Post
by SirKicley » Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:01 pm
WARNING: LENGTHY POST
As I have posted elsewhere, I run a fairly well-managed Sandboxy style campaign for TOR (as I have professed to Eirik). I have found it easy to do, and the players love it. I provide them with a myriad of hooks, I ask pointed questions to elicit feedback from players regarding their character’s story (a tip I got from someone here), which allows me to weave their responses into my hooks, and in turn, my players provide me with intel on what is important to them (of the ideas and hooks that have been provided) and they indicate to me what their next pursuit will be for the next game. I then plan a game around that, and introduce some of the stories and quests written by C7 if/when possible.
That being said, there is also an overlying hidden mega-plot that is developing in the background that they gain clues on as they go. This was originally inspired by the Werewolf mega-adventures that I believe JamesRBrown wrote (forgive me if this is not accurate). I want to incorporate the werewolf, and the Light of Balthi failing (from the LM book) as part of the reason why the werewolf is becoming awakened. As I have said, I visit the Tolkien Gateway website frequently and just do random page searches (theres and actual "random page" link) It wasn’t until I heard the name Silmarils and looked into it, that I hadn’t really committed to coming up a good epic storyline.
Here is the tale of what is transpiring (will transpire) with a development note from me that details what led me there……
(I am sharing this with you because something within it may spark an interest or an idea specifically for the original author of this thread)
PLAYERS IN MY GAME PLEASE DO NOT READ BELOW - not only is it bad form, but will rob you of some of the surprise enjoyment of the game.
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DISCLAIMER: I will not promise that this will all sound feasible to some who know much more Tolkien lore than I, or that it feels out of line, or improbable or even inaccurate at points. At the same time, I am comfortable with that notion. I, nor my players pay too much heed of making sure everything is 100% accurate or canon. Nor do they know enough about it to formulate a negative opinion about it – so long as it matches the flavor, and style, and provides them with a great story, then that's all that matters to them or me.
When I came across the word Silmarils, I liked the way it sounded so I clicked on it by chance. With each page I read, I clicked on more links that it provided, to learn more background. Ultimately I learned a great deal about the genesis of "light" in Tolkien's world, and "light" just happened to be a common denominator for my ultimate desire to write a story involving the werewolf and the light failing in the Lamp of Balthi.
I learned that the Silmarils are three stones that possessed (captured) the light given off from the Two Trees of Valinor – whose last flower/fruit from each gave birth to the “sun” and the “moon” respectively. The light that gave birth to these things came from the two trees of Valinar (but the trees were replacements themselves of great "lamps" that shed light in the world - and which were eventually destroyed by Melkor). Melkor destroyed the lamps, and later had a major nasty spider-spirit consume the two trees that were spawned from the lamps (the spider was the ancestor of Shelob). One of other the Valar created another tree akin to the one that represented the sun. It was magnificent of course, but shed no great light. One of its seedlings became the tree of Celeborn. Later a seedling of Celeborn was given as a gift of the Numenoreans – and became Nimloth “The White Tree of Numenor”. Eventually Sauron had Nimloth chopped down – but Isildur managed to save one fruit from the tree – which later bore the "White Tree of Gondor."
The Silmarils were then the only thing that possessed the last light of the Two Trees. The gems had quite a journey of their own (that I won’t recant here). In order to prevent Morgoth from possessing them, one was cast into the sky and became a star. One was cast into a fiery pit. The last was thrown into the sea; thus they were given to “sky, soil, and water” – the three elements of Arda.
LMs Note: This last bit about “sky, soil, and water, I will weave into a poem/song that the heroes will learn or relearn as the story unfolds, telling of “light of three, cast into these” etc…though they won’t quite know the meaning – only that it is prophetic and will have to undertake a quest(s) to learn of its true origins.
Enter the Lamp of Balthi. The light is failing. Where the lamp is from, what is the source of the light, etc - these are questions not yet known – though one can see the correlations of “light” being a theme in both of the lamp and the backstory of the Silmarils. The light of the lamp keeps the werewolf from being able to affect the realm of men. As the light fades, the werewolf becomes stronger and little by little it is affecting the world of Men.
LMs NOTE: it was the werewolf, not the Great Eagles that slaughtered the sheep in my previous post. The Beorning witnessed something most horrific and fell to silence in shock. The memory of seeing something so evil has left him in a mind-locked state. I intend to use the stream from “Don’t Stray from the Path” that robbed the memory of the little boy's father in that story, as a tool to help this Beorning to “forget” his memories, and wake him up. BUT to do so safely and to not strip too far, one will need to consult with Radaghast – and his memory of what the right formula is will be sketchy. This will then provide a quest in and of itself to help Radaghast locate his recipe and ingredients including a sample from the stream to remove the Beorning’s short term memory long enough to heal him and help him recall that it wasn’t the eagles…..and speak of something more horrific……before his mind locks again.
After much is learned of this foe, it will be theorized that the failing light of the lamp is linked to taint left behind by the Necromancer at Dol Guldur – the werewolf is his “parting gift” for the Wilderlanders. The Lamp of Balthi needs to be recharged. The story then must turn to how to recharge the lamp.
Using the above story regarding the genesis of light and of the evolution and lineage of the trees, etc, I had concocted an idea:
A flower/fruit or sapling or some other part of the White Tree of Gondor would be a required reagent to recast light into the lamp. The idea that came to me was that this reagent must be cast into the Mirromere at the location where it reflects the very star that was once the Silmaril. This light that is produced from this union is caught by the lamp recharging it wholly. The climax of this moment will be during a much tense scene of the Werewolf and his minions attacking a union of Beornings, Woodmen and Elves fighting together for the survival of the Anduin Vale.
(I could create a grander scheme that light from all three simarils would be needed – and make it a three part quest – having Gandalf go after one of them, and Radaghast go after the other while the PCs retrieve the one reflected in the mirrormere – but this may prove more difficult.
I ran into a SNAFU however with this storyline as I learned later that there was no Tree in Gondor during the TOR time frame – from 2860ish - 3019 there was none until Gandalf and Aragorn found a new sapling to restore it.
SO I have to fish for new ideas to help make my story more seamless. This is what I came up with:
Isildur had secretly saved one fruit AND one additional seedling for whatever reason, from Nimloth and kept it for many years just in case. Later, during the confrontation between Elrond and Isildur in the caves of Mt. Doom when the will of Men failed, Isildur acting out of shadow-controlled spite from The One Ring, cast aside the seedling (as no doubt Sauron would never have wanted the tree to exist again). Elrond was there! He saw the seedling nearly become consumed by heat, and rescued it. He knew in his heart it was important, but not quite sure why. Whether a Valar, or more likley Galadriel herself, saw the future of this seedling (thanks to her reflecting pool) as something that needs to be saved and would some day play a role in the Shadow’s bane when - prophesied to be during a time when an heir of Isildur’s, began to heed the call of Dunedain.
So from this point the story will go like:
1) Heroes save Dindy, earn Dody’s trust and his letter of introduction to Beorn
2) Meet Beorn – learn of the soldier stunned and silent.
3) Those who Tarry. The scene with the Eagles in that quest will propagate the conversation about the soldier. PCs will be turned on to the idea of helping beorning “forget” temporarily the horrors to help
4) Will be directed to Radaghast to discuss concoction needed from streamwater
5) Words of the Wise
6) Another adventure tied in to the story that helps Radaghast remember the formula.
7) Learn the truth of the eagles/BIG demon wolf.
8) PCs led to believe this is a Hound of Sauron. Using JamesRBrowns werewolf adventure for ideas, learn that the eventually the BIG warg/wolf/hound they killed STILL isn’t big enough to be what was seen.
9) Eventually PCs learn of (and this is time for other side quests and other TftW stuff sprinkled in.) that they will need fruit from the tree – the poem/song I eluded to above. But since no fruit, perhaps someone in Gondor can provide more insight.
10) Who will speak to Gondor for the PCs??? Enter the Rider of Rhovanion whom I spoke of in a previous post. The heroes think him dead at the old haunted ancient elven ruins Dawnshade. His horse returned to the PC. They heroes learn to go speak to the three tribes of the Riders throuought the Rhovanion ( I think I got some of these ideas from Halbarad online name at the old Invision messageboard). The heroes learn that this “rider” was actually a prince that was meant to unite the three tribes. He needed an heirloom lost in the ruins when the Dunedain was killed by the Hound of Sauron there. The Rhovanions require the PCs return to Dawnshade to find the prince dead or alive and bring back his heirloom. This will then earn the heroes their respect and they will speak to Gondor on their behalf.
11) The heroes learn from Gondor of the tale of the trees etc and eventually are lead to Elrond and the seedling and the story of Isildur.
The Climax will be with the forces of the shadow bearing down on the free peoples and the heroes having to fight off small units of it, while getting to the Mirrormere, while Gandalf, Radaghast, Beorning, Legolas/Thrunduil all fighting their own battles throughout the Anduin Vale and the light suddenly casting the werewolf back into obscurity and the forces fleeing (just in time for the Darkening of Mirkwood ….hehehehe)
Again this is the overall epic story that is unfolding – there is room for other journeys in between the Heroes can partake in if/when they have other issues or ideas they want to pursue themselves considering there is still a sandboxy trend of the campaign that I encourage my players to take advantage of. I will merely sprinkle in these plot designs as they pursue their own ambitions.
No doubt the story has holes (at this point). I’m still working on details, but this is the rough outline. I am hopeful however that this has good enough substance to start with to work on.
Thoughts? Comments? All are welcome.
Robert
Last edited by
SirKicley on Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.
