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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9823114" data-attributes="member: 6750502">Today, we begin reading the Two Towers. Last we left off, the Fellowship broke apart after Boromir attempted to seize the ring from Frodo by force, causing the Hobbit to run off on his own. But not before his dear ol' Sam accompanies him! Will our heroes learn the hard way why it's a bad idea to split the party, or will they kick out Boromir the problem player in order to salvage their campaign? Let's find out!The book begins with a helpful Synopsis, summarizing Fellowship of the Ring in a page-and-a-half. While I still remember the broad outlines, it was still quite helpful.Book 3, Chapter 1: The Departure of Boromir<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">What I immediately notice is that the page count doesn't begin at "1" like most books, but continues off from Fellowship of the Ring. The first page of the first chapter is thus 403.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Interesting that Aragon chose to keep secret Boromir's dying words of falling prey to the Ring and attacking Frodo. If I had to guess, Aragon figures that telling the truth to his companions would do little but cause a loss of trust and resentment, and that it would be easier for them to think he remained honorable to the end.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">While it was briefly spoken of in the first book by Gandalf during his captivity by Saruman, the early parts of this book indicate that orcs aren't a monolith in regards to primary loyalty to Sauron. The Synopsis notes that the orc warband that attacked the Fellowship at the end of the first book had "some in the service of the Dark Lord of Mordor, some of the traitor Saruman of Isengard." In this chapter, Aragorn notes that the orcs using shields with an "S" rune in white coloration wouldn't be used for Sauron: the Dark Lord bans his followers from writing his name or otherwise indicating it in abbreviation, and he doesn't make use of the color white in related insignias.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Aragorn describes Elves, Dwarves, and Men as the Three Kindreds, a term I don't believe I've seen used in Fellowship. While such people had historical alliances at times, Kindred implies sharing a common cultural origin. Looking it up, an LotR fan wiki (Tolkien Gateway) indicates that the term instead relates to three elven groups, so this might be Aragorn comparing himself, Gimli, and Legolas to famous historical figures. Which may not be a mistake so much as an obscure means of Tolkien having Aragorn trying to raise their spirits by relating their journey to heroes of yore.</li> </ol>Book 3, Chapter 2: the Riders of Rohan <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Again the book touches upon infighting among orcs, as Aragorn comes upon some of their corpses. Noting that the Rohirrim don't typically wander these lands and that the dead bodies bear a lack of badges typically carried by orcs of the north, Aragorn surmises that the orcs fought among each other.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Having Legolas and Gimli exclaim the exact same words at the exact same time ("the brooch of an elven cloak!" upon finding evidence of Pippin's presence) makes me realize more and more that the characters' long-holding antagonism in the films was exaggerated. From what I remember of it, their blossoming acknowledgement of friendship occurred at the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDT3_jVYAkI" target="_blank">"side by side with a friend"</a> scene at the Battle of Helm's Deep. Or maybe that's the scene I remember most due to cultural osmosis and memes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I love how the trio debate the practicalities of various plans in following the orcs, such as the feasibility of continuing at night to avoid losing ground vs. it being harder to make out tracks at night which can cost them more in lost time than if they stopped to rest. I also like how Gimli delegates to Aragorn for decision-making when they're at an impasse, trusting in his judgment even if Aragorn himself is losing faith in himself. They're not arguing so much as weighing the costs and risks, which highlights their professionalism.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Legolas saying that "the tree is glad of the fire" at seeing hand-like branches seemingly reaching over the warm campfire is rather auspicious, given that Aragorn later talks about Fangorn Forest being the dwellings of Ents who are pretty much personified trees.</li> </ol></blockquote>

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