Shadow of the West Discussion Thread

[Bêthberry]

Writers of the Mark and Gondorians, Fordim Hedgethistle invites you to join his game, Shadow of the West, a game of intrigue set in the Second Age and exploring the creation of the Nazgul.

Please read carefully and completely Fordim's comments here about the characters and about the style of gaming he wishes you to pursue. If you think this game is for you, take up the challenge he has thrown you and contact him.

Have fun! I know I will.

Title: Shadow of the West

Basic Storyline:

This game will span a year in the history of the eastern kingdom of Pashtia. In the year 2203 of what is known in the West as the Second Age, an emissary arrives from an unknown king who calls himself Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. The Emissary seeks an alliance with Pashtia and offers King Faroz the Lord Annatar?s aid against his enemies. As a token of his goodwill, the emissary has brought with him a golden ring crafted by the Lord Annatar himself, and imbued with magical powers?

The purpose of the story is to explore the creation of the Nazgûl and the struggle of a distant people against their enslavement by Sauron.

This means we will know the story is over when the King is either driven out of his kingdom by a coup, or he and his allies crush the resistance and bring the land under the dominion of the Dark Lord.

Starting Location: The royal palace in Kanak, capital city of Pashtia.

Likely destination: The same.

Timeframes:

i) This game takes place in the Second Age at around year 2203.

ii) The story itself or plot covers one year.

iii) This game requires a time commitment of three to six months from me, the game owner and from the major players.




Characters:

Main character types are?

The Royal Family

King Faroz: known as Khamûl, which means ?shining one,? he is the powerful ruler of Pashtia. Cunning and careful, Faroz?s principle concerng is protecting his kingdom from their enemies to the north in Alanzia and securing thereby his own glory and wealth. He is neither cruel nor merciless, but coldly, sometimes even brutally, rational in the exercise of royal power. He commands the respect and awe rather than the love of his people, but he is widely regarded within the kingdom as a wise and just ruler. He can be ruthless to his enemies, but with his allies he is open and true. Played by me, the Game Owner.

The Queen: the wife of Faroz was a princess of neighbouring Alanzia before she was married at a young age to secure the peace between the kingdoms. It has worked, so far, but precariously. Played by Bêthberry.

One Daughter: promised in marriage at birth to the male courtier (see below) with whom the King wished to form an alliance. Played by Aylwen.

One Son: younger than his sister.


Members of the Royal Court

One Lord: older than the King?s daughter, who has been promised to him in marriage (see above).

One Lady: a powerful person in her own right, with lands and position.

The general of the King?s Army: an Elf and one of the Avari. Played by Kransha.

The general's wife: Played by Alaklondewen..

The general's grown child: Avari; male or female

Two Priests:

? One male.
? One female. Played by Amanaduial the Archer.



Secondary character types likely are?

The Foreign Emissary

A Black Numenórean: this character?s destiny is to become the Witch-King of Angmar and the chief Nazgûl. At the time of the game, however, he is still a Man, but he is a willing ally of Sauron who has taken the first of the Nine Rings in the full knowledge of its power. He is a powerful king in the south of the Gondorian realms, and a sorcerer. He has come to Pashtia with the second of the Nine and a proposal of alliance with Sauron. Played by me, the Game Owner.

All players will have certain latitude in creating their own secondary characters, but these will have to be approved by me, the game owner, first.



Character types which would not belong are any not listed above.

The game owner will play King Faroz



The first post for the game:

The Emissary arrived at dawn, emerging from the shadows of the west like the return of a dream. He and his vanguard of fifty tall men were dressed in richly woven clothes of purple and black, and their great war-horses struck sparks from the cobbled way that led to the city. Their faces were fair, though deeply tanned by their passage of the Great Desert, and yet despite the weariness of their journey they were proud and stern in aspect. Their hair was dark but their eyes were startling shades of gray, even blue, and not the usual brown. Most surprising of all, their faces were smooth and closely shaved. To many who saw them, they appeared as the Avarin, but their countenances, which bore the marks of age and toil despite their great beauty, were clearly those of Men, and not of the immortal ones. They were strangely armed with long, straight swords at their sides. Their weapons were the result of great craft, but many a Pashtian wondered at how such a large and cumbersome weapon could be used it combat.

They passed first through the rich farmlands that lay upon the banks of the river. The morning sun leapt above the horizon, revealing the company to the labourers already hard at work in the fields of their employers, trying to gather in as much of the crop as they could before the sun gained the advantage of the day, dissolving it with a blank white heat. The dark men did not glance to either side as they rode past the farms, nor did they acknowledge the stares of those they passed. The road turned away from the river and they followed it up a slight incline as it brought them closer to the city walls. Farmlands gave way to rolling hills, richly clad with grasses and shrubs, and home to the country estates of the nobility. The large houses of brick glowed like burnished bronze in the rising sun, and their groves of grapes, olives and figs clustered thick about them. At this season, the houses were deserted by all save the groundskeepers and a few servants, who watched the company pass from the walls that rose about the estates. These people were used to the sight of richly appointed parties, but these people from the west were so strange that they could not help but stare in wonderment.

The walls of the city rose up in the near distance but the company rode on apparently undaunted. They passed through the great empty fields that had been cleared for the mustering of Pashtia?s army and cavalry, and if they were at all impressed by the twin statues of Rhais and Rae that rose above them upon either side of the road, they did not show it. When they reached the city walls the gates were opened for them without any command or word being spoken, and it became clear to those who watched from the ramparts that the company was expected. The horses? hooves clattered noisily upon the stones as they followed the road through the suburbs. Here the houses were small and closely built, but they were all of them clean and richly appointed. They were built in the manner of all Pashtian homes, of mud-bricks that had been fired to bronze-coloured strength. The homes presented to the street only blank walls with narrow windows, but as the company passed the tall gates of each home they could see that the houses all had large central courtyards, and that all the rooms of the home opened out onto covered walks that ran about the inside the building. As they pressed on into the city, the homes grew richer, and taller, and in the courtyards were fountains and pools, supplied by the great viaduct that they had seen at the waterfall more than three leagues distant.

The road passed through another wall, this one not as high as the great outer defense, but richly carved and draped with banners of silk. Within the ring of this wall were the markets and houses of trade. The goods of the Pashtians were laid out upon counters and tables, and could be glimpsed beyond the thick wooden doors of huge warehouses. There was a great press of people about although it was yet early morning, and in the many markets the company passed through there was a continual hum of business and industry.

At last, the road achieved the wall of the Palace. It was the first structure they had seen not made of brick, but of hewn stone. It sprang up before them and glowed pink in the sun, for it was made of marble that had been brought here over immeasurable distances centuries before. The gate that admitted them into the Palace grounds was made of steel, and upon it were many figures engraved of the Kings of Pashtia and their deeds. Within the walls of the palace, the sounds of the markets were stilled and replaced by the gentle trickle of falling water and the call of birds. It was like another world, a green world of immaculately tended trees and flowering shrubs. There were small shrines and statues scattered amongst the streams and copses, and occasionally small villas could be glimpsed behind vibrant walls of hedges. The scents of a thousand different plants filled the air. The road rose up a hill toward the palace. It looked, from the outside, like the homes they had passed earlier, only much larger. It glowed with the rich warm hue of the bricks, and its walls were smooth and unmarked. When they passed through the gates, however, they were given a glimpse of the huge courtyard around which the palace had been built. It was filled with gardens and pools of water even more miraculously elaborate than those they had seen, and in its center there rose a single tall column of black stone, smooth and featureless, but which shone as though it had been burnished with a cloth. Beside the column was a deep well, perfectly round and carved, it seemed from the living bedrock upon which the palace had been built.

They stopped at the end of the passage that led through this wing of the palace, and a single guard stepped forward. He raised his hand and spoke to them in the common tongue of the East, and was surprised when he received an answer from the tall man who rode at the head of the column in the same language.

?Your coming is known to my King and you are welcome,? the guard began ceremoniously. ?My King bids you appear before him and make the purpose of your journey known.?

?I thank your King for this greeting, and I will attend him.? The company dismounted and followed the guard through a door at the side of the passage. He led them into a large hall, lit by rows of windows high up in the walls, and filled with a press of people dressed in silks and cloths of many different bright colours. The crowd was silent and moved aside to allow the company of stern men to pass. At the end of the hall there rose a tall dais, upon which stood the King, clad simply in an orange robe of silk, and wearing his diadem of pounded silver. He was unarmed, but about the foot of the dais were ranged a hundred of his personal guard, their faces covered with the same scarlet cloth that draped them to their feet.

The company halted at the foot of the dais and the Emissary stepped forward. Looking up to where the King stood he addressed him in tones of practiced diplomacy. ?Hail and greetings to King Faroz of Pashtia from my Lord Annatar of the West! He sends you good will and friendship, and bids me ask if you are willing to exchange the like with him.?

A murmur ran through the crowd at the fair words and the noble manner in which they had been delivered. The King, however, appeared unmoved as he replied. ?The greetings are returned, but I am afraid that I know nothing of your lord. You have come a long way from across the Great Desert, through which few Pashtians dare now travel, for we have heard that the lands to the west have grown dangerous and that the kingdoms of that realm are in eternal conflict. We want no part of foreign wars.?

?It is true that in the past there were trials in my land,? the Emissary replied. ?But those troubles are behind us now. My Lord desires only peace and friendship with all the peoples of Middle-Earth, and to that end he has sent me into these distant lands to seek out both with our long separated kindred of men.?

The King paused in thought for a time before responding. ?You speak fairly, and I will consider the request for friendship, but does your lord ask only for that? You would not have come all this way merely to express tidings of good will.?

?You are wise and perceptive, King Faroz. I cannot deny that my Lord has given me two tasks of more specific import. He bid me say that if you are willing to accept his friendship, then might you consider alliance as well? My Lord is powerful in his lands, as you are in yours, and one can never have too many allies in an uncertain world.?

?Of this first matter, we will speak further. What of the second??

The Emissary drew forth from beneath his clothes a small black bag, from which he took out a gold ring. It was unmarked and plain, but there was upon it a small red stone that glittered in the light, and the gold itself shone. Many who beheld the ring felt that it was a thing of great worth, and longed to examine it more closely. The Emissary held the ring aloft. ?My Lord Annatar is known in the west as the Lord of Gifts. Let this be the first of the gifts that he will send as token of his friendship and alliance!?

The King came down the steps of the dais and took the ring from the Emissary. He held it in his palm for a moment and gazed at it in silence. It was a beautiful thing, perfectly round and unmarked. Its gem seemed to glow with a dull red light of its own. He resisted the urge to put it on immediately, for he did not wish to seem over eager in the eyes of his people. Looking up at the Emissary once more, the King thought for a fleeting moment that he caught a look of great cunning on the man?s fair face, but when he looked again there was only a noble mien of respect. Closing his hand about the ring, the King spoke so the court could hear. ?It is indeed a rich gift, and I will accept it. As to the offer of alliance, I will speak with you further about your Lord and take counsel with my nobles. For now, however, accept in return my own expressions of thanks and friendship.? The King?s eyes drifted back down to the hand in which he clutched the ring. ?It is indeed a rich gift,? he said as though to himself. ?A precious gift.?


Other information of special interest that you would like to include:

The Kingdom

Pashtia is in the far East of the world, upon the shores of the Eastern Sea. It is a desert country, crossed by three great rivers that converge near the ocean and form a large crescent of fertile land upon which has grown up a small but powerful civilization that has lasted for thousands of years. The people of Pashtia are refined and well educated, and consider themselves to be among the most civilized people in the world, and with good reason. Art, philosophy and the sciences are all highly developed, and Pasthtian artisans and teachers are in high demand throughout the East.

There is in the kingdom a large population of the Avari, Elves who did not go into the West when they were summoned by the Valar, and who have all but forgotten their western kindred. Never having met even one of the Noldor, the Avari are a much more ?quaint? and perhaps even rustic people. They are far more like men than their western cousins. They are a minority in the realm, but they are treated with guarded respect by the other Pashtians. At one time, in the distant past, the Avari were persecuted and feared, but for a thousand years they have been welcomed into human society.

To the north of Pashtia, across the Great Desert Ardûn, is the larger kingdom of Alanzia. For centuries these two rivals have glared jealously at one another across the sands that separate them. Their last war lasted nearly ten years and cost the lives of thousands upon both sides. It was finally ended when the Kings of Alanzia and Pashtia agreed to marry their children. So far, the peace has held, but the rivalry remains. The armies of Alanzia are larger, but the Pashtians are better trained and equipped, thanks in large part to the contributions made to their military by the Avari. In Alanzia, ?the immortal devils? as the Elves are called there, are forbidden, on pain of instant death.

The religion of Pashtia is based upon the worship of the earth goddess, a belief that has its roots in the myths of the Avari. Within the last few decades, there have been calls from some amongst the nobility to have the priests acknowledge the supremacy of Rea, the male sky god to whom they claim Rhais, the earth mother, is subordinate.

I have loosely based Pashtia upon ancient Parthia. I will encourage gamers to visit this web site to help them visualize the architecture, artifacts, costume and manners of Pashtia. The two primary differences between Pashtia and Parthia, are geographic size (Parthia was a huge empire, not a small kingdom) and religion.


Customs and Manners of Pashtia

Families live together in multi-generation houses built to accommodate them. The family lives together as a single unit without dividing into generations or groups. All meals are taken communally at a low table in the courtyard of the family home, around which all members of the household sit upon richly embroidered cushions. This is true of all classes and occupations, for although it is a socially divided and strictly hierarchical society, the upper echelons of the citizenry do not look down upon nor denigrate those below them. One?s position in society is simply a fact of their existence, and not a moral or societal judgement of one?s worth.

All Pashtians have dark hair, either black or dark brown, and while the occasional child is born with curls, most people?s hair grows straight. Their features are even and their skin brown. The men all wear beards, and no Pashtian woman is so without shame as to be seen outside her house without a scarf to cover her head. Men and women dress very much alike, in light trousers and shirts, with robes overtop of these. Most of the citizens of Pashtia wear finely spun white cotton that is soft but durable. The better off citizens prefer to drape themselves in brightly coloured silk. By and large the men do not wear ornaments, but take great delight in growing long beards which they will braid and adorn with gold wire. All Pashtian women wear bangles about their wrists. The poorest women use clay and glass, but those who can afford it prefer gold or silver.

Men are the workers and warriors of Pashtia, and the heads of their households, but they do not hold sway over their wives and daughters as dictators. Women have the right to refuse unwanted marriages, or to leave marriages that have become difficult. Women can inherit property and title from their husbands, but in the event of a parent?s death, all the wealth goes to the eldest male child. It is Pashtian law, however, that the son must honour the obligations of the father, and to provide for his mother, grandmothers, aunts or sisters.

Pashtian artisans are known throughout the East as the most talented craftsmen, capable of making things that are both useful and beautiful. The primary occupation of most Pashtians, however, is agriculture for the rivers that flow through their land make the land about them bountiful. The farms of Pashtia grow all manners of goods, most of which are converted into manufactured goods before being traded abroad. It is thanks to this trade that Pashtia has become over the centuries one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the East of Middle-earth.

Pashtian soldiers fight with light swords and daggers and go lightly armoured. Pashtia also boasts one of the finest cavalries in the known world, with horses and men so well-trained that many who see them in battle believe that man and beast are able to communicate with one another?s thoughts.



The Gamers

As this game will succeed or fail by the relationships that exist between the characters, I wish to use a graduated system of signing up players. In the first round, I will request only that interested players submit a basic description of their preferred character, without a bio or history. They will also be asked to address how their character feels about each of the following issues:

i) The King has been asked by several of his nobles to erect a new temple in the city to the honour of Rea. This party hopes that such a temple will help their cause to have the sky god worshipped above Rhais, the goddess of the earth.

ii) For the last few years there have been calls for a law that would limit the term of service of any Avari in a royal posting to ninety-nine years. There are many amongst the nobility who feel that too many of the highest positions in the kingdom are closed to humans by the immortals who currently occupy them. Does the player?s character think that such a law would be just?

iii) The King has yet to declare his heir. Does the player?s character think that it should be the King?s son, who is the younger child, or should the King choose his daughter, in which case the noble she is promised to in marriage will rule?

Once the roles are filled, I will then ask all gamers to indicate those other characters that their character will seek as allies, and those characters that they will see as foes. Obviously, there may need to be some co-ordination of these lists amongst the players.

The third and final round will be the submission of first posts.


A Note to All Gamers: Concerning Events in Pashtia

While I do have some specific plot points, gamers will be expected to move the plot along themselves. The development of the game should closely resemble the Green Dragon Inn and the White Horse Inn, where gamers interactively create a story rather than passively react to events as outlined for them by the game owner. Plot twists and new developments will not only be tolerated but actively encouraged. Gamers will be asked to use the Discussion Thread to discuss possible plot developments with one another: alternately, if a gamer would like to spring a surprise on everyone else, they can contact me via PM. It is my sincere hope that the intrigues and relationships in this game will become nothing less than Byzantine in their complexity. As a consequence, gamers will be allowed and expected to take the initiative in gameplay.
________

[Imladris]

Hey!

I wasn't going to play any in any more games....but...this looks too intriguing to resist.

That said I am interested in this role:

One Lady: a powerful person in her own right, with lands and position.

Lady Arshalous: tall, slender, black hair twined in intricate braids, can be described in one word: polemic. She has a rather....cynical view on life and has the attitude: Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. She wears lots of jewelry (mainly bangles and arm bands), and paints her eyes with kohl.

The King has been asked by several of his nobles to erect a new temple in the city to the honour of Rhais. This party hopes that such a temple will help their cause to have the sky god worshipped above the goddess of the earth.

I'm sorry if I'm being dense, but I wonder if there might be a typo here for I don't understand how a temple in honour of Rhais, who, from what I understand, is the earth goddess, could help the supremecay of the sky god.

However, if the temple is built in honour of the earth mother, Arshalous is for it.

If the temple is in honour of the sky god, Arshalous opposes the building of it for one reason: Rhais is the earth mother...as such she should be treated with respect.

If she had her way, though, no new temple would be built at all...the god had been satisfied with no new temple before...if a new temple were built then it could be considered as flattery.

But she could see no reason for the supremecy of either. To her, they were like the flip sides of a coin: the world could not be without the other.

As a law limiting the years that an Avari could serve in the kingdom, she is inclined to believe that such a law is silly. Why bother with the fuss of choosing mortals who would only die, when the position could be provided by a wise immortal? The more often a glass was handled by different hands (some of which would not be gentle), the more quickly the glass will break. However, in the hands of few, the glass has a better chance of surviving. In her opinion, the same principle applies to the kingdom.

The heir should be the wiser child: if the younger son was wiser than the noble betrothed to the daughter, then so be it. If the betrothed husband was wiser than the son, then let the noble become the heir.

Cheers and thanks!
Imladris

[Amanaduial the archer]

I also said I would back off on the games for a while, but people keep bullying me with all these lovely looking game proposals. Stay away, ye tempters of RPG! Not that I'm complaining...

Fordim, for some reason I am having some problems with the PMs at the moment - it's just my server, I suspect, it's being difficult with certain pages for no apparent reason. But I shall send my answers for the priestess to you as soon as possible

Later, yer majesty.

- Ax

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Originally Posted by Amanaduial the archer

Fordim, for some reason I am having some problems with the PMs at the moment - it's just my server, I suspect, it's being difficult with certain pages for no apparent reason. But I shall send my answers for the priestess to you as soon as possible

Could I ask that everyone post the answers to their questions here in the DT, as everyone else will need to see where the others stand.

Thanks.

[alaklondewen]

Here is a short description of the General's wife...

Arlomë is an Avari, a Dark Elf, who never saw the light of Aman. She is tall with a thin frame. Her black hair falls nearly to her waist and is kept in a single braid with three strands of gold wire twined throughout. Her sharp blue eyes can pierce many a heart and their intensity cause many to become uncomfortable when they are the target of her gaze.

Arlomë enjoys her position and takes her reputation seriously. She holds herself and her family to a high standard of decency, and she is proud of their status.

Arlomë identifies deeply with the femininity of the earth goddess, Rhais, and therefore refuses to accept Rea as supreme, although she does recognize him as a deity. Arlomë would be greatly concerned about the building of a temple to the sky god, and she would pray to Rhais for mercy on the kingdom.

The controversy of a limitation being placed on the Avaris’ service is a personal issue that the elf woman is passionate. Arlomë is fiercely loyal to her husband, and the idea of his service being limited infuriates her. She knows of the importance Morgos sees in his position, and she would not have it taken from him. The mortals should be thankful they have him to lead and would be hard-pressed to fight the Alanzians without him.

Arlomë cares little as to who the heir will be, although if her opinion was requested, she would simply reply that tradition should be upheld and King Faroz’s son is the rightful heir.

~*~*~
I must say I'm looking forward to this game, and I thank Fordim for giving me the opportunity to write this part.

[Firefoot]

Looks like a fun game - I'd be interested in playing the king's son.

Siamak is not very confident in himself, or very outspoken. He prefers to listen to others and keep his own opinion quiet. He tends to be kind-hearted, but he will do what he thinks is necessary in a given situation, and if that means lie, cheat, or steal, so be it. He is intelligent, and gives a lot of thought to things, not liking to make quick decisions. Average height, broad shoulders, black hair and a long beard with a few small braids twined with gold wire.

Siamak thinks it would be a wise idea to build a temple to the sky god Rea. He doesn't understand religious issues very well and is therefore rather afraid of the gods. Rea hasn't punished them yet for not giving him his due honor, but who's to say that he won't? He thinks the gods should be worshipped equally so that neither will be angered for not being honored properly.

Siamak feels that the most qualified individuals should hold positions in the army. If that is the Avari generals, then they should be allowed to keep their positions. However, if after 99 years a more qualified Pashtian who wants the position comes along, they should have it. Siamak wants the law to be passed with those provisions.

Siamak harbors hopes of being the king's heir, but he doesn't have enough confidence in himself to think that he will be. Whichever way the king decides, Siamak wishes that he would make up his mind soon so that he could feel secure in his own position. Siamak tries to remain in his father's good graces so that he might be named the heir.

~*~*~

Hope this works!

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Goodness gracious me! What is that they say about the devil and details?!?!?

Good catch Imladris! To clarify:

The male sky god is Rea and the female earth goddess is Rhais. The temple that is being propsed would be to Rea (male sky) as there are nobles who wish to subordinate Rhais (female earth).

Perhaps Bb could edit the first post accordingly. . .? *inserting the imaginary "hopeful" smilie here*

To be clear, the question that I would like gamers to answer is:

The King has been asked by several of his nobles to erect a new temple in the city to the honour of Rea. This party hopes that such a temple will help their cause to have the sky god worshipped above Rhais, the goddess of the earth.

I've also caught a spelling error in the first post. There the male sky god is identified as "Rae", but it should be "Rea" (RAY-ah).