Middle Earth

Setting

This campaign is set in Middle Earth (map) ten years after the dawn of the Fourth Age. With Sauron defeated, the Age of Men has begun and the Elves, Dwarves, and many other races have largely, though not completely, moved out of the vision of Men.

Though many of the greater races are shadows of their former glory, Middle Earth is still a thriving land full of creatures of unsavory nature: Dragons, Kraken, Orcs, and Trolls all roam the countryside with frequency--now more of a nuisance than an organized enemy though.

King Elessar (formerly known as Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, now king of Gondor, Arnor, and the High King of the Reunited Kingdom), has ruled for a decade with a fair hand.

Minas Tirith--the great ringed city of Gondor--is still in the process of rebuilding its walls from the Orc attack at the end of the Third Age.

"In his time the City was made more fair than it had ever been, even in the days of its first glory; and it was filled with trees and with fountains, and its gates were wrought of mithril and steel, and its streets were paved with white marble; and the Folk of the Mountain laboured in it, and the Folk of the Wood rejoiced to come there; and all was healed and made good, and the houses were filled with men and women and the laughter of children, and no window was blind nor any courtyard empty; and after the ending of the Third Age of the world into the new age it preserved the memory and the glory of the years that were gone." The Return of the King: "The Steward and the King," p. 246

It is a time of prosperity, and when the characters enter the story, preparations are being made for the 10th anniversary of the slaying of Sauron. Probably the greatest party ever seen in Middle Earth since Isildur slew Sauron.

The party, being high ranking officers of the White Guard or personal friends of the King, have been invited to a pre-celebration diner. Each have received a fine parchment invite with silver hand-written lettering reading the following in the common tongue:

Dearest Friend, 

It is time we gather for a feast to recognize our fallen friends, 
and celebrate our decade of freedom from the Dark Lord. 

Join me in the great hall of Minas Tirith for a great feast the day  
before the celebration.  

Elessar, King

General Roleplaying Style

This will be an epic campaign in the cinematic style at Tech Level 3 (medieval). Players will be using a wide variety of skills in a gamut of scenarios. Magic is common in Middle Earth, and is not limited to players who have Magery.

I will try my best to keep everything accurate to the world of Tolkien, but there certainly will be areas where, for the sake of story, we will differentiate a bit. Players need not be familiar with the specifics of Middle Earth. The spirit, not the accuracy, of the realm is what we are going for.

Character Creation

Characters will be given 250 points, and may have up to 100 points of disadvantages and 100 points of advantages.

Players are allowed to build characters based off real characters in The Lord of the Rings, but are not required to do so.

Each character will either be a high ranking member of the Court, White Guard (who had participated in the Great Battle against Sauron), or a personal friend of the King. Players will likely all be of the race of Men (or at least half-bred), though other races may be considered with appropriate back-story. Players who are planning on playing another race should contact the GM early to inquire about racial guidelines.

Because the culture in Middle Earth deals heavily with past actions and battles, an appropriately thorough back-story is a good idea for all players, with some examples of epic deeds the character may tell stories about. If you are not a ranking member of the Guard, you will need a convincing background as to why you know the king so well, as this campaign's quest would only be given to the most trusted and skilled of individuals.

All players are allowed (and encouraged) to have some low level magic skills and/or magical items. Though magic is commonplace, even minor forms of it will require GM approval to ensure that they are in the "spirit" of the realm.

Because characters in this adventure have already survived the War of the Ring and are personal friends/soldiers of the king, players are encouraged to give points to:

• Enhanced Will
• Status and/or Military Rank (required unless there is an alternative in the background)
• Duty and/or Sense of Duty
• Leadership
• Luck
• Riding

Characters

• Gram Thengel, Captain of the Guard (retired) - John