[Durelin]

We like Houseless, eh?

I believe we lost the Lorien scout troop a long time ago, and picked up a Mirkwood scout troop, plus four derranged elves, and a pack of orcs and easterlings, who will all meet in Mirkwood: so, bring in Spiders, as well. I'm more than slightly confused, but, ah well. I will attempt to sort all this out.

Here's a brief story outline for the possiblities so far:

Houseless Possibility:

Lorien envoy/scout troop (which one?) find inner border patrols gone, without any signs of dead or with signs of slaughter obvious, and follow tracks to Mirkwood.
-Tracks: Lead into a trap?
-The work of careless orcs and easterlings?
Mirkwood scouts carefully make their way south toward Dol Guldur, perhaps following the trail of the orcs and easterlings sent to take prisoners back to Dol Guldur, and to gain reinforcements?
-Catch up: confrontation, elves freed, learn of Houseless (or just that there’s more of an army back in Mirkwood), run back to help out Lorien group
-Catch up: confrontation: one or some of the Houseless are with the party of orcs and easterlings
a. defeated: cannot face power of Houseles
-Captured?
-Killed?
-Become Houseless?
b. win: orcs and easterlings refuse to take orders from Houseless?
-this seems unlikely, unfortunately
Meanwhile, with Lorien group: come to Mirkwood
-Find ambush awaiting them
Or
-Just catch up with Houseless and crew
-Confront Houseless
-Bring back from dark side
(somewhere in that battle the Mirkwood elves could come to rescue)
Envoy makes contact with Mirkwood elves, at last, and so we come to the united army bit
Army marches from Dol Guldur
Last Stand
Destruction of Ring
Victory

~

shuts eyes Agh! So many fragments!

Examine this very basic and sketchy plot for a moment.

Already, we have lots of battles going on, and lots of running around in the wilderness (a bit confusing right now, and chaotic, though it can be fixed up), following trails of orcs and easterlings. What does this exclude from the story entirely? Females. Now, I I know at least one of you has already said that they had a nifty female elven character in mind.

Plus, we have the Houseless, an incredible power, it seems, for two ‘scout’ or ‘envoy’ parties, even four or five (or ten) united. This kind of excludes us from any kind of believable victory whatsoever. Now, what we could do is have the elves hold out until the destruction of the Ring…but…?

Really, I think we need to define the power of the Houseless. I consider them powerful spirits, perhaps on a level with the Nazgul…though they could be like the Barrow-Wights… If we are going to use the Houseless (they do seem like they belong on X-Files, or perhaps in a movie like ‘The Exorcist’)

Question: What is the beginning purpose of the Lorien envoy/scout troop? Why do they set out? The scout troop could have set out to search for the lost border patrols, but an envoy certainly would not set out to do so.

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United Army Possibility #1:
Scouts find the army:
-already on the move
-Preparing to attack
Report back
Seek aid from Thranduil
-Envoy: incorporate more characters, of more types than elven warrior/scout
-Inner borders must hold
-Aid gained from Thranduil: united forces drive back orc army
-End here
or
-Move on to destruction of Dol Guldur

~

In going in this general direction we gain many possibilities, and can have several ‘stories’ running at the same time. The story of Elves in Mirkwood and Lothlorien, male and female, warriors (from the inner border, the scout troop, the envoy, the united Elven army, etc.) and ‘counselors‘. With this wide range of perspectives you gain a much fuller effect of not just the story but the events of Middle-Earth around them.

We could also insert the Houseless in here without too much trouble, perhaps even infiltrating among Thranduil’s counselors and so convincing him that he cannot spare any of his troops, as the onslaught from Dol Guldur has also been a beating for them, and still remains a threat. But, then, we may just have another Wormtongue.

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United Army Possibility #2:
Scouts encounter Orc scout troop:
-Skirmish
-Capture orc
-Learn plans of army
From here:
-Move to above possibility,
-Above possibility + Houseless
or
-Lorien stands alone

~

This would enable interaction between orcs and elves beyond meeting them in battle. An interesting possibility, and it can still contain all the aspects of the above general storyline, though it will add time to the playing of the storyline. It gives us an earlier, smaller battle.

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Possible capture of scouts:
This would become a more gruesome story, though it would allow the orcs and elves to deal with each other closely. This will not be a pretty sight, though, to focus on hatred from both sides. We could have a minor character captured, but then we enter into another story, one completely separate from the war, and also a rather generic one.

Though, if members of the scouting party were captured, then released with evil spirits within them, we could do the capturing bit, and then move onto one of the storylines containing the Houseless.

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What I like concerning the Houseless is Aman’s idea:

Do you think it would be possible that the Houseless, if they weren’t able to find a suitable ‘host’ elf, for whatever reason, would take over the bodies of the Haradrim?

Men already ‘seduced’ by Sauron, already under the power of evil would be a much more cooperative ‘host’, as Aman called it. Then we have an evil power hidden within the army, perhaps with its own agenda separate from that of the army of orcs and easterlings it marches with.

But, this doesn’t allow the same twists as a ‘possessed elf’ would.

I don’t know if that is what you meant, Aman, but that’s what what you said made me think of!

~

Now, here are the possible character types we have discussed so far:

Possible Characters:

Elves:
Warriors: (must be male!)
-Scouts
-Trackers
-‘Bodyguards’ (envoy - could be minor or major)
-Inner Guard
-‘High Guards’ of Caras Galadon (could be minor)
-Soldiers of Mirkwood (could be minor or major)
‘Counselors‘: (can be female)
-Thranduil
-Members of envoy
Minor parts:
-Residents of Caras Galadon (female or male)
-Wives, sisters, family of soldiers
-Messenger
-As part of envoy, etc. (very open part)
-Any of the above parts could be minor parts
Evil/Possessed Elves
Orcs and Easterlings: (all could be minor or major)
-‘Captain’ of Army
-Soldiers
-Scouts
-Captured orc or easterling
-Possessed easterling or orc

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Okay...I lied when I said 'brief'. Sorry, I know all that is a lot to take in! (My brain hurts from typing it all…) But, we’re moving really quickly, so I think we need all possibilities laid out for everyone to truly consider them all. Of course, these are only possibilities so far… (the Lord help me! )

Keep up all this creativity (it borders on madness!)

-Durelin

P.S. - It would have looked better if it allowed me to ident. It wouldn't even let me use the space bar... Sorry, tried.