JoeNotCharles
First Post
Setting:
Five years ago, two momentous events shook the lands east of the Misty Mountains: Bard the Bowman slew the great dragon Smaug, allowing the dwarves of the Iron Hills to reclaim their ancient halls beneath the Lonely Mountain; and a council of the Wise at last united to drive the foul creature known as the Necromancer out of his fortress of Dol Guldur, lifting the shadow on southern Mirkwood. But a thousand years of Shadow are not dispelled so easily, and fell creatures still shelter beneath the eaves of Mirkwood and descend from the high passes of the mountains.
Five free peoples make their homes throughout the Wilderland, and members of a sixth can occasionally be found as travellers:
Bardings: Bard the Bowman has been crowned King of Dale, the human kingdom at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. With the help of the dwarves, they are replanting the Devastation of Smaug and making it bloom again. Bard's kingdom also includes the ruins of Lake-town, which was destroyed in Smaug's attack: many of the men of Lake-town have travelled north to rebuild the city of Dale, ruined ages ago in Smaug's first attack on the Lonely Mountain; others have remained on the shores of the Long Lake to rebuild their home that was destroyed in Smaug's final attack.
Bard's people have noble blood - they are tall and strong-limbed, usually with fair hair (although dark and even black hair is not unknown). They shave their beards completely unless they are very old, and men cut their hair short while women wear it in braids. They are known for their craftsmanship and wealth, from trading with both Dwarves and Elves, and the Dwarves are teaching them enough metalwork to craft the best weapons seen among humans in these lands. As Dale regains its former glory, it is becoming a place of learning as well as enterprise, and has many scholars as well as craftsmen, traders and warriors.
Beornings: Beorn the skin-changer, who lives on the stony island of the Carrock in the upper Anduin, has also become a leader of men after the Battle of Five Armies. His legendary ferocity has attracted mountain-hunters, warriors of the hills who lost their families or forsook their clans due to their violent tempers, and needful souls drawn to his protective nature. His followers have now settled the lands around the river, breeding cattle and horses and keeping hives of great bees. They watch the mountain passes and the road that crosses the river and enters Mirkwood, extracting tolls from honest travellers but also guarding against Orcs and other creatures of the Shadow. They remain suspicious of other men, Dwarves, and Elves, but none can deny that they are fierce enemies of the Shadow.
Beorn's people are rugged, brawny men with unkempt beards, and lively women with long, wild hair. They value their freedom and bow to no lord; even Beorn is only the most respected of their many clan chieftains. Beorn has taught his arts to some of his followers, who may have inhuman strength, thick, bearlike hides, or even be able to prowl the hills in the form of an animal. Many young warriors are naturally adventurous people who leave their land to explore the wide world, but their blunt speech and uncivilized nature sometimes leads them into trouble.
Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain: Until 5 years ago, these Dwarves lived in the Iron Hills, mining base metals - a respectable trade, but nothing compared to the splendour of their forefathers that was stolen from them by the dragon, Smaug. Now that the dragon is dead, King Dain Ironfoot and the surviving 12 companions of Thorin Oakenshield are leading them in rebuilding their ancestral home beneath the Lonely Mountain. They are staunch allies of the Bardings, but although they are in theory allies of the Elves of Mirkwood, they still distrust them for the time they imprisoned legendary hero Thorin and his companions.
Elves of Mirkwood: Nearly alone of the free peoples, the Elves still remember when Mirkwood was known as Greenwood the Great, before the Shadow fell on it. Although their forest has become a dark and terrifying place, they still maintain an underground fastness in the north, protected by the Elvenking's spells. There they have grown ever more insular and suspicious of trespassing foreigners. But since the Battle of Five Armies, the Shadow on Mirkwood has begun to lift, and the elves have become more willing to leave their hidden realm and work with others to oppose it.
Hobbits of the Shire: These mysterious folk come from an idyllic land far to the West. Unknown until the fall of Smaug, now stories are told among the free peoples of the cunning of the oddly-named Bilbo Baggins. What would bring more of these peace-loving people in Bilbo's footsteps? Perhaps you are a young Hobbit lass, listening to Bilbo's tales, has had the wander-lust inflamed in her. Perhaps you are one of the Shire's bounders, tracing its borders to watch for threats, who heard rumours of dark things abroad and decided to keep his home safe by fighting them at their source. Perhaps you were approached by travellers who heard stories of Baggins, and are looking for their own good luck charm. Perhaps you are a Took.
Woodmen: These frontiersmen, related to the Bardings, have been living under the eaves of Mirkwood despite its dangers for many years. They live in isolated villages and homesteads surrounded by wooden stockades, always on guard for danger. The wizard Radagast the Brown lives among them, in his homestead of Rhosgobel, a place of safety from which he kept watch on the evil in Dol Guldur.
Similar to the Bardings, these men are tall an often light-haired, but they are brown-skinned and ruddy from time spent outdoors. They are great hunters and trackers, often pursuing orcs and spiders into the depths of Mirkwood with their spears and great bows. They breed great hounds for hunting, and Radagast has taught them great skills in the tending of beasts, as well as exceptional herb-lore and woodcraft.
So, that's the 6 cultures. The first step in creating a character is to choose one. If you don't want to bother creating your own character, I also have one premade character from each culture you can use.
Before you start creating your character, though, I have one more thing to discuss: Fellowship. At the end of character creation, you can (if you want) choose one of your fellow adventurers as your "Fellowship Focus", a friend or family member who you are especially close to (like Sam and Frodo). You can recover from hardship faster if your Fellowship Focus is with you, but if they are hurt the effects of despair are magnified. You also get a bonus in combat to defend your Fellowship Focus.
So, as you're creating characters, think about whether you want your characters to know each other before the game starts, and if you might want to choose one as a Fellowship Focus. If you don't all know each other, anyone who isn't part of the group will meet the others during the first adventure.
So, everyone choose a culture, and then I'll tell you what you get for being in that culture, and your choices for the next step.
Five years ago, two momentous events shook the lands east of the Misty Mountains: Bard the Bowman slew the great dragon Smaug, allowing the dwarves of the Iron Hills to reclaim their ancient halls beneath the Lonely Mountain; and a council of the Wise at last united to drive the foul creature known as the Necromancer out of his fortress of Dol Guldur, lifting the shadow on southern Mirkwood. But a thousand years of Shadow are not dispelled so easily, and fell creatures still shelter beneath the eaves of Mirkwood and descend from the high passes of the mountains.
Five free peoples make their homes throughout the Wilderland, and members of a sixth can occasionally be found as travellers:
Bardings: Bard the Bowman has been crowned King of Dale, the human kingdom at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. With the help of the dwarves, they are replanting the Devastation of Smaug and making it bloom again. Bard's kingdom also includes the ruins of Lake-town, which was destroyed in Smaug's attack: many of the men of Lake-town have travelled north to rebuild the city of Dale, ruined ages ago in Smaug's first attack on the Lonely Mountain; others have remained on the shores of the Long Lake to rebuild their home that was destroyed in Smaug's final attack.
Bard's people have noble blood - they are tall and strong-limbed, usually with fair hair (although dark and even black hair is not unknown). They shave their beards completely unless they are very old, and men cut their hair short while women wear it in braids. They are known for their craftsmanship and wealth, from trading with both Dwarves and Elves, and the Dwarves are teaching them enough metalwork to craft the best weapons seen among humans in these lands. As Dale regains its former glory, it is becoming a place of learning as well as enterprise, and has many scholars as well as craftsmen, traders and warriors.
Beornings: Beorn the skin-changer, who lives on the stony island of the Carrock in the upper Anduin, has also become a leader of men after the Battle of Five Armies. His legendary ferocity has attracted mountain-hunters, warriors of the hills who lost their families or forsook their clans due to their violent tempers, and needful souls drawn to his protective nature. His followers have now settled the lands around the river, breeding cattle and horses and keeping hives of great bees. They watch the mountain passes and the road that crosses the river and enters Mirkwood, extracting tolls from honest travellers but also guarding against Orcs and other creatures of the Shadow. They remain suspicious of other men, Dwarves, and Elves, but none can deny that they are fierce enemies of the Shadow.
Beorn's people are rugged, brawny men with unkempt beards, and lively women with long, wild hair. They value their freedom and bow to no lord; even Beorn is only the most respected of their many clan chieftains. Beorn has taught his arts to some of his followers, who may have inhuman strength, thick, bearlike hides, or even be able to prowl the hills in the form of an animal. Many young warriors are naturally adventurous people who leave their land to explore the wide world, but their blunt speech and uncivilized nature sometimes leads them into trouble.
Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain: Until 5 years ago, these Dwarves lived in the Iron Hills, mining base metals - a respectable trade, but nothing compared to the splendour of their forefathers that was stolen from them by the dragon, Smaug. Now that the dragon is dead, King Dain Ironfoot and the surviving 12 companions of Thorin Oakenshield are leading them in rebuilding their ancestral home beneath the Lonely Mountain. They are staunch allies of the Bardings, but although they are in theory allies of the Elves of Mirkwood, they still distrust them for the time they imprisoned legendary hero Thorin and his companions.
Elves of Mirkwood: Nearly alone of the free peoples, the Elves still remember when Mirkwood was known as Greenwood the Great, before the Shadow fell on it. Although their forest has become a dark and terrifying place, they still maintain an underground fastness in the north, protected by the Elvenking's spells. There they have grown ever more insular and suspicious of trespassing foreigners. But since the Battle of Five Armies, the Shadow on Mirkwood has begun to lift, and the elves have become more willing to leave their hidden realm and work with others to oppose it.
Hobbits of the Shire: These mysterious folk come from an idyllic land far to the West. Unknown until the fall of Smaug, now stories are told among the free peoples of the cunning of the oddly-named Bilbo Baggins. What would bring more of these peace-loving people in Bilbo's footsteps? Perhaps you are a young Hobbit lass, listening to Bilbo's tales, has had the wander-lust inflamed in her. Perhaps you are one of the Shire's bounders, tracing its borders to watch for threats, who heard rumours of dark things abroad and decided to keep his home safe by fighting them at their source. Perhaps you were approached by travellers who heard stories of Baggins, and are looking for their own good luck charm. Perhaps you are a Took.
Woodmen: These frontiersmen, related to the Bardings, have been living under the eaves of Mirkwood despite its dangers for many years. They live in isolated villages and homesteads surrounded by wooden stockades, always on guard for danger. The wizard Radagast the Brown lives among them, in his homestead of Rhosgobel, a place of safety from which he kept watch on the evil in Dol Guldur.
Similar to the Bardings, these men are tall an often light-haired, but they are brown-skinned and ruddy from time spent outdoors. They are great hunters and trackers, often pursuing orcs and spiders into the depths of Mirkwood with their spears and great bows. They breed great hounds for hunting, and Radagast has taught them great skills in the tending of beasts, as well as exceptional herb-lore and woodcraft.
So, that's the 6 cultures. The first step in creating a character is to choose one. If you don't want to bother creating your own character, I also have one premade character from each culture you can use.
Before you start creating your character, though, I have one more thing to discuss: Fellowship. At the end of character creation, you can (if you want) choose one of your fellow adventurers as your "Fellowship Focus", a friend or family member who you are especially close to (like Sam and Frodo). You can recover from hardship faster if your Fellowship Focus is with you, but if they are hurt the effects of despair are magnified. You also get a bonus in combat to defend your Fellowship Focus.
So, as you're creating characters, think about whether you want your characters to know each other before the game starts, and if you might want to choose one as a Fellowship Focus. If you don't all know each other, anyone who isn't part of the group will meet the others during the first adventure.
So, everyone choose a culture, and then I'll tell you what you get for being in that culture, and your choices for the next step.
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