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[sub][i]Note: This Roleplay is a rework/off-shoot from [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/162438-middle-earth-the-fifth-age/ic]Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age[/url][/i], courtesy of [@Lucian][/sub]
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Greetings all! If you're a fan of the world of Tolkien, then this is the roleplay for you. Our story will be following a group of intrepid volunteers as they uncover an unfolding plot of darkness in their supposedly peaceful world. All canon races will be accepted (Within reason - no Spiders, please.), and it will be taking place not so long into the Fourth Age.

Most information in regards to character creation will be given in the OOC when it is made; this check is simply to test the waters and see who would be interested in a roleplay set in the world of Lord of the Rings. Knowledge of lore is preferred, but as this is set after the events of Lord of the Rings, it won't be absolutely important, unless you want to go ham on your character's backstory. The movies alone can probably give you the basics of what is needed to be known, but book lore comes first! If something contradicts between the movies and the books, the books will take precedent. Again, this shouldn't affect people too much, but it should be kept in mind. 

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The year is 4E 219. King Eldarion, the son of Aragorn and his wife Arwen, has been ruling in relative peace for nearly 100 years. But trouble is brewing in the lands of Middle-Earth. News of Goblins returning to their Mountain strongholds and causing trouble on the fringes of the Misty Mountains has reached the realm of Gondor; paired with the return of the spiders of Mirkwood, and seemingly random attacks on the roads or in the wilds against various races has caused the King to begin to worry. It was small instances like this that led up to the greatest and bloodiest wars that lands have ever seen. Are they a cause for concern, or simply small factions of evil, striking back against the good and innocent? King Eldarion does not know the answer, but it is not only he that ponders over this question. The lands of Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits are too wondering what these occurrences might mean... and the ever-growing kingdoms of men are beginning to grow antsy of these terrors. The Second War of the ring and the felling of Sauron may have occurred over a century ago, but the memory of this is still fresh in the minds of some. The realms of Harad and Umbar well remember their predecessors involvement in such acts; nor is their involvement truly forgotten by the allied forces of Gondor, Rohan and now Arnor. Tension builds among these humans races, as they do amongst the other species of this world.

[hider=Races of Men]
The Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor: The current ruler of Gondor is King Eldarion, son of Aragorn. His Sister Princess Tinúviel rules in Arnor, in the former capital of Fornost, while Eldarion rules from Minas Tirith in the South.

Rohan: Home to the Horse-Lords, and the capital remains Edoras. The descendent of Éomer and his wife Lothíriel rule here. They remain independent - but friendly - with the realm of Gondor. Other notable places include Isengard and Helm's Deep.

Dol Amroth: A coastal Principality, descended from the line of Imrazor. It is rumoured that there is elf-blood in the veins of this house, for the Princes born here are as fair as the Eldar to look upon.

Ithilien: A principality established after the second war of the ring; this line descends from Éowyn and her husband Faramir. As such, all reigning Princes or Princesses of Ithilien are also the king's steward.

Dale: Following the destruction of Smaug and the Battle of the Fives Armies, Dale flourished under the new control of Bard the Bowman, and his line of children. They are now a popular trading spot between Erebor and other regions, and their wealth is renowned.

Esgaroth upon the Lake: Rebuilt after it's destruction from Smaug, it too made use of the wealth now flowing in from the north from the newly established Erebor and Dale. Although independent of Dale with it's own Master, the two work in harmony with one another, and rarely come to a disagreement. While Dale makes it's money through more material wares, Esgaroth continues it's work in fishing and boat-making.

Harad: Home to the Haradrim, the people of this southern land have grown both in strength and independence away from the more northern lands of Gondor. While no longer seen as a true enemy by the King, tension and mistrust still remains.

Other: Many other lands contain men, both friend and foe. Colonies have appeared in the liberated land of Mordor, and around the lands of Rhûn and Nurn.
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[hider=Elves]
Eryn Lasgalen: The Kingdom of King Thranduil; while he and most of his people dwell in the north, the south has been reclaimed from the spiders and evil that dwelt there for so long, even going so far as to taking Dol Guldur and re-establishing it as a southern watch. However, Southern Mirkwood remains empty, bar for a few intrepid colonists, and the Istari Radagast. The spiders may be gone for now, but something is still odd about the trees there...

Lothlórien: While Galadriel departed from the Grey Havens with Gandalf and the Ringbearers, her husband Celeborn remained, staying in the beautiful forest with his people for a time. By now, he and many of the Silvan Elves dwelling there have departed for Aman, but the forest is not as abandoned as Imladris. Thrnaduil took it as an extension of his own Kingdom, and while the magic of Galadriel has left the forest, it remains both a beauty, and a stronghold for the elves still living there.

Grey Havens: Located in the diminished Elven realm of Lindon, surrounding the Blue Mountains.

Ithilien: Following the War of the Ring, Legolas Greenleaf settled a colony of Elves there at the allowance of King Ellesar and Prince Faramir. It is believed most of these people left for Valinor after a century or so, but some may still remain among the men that dwell there.
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[hider=Dwarves]
Erebor: Following the death of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies, Erebor once again had a King under the Mountain to rule it. The line of Dain Ironfoot II rule here, and the Dwarves are back to their digging, deeper and deeper into the Earth. In recent years, a separatist sect is rumoured to have appeared; bent Dwarves who are selling the treasures of the earth to less than friendly-folk, at a higher-than-normal price. The current King disregards these rumours, but shipments are going missing more and more to be considered coincidence.

Khazad-dûm: Moria was retaken by the Dwarves shortly after the end of the Third Age; it is now considered their chief stronghold, and it is now richer and even more beautiful than Erebor. Still, the Dwarves dig deep, mining mithril to sell to elves and men; again, rumours of separatist Dwarven merchants has cropped up here, but with how dig they deep, that is the last thing the line of Durin have to worry about...

The Glittering Caves: After being re-discovered by Gimli during the battle of the Hornburg, the Dwarf settled a colony of his kin there to make good of the ore-rich caverns. To this day, they remain as beautiful as they had been nearly 2 centuries ago, even after much mining of the walls and floors.

Other: Dwarves have settled in many places through-out Middle-Earth. The Iron Hills and Blue Mountains are only some to add to the list.
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[hider=Hobbits]
The Shire: The main home of the Hobbits; consisting of various farthings and lands, it is typically "ruled" by 3 authorities. The Mayor (And his contingents of "Shirrifs"), the Thain, and the Warden of Westmarch. After 7 consecutive terms as Mayor Samwise, the title seems to have been kept in the Gamgee line in the years following. Typically because the Hobbits reckon the Gamgee's are good at that sort of thing. As for the Thainship, it remains with the Took family, and the title of Warden to the Fairbairn's.

Westmarch: A stretch of land in Eriador gifted to the Shire by King Aragorn; a Warden was reinstated not too long after that, and it is guarded well by the Hobbits. After the Scouring of the Shire, they guard their borders far more diligently now.

Bree: A town found between the Shire and Imladris; a decent enough place, if you avoid the crooks. Home to the now-famous Prancing Pony (Thanks to the Book of Westmarch), the population typically consist of Hobbits and Humans. They get along better than the "Big-Folk" generally would with Shirelings, but they are all mostly friendly anyway.
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[hider=Beleriand]
The once lost land of Beleriand has resurfaced - in part - in the past century. The involvement of the Valar is a curiosity to many, considering how the first children of Eru had been avoiding Middle-Earth for quite some time. The lands once known as East Beleriand resurfaced some time in the first century of the Fourth Age, and has been taken advantage of by Elves, Dwarves and Men. The lost city of Gondolin was restored (Along with some new Elvish colonies), and the Dwarves are delving deep into the mostly untouched mountain ranges that were once flooded. The race of men do not have much stance or power in this once-forgotten realm, and the true "ownership" of the lands are currently undetermined. This has not led to any infighting... yet.
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More information about the plot (And developments in the RP lore), and where our character's stories begin will be given in the OOC. This is basically just to see who's interested.

((This is a re-post from the General Section (With some tweaks), but I'm hoping putting it in the advanced section may garner a bit more interest.))