[center][img]https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Ao5oIFXXXXc6XpXXq6xXFXXXC/Lord-of-the-Rings-Middle-font-b-Earth-b-font-Map-printed-wall-font-b-pictures.jpg[/img][/center] The peace that has permeated the lands of Middle-Earth for an age is nearing it's end. A force of wicked men and their orcish mercenaries, goaded on by some dark force unknown, have taken the newly rebuilt Gondorian city of Minas Ithil, sacking the beautiful city and renaming it Minas Morgul once again. Refugees who escaped the city, though few, spread word of a terrible darkness which drowned out the light of the city, and of an army of spiders who scaled the walls and weakened the defenses. In response to this assault, Eldarion, high king of Gondor and Arnor, has sent word to the leaders of the free peoples, calling emissaries from each race to respond to this new threat. Riders bearing missives from the High King of Men were sent to the Sylvan Elves of Eryn Lasgalen, The Dwarves of Khazad-Dum, and even the Hobbits of The Shire, for never again was their worth to be underestimated. The missives called for a representative of each race to Appear before the king in Minas Tirith and hold council, in the same way Elrond of old held council for the fate of the One Ring, to decide how best to combat this powerful and mysterious new threat. It is at this council that our story will begin. Whether your character is the Emissary of your people, or a guard of said emissary, or even a bookkeeper or chronicler is left up to you, but for whatever reason, you find yourself in the company of the new Council of The Wise in the throne room of Minas Tirith, discussing what is to be done about this newest of threats to Middle-Earth. [h2][b]The Free People[/b][/h2] [hider=Men Of The West] After the Return of The King Aragorn Elf-Stone to the throne of Gondor and Arnor at the end of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, the Fourth Age was a peaceful and prosperous one. King Aragorn and the Elvenqueen Arwen Evenstar ruled from the White City of Minas Tirith, and bounty flowed from the lands of men. In Rohan, the Horselords of the Rohirim led by Eomer renewed the Oath of Eorl, binding the two kingdoms of Western Men together in friendship. After Aragorn's passing, his son Eldarion took the throne, and continues to rule to this day. King Eomer, lacking in the graceful long-life of the line of Numenor, passed his throne to his son Elfwine in his old age, and he to his son Theoden II, who rules Rohan now in the Fifth age. [center][color=darkblue][h1]Gondor[/h1][/color][/center] [center][img]http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/lotr/images/d/dd/God%C5%82o_Gondoru.png/revision/latest?cb=20110212133813&path-prefix=pl[/img][/center] Gondor is experiencing a time of plenty as it never has before. The Lands of Gondor stretch down to encompass Ithilien in the south, and swing behind Mount Mindolluin to connect through the Enedwaith with Arnor, the great kingdom of men to the North. Recently, however, the south-easternmost fortress (formerly Minas Morgul) was taken by the enemy, and is slowly being perverted once again. [center][color=gold][h1]Rohan[/h1][/color][/center] [center][img]http://img07.deviantart.net/b78e/i/2013/314/2/f/rohan_s_sigil_by_breyvan-d6tsz18.jpg[/img][/center] Rohan, having long ago sworn undying fealty to Gondor, has expanded only to encompass the lands they once held (but lost) during the Third Age. The Rohirrim are still the greatest horsemen in all the kingdoms of elves, men, and dwarves, and they act as a force on retainer for Gondor when swift reaction to a threat is necessary.[/hider] [hider=Elves] [center][color=green][h1]The Eldar[/h1][/color][/center] Most elves departed Middle-Earth, though King Thranduil remained, and so too did many of the elves of Mirkwood, which the Elvenking renamed Eryn Lasgalen and reclaimed fully as his kingdom, ousting the remnants of the shadow of Dol Guldur. For a time, the elves of Lothlorien remained in their beautiful forest home, ruled by Celeborn alone, as Galadriel had passed into the west after Suaron's defeat in the War of the Ring. The elves of Lorien felt the longing for Valinor to a greater extent, without their beautiful beacon Galadriel, and, unlike Thranduil, Celeborn too felt the pull of the White Shores, and so by the time Aragorn II Elessar had passed, Lothlorien was fully abandoned by the fair folk of Celeborn. In the absence of Celeborn's people, Thranduil and his Sylvan elves expanded into Lothlorien, swearing to keep the goblins and orcs of the Misty mountains from perverting the beautiful and holy works of their kin. Lothlorien now remains an extension of Thranduil's kingdom, and is one of two remaining bastions of Elvendom in Middle-Earth. Thranduil and his people, though ever cautious, have good relations with the thriving kingdoms of men, and their forest is home to the Beornings. [/hider] [hider=Dwarves] [center][color=purple][h1]Durin's Folk[/h1][/color][/center] With Durin's Bane slain by Gandalf The Grey during the journey of the Fellowship Of The Ring in the Third Age, the Bearded Folk eventually reclaimed Khazad-Dum under the rule of king Durin VII and it became their main Kingdom. The Dwarves became rich and powerful, delving ever-deeper into Middle-Earth, and providing their Mithril armaments to the Men and Elves of The West, though it is rumored that a separatist sect of Dwarves has begun supplying with no regard for their clientele. [/hider] [hider=Hobbits] [center][color=yellow][h1]Shire Folk[/h1][/color][/center] The Hobbits, after reclaiming the Shire from the weakened and bitter Saruman, began their peaceful life anew, though never again would they let their borders be so weakened. Now, with the elves of Rivendell having all but left Middle-Earth, the buffer between The Shire and the threats in the mountains had disappeared. As such, the Halflings were forced to reinforce their settlements, though they have lost none of their simple beauty. There are now groups of Hobbit scouts, rangers, and sheriffs who tirelessly patrol the lands between The Shire and The Mountains to the east, often quarreling briefly with the Goblin tribes who make those mountains their home. [/hider] [hider=Character Sheet] I personally prefer a description of the concept of the character and a bit of their appearance and history. I don't like character sheets that feel like filling out paperwork, so I prefer a simplistic free-form approach. Now, seeing as this is advanced, I'm confident that you can get the concept of your character across in few paragraphs without too much prescription for the character sheet. I'll give an example of what I mean with my character. [center][color=Gold][h1]Galador II[/h1][/color][/center] [center][img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2A2L9-K4awU/UK672iCycXI/AAAAAAAAAy4/-WFg5wUPBR8/s1600/Boromir_Magali+Villeneuve.jpg[/img][/center] Galador is a son of the line of Imrazor, and heir to the principality of Dol Amroth. Though fairly young, at the age of twenty-five, he commands the Knights of the Silver Swan, and is an accomplished warrior and tactician. He and his knights were responsible for escorting the surviving citizenry of Minas Ithil back to the safety of Osgilliath, and slaying any pursuers. The blood of Numenor runs strong in Galador, and his features and mannerisms reflect this. He is calm and collected, level-headed even in the thick of a melee. Coming from a place as steeped in tradition, ritual, and pride as Dol Amroth, he can come off as a bit haughty, though that is not usually his intention. He is a kind man, and a natural leader. (Something like that is perfectly fine, as long as your posts IC aren't that short.) [/hider] I'll be editing and adding to this as we go along, I just wanted to get it up, seeing as how I promised and all. EDIT: Also, here's a [url=https://discord.gg/YfQJaGy]Discord channel[/url] so we can keep in touch, and more easily discuss character concepts and collaborate for worldbuilding.