ATM II Planning/Discussion Thread

[piosenniel]

The purpose of this thread at present is to tweak the proposal for the Assigned to Mordor II RPG submitted by Feanor of the Peredhil.

Only these writers are to post to the thread at present:

Feanor of the Peredhil Piosenniel Child of the 7th Age All gamers who have been OK'd by Fea to play in this game

All other posts will be deleted at the discretion of the moderator


Mod for this RPG will be: Pio.


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

Once this game is completed, these gamers will be put on the Rohan Players list:

Eomer of the Rohirrim
Formendacil
Hookbill the Goomba
Lhunardarwen

[piosenniel]

Historical Background:

It is Fourth Age 651. A year has passed since the Anakronism Dweomer allowed a selected group of individuals to fight their way through many obstacles [such as constant annoyances, minor disturbances, tests, and the occasional bit of mortal peril] to escape Mordor.

Those who succeeded now live with considerable fame and fortune. With memories of their lives and trials in Mordor often successfully repressed the former Offending Party concentrates on other tasks. Yet Mordor remains.

As the politics of Gondor become more and more uneasy, Assignations to Mordor have become more and more unpredictable. As approval rates for Mardil II of Gondor rise, the power of the King's Law to keep Assignees inside of Mordor wanes. As Mardil remains unwilling to work for the Blue Wizards, their temperament affects all of Mordor, as well as the people inhabiting it. It seems inevitable that all of Mordor will break loose of the hold of the weakening Dweomer. Roggie of Morgoth, the unsteady ruler of the uncertain land, grows worried daily over how he will keep his subjects within his borders without the help of the King's Law and with the growing unpredictability of the Dweomer. He believes that Mardil is to blame.

[piosenniel]

Basic Storyline:

As the King’s Law weakens, the Dweomer becomes more and more unpredictable, and Roggie’s subjects emigrate to Gondor, the political situation is rocky. Several ambassadors must negotiate peace between the countries.

----------

Additional note:

Apart from precarious treaty negotiations between Gondor and Mordor, the Ambassadors between the two countries must deal with anachronisms, treachery, and whatever surprises that the Spymaster uncovers.

[piosenniel]

The purpose of the story is:

For the political situations in Gondor and Mordor to stabilize.

This means we will know the story is over when:

A treaty is signed and the Blue Wizards and their cronies have been dealt with.

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

Starting Location: Mount Doom

Likely destination: Mount Doom or Minas Tirith

[piosenniel]

Timeframes:

This game takes place in the 4th Age at around year 651.

The storyline itself or plot covers several weeks (a summer, perhaps) and will follow a format of week long (game time) “chapters”

This game requires a time commitment of from me, the game owner and from the major players which will most likely vary, depending on players schedules and any subplots thrown into the mix.

[piosenniel]

PLAYER/CHARACTER LIST

Feanor of the Peredhil - Alli Umfuil of Minas Tirith and Mount Doom; Spymaster

JennyHallu - Lola Martinet, aka 'Ms. Martinet'; Second in Command to Alli Umfuil

~*~

MORDOR

Ambassadors

1.) Lhunardarwen - Maikaelwen 2.) Hookbill the Goomba - Smilog, the Dwarf 3.) Kath - Igör 4.) Diamond18 - Skittles MacFarlewyn, aka Skitt and Les (real name - Nancy)
~*~

GONDOR

King

the phantom - Mardil II
Ambassadors

1.) Anguirel - Lord Dracomir Malfoidacil of Gondor (aka Master Tom Felton) 2.) Formendacil - Hyarmenwë son of Hyarmendil 3.) the guy who be short - Angawen Tupsë 4.) Boromir88 - Bearugard II
~*~

Cameo Characters:

littlemanpoet - Anakron Istkon Vayor
Celuien - Panakeia
Eomer of the Rohirrim - Aimè the Hunter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

No Elvish characters, please, per RPG proposer's request

[piosenniel]

The game owner will play 1 main character and 2 Cameos.

1.) Feanor of the Peredhil’s Main Character

NAME: Alli Umfuil of Minas Tirith and Mount Doom

AGE: 19

RACE: Human

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: Deau ex Machina, irresistible flirting skills, razor sharp dagger

APPEARANCE: Alli is 5’7” and slender. She has finally grown comfortable in her attractive and lean body and walks with a quick grace suited both to forests and the halls of kings. Her hair is black and ranges from mussed to appropriately fashioned for the company of nobles. She occasionally wears the styles for the wrong occasions simply to annoy. Her piercing eyes are an interesting blend of colors that lazy people oft term “grey”, though they are mostly blue, containing flecks of gold, brown, and many other tones of that variety. She mostly wears rangers’ garb, but knows how to dress appropriately for her work in palaces.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Alli has been hurt many times in her life and is open with her thoughts with a very limited number of beings: the king of Mordor, her friend Sai, Aime the Hunter, and Illamatar. She will lie without a moment’s hesitation and straight faced, and has better developed the skill since her first encounters with Mardil II of Gondor. She spends less time than of old wallowing in self pity, choosing now to keep herself occupied with Seeing, negotiating, hunting werewolves, and manipulating people into signing treaties when more ethical negotiation attempts fail. As the king’s spymaster, she is well suited. She is in the process of learning to delegate responsibilities.

HISTORY: Assigned to Mordor at 18 for anakronistically criticizing the government of Gondor, Alli worked as a balrog-winger for quite a while until, unexpectedly, she was granted the opportunity to escape from the place. Though at first she could not wait to return to her waiting family, Alli developed strong ties to Mordor and her former companions and now resides hidden in the borderlands. In the year following her allowed removal from the land, she acquired a small (and possibly illegal) bit of land in Ithilien but was given the job of king’s spymaster in Mordor and moved into the palace instead. She travels regularly and always wishes for her quiet home where she spends her hours pouring over maps, lore-books, and volumes of lupine psychology.

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


2.) CAMEO

NAME: Roggie of Morgoth

AGE: uncertain

RACE: Maiar, specifically Balrog

GENDER: male

WEAPONS: flaming whip, scimitar, carcinogenic body that can either burn or cause no effect whatsoever with no respect for continuity, and with a little bit of terror.

APPEARANCE: Tall enough to require vaulted ceilings in his castle (the renovated Mount Doom Casino and Resort, now call the Mount Doom Palace and Casino), occasionally flaming, though usually just smoldering, often clad as a pirate with a superfluous eye patch and a much needed peg leg replacing that which King Mardil of Gondor once shot off during a tank chase in the bowels of Lundun. He casts a bit of a scary image, what with being a balrog and all, though it is a bit tempered by the pirate paraphernalia. His most appealing feature is his eyes, lined heavily with black kohl. Utterly wingless as of a year ago when one small Italian plumber werewolf named Mario stole those that Alli, in her former job as Balrog-Winger, had expertly given him.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Roggie is generally very calm and collected, though his temper is notorious. He listens to very few people and his best friend Alli Umfuil is one of them. He holds grudges. Roggie of Morgoth was an aspiring actor before the events of ATMI thrust him into the position of ruler of Mordor. Now he questions his ability to hold onto his kingdom which makes him consistently irritable. He often over-reacts when it comes to anything Gondorian.

HISTORY: Roggie once worked for Melkor Morgoth in a position much like that of a slave wherein he was given the suffix for his name as well as a very low self-image. Escaping the fate of Morgoth, Roggie took up his abode in Moria for just long enough to realize that his companion, Bill, was a huge wimp that could be beat up by ancient men with sticks. Roggie shifted his attention elsewhere, mainly Mordor. He relocated his home to take up his long desired acting career and was told after his first audition that his lips were too thin, his eyes not dark enough, and he needed wings before he could get any decent roles.

Very quickly he found a Balrog-Winging agency and paid a hefty amount for their services. The winger on duty that morning was none other than Alli Umfuil and they formed a fast friendship. A year and no acting jobs later, Roggie’s wings were stolen by the werewolf Mario and Roggie sought for Alli to help him regain them.

Though she did not, Roggie was caught up in her elaborate escape from Mordor wherein he lost a leg, developed a very bitter rivalry with Mardil, formed a pretty darned good friendship with Sai Onara, and gained control of the country.

A year later, he runs his country with Alli as his official spymaster.


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


3.) CAMEO

NAME: Illamatar

AGE: eternal

RACE: Supreme Diety

GENDER: questionable, though encourages the pronoun “He”

WEAPONS: deau ex machina

APPEARANCE: though he is able to change appearance at will and may appear differently to many present in one situation, he favors a guise somewhat reminiscent of a long-necked, deep-eyed, bleating quadruped. Occasionally prefers invisibility.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Omnipotent, but likes to watch mortals struggle. After all, omnipotence and eternal life get boring. Still, there are times that he considers the action of the world to be similar to an obnoxious commercial playing during an excellent film and feels the need to hit fast-forward, or at the very least record the commercial, upload it onto his Mac, and digitally manipulate it into something far more interesting.

HISTORY: In the beginning, there was the void, a depressing abyss, and Eru was in it and was of it and was, indeed, it. He looked introspectively and complexly both out and in at this void and discovered that, being the void, he was watching himself watch himself. This turn of phrase fascinated him for quite some time before he desired a new plaything… a most dangerous plaything…

He created a group of angelic beings and started a band. His plaything was his baton and it occasionally flew from his divine grasp to hit members of the brass section. It was through this sort of accident that one of his musicians developed a severe mental disorder and decided to ruin all of band’s music before running off to try and take over the world. A few things happened between then and now, but none of them were particularly important. He created both heaven and Middle Earth and his musicians complained that they couldn’t see any of it, so he lit the whole thing up with some glow-in-the-dark stars, threw in some plants and animals, and eventually added some people, just for the fun of it. More importantly though, he was enjoying the performances of his truly kickin’ band.

So it was that Middle Earth got on quite well by itself for a good long aeon or two with only a few truly serious disasters. Once Eru sneezed in the middle of a really smashing metal song and a fairly unimportant island was destroyed, but he barely noticed.

Really, it wasn’t up until his musicians stopped having talent and started trying to compensate with a lack of clothing that he actually noticed this Middle Earth that he had created. He glanced quickly, seeing everything, and noticed that two of his band members (second chairs, both of them) had snuck off and gotten the place into a bit of a mess involving another Age. He also spotted a few werewolves running around and decided that he’d been lax enough and needed to help these people just a little since he’d given them the free will to do what they wanted and so, since it was his gift, the results were consequently his fault.

He appeared to a young Gondorian girl living in Mordor in a dream, taking the form of a llama, and so it was that the folk of Middle Earth began to call him Illamatar. He spoke to her in her sleep, giving her information about those in her vicinity, telling her their secrets. Voyeuristic though it may be, he didn’t mind. After all, he was Eru Illamatar, and this was more interesting that Maia Television or Vala Hits One. He fast grew addicted to this anakronistic werewolf game and began to pay far closer attention to the goings on of Middle Earth.

So it was that he would come when Alli Umfuil (for that was the name of she that he came to) called, for he learned that she tended to provide amusement, if only for how miserably her efforts proved to work out for her. He provided her with dreams even after she was appointed the position of spymaster, deciding that this was more interesting than watching his angels lip-synch and dance on infinitely large stages in provocative ways.

[piosenniel]

FIRST POST for the 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.”

[piosenniel]

JennyHallu's character:


Name: Lola Martinet, aka 'Ms. Martinet'

Age: 27

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Weapons: Wit and an acerbic tongue, also, and subject to approval, a set of weaponized ballpoint pens in blue and black ink.

Personality/Appearance/All that Jazz: Lola Martinet is perverse, contrary, sly, and gets intense satisfaction out of irritating people. This, combined with a delightfully unorthodox profession, has given her the perfect excuse to create two separate personas, so incredibly different that only a few people have ever managed to connect the two (even as fraternal twins, separated at birth and raised by wild animals and orcs, respectively). Only Alli is aware that her second-in-command is, in fact, perfectly sane.

By day, Ms. Martinet rules the roost at Alli's office. To anyone but her employer she is the secretary from hell. She has perfected bureaucracy into a fine art, developing multiple forms (each to be filed in triplicate) for simple tasks, and delights in filling each out with slightly different information in order to crow over the chaos further down the line. She works on her manicure on busy days, intentionally misdirects callers and visitors, chews bubble gum loudly during conversations, and, when asked to take minutes of sensitive meetings, stares fixedly at a spot in the center of the speaker's forehead, never glancing down at her notebook. For Alli, however, she is quick and efficient, with no delays or complaints. She looks mousy, dresses in dull browns and tans, and glares at people over the rims of half-moon glasses. Her hair is always a tight damp knot of indeterminate color, and her nails the only part of her body to be perpetually perfectly groomed. She plays progressive jazz in the office (you know, the sort with a three-drink minimum) and is always the only person to understand it, much less enjoy it.

By night, sexy, voluptuous Lola is every man's dream. Her blond hair is always perfectly crimped and coiffed, and she dresses in clothes and styles designed to accentuate her curvaceous body (her favorite is a red sequined minidress). She sings her beloved jazz in a nightclub in Mordor--that is, when she isn't completing daring and dangerous missions with Alli in the dead of night. Her starry, near violet eyes make men believe she is promising the moon. She isn't. (Even when she glances up at them coyly through her thick dark lashes.) She is a flirt, a maneater, and a heartbreaker, and delights in it.

History: Lola grew up a prim, proper, and inhibited young lady in Gondor, but was assigned to Mordor when her classical harp music suddenly gained some rather odd chords. She only half-heartedly worked to be able to leave, as she found she loved the chaos and confusion of life in Mordor...it played right into her perfectly manicured hands.

[piosenniel]

GONDOR

the phantom's character


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.

[piosenniel]

GONDOR

Formendacil's character

NAME: Hyarmenwë son of Hyarmendil

AGE: 71

RACE: Dúnedain of Gondor

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Sword

APPEARANCE: Typically Dúnedainic in appearance: tall, silver-haired, with a regal, thin face, a slightly hooked nose, and rather bushy eyebrows. Cleanshaven, with a proud, straight, almost military, bearing. Generally serious in mien.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Hyarmenwë can be summed up in the word "haughty". He may think of himself as a good man, and can be fairly kind towards youth or fools, he, nonetheless, sees the world through the very tinted glasses of noble birth. A nationalist in his world view, he sees Gondor as the greatest nation in the world, an almost "Chosen People". He is absolutely loyal to the House of Telcontar, and can be very narrowminded towards all else.

HISTORY: As pureblooded a Dúnedan as one can be in the mid-Fourth Age, Hyarmenwë comes of a very noble family of Minas Tirith, claiming direct descent from Húrin, Warden of the Keys, whose title he holds himself, as well as kinship with the Line of the Stewards and the Kings of Gondor. As a young man, he served in campaigns in Far Harad, and became Keeper of the Keys after the death of his father Hyarmendil. Although advancing a great deal in age, he remains hale thus far. He has not used a blade in years, but could probably be expected to wield it respectably, were he to need to.

[piosenniel]

GONDOR

the guy who be short's character

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.

[piosenniel]

GONDOR

Anguirel's character

NAME: The Lord Dracomir Malfoidacil of Gondor, son of the Lord Luciamir Malfoidacil. Also known in the anakronistic tongue as one Master Tom Felton.

AGE: 18, or 15, or 16 (Real Life, Film, or Book)

RACE: Human and secretly Pureblood Wizard

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: The Lord Dracomir has been known to wield a strange and deadly device known as a Diabolo. He also possesses a wand and a Nimbus Two Thousand And One racing broom. As for what happens at night...well...

APPEARANCE: Pale but rather embarrassingly adorable features. Slicked back white-blond hair. Tall enough for his age. Looks as though he’s making an effort to appear rather more pallid and patrician than he actually is.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: The Lord Dracomir is a cunning schemer and duellist, an excellent flyer, has few equals in Potions (except that Potter boy), and has a grounding in the Dark Arts.

However, Tom Felton is crippled by the inner realisation that he is in fact a gorgeous, pleasant, hair-rufflable cherub with nice manners, not a bigoted murderer. He tries to hide this by over-compensating arrogance and political incorrectness. It rarely works.

HISTORY: Tom Felton used to be a normal, happy, prancing Kensington child. But then he was whisked away by the forces of Hollywood, where he took on the persona of Draco Malfoy and became beloved of millions of raving fangirls. He forgot his old life and became stuck in a rut, and could be found conspiring with Jason Isaacs to destroy Mudbloods.

But the situation got still worse when Harry Potter purists, frustrated by a covetous glance he directed at Emma Watson in a moment of non-focalisation, consigned him to Mordor. Here he encountered none other than Fenrir Greyback, assigned by a Lupin-lover. After a desperate confrontation he managed to escape and stumbled upon his parents, Lucius and Narcissa. An independent lad, though, with a keen interest in night-life, he was wandering in the street when a large and luminous llama appeared, shouted Petrificus Totallus! and stuffed him in a bin-bag.

He was discovered by Alli and Sai, two members of the Offending Party, and took part in their subsequent machinations, including the Dol-in-Gaurgauroth affair. Impressed by his clear ability, when Mardil of Ithilien became King of Gondor he summoned Tom, granting him and his family the title of Lords of Malfoidacil for as long as they served as counsellors. Tom did not wish to refuse, and took the name Dracomir; for after all, the King had been told the plot of Book Seven...

[piosenniel]

GONDOR


Boromir88's character

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.

[piosenniel]

MORDOR

Kath's character

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.

[piosenniel]

MORDOR


Diamond18's character

NAME: Skittles MacFarlewyn
(will answer to Skitt and Les, but never to Kit, and never ever to her real name, which is Nancy)

AGE: 21

RACE: Human

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: Her body is a weapon. Also, she has an endless supply of switchblades with decorative handles.

APPEARANCE: Tall and skinny. Her hair is a mass of tangled black curls, with purple, blue, and emerald green highlights. Her skin is very pale, freakishly so, and tests have shown that she will not tan or burn or even get the slightest shade darker even under long, intensive exposure to sunlight. She once spent seven hours in a tanning booth and didn’t darken a whit (thus winning a bet which entailed the loser having to streak through a church.) She either wears clothes of many bright colors or dresses all in black. The importance of this is covered below.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Skittles does not suffer from insanity, she enjoys every minute of it. She is most often cheerful -- or rather, Morgoth-May-Care -- and there is no predicting what she may do or say. However, she may be provoked into a violent and dangerous mood swing which can last for mere minutes or stretch into days. When this happens she becomes hard, snarky, and switchblade-happy. At times like this she is known to wear black leather and say things like “Do ya feel lucky?”, “Go ahead, make my day,” and “Hasta-la-vista, baby,” as often as she can. She has been known to switch between fancy-free and sinister as many as 60 times per hour. Skittles owns a cat named Hissyfit who accompanies her almost everywhere, unless it is off on its own causing confusion and mass hysteria.

HISTORY: She is a second generation Mordorian -- her parents were Assigned in their youth, both for quoting Shakespeare. After some years they met in an elevator, fell in love, quoted Romeo and Juliet, and decided to get married. This was a foolish thing, since her mother was a psychologist and her father was one of those annoying child rearing experts. Skittles is the demented product of this unholy alliance.

Mr. and Mrs. MacFarlewyn have told Skittles from her earliest youth that she can be whatever she wants to be. Skittles would like to be a tall old oak tree, and there are in fact times when no one can convince her that she is not, and she will stand completely still with her arms outstretched until someone threatens her with an axe, at which time she will do them bodily harm.

How, you may be asking, does such a person become an Ambassador? Wouldn’t she, you may be wondering, be better suited as an assassin or something? Well, you may be right, and she did once kill a man just to watch him die, but her parents were influential members of the community and it was their dream to see Skittles become a high ranking official in the Mordorian government. They pulled strings, greased palms, blackmailed, and made death threats until they secured Skittles the attractive position of Diplomat. She has never been outside Mordor, but this is of little concern to them. Most people deal with her by trying to ignore her, and diverting her attention away from her job onto other things, like pretending she is a tall old oak tree. She can sometimes be convinced to play at diplomacy like it is a role, and since she has a relatively quick mind under her madness, this is not always disastrous.

Skittles, of course, believes that she is completely sane and it is everyone else who is crazy. There is no known medication that has any affect on her -- besides producing a third mood swing and you never, ever want to go there. Trust me.

[piosenniel]

MORDOR

Lhunardawen's character

NAME: Maikaelwen

AGE: 19

RACE: Human

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: A pacifist through and through, she will have none but words and stern looks. In very desperate times, though, she can wield a disarming smile. This she had never used before, and hopes she will never have to.

APPEARANCE: Definitely older than her age. She is a mere 5'2" but appears an inch taller with her ramrod-straight back. She has long, thick dark hair reaching her mid-back that she constantly keeps in a bun so tight she should not be able to move her eyebrows (yet she can), using two ebony chopsticks. She has a pasty white complexion that quickly turns red upon exposure to heat, and for that reason she always keeps a safe distance between her and Roggie. She wears nothing but black and white.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: She is strong-willed and can get more than a little biting, but she is not entirely unlikeable - if one does his or her best. She is very capable of keeping her emotions at bay, and would have nothing to do with boys, men, whatever they call themselves, other than in a professional level. Or so she thinks.

HISTORY: Born in Gondor to parents who are hopelessly devoid of creativity, Maikaelwen had practically been whisked off to Mordor the moment they came up with the unimaginative nickname for her, by virtue of its commonness. And so another Maika was added to Mordorian population.

But Maika would not let her early assignment go to waste. Quickly learning the ropes of living in the Dark Land, she ranted and glared and raised-eyebrow her way to where she is now. Yet despite loving her life in Mordor, somewhere inside her lies a quiet desire to go back to the place of her birth, and it only needs something to awaken it.

[piosenniel]

MORDOR

Hookbill the Goomba's character

NAME: Smilog

AGE: 690

RACE: Dwarf

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Axe, knife, helm.

APPEARANCE: A short and rather fat fellow with grey hair and a bright red beard. His eyes are small and shifty, with green pupils. He wears a dark blue tunic over which is a large (maybe too large) black coat buttoned with green buttons. He wears blue boots and a short helm. He has a red face and a grumpy look about him.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Miserable. That’s what most people would say. He grumbles a lot, when not staring into space with a look of anger and regret plastered all over him. He gets angry quickly and tends to have a "Don't touch me" attitude. Only attribute being an unusual intelligence for a dwarf and an unhealthy obsession with anything that goes faster than a horse.

HISTORY: Avoided being assigned to Mordor the first time around by the skin of his teeth. By that, I mean, he hid in a barrel. In his youth he had been rather unpopular and has since taken to a life of being solitary. He only became an advisor to Roggie because no one else would take him on. His parents are said to be 'disappointed'.

Smilog is not well liked, in fact, even the other advisers treat him with contempt, but this he has brought very much on himself, being rude, callas, incredibly short tempered and not a little foolish.

[piosenniel]

CAMEOS


Celuien's character

NAME: Panakeia

AGE: 50

RACE: Human, from Harad

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: None, really. Great powers of persuasion. Implied threat of bringing the wrath of the Grand Anakronist upon those who cross her, though she has never said such a thing to anyone.

APPEARANCE: Panakeia formerly had bleached blonde hair and overly heavy makeup. Since meeting the Grand Anakronist, however, she has allowed it to return to its natural light brown (streaked with a few gray hairs, to Panakeia's great consternation) shade. Dark blue eyes. She has toned down her makeup as well, though she still tends to wear some. Jewelry remains fairly elaborate, as do her clothes, which are now less garish than they are obviously chic and pricey.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Strengths: Panakeia regained her conscience in ATM I, so she is reasonable nice. Pragmatic, intelligent. Weaknesses: Vanity is still her Achilles Heel. Short-tempered. Demanding at times.

HISTORY: (Mostly copied shamelessly from ATM I) Panakeia was born to a poor family from the borders of Harad upon whom the curse of the Anakronism Dweomer sat heavily, like a lump of gravy on a slice of day-old turkey. Fortunately for them, this particular corner of Middle-earth was far from the ears and eyes of those who enforced the Laws of Gondor which outlawed the use of Anakronisms (or any laws at all, for that matter), so it made little difference to the young Panakeia, who grew up discussing Britney Spears and marketing tactics with her two siblings as if such terms were completely normal for Middle-earth in the Fourth Age.

By Panakeia’s 10th birthday, her family’s fortunes mysteriously changed and they found themselves in possession of a large estate. She grew into a surprisingly attractive young woman with high principles, and by 18 she was the belle of the Harad area. It was also about this time that she discovered the reason for her family’s rags-to-riches story: in a locked attic, Panakeia stumbled on a box of pamphlets advertising cheap garden spot lots. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the map included with the ads would have told anyone who had even a passing acquaintance with geography that the so-called garden spot was located smack in the middle of the Dead Marshes. Worse yet, there was evidence for many other schemes run by her family over the years. Panakeia was horrified and vowed never to join the family business, insisting that there was no offer that they could possibly make her that she would not be able to refuse.

But Fate was working against Panakeia. Shortly afterwards, retribution came upon her family in the form of disgruntled investors from the land scheme. These investors burned her home to the ground, forcing her to flee into the wilderness. In the confusion, she became separated from her relatives, none of whom she would see again. Poor Panakeia wandered in the wild for days, lost and starving. Finally, she located an old potato field, clawed a raw tuber from the earth with her fingernails and devoured it. With a cry to the setting sun of “I’ll never be hungry again,” Panakeia decided to wreak her revenge on those who had ended her fairy-tale existence by restarting her family’s old schemes. After all, if people were foolish enough to fall for her scams, they deserved whatever came to them, didn’t they? She then headed out on the road, selling various health and beauty potions of dubious quality from a roadside stand. Over the years, she became accustomed to her lifestyle and completely forgot her early idealism.

In time, her travels took her to the heart of Gondor itself. Unaware of (or perhaps indifferent to) the banning of Anakronisms, she set up her stand on the road to Minas Tirith and called out “Panakeia’s Beauty Cream! Guaranteed to give you J Lo’s youthful glow, or your money back!” She only had time to make two sales before being whisked off to Mordor by the Anakronism Police.

One year ago, Panakeia was selected as a member of the Grand Anakronist's Offending Party and given a chance to leave Mordor. She completed all tests required to gain her freedom, but chose to remain in Mordor due to a sudden romance with the Grand Anakronist. Since then, she has been involved in a courtship with Anakron, (anakronistically referred to as dating). While quite happy with him, she is annoyed that he has not yet proposed the all-important state of marriage, despite her constant hints that she is ready and eager for such a step, especially given that she is about to turn 51. For that reason, she has started following Anakron on all of his journeys through Mordor, even those for official business, despite the fact that political subjects cause her endless ennui. That is how Panakeia, despite not being politically inclined, arrived at the diplomatic proceedings.

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

littlemanpoet's character


NAME: Anakron Istkon Vayor

AGE: 51

RACE: Umbarian

GENDER: male

WEAPONS : none. except for the Anakron Staff

APPEARANCE: Tall, black robed, austere, high forehead, a black wide-brimmed hat, long white hair, narrow, beardless face. Holds the Anakron Staff, which is made of black metal, and bears the insignia of the Grand Anakronist, a stylized representation of a Siamese Cat, known however to morph into Sylvester.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Austere, authoritative, rhetorical expert, formal. Given the right circumstances, will break out into a doggerel chattering, dancing buffoon in vaudeville style (part of the Anakronism Dweomer).

HISTORY: Elempi of Umbar grew up as a model child in a wealthy (but not ruling) family, was trained from early as a scholar in history, language, and philosophy. He taught in the Academy of Umbar for twenty years until he was handpicked by the retiring Grand Anakronist to replace him. He was given the Anakron Staff, which creates nothing, but directs the latent effects of the Anakronism Dweomer. Has recently developed a fondness for Panakeia, one of the former Offending Party.

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

Eomer of the Rohirrim's character

NAME: Aimé.

AGE: 22.

RACE: Man of Rohan.

GENDER: Male.

WEAPONS: The ability to run away very quickly; a sword (mostly for show); a crossbow; and a high-pitched shriek.

APPEARANCE: Aimé is a little over six feet tall and is thin. He tends to wear shabby clothes: jackets, cloaks. At times, this looks quite fetching in an 'outsider' kind of way. Most of the time, though, he just looks like a mess. He has flowing hair which appears to change colour depending on which way he turns: here dark brown, here golden, here sepia. He has deep blue eyes and an entirely lazy demeanour. He appears sedated most of the time. He has also acquired a black top hat, which he wears nearly all the time.

PERSONALITY: Selfish; cowardly; cynical; uninterested in most other people. But that's on the inside. To other eyes, Aimé appears exceedingly charming. When in the mood, he can be extremely unlikeable to those who get close to him, and this mood takes him often.

STRENGTHS: The ability to make himself appear far more interesting and desirable than he actually is.

WEAKNESSES: Beautiful piano music can reduce him to a weeping wreck. There's also the huge discomfort he gets from simply being around other people. And sharp things like axes, swords and teeth through the skin. Aimé's quite the bleeder.

HISTORY: Aimé was assigned to Mordor a few years previously (by his as-yet-unidentified nemesys), and has grown used to it. He has been sighted far more frequently in recent times: often stealing through the harsh wilderness of the land, or indeed up to who-knows-what in the dark Mordorian nightlife.

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

Feanor of the Peredhil's character


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

[piosenniel]

Players -

Please submit the following bio form for all of your characters:

-----

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FORM

NAME:

AGE:

RACE:

GENDER:

WEAPONS:

APPEARANCE:

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:

HISTORY:

--------

No First Posts for the game are required by the proposer.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

On Mordorian Ambassadors: Players are free to choose characteristcs based on the Assigned to Mordor thread; meaning almost anything goes, but use your discretion wisely. The reason I nixed Elves is because this is 4th Age and there should be a distinct lack of them running around.

On Gondorian Ambassadors: Roles should be as canonical as possible. Keep 'em human, keep 'em believable.

On Cameos and Sides: I've sent that information via PM.

The rest looks good.

[piosenniel]

Any of the gamers whom Fea has OK'd to play in her game

Please post your Character Descriptions to this thread as soon as you can

~*~ Pio

[Hookbill the Goomba]

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FORM

POSTEDTO THE PROPOSAL ~*~ PIO


MORDOR

Hookbill the Goomba's character

NAME: Smilog -- Mordor

AGE: 690

RACE: Dwarf

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Axe, knife, helm.

APPEARANCE: A short and rather fat fellow with grey hair and a bright red beard. His eyes are small and shifty, with green pupils. He wears a dark blue tunic over which is a large (maybe too large) black coat buttoned with green buttons. He wears blue boots and a short helm. He has a red face and a grumpy look about him.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Miserable. That’s what most people would say. He grumbles a lot, when not staring into space with a look of anger and regret plastered all over him. He gets angry quickly and tends to have a "Don't touch me" attitude. Only attribute being an unusual intelligence for a dwarf and an unhealthy obsession with anything that goes faster than a horse.

HISTORY: Avoided being assigned to Mordor the first time around by the skin of his teeth. By that, I mean, he hid in a barrel. In his youth he had been rather unpopular and has since taken to a life of being solitary. He only became an advisor to Roggie because no one else would take him on. His parents are said to be 'disappointed'.
Smilog is not well liked, in fact, even the other advisers treat him with contempt, but this he has brought very much on himself, being rude, callas, incredibly short tempered and not a little foolish.

[Formendacil]

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FORM

MOVED TO PROPOSAL ABOVE ~*~ Pio

GONDOR

Formendacil's character

NAME: Hyarmenwë son of Hyarmendil

AGE: 71

RACE: Dúnedain of Gondor

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Sword

APPEARANCE: Typically Dúnedainic in appearance: tall, silver-haired, with a regal, thin face, a slightly hooked nose, and rather bushy eyebrows. Cleanshaven, with a proud, straight, almost military, bearing. Generally serious in mien.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Hyarmenwë can be summed up in the word "haughty". He may think of himself as a good man, and can be fairly kind towards youth or fools, he, nonetheless, sees the world through the very tinted glasses of noble birth. A nationalist in his world view, he sees Gondor as the greatest nation in the world, an almost "Chosen People". He is absolutely loyal to the House of Telcontar, and can be very narrowminded towards all else.

HISTORY: As pureblooded a Dúnedan as one can be in the mid-Fourth Age, Hyarmenwë comes of a very noble family of Minas Tirith, claiming direct descent from Húrin, Warden of the Keys, whose title he holds himself, as well as kinship with the Line of the Stewards and the Kings of Gondor. As a young man, he served in campaigns in Far Harad, and became Keeper of the Keys after the death of his father Hyarmendil. Although advancing a great deal in age, he remains hale thus far. He has not used a blade in years, but could probably be expected to wield it respectably, were he to need to.

[Anguirel]

GONDOR

POSTED TO PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

Anguirel's character

NAME: The Lord Dracomir Malfoidacil of Gondor, son of the Lord Luciamir Malfoidacil. Also known in the anakronistic tongue as one Master Tom Felton.

AGE: 18, or 15, or 16 (Real Life, Film, or Book)

RACE: Human and secretly Pureblood Wizard

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: The Lord Dracomir has been known to wield a strange and deadly device known as a Diabolo. He also possesses a wand and a Nimbus Two Thousand And One racing broom. As for what happens at night...well...

APPEARANCE: Pale but rather embarrassingly adorable features. Slicked back white-blond hair. Tall enough for his age. Looks as though he’s making an effort to appear rather more pallid and patrician than he actually is.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: The Lord Dracomir is a cunning schemer and duellist, an excellent flyer, has few equals in Potions (except that Potter boy), and has a grounding in the Dark Arts.

However, Tom Felton is crippled by the inner realisation that he is in fact a gorgeous, pleasant, hair-rufflable cherub with nice manners, not a bigoted murderer. He tries to hide this by over-compensating arrogance and political incorrectness. It rarely works.

HISTORY: Tom Felton used to be a normal, happy, prancing Kensington child. But then he was whisked away by the forces of Hollywood, where he took on the persona of Draco Malfoy and became beloved of millions of raving fangirls. He forgot his old life and became stuck in a rut, and could be found conspiring with Jason Isaacs to destroy Mudbloods.

But the situation got still worse when Harry Potter purists, frustrated by a covetous glance he directed at Emma Watson in a moment of non-focalisation, consigned him to Mordor. Here he encountered none other than Fenrir Greyback, assigned by a Lupin-lover. After a desperate confrontation he managed to escape and stumbled upon his parents, Lucius and Narcissa. An independent lad, though, with a keen interest in night-life, he was wandering in the street when a large and luminous llama appeared, shouted Petrificus Totallus! and stuffed him in a bin-bag.

He was discovered by Alli and Sai, two members of the Offending Party, and took part in their subsequent machinations, including the Dol-in-Gaurgauroth affair. Impressed by his clear ability, when Mardil of Ithilien became King of Gondor he summoned Tom, granting him and his family the title of Lords of Malfoidacil for as long as they served as counsellors. Tom did not wish to refuse, and took the name Dracomir; for after all, the King had been told the plot of Book Seven...

[Celuien]

CAMEO

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

Celuien's character

NAME: Panakeia

AGE: 50

RACE: Human, from Harad

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: None, really. Great powers of persuasion. Implied threat of bringing the wrath of the Grand Anakronist upon those who cross her, though she has never said such a thing to anyone.

APPEARANCE: Panakeia formerly had bleached blonde hair and overly heavy makeup. Since meeting the Grand Anakronist, however, she has allowed it to return to its natural light brown (streaked with a few gray hairs, to Panakeia's great consternation) shade. Dark blue eyes. She has toned down her makeup as well, though she still tends to wear some. Jewelry remains fairly elaborate, as do her clothes, which are now less garish than they are obviously chic and pricey.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Strengths: Panakeia regained her conscience in ATM I, so she is reasonable nice. Pragmatic, intelligent. Weaknesses: Vanity is still her Achilles Heel. Short-tempered. Demanding at times.

HISTORY: (Mostly copied shamelessly from ATM I) Panakeia was born to a poor family from the borders of Harad upon whom the curse of the Anakronism Dweomer sat heavily, like a lump of gravy on a slice of day-old turkey. Fortunately for them, this particular corner of Middle-earth was far from the ears and eyes of those who enforced the Laws of Gondor which outlawed the use of Anakronisms (or any laws at all, for that matter), so it made little difference to the young Panakeia, who grew up discussing Britney Spears and marketing tactics with her two siblings as if such terms were completely normal for Middle-earth in the Fourth Age.

By Panakeia’s 10th birthday, her family’s fortunes mysteriously changed and they found themselves in possession of a large estate. She grew into a surprisingly attractive young woman with high principles, and by 18 she was the belle of the Harad area. It was also about this time that she discovered the reason for her family’s rags-to-riches story: in a locked attic, Panakeia stumbled on a box of pamphlets advertising cheap garden spot lots. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the map included with the ads would have told anyone who had even a passing acquaintance with geography that the so-called garden spot was located smack in the middle of the Dead Marshes. Worse yet, there was evidence for many other schemes run by her family over the years. Panakeia was horrified and vowed never to join the family business, insisting that there was no offer that they could possibly make her that she would not be able to refuse.

But Fate was working against Panakeia. Shortly afterwards, retribution came upon her family in the form of disgruntled investors from the land scheme. These investors burned her home to the ground, forcing her to flee into the wilderness. In the confusion, she became separated from her relatives, none of whom she would see again. Poor Panakeia wandered in the wild for days, lost and starving. Finally, she located an old potato field, clawed a raw tuber from the earth with her fingernails and devoured it. With a cry to the setting sun of “I’ll never be hungry again,” Panakeia decided to wreak her revenge on those who had ended her fairy-tale existence by restarting her family’s old schemes. After all, if people were foolish enough to fall for her scams, they deserved whatever came to them, didn’t they? She then headed out on the road, selling various health and beauty potions of dubious quality from a roadside stand. Over the years, she became accustomed to her lifestyle and completely forgot her early idealism.

In time, her travels took her to the heart of Gondor itself. Unaware of (or perhaps indifferent to) the banning of Anakronisms, she set up her stand on the road to Minas Tirith and called out “Panakeia’s Beauty Cream! Guaranteed to give you J Lo’s youthful glow, or your money back!” She only had time to make two sales before being whisked off to Mordor by the Anakronism Police.

One year ago, Panakeia was selected as a member of the Grand Anakronist's Offending Party and given a chance to leave Mordor. She completed all tests required to gain her freedom, but chose to remain in Mordor due to a sudden romance with the Grand Anakronist. Since then, she has been involved in a courtship with Anakron, (anakronistically referred to as dating). While quite happy with him, she is annoyed that he has not yet proposed the all-important state of marriage, despite her constant hints that she is ready and eager for such a step, especially given that she is about to turn 51. For that reason, she has started following Anakron on all of his journeys through Mordor, even those for official business, despite the fact that political subjects cause her endless ennui. That is how Panakeia, despite not being politically inclined, arrived at the diplomatic proceedings.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Point one: Pio, please add the phantom to the list of those who can post. He will be resuming the role of Mardil II of Gondor.

Kath will be a Mordorian diplomat.

EDIT: DONE & DONE ~*~ Pio

-----

Point two, here is a very excellent write up of the political tension from the Gondor point of view as provided by the phantom.

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

All right, about the set up. Since I am one of the rulers involved, I think I ought to help you set up the diplomatic situation. The diplomatic stances need to make sense and be opposing without either side looking obviously stupid or wrong.

So, here are my thoughts on the matter. I'm thinking all of this will work well. If something doesn't sit well, just let me know.

1) The old king of Gondor (who still sits on the throne in Minas Tirith) is refusing to give up his seat and throws orders around as if he is the King, but he no longer has the power to get things done. The majority of Gondor supports Mardil II and refers to him as "King", especially since his marriage to Morwen, the King's daughter.

2) Mardil is extremely aware of the fact that there are many many Gondorians in Mordor that want to go back home. Now, some of them are criminals and deserve to be there (it's like a giant jail), but Mardil also knows that many of them are completely decent people who do not deserve to be seperated from their families and friends. Unfortunately, there is no way of telling who is who because the former King kept poor records, and some of his records are not to be trusted. Because of this, Mardil wants to give every Mordorian who wishes to go home one chance to escape, and trust to Eru that those who deserve it will succeed. Roggie is opposed to this of course (afraid of losing his subjects). Mardil, though, refuses to compromise on this issue. Especially after his personal experience in Mordor, he finds the idea of innocents being seperated from their families to be a terrible crime that needs to be rectified.

3) Mardil wants the Blue Wizards and their influence GONE! He views them as evil, would-be Saurons. Roggie knows that without their power he would lose many of his citizens, so he can't support getting rid of them. But, Roggie doesn't like them and Mardil knows it, and Mardil hopes to use this factor to finally convince Roggie to help him kill the wizards. Mardil believes that it could be Roggie's destiny to battle the two evil wizards and slay them, since they are all Ainu of the same order. Mardil thinks that Roggie facing down the two obviously evil Maia might result in the former Balrog's ultimate redemption and forgiveness from the Valar for Roggie. Mardil has never discussed this with Roggie, or really anyone except his wife and Anakron. Mardil is biding his time, waiting to play this powerful trump card, which he hopes will completely bring Roggie to his side against the two wizards.

4) Mardil does understand Roggie's concern with losing his subjects, but adamantly believes that is a secondary concern, and that the first order of business is to rid the world of the Blue Istari and free the innocents of Mordor. Mardil thinks that after those things are done, then he and Roggie can work something out that they are both comfortable with. Roggie, because of his anti-Mardil bias (because of losing his leg, and because of Mardil's high bearing), doesn't trust Mardil to fairly treat with him after he has defeated the wizards (despite the fact that Mardil truly would treat with him fairly). Because of Roggie's belief, he insists on reaching some sort of favorable agreement regarding his kingdom losing its people (and therefore him his power) before agreeing to help Mardil with his goals.

I think that those points provide a good basis for the diplomatic tensions between the two kingdoms. Make sure that Mardil's ambassadors are aware of and stay true to Mardil's stances.

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

All players please take this information into account while negotiating or otherwise acting.

[Lhunardawen]

MORDOR

RE - PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

Lhunardawen's character

NAME: Maikaelwen

AGE: 19

RACE: Human

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: A pacifist through and through, she will have none but words and stern looks. In very desperate times, though, she can wield a disarming smile. This she had never used before, and hopes she will never have to.

APPEARANCE: Definitely older than her age. She is a mere 5'2" but appears an inch taller with her ramrod-straight back. She has long, thick dark hair reaching her mid-back that she constantly keeps in a bun so tight she should not be able to move her eyebrows (yet she can), using two ebony chopsticks. She has a pasty white complexion that quickly turns red upon exposure to heat, and for that reason she always keeps a safe distance between her and Roggie. She wears nothing but black and white.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: She is strong-willed and can get more than a little biting, but she is not entirely unlikeable - if one does his or her best. She is very capable of keeping her emotions at bay, and would have nothing to do with boys, men, whatever they call themselves, other than in a professional level. Or so she thinks.

HISTORY: Born in Gondor to parents who are hopelessly devoid of creativity, Maikaelwen had practically been whisked off to Mordor the moment they came up with the unimaginative nickname for her, by virtue of its commonness. And so another Maika was added to Mordorian population.

But Maika would not let her early assignment go to waste. Quickly learning the ropes of living in the Dark Land, she ranted and glared and raised-eyebrow her way to where she is now. Yet despite loving her life in Mordor, somewhere inside her lies a quiet desire to go back to the place of her birth, and it only needs something to awaken it.

[littlemanpoet]

CAMEO

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

NAME: Anakron Istkon Vayor

AGE: 51

RACE: Umbarian

GENDER: male

WEAPONS : none. except for the Anakron Staff

APPEARANCE: Tall, black robed, austere, high forehead, a black wide-brimmed hat, long white hair, narrow, beardless face. Holds the Anakron Staff, which is made of black metal, and bears the insignia of the Grand Anakronist, a stylized representation of a Siamese Cat, known however to morph into Sylvester.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Austere, authoritative, rhetorical expert, formal. Given the right circumstances, will break out into a doggerel chattering, dancing buffoon in vaudeville style (part of the Anakronism Dweomer).

HISTORY: Elempi of Umbar grew up as a model child in a wealthy (but not ruling) family, was trained from early as a scholar in history, language, and philosophy. He taught in the Academy of Umbar for twenty years until he was handpicked by the retiring Grand Anakronist to replace him. He was given the Anakron Staff, which creates nothing, but directs the latent effects of the Anakronism Dweomer. Has recently developed a fondness for Panakeia, one of the former Offending Party.

[JennyHallu]

UM...WHAT SIDE AM I ON AGAIN?

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

Name: Lola Martinet, aka 'Ms. Martinet'

Age: 27

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Weapons: Wit and an acerbic tongue, also, and subject to approval, a set of weaponized ballpoint pens in blue and black ink.

Personality/Appearance/All that Jazz: Lola Martinet is perverse, contrary, sly, and gets intense satisfaction out of irritating people. This, combined with a delightfully unorthodox profession, has given her the perfect excuse to create two separate personas, so incredibly different that only a few people have ever managed to connect the two (even as fraternal twins, separated at birth and raised by wild animals and orcs, respectively). Only Alli is aware that her second-in-command is, in fact, perfectly sane.

By day, Ms. Martinet rules the roost at Alli's office. To anyone but her employer she is the secretary from hell. She has perfected bureaucracy into a fine art, developing multiple forms (each to be filed in triplicate) for simple tasks, and delights in filling each out with slightly different information in order to crow over the chaos further down the line. She works on her manicure on busy days, intentionally misdirects callers and visitors, chews bubble gum loudly during conversations, and, when asked to take minutes of sensitive meetings, stares fixedly at a spot in the center of the speaker's forehead, never glancing down at her notebook. For Alli, however, she is quick and efficient, with no delays or complaints. She looks mousy, dresses in dull browns and tans, and glares at people over the rims of half-moon glasses. Her hair is always a tight damp knot of indeterminate color, and her nails the only part of her body to be perpetually perfectly groomed. She plays progressive jazz in the office (you know, the sort with a three-drink minimum) and is always the only person to understand it, much less enjoy it.

By night, sexy, voluptuous Lola is every man's dream. Her blond hair is always perfectly crimped and coiffed, and she dresses in clothes and styles designed to accentuate her curvaceous body (her favorite is a red sequined minidress). She sings her beloved jazz in a nightclub in Mordor--that is, when she isn't completing daring and dangerous missions with Alli in the dead of night. Her starry, near violet eyes make men believe she is promising the moon. She isn't. (Even when she glances up at them coyly through her thick dark lashes.) She is a flirt, a maneater, and a heartbreaker, and delights in it.

History: Lola grew up a prim, proper, and inhibited young lady in Gondor, but was assigned to Mordor when her classical harp music suddenly gained some rather odd chords. She only half-heartedly worked to be able to leave, as she found she loved the chaos and confusion of life in Mordor...it played right into her perfectly manicured hands.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Technically you're on the Mordorian side, Jen, since you work for Alli and Alli works for Roggie, but since we're not taking active part in the negotiations, we don't have to choose sides.

Also, Eomer of the Rohirrim will once again cover the role of Aimè the Hunter. He'll post up a bio soon.

And I may have acquired our last Mordorian official.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Diamond18 is joining us as a Mordorian diplomat.

[piosenniel]

JennyH

Post edited. :)

-----

Fea

Is EotR the last Gondorian ambassador?

~*~ Pio

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Eomer is still merely a cameo role. I'm still in the process of abducti-- er, I mean enlisting my last Gondorian.

[JennyHallu]

Question: Fea, I just reread your first post and I must confess some confusion...are we going to Gondor, or is Gondor coming to us? You mentioned Alli's ability to travel and wish for Aime to accompany her, and then told Ms. Martinet she's responsible for getting the Gondorians a place to stay.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'll have to edit a little bit to clarify. Negotiations will take place in Mordor. I'll have to think of a good reason why. I mean, I know perfectly well why a spymaster would want events unfolding on her own turf where every corner of the castle contains her ears, but diplomatic reasons that won't offend an arrogant king?

I'm very open to suggestions. I don't do politics. That's why Alli's got a second in command; she doesn't do them either, at least not more than strictly necessary.

In any case, what will happen is Alli will go to Gondor to convince Mardil to treat with Roggie. This will not take place in the game. It will be after that that she returns with a list of names of the soon-arriving diplomats for Lola. The next post in the game will take place just long enough after my first to account for round trip travel time and a day or two in Minas Tirith.

[Diamond18]

Hey ho everyone. I look forward to joining you all on your adventure. Here is my character:

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio


NAME: Skittles MacFarlewyn
(will answer to Skitt and Les, but never to Kit, and never ever to her real name, which is Nancy)

AGE: 21

RACE: Human

GENDER: Female

WEAPONS: Her body is a weapon. Also, she has an endless supply of switchblades with decorative handles.

APPEARANCE: Tall and skinny. Her hair is a mass of tangled black curls, with purple, blue, and emerald green highlights. Her skin is very pale, freakishly so, and tests have shown that she will not tan or burn or even get the slightest shade darker even under long, intensive exposure to sunlight. She once spent seven hours in a tanning booth and didn’t darken a whit (thus winning a bet which entailed the loser having to streak through a church.) She either wears clothes of many bright colors or dresses all in black. The importance of this is covered below.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Skittles does not suffer from insanity, she enjoys every minute of it. She is most often cheerful -- or rather, Morgoth-May-Care -- and there is no predicting what she may do or say. However, she may be provoked into a violent and dangerous mood swing which can last for mere minutes or stretch into days. When this happens she becomes hard, snarky, and switchblade-happy. At times like this she is known to wear black leather and say things like “Do ya feel lucky?”, “Go ahead, make my day,” and “Hasta-la-vista, baby,” as often as she can. She has been known to switch between fancy-free and sinister as many as 60 times per hour. Skittles owns a cat named Hissyfit who accompanies her almost everywhere, unless it is off on its own causing confusion and mass hysteria.

HISTORY: She is a second generation Mordorian -- her parents were Assigned in their youth, both for quoting Shakespeare. After some years they met in an elevator, fell in love, quoted Romeo and Juliet, and decided to get married. This was a foolish thing, since her mother was a psychologist and her father was one of those annoying child rearing experts. Skittles is the demented product of this unholy alliance.

Mr. and Mrs. MacFarlewyn have told Skittles from her earliest youth that she can be whatever she wants to be. Skittles would like to be a tall old oak tree, and there are in fact times when no one can convince her that she is not, and she will stand completely still with her arms outstretched until someone threatens her with an axe, at which time she will do them bodily harm.

How, you may be asking, does such a person become an Ambassador? Wouldn’t she, you may be wondering, be better suited as an assassin or something? Well, you may be right, and she did once kill a man just to watch him die, but her parents were influential members of the community and it was their dream to see Skittles become a high ranking official in the Mordorian government. They pulled strings, greased palms, blackmailed, and made death threats until they secured Skittles the attractive position of Diplomat. She has never been outside Mordor, but this is of little concern to them. Most people deal with her by trying to ignore her, and diverting her attention away from her job onto other things, like pretending she is a tall old oak tree. She can sometimes be convinced to play at diplomacy like it is a role, and since she has a relatively quick mind under her madness, this is not always disastrous.

Skittles, of course, believes that she is completely sane and it is everyone else who is crazy. There is no known medication that has any affect on her -- besides producing a third mood swing and you never, ever want to go there. Trust me.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

CAMEO (not so secret this time):

PLACED ON PROPOSAL ~*~ Pio

NAME: Aimé.

AGE: 22.

RACE: Man of Rohan.

GENDER: Male.

WEAPONS: The ability to run away very quickly; a sword (mostly for show); a crossbow; and a high-pitched shriek.

APPEARANCE: Aimé is a little over six feet tall and is thin. He tends to wear shabby clothes: jackets, cloaks. At times, this looks quite fetching in an 'outsider' kind of way. Most of the time, though, he just looks like a mess. He has flowing hair which appears to change colour depending on which way he turns: here dark brown, here golden, here sepia. He has deep blue eyes and an entirely lazy demeanour. He appears sedated most of the time. He has also acquired a black top hat, which he wears nearly all the time.

PERSONALITY: Selfish; cowardly; cynical; uninterested in most other people. But that's on the inside. To other eyes, Aimé appears exceedingly charming. When in the mood, he can be extremely unlikeable to those who get close to him, and this mood takes him often.

STRENGTHS: The ability to make himself appear far more interesting and desirable than he actually is.

WEAKNESSES: Beautiful piano music can reduce him to a weeping wreck. There's also the huge discomfort he gets from simply being around other people. And sharp things like axes, swords and teeth through the skin. Aimé's quite the bleeder.

HISTORY: Aimé was assigned to Mordor a few years previously (by his as-yet-unidentified nemesys), and has grown used to it. He has been sighted far more frequently in recent times: often stealing through the harsh wilderness of the land, or indeed up to who-knows-what in the dark Mordorian nightlife.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Formendacil has reminded me of that which is obvious enough, but managed to slip my mind.

You need a reason for the negotiations to take place in Mordor. Well, it just so happens that all of the inhabitants of Mordor, including the diplomats, were Assigned there, and we all know what a hassle it is to get OUT of Mordor.

Therefore, to emphasize the advantage of his position as Overlord, Mardil has the negotiations take place in Mordor. He can send his people in and out as he wishes, but Roggie and his people are forced to remain therein. A sort of domination/power struggle thing, perhaps?

Just a thought...
Inhabitants of Mordor can't just up and leave. It will be understood that negotiations take place in Mordor because Mordorian ambassadors are not allowed to leave and, given that they are soon to commence discussion on immigration laws, they will not be slipping out of the country illegally in order to meet up with Mardil's people.

I'll edit my post somewhat this afternoon (EST) to accomodate this, unless Jen would like to take care of such details with Lola? I can quite easily see Alli's orders being "I want everyone in this castle. Find me a plausible excuse for it." and continuing on with her work.

[piosenniel]

Fea

if you edit your post - just place the revised one on this thread and I'll replace the one you originally sent.

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

Anyone who wants to edit something in their character's bio - just notify me with a post to the Discussion Thread that you've done so. I don't often read the little 'reason for edit tags'.


~*~ Pio

[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

----------

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.”

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


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., http://forum.barrowdowns.com/ubb/icons/icon8.gif http://www.forum.barrowdowns.com/images/icons/WhiteTree3.gif http://forum.barrowdowns.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif 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

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

~*~ 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]

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. :p

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? :D (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. ;) :D

[Diamond18]

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

:D

[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.

:cool:

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. :D :p

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. :D :p
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. :p

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]

What? What? What?
:p

(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]

Can we pretty please not give me an ulcer?
Yes, madam.

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

[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]

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.

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]

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. :p 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.

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]

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. :p

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

First conflict solved. Here everybody, have a cookie. :cool:

[Diamond18]

Lovely. :D

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.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I have a little plan in mind at the moment. Is it okay to give my character a terminal disease? It fits in with my little sub plot thing.

When will the game be starting? I can't remember if its been stated. But I have exams at the moment (as well as a certain travelling Mountain game to keep going). So, I may not be very helpful to begin with. But I'll try my best.

[Diamond18]

It's already started. Right here. (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=12837)

[piosenniel]

If you see an 'edited by piosenniel' on your post, I'm just removing your signature.

~*~ Pio

[Hookbill the Goomba]

It's already started. Right here. (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=12837)

Ah, oh dear. I seem to have fallen behind a little.
Well, I don't have an exam till Tuesday, so I'll try and read through it so far and post. Don't expect anything super fantastic from me (not just because I'm doing exams, just generally :p )

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

No worries, Hookbill. You've got a Mordorian in your hands. You can do whatever you want with him (her? blah... my alarm clock didn't go off and I'm running late) including showing back up in the chamber Alli's in now and asking to join in. Have at it and no worries about RL taking over. This summer should be a fascinating experience with time management for me. *panics a little* We'll work it all out. :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

And sure your character can have a terminal disease.

[Diamond18]

Oops, sorry Pio, I've gotten a bit rusty in the remember-to-turn-off-sig department.

Now, a note about Skittles.

While reminding her of her tree-itis can sometimes (offtimes) work, I had not intended it to be a fool proof magic safeword, and it should not be used or viewed as such. Which is to say, I reserve the right to make Skittles utterly impossible to deal with in any rational sense, mwah ha ha ha ha.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Okay. :)

No torturing though. At least not right now. :p

[the guy who be short]

Yes, I'm being a bit stingy on the joke front. I'm still getting into character and trying to adapt to dry humour; I'll try to work something in later on. Meanwhile, I leave you all with a startling insight into the mind of Angawen Tupsë.

[Boromir88]

Bearugard has nudged into the conversation, and by all means continue to play up the spoiled little brat role. :p

[JennyHallu]

Diamond: That's fine with me too...it will also be delightful fun if Lola gets used to it working, and then it doesn't at some pivotal time...

Formendacil: If you don't like how I've used your character, let me know. I conceived that whole exchange and Dracomir seemed the only one at all likely to be involved in it...Skittles is swaying in the wind, and it just wasn't Smilog material.

[the guy who be short]

Boromir... how did you get past my guards? :p

Could you perhaps edit your post and have Angawen and Hyarmanwe come and find you, or something that solves the guard problem please?

[Anguirel]

Jenny, I think you're under the widespread misconception that Formendacil and I are identical...

I play the Lord Dracomir Malfoidacil!

If we're being strict, I'd hardly describe Dracomir as a "man", since he's only 15-18, but I don't really mind.

[Boromir88]

tgwbs, no problem. When I first read your post, I thought you had left the guards at your room. :rolleyes: But, it's been fixed. :D

[Formendacil]

Jenny, I think you're under the widespread misconception that Formendacil and I are identical...

Seems to be a common ailment around these forums...

Really, everbody, I have an avatar and am much cooler than Anguirel. We shouldn't be that hard to keep straight. :smokin:

Erm... on a more serious note, so this post HAS a serious note, I shall try and get a Hyarmenwë post up within the hour. Pretty much everything that has been said about him is plausible within his character, but the motivations need some working... which is what I'll be posting about.

[JennyHallu]

Umm...right...Ang...exactly. I knew that!

[Diamond18]

No torturing though. At least not right now. :p

Understood -- but you might want to have Alli give Skittles some kind of answer... I don't think she really accepts everything Ms. Martinet says as the will of Alli. ;)


Diamond: That's fine with me too...it will also be delightful fun if Lola gets used to it working, and then it doesn't at some pivotal time...

Right now, I would say that Alli and Ms. Martinet can get it to work, but if a Gondorian tries it, I really don't see Skittles listening to them.

[Anguirel]

Waaah. Everyone's ganging up against poor Tom and I'm not even allowed to use a wee bit of magic. Sniff.

More seriously...Fea, you have a throwaway reference to Maika grinning at a joke. Since she has never smiled in her life and is saving one up for a special occasion, shouldn't this be changed?

Don't know why I'm moaning about this rather that Lhuna, but there we go...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Thanks for pointing it out. I'll fix it, though surely continuity or the lack thereof have been conveniently assigned to Mordor? ;)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

posted to proposal ~*~ Pio


NAME: Roggie of Morgoth

AGE: uncertain

RACE: Maiar, specifically Balrog

GENDER: male

WEAPONS: flaming whip, scimitar, carcinogenic body that can either burn or cause no effect whatsoever with no respect for continuity, and with a little bit of terror.

APPEARANCE: Tall enough to require vaulted ceilings in his castle (the renovated Mount Doom Casino and Resort, now call the Mount Doom Palace and Casino), occasionally flaming, though usually just smoldering, often clad as a pirate with a superfluous eye patch and a much needed peg leg replacing that which King Mardil of Gondor once shot off during a tank chase in the bowels of Lundun. He casts a bit of a scary image, what with being a balrog and all, though it is a bit tempered by the pirate paraphernalia. His most appealing feature is his eyes, lined heavily with black kohl. Utterly wingless as of a year ago when one small Italian plumber werewolf named Mario stole those that Alli, in her former job as Balrog-Winger, had expertly given him.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Roggie is generally very calm and collected, though his temper is notorious. He listens to very few people and his best friend Alli Umfuil is one of them. He holds grudges. Roggie of Morgoth was an aspiring actor before the events of ATMI thrust him into the position of ruler of Mordor. Now he questions his ability to hold onto his kingdom which makes him consistently irritable. He often over-reacts when it comes to anything Gondorian.

HISTORY: Roggie once worked for Melkor Morgoth in a position much like that of a slave wherein he was given the suffix for his name as well as a very low self-image. Escaping the fate of Morgoth, Roggie took up his abode in Moria for just long enough to realize that his companion, Bill, was a huge wimp that could be beat up by ancient men with sticks. Roggie shifted his attention elsewhere, mainly Mordor. He relocated his home to take up his long desired acting career and was told after his first audition that his lips were too thin, his eyes not dark enough, and he needed wings before he could get any decent roles.

Very quickly he found a Balrog-Winging agency and paid a hefty amount for their services. The winger on duty that morning was none other than Alli Umfuil and they formed a fast friendship. A year and no acting jobs later, Roggie’s wings were stolen by the werewolf Mario and Roggie sought for Alli to help him regain them.

Though she did not, Roggie was caught up in her elaborate escape from Mordor wherein he lost a leg, developed a very bitter rivalry with Mardil, formed a pretty darned good friendship with Sai Onara, and gained control of the country.

A year later, he runs his country with Alli as his official spymaster.


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


Thought y'all'd appreciate knowing that there's going to be a Roggie when you get to his chamber. :)

[Lhunardawen]

Waaah. Everyone's ganging up against poor Tom and I'm not even allowed to use a wee bit of magic. Sniff.

More seriously...Fea, you have a throwaway reference to Maika grinning at a joke. Since she has never smiled in her life and is saving one up for a special occasion, shouldn't this be changed?

Don't know why I'm moaning about this rather that Lhuna, but there we go...

Still haven't seen that, but thanks Ang.

Which reminds me: Dracomir now found himself alone with the girl Maika.Ack! Maika is not a girl! Or at least you're not supposed to know that, if you know what I mean. ;)

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I'm terribly confused. Could someone please explain to me what is going on? :confused:

It's been the last week of collage for me, so I've been a bit distracted.

[Anguirel]

Lord above. Sorry Lhuna, I was slow on the uptake...

[Lhunardawen]

No problem.

[Anguirel]

A wee synopsis for Hookbill's benefit-

The ambassadors met for an ice-breaker where several of them told two truths and a lie.

But things were interrupted when news came than loads of Mordorians had escaped-King Roggie called off negotiations.

Maika, Skittles, Smilog if you wish, Dracomir, Alli and Lola are about to set off to persuade King Roggie to change his mind. We're just waiting for Lola now.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Ah, thank you. I thought it was something like that. I just got a little lost.

With this dyslexia of mine, I have to read though things at least twice before I get the gist. :p

EDIT/

I've just posted on the game. Smilog has got himself lost in the corridors looking for Roggie. He blames "That Dratted Creature". ;)

[the guy who be short]

Firstly, Formy, you need to edit your post now that Boromir has editted his. Our talk with Bearugard now takes place in his chambers, not Hyarmanwe's. I think that only means editting about one paragraph.

Second on my agenda is that we (Me, Form, Boro) should probably plan posts with one another before we write them up. This means the tale can be told more quickly, and with less repetition of events to fill in emotions, motives, etc. I'm basically proposing allowing other people to fill in the viewpoint of your character, with your approval, by organising it beforehand. This applies as long as we're all interacting on a high frequency basis. What do you guys think?

Anguirel... I'd say sorry for abusing you so, but I know you and Malfoidacil will be able to overcome anything we throw at you. :p

Form, what does Hyar- mean? My wordlists indicate that your name means either "plough-Manwe" or "cleave-Manwe," both of which seem a little sacreligious both for you and for your character.

I conclude this post by saying that this RPG is causing me to think of you guys by your RPG names and cannot be good for my health.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

One thing about the otherwise perfect synopsis: Alli left them to do it by themselves.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FORM


posted to proposal ~*~ Pio

NAME: Illamatar

AGE: eternal

RACE: Supreme Diety

GENDER: questionable, though encourages the pronoun “He”

WEAPONS: deau ex machina

APPEARANCE: though he is able to change appearance at will and may appear differently to many present in one situation, he favors a guise somewhat reminiscent of a long-necked, deep-eyed, bleating quadruped. Occasionally prefers invisibility.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Omnipotent, but likes to watch mortals struggle. After all, omnipotence and eternal life get boring. Still, there are times that he considers the action of the world to be similar to an obnoxious commercial playing during an excellent film and feels the need to hit fast-forward, or at the very least record the commercial, upload it onto his Mac, and digitally manipulate it into something far more interesting.

HISTORY: In the beginning, there was the void, a depressing abyss, and Eru was in it and was of it and was, indeed, it. He looked introspectively and complexly both out and in at this void and discovered that, being the void, he was watching himself watch himself. This turn of phrase fascinated him for quite some time before he desired a new plaything… a most dangerous plaything…

He created a group of angelic beings and started a band. His plaything was his baton and it occasionally flew from his divine grasp to hit members of the brass section. It was through this sort of accident that one of his musicians developed a severe mental disorder and decided to ruin all of band’s music before running off to try and take over the world. A few things happened between then and now, but none of them were particularly important. He created both heaven and Middle Earth and his musicians complained that they couldn’t see any of it, so he lit the whole thing up with some glow-in-the-dark stars, threw in some plants and animals, and eventually added some people, just for the fun of it. More importantly though, he was enjoying the performances of his truly kickin’ band.

So it was that Middle Earth got on quite well by itself for a good long aeon or two with only a few truly serious disasters. Once Eru sneezed in the middle of a really smashing metal song and a fairly unimportant island was destroyed, but he barely noticed.

Really, it wasn’t up until his musicians stopped having talent and started trying to compensate with a lack of clothing that he actually noticed this Middle Earth that he had created. He glanced quickly, seeing everything, and noticed that two of his band members (second chairs, both of them) had snuck off and gotten the place into a bit of a mess involving another Age. He also spotted a few werewolves running around and decided that he’d been lax enough and needed to help these people just a little since he’d given them the free will to do what they wanted and so, since it was his gift, the results were consequently his fault.

He appeared to a young Gondorian girl living in Mordor in a dream, taking the form of a llama, and so it was that the folk of Middle Earth began to call him Illamatar. He spoke to her in her sleep, giving her information about those in her vicinity, telling her their secrets. Voyeuristic though it may be, he didn’t mind. After all, he was Eru Illamatar, and this was more interesting that Maia Television or Vala Hits One. He fast grew addicted to this anakronistic werewolf game and began to pay far closer attention to the goings on of Middle Earth.

So it was that he would come when Alli Umfuil (for that was the name of she that he came to) called, for he learned that she tended to provide amusement, if only for how miserably her efforts proved to work out for her. He provided her with dreams even after she was appointed the position of spymaster, deciding that this was more interesting than watching his angels lip-synch and dance on infinitely large stages in provocative ways.

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


For those of you unfamiliar with the diety of these lands.

[Celuien]

Would it be okay for Panakeia to make an appearance now? It will involve sending Anakron to the conference...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

If you like. I was going to ask if the two of you wanted to show up while Alli and Tom chat over the old times "tonight", but it's up to you.

[Celuien]

I can wait. The way it works, it'll take her a while to actually show at the conference anyway. She's still at her flat in Lundun as this post is taking shape, and I'm only planning to send her on her way to follow Anakron (whose arrival I'm not writing - you'll see). She can show up during any part of the proceedings you like. ;)

[littlemanpoet]

I'll be taking my cue from Celuien.

[Celuien]

Okay then. :D

Post is almost done. Will be up in the next half hour or so...

I've left everyone outside the actual negotiations, so we can arrive, interfere, and generally cause a scene where most (or least :p) appropriate.

[Formendacil]

Firstly, Formy, you need to edit your post now that Boromir has editted his. Our talk with Bearugard now takes place in his chambers, not Hyarmanwe's. I think that only means editting about one paragraph.

I'll get to that ASAP.

Second on my agenda is that we (Me, Form, Boro) should probably plan posts with one another before we write them up. This means the tale can be told more quickly, and with less repetition of events to fill in emotions, motives, etc. I'm basically proposing allowing other people to fill in the viewpoint of your character, with your approval, by organising it beforehand. This applies as long as we're all interacting on a high frequency basis. What do you guys think?

Sounds wise enough to me... Repeating everything that you and/or Boromir said was tedious, but seemed a bit necessary.

Form, what does Hyar- mean? My wordlists indicate that your name means either "plough-Manwe" or "cleave-Manwe," both of which seem a little sacreligious both for you and for your character.

It's "Hyarmen", not "Hyarman". It's a bit of a play on myself, though you'd have to be me to get it. Elsewhere, I've had to use Formenwë in place of Formendacil due to character constraints. Basically, Formenwë means North-person (in Quenya) as opposed to Formendacil, North-Victor. Hyarmen is the opposite of Formen, meaning south. As evidence, I present Hyarmendacil I and Hyarmendacil II, Kings of Gondor. Hyarmenwë, therefore, is South-person.

[JennyHallu]

I will try to get Lola's entrance up sometime today (remember...no one knows they're the same person except for Alli)

However, it is my 21st Birthday. For those who aren't from the US...that means I make absolutely no promises of even being sober, much less actually posting.

:D

[Anguirel]

Happy Birthday Jenny! How did I miss that?

Don't post today! That would be rampant irresponsibility! Don't neglect your vital ale-downing duties.

[Kath]

Happy birthday Jenny! We understand :D Have fun!

[JennyHallu]

But I can't down ale during work hours...so I was just going to neglect work. Maybe. Is that ok?

[Anguirel]

Ale-downing begins in the mind...

[Kath]

Neglect! Neglect! It's your birthday, they won't mind :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Happy birthday love. Have fun and be safe. We can wait for Lola.

[the guy who be short]

Happy Birthday Lo- er, Jenny.

That was interesting, Form. And the spelling mistake means a lot of editting on my behalf. :rolleyes:

[Lhunardawen]

I can't believe I missed this...blame the fever.

Happy (belated) birthday, Jenny! :)

[the guy who be short]

I'm reproducing Form's PM here. Seeing as this is a planning thread, we may as well use it as such, rather than going through the slightly more labour intensive process of PMing one another whenever we have an idea.

Which includeth Anguirel, for though his character is not privy to the discussions of the other Gondorians, it touches upon a matter close to his interests- namely, what dirt can the Gondorians hope to dig up on Dracomir.

Now, I fear that I rather wrote us into a bit of a corner in my last post... and anybody with ideas for what would embarrass the Malfoidacils would be much appreciated. I'm half thinking that maybe the Gondorians will decide to take the opposite tack: what will isolate Malfoidacil the most from his Mordorian comrades. But, alas, I am as devoid of ideas there as otherwise.

Possibly it would be best if someone... Angawen maybe, were to try and slip out of the palace, and do some skulking around. I'm not sure if we're allowed to do that, under Fea, and we'd have to run it by her for sure. If we could, it might be interesting to dig up information that Tom Felton is a "wizard". I doubt if wizards are in high esteem in Gondor these days, or any days for that matter, and certainly Malfoidacil wouldn't want it noised about among the Muggles. We could have an interesting time indeed of this, were we to make use of either Severus Snape or Bellatrix Lestrange- both of whom Ang so conveniently assigned to Mordor.

Anyway, I'm rambling somewhat. The above plan popped into my head just now, so don't think that I'm set on it. It's just an idea- albeit I'd say an interesting one- and is certainly subject to Moderatorly scrutiny. In any case, I'm trying to get our creative juices flowing.

~Michael A. Joosten - Hyarmenwë's Keeper~
First thing's first. Formy, you still need to edit the following from your last post for consistency: "I think you and the Lady Angawen alike have taken a touch too much offence to the proceedings thus far," Hyarmenwë said, raising a hand and inviting Bearugard to sit with them at the table. The two chairs belonging to it were already taken, and only a rather bare-looking footstool remained. Bearugard sniffed at it disdainfully, and refused it. Hyarmenwë ignored him and continued.
Now a response to your PM.

1) We could risk anakronism by trying to contact people from Mordor who were in correspondence with Dracomir. This is not advantageous as it wil probably lead to assignment.

2) We can't snoop around as we are being kept under guard.

3) The fact that he is a wizard is a good one to use against him. But only if we can relate the news to his father who is in faraway Gondor. Used as a threat, it will not be immediately effective. Nor would it be effective in the long term, as he could get Alli to prevent all messages going into Gondor.

4) If Mardil didn't trust Dracomir, he wouldn't have sent him. One of us could bring this up to ease the conversation away from Malfoidacil, demoting him from a major threat to a minor worry.

In fact, if you guys can't think of anything in then next day, I think I'll do that. My next post will consist of Angawen angrily approaching the Mordorian guards and demanding to consult Alli as she has rather rudely not given us any details about the current situation. Angawen will attempt to clarify the situation in the minds of the Gondorians. The post will start in Bearugard's room and culminate in a verbal confrontation with the guards.

I had planned on leaving Bearugard and Hyarmanwë lingering in the background in the hall whilst Angawen shouts at various people, so I won't have to develop them too much, unless you want me to put anything else in. If so, do tell me.

[Anguirel]

I don't especially see why a revelation of wizardliness would be a problem for Dracomir if it reached Luciamir. Luciamir is also a wizard. The Malfoidacils are allowed to use their anakronistic magical power and are proud of it.

So unless you find actual evidence of treachery you're hard put to move against him so far. Other options might open up. We'll just have to keep spying on each other...but do give the lad a chance. He might even prove helpful to you at some later stage...

On another note, I would like to see the phantom's post explaining why Mardil chose us. It's difficult being hamstringed about motivation in that regard. And I'm interested to see what he comes up with...

And finally, I have my evil four hour Greek exam tomorrow afternoon, and my English Literature on Friday. I'll try and get in a short post today, but aside from that I'll be essentially out of action until Friday afternoon.

[the guy who be short]

I too am crippled by exams until Friday evening GMT.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Ah, well... if we're talking about crippling time constraints... beginning next weekend is a summer of dubious internet time for me. Between working at least two jobs, having guests for a month straight, and potentially (if it all works out the way I'm hoping) spending several weeks on the west coast... Well... we'll see how it goes. :)

Now...

The phantom will have his reasons as to why Mardil would choose people. I eagerly await to hear them. Of TGWBS's list of four, I prefer relocating Malfoidacil to the position of minor threat. As Ang points out, there is no actual evidence of treachery.

However if the Gondorians would like to test their limits, they are welcome to. The erm... Dweomer... will react with direct responses to how the Gondorians choose to address this. Meaning, if you guys come up with something really cool and clever that looks like it would be a lot of fun for you to write, me to read, and isn't going to tamper with story lines you don't know about, I'm probably going to let you do it. Feel free to try.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Also...

Lhuna, shall we assume that you received the cream and returned to the chamber before Lola arrived?

And-

Mordorians, please escort yourselves to Roggie's audience chamber. Alli's busy and he'll be there when you get there.

[Anguirel]

And feel free to muck about with Snape and Bellatrix...though I naturally assigned them for reasons of my own! Rather distant reasons at that...

I reserve the right to assign many more Harry Potter characters to Mordor when and if it suits me, but I would additionally point out to the honourable gentlemen that Fenrir Greyback was last seen in Mordor...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I would additionally point out to the honourable gentlemen that Fenrir Greyback was last seen in Mordor...
Ah yes... I'd nearly forgotten when Feanor of the Peredhil, crazed gamer that she is, summoned (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=440160&postcount=169) a load of historical werewolves into Dol-in-Gorgoroth, much to the dismay of Alli, who I might add didn't like her at all, especially after that Mardil thing. ;)

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I've added a small secondary character to Smilog’s story. Do I need a Character description form for him? He's not going to last long, by the way. I just needed him in there for plot reasons. Don't worry; this treasure hunt won't distract Smilog from the main game.

When are we meant to come to Roggie, by the way?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

As soon as you get there, you're meant to be there. Gives you a bit of freedom between now and then. As long as the characters find their ways to his chambers within the next hour or so (game time), all's still easy. Otherwise he'll get bored, leave his audience chamber, and the task of finding and convincing him will be a rather lot more difficult.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Right then. In my next post, Smilog and Andvarri will go to Roggie and begin to try and 'convince' him to let the negotiations go ahead. ;)

Out of interest, is there a convenient window in the audience chamber?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Out of consideration, I recommend knocking and waiting for a response before entering.

And convenience? I like convenience. Of course there's a window!

[Lhunardawen]

Lhuna, shall we assume that you received the cream and returned to the chamber before Lola arrived?Noted. I'll edit my last post later to include that - after I go through the consequences of contracting pharyngitis during my Calculus finals. :rolleyes:

[Formendacil]

Hmmm... I don't seem to read my own posts very well. I shall edit that other paragraph ASAP.

Let me know if I've still missed something...

Anyway, I'm still totally clueless as to where to take the Gondorians, so I'll let people get on with their exams, and wait. I'm in no major hurry.

I don't LIKE demoting Draco to a minor thread, personally, since I think ostracising him and the other Gondorians makes for good dramatic interest, but at the moment it does seem to be the thing to do.

[Lhunardawen]

Maika had just had her moment of vanity, and I seem to have enjoyed it too much. :rolleyes:

Anguirel, please edit your post with Maika having already returned when Lola arrived. Thanks!

[Diamond18]

I suppose this would be a good time to tell everyone that I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I suppose this would be a good time to tell everyone that I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies.

I've read half of the first one... When I say, "read" I mean my grandmother was playing it on audiotape while on a car journey and I was half asleep.

[Anguirel]

Excellent! Then Skittles's confusion is all the more justified!

Just off to edit, Lhuna.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I suppose this would be a good time to tell everyone that I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies.
Don't worry. You'll be fine. Basically, if you want to know the plot, take Star Wars and replace a few characters:

Orphaned boy with latent supernatural powers is hidden from Dark Lord and raised by aunt and uncle sans powers until such a time comes that an old man with a very large interest in the boy (that also has supernatural powers) shows up to introduce him to a magical world beyond his imagination and reveals that said orphan is the only one that can take out said Dark Lord.

"Harry," Voldemort will probably say as Fea rolls her eyes with a grin. "I am your father."

"No!" Harry will scream melodramatically.

[Anguirel]

And how does Draco fit into the Star Wars model...?

The question of questions-am I Han Solo or the bounty hunter chappie?

[Kath]

Time to get reading then Diamond! Think of it as extending your education in a fun yet helpful way :rolleyes:

And Fea, what an ending!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The question of questions-am I Han Solo or the bounty hunter chappie?
Boba Fett. Not a true baddie at heart; guilt by association. :cool:

[Diamond18]

The thing that worries me is who Snape, Beatrix, and Fenrir are. :confused:

Maybe Skittles should just avoid them....

[Kath]

Snape is Malfoidacil's favourite teacher, Bellatrix is his aunt, and Fenrir is a werewolf.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

This (http://www.av8n.com/jsd/characters.htm) list is a compilation of Harry Potter characters and places, not exhaustive since it doesn't include Fenrir, but is pretty good nevertheless and is annotated. This (http://www.mugglenet.com/characterlist.shtml) list is a bit clearer to read and also doesn't include Fenrir, but has brief descriptions.

A brief description of the canonical Fenrir Greyback: he's a vicious brute that has made it his mission to convert as many as possible into werewolvery, especially children. Draco Malfoy is acquainted with him and has dropped his name with an enthusiasm like to that of releasing a rabid ferret from your grasp but is also afraid of him.

A quick description of the Fenrir that was introduced to Mordor in ATM1: Fea transported him there through a fire to help take care of a werewolf problem (she has odd logic, she'll admit) and he stuck around. He is now very closely watched by Alli (Seer) and Aimè (Hunter), but he is still a free citizen. Feel free to use him. :cool:

[littlemanpoet]

I confess that I have not been able to find time to read any of the rpg, nor much of the discussion thread, due to RL and other coughwerewolfcough constraints.

Could someone tell me where these events are currently taking place so I know where to pop Anakron in at?

[Celuien]

I confess that I have not been able to find time to read any of the rpg, nor much of the discussion thread, due to RL and other coughwerewolfcough constraints.

Could someone tell me where these events are currently taking place so I know where to pop Anakron in at?
I think the events are somewhere in Roggie's Mount Doom Palace and Casino.

I guess Roggie liked the casino too much to leave it demolished. ;)

EDIT: Yes, there's (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?p=469094&highlight=mount+doom#post469094) the post.

[littlemanpoet]

Thanks, Celuien. I won't be able to post anymore tonight, it's getting too late. Tomorrow should work out better, after I familiarize myself with a little bit of who's dissing whom. ;)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'm leaving town for the weekend. Complete unavailability from right about now up until probably Monday afternoon. Don't blow anything up while I'm gone, children. ;)

Mordorians about to go find Roggie: this gives you a few days in which to encounter a few adventures on your way to his chambers.

[the guy who be short]

Form, if you want me to edit anything, just ask.
I had to cut that off prematurely. I had planned a confrontation with the guards. You guys can cover it if you want.

[Formendacil]

Form, if you want me to edit anything, just ask.

Nope. Good job! You got Hyarmenwë spot on this time.

You know, we're dreadfully limited in what we can do, what with the fear of Assignment and all. It's almost tempting just to get Hyarmenwë assigned to Mordor so that I can get around and do stuff- and the dramatic tension would be heightened since an old and stiff man would have to adjust to VERY different circumstances...

But no, I shall forbear.

[Diamond18]

Don't blow anything up while I'm gone, children. ;)

Hmmmm... that gives me an idea.... :D

[Celuien]

Just wanted to request that Lola stays in the room until Panakeia's arrival. There's a little post brewing that sort of needs her presence as motivation. ;)

[JennyHallu]

I could probably manage that. Let me extricate her from Malfoidacil's forward grasp, however. One moment...

[Diamond18]

Er... perhaps I should have mentioned this, but I had Skittles leave suddenly in hopes of getting her to Roggie's chambers before everyone else. So I didn't want her dragged back to the council room. :p But, I think I can still work around that, if you're patient with me. :D

[Kath]

My apologies Diamond, I can always cut that bit out if necessary?

[Diamond18]

Actually, no... but thanks for offering. Celuien's post gave me a bit of an idea, so I'm trying to work with that.

I'll try and remember to clue people in on plans a bit better -- I had planned to write Skittles Part Deux earlier but didn't get around to it, otherwise I would have warned people (if I'd known I wasn't going to get it up right away).

[Kath]

It wasn't a plan as such. I just realised I'd be running into you on the way back anyway.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"Well," Sam said. "Fea's back."

Glad to see nothing exploded... except... well... Skit's orc. :p Sort of.

[littlemanpoet]

Hey Diamond, Anakron and his girlfriend were out in the hall.

You're as nuts as Skittles. You have to be to write that stuff! :eek: :D

[Diamond18]

Hey Diamond, Anakron and his girlfriend were out in the hall.

Right. Fixed it. Though I did have Anakron in the hall, so at least I got one out of two things right. :rolleyes:

I also noticed that Celuien's post had Panakeia on a bench, and I put her under a pool table. So, naturally, I edited my post to put her on a bench, under a pool table....


You're as nuts as Skittles. You have to be to write that stuff! :eek: :D

I'm not sure you need to be, but it certainly helps.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I love you guys. :) This discussion thread is as amusing as the "real" writing.

Just let me know when I'm needed. :smokin:

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"Oh! Yes! I remember you! What can I do for you?"
Can this please be changed to "Oh! So what?" with a perhaps rather erm... impatient... desire for solitude once more?

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Okay. The joke was that the passing of the salt was the only thing Smilog ever did that Roggie remembered...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

In that case feel free to leave it as "Oh! Yes! I remember you!"

But Roggie just chucked a guy out the window and is in a bad mood. He's a balrog. Though he's merely misunderstood, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a fiery temper. :) "What can I do for you" is a lot less likely right now than "Go away before I cook you into something that needs the salt." I figured "So what?" was a bit more diplomatic. :p

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Question: is there a reason the thread died after a burst of activity?

As I see it:

Form, Boro, TGWBS:

Your characters want information. They need a way to get information. They have only a few options: one of them sneaks out and looks for it and risks the effects of the Dweomer; all of them sneak out to look for it; they bribe guards (say one of them was Assigned for disloyalty... your options really are endless with the guards); they invite somebody in to talk to them. I have no inclination to limit you. I merely put your characters into a situation that must be dealt with, preferably in a funny and clever manner. Don't worry about "the Dweomer".

Plan of action: Think of somebody that would know things that they want to learn. Then find a way to talk to him or her. Make sure to let your characters know what's going on. ;)

The Roggie Party:

My have you grown. I don't mind it in the least.

Your characters need to settle your differences (eventually... there's no real rush... and not enough to make things boring) and get on with actually finding Roggie. Then you need to convince him to restart negotiations.

Plan of action: Have your characters work together to find King Roggie. Then find a way to talk to him productively. Then, once he's okay with renewing negotiations, send somebody to find and inform Alli, who will go let the Gondorians (who will hopefully be a bit more knowledgable by then) know.

LMP and Celuien:

You're free to do what it is you're doing howsoever you choose to do it.

Others:

Jump in where you will. Don't wait for cues from me.

Sidenote: I (real me) am busy for the next three weeks. Not so busy that I won't be here, but busy enough that I'll be around quite a bit less frequently. Several of you have my screen name; feel free to use it a la "Fea, come back, we need you!" Or PM me. I should be around frequently enough not to cause any disruptions, but if I seem to have disappeared, most of you should be able to find me easily enough. :p

[the guy who be short]

Question: is there a reason the thread died after a burst of activity?Yes. *Points to naughty Kath roping me into WW, and to five very important looming exams*

I may feasibly start posting again the Wednesday after next. Until then, you have no chance of taking any portion of my life. :p

[Formendacil]

Question: is there a reason the thread died after a burst of activity?

As I see it:

Form, Boro, TGWBS:

Your characters want information. They need a way to get information. They have only a few options: one of them sneaks out and looks for it and risks the effects of the Dweomer; all of them sneak out to look for it; they bribe guards (say one of them was Assigned for disloyalty... your options really are endless with the guards); they invite somebody in to talk to them. I have no inclination to limit you. I merely put your characters into a situation that must be dealt with, preferably in a funny and clever manner. Don't worry about "the Dweomer".

Plan of action: Think of somebody that would know things that they want to learn. Then find a way to talk to him or her. Make sure to let your characters know what's going on. ;)

And, on this note: I've decided that for dramatic purposes I DON'T want Hyarmenwë Assigned to Mordor- so I can't have him go and endanger himself. Unfortunately for me, Hyarmenwë is a character who seems to do best when someone else drives the plot- he's a plot twister not a plot former...

But I'll see what I can do.

[Diamond18]

Question: if Dracomir could find and join Skittles using a magic charm, can he do the same for Roggie?

Or not?

'Twould befit my purposes if he could...

[Anguirel]

Roggie's further away and a being of more power. Dracomir could tell what direction he was in (North, South etc), but nothing more.

(Because I don't like repeating plot devices...)

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Is it okay if, in a drunken stupor, Smilog discovers the labyrinth, but gets lost in it. Also, I want to bring a minotaur into it. A minotaur with a stutter a dental hygiene problem! :D

I slept little last night as I was having a few ideas and writing them down to expand upon. I perhaps should have been revising for these exams I have coming up... but, oh well. :p

[Diamond18]

My save is filled in.

[Anguirel]

Diamond, as ever I love your post.

But destroying a Harry Potter wizard's wand is...quite major, symbolic and all. I'll let it happen if you want...I can easily work about it...but it really won't help Dracomir when it comes to negotiating things. He'll be extremely angry, though too cowardly to show it...

Also, it'll mean I have to stop most of my magic tricks. Sniff...

[Diamond18]

Oh...kay. I thought he could just whip up a new one or get it from Ye Olde Magic Shoppe. Ooops. :o

Sure he doesn't have a spare? You know, quirk of Mordor and all....

[Anguirel]

There's a whole wack mystic thing about how the wand chooses the wizard and connects to their soul, etc...

Any chance of a teeny-weeny edit?

[Diamond18]

Alirght, there's sumfin' I can do, but I'll have to take care of it later today... or tonight. Pesky RL, dontchaknow. If you want to post before then, just consider that his wand isn't broken and as far as he is concerned, never was....

[Diamond18]

My post has been altered.

Let's hope the second reality can turn out better than the first. :D

[Boromir88]

To fellow Gondorians (ahem not including Anguirel :p )

I'll fill in my save tomorrow, as right now I can't keep up for another minute...well maybe I can. But, anyway basically I was going to give the guards the slip, they were going to go running off to some unbeknown places leaving us all free to go where we please.

Hopefully that is "legal."

[Lhunardawen]

I should have said this earlier, but I know practically nothing about Harry Potter as well. But right now it's not too much of a problem for me, anyway...

[piosenniel]

Just bringing this forward -


Reminders for the game 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., http://forum.barrowdowns.com/ubb/icons/icon8.gif http://www.forum.barrowdowns.com/images/icons/WhiteTree3.gif http://forum.barrowdowns.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif etc.


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.


No swearing, sexual conduct, or obscenity of any kind per request of the Barrow Wight. If you do feel a 'swear' coming on, make up an appropriate M-e oath.


SAVE's need to be filled within 24 hours.

[littlemanpoet]

Um.

That last post doesn't have to stay. It can be revised. Whatever you like.

[Celuien]

Um.

That last post doesn't have to stay. It can be revised. Whatever you like.
:eek: Scary!

If it stays, I have an idea for how Panakeia can work with Anakron's disturbed mood. ;) (Will PM if it's still there when I get back from Pittsburgh).

[Formendacil]

To fellow Gondorians (ahem not including Anguirel :p )

I'll fill in my save tomorrow, as right now I can't keep up for another minute...well maybe I can. But, anyway basically I was going to give the guards the slip, they were going to go running off to some unbeknown places leaving us all free to go where we please.

Hopefully that is "legal."

Got it.

I've got both time and motivation (the last is key, it seems) to post something, so I'm going to take it from where it feels like you've left off. If, upon posting that, you think there's a discontinuity or other problem, let me know...

Or, if you post before/while I do, I'll take my down or rework it.

EDIT: Okay, it's done- tell me what you guys think. I hope Angawen and Bearugard are as close to normal form as I seem to think. I also hope I haven't inadvertantly Assigned any of them to Mordor...

Also, although cursing, swearing, and the like is prohibited by the RPG rules, I hope that the use of "bloomin' " by the ork in my post will fit under the anakronistic parody exemption category.

[Boromir88]

I filled in the save, hope you enjoy. ;)

and, I don't think there's any discontinuity.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Looks good, guys.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Do you want me to make a character description thing for Tollin Gaurhoth the Minotaur? I'm thinking of keeping him on as my sidekick, if that is allowed.

[piosenniel]

Hookbill

Yes - please do a very brief Character Bio for Tollin Gaurhoth the Minotaur.

~*~ Pio, game moderator

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Character Description Form

NAME: Tollin Gaurhoth

AGE: Unknown

RACE: Minotaur

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: Morning Star

APPEARANCE: Part man, part bull, part idiot. He has a great horn on either side of his head that curls down and then out again, making it easy for him to stab someone by simply moving forwards. He has a very hairy head and upper body and some suggest he may be related to Beorn, but this is denied both by the Boeornings and the Minotaur himself. He wears a large chain male tunic over which he wears a black tunic of cotton.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Although incredibly strong and ruthles in battle, Tollin often appears to be ill witted; yet he possesses much more sophistication that Smilog, (as will soon enough become apparent). Despite this, his time trapped in the Labyrinth caused his mind to slow a little, yet this soon heals after his escape.

HISTORY: During one his 'wild years' Sauron invented many creatures of evil cunning and hideous completion. Werewolves, vampires were among those he invented while drunk on the ale his Orcs brought him. When Melkor was defeated Sauron went back to the drawing board and made a Minotaur from the first two things he happened to come by: a man and a bull. This was not successful as the Minotaurs were hard to control and often wandered off of their own accord. Tollin was one of the last to be mutilated and only just escaped the great burning when Sauron chucked them all into Mount Doom (before it drove away ;) ).
He wandered around Mordor for the whole of the third age and when the Ring was destroyed he wandered to Mount Doom where he was captured by Roggie and forced to guard his labyrinth.

[the guy who be short]

Who exactly is Roggie? Heren, or somebody hijacking the account?

[the phantom]

Mardil's attitudes towards various characters....

Alli- Mardil's time spent with her was rocky, but he doesn't dislike her. He believes that she is an overall decent human being and wants her to be around Roggie as much as possible because of the settling influence she exerts on him.

Roggie- Mardil no longer believes Roggie is pure evil (like he did when they first met). Mardil thinks Roggie might be destined to end the evil of the two Blue Istari and thus redeem himself. At the same time, Mardil believes Roggie thinks too little and doesn't govern his emotions well, and so doesn't think he is able to rule a realm very effectively without a bit of help (from Alli and others). In other words, Mardil doesn't extend to Roggie the kind of respect you would give a fellow King. But that doesn't mean Mardil wishes him ill, or seeks to dethrone him.

Dracomir Malfoidacil- If you remember from the last ATM, Mardil II met J K Rowling and learned the plot of her next book, in which Dracomir Malfoidacil can be found (it's a complicated anachronism thing). So, it can be assumed that Mardil knows the way Dracomir's heart will choose in the end, and that his trust is based somewhat on this. Also, Dracomir has a few wizarding skills, and Mardil has encouraged him to develop these further, believing that they might be useful if the Blue Wizards try anything funny. Mardil also enjoys Dracomir's company, and finds his arrogance and extreme political incorrectness amusing.

Hyarmenwë son of Hyarmendil- Mardil II chose Hyarmenwe as one of his ambassadors primarily because of Hyarmenwe's love for Gondor. Mardil, above all else, does not want anything to happen at the negotiations that would harm Gondor in any way, and Mardil trusts Hyarmenwe to enforce this. Mardil also thinks Hyarmenwe's noble look and military bearing will command respect at the negotiating table.

Angawen Tupsë- Before they met, Mardil had heard that Angawen Tupse was cold and selfish, but upon meeting her at a meeting of minds in his father's house, Mardil was impressed with Angawen's intelligence and ability to cut through needless details to the necessities. Mardil is fully aware of Angawen's hunger for promotion, but he doesn't care so long as she does whatever job she is asked to do well. In his mind, that makes her worthy of promotion.

Bearugard II- Mardil doesn't care for Bearugard too much. He's seen enough of him to recognize that he doesn't have deep convictions (or at least doesn't stick to them), and that he isn't very brave. So why was he included? Mardil is betting that Roggie, Alli, or some of the Mordorian ambassadors may try to "buy" Bearugard, or bully him on some issues. Mardil is also betting that between the serious, militaristic Hyarmenwe and the shrewd, controlling Angawen, that Bearugard will be forced to tell all, and thus Mardil and his ambassadors will instantly be aware of Roggie & Co's intentions through Bearugard. Also, Mardil thinks that a short stay in a not-so-comfortable place will do the pansy Bearugard some good.

[Formendacil]

Hyarmenwë son of Hyarmendil- Mardil II chose Hyarmenwe as one of his ambassadors primarily because of Hyarmenwe's love for Gondor. Mardil, above all else, does not want anything to happen at the negotiations that would harm Gondor in any way, and Mardil trusts Hyarmenwe to enforce this. Mardil also thinks Hyarmenwe's noble look and military bearing will command respect at the negotiating table.

And I so did like Hyarmenwë's disposable diplomats theory... :rolleyes:

Good to know, one way or another.

Boro: Nice post. Do I detect a parody of Monty Python?

Fea: I had nice words for Phantom and Boromir, but you meet with my displeasure.

No, not for leaving Hyarmenwë et al abandoned in Mordor- but for Hyarmenwë saying "Good Eru!"

This is an anakronistic sort of saying. And pedantic of me as it is to harp on about canonicity in a RPG that spoofs everything, I really must, since the whole point here is the contrast between canonical Gondorian and non-canonical Mordorian.

A Gondorian would never say "Eru", most likely. As with the Elves, the use of Ilúvatar is a good deal more common in any passage linking the One and the Númenoreans. And although the Númenoreans retain KNOWLEDGE of the One, He is mentioned little in everyday speech- a trend that becomes more common rather than less as the Ages pass.

Furthermore, the whole replacement of Our-World curses with pseudo-Middle-Earthian equivalents is rather... non-Canonical, in some respects. Middle-Earthian cursing exists (see The Hobbit for further details), but it does not so closely resemble ours in sound and meaning.

A Gondorian would be more likely to refer to the Valar, as Mablung does when calling for aid against the Mûmakil. Perhaps for Hyarmenwë to express his complete dumbfoundedment in such a way would be more appropriate?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Oh fine. :p

No worries. Everybody, if I do something in a hurry that isn't quite specific to what you want for your character, point it out or I probably won't notice.

[Diamond18]

Should I take Roggie's permission to shave the dwarf as actual, literal permission to shave Smilog?

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Should I take Roggie's permission to shave the dwarf as actual, literal permission to shave Smilog?

NOO! The Dwarf likes his beard! This could mean a hate / hate relationship between our characters. :p
Also, is there any inkling as to where the Mountain is heading?

[Formendacil]

NOO! The Dwarf likes his beard! This could mean a hate / hate relationship between our characters. :p
Also, is there any inkling as to where the Mountain is heading?

If it weren't for the whole "anakronisms are assigned to Mordor" thing, I'd have to say the Grey Havens. :p

That being the case... are there any "Bleh Havens" on the Sea of Nurnen? Or anything similarly silly and Elvish parody-ish? Caer Paradox works... I 'spose.

[Anguirel]

Many, many Harry Potter gags in my last post, some of which are pretty obscure even for fans. About the fleeting reference to a Nundu, google "Nundu" to get what I'm on about.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Mount Zoom has no set direction. Send it wheresoever you like.

[Celuien]

That being the case... are there any "Bleh Havens" on the Sea of Nurnen? Or anything similarly silly and Elvish parody-ish? Caer Paradox works... I 'spose.
Just for convenience, let me put the established geography from ATM I here...

Post about money in Mordor and maps of Lûndûn. (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=428777&postcount=82)

Lûndûn is situated along the westernmost concavity of the north shore of the Sea of Nurnen. Following a route that is roughly north-westerly, to Mount Doom, the trip is 225 miles, give or take, as the Mordorian Crow flies. Close enough for our purposes. If you want to hold up a measuring stick to your computer monitor, every 15 millimeters = 50* miles on this map.

(Map may be found at this post. (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=433404&postcount=199))
...So Caer Pairadocks in Lûndûn is about 225 miles from the point where Mount Zoom started its journey.

The great cataclysm of the destruction of the Ring caused the Sea of Nurn to expand westwards, then northwards, such that it now extends between the western mountain range (no books with me so I can't bring up all the names) of Mordor, and the arm that extends northeast before halting, separating "Nurnia" from the desolation of Mount Doom. The Sea of Nurn widens and extends northeastward, coming within 25 miles of Mount Doom on the western side. Between the Sea and Mount Doom lies the new city of Lost Angles, wherein lies Trollywood, the centre of the film industry of Mordor, such as it is. You guys drove in on the east side, even if you thought otherwise. At this northern extremity, the Sea is called the Pathetic Ocean, since it's way too small to be a real ocean, so it got to be said about it, "how pathetic", and the name stuck. So what if it's circular logic? I'm the moderator. nya.

Any chance that Mount Zoom ran past Lost Angles to a haven on the Pathetic Ocean? Panakeia's author has been trying to get her to Lost Angles, but has been puzzled over an reasonable excuse to send her there. I'll get her there somehow if that's not where youse guys would like to send the rolling mountain, so never mind your local cameo-er if that doesn't work for you. :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

We will move forward with the assumption that Mount Zoom has stopped in Lost Angles to refill on gas. Presumably a tank of that size will take a bit of time to fill, so there you go.

[Celuien]

We will move forward with the assumption that Mount Zoom has stopped in Lost Angles to refill on gas. Presumably a tank of that size will take a bit of time to fill, so there you go.
Okay. :)

Panakeia be touring Lost Angles fairly soon, though there's some stuff to sort out with Anakron before she disembarks...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Mount Zoom has no set direction. Send it wheresoever you like.

That is, if Smilog doesn’t stop it first! :D ;)

We will move forward with the assumption that Mount Zoom has stopped in Lost Angles to refill on gas. Presumably a tank of that size will take a bit of time to fill, so there you go.

Good. That fits in with Tollin's statement that he thinks the Mountain has stopped.

[Lhunardawen]

I'm sorry for the absence...university enlistment is a nightmare I wouldn't even wish to send to Mordor.

Since I was (and still am) under the impression that Lola was out to confuse Maika with the directions on the way to Roggie, here's what I came up with. Please put this after Jenny's post (# 60), pio.

Jenny, if I've misused Lola please let me know. :)

~*~

POSTED TO THE GAME ~*~ Pio

Lhunardawen's post

Maika quietly sighed in relief when she heard Lola's footsteps following behind her. Even without turning around to actually look, she noticed that Dracomir chose not to come with them. It bothered her a little, but he will go where he will. In any case she was glad that finally something was being done.

Only now that she was on her way to Roggie's throne room did the real significance of their mission occur to her. The fate of Gondor and Mordor and the poor unknown or little known or known-but-no-one-really-cares lands between them, if any, because having been in Mordor practically all her life she had no way of knowing, are in their hands. And she barely knew what to say once she was before His Hotness - what could they say to convince him? And speaking of hotness, there was her skin to worry about. With all these concerns slowly weighing on her mind she did not notice that she had fallen behind Lola, who was now leading the way. Maika did not mind. She concentrated on her aforementioned concerns which were enough to confuse her and thanked Eru (if she could - did Mordorians do that?) that Lola was there to worry about the directions. Maika blindly followed her, lost in her own thoughts. A foreboding silence fell on the two ladies.

Soon Maika returned from her seeming out-of-body experience, which kind of sounded cooler and more mysterious than saying what she actually thought about, surprised to see that they were still walking down the hallway - a hallway that looked vaguely familiar. A fleeting glance at Lola's confidently swaying hips told her that she knew exactly where they were. But Maika did not.

"Lola, where are we? Aren't we supposed to be--"

"Oh there you are, my dear," Lola exclaimed, flicking her hair over her shoulder as if her hair was all Maika was worth talking to. "I thought I've lost you."

"I think you intend to," Maika muttered dryly at her hair. It swayed mischievously in response.

"Don't worry," the lady in front of the hair assured her, none too effectively. "We'll be there in no time."

No time indeed, Maika shuddered. Not wanting to let her rising fear shine through for Lola to take advantage of, she again summoned the silence, which willingly fell on them again. (In case your morbid imagination shows them being squished flatter than pancakes and leaves you wondering how they can still manage to walk, you should be informed that silence, though can be heavy, is not concrete.) She felt panic rising within her, as well as the fear that Skittles or Dracomir or both of them have already reached Roggie's office and finished speaking to him and reached a diplomatic solution and informed Alli of her absence in the proceedings and suggested dismissing her for lack of professionalism. Overwhelmed and paralyzed, the only thing Maika could do was send a mental distress call to Dracomir - whom she hoped had telepathic abilities though she herself did not - to rescue her from Lola. The line was busy.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I'm thinking of having Smilog produce a map of the area, based on the blueprints he had brought with him. (He added the wheels and the 'and racing vehicle' at the top) so they can get around easier. It'll turn out to be slightly inaccurate though... With hilarious consequences.

BLUE PRINTS (http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/JoelCornah/ZoomDiagram.jpg)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Inaccurate? Hehe. I approve.

[the guy who be short]

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the RPG.

I would like to direct Formendacil to the third-from-last sentence of the first paragraph of this (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=473823&postcount=73) post.

[Formendacil]

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the RPG.

I would like to direct Formendacil to the third-from-last sentence of the first paragraph of this (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=473823&postcount=73) post.

Tsk, tsk!

Keep the offtopic comments to MSN, why don't you!

Although, for little it's worth... I saw that too, and thought immediately back to our conversation.

And I still say it's not masculine.

[piosenniel]

Yes . . . let's do try to keep chat to a minimum.

~*~ Pio :)

[Anguirel]

Kath, if you don't want Igör to be lagging in the negotiation room, I'll edit my post.

[Diamond18]

Ang... doll... could you find it in your heart to maneuver Dracomir and Igör into the hall to rejoin the others? Because that's where they all were in my post.

[Kath]

Put Igör where you like for now guys!

Until Friday I am going to be exceedingly busy with exams and doubt I'll have time to post. Just make sure he follows along if the group goes anywhere and I'll be grateful.

If you want an answer to Dracomir's question though Ang, have it go something along the lines of:

"Excuse me but would you mind asking one of the others?" Replied Igör, polite but distracted, before banging his head with a fist. "I'm having a slight problem. The two sides of my brain have just begun a war over who gets to listen to which ear, and as such it's a little difficult to formulate plans."

[Anguirel]

Audrey just called me a doll. I can now die in peace.

Ahem. I'm confused. Lola and Maika in Lhuna's post are on their way to Roggie, not in the Hall...

[Diamond18]

I was operating under the assumption that they were walking down a hallway on their way to see Roggie.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Roggie has just been given a bout of psamophobia (fear of sand) and is afraid of the Lost Angles beach. Also, I'm thinking of bringing a cameo from Psamathos to further increase this. :D
Diamond, maybe Skittles could wake him up by accident while surfing. ;)

[littlemanpoet]

My SAVE is filled.

[Lhunardawen]

Audrey just called me a doll. I can now die in peace.

Ahem. I'm confused. Lola and Maika in Lhuna's post are on their way to Roggie, not in the Hall...
Yes we are, or were, whichever works. Maika in her utter exasperation and impatience walked out of sorts, remember?

But I am confused. Diamond has the Mordorians all together already, but in Ang's post before that Lola and Maika are still lost. Ang, would you like instead to have Tom pick up Maika's call? It will give him another chance with Lola... ;)

[Celuien]

Question originally posed to Elempi. He thought I should post it here...

I noticed Hookbill said that Project Zoom started under Sauron. Now, I get the distinct impression that Mount Zoom is an anakronism. Control rooms, gas, and the like. ;) But it was said in ATM I that the Dweomer came into effect in Fourth Age 450, after Sauron would have been long gone...

So, is the Dweomer is more ancient than originally realized, accounting for Mount Zoom (along with express trains in the Shire ), and so the the Blue Istari merely happened into a bit of evil magic from ancient times when they started playing with it (If so, that actually gives me an idea for lmp discussion ;))? Or is Mount Zoom separate from the Dweomer? Or is there something else? Or should I go away, be quiet and watch things play out? :D

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Come on now, Celuien, haven't you read your textbooks? Mount Zoom surpasses all laws of physics and has been a Middle Earth Legend ever since Sauron dreamt about it! :p

Lets say that the Zoomology was a Sauron innovation that went nowhere as he didn't have the technology at the time but with the introduction of Dweomer, it became plausible. Hence Smilog being assigned to Mordor.

...

Yeah, that'll do.

[Celuien]

Lets say that the Zoomology was a Sauron innovation that went nowhere as he didn't have the technology at the time but with the introduction of Dweomer, it became plausible. Hence Smilog being assigned to Mordor.

...

Yeah, that'll do.
Okay. Just wondering. :D

[Anguirel]

Post edited-hope the new version works for everyone...

[Celuien]

Save filled.

Anakron has a bit of a dilemma on his hands. :smokin:

[Diamond18]

Ya... I, um, answered the summons to summon Psamothos Psamathides, but since I do not have a copy of Roverandom on hand, I couldn't remember much of what he looked like or what his personality was, so my post is very thin on any details. Mainly I just thought I'd get him in there for Hookbil. I may edit it later to make it more... more. :rolleyes:

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Diamond, it was perfect! :D

Roggie’s psamophobia is explained... read on, Macduff!

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Save filled. A surprise (even for me) entry of a mysterious character that looks like a fat Gandalf. :eek:
Mt Zoom seems ready to go, but I've not stated weather it starts driving yet, I'll let others decide when that happens.

[Roggie of Morgoth]

Not content with being mean, evil and a walking inferno, it turned out that Roggie was also a stingy moneygrubber. Psamothos was grilling him verbally and Roggie merely sat on the floor moping and mumbling.

Alas for the misunderstood nature of being me. I am not mean, I am upset and consequently impatient. I am not evil... people project that image upon me. I can't help my flammable nature, and I'm not stingy, I'm just short on funds due to a slight gambling addiction, the fact that my palace is a casino, and the trouble that comes from trying to run a country where people neither pay their taxes nor stay in one place long enough for me to exact the funds from them.

Please don't slander my mostly good name.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Please don't slander my mostly good name.


Don't worry, all that was just from Smilog’s point of view. If it'll make you feel better, I'll make it clear that this is what he is thinking.

[Celuien]

My save is filled. Skittles better watch herself. ;)

Mt Zoom seems ready to go, but I've not stated weather it starts driving yet, I'll let others decide when that happens.
Can it stay around until Panakeia has an excuse to get off? But if I take too long, don't wait for me - I'll get her back to Lost Angles somehow...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Fast pacing is nice and all, but there's no need to rush. We don't know who is driving Mount Zoom, so there is no reason to assume that he doesn't want to sight see a little.

Negotiations started [going downhill] promptly at 9:00 AM, Roggie got his news around the same time, called off negotiations around 9:30ish. Gondorians were escorted to their rooms wherein they discussed things and the Mordorians had their own chats... we'll give them an hour or so to have accomplished that. The Gondorians escaped and Mount Zoom started driving away. If we work with the idea that the current time (meaning the time in my last post) is hovering around noon, that gives everybody almost a day in game hours in which to accomplish Lost Angles plots if we say that Mount Zoom gets kicking again in the morning. I'd like the mountain stationary overnight.

Will that suffice, Celuien?

[Celuien]

Will that suffice, Celuien?
It should. Though Panakeia's ability to go is tied to Anakron... ;)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Of course. No worries. Mount Zoom will stay in Lost Angles for as long as required or desired. Unless... eh, I'll save that for a day I have more time and inclination to be ambitious. :p

[Celuien]

Of course. No worries. Mount Zoom will stay in Lost Angles for as long as required or desired. Unless... eh, I'll save that for a day I have more time and inclination to be ambitious. :p
Okay. Thanks. :)

[Diamond18]

I have filled in my Save. And made another post. Two posts for the price of one, boo-ya!

If anybody minds the idea of Lugnut dead, go stitch him up yourself. :p

[littlemanpoet]

If anybody minds the idea of Lugnut dead, go stitch him up yourself. :p
Kill my plot device, will ya? We'll see about that stitching thing... :mad: Actually, I need you to choose another orc to destroy. I need Lugnut, who would not be doing what you have him doing here. Of course, if you really do insist on using him, maybe the conveyances are going to get a little more powerful....

Alli stood for merely a moment before spotting Anakron's disinclination to address her question. Oops. Honestly, I remember reading that post and that question. I think I thought you were putting those words in Anakron's mouth..... *LMP shrugs* sorry about that.

Looks like I need to choose whether to fill in that SAVE or delete it.... :confused:

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Of course. No worries. Mount Zoom will stay in Lost Angles for as long as required or desired. Unless... eh, I'll save that for a day I have more time and inclination to be ambitious. :p

As long as I can keep the engine running, I need it to be shaking the corridors for a bit. There is a little plot twist I have cooking. ;)

The mysterious Andvarri will be making a reappearance soon. So, watch out!

[JennyHallu]

Dauntlessly, she continued to speak into the pseudo-wristwatch as she hastened stealthily from the suit. Holy cow! She's stripping! Sneakily!!!

:eek: :D

[Anguirel]

Wait, wait, wait. I've lost it. Skittles is a dead robot?

[JennyHallu]

No I think Skittles has a dead robot doppelganger.

I want to know how she suddenly got in off the beach...both selves.

[Anguirel]

Save filled. Lhuna, if you don't want to fall for Dracomir's ruse feel free to avoid it, but I think it might be quite fun rendering you Inaudible for a bit...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

The evil Santar is ready to throw fury at Roggie! :eek:
I'm not sure what his angle will be, if you can think of a history for him, Rogs, do so, just make it funny. :D

[Diamond18]

No I think Skittles has a dead robot doppelganger.

I want to know how she suddenly got in off the beach...both selves.

Human Skittles switched with her robot when she went into room to change into the bikini. She didn't actually change clothes, she just sent her robot out to make people think they knew where she was, whilst she did various sneaky things, including putting itching powder into Anakron's trunk.

And what, you don't think Robot Skittles had plenty of time to go surfing and come back in time to listen to most of Anakron and Panakeia's conversation? :D


Actually, I need you to choose another orc to destroy. I need Lugnut, who would not be doing what you have him doing here. Of course, if you really do insist on using him, maybe the conveyances are going to get a little more powerful....

Geez, all this over a dead Orc. :p Okay, I'll do something.

[JennyHallu]

Wasn't Lugnut up with Anakron and Panakeia?

[Celuien]

Wasn't Lugnut up with Anakron and Panakeia?
Lugnut was just ahead of Anakron and Panakeia in the hallway.

Actually, the dead Orc was never named in the game thread, right? So it didn't have to be Lugnut, did it?

[Diamond18]

Actually, I left him unnamed so that if someone objected to him being dead, well, it didn't necessarily have to be him. But the androgynous part kind of hinted at it.

[Celuien]

But the androgynous part kind of hinted at it.
Ah, then there's nothing to worry about.
Lûgnût rose, looking at them fiercely. His androgyneity had disappeared.
:D Wasn't poor ol' Luggie after all.

[Diamond18]

I made an edit:


(Fear not, gentle readers, for this hapless Orc was not the beloved Lugnut, but Lugnut's evil twin, Nuglut.)

Kath, I hope you don't mind, I'm going to hijack Igör for a wee little bit.... I'll return him in one piece, though.

[littlemanpoet]

There are a lot of androgynous orcs (lisping too) hanging around Mordor since the Dweomer began. Haven't you been reading your textbooks? They love bureaucracy too. So Lugnut NOT being androgynous anymore, automatically discludes him as one of Diamond's victims in this particular instance. Not that it matters. If Diamond had not changed anything, I thought of a half dozen ways to deal with it anyway. I don't have anything to do with my time except think about ATM2, doesn't that tell you something? :p

[Kath]

Kath, I hope you don't mind, I'm going to hijack Igör for a wee little bit.... I'll return him in one piece, though.
Go for it! As I said, far too busy at the moment to do much with him. Though you know, if you had killed Lugnut and needed him back alive, Igör could always have fixed him. Just a note for the future :)

[Diamond18]

If anyone is wondering about my intentions for RoboSkitt, it's pretty much nothing more than to see it destroyed in various and spectacular ways. :rolleyes: