escapee, 51 y/o female - Undómë
Azhar, slave escapee, young girl - Tevildo
Kwell Dunfire, slave escapee, young boy - Folwren
Slave escapee - SHORT BIO ONLY NEEDED - Orofaniel

Ex-slave

*Khamir, Ex-slave - Durelin
*Reagonn, ex-slave (male) POST NEEDED – Orofaniel
*Aedhild ex-slave (female) - Novnarwen

Will play later in the summer:

Thinlómien (NO MAJOR CHARACTER) - ??? - SHORT BIO ONLY NEEDED

Still being edited.....

[Orofaniel]

Sorry for being so incredibly late. (I'm rusty )

It's up now however, along with my minor character.

Tell me if it needs editing.


Cheers,
Oro

[Nogrod]

Child, Durelin, Pio: When are we going to start this? I'm not in a particular hurry (besides wishing to see the game soon ), but would like to know a rough estimate.

The most important reason being, that when I came back from my midsummer-vacation I thought of myself being the last one and wrote all my stuff in a burst - and am not happy at all with the results of that. Now as the game has not started even today, I have begun wondering, whether I would have time to edit and generally upgrade my bios & posts still?

If we start tomorrow or day after that, let them be, but if we start only at the weekend or later, I would be happy to go back and edit a thing or two.

As no one has protested the way I described the slaves escaping from the plantation, I assume it was generally okay. I might make it more realistic still - as one part of my upgrades... (I do not mean making them more bloody but more believable in overall tactical situation and such things)

So any ideas about the starting date? (I might have missed it if it's said somewhere already, but then please correct me, and my apologies)

PS. I'm perfectly fine with your ideas about the NPCs (Child & Durelin), even if you differed on them a bit. I was just trying to clear the issue at least to myself - as this is not the same thing as RPG'ing live with other people... It seems to be a nut to crack, but let's not stumble on to it. It might be best we just see if we need additional characters and take a stance on them then... I do share your confidence on things settling themselves anyhow.

[Durelin]

We'll be starting the game as soon pretty much as soon as Brinniel's first post is up and cleared. I can't give you an exact date, but hopefully we'll be able to start in the next 3-5 days...? Hard to tell.

But, I think you have time to edit things if you want to, Nogrod.

Thanks for hanging in there, everyone.

[piosenniel]

Novnarwen

Your character post states you are still 'polishing' it -- please get it edited and poslished by Sunday at the latest.

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

Nogrod

If you can also get your post edited to your satisfaction by Sunday that would be great.

You can always fiddle about with your character bio at your leisure.

~*~ Pio

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by piosenniel

Nogrod

If you can also get your post edited to your satisfaction by Sunday that would be great.
You can always fiddle about with your character bio at your leisure.

That's more than enough time. I thought of "fiddling" them today or tomorrow (before the World Cup games continue, to be sure... ).

[Brinniel]

Both your character bio and first post for Shae are down in your post box #108


~*~ Pio

[Durelin]

Wonderful, Brinniel! She should be fun.

Thank you so much for the speediness in getting that completed.

[Novnarwen]

Hi!

I've finished my post and inserted my Minor Character Bio!

Thanks for your patience.

Cheers,
Nova

[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

[Firefoot]

A bio for my minor character is up.

Orc children... what an odd concept.

[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...)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Yes, the two month period was intentional. What required us to do this was simply the practical demands of travel. There is a note earlier in the discussion thread in which I calculated rates of travel. In this note I did not even include the additional miles that the slaves would have to travel to get down to the southern mountain range, which would have added on extra days. It would take at least two months for the slaves to go to the southern mountain range, for a merchant to convey their message over to Minas Tirith and for the fellowship itself to travel from Minas Tirith to the caves where the slaves were.

I think it's excellent if you want to talk to other posters and establish your character's relationship with them prior to the game. I also suspect that some of this will come about quickly once the posts start going up--characters reaching out to other characters. Either way is fine. The only point that everyone will need to be careful about is not to post as if their slave just wandered into camp five days ago.

Yes, Durelin and I discussed the fact that the Orcs actually seemed "healthier" than some of the slaves. Maybe it's partially our own perception of what orcs and humans should be. It doesn't seem odd that an orc would say he routinely "bashed " other orcs and people. Plus, the orc does not feel particularly guilty about this. He's just doing what orcs do naturally!

We react more strongly when we see a human slave striking out physically at other slaves out of the blue. Our brains label the action as "wrong", indicative of some underlying problem. Humans just aren't "supposed" to do that.

It's almost like differences in gender that still exist in the society even today. When a young boy gets in a fist fight, we often rationalize it with "boys will be boys". When a girl does the exact same thing, we look at that a bit more askance. Girls aren't "supposed" to fight like that.

Anyways, the fellowship members will have a lot of fun figuring out how to react/respond not only to the orcs but also to the slaves. Their life has been so much harder than most of the members of the fellowship. It will be interesting to see how relationships develop.

Nogrod - go ahead and do your revisions tomorrow. Durelin is still working on the order of the posts.

[Durelin]

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...

We wanted to differentiate from the 'slave escapees' and the 'ex-slaves' only to begin with because they are actually very different, even though once the game starts, they're all thrown together into one story. The slave escapees are simply a group that escaped together (well, that's not the case with the characters some people came up with), and the ex-slaves were actually a part of a gang well before the slave escapees escaped, having escaped at some point probably long before. They're going to be rather different characters, so the differentiation is necessary, even if they are all technically 'ex-slaves' by well over two months by the time the game starts.

But the first posts deal with before this - they're more prologues than anything else, at least in my understanding of them (this is just in this game; I'm not trying to define them overall). So relationships don't need to be established in them, since they are prior to the two months in which many relationships were probably established. And of course relationships were probably established long before that, but its not necessary to cover them in your first post.

So, working those kinds of things out sounds like a good idea - and really, Ive found in the past that mostly those things fall into place too with good gamers (which we've got here). Someone perhaps takes the lead to talk about how they know the person from some other event(s), and the other person flows with it. And if they have a problem with it, they'll probably let you know.

Roleplaying needs its spontaneity, even though you often have to shed it of some in order to have a good experience.

[Brinniel]

Brinniel's character


Name: Shae

Age: 25

Race: Man

Gender: female

Weapons: Two pairs of throwing daggers attached to a belt and a crude long knife tied around the thigh.

Appearance: Though Shae is originally from Gondor, her skin is extremely dark and tan from years of hard labor in the plantation. Her wavy dark brown hair falls down her back in a messy braid. Standing at 5’6, Shae is slender and petite and considered unusually pretty for a former slave, though her face reads otherwise. It has been so many years since Shae has smiled, that her mouth has naturally creased into a frown. Her bright green eyes are sad and reflect the pain she has suffered. Underneath her eyes are dark circles from lack of sleep. Shae’s clothing is ragged and torn and her trousers are ripped off at the calf. Shae does not have shoes- instead she wraps her feet in rags for some protection. She also wraps her palms and wrist in rags as well.

Personality: Since her brother’s death, Shae mostly keeps to herself. She remains quiet and only speaks when she needs to. Shae uses this reserved nature as a shell to stay tough, determined, and most of all, fearless. She isn’t afraid to do anything and does not want others to view her as weak, which is why no one knows one of her biggest physical flaws- she is blind in her left eye. What Shae doesn’t realize, is that keeping to herself is only hurting herself. Still partially blaming herself for her brother’s death, Shae finds her only comfort through self-mutilation, carving shallow cuts into her palms. Shae has no friends and denies the truth that she probably really needs one.

History: Shae was born in Gondor to a pair of farmers. She was the youngest of six, with the oldest closing in on adulthood. Shae remember little about her days before slavery except that they were happy and full of love. Those days ended when she was five, one year before the fall of Sauron. One day a combination of Southrons and Orcs invaded the farm. In the process, both parents were killed and the children were captured as slaves. Shae was sent to a different plantation than four of her siblings and never saw them again. All she had left was her eleven-year-old brother, Joren.

From the moment the family was separated, Joren swore to his sister he would take care of her. For twelve years he kept that promise protecting and caring for her. The fall of Sauron came and passed, and the hope of being freed quickly died. Still, both children remained obedient, doing whatever possible to avoid severe beatings. When Shae was ten, she collapsed in the fields from heat exhaustion, and as a result an overseer gave her a large blow to the head. Joren was there to nurse her to full recovery. He held her hand when the other slaves had to cut off her hair to remove dry blood and stitch the wound. A week later, when Shae suddenly lost sight in her left eye, Joren helped her deal with her new disability. Through the years, the brother and sister became best friends and were inseparable.

That all ended during their twelfth year as slaves. Shae was seventeen, no longer a girl, but a young woman. She looked to each day with optimism, working harder than any other slave in the fields. One night on the way back to her quarters, a guard pulled her aside and brutally raped her. Afterwards, Shae’s mood suddenly shifted. She had no appetite and hardly spoke. She felt ashamed and unclean. Joren immediately noticed this change and questioned Shae. After learning what happened, Joren became outraged and lost all control of reason. He attacked the guard while he was unwary and killed him with a shovel. Many witnessed this murder, and as punishment, Joren was tortured then put to death.

Shae was devastated. Her brother was the only reason she survived through all these years. She felt partly responsible for his painful death, but most of all she was angry at the ones who had killed him. Joren’s death became a wake-up call for Shae. For years, Shae had accepted her life as a slave. Now, more than anything she wanted freedom and a chance to avenge her brother’s death. She quickly found a group of seven slaves who had been planning escape for months and joined their mission. Only two weeks after Joren’s death, the eight slave made their escape. Though two died in the process, the escape was a success.

The weeks following the escape were tougher than expected. Food and water was limited and many were exhausted from the escape. The situation grew worse when Shae and another slave fell ill from drinking foul water. The group refused to stop for them, so both forced themselves to push on. For the first time in her life, Shae felt completely alone, surrounded by strangers who could care less about her health. When the other slave succumbed to the illness, the others regarded Shae as dead as well, ignoring her and letting her drag behind. Despite the lack of faith in her companions, Shae was determined to live and avenge her family. Shae had been ill for a week when the group encountered a larger group of ex-slaves. The five joined this group and Shae finally received proper treatment from a kind woman and fully recovered a few days later. Though she had survived the illness, many of the ex-slaves regarded Shae as weak and gave her little respect. Determined to change their opinions and fit in, Shae spent the next year strengthening herself for what the ex-slaves had to endure. She taught herself to use weapons and learned to be an expert thief. Shae killed with no mercy, thinking only of the family she lost and determined to give those who had harmed her and her family what they deserve. Within a couple of years among the ex-slave, Shae was no longer regarded as weak, but instead equal to any other man in the group. Now with only fifteen of them left, Shae is respected for her determination and many abilities.

_______________________


Alright, I've finished my post.

I wrote it so it would take place right after Khamir's first post.


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


Brinniel's post - Shae


All slaves sentenced to death were to be executed publicly. Joren was no excuse- he was to be made an example of. The slaves of the southeastern quarters had only been asleep for a couple hours when they were reawakened and ordered to watch the execution. The hundred or so of them rubbed their groggy eyes and gathered around the wooden platform. Shae stood in the front. Joren had been there for her, through good and bad, and she would do the very same until the end. Her brother was dragged onto the platform, bleeding and his head hanging. His ears and tongue were gone, as were his fingers. For several minutes, the guards taunted Joren as they beat him. Then they pulled him to his feet. The executioner sharpened and positioned his blade. For a split second, Joren’s eyes found Shae’s. His expression was not one of fear, but of sincerity and regret. And then it was gone. The blade ran swiftly through his neck and then it was over. The slaves all trudged back to their quarters until there was only Shae left. Hands clenched into fists and feet planted to the ground, she found herself unable to take her eyes off her brother’s body. Then something in the dirt- a shine of silver- caught her eye. Shae reached down and picked up the item. It was a necklace- Joren’s necklace. The small symbol of the White Tree glowed dully underneath the stars. It was the last bit of her brother she had left. Tonight was the first night Shae was completely alone.

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

Shae woke suddenly, clutching the necklace, her forehead beaded with sweat. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her senses to return and opened her eyes. All around her, bodies were sprawled out inside the cave, fast asleep.
Great, she thought. It’s still night.
Shae was tired of having the same dream. Almost every night she witnessed Joren’s murder over and over again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her brother out of her head.

Shae sat up and unwrapped the rag on her left hand. Scars covered her palm and the most recent wound was only beginning to heal. Shae unlatched a dagger from her belt and used it to reopen the wound. The familiar pain felt soothing to Shae and as the blood poured from her hand, so did the memories of Joren’s death.

As Shae rewrapped her hand, one of the slave escapees kicked her foot in his sleep, startling her. Shae was not used to the large size of the group. For over a month, there had been only fifteen of them. She enjoyed the small number- all could carry their own weight and most were quiet and kept to themselves. Last night, the ex-slaves stumbled upon a large group of slave escapees and suddenly the number jumped from fifteen to sixty-five. There would be no privacy.

Outside, Shae could see a line of pink on the horizon. Dawn was approaching. No point in trying to go back to sleep now. Brushing back strands of tangled hair, she stood up and stepped outside, waiting for the sun to rise.

“Couldn’t sleep again?”
Shae turned around to find Khamir, as usual, on the last watch of the night.
She shook her head. “No. Too much to think about.”
“I know what you mean.” Khamir paused a moment before continuing. “We have sixty-five mouths to feed. I think we need to have a hunting party go out this morning. You up to it?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Aren’t I always? How about you?”
“No,” he said, scanning the sky. “I have a letter to write.”

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

Let me know if anything needs to be edited.

[Orofaniel]

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

Hm.

Well, I thought I had made it clear in my post, but perhaps I haven't. My mistake. I'll explain.

The first paragraphs are just images of the events taking place when Reagonn still was a slave at the plantation; It's just describing the fire and what happened to him while in the shelter when the fire broke out.

These images are things that he re-lives in his nightmares after he has escape from the plantation.

Witnessing this he realised that it was time for his second attempt to escape. Not only from the fire, but from the plantation.

Reagonn has already tried to escape once from the plantation together with Bornir, but it was unsuccessful. What is supposed to important in this scene is that the other slaves' main concern is to escape from the fire - to survive. Yet, what good will that do? If they do survive, they have to labour hard until they die anyway. Reagonn realises that the fire can actually save him, from his misery, yet he refuses to let this be his destiny.

So what's he's basically saying is that, 1) either he burns to death now, or 2) he escapes both the fire and from the plantation. These are his only options.

He decides to take advantage of the situation and he finds a way out of the shelter - unnoticed, due to the thick dark smoke, fire, people etc - and he escapes from the plantation.

This dream, which he had dreamt so many times before would not leave him.

– (from the second to last paragraph.)

It’s referring to the images from the fire etc.


Did that clear things up? If not, I’m going to have to re-write it.

[Novnarwen]

I feel like such a trouble maker..

Yes, Durelin and I discussed the fact that the Orcs actually seemed "healthier" than some of the slaves. Maybe it's partially our own perception of what orcs and humans should be. It doesn't seem odd that an orc would say he routinely "bashed " other orcs and people. Plus, the orc does not feel particularly guilty about this. He's just doing what orcs do naturally!

We react more strongly when we see a human slave striking out physically at other slaves out of the blue. Our brains label the action as "wrong", indicative of some underlying problem. Humans just aren't "supposed" to do that.

I feel I need to say something in this regard, as I recognise this kind of incident as part of my post. I do agree that some of the slaves seem less healthy than the Orcs, but then again, I feel that if not natural, then at least that's what I would personally expect..

The human slaves have been under an enormous pressure; they have worked at plantations in Mordor, a place that even made Gandalf shudder. The point is that, realistically, one can't exclude, or rather, one shouldn't exclude, that the slaves are not the same as they were when they finally return to an existence of freedom. (Maybe some of the slaves will find themselves that they aren't handling this new existence in the slightest; after all, for the first time in many years they are living in uncertainty. At the plantations they knew at least that they would get fed and live if they worked.) Surely, years of abuse and sufferings would mark them, both physically and mentally. I don’t regard slavery as something that will ‘be over’ once released; I would imagine that the effects of slavery are not something short-lived, (in fact, I do imagine my character being ‘ill’ until the very end…) and trying to depict this through my character has been one of my main focuses, even though it will mean that my character (and as I can see, others) will be less healthy than the Orcs.

The main difference I see between the Orcs and the humans, in regard to healthiness, is that the Orcs were rebels, not slaves; though one can expect them to be affected by what they have been part of (as slaves guards etc), to me I would expect them to be healthier, because otherwise they wouldn't have been able to rebel against their own kind.

Personally, I also feel I need to explain Aedhild's actions. Yes, she did indeed strike Eirnar, not because she necessarily wanted to, but rather in mere desperation and fright that he was a traitor and would turn her in. The strike in itself doesn't reflect her illness(es), but rather how greatly she values her newly found freedom. Additionally, I would again try to underline that her condition, her schizophrenia has derived from the sufferings and the identity issues she struggles with, and I do not think such an illness is particularly unrealistic considering what she has been through. I mean, would any of us be perfectly sane/healthy after seeing fellow slaves slaughtered in front of our own eyes, to thereafter live with the uncertainty of whether we would be next?

To me, from the start, when reading other people's bios and writing my own, I have been looking forward to what I consider one of the great conflicts in this story; how the escaped slaves can handle this regained freedom (again, if some are able to handle it at all), how they individually and together handle the effects (regardless of what they are) slavery has had on them, the consequences of these effects and how this affects the slaves' relationships with each other...

I realise that everyone may be under a different impression than myself, and that is good. I like diversity, and respect it. I just thought, as my post was indirectly referred to that I should try explaining my views, although perhaps irrelevant. I apologize if I've troubled you, Durelin and Child, unnecessarily about figuring out how it all fits, and am willing to withdraw my character if it was over the top and not appropriate for the game you had in mind.

Cheers,
Nova

[Durelin]

I'm sorry I made you feel like explaining yourself was necessary, Nova. It was simply an observation out of amusment. And the amusement was not out of 'oh, their characters are so over the top.' There is nothing wrong with anyone's character.

Oro - I understood that you were describing his escape, but I was wondering when you were imagining this escape took place. As Reagonn is a part of the ex-slave gang before the 50 more recent slave escapees escape, it's just a little difficult to fit Reagonn's own escape into the timeline. That is the only issue, and I just want to work that out. (If you'd prefer working it out by PM, please feel free to PM me.)

I mean, would any of us be perfectly sane/healthy after seeing fellow slaves slaughtered in front of our own eyes, to thereafter live with the uncertainty of whether we would be next?

Some of us might be still quite sane (well, and you also would have to define sanity to determine those sorts of things, which personally I find difficult)...we would certainly all be quite changed, in many ways, but not necessarily insane. But that's not really an issue. Your characters are your characters...and there is nothing wrong with them. (And if that sounds at all 'condesending' or such, it definitely is not meant to!)

Thank you, everyone, and sorry to cause anyone distress over their character. I did not mean to.

And Brinniel - Excellent post. I see nothing that needs to be changed.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Nova,

Bear with me....this will be long. I was the one who originally brought this topic up with Durelin. Behind my light hearted musings (which is mainly what they were), there was a serious observation. You deserve an explanation.

First, you've written a strong character, and I certainly wouldn't want you to change her. I used that incident as an example because the post had an immediate impact on me when I read it. It is well written and very clearly conveys the mental and emotional scars that Aedhild bears because of her experiences. If anything, my comment was a tip of the hat to you because the scene was so compelling. If that didn't come across clearly, I apologize.

There were actually a number of slave characters who behaved in "irrational" ways because of the terrible experiences they'd been through. Another one is Firefoot's Johari who convinces herself that someone is alive who is actually dead. I think all of these are very realistic depictions of what happens to people when they are put in situations that are beyond anything a human should endure.

Because I am an historian, I tend to relate things in Middle-earth to events I studied about in the "real world". To me, the situation on the Mordor plantations is half way between two horrific real life events: the worst excesses of black slavery in the southern U.S. prior to the civil war and the death/work camps during World War II. Some people are able to put their lives back together after experiences like these, but it leaves a mark on everyone and there are some who never adapt. When I was younger, I lived one summer with a woman who had survived Auschwitz. She was a good, kind person who lived a productive life but even after all those years there were times when the horrors came back to haunt her.

Tolkien himself was aware that being exposed too long to evil was a dangerous thing. We don't get a close look at the Easterlings or Haradrim, but we do have the examples of Saruman and Frodo. Merely by immersing himself in the study of Sauron and the Ring, the great istar Saruman turned "bad" and was utterly incapable of change even when he was offered that chance. When Frodo crossed the plains of Mordor bearing the Ring, it also left physical and emotional scars that he was unable to deal with even in the relatively kind society of the Shire. Unlike these slaves, Frodo had a comfortable life and an amazing network of friends looking out for him after the war. Yet, even with all that support, he was still broken and had to leave the Shire in hopes of "saving" himself.

I see each of these slaves as having to bear a portion of the Ring....not in a literal but a figurative sense. In Mordor, it is as if the blackness invades the land itself and pollutes whatever it touches, including the people who live in the southern plains. My guess is that some of the Mordor slaves will be able to take positive action and attempt to change (even though there will always be scars), as Frodo did in his decision to seek help in the West. Others, like Saruman, will be unable to get beyond the evil that has touched them, and it will become part of who they are, eventually destroying them. Really sobering stuff. Along with the question of whether orcs are redeemable, this is one of the most important questions of this story ---is change possible for the slaves who have been so abused and lived so close to evil? Your post was a vivid illustration of that theme.

There is also a second reason I brought this up. We have an unusual juxtaposition of characters in this story: the abused slaves, the abusing orcs, and the relatively optomistic expectations of those in the fellowship. (Mark me ---I use the word relatively here, because all of us have issues no matter how healthy we are.)

The slaves' behavior has to have an impact on members of the fellowship who are coming to "help". Will they be prepared to deal with this level of misery and anger? Members of the fellowship expect to have trouble with Orcs.....they would not be shocked or stunned to see an Orc murder someone. But they may have more difficulty in understanding and accepting the behavior of some of the slaves. I think my own character Lindir the Elf will understand to some degree--he fought in the wars of Beleriand and was present at the forging of the lesser rings. Poor Radagast is going to get an education, I fear. Coming from Valinor, he has been relatively sheltered. I am very curious to see how all the members of the fellowship will respond to the misery and deprivation they witness, as well as the emotional toll that evil has taken on the slaves. Certainly those posting for the fellowship can not ignore this.

Hope this explains why I brought this up, and the role that all this will likely play in the story. And that discussion doesn't even bring the orcs into the equation! This should be an interesting game.....

Sorry for this long-winded explanation but I wanted to get this down in words as much for myself as others!

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

Yeah! Everything looks good. As soon as Nogrod finishes his edit and we recommend a post order to Pio, we should shortly be on our way.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Child of the 7th Age

Yeah! Everything looks good. As soon as Nogrod finishes his edit and we recommend a post order to Pio, we should shortly be on our way.

That should be in in a couple of hours... (I'ts almost done, but I have to write one death scene to a WW-game before finishing it)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Nogrod-

Take the time you need. We're still mulling over posts.

Child

[Folwren]

Well I'm back, and there have been a lot of long posts. Really long posts. . .do you suppose that it will be necessary for me to read them all?

When do we start? I glanced over the posts and noticed that Child said once Brinniel had gotten her post and bio up we would. . .well, that's done - are we starting shortly, then?

One problem - I'm going out of town again tomorrow and don't know if I'll have access. I may. . .or may not. . .if I don't, then I won't really be on again until Monday, or even Tuesday. I'm sorry. This was unexepcted. . .though I don't know why. We'd been planning this 4th of July weekend for weeks, I think.

Anyhow, let me know what I need to do. If it does require reading what's been said, I guess I could do it.

For now, I need to go pack and visit my horse.

-- Folwren

[Novnarwen]

Thanks Child for explaining. I greatly appreciate you taking time to write and clearing things up (at least for my part ). I too think this will be an interesting game because of the great variety of characters, and I'm looking forward to see how it all develops.

I see that the game is about to start. Regrettably, I won't be here when that happens. Feel free to carry along my characters, and use them in any way you deem appropriate or else... Aedhild will go nuts...

Thanks again,
Nova

[Child of the 7th Age]

We just finished ironing out the post order. Durelin will be talking with Pio about a start date. One of us will post that info as soon as we get it.

In addition to Novnarwen and Folwren being absent over the long weekend, I will be gone through Tuesday afternoon as will Regin Hardhammer. I will get a list up tomorrow of known absences from the game so we can keep an eye on this.

Edits: Whoops! Just heard that Tevildo will also be out over the holiday weekend. That makes five posters....

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Yes, and I will be having guests tomorrow and will be out Sunday as well.

Next weekend if you will excuse me, I have an out of town wedding to attend, but that should be the end of my absences until a bit more of short duration crop up in August.

[Nogrod]

Okay!

I have made my upgrades.

On the Bios there are only little, basically stylistic changes (I would still appreciate them to be counted).

But Hadith's first post is now much more believable and fits in better with what others have told in their posts about the escapees...

The renewed versions are in the same spot the older ones were, currently in post #73.

Hope to see the game start soon!

[Folwren]

Piosenniel, I have mentioned it to Tevildo and I don't know why he has not made any change, but I noticed in your last list of characters, ages, races, and players, you mentioned that Dorran was 37 and Athwen 39. Well, that is indeed the ages that are in our bios (at least, last time I checked they were.) However, the two are the same age, and they're both supposed to be 39. Dorran is a few months older than Athwen. I brought up this subject with Tevildo in a PM some weeks ago, and my calculations are correct, so if you could please change his age to 39 at least in your list of characters, then that would be great. Sometime or other, Tevildo will edit his own post, I think, or you could just do it for him.

Child and Durelin: At the beginning of the story, the ex-slaves and the slave escapees are all together, right? The slave escapees have already done their escape and we will not have to write about it, correct?

I'm going to bed. I will try to gain access to a computer sometime when I am gone this weekend, but no promises. 'Sides that, I doubt too many people will mind, for it seems several of you are busy, too.

-- Folwren