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

[Durelin]

I've definitely noticed the instances where people don't exactly fit into any of the groups. I admit I did not notice so many until I got the chance to just sit down and read all of the posts over (finally had that chance).

I'm pretty sure these things are do-able - the only real issues with them are in the first posts.

I've been working on putting posts in order for going onto the game thread, but I found myself at a loss for where to place Firefoot's, Nova's, and Orofaniel's.

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

In the utmost athmosphere of inconfidence we have written our slaves in (really, people do maintain their humour and manage to live in the worst conditions, but maybe our charachters (partly mine also) are just the only lunatics around... ), it would be nice to write with even one or two of us knowing each other beforehand, even fragmentarily. And surely knowing someone is no reason to trust anyone...

Well, when we open the game, the slaves will have been in the caves for over two months, and will have been on the road for a little while after that. So between the first posts and the start of the game, relationships could have easily formed.

Relationships before the escape are possible, too, and can certainly arise after the start of the game. In your first post, you normally don't establish too much about your character, because obviously what happens in the game is what is going to be important.

And I will say (hopefully Child doesn't mind me sharing this) - we've both noted that the slaves are in-fact less mentally sound than the Orcs seem to be, which is interesting indeed...

Okay, so for the loners, we'll just say that the 50 slaves include them as well, I think.

And I think such things can be discussed through whichever form of communication everyone feels more comfortable with.

And Nogrod, your narration works well, I think. I'm still not sure exactly where to put it, but its a good point to work from for arranging other posts around it.

Mostly I think the loners posts will stand on their own, reflecting the fact that they're loners, which, personally, I don't have a problem with. About the only issue is the one you bring up about relationships, Nogrod, and the kind of 'coincidences' that are involved. Those are as much a part of RPing as they are of life, though...

Sorry if any of my explanations were jumbled (and I do hope I answered at least some of your questions, Nogrod...I'm currently listening to my friend singing along to 'King of Spain'...

[Nogrod]

Durelin, and others too: I'll try to "streamline" Hadith's first post in less than 24 hours - meaning tomorrow for me, as it is 3AM here right now. I also think the basic story is okay, but I'd like to make it a bit more believable and correct the language a bit.

Just a question. I'm not sure if I have been a lazy reader, but is it true, when you say that (underlining mine):

Well, when we open the game, the slaves will have been in the caves for over two months, and will have been on the road for a little while after that. So between the first posts and the start of the game, relationships could have easily formed.

So does that mean all of the slaves or only the so called "ex-slaves"? I was just wondering that if some 50+ people would have lived together as refugees for over two months in a cave of sorts, there should be quite established relations between them already with likes and dislikes and so on...

I like surprises and being forced to react to new situations, but when writing the first posts in the actual game it would be nice to refer to some people you see positively or negatively - or at least recognizing them from the mass as you are on your own in the new situation. The normal human psyche seems to be quite fond of anything that is familiar... At least to my eyes it makes a bit better story and helps to establish every writer within the on-forming new community.

(When you just gather total strangers and start a "quest", it's different, but if the storyline says these people have been together for months or even their whole life, it would sound weird if they couldn't relate to each other but only via trial and error...)

[Child of the 7th Age]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Durelin]

So does that mean all of the slaves or only the so called "ex-slaves"? I was just wondering that if some 50+ people would have lived together as refugees for over two months in a cave of sorts, there should be quite established relations between them already with likes and dislikes and so on...

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

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

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

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

[Brinniel]

Brinniel's character


Name: Shae

Age: 25

Race: Man

Gender: female

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_______________________


Alright, I've finished my post.

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


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Brinniel's post - Shae


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Let me know if anything needs to be edited.

[Orofaniel]

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

Hm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– (from the second to last paragraph.)

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


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

[Novnarwen]

I feel like such a trouble maker..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers,
Nova