Undertakings in Western Eriador and Lindon

[Otaku-sempai]

Opening a Sanctuary in the Shire
(the Shire)

Some possible sanctuaries include:
- Bag End. Bilbo Baggins considers the heroes to be friends and invites them to visit whenever they are passing by.
- Brandy Hall (Buckland). Heroes receive a +1 bonus to their Tolerance rating with Bucklanders.
- Great Smials (Tookland). Heroes receive a +1 bonus to their Tolerance rating with Tooklanders.
- Michel Delving. The Mayor of Michel Delving recognizes that the company has performed a great service to the Shire. Heroes receive a +1 bonus to their Tolerance rating with Shire-hobbits.


Open the Grey Havens as a Sanctuary
(Grey Havens)

If a company has entered the Grey Havens during an Adventuring phase, the heroes may gain permission to spend a first Fellowship phase there. If they wish to return, they must all choose the Open New Sanctuary undertaking to be accepted as regular guests by Lord Círdan.

During the next Adventuring phase, if the heroes travel in Lindon, they gain a bonus of +2 to any Travel tests performed in the region.


Open the Halls of Thorin as a Sanctuary
(Blue Mountains)

If a company has entered the former Halls of Thorin Oakenshield during an Adventuring phase, the heroes may gain permission to spend a first Fellowship phase there. If they desire to return, they must all choose the Open New Sanctuary undertaking to be accepted as regular guests by the current Master or Mistress of the Hall.

During the next Adventuring phase, the heroes gain a bonus of +2 to any Travel tests in the Blue Mountains.

Note: For my purposes Dís, daughter of Thráin, is the Lady of Thorin's Halls having returned to the Blue Mountains after her pilgrimage to Erebor to visit the tombs of her sons and brother in TA 2942. Dís may be taken as a Patron.


Pilgrimage to Mount Dolmed
(Blue Mountains; Dwarves only)

Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, or their descendants, who spend a Fellowship phase in the Blue Mountains or elsewhere in western Eriador may journey to the sacred site of Mount Dolmed in the northern Ered Luin and may remove one point of permanent Shadow. The hero may only gain this benefit once.


Pilgrimage to the Tower Hills
(High Elves only)

Any High Elves spending a Fellowship phase in the Grey Havens or anywhere else in western Eriador may use it to visit the White Towers at Emyn Beraid and gaze into the palantír kept at Elostirion to look upon the Undying Lands. Any High Elf who does this recovers one point of Hope.

Note to Loremasters: The Seeing-stone of Elostirion was placed by Círdan aboard the white ship of the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Ring in TA 3012 and returned to Eldamar.


Researching Lore in the Halls of Círdan
(Grey Havens)

Similar to Researching Lore in the House of Elrond. A hero gains a bonus Success die if he possesses an applicable Specialty, and another die if Círdan is a patron of the company. Possible subjects include (but are not limited to): Astronomy; Eriador-lore, Marine Navigation; Map-making; Sailing (Boating on the ocean); Shadow-lore; etc.


Receive Title (Shirriff)
(Hobbits only)

The First Shirriff, the Mayor of Michel Delving, as made a hero an honourary Bounder of the Watch and charged him with the protection of the borders of the Shire when within those borders. The hero is expected to report to the Mayor at Michel Delving upon returning to the Shire and before departing again. A member of the Watch is identified by wearing a feather in his cap. The hero gains the standard benefits of receiving a title.


Visit Annúminas
(Rangers of the North only)

A Ranger of the North who spends a Fellowship phase in Rivendell or at home may visit Annúminas on the shore of Lake Nenuial will find a degree of peace, allowing him to heal one point of permanent Shadow.


Comments? Suggestions?

[Falenthal]

I like the effort of giving some mechanical effects to having a Sanctuary (+2 to Travel in the region) and to Patrons (gain a bonus Success die to a test where your Patron is involved).

I'm not so sure about the +2 to Travel, although it seems ok.

I do like more the thing about the extra die when interacting with a Patron. Just today I had been thinking about Patrons, the same as I pointed out in another thread (viewtopic.php?f=56&t=3719). Exactly my idea was the same as yours: When Searching for Answers, having an Encounter, or any other activity where your Patron might be involved, you can have a bonus Success die. It can be applied to the Lore test required for Searching for Answers, for example, or in addition to those of the Preliminary Rolls when in an Encounter.

I think the idea should be narrowed a bit more, but I like it. It's like when, in ToW, sometimes you get a free Attribute bonus to certain rolls because someone is helping you, or the group already knows about something, etc.
A free Attribute bonus to the rolls regarding your Patron seem too high to me, but a single bonus die seems ok.
It should be thought over in different situations: for example, if Radagast is your Patron and fights besides you, do you also gain one bonus die for the Combat. I don't see why not.

Do other situations come up where a Patron might be involved?

[Otaku-sempai]

Well, the bonus regarding having Cirdan as a patron comes from the Rivendell supplement with Elrond. Perhaps, for variety, the +2 for having the Blue Mountains as a Sanctuary should apply to Fatigue tests rather than Travel?

Do other situations come up where a Patron might be involved?

Well, a Patron can bestow land and/or a title upon a hero. Or grant access to resources that would not otherwise be available (such as a private library or the use of a magical object such as the Mirror of Galadriel).

So far, I haven't included anything for the Shire. Would BIlbo qualify as a Patron? Anyone else (the Mayor of Michel Delving; the Master of Buckland; the head of theTooks who was Thain of the Shire)?

Should there be any special benefits to opening the Shire as a Sanctuary?

[Falenthal]

Should there be any special benefits to opening the Shire as a Sanctuary?

Mmmm.... Heal Corruption is triple, instead of double? Would be a good reason why Gandalf decided to rest there as much as possible, and why the Rangers would try so hard to keep it safe: one Undertaking there, and you can go on fighting the Shadow just as new!

As for Bilbo, he is always said to meet with "strangers" at home, so this could be adventurers send there by Gandalf himself. Yes, I think he would qualify as Patron. He also has a nice collection of maps and objects, even money he could invest in some errand, and is known for eagerly listen to stories to add to his writings. That sounds like a Patron to me.

[Otaku-sempai]

Should there be any special benefits to opening the Shire as a Sanctuary?

Mmmm.... Heal Corruption is triple, instead of double?

I don't know, that might be a bit too much. However, I definitely see Bilbo as a potential Patron.

New Fellowship Phase Undertakings:

Visit Annúminas
(Rangers of the North only)

A Ranger of the North who spends a Fellowship phase to visit Annúminas on the shore of Lake Nenuial will find a degree of peace, allowing him to heal one point of permanent Shadow.

Pilgrimage to the Tower Hills
(High Elves only)

Any High Elves spending a Fellowship phase in the Grey Havens or anywhere else in western Eriador may use it to visit the White Towers at Emyn Beraid and gaze into the palantír kept at Elostirion to look upon the Undying Lands. Any High Elf who does this recovers one point of Hope.

Note to Loremasters: The Seeing-stone of Elostirion was placed aboard the white ship of the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Ring in TA 3012 and returned to Eldamar.

[zedturtle]

Maybe not triple, but how about a fixed bonus? So 1 (or 2) Shadow reduced for resting in the Shire, in addition to what you might get from an Undertaking.

P.S. Since it's sort of on topic, my map making experiment this weekend was a failure. I will be trying again in a day or three, however.

[Majestic]

For the Shire, an alternative to healing Corruption would be to grant improved "healing", like double or triple the normal amount for recovering Fatigue/Endurance while in a safe place.

Or perhaps double both (remove Shadow and recover Endurance)?

[Otaku-sempai]

Maybe not triple, but how about a fixed bonus? So 1 (or 2) Shadow reduced for resting in the Shire, in addition to what you might get from an Undertaking.

P.S. Since it's sort of on topic, my map making experiment this weekend was a failure. I will be trying again in a day or three, however.

Okay, a bonus of +1 or +2 sounds more like it.

Thanks for the heads-up about the mapping. For the story I'm writing (based on my home-brewed adventure idea) I'm using a blow-up of C. Tolkien's map from the LotR three-volume hardcovers (Houghton Mifflin) and the essay I posted on the topic. I am having second thoughts about the pass that I dubbed Cirith Rerir. The feature is actually not very close to Mount Rerir, so perhaps it should just be labeled Cirith Forod (literally, the North Pass). Furthermore, the map in Unfinished Tales suggests that there might be two passes north of the Little Lune, one just up from the other. The second one (if we want to acknowledge it) could be Cirith Helevorn (glass-black pass) or Cirith Rhúnen (the Pass to the East); that is, unless you just want to ignore it (I think that I prefer 'Rhúnen' to 'Helevorn').

[Otaku-sempai]

For the Shire, an alternative to healing Corruption would be to grant improved "healing", like double or triple the normal amount for recovering Fatigue/Endurance while in a safe place.

Or perhaps double both (remove Shadow and recover Endurance)?

Interesting ideas. Perhaps healing should not be tripled (although doubled might work).

[Otaku-sempai]

I've consolidated the ideas so far all into the first post.