Posts made by Tapewyrm

@Tapewyrm

So, with that, the plot I was sharing wrapped up. Since there has been absolutely zero interaction on this thread, I'm going to finally take the hint and stop spamming you folks.

For posterity, here is the Plot page for it: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/mountains-of-dread.html

Bye!

Mountains of Dread

When packs of Wargs begin attacking the borders of the Dale-lands along the Mirkwood, patrols of Royal Wardens are called in into investigate the fearsome forest and discover their lairs. To this end Daveed, a budding cartographer from Laketown becomes swept up in their affairs, yet little do the rangers find of their quarry. Instead, thought is taken that perhaps the true lair lies farther afield, in an old, presumably disused fortress of Mordor hidden in the Mountains of Mirkwood, and so a taskforce of King's Men is assembled to accompany the Wardens in searching for the ancient stronghold.

Among them is Mastiff, aged yet hale veteran of the Royal Wardens, a young recruit named Lotharc, and Sergeant Balder of the King's Men, commanded by Lieutenant Margon. Together with many others they brave both the depths of the forest and the slopes of the mist-shrouded mountains, with all the perils contained therein. Alas, it may also be that the stronghold is far from empty, and guests are not exactly welcome...

@Tapewyrm
Mail Message Number 16 (Message ID #: 6098)
FROM: Lotharc - Fri May 02 23:04:10 2025
SUBJECT: MIRKWOOD: The Final Stand
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Now bereft of their commanders, the King's Men of Dale collected themselves by the falls of the Enchanted River, yet in sight of the evil spire of Sarn Goriwing, but they did not have long to contemplate their plight. Uphill led to the same peak they had escaped before, behind them was only death. To the west stretched the mist-laden slopes which originally brought them to this foul place, but the sound of returning warg-riders rose from that direction, and their hopes seemed slim. That is, until DAVEED the mapmaker spied a trail heading down to the cliffs nearby, and with little other choice the Northmen fled thither.

There they found a ledge overlooking the black waters of the Gulduin, which legend tells has the power to put men to sleep at a touch, and while at first this seemed a dead end they found rope netting stretching down the cliff to the riverbank below, doubtless placed there for the purposes of the orcs. LOTHARC took the lead in climbing down the new obstacle, while Mastiff (LO) marshalled the forces on the cliff itself, overseeing their progress. Daveed likewise swung over to descend the netting, and together he and Lotharc hurried to the ground.

Alas, up above, the warg-riding uruks had at last found their quarry, were closing on the Bardings' position, and even worse it became apparent that a handful of the men were too injured to attempt the netting; for them it seemed there would be no escape. Mastiff grieved with them, but one of the wounded named Tully (LO), he who had raged against their mission in the caves bid the veteran Royal Warden good luck, and to ensure that their sacrifice not be in vain. The elder man turned then to hurry down the orcish ladder, while Tully waited to cut the ropes and leave the uruks with no means to follow.

This done, the five wounded soldiers turned to face the arrival of the warg-riders (played by HRODO), who had little time for mercy, and who shot arrow after arrow into the valiant King's Men until there was nothing left of them.

A grisly fate for men of courage, but their comrades lived on. As the survivors on the riverbank contended drowsily with the enchanted mists of the Gulduin, eventually the soldiers were regrouped, and Daveed led the way westward into the forest, seeking for the Old Forest Road, their way home. So ended the intrepid expedition to find the stronghold of Sarn Goriwing, and fifteen men fewer than set off from Fort Gelbard found their way at last to the ancient road; from there the march was swift to return to the safety of Iach Celduin.

What will the captains of the King's Men say when they hear the report? What can the Bardings expect from the evil forces of Mirkwood, now that their return has been uncovered? Will Tully's children hear of his valor? The usual path to answers will suffice.

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/the-final-stand.html

@Tapewyrm
Mail Message Number 15 (Message ID #: 4534)
FROM: Lotharc - Thu May 01 23:05:06 2025
SUBJECT: SARN GORIWING: A Sorcerer Revealed
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Screwing up their courage, the warriors of Dale trapped within the dread fortress of Sarn Goriwing at last reached the entrance hall of the evil stronghold, and there made their final bid for freedom. A dozen or so orcish guards loitered by the exit, guarding the gate archway which lead outside, but the Northmen were in no mood to charge them; instead, a plan was formed by LOTHARC and DAVEED, hoping to lure the guards into an ambush. With the Royal Wardens and their map-maker friend sneaking through the shadows, Daveed threw rocks and tapped barrels to draw the attention of the uruks, and it worked. Alas, however, the stealth of Lotharc was once again an issue, for he stumbled on a rock and gave away his position, leading the orcs to chase him back down the stair to the underhalls.

But there, waiting for the fray, were Lieutenant Margon (LO) and Sergeant Balder (HORT) among the remainder of the King's Men, and they burst from hiding to attack the onrushing orcs. The fighting was fierce then as the orcs (played by NATERIE) held their ground, with both Lotharc and Daveed taking injury from the servants of Mordor, but eventually the numbers of the Northmen began to count, and the orcs were driven back towards the exit once more. Their captain attempted to rally their courage, but Lotharc's blade cut away his heart, and the young Girion scion hurried to check on his friend Daveed.

In the meanwhile, their troubles were not yet over, for even as the Bardings ran for the gate, there appeared on the stairs leading up to the Tower itself a dark, fearsome figure which cackled and scorned the plight of the beleaguered soldiers. So at last was revealed the source of that laughter, and though they knew it not, the Northmen were faced with none other than the Mouth of Sauron (LO) himself, come to deal with his unwelcome guests...

The soldiers of Dale quailed somewhat in dread of this new foe, and small wonder, for his arts preyed upon their senses and snuffed out all the torches in the room, before the tell-tale groans of slain warriors from both sides began to fill the chamber; the fallen orcs and menfolk alike were stirring in undeath to answer the necromancer's call. This was enough to terrify Daveed and Lotharc, the latter hurled against the wall by the evil magic, and so Mastiff dragged them toward the exit. Yet even as they went, Margon and Balder stood forth in challenge to the fell sorcerer, their constitutions holding them as they stood before the enemy, though alas the Lieutenant of Barad-dur was no fragile foe in person either, and his dark arts were brought to bear upon the brave commanders. Margon was forced to his knees in thrall, before the Mouth of Sauron crushed his skull with a mighty mace, and finally did Balder flee along with the last of the King's Men, escaping out the archway to fresh air.

Even so, they were not safe yet, for as they charged across the bridge of the fortress they were harried by arrows from the slits and ramparts of the evil spire, and Lotharc lost his footing after one such dart whistled past his face, nearly falling from the bridge to the unseen depths below. Daveed was not about to let his friend fall and ran to his rescue, pulling the Warden to safety before they fled to the waiting shoreline. Balder himself emerged following them, but this time the arrows of the orcs did not miss, felling the sergeant upon the bridge itself, before he was kicked into the churning water below, and for a final time was heard the cruel mocking cackle of the necromancer as the surviving Northmen got away westward.

Who will command the remaining Bardings, now that both Margon and Balder are lost? How comes the Mouth of Sauron to this northward stronghold, and what are his plans? Will the taskforce make it home at all to bring news of these dark dealings? RP will assist thee...

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/a-sorcerer-revealed.html

@Tapewyrm Mail Message Number 19 (Message ID #: 19776)
FROM: Lotharc - Sun Apr 27 23:36:31 2025
SUBJECT: MIRKWOOD: Dicing with Death
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hurrying as best they could through the caverns and tunnels beneath the dread Mountains of Mirkwood, the taskforce of Northmen soldiers continued their escape. Or at least, so it seemed at first. But even as DAVEED and LOTHARC led the way, at the rear of the column were Sergeant Balder (HORT) and Lieutenant Margon (LO), and there the tempers of the men seemed frayed. The narrow, cramped conditions did not help the mood, and so it was that as grumbles began to rise among the King's Men, Mastiff (LO) sent the young Warden and mapmaker off ahead, to scout their course through the caves.

So it was that Lotharc and Daveed delved into the gloom, discussing their predicament until they came across an alcove in the rock, carved in a similar fashion to another seen in previous caverns. Alike to the first a skeleton lay inside, but the cartographer was not about to repeat the mistakes of before, and so he passed Lotharc some rocks to throw, which smashed the skull asunder ere it could awaken to track them. Patting themselves down, the two young friends resumed their scouting.

Meanwhile, back with the King's Men, finally tensions snapped, and the loss of the recent soldiers weighed heavily upon their minds. One warrior named Tully spoke up angrily, demanding to know why they were here, and insisting that they would die in these foul caverns. Balder attempted to calm the man, but it was not until Mastiff spoke up that the mood would change, the veteran Warden reminding them that it was he who had suggested this expedition, and that if any were to blame it should be him. However, he also stated that he regretted it not, given what they had uncovered through their trials, and he said that they had now a duty to get home and warn the Dale-lands of the growing threat before it comes to overwhelm them, or else their sacrifices would be in vain. Finally the King's Men were calmed by this, and Balder led them on through the caverns to catch up with Daved and Lotharc, who by now had found a secret path through a hidden crevasse.

Once through this latest cave system, the Bardings found themselves confronted with a ghastly chamber, the smell of rotten flesh all around them, for into the floor of the cavern had been dug deep pits, each with vicious blades protruding from the walls. Mastiff proposed leaping them, but Daveed counseled that many of the soldiers had heavy armor, and so an alternative was found by Lotharc, who spied iron rungs embedded in the rock above the pits, perhaps for dangling pulleys or victims into the unknown depths. Swinging his way across the rungs, testing his strength multiple times, the young scion of Girion made it across, and so Daveed followed suit. Alas for the cartographer his own strength failed him once or twice, leaving him hanging upside down over the pits, but the advance of Balder ensured that Daveed found the power to make it across before the grizzled sergeant came to make good on a promise to cast him into the pits himself.

Motivation? Perhaps, but Daveed was careful to stay out of his way even as a fresh horror unfolded, for Mastiff had chosen to leap across after all, and was followed by others, namely Margon and a soldier named Darkin; alas for the latter, he did not make it, and fell into the waiting blades of the pit. Margon pressed on grimly, until the drama with Daveed unfolded, and so he and Mastiff watched to see if the mapmaker would make it. In the meanwhile, the corpse of Darkin was not as idle as they expected, and with undead strength the torso of the late soldier hauled itself up to taunt Margon and Mastiff with fresh cruel laughter, akin to that heard before from the skull. The Warden kicked back the lifeless head, even as Margon hacked it away with his sword, and the Lieutenant of the King's Men ordered his troops to press on.

Lotharc and Daveed were unsettled by this, the former even retching in disgust, but as the Northmen slowly but surely made their way across, they then headed up a thin stair at the far end, to find whatever awaits them next...

Will the tensions among the soldiers be resolved? What foul sorcery is being used to keep track of the Barding expedition is this grisly fashion? What were the pits for, and how long have they stood unused? RP will find you the answers, but some you might not want to know after all...

RP Log https://dale-lands.weebly.com/dicing-with-death.html

@Tapewyrm
Mail Message Number 19 (Message ID #: 19337)
FROM: Lotharc - Sat Apr 26 00:49:31 2025
SUBJECT: MIRKWOOD: Warrens of Woe
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

The beleaguered expedition into the Mountains of Mirkwood survived another encounter this past evening, now hidden in the caves and tunnels beneath the mountainside beneath Sarn Goriwing; remembered by the orcs as the Warrens. The Northmen were chased thither by the renewed assault of the warg-riders, although fortunately the entrance to the Warrens was cramped enough to allow for a calculated stand by the Bardings. There was found Balder (HORT) and Margon (LO), commanding their troops as they created a kill zone for any emerging orcs, and the carnage became thick as their pursuers caught up.

In the meanwhile, at the fore of the soldiery were DAVEED the cartographer and LOTHARC of the Royal Wardens, their torches leading the way as they explored deeper into the tunnels. But no picnic was found there either, for it appeared that some dank form of goblin cannibals had taken up residence in the depths of the caves, and as a mass they swarmed the Royal Wardens viciously. While Lotharc and Mastiff (LO) hacked their way through the misshapen wretches, Daveed fired his arrows into their midst, but swiftly the mapmaker was overcome by their ghoulish figures; the Wardens ran to his aid once more, but the creatures were getting out of hand. Mastiff then reached for a small bottle of liquid in his cloak, lighting a fuse of cloth and hurling the bottle as a missile -- as it shattered it caused a great blast which ripped the goblinkin asunder. So much for that foe, but the fight at the rear was far from over...

There, the melee was fierce, and both Balder and Margon were forced into desperate duels with their foes. But salvation came in the form of a great boulder, the remains of ropes and chains hanging from spikes in the rock, which was spotted by the Margon. Quick as a flash Balder commanded his men to heave the massive rock into the way of the entrance, and with bulging muscles the King's Men managed to do just that; finally they were safe from the attentions of the warg-riders. For now, at least.

Alas, not all was well, for a few good soldiers had been slain in the fight, and Balder was furious with Daveed, presumably blaming the cartographer for the mess they were in. Margon however had stern words for his sergeant, although after a tense moment the soldiers of the King all remembered that they are on the same side, and reason prevailed. Checking on the progress of the Royal Wardens the warriors came to find that Daveed and Lotharc had uncovered another curiosity: a full skeleton laid in an alcove as though a death bed. But that was not all, for as they peered, the skull of the skeleton turned their way and began laughing at the soldiers of Dale, mocking their plight with the same cruel voice as heard on the mountaintop! Mastiff took the time to smash the skull to pieces with his swordhilt, before the unnerved Northmen continued their way into the depths of the mountain.

Will the boulder hold at the entrance to the caves, and where do they lead? What were the strange goblin-like creatures lurking in the spooky tunnels? Whose laughter continues to mock the progress of the Bardings, and what fell sorcery could bring the dead to life? RP is your best bet to find out, if you dare...

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/warrens-of-woe.html

@Tapewyrm
Mail Message Number 18 (Message ID #: 17715)
FROM: Lotharc - Wed Apr 23 22:03:40 2025
SUBJECT: MIRKWOOD: A Dangerous Descent
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Escaping their predicament, the taskforce of Northmen in Mirkwood were forced to flee the summit down the north face of the mountain, and there they encountered a sheer cliff dropping deeply into the forest floor below. A dead end, it seemed, until LOTHARC of the Royal Wardens and DAVEED the cartographer from Laketown investigated the drop, and saw that perhaps there might be a way to climb down safely, using ledges and branches of the nearby trees. Mastiff (LO), veteran Warden took the lead, and with great tests of their strength, dexterity and intelligence along the way the soldiers of Dale began descending the cliff carefully, including the boisterous suggestions of Balder (HORT) that such should be included as a training regimen back at the barracks.

It took a while, but eventually the Northmen all reached the ground, and there the attentions of Daveed and the Wardens was put into searching for a way forward. Horns were heard in the forest, approaching from the obvious trails, and so instead the soldiers searched the shadows of the rocks, until Daveed located a well-hidden cave entrance delving deep into the base of the cliff. Mastiff took the lead to investigate it, and following his assessment that it seemed deep the Bardings fled into its depths, even as the sound of orcs approached. Into the caves, into the mountain itself they went, to discover whatever lurks within...

What will they find in the depths of the caves? Is this a way out, or are they trapped? RP and find out more...

<OOC Note: This was extra fun to play, using stat-checks to determine the outcomes of the attempt down the cliff!>

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/a-dangerous-descent.html

@Tapewyrm

Mail Message Number 19 (Message ID #: 16075)
FROM: Lotharc - Mon Apr 21 22:54:21 2025
SUBJECT: MIRKWOOD: Fight on the Mountain
TO: (Dlnews) (Rhov-rp)
MESSAGE: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

A dark night fell across the Mountains of Mirkwood, where mists are wont to gather and hang over the mountain slopes. So it was that the soldiers of Dale, the expedition to locate the dread fortress of Sarn Goriwing, found themselves barely able to see ten feet in front of them as they scaled the steep paths which lead up the slopes. Lieutenant Margon (LO) called a halt to the march while a scouting force led by Mastiff of the Royal Wardens (LO) was sent to find the summit, and upon their return they had grim tidings. Reporting back to DAVEED, LOTHARC and Balder (GAVVING), among others, it was revealed by the veteran Warden that they had encountered wargs near the summit, and that these beasts were ridden by orcs!

An alarming turn of events, this prompted Margon to order the King's Men to reach and hold the summit itself, hoping for a more defensible position should they fall under attack. So it was that the Bardings arrived at the famous falls of the Gulduin, known elsewise as the Enchanted River, and there the mists finally parted to reveal the black spire of an evil looking fortress to the east; the Northmen had found their quarry at last...

However, this was not a happy discovery, for even as they gazed upon the towers of the foul stronghold, they were assailed once more by a party of warg-riders under their captain Vortag (LO), and battle commenced by the thundering falls. Balder and Lotharc charged forth to do battle with the riders, and Vortag was forced to fight off both of them, even as the riders fired shot after shot into the Barding ranks. Daveed was not idle, likewise sending arrows back into the midst of the orcs, and at least one wolf-like mount was felled by the map-maker's bow; Mastiff ran to his side as an orc closed for slaughter, and the pair dispatched him deftly, before looking back to the carnage.

Vortag had by now suffered a couple of cuts from Balder and Lotharc, but there also had grown the sound of horns in the east, and the rumor was swiftly approaching of a larger uruk force from the fortress. So it was that Margon ordered a retreat before the fresh orcs could arrive, however the path downhill was yet swamped in mist, and offered a hazardous route under pressure for the Northmen as they contemplated their plight. In the end the lieutenant spotted another trail leading northward, further up, and bid the soldiers head thither.

This led the taskforce to the very summit of the mountain itself, a bald bluff surrounded by shadow wherein the Gulduin is sourced before its black waters cut their way down the mountainside; there Balder stopped to have a subordinate remove an arrowhead from his flesh. A dead end, it seemed, until Lotharc and Daveed were called to examine the north face of the mountain, finding that the path of the river might be followed by foot. It was then that a cackle of cruel laughter was heard from the watching spire of the stronghold, and so after some hasty deliberations the commanders chose to take their chances with the north face. With the Royal Wardens charting their course, the force of King's Men slowly made their way down the opposite side of the darkened peaks, hopefully to safety. At least, for the time being.

How will the Northmen escape their predicament? What size of enemy has been roused by the soldiers and their expedition? Will any of them make it out of this alive? RP is going to get you some answers...

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/fight-on-the-mountain.html

@Tapewyrm
NEWS POST: Arachnid Ambush

Fri Apr 18 17:51:52 2025

As the taskforce of King's Men gathered in a clearing on the Old Forest Road, beside a grassy knoll, they made ready to begin their expedition into the depths of Mirkwood. LOTHARC was there of course, with DAVEED and Mastiff (LO), and also Sergeant Balder (HORT), a grizzled veteran of the King's Men who had some choice words for the young cartographer in their midst. But at the urging of Lieutenant Margon (LO) the frivolities ended, and the soldiers of Dale left the Road at last, headed into the shadowy undergrowth.

After a few hours the taskforce drew to a halt, deep now within the dark forest, and with Mastiff and Balder at their head they detected signs of some unseen presence. So it was that Margon ordered the grizzled sergeant to lead a scouting force up ahead, to discover what might be lurking. Along with a handful of the King's Men, Lotharc was ordered to join them, and Daveed chose to come along also, not wishing to leave his friend; the small van of troops delved deeper into the trails as rain began to drum upon the leafy canopy above.

Alas for the scouts, they did not have to wait long to encounter their peril, for silently approached a pair of monstrous spiders spawned in the deep pits of the forest, having come looking for dinner that day. A huge, Giant Spider (LO) pounced upon the Northman, slaughtering one instantly and raising the alarm. Daveed fired an arrow at the beast, which proved enough to distract it and draw its ire, but even as it charged the young mapmaker it was Lotharc who stood forth to engage with the brutish arachnid; the young Royal Warden hacking well into the spider's leg. Sergeant Balder also stride forth to deal damage to the foul spawn of Ungoliant, and together he and the Warden kept Daveed safe.

Unbeknownst to them, however, was the advance of a second monster, a Bulbous Spider (NAT) not as large as the first but equally deadly, and it snuck up upon the cartographer moments later, dealing a vicious blow which wounded Daveed and knocked his bow from his hands. The young man of Laketown drew his dagger then, fighting for his life, even as Lotharc once more charged to his aid. Together they finally conquered the bulbous beast, and after checking to ensure that Daveed was alright, the Warden turned his attention back to the fight.

For in the meanwhile Balder had held the attention of the Giant Spider, and although he spilled dark ichor with his blade he suffered also a heavy blow from the monster in turn, and it could have been the end for him were it not for the sudden arrival of Mastiff (played by NAT), who burst into the scene slashing with his short sword and cutting deep into the beast's hide. Lotharc joined the fray anew, hacking at the spider's legs while Balder stabbed for all he was worth, and Daveed continued to fire arrows at their enemy's multitude of eyes; each of them dealt damage, but in the end it was the blade of Mastiff which finally slew the vile kindred of Shelob, and at last could the Northmen relax.

All had taken wounds of their own in the fight, but none seemed terribly injured, save for the soldier felled initially by the larger beast. Daveed sported a gash or two, as did Balder, while Lotharc was more concerned with the smaller wound on his hand, which had come from a poisoned barb. All the same, as they sped back to rejoin the others, their relief was palpable, and the forest slowly quietened once more.

Were these beasts an isolated foe, or have the Northmen strayed close to a spider glen? Is this the worst they can expect to face? Will Lotharc's hand be okay? RP makes wise folk of us all...

RP Log: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/arachnid-ambush.html

Almost had double figures connected the other night.

@Tapewyrm
Update time.

1. The party from Rivendell has traveled by boat down the Anduin, passed through Lothlorien and have now arrived in Fangorn, making contact with an Ent. (see recent log)

2. The spy of Saruman has arrived in Esgaroth, and began expanding her network of acquaintances, including on the seedier side of town. (see recent log)

Also, new plot!

So, once upon a time, there was a fortress of Mordor hidden away in the Mountains of Mirkwood, named Sarn Goriwing. Many awesome plots and combat scenes were spawned by its existence, and the forces ICly mustered within.

However, for decades now there has been little threat from the depths of the forest. No warbands unleashed upon the kingdoms of the North, no invasions needing to be quelled, and slowly but surely the lands of Rhovanion have forgotten the grave threat which once stood upon their doorstep. The stronghold remained dormant, presumed empty by those who still really believed in it at all.

At least, until recently. Warg attacks have been plaguing the border towns of the Dale-lands, striking from Mirkwood to slaughter both farmers and their livestock. Efforts to locate the lair or source of these beasts by the Royal Wardens, rangers of the King in Dale have yielded little, and so some have taken thought that perhaps the true lair lies deeper within the forest. Perhaps the halls of Sarn Gariwing are no longer empty. So it is that a taskforce of the soldiers of Dale has been dispatched to seek out the location of the dread fortress of old, and discover what they may about who, if anyone, now occupies it...

And so, throwing it out there, just in case anyone would like to come help with giving the taskforce something to find. Anything from wargs to orcs, spiders to trolls would be welcome. Also soldiers on the human side are welcome. If interested drop me a DM or log onto Elendor during US evening time, and I'm sure we could work something out.

@Tapewyrm
I don't know if anyone is actually following this or not, but the plot wrapped up, and was a lot of fun. Now there are a couple of things going on:

1. a party has been arranged and sent by Elrond to visit Lothlorien, to enquire about these strange orcs which were seen, and which hopefully will include explorations of Fangorn and more, with an ancient Elf of the Grey Havens, plus Glorfindel and the two Rangers featured in Biting the Hand.

2. a spy of Saruman agent has reached the Dale-lands, and seeks to involve herself in the various intrigues of the kingdom. In this regard, to work with she may have the ambitions of the infamous (but recently defunct) Thieves Guild, hoping to restore their prior fortunes, and the wealth of House Arathmor, whose ancestors governed Laketown and who are always seeking to wrest power back from the ruling House.

If any of that sounds fun to anyone, come check us out. Most nights of the week someone is around from about 6 to 10 Central US time!

mush.elendor.net 1892

@Tapewyrm
For general information to anyone else, we've been meeting up a few times a week lately, and this is the plot we've been doing:

Word comes to a pair of Dunedain of troubles unfolding across the Misty Mountains, in the southern Vales of the Anduin, and they set off to investigate. Arriving in the land of the Beornings, they discover that orcs are abroad, but no ordinary breed of the foul creatures. Something is different about these orcs, so it is said, and the Rangers decide to team up with the folk of the Anduin Village to rid the land of this menace. In this struggle they can count upon the aid of Elves, soldiers of Dale and as always the might of the Beijabar, but will it be enough?

For the orcs, they are none lesser than the Fighting Uruk-hai of Isengard, troops bred and trained by the wizard Saruman, and sent hither to test their prowess against the folk of Grimbeorn. Along the way they find allies of their own among the mountain lairs, and there is the question of two refugees who have shown up in the Village; a pair of women claiming to have survived assault by the orcs. Is there more to these events than is currently known? RP shall reveal all...

Feel free to come check things out: https://dale-lands.weebly.com/biting-the-hand.html

@Hella I can quite understand the adulting part, but I also figure that most people are in the same boat now, so we can probably get by with just arranging meetups across a group etc. Would love to see you at the weekend, and I'll try to be on -- look for Lorthrain.

Tolkien is still a love for me too, and Elendor also. I took ten years away from the hobby before getting the itch back, a couple of years ago, after finding an enormous cache of old logs.

Heh, nerd that I am, I've even been compiling a lore site based upon them.

@Hella Same address as always. A few of us are on right now.

Dale is my home +culture. Do you recall a character called Gelbard?

@Hella Hey there!

I'm so sorry it took me so long to realize there was a reply here, or respond to it. Thanks for reaching out.

I think I did know you, if only in passing... were you also Helle in the Dale-lands? I remember you being around when Celly was the +ruler.

Basically, some of us are trying to get some stuff going again, and so I was probing to see if anyone out there still remembers the place and wants to check it out.

Hello. Not sure if this is the right place for this, but, if anyone used to play on Elendor, then please drop me a line.

I'm thinking this includes @BetterJudgment, @Tinuviel and @Arkandel ?

@Ganymede said in Stranger Danger?:

I thought I had made friends over my past 25+ years of doing this, but I misjudged how firm many of those friendships were.

That's been a rollercoaster I've ridden too of late. Some friendships were indeed firm, but others were far less than I hoped.

Personally I just RP about the things I want to wrote stories about, and don't RP the things I'm not that into. I rarely play IC relationships with others, unless they're my actual RL partner, since I like to save that side of myself for that person, and it saves on drama.

@Tapewyrm Well, all I can say is if anyone here enjoys Tolkien and wants to try to RP again, let me know. Thankfully the game I played on is relatively unknown to these boards (or at least back in the day), so there's a high chance that none of the traditional PHBs will find it.

At least, I hope!

@Ghost That's very disheartening to hear. I was hoping time would have had the opposite effect, and that the hobby at large would have just finally stopped tolerating the PHB behavior. Sounds like the wrong team lost.

@Ghost said in I owe a lot of people some apologies.:

@Tapewyrm said in I owe a lot of people some apologies.:

You folks are way too paranoid. I'm literally just asking if you're anti-male douchebags.

Hah well, let me give you another unfiltered response on this.

I don't think anyone here is an "anti-male douchebag". I think Derp and Rei have been focusing more on just getting people to knock it off with the personal attacks. In the last few years "____________ is a misogynist" has been a regular, go-to attack for a number of people to smear a reputation, and you're probably 100% right that there hasn't been enough pushback against the people who use regularly use that tactic as an easily-followed way to get others to dogpile on their target.

That's... a large part of where I'm coming from, yes. It's extraordinarily easy to dismiss arguments and people under this guise, and typically such crowds don't tolerate any criticism in the other (gendered) direction. So for me, I draw a large correlation between the two, and hence me asking right from the get-go.

So for here (MSB), I think it's more about stopping the attack (regardless of the method, without overall gender bias) whereas on the other forum you're welcome to ask them about sexism and if they're "anti-male douchebags" and see how well that goes for ya.

I'm good. If, as you say, that's where the crazy went to live, I'm okay with leaving them to it. I did find a thread or two about active games there, so it wasn't a total loss checking it out.

@Ghost That makes a lot of sense, and yeah, I wandered away a log time ago from WORA because I felt it was just (by that point) a place for nastiness and never ending drama. So, I can understand things going down the way you describe.

Sad to hear about the hobby in general though. I took about 10 years off and recently came back to an old game I knew, only to find it dead, and my attempts to revive it have meant waking up some of its own PHBs (lol I had to think about that for a sec to get the reference).

Is there any hope at all that the level-headed peeps could come back to the hobby, if they found places to play which don't carry the ugliness of the past with them?