Ruins of the North as a Campaign

[Otaku-sempai]

Unfortunately, I don't recall that Horse-lords of Rohan has much of anything useful concerning the Woses either. Using Tolkien's The Return of the King and Unfinished Tales as reference, I have worked out some possible abilities and Virtues for Drúedain that could be applied to the Woses of the Druadan Forest.

Cultural Blessing

- Wild and Wary -
“Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as the beasts.”

The Drughu have dwelt in and near the White Mountains and the Druadan Forest for an age and an age, and have lived in Enedwaith for many centuries. They are thoroughly familiar with the lay of their respective regions and all of the plants and creatures that live within them. A Wild Man performing either a Travel test or a Hunting test in his home region (Enedwaith, the White Mountains south of Old Pukel-land, the Druadan Forest), the difficulty is reduced by two levels (TN -4). Conversely, when such a test is performed outside of his home region, the difficulty is raised by one level (TN +2). Wild Men also possess the art of reading and leaving 'trail-signs' that warn of danger and tell of conditions ahead.

Cultural Virtues - Wild Men of Enedwaith

Clairvoyant Visions
"The Great Isle no longer feels sure under our feet, and we wish to return to the lands whence we came."

You folk possess the gift of foresight. When in meditation you may receive visions of future events, warnings of danger to come.

Raise your maximum Hope score by 1 point. Once every Adventuring phase, by spending a point of Hope you may seek a vision while at Still Meditation. The Loremaster should describe what you see in your vision, leaving it up to you to determine its meaning.

Curatives and Poisons
Their knowledge of all growing things was almost equal to that of the Elves...

If the Drúedain find themselves in a new country they will soon discover all things that grew there, giving names to those that are unfamiliar, and determining what is poisonous and what is useful as food or for other purposes. You are being taught by your healers and wise-women to know what herbs, plants and other natural substances can be used to cure disease, speed healing and remedy poisons and how to prepare them.

When selecting this Virtue you gain proficiency with the Herbalism Kit, and you learn to recognize which plants may be used as Herbal Restoratives. By spending one Experience point during a future Fellowship phase you can master the secrets of Curatives, Poison Remedies or Wose Poison as an undertaking. Each of these disciplines can only be taken once.

Herbal Restoratives
You have learned that chewing certain herbs, leaves and roots can restore vigor to a man’s body. As long as you are in a wild area you can collect enough herbs for their effect to be noticeable.

When your Endurance rating drops to equal or below your Fatigue score for the first time, you are not yet considered Weary. You become Weary only when your Endurance drops again.

Curatives
You have been taught how to use herbs and other plants to treat many diseases and fevers that afflict the Wild Men.

Spend one point of Hope and roll a Healing test against a TN of 16. On a success, you are able to effect a cure, if possible, or otherwise reduce the victim’s condition to its mildest form.

Poison Remedies
You are able to find the necessary ingredients to brew a drink that, when ingested, will help a victim overcome the effects of a variety of spider, scorpion and snake venoms, or to prepare a salve that can be applied to a wound or bruise to neutralize the effects of Orc-poison.

Spend a point of Hope and roll Craft against a TN of 16 to neutralize the effects of a single poison type on all members of your company.

Wose Poison
You have learned to prepare a potent poison from rare plants. In addition to the normal effects of being Poisoned and the loss of Endurance and possible Injury taken from the striking missile, the target must succeed in a Protection test at TN 14 or suffer permanent paralysis and eventual death on a failure, or a paralysis that ends after one day on a successful save.

The laws and customs of the Drúedain forbid them from using poisons to harm any living creature with the exception of the Orcs who themselves routinely use envenomed weapons. A Drûg who breaks this taboo is required to use the poison on himself; if he survives he is forbidden from possessing it forever more.

Faithful Stone
"I have had a watch-stone...set near your house. See, I have left it with some of my powers. May it keep you from harm!"

You use a point of Hope to forge a temporary connection between yourself and a 'watch-stone', a carved, stone image of yourself placed at a location you want guarded. If enemies attempt to invade or attack the place, the guardian will become animated and defend it to the best of its abilities. However, if the animated watch-stone is damaged or destroyed then you will also suffer harm. For example, if the stone guardian stomps out a blaze, you may suffer burns on your legs and/or feet. At the end of combat or upon your return, the enchantment is ended.

Still Meditation
“...before them on the ground sat a strange squat shape of a man, gnarled as an old stone…”

You are able to sit for days on end without movement. With legs crossed, hands on laps or knees, and eyes closed or facing downward, you can remain as silent and still as a statue. This affords peace and allows for recall or meditation. When on guard you may spend a point of Hope. Treat any Movement (Stealth) tests made during your watch as though your Stealth is favoured.

Unseen Vigilance
"...so intense was their unseen vigilance that it could be felt as a hostile menace by intruders..."

When you are on guard, you may sit or stand, hidden in shadow. If an intruder of evil intent approaches you, the target must succeed in a Fear test (TN = 12 + the Player-hero’s Wisdom or a Loremaster character’s Attribute level) or flee in fear. If the test is failed then after 24 hours the target may make another attempt. If the target succeeds then it may pass on.

Cultural Rewards - Wild Men of Enedwaith

Bow of the Drughu (bow)
The Woses live and hunt in dense forest where game and enemies are often obscured by heavy brush. Their best craftsmen produce short bows of the highest quality, granting their wielder a +1 to strike and damage their target. If loosing from concealment, you get an additional +1 to hit on your first attack.

Númenórean Stone-carver's Tools
Prerequisite: You must possess the Trait of Stone-craft before you can acquire this Cultural Reward.

Tools such as these date from the time long ago when your people dwelt with the Folk of Haleth in Westernesse across the Sea. Any stone-carving task you perform with this set of tools you can accomplish in half the time it would normally take you.

Tortoise-shell Armour (leather armour)
Drúedain wear little or no armour, often no more than a leather jerkin. A Wild Man who sees much battle may be gifted with an armour crafted from the shells of tortoises, providing greater protection than leather alone. This finely crafted armour is made so as not to impede the movement or stealth of its wearer.

This armour provides the same amount of protection as a mail shirt (3d) but at an Encumbrance of 8.

[Matt Clark]

I'm looking for ideas for the wose that appears in "Company of the Wain". We played recently the first part of the scenario and my group saved the wose. So he is with them for a year. What can I do with him to give him flavor? The supplement doesn't explain very well what woses are (and I don't have the Rohan supplement yet). I found this page about them:

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dr%C3%BAedain

In "Company of the Wain", the wose is presented to be a little bit like Golum, I think. So, my question is: any ideas to include him in fellowship phase or travelling phase to give him stuff to do, to make him more "real" for the players? Thanks!

If memory serves from the audio book Children of Hurin (evocatively read by Christopher Lee) Turin returns to Doriath but not all welcome him there... One of the Elves appears to insult him by referring to Turin as 'this Wood Wose...'

I assume that it implies a certain level of 'the primitive.' Ghan Buri Ghan from the LotR comes readily to mind as perhaps has already been mentioned elsewhere in the thread. I suspect he could be treated as either a bit of a slave and therefore glad to be freed or a 'curiosity' to locals or maybe in the way that Napoleon had his mameluke man servant, body guard and aide - Rustan (after his campaign against the mamelukes in Egypt and the Ottoman Empire). All difficult territory to deal with of course re: prejudice and homophobia in Middle earth but brings depth and gravitas if you like that in your RPG's.

[Glorelendil]

I'm looking for ideas for the wose that appears in "Company of the Wain". We played recently the first part of the scenario and my group saved the wose. So he is with them for a year. What can I do with him to give him flavor? The supplement doesn't explain very well what woses are (and I don't have the Rohan supplement yet). I found this page about them:

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dr%C3%BAedain

In "Company of the Wain", the wose is presented to be a little bit like Golum, I think. So, my question is: any ideas to include him in fellowship phase or travelling phase to give him stuff to do, to make him more "real" for the players? Thanks!

Read the passage in LotR where Aragorn meets one.

[Otaku-sempai]

Read the passage in LotR where Aragorn meets one.

Is there such a passage? Citation, please! The nearest to this I can find is in FotR, Book VI, Chapter 6 "Many Partings":

Without haste and at peace they passed into Anórien, and they came to the Grey Wood under Amon Dîn; and there they heard a sound as of drums beating in the hills, though no living thing could be seen. Then Aragorn let the trumpets be blown; and heralds cried: ‘Behold, the King Elessar is come! The Forest of Drúadan he gives to Ghân-buri-Ghân and to his folk, to be their own for ever; and hereafter let no man enter it without their leave!’

Then the drums rolled loudly, and were silent.

Nowhere in that passage does Aragorn ever meet with one of the Woses.

[Glorelendil]

Is there such a passage? Citation, please! The nearest to this I can find is in FotR, Book VI, Chapter 6

Nowhere in that passage does Aragorn ever meet with one of the Woses.

OMG you caught me. I've never read Tolkien. I'm just making it all up.

Alternatively, I could have made a mistake and I was thinking about where the Wose (Ghan-buri-something) talks to Theoden (with Merry there...unless I'm getting that wrong, too.)

[Otaku-sempai]

I just thought I might have overlooked something--maybe from the appendices.
No need to get worked up.

[Glorelendil]

I just thought I might have overlooked something--maybe from the appendices. No need to get worked up.

Ok ok...my mistake. Hard to read tone over Interwebz. Sorry.

[Falenthal]

Well, Aragorn almost met Ghân-buri-Ghân:

Without haste and at peace they passed into Anórien, and they came to the Grey Wood under Amon Dîn; and there they heard a sound as of drums beating in the hills, though no living thing could be seen. Then Aragorn let the trumpets be blown; and heralds cried:

‘Behold, the King Elessar is come! The Forest of Drúadan he gives to Ghân-buri-Ghân and to his folk, to be their own for ever; and hereafter let no man enter it without their leave!’

Then the drums rolled loudly, and were silent.
---Many Partings, TRotK

We have a Reward for the Woses: Drums of the Woods.
And a name for one of them: John-bonham-John.

[Otaku-sempai]

We have a Reward for the Woses: Drums of the Woods.
And a name for one of them: John-bonham-John.

How does the Reward work?

I've seen it alleged* that the 'buri' in Ghân-buri-Ghân means son of; if so, the Wose-chieftain's name translates as Ghân son of Ghân. I thought that you might like to know.

* J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 99