[i]In the beginning, the Valar aided Eru in composing the Music, which became the World. Though they were the instruments, He was the conductor; they could hear their sounds and those of their peers, but the truth of the Music was greater than them, and belonged to Eru. For better or for worse (only Eru knows), the universe has marched to this same rhythm since the beginning of time. And will continue to, until the Doom of the World comes to pass, all is unmade, and the Second Music brings about paradise eternal. With such a fate looming over all things, it is a wonder anything of interest happens. How can life be worth living, when the whole of the universe is still ticking to the beat of a drum set down an eternity ago? There follows a curious fact, but a logical one, that the less we know, the more surprises await us. And by seeing the world through the eyes of beings far less grand than the Gods, we are given the gift of exploration for its own sake. We look for the sake of looking, we walk for the sake of walking, we are for the sake of being. There are those that accept the immobility imposed by the icy hand of Doom that grasps us all... but there are those who feel that their part must be played, even when there is no script. Thus it is rightly said, not all those who wander are lost. And there are tales yet untold in the land we now know as Middle-earth. Tales that bear telling, and will hopefully be worth the getting of a biscuit or two and a cup of tea before settling in to hear them. So, we shall fill a pipe and speak of tales long since past and forgotten. Deeds not sung of, but never forgotten.[/i] -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- This will be a Middle-earth based role play, drawing from the lore set down by Tolkien but with a little bit of wiggle room to allow for more creativity. If you're unfamiliar with the lore, don't worry about it too much; you don't need to be great or even good, since the focus of this RP is not going to be about how amazing your character is, but what they do. One may simple walk into Mordor. This will take place between Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. So there will be events going on, and I shall be DMing them and many of the main characters. Unless someone offers a viable option with solid reason. If this takes off it will start with everyone in or near a merchant/ traveling caravan. So keep that in mind. Your character is going to be out there and doing things. So keep that in mind. You have your own reasoning. That said, you should come into this with an idea of the story you want to tell, and put in the effort needed to make it happen. Being apathetic and waiting for someone else to do the job will get you nowhere. If you don't want a story to be told, or you don't want to help someone tell a story, this is not the RP for you. If you just want to play an impossibly powerful yet (equally impossibly) nubile 16-year-old wizard or some generic lone-wolf badass, this is not the RP for you. [h2]Plot[/h2] I've left the plot rather open as I do have to factor in the events of both books and what your characters come across. Should you delve to Moria? Then you will have very different problems than if you were to anger a tavern full of dwarves and elves. If you wish for my basic line of plot, for what is the grand quest you will be set out on! Well you have the caravan, the people in it. Basically- should this kick off- I am planning to give everyone some time to post to get a feel for the caravan and the people in it. Not to mention to feel out your characters myself. The caravan I plan to have attacked by Orc of something of the sort. Taking several people, perhaps even characters, with them in the raid. From there, I do hope there would be enough morally alligned people to go after them and help simply because these are Orcs. Not something anyone wants roaming about. From there I'm sketching out several sub plot ideas and routes but the characters will shape what I throw at you from there. I won't make it easy, but I won't make it impossible unless you go into a impossible situation. Most of these routes will revolve around characters, NPCs, I've made. Events going on in the War of the Ring or events leading to it. [h2]Rules[/h2] [list] [*] As this is original Lore GM has final say [*] Gm controls this world. Weather, NPCs, what you see, hear, ect. [*] Gm does check on posting and log in habits [*] If you are holding the Rp and joining other Rp's you will be called on it [*] Must use the CS sheet provided. [list] [*] PM the CS to the GM [*] Do not post CS in OOC tab [*] Only finished CS allowed in CS tab [*] Only finished CS will be accepted. [*] No poking holes into others' CS. They've been accepted. [*] One character per person only [*] CS must contain well thought out paragraphs numbering 2 at least. [*] Keep your possessions up to date. If you do not have something written down there, you do not have it. [/list] [*] Language - Allowed, this is medieval. Sparta even. [*] Gore - It will get violent and gross. [*] Taboo subjects will be crossed, will Fade to Black as needed. [*] Posting [list] [*] Minimal of 2 well developed paragraphs per posts [*] This also means 2 well developed paragraphs per character. Be warned. [*] Must IC post once every 7 days. (I will send a warning day 5, and once I hit day 8 you will be removed by the GM.) [*] If you had a reason as to why you could not post, please inform me. I may be able to make a allowance. lack of inspiration is not one of them. [*] If you are held up because someone has disappeared you will have a extra two days. But the sooner the post the better. [*] Keep up with all posts! [*] No spamming OOC [*] Just because you are collab does not mean you cannot have it done in time. Advice? Don't start late. [*] If your collab partner vanishes, you need to make the Gm aware (so it does not count against you) [*] If your collab partner vanishes, you will be given extra time to finish. [*] If you collab partner vanishes, you will be able to withing minimal amount move their character to finish collab. [*] If you are going to be gone, inform the Gm! I get life comes first, but it's also on you to not hold up the RP and keep up. I'll work around you're disappearance so long as I know what's going on. (You can say it's private, I just need to know it's life.) You'll get extra time, or set on the sidelines if it's extended. [*] Do not abuse the grant of extra time. [/list] [*] First finished CS, first served. [*] Character Deaths will happen. If your character dies, you will not be out of the Rp! Feel free to send a Back Up Character at any time and hold it in reserve. [*] Post your favorite Character of the series in the Answer portion to prove you've read the rules. [*] Rules and CS are subject to change. [*] Keep CS up to date. [*] Link to a previous post you have done in the Prior portion (My prior Rpers are exempt from this). (To those knew to RPGuild, PM me) [*] Looking for Dedicated Rpers, essentially. [/list] I'd like to start with three people, but I'm going to cap it at five. With possibility of more should it work well. Have a extra spot for a elf. And tickle me silly if it's a Nandor elder! [hider=Character Sheet] [b]CS:[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Self explanatory. [b]Age, Gender, Race:[/b] If you don't know much about Tolkien lore, here's the brass tacks: humans are humans, like we are now. NĂºmenoreans are humans, but generally a bit taller and live longer (200 years or so). Dwarves are Dwarves, they remain spry up to about 300 ~ 350 years. Elves are effectively immortal unless killed and are immune to all but the worse of diseases, but are more susceptible to emotional damage; an Elf can die of a broken heart. It has happened. Concerning Hobbits, they're about half the size of a human, big furry feet, and live to about 100 on average. Uruk-hai and Orcs are allowed in this RP, and we'll say their natural lifespan (which they rarely reach, due to their propensity for dying) is on par with humans. More esoteric things, like river spirits or what-have-you, can be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Just PM me. [b]Appearance:[/b] What we see when we look at you. [b]Equipment:[/b] Appearance is just what we see; not all equipment is seen. Let us know what you have so you don't just so happen to have exactly what the situation calls for. [b]Skills:[/b] This is what your character is good at, and what they are bad at. [b]Fears:[/b] List three things your character is afraid of. [b]Personality:[/b] Put in as little or as much as you want here. I'm not too concerned with this. Just remember, if your character doesn't want to be part of a story, or part of a group, this is not the RP for you. [b]Story:[/b] Everyone has a story to tell. This is not the story that has already been told; that's your Biography. Instead, give us a synopsis of the story you want to tell, what you want us to be a part of. What do you want to do? See? Where do you want to go? [b]Biography:[/b] The history of your character. Also a good opportunity to discuss how they came to learn whatever skills and abilities they have. [/hider] And if someone wants a challenge. Try making a older elf, something along the age lines of Thrandruil or Elrond. Though I shall warn you, detail it. Make it thorough. Which would be a challenge due to the sheer Lore surrounding such elves. Though I will warn, I will close a race if we get too much of that race. So keep it diverse. Anyone interested?