Minas Tirith City Hall (OOC)

[Tharmáras]

I think it's a lovely idea! I expect plenty of moving posts. I can have my Gondorians reacting to it in a personal way. Memories, flashbacks to moments like Linhir and Pelargir and the Pelennor and the Morannon. Maybe my children characters recalling thoughts/emotions about being sent to Tumladen when they were younger before the Siege of Gondor or receivng news of their parents' death; maybe even the children who have grown with each other grouping together to comfort one another.

Beren's mood at breakfast after having woken up screaming, remembering his kinsman Khallador being mortally wounded on the battlefield; maybe Beren raising a glass to the dead like the Grey Compoany, perhaps even seeing Khallador's ghost appearing momentarily but fading shortly after. So many possibilities.

In regards to traditions and ceremonies without having to RP canon characters, perhaps Aragorn could have made this an official holiday where no one could work so they could reflect and be by themselves or loved ones instead or take part in ceremonies across the fiefdoms?

Queen Arwen could welcome Gondorians to attend a candelit ceremony in the Pelennor Fields where people come sing and encamp on the verdant meadows where one of the major battles in the War of the Ring was.

This vocal ceremony would be in contrast with a more quiet event which King Elessar - Aragorn - could host that our characters could be involved in.

Aragorn could honor the Meneltarma rite of the Númenorean King, leading Gondorians into prayer of thanksgiving on Mindolluin. For reference (we could add more to this but copy the rite exactly?): "...the King spoke....offering prayer for the coming year at the Erukyermë in the first days of spring... praise of Eru Ilúvatar at the Erulaitalë in midsummer, and thanksgiving to him at the Eruhantalë at the end of autumn. At these times the King acsended the mountain on foot followed by a great concourse of the people, clad in white and garlandded, but silent. At other times the people were free to climb to the summit alone or in company; but it is said that the silence was so great that even a stranger ignorant of Númenor and all it history, if he were transported thither, would not have dared to speak aloud.' - Tolkien, from Unfinished Tales: A Description of Númenor


We could have Tower Guard or Ranger formations along side Dol Amroth cavalry in tandem with civilian floats of some kind.


These are just my thoughts concerning traditions near Minas Tirith; haven't thought of Pelargir yet (though fireworks on boats would be great)

[Moriel]

I love this idea!!

[Nessa Saelind]

Thanks everyone for liking the idea!

If you have any ideas, thoughts, quotes, concepts anything about how public or even private Remembrance day or days ceremony should look like in the Reunited Kingdom, or in a specific place please do share. Of course, there is no pressure and let me stress that you absolutely do not need to think that your idea for the ceremony needs to be something universal that spans the entire Kingdom. It can be something a village in Gondor does.

When I was musing about writing anniversary In Memoriam stories the starting point was always the first year after the War, 3020 T.A. and from a very humble beginning the story grew into a triptych that would happen in 3 places: Pelargir where de Argosy and Senensis families will publicly and privately grieve for those they lost in the War (happening on March 13, 3020 T.A.), then in Minas Tirith (March 15th, 3020 T.A.) where Matilda Hawthorne (my NPC nurse from the Houses of Healing) is coping with grief on the first anniversary of the death of her parents during the Siege by working a double shift so she doesn't think about her loss and during that day has a conversation with two older women and a healing process starts. The last story in this triptych will happen in Emyn Arnen (March, 25th, 3020 T.A.) where the de Scardena twins and their neighbours gather in the centre of the village/settlement to mark the end of the War.

Since my writing will take place in the 1st year after the War none of the public ceremonies are elaborate. They are rather sombre, simple to reflect that these remembrance ceremonies are something new, not yet fixed and codified. And the wounds are still very raw for the survivors, they've just survived a whole year without a loved one... It's going to be very rough for them to remember because the first year is always the hardest. However, as time moves on, the ceremonies will most likely be codified and fixed and most likely written in a Gondorian version of De Ceremonis. But to start, in my version these things are very simple. Of course, no one has to conform to my vision of events, nor do you have to start your writing in 3020 T.A. You can start whenever just mark the year this is happening so we can all know when we are

BTW @Tharmáras - I like that you found the connection with Númenor and those festivals but I've been musing on that quote and on the years. From the quote you mentioned those festivals are happy occasions, they celebrate the arrival of spring, midsummer and a thanksgiving event in autumn. Of course, if everyone likes this, we can adapt these ceremonies to suit a remembrance ceremony to celebrate VME Day. However, we have to keep in mind that the downfall of Númenor happened in 3319 S.A., and the War and Aragorn's ascension to the throne happened in 3019 T.A. That's 3140+ years difference, and those Numenorean festivals and traditions are even older. Additionally, I started thinking about the population of the Reunited Kingdom, they are not all descendants of Numenoreans and they most likely have their own customs and traditions. So reviving these old Numenorean customs could be seen by most of the population as a very elite, noble thing, because they don't have any connection to it. But I could be wrong, after all, I'm approaching this from a perspective of a historian who is looking at the span of years and thinking that this would be like someone reviving a ceremony or custom from ancient Egypt or Greece or Rome. However, as I said this is just my opinion, I just wanted to show a different point of view to this, not criticise or shut down the idea that I think is very lovely. *hugs*

[Ercassie]

I do very much like the concept of this theme, as an inspiration to reflect on what the Return of the King/end of war, in particular meant to the community/ies through Gondor and indeed further afield. It is a poignant and likely emotional prompt which may see many of us considering the impact or experience of our various characters, possibly for the first time, considering what must have been a significant milestone of their existence/environment. The diversity that carries through the various fiefdoms is likely going to be extreme, as is the individual recollections of people even from the same town or family. Though this was a mutual event for all Middle Earth, the opportunity to see or hear all these stories, some collectively others privately, can create a really touching tribute to a truly Tolkienesque subject.

I get what you are driving at, I think, @Tharmáras, that there have long been these traditions in Middle Earth which shape various cultures, and after such an influential war, the aftermath absolutely altered so much of the world and folk that were left. A lot of new traditions would likely have arisen as Nessa mentioned, for times change, customs alter. There was a new King in Gondor, and also in Rohan, and also in Dale, and also in Erebor, etc etc; almost all at once, which suggest updating or fresh minds on how things ought to be done in many areas. Whereas some folk may have actually clung to the older and almost even abandoned practices of remembrance and reverence, in light of such utter anarchic upheaval. The example of the Numenorean seasonal prayers for thanks may not exactly fit all pieces of the puzzle that we shall put together here, but it is a precedent certainly for demonstrating the kinds of respect and communal assemblies which occurred. It may very well work for one region, if not so well for others.

The understanding already mentioned in this thread, that different dates and events meant different things to different people is also noteworthy. Because of course the people of Linhir will mark the day that the war touched their little corner of the world differently than may people who have never been there. There might be pilgrimages, following the path of the Returned King and his allies, to commemorate in that way. Schools might be involved in various ways to educate the children and bolster a pride in the part their fathers etc played in the grand scheme of things. There is a huge scope of things that can be considered or thrown in under this one umbrella of thought.

I completely support the movement for individuals simply adding their story/little chapter in, and it doesn't have to have any order to it, or a deadline, nor be a strict series in chronology. It can be one off the cuff post because you simply wanted to explore what this means to one particular character. But at the same time, it can of course be any of these things, a mix of these things : as long as it refers to the remembrance of this colossal social change. @Nessa Saelind talks about the prevalence of non-Numenorean identity coming through in this sorts of event, and I agree. Not only the varied blends of people who were gondorian before the war, but also the new face of Gondor and it's neighbours afterwards.

I do feel we could, as a group here, suppose what perhaps Aragorn would have established, in light of the anniversary, even if it is just giving everyone the day off to celebrate in their own fashion. Every central government sets an example for it's nation, which could be more widespread in it's mutual provisions than are the probably countless and assorted local events. This is after all a Gondorian forum, and there is one King of Gondor, so a degree of unity should factor in with as much importance as does freedom for more unique creativity. So say he does allow folk to come and listen to a speech he wants to give on that day, if they wish to, but it is not mandatory, as example. Noone would have to actually RP as Aragorn, but anyone can RP as responding to what they take away from what he's saying. It creates a still flexible uniformity that we all know that is an option for our characters, as a staple of Gondorian community. Not everyone will have a particular idea of where to start, so this might provide that as an example so to speak, or a go to, to act as a cue for those who feel happier relying on some given fact we all recognise, if not represent.

And I have absolutely said too much now. But thankyou @Nessa Saelind for bringing it to City Hall for everyone to consider.

[Raisins]

@Afird Splitax I am afraid I missed our deadline, I was busy at work today and haven't had a chance to get on until now. I really like the play that I had picked out so am thinking I'll just not post yet since I think it's one that other people could play as well if they have the tiles for it.

[Afird Splitax]

@Fuin Elda I think that one grace period can be given to each team. Work and the plaza are hard to juggle sometimes. If you can get a post in, go for it.

[Raisins]

@Afird Splitax Thanks very much and that is probably something really useful. I know that starting next week I'll be juggling less as I'll be back at home instead of Winnipeg for two weeks so it's far easier to remember to post there. I have gotten the post up.

[Lailyn]

Chiming in late to say I love the idea of an In Memoriam thread.
Related question - I haven't looked at any threads or the books or anything, but is there any mention of a physical memorial statute/garden/thing anywhere in Minas Tirith or otherwise?

[Nessa Saelind]

@Lailyn - Firstly, it's never too late I'm at the office at the moment, so I don't have access to books. As far as I remember regarding monuments mentioned was Snowmane's Howe on the spot where Theoden's horse fell down. This is the only memorial mentioned (as far as I am aware and remember) and it had an inscription "Faithful servant yet master's bane, Lightfoot's foal, swift Snowmane" carved on it. I'll look it up when I get home some time this afternoon/this evening... Also I had some additional thoughts and ideas regarding In Memoriam that I'll try to form into a coherent and concise post some time this afternoon/evening.

[Afird Splitax]

My apologies for the delay in updating the Word Sleuth game. I will be updating later on today. Thanks!

[Nessa Saelind]

Said that I had some additional thoughts and musings about the In Memoriam thread that I was going to try to form into a coherent and concise post yesterday... Clearly, that didn't happen, but I'll try and fail to do it now. I apologise in advance for the rambling and for boring you to death, I hope you'll indulge me or at least not roll your eyes and sigh too much... (One can hope and hope remains eternal they say ) Feel free to grab a snack or diner and a drink, we all know this is heading down a sinkhole sooner or later

While reading and rereading @Ercassie's post this paragraph really got me thinking.

I do feel we could, as a group here, suppose what perhaps Aragorn would have established, in light of the anniversary, even if it is just giving everyone the day off to celebrate in their own fashion. Every central government sets an example for it's nation, which could be more widespread in it's mutual provisions than are the probably countless and assorted local events. This is after all a Gondorian forum, and there is one King of Gondor, so a degree of unity should factor in with as much importance as does freedom for more unique creativity. (...) Not everyone will have a particular idea of where to start, so this might provide that as an example so to speak, or a go to, to act as a cue for those who feel happier relying on some given fact we all recognise, if not represent.

Before I start let me just say I'm using some of the points Cassie wrote in her post as a foundation for my musings, I'm not really replying/responding to what she wrote. Just putting this out there for transparency purposes to be clear, so nobody is confused or something

- While in my first post about this idea I did open the door regarding public ceremonies and the role that the rulers and the government of the Reunited Kingdom could have, I deliberately chose to focus on our characters and how they see and react to these ceremonies. What they think about them, what are their attitudes about them and so on and so forth. I am aware that Remembrance Day would be an important day throughout the Reunited Kingdom and the public ceremonies that commemorate the victory over Sauron would be important political statements. Also an important piece of propaganda. The protocol for the ceremonies itself would be highly important because this would be one of the ways that the King and Queen and the government of the Reunited Kingdom would send a political and cultural message to the people of the whole Kingdom, to their allies, neighbouring countries and enemies... Just like in the real world any commemoration is a political and cultural message (propaganda if you will). What I'm trying to say is this: yes, I am aware that how the ceremony should look is important, my intention wasn't to put the spotlight on the protocol and canon characters (although these things are really interesting to think, talk and debate about; and of course I encourage everyone to think about this, express their opinion(s) and bring their idea(s) about it to the table - this should be a joint venture )

- The politics lead me to think about a few more things. Allies, regions, geography, maps and unity. (Bear with, there is a method to my madness. It might not be very logical, but there is some order in it ) To start I sat down and went to look for a map of the Reunited Kingdom. This one to be precise. As Cassie said, this is a Gondorian forum and despite us being in year 2 or 3 of the 4th Age, we are all focusing on the Gondor part of the Reunited Kingdom, because of geography and other reasons. However, as the linked map helpfully shows us the Reunited Kingdom in the 4th Age was comprised of the old realms of Arnor and Gondor, with exclusions (Rohan, Shire, the Drúadan Forest, and the Treegarth of Orthanc, regions beyond the Lune and the lands east of Greyflood and Loudwater, in which lay Rivendell and Eregion. (I think I managed to get this right from the map. ) Let us segue onto some grandiose visions for this thread. (Yes, I am very, very aware that I am boring you to death if I haven't died of boredom by now. We are who we are. )

- Let's start with regions that will hopefully lead us to unity. *fingers crossed* The Reunited Kingdom consists of 2 different Kingdoms that have been separated for a long time and have their own quirks, traditions, customs, language patterns etc. In addition to this, each of those two Kingdoms is divided into regions and fiefdoms that also have their own regional characteristics, traditions and customs etc. Now all of those different areas find themselves once again united under one King (and Queen, don't @ me), under one law... Why am I on about this, you might wonder? Method to my madness I tell you (as my inner Medievalist cringing for applying 19th-century nation-state concepts to a faux-medieval fantasy kingdom, but a method to my madness). A Remembrance Day and the ceremonies attached to it would follow the same (agreed upon) pattern in the entire realm and would serve as a unifying factor for all the different regions. Of course, every part of the Realm would add something uniquely their own to these ceremonies, but the core would be the same in Minas Tirith and in Annúminas and in any and every part of the Reunited Kingdom. And that leads me to the next idea...

- It would make my old bones glad if in the In Memoriam we write stories that take place anywhere in the Reunited Kingdom. Not just Gondor where this forum is based, but also Arnor and elsewhere. To see how characters from the Northern and Southern part of the Kingdom mark this day... And hopefully, we eventually get to write about how the different regions unify... Also, we mustn't forget our allies - the Rohirrim who came to Gondor's aid in our darkest hours and the Northern rangers who followed Aragorn to help Gondor fight the forces of Sauron. I've mentioned in a previous post that on the site Snowmane fell (Snowmane's Howe) a stone was erected with the words "Faithful servant yet master's bane, Lightfoot's foal, swift Snowmane". This can definitely serve as a monument for all Rohirrim who fell in the battle at the Pelennor fields (and of course we can always say another monument or something else was erected somewhere in the City, but this is what Tolkien mentioned so...) Gondor and its leaders would honour their allies' sacrifice and I think even the kin and friends of the Riders would come on this anniversary to pay their respects to those they loved.

- The point of the above being that I would like the In Memoriam thread (if one would ever be open ) to open to everyone, from every Kingdom, although the focus of the thread would be on the Reunited Kingdom, specifically on/in Gondor because most of our characters are from Gondor and well this is a Gondorian forum. I'd like to circle back to protocol again, but this time to look at protocol more as a set of prompts or cues in the OP or somewhere along the road for people who'd like to have some sort of framework to start working on... It could be something really simple like at noon people gather at some sort of central location that is designated for the ceremony (depending on where this is taking place), we could have a moment of silence or laying down a wreath or a libation of sorts... Something to start the ceremony. Then a speech (doesn't need to be written, we can broadly sketch the themes or something) by someone in charge (again this depends on the location, it could be a village elder, a mayor, a doge, the King etc.) and anything else that might be fitting. Doesn't need to be detailed, just a short prompt so that people can write their characters reacting if they want to portray their characters coming together to a public ceremony...

- Before I sign off (do I hear it's about darn time you get of that soapbox? ) I'll just leave you with a link. Apparently, the Reunited Kingdom celebrated Cormarë or Ringday so maybe we could also use this date instead of March 25th *thinking face* (And it would be grand if someone can calculate when this day is, cause I'm confused What else is new ) Anyway, if you're alive and unspoiled and have some functioning brains cells left after all of this first of all you're saints! Second of all, please if it's not too much of a bother sound off below. I'd love to hear your feedback, comments, I'll even accept tomatoes thrown at me

Thank you for reading and bearing with me, you're stars.

[Afird Splitax]

Team @Tarawen and @Lailyn :

Hi! I adjusted your score. The word AS is in your quote and is worth a MEB of 5 points.

[Pele Alarion]

@Nessa Saelind Are you asking me to comment on lore stuff that I'm totally clueless about?

[Afird Splitax]

Team @Pele Alarion and @Call of Bearthulhu :

I have adjusted your score. The 5 point MEB (or a 10 point MEB) should be added BEFORE any additional increase (Triple Word Scores or Double Word Score).

Cheers!

[Baphởmet]

I should clearly not be trusted with any sort of maths in the future thank you @Afird Splitax!

[Menolly]

*looks left*

*looks right*

I found an egg in this thread!

*flaps away*

[Afird Splitax]

“I could never have gone far in any science because on the path of every science the lion Mathematics lies in wait for you.” C. S. Lewis

Your welcome, @Call of Bearthulhu ! Your math is fine, it may be that the rules are not written clearly.

[Lailyn]

@Nessa Saelind I'm so sorry I read this before and forgot to reply. Not much to say other than I love your ideas and thank you, I completely forgot about Snowmane's Howe! (the old Rider in me is disappointed in myself..)

I like the idea of being able to RP in any time/space. I like the simple protocol (as you call it) to allow for creative expression while still providing a framework for people. As for the speech - again, I like the idea of giving a general summary of the tone/content without writing out an actual speech. To unify the experience in various regions within the Reunited Kingdom while allowing for regional customs, I wondered if the speech could have been pre-written and sent off to other locations for leaders to read out to their people? Either at a designated time everywhere or whenever fits for that specific location? Does that make sense?

@Afird Splitax thank you so much Drifa! I was not sure about doubling up on the ME word, so I left it out to be safe. Now I know in case it comes up again!

Oh, look a @Menolly-bird ! *oohs and ahhs over bird*

[Nessa Saelind]

Sorry for the Plaza absence everyone, I've been kind of engrossed with reading a book series and didn't want to sit on the computer after I got home from work because reading is fun Regular appearance and catching up on writing will hopefully be resumed soon because reading gave me so many ideas... But let's not get ahead of ourselves and other proverbs

@Pele Alarion - yes I do it all the time

@Lailyn - regarding the King's speech (tips hat to Tom Hooper and David Seidler) it is very likely that it would be something prewritten and agreed upon by the King, Queen, their advisors and speechwriters... The distribution part is kind of tricky. I don't know how are we standing on the printing press in 4th age Middle Earth? att all: Printing press in 4th century Middle Earth? Yay or nay? Comments on a postcard, or below. If in theory, the printing press existed in ME we solved the problem on how to produce enough copies of the speech in a short amount of time, and delivery and distribution would be relatively easy. If we don't have a printing press then a lot of scribes are going to need a vacation after this especially if they're copying by hand the entire speech.

[Lailyn]

Reading is the best! Printing press? No opinion. Need someone smart at history will have to inform me on that. Scribes seem totally plausible and reasonable and do not have my sympathy. It's their job to copy stuff and they can always run off to the HoH for RSI treatments.

[Ercassie]

Well according to the Northern Fiefdom thread, Minas Tirith does have a Scribes Guild/Fellowship, on the Fourth Circle. Unless they are all employed in taking minutes for all of Beren’s court cases ?

[Baphởmet]

If we go by the logic that Gondor is similar to the early to middle Byzantine empire, I would suggest that they used scribes and whatever might pass for monks in Middle-Earth (that's another can of worms that can be opened at a later date) rather than a printing press which would have been invented much later on. There is a possibility travelers from the far east have come and enriched Minas Tirith with ideas of a printing press but I don't think it would go beyond that yet. Also, as @Ercassie mentioned, there's already a guild in place within the city.

[Lailyn]

Unless they are all employed in taking minutes for all of Beren’s court cases ?

Excuse me, where does one sign up for this job and does it involve staring at Hugh Jackman Beren for hours on end?

[Nessa Saelind]

@Ercassie - yes, I know that the scribes have a guild, coincidentally on the same level that Nessa's house is source of eternal amusement for me that might or might not be seen in the upcoming posts

As far as scribes and printing press goes I'm fine either way. In this specific case, having a printing press of some kind would make the production of copies of a theoretical speech of unspecified length easier, and in a shorter time period. Also, the entire King's speech doesn't need to be copied entirely, or not all copies need to be made in Minas Tirith. Let's say 20-30 copies are made in Minas Tirith for every major city in the Kingdom, and then the scribes in those cities make copies that get distributed locally. That's also an option.

Oh another thought regarding the printing press, it would make books a lot more affordable and accessible. So far I've been treating them as something rare and expensive (a sign of class and wealth), and I think most people did the same. This is just an observation I remembered at the moment, not a pro or contra argument.

[Baphởmet]

Fleeg found himself in another strange location. How the heck had he found himself in Minas Tirith of all places? These eagle eggs were some strong stuff, perhaps he should hoard them and save them for later? Or sell them? Definitely keep them away from @Menolly, or as she's better known to Fleeg, Peep Peep the Eagle

[Tharmáras]

I will, most surely, have Hugh Jackman Beren interacting with scribes (both of my own making and those written by RPers) in Northern Fiefdoms and in the forthcoming Court thread of mine regarding his Tower Guard cases.

His mother, Maria Camlost, is his chronicler and works in The College of the Spoken Word run by the Sages' Fellowship which she is a member of & she'll be seen in the Hall of Books, too. Bottom of my Gondorian RP List though. Been crossing activities off the one still in the Healing House OOC as I complete what I need to. Presently, I sorely need to update my Imladris activities but I'll be back soon.

[Nessa Saelind]

Guess who's using this thread for Gondorian related questions again?

I've been musing how to revise a story about everyday life in a Middle Earth settlement, Emyn Arnen to be precise. In this revision, the story got some new characters, but that's not the issue I'm facing at the moment. I thought I remembered reading in The Return of the King that when Aragorn gave Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, a lot of people choose to move there because of their love for Faramir. *thinking face* The only thing I could find in the chapter The Steward and the King was this:

‘So it must be, for you are appointed to the White Company, the Guard of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien, and you shall be its captain and dwell in Emyn Arnen in honour and peace, and in the service of him for whom you risked all, to save him from death.’
And then Beregond, perceiving the mercy and justice of the King, was glad, and kneeling kissed his hand, and departed in joy and content. And Aragorn gave to Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, and bade him dwell in the hills of Emyn Arnen within sight of the City.
‘For,’ said he, ‘Minas Ithil in Morgul Vale shall be utterly destroyed, and though it may in time to come be made clean, no man may dwell there for many long years.’

Now either I misremembered the whole concept of people moving to Ithilnen because of Faramir, or I read it somewhere else, or this idea is something spun out of fairy dust... Any help, tips, nudges and the like much appreciated. *hugs*

But on the bright side now you might get to see my wee engineer blow shire up in Minas Ithil Small things, people, small things bring joy.

[Afird Splitax]

'Don't be a fool, Afird Splitax!" I said to himself, 'thinking of joining an egg hunt when you should be updating the game!' Alas, I didn't listen to myself and have spent the last three days obsessed with the hunt. I did get to read some enjoyable posts and visited some lovely threads..

I will update the Word Sleuth match later today. My apologies for the delay...

[Winddancer]

@Nessa Saelind btw, forgot to ask, was so eager for you to play Ioreth :P Will you still be rping Nessa in the Thea story, or you putting that on hold too? Dont worry if you are, I will just finish it off with Lail if you want a break from that one too <3 I can just rp a bit about her tending to her hands and then move it along a bit.

[Ercassie]

@Nessa Saelind, there is certainly mention of Gondorians living in Ithilien again after the War of the Ring. A short story that Tolkien began, or perhaps merely toyed with, was ‘The New Shadow’, which features Borlas, the second son of Beregond, who you have of course mentioned in your quote. But specifically of his living in a place called Pen-Arduin, in Emyn Arnen. This could of course be argued that Beregond and his family alone live there, that this named location was no more than their dwelling, but at the least would set the precedent for folks ‘dwelling there for their love of Faramir himself’.

There is the fact too that the Rangers of Ithilien were reputedly the descendants of those Gondorians who had been forced by the constant Mordorian assaults during the latter half of the Third age, to abandon their family settlements in Ithilien and move their families safely across the river. The insinuation then that they still chose to serve as a secret and constant guard of their ancestral forest home suggests to me that there were definitely people who felt dearly of Ithilien and some could likely have sought to return there again on a permanent basis once it was safe to do so.

Emyn Arnen itself was of course the home of the Stewards bloodline, Faramir’s forefathers. Which sounds rather prestigious not to mention the fact of Faramir then marrying Eowyn of Rohan, she of royal blood (albeit not Dunedain royalty but royalty all the same). The concept of their combined significance and position in Gondor surely thus awarding them a duely considerable following or number of subalterns who would follow and serve the Prince of Ithilien and his White Lady.

While the migration of permanent inhabitants for Ithilien may not have been instantaneous, giving the work that we are told Faramir and Aragorn were forced to do in ‘cleansing’ the area and having it made safe again, in time there were gardens raised there by Legolas and elves etc. So clearly that would breed even further appeal as a settlement. I’m sure a good degree of conservation of the forest itself was an important factor in any considerations of building etc there, but all in all, the concept of people moving to live in Ithilien after the War I can only imagine grew more and more popular as the years went on.

And I’m sure that, in a situation like we have here in imagining a fourth age Gondor from largely vague and implied resources, you would find no opposition to bringing your thoughts to fruition there, and potentially inspiring others to join you.

[Nessa Saelind]

@Winddancer - yes, I'll still be RP-ing Nessa in the Tower Guard and in the Winter has Come Inn as well (in case if anyone was wondering). So no worries there, a post will be coming this week

@Ercassie - thank you I keep forgetting about The New Shadow, because HoME and I are not well acquainted because reasons. When first had the idea to set this story in Emyn Arnen I started with the assumption that it was some sort of settlement, like a small town or (and this is stretching it) a castle with a village next to it, where a lot of old Númenórean noble families had villa rusticas or some sort of estates...

Thinking about it I'm now inclined to think that Emyn Arnen was a town, not a fort (I could be wrong but my instinct is telling me to treat it as Ostia Antica rather than York castle or Krak des Chevaliers) and that after the end of the War and it becoming the official seat of Prince Faramir and his house people would move there because you need people for a settlement of any sort to function... Apologies, musing these things out loud because I need a base for these characters who will at one point or another move around Ithilien and I wanted to use something that already exists and was established, rather than to invent a new settlement.

[Winddancer]

Yay! <3

[Afird Splitax]

Team @Fuin Elda and @Moriel : I adjusted your score. You had 37 points total.

[Moriel]

I am not to be allowed near maths Thanks Drifa!

[Raisins]

@Afird Splitax What do you expect from two art peoples? We don't do the maths Thanks for catching it!

[Afird Splitax]

No problem! Your welcome, @Fuin Elda!
Question:
We have left the gates. Where do we go now? Is there a bridge? Where do we cross the River? I have the Atlas of Middle-earth but can not find, as Led Zeppelin would say, the 'confounded bridge!!' Thanks!

[Pele Alarion]

@Afird Splitax Do we need to cross the river? There is lots of space between the river and the road. Unless you really want to cross it?

[Afird Splitax]

@Pele Alarion Of course! But I was just curious where you would cross. And when you say, 'road', do you mean a non specific road not on the map, or the South Road?

[Pele Alarion]

I assume there might be some unnamed bridges... *thoughtful shrug* And yup, I meant the South Road.

[Afird Splitax]

Okay! I am getting confused with the position of the Great River on the maps. Thanks you, Pele!

[Pele Alarion]

Ohhhh. But we wouldn't even need to cross the Anduin. I thought you meant the Erui River.

[Afird Splitax]

Correct! Like I said, I was confused by the position of the Great River on the map. All is good

[Marceline]

@Afird Splitax - I apologize for just catching this now but, having combed through the rules again tonight while making our most recent play, I think I messed up the points on our last word (TALAN).

Our last play was here for 20 points, but I didn't add the 10-point ME bonus before applying the DWS bonus:

Old Score: 1+1+1+1+1 * 2 (DWS) = 10 + 10 (ME Bonus) = 20

Correct Score (I think): 1+1+1+1+1 + 10 (ME Bonus) = 15 * 2 (DWS) = 30

I'm basing this (and the score for EMYN) off of this section of the rules, which Lail reminded me about:

The Bonus will be added BEFORE any additional increase (Triple Word Scores, etc.) The word being quoted must appear exactly as you have played (i.e. "jumped" cannot be used if you only played "jump").

Not sure if other teams made this same miscalculation but if I'm interpreting this correctly, we may all want to go back and check our math

[Afird Splitax]

You are correct. My apologies for not catching that miscalculation, @Tarawen and @Lailyn . I have adjusted your score.

[Marceline]

@Afird Splitax - thank you! And no apologies, was all my fault for not reading carefully

[Lailyn]

Thanks Drifa and good call, Tara! I totally didn't notice, either!

[Marceline]

Oh my goodness @Lailyn, you look great with that icon!

[Lailyn]

its my belated April Fool's to myself but I have to admit that ring is shiny...

[Baphởmet]

aha! You look amazing and perfect!

[Marceline]

So shiiiiiiny...