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

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Carl's post is up and the pit is now sufficently plugged. Please feel free to have the plug work as well or as poorly as would benefit the story. I thought perhaps the threat of having the dam burst or the maybe the discovery that it has indeed burst (resulting with the orcs in dire need of help) might be another option.

Also, I wasn't quite sure if the orc ladies were nearby the same stream Carl is momentary going to show up at. If so, feel free to use him or sight him if you'd like. He will be heading back for the camp.

[Regin Hardhammer]

Hilde -

I don't know what other people think. I like your idea of the dam about to break. One way to do it is to have the orc prisoners needing rescuing. But wouldn't it work better if the orcs were maybe hauled out of the pit and being "tried" topside and then have the emergency threaten both the orc and human kids, who were messing around near the brook or maybe even inside the pit? The two groups have to pitch in to avert a disaster?

I always thought these groups hated each other enough that they'd never cooperate except they're forced to by the circumstances.....needing each other against some kind of common enemy.

Would something like that work? I don't have the pit or the water very clear in my mind, but I guess one of the reasons I like this is that some of the orcs could potentially come off looking good and not just a bunch of drunkards. Maybe the female orcs could try to intervene and also Aiwendil could give his speech to "spare" the orcs. There's a vote by the group, and the vote is death. (Isn't that realistic given the experiences of the slaves?) But then something like this happens to change the whole equation.

- Regin

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

I think that the pit would be the most likely to fill with water, as I had described Vror and Carl as having to walk down an underground sloping passage toward camp in order to get to the chamber on the other side of the wall from the pit. I do apologize for any confusion. I see it in my mind's eye and think I haven't written it as vividly as I see it.

Maybe some people might be in the pit trying to repair the plug or move the orcs out of there when it bursts? Another option could involve children getting lost in another underground passage, but I think the first might be the stronger of the two. No time to think, just have to act quickly, you know?

[Folwren]

My save is filled. I am so sorry it took so belatedly long.

-- Folwren

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Regin Hardhammer

I always thought these groups hated each other enough that they'd never cooperate except they're forced to by the circumstances.....needing each other against some kind of common enemy.

I thought Child already created us a formidable enough enemy...

[Tevildo]

I filled in my save late last night for both Azhar and Dorran and asked Athwen a question....

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I thought Child already created us a formidable enough enemy...

In the long run, that's definitely true , but our enemy isn't there right now. We haven't even seen him yet, and who's to know if people will believe Aiwendil's wild report when he first returns. Some kind of incident like this would put pressure on the groups for immediate cooperation.

[Durelin]

The flooding of the pit is a good idea, and I think it could be added to the list of things that start the slaves and Fellowship members thinking that maybe Orcs aren't that different from them. But I assume this would be separate of when the final decision is being made of whether or not to kill the Orcs and the females come out of their hiding place to plead for mercy?

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

I have been thinking again about the situation in this story, and can’t really see why they would keep the orcs imprisoned long term, unless they intended to use them as bargaining chips should a large group of orcs show up. I might be missing the obvious but wouldn’t they prove a far too dangerous liability on the road? I should think that the question of whether or not to kill them or set them free would linger on the edges of everyone’s mind. All choices would be unsatisfactory, of course. With a flood and the females’ pleas mercy, wouldn’t a large number of the captors start identifying with the group of orcs, especially when finding out they have a similar goal in mind and were similarly oppressed? Perhaps they would recall their own imprisonment and consider freeing the creatures…but when Aiwendil returns, the two groups might decide that there is safety in numbers and that should make some sort of non-aggression pact and travel together. They curiously have common enemies as well. But how does one learn to trust an orc? If of their own accord the orcs save Men or Children from the pit, how far does that go towards earning the Men’s trust? I should think it might go far enough.

These are just some rambling thoughts on the matter

[Child of the 7th Age]

Hilde and Durelin and everyone,

I have been meaning to post my agreement on this for some time. I think it is a good idea, and we should run with it as a number of folk have posted positively.

This is where I think we are from previous posts but please tell me if I'm wrong. I am assuming the orc attempt to rescue the prisoners would come at night. At that point, Gwerr and his two companions would be trapped in the tunnel and thrown in with the rest. The rest of the camp would arrive tomorrow game time. Then the "trial" would take place.....to execute the orcs or let them go. Letting them go would probably mean setting them in the middle of nowhere minus their weapons! I doubt we're talking about cooperation at this point.

Grask's "attempt" to rescue the male orcs and the females' begging for mercy would be part of that trial. If someone wants to brandish a sword threateningly as part of all this, be my guest. The "young folk", both orc (one male, one female)and human, would be wandering off and get into trouble, but no one will know that. We've never set the female orc's age so we might want her to be younger than Grask.

Meanwhile, the entire camp could be at each other's throats....definitely the fun part! Aiwendil would come stalking in and tell everyone about the giant trolls out there on the plain. Give this situation, Aiwendil will actually suggest the possibility of the two groups cooperating, but I have a feeling that he will be ignored or rudely shouted down in the tumult of the moment. In the midst of this mayhem we get the word of trouble in the pit, and everyone has to pitch in.

Firefoot -- Grask would play a key role here, presumably as a "leader" or those who are trapped by the rising water, especially since he is physically bigger and stronger than the others. I can see the children struggling to work together in the face of impending doom. Perhaps they can teach their elders a lesson. Would you feel comfortable with this?

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Please excuse my recent scarcity. Every single member of my family is flying somewhere next week and they are all going in completely different directions. As a result, I am running in circles. I will be heading out to help my eldest get his stuff back home after the end of the school term.

Unless someone objects, I will put up a generic narrative post in the next day or so that will take us to nightfall. Then the three orcs are free to try and stage their break in and get trapped. That should get us to the point where we begin to have some action.