The Battle for Middle-Earth
"It all began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge."
Middle-Earth stands poised upon a knife edge; the Ring has passed out of all knowledge, but that does not stop the Shadow. The forces of both the Dark Lord and the Light make ready to wage war on a hundred fronts to decide the fate of Arda. Will the Shadow reign forever, and cover all lands in a second darkness? Will Sauron be cast down, and peace return to the world? Will a ranger from the north rule again in Gondor?
That, gentle reader, up to you. This is a RP of the world of Middle-Earth at the end of the Third Age, when the doom of our time is decided. In the south war wears down the forces of Gondor, and everywhere the nights grow cold and evil. In your hands lies the course of Middle-Earth.
Welcome! In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is a Lord of the Rings RP focused on the Third Age and the War of the Ring. Eastern Osgiliath has just fallen to a vast host of Orcs out of Mordor, and Gondor's strength wanes. With Theoden under the thrall of Wormtongue and Saruman, and the Elves content to sit in their halls and await the withering of the world, there is little hope for the light- save the strength of men who refuse to bow to the darkness. Write now a story of your own upon the vista of Middle-Earth, of your battle to prevent the Dominion of the Shadow, or your eager quest to bring all lands under the rule of the Dark Lord so as to secure your own reward from the night. Or, if you choose, another story altogether, that of a player upon a stage of great times seeking only their own fortune, or ought else to which men dedicate their lives.
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Application
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Backstory:[/b]
[b]Starting Location:[/b]
[b]Quest:[/b]
Basic Rules and Notes
1) As a rule of thumb, no named characters from Tolkien's writings. Do not apply as Eowyn, Theoden, Saruman, or Treebeard. I will consider minor named characters, but only consider: do not expect to be allowed to write one. Make your own, and make a new story for Arda.
2) Very powerful characters are right out- no Maia, dragons, ents, Balrogs, etc. This includes creatures like Glorfindel and Barrow-wights.
3) In general, though exceptions will be allowed, stick to race archetypes. There should not be hundreds of evil elves, or good Uruks.
4) NPC RPing is up to you, aside from folk such as Frodo/rulers of realms. Be realistic, but don't expect me to write responses for every minor bandit and innkeeper you come across in your travels.
5) The location of the Ring is unknown to almost all in Middle-Earth. Whether it languishes still under the Misty Mountains, hides in the Shire, or has rolled down the Anduin to the sea is a matter for academic debate, but not knowledge.
6) Magic/enchantments/sorcery are very rare abilities, as is commensurate with Tolkien's writings, and will exclusively be governed by yours truly. Don't expect to be a hobbit wielding an enchanted sword, and most magic-users will be directly affiliated with Sauron and his foul followers.
7) The amount of men and women that will follow a character should be RPed realistically. Don't show up in Bree as a former farmer and expect to raise a host of thousands to march on Mount Gundabad. Characters will gain followers over time if they accomplish noteworthy deeds.
8) If you apply as a character with a fief or command, I will assign you an army/entourage to command. Most of the time these will be a finite resource with almost no ability to be replenished, except in the case of those who deal with Orcs and their kind, and even then slowly. Fortresses, if you choose to erect them, will take months and years to raise.
9) In general, each IC page will be a week. It is a year until the battle of the Pelennor Fields, assuming that battle takes place. Keep this in mind in your RPing.
Accepted Characters
