Desdichado
Hero
Y'know a lot has been made of the parallels between Midnight and Tolkien, but I think the focus is a bit misplaced. Here's my take on it, anyway.
Izrador himself much more closely resembles Morgoth than he does Sauron, for one thing (was an original god, defied all the others, was banished to Middle-earth, settled in the North, etc.). The Sundering is also similar to the withdrawal of the Valar from Middle-earth and their fencing themselves into Valinor. The current events, in which the elves and dwarves are fighting a desperate rearguard in a war that's really already over remind me very strongly of conditions near the end of the First Age in Beleriand: Doriath ravaged, Gondolin toppled, Nargothrond otherthrown, the Edain living in slavery. The dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost were shut inside their mountains, and the elves were hiding in a few coastal towns. The great battles of Midnight really only superficially resemble the ends of the 1st 2nd and 3rd ages in Middle-earth; they really more closely resemble the fabulous battles of the First Age itself, and the battle that ends the Third Age of Midnight is equivalent to the Battle of Unnumbered Tears in the First Age of Middle-earth. Overall, reading the history of Aryth, I don't get that "appendices to Return of the King" vibe, I get a much more Silmarillion vibe.
Following that comparison, a natural goal of a Midnight campaign would be to cast the PCs in the "Earendil role"; that of seeking out the old gods and returning them to Aryth to end Izrador's reign of terror.
I realize this kinda defeats the purpose of the "we're so dark and grim" vibe of the setting, but keep in mind that this victory against Morgoth was at best a Pyrrhic victory. The entire continent of Beleriand was ruined and sank beneath the sea. It broke the back of elven culture in Middle-earth; they never again really were anywhere near the potent power they once were. Morgoth's corruption only opened the door for Sauron to step into his shoes later. The legendary Golden Age was gone forever, to be replaced by the "Silver Age" of the Second Age, and the "Bronze Age" of the Third Age. Aragorn's Fourth Age wasn't even that. The themes of bitter loss and irrevocable damage done by the evil is strong in Tolkien, and the nature of Morgoth to eventually return for the "Ragnarok" is still easy to see in much of his writing (especially his unpublished stuff in Morgoth's Ring).
So, does this sound like an interesting take on Midnight, or something out of left field? Is this compatible with the designs of the designers, or is this just my own take on the subject?
Clearly, I understand that I can play the game any darn way I want, but I'm just curious is this is something that's occured to anyone before, or if they think my comparisons are unfounded.
Izrador himself much more closely resembles Morgoth than he does Sauron, for one thing (was an original god, defied all the others, was banished to Middle-earth, settled in the North, etc.). The Sundering is also similar to the withdrawal of the Valar from Middle-earth and their fencing themselves into Valinor. The current events, in which the elves and dwarves are fighting a desperate rearguard in a war that's really already over remind me very strongly of conditions near the end of the First Age in Beleriand: Doriath ravaged, Gondolin toppled, Nargothrond otherthrown, the Edain living in slavery. The dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost were shut inside their mountains, and the elves were hiding in a few coastal towns. The great battles of Midnight really only superficially resemble the ends of the 1st 2nd and 3rd ages in Middle-earth; they really more closely resemble the fabulous battles of the First Age itself, and the battle that ends the Third Age of Midnight is equivalent to the Battle of Unnumbered Tears in the First Age of Middle-earth. Overall, reading the history of Aryth, I don't get that "appendices to Return of the King" vibe, I get a much more Silmarillion vibe.
Following that comparison, a natural goal of a Midnight campaign would be to cast the PCs in the "Earendil role"; that of seeking out the old gods and returning them to Aryth to end Izrador's reign of terror.
I realize this kinda defeats the purpose of the "we're so dark and grim" vibe of the setting, but keep in mind that this victory against Morgoth was at best a Pyrrhic victory. The entire continent of Beleriand was ruined and sank beneath the sea. It broke the back of elven culture in Middle-earth; they never again really were anywhere near the potent power they once were. Morgoth's corruption only opened the door for Sauron to step into his shoes later. The legendary Golden Age was gone forever, to be replaced by the "Silver Age" of the Second Age, and the "Bronze Age" of the Third Age. Aragorn's Fourth Age wasn't even that. The themes of bitter loss and irrevocable damage done by the evil is strong in Tolkien, and the nature of Morgoth to eventually return for the "Ragnarok" is still easy to see in much of his writing (especially his unpublished stuff in Morgoth's Ring).
So, does this sound like an interesting take on Midnight, or something out of left field? Is this compatible with the designs of the designers, or is this just my own take on the subject?
Clearly, I understand that I can play the game any darn way I want, but I'm just curious is this is something that's occured to anyone before, or if they think my comparisons are unfounded.
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