Mark sent this on 4/23/2022
Hey, guys,
Several of you have detailed what items the party would attempt to craft (or arrange to have crafted with a Guild) along with a few side ventures. I’ve rolled several audience and results dice to determine how it plays out.
To start off, the a representative of the King requests that the Black Metal be left in Minas Tirith to go into a special vault that houses evil artifacts and there it will remain out of the hands of those who could use it. As another gift to the Questars, the King informs Eldarion to visit the Minas Tirith armory’s vault and speak with the Weaponsmaster there for early Age bracers of archery. Therein, available for release is a pair of +1 Bracers of Archery (at no cost).
Aria invites the visiting party to Dale (after a sidetrip on the way, more below) as a home base to then proceed onwards to Erebor and Thranduil’s Halls, both of which places she has frequently visited as the Princess of Dale. Aria will take the visiting party on a guided tour of Dale, where there are other interesting things (toys, fireworks, crafts) worth perusing – see map. A Bag of Holding can be obtained here for 500 gp, much lower than the wilderness market price, although they are always in short supply due to demand. Aria will join the party to Erebor and Thranduil’s Halls, given her diplomatic credentials, but not remain in either location, returning to Dale for Black Company archer training.
Farin is already familiar with the Guild in Erebor. It is here that the mithril is alloyed and forged with Dwarven steel, continuously refined over three months, into weapons grade arrow tips, as well as studs for one set of leather armor. The Guild is able to craft 30 (instead of 20) +2 arrowheads through their efficient alloy and forging process. There is a cost for this due to employing senior craftsdwarves of the Erebor Guild to assist in the process, at 3000 GP (gems preferred over coin). As dwarves typically use the crossbow instead of the bow, the final shaping, crafting and sharpening of the arrowheads is done by the elves.
Thranduil is very pleased by the gift of the Third-Age vintage Dorwinian wine, of which he is a well-known connoisseur. As such, he grants the visiting party a welcome audience and permission to stay. After hearing of the party’s exploits firsthand, he listens to the crafting requests. Of far more value to Thranduil and his folk than the Dorwinian wine was the downfall of the Jailor of Dul Guldur, who inflicted much harm on his people, so they are happy to help.
Some of the older generation of wood elves born in the earlier Ages volunteer their time to help fully craft and hone 30 +2 magic (+2 dam) arrowheads and offer to attach them to existing shafts or put them on elven shafts (no extra bonus). They also attach the +2 studs to a set of leather armor, either existing leather armor or a new set of elven leather (no extra bonus). Surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly), they decline to accept any payment for their work, as they consider it a favor returned for the downfall of the evil Jailor.
The Stone of Good Luck, however, is derived from early Ages magics rarely seen now in this Age and it is not simple to craft. It would take longer than expected to craft, more likely 9-12 months. However, Thranduil has one (or more) in his expansive collections, but it will set you back 10,000 GP as he is *very* reluctant to part with it (or anything else, for that matter!). He’ll reduce that to 8,000 GP with the second barrel of Dorwinion wine. Here you have a choice: Spend 8,000 or 10,000 GP or spend time to craft the Stone of Good Luck, but only halfway or 2/3 way, to be completed later.
Your request for +2 plate (fit for men) would best be fulfilled from the Minas Tirith armory, but Eldarion learns that the Weaponsmaster there would not release a set of vaulted Gondor armor to a Haradrim unless so commanded by the King himself, as memories and enmities of the War still lie deep. On the other hand, dwarves generally craft armor fit for dwarves and human armor is not their specialty. Scaled up dwarven armor to fit men would be too cumbersome. Few other kingdoms have Guilds that can craft heavy armor of +2 craftsmanship, although works from earlier Ages are still to be found.
Some side ventures (more later, email me if one of your characters is not crafting or mentioned here)…
A party group will go back up north on the Anduin enroute to Dale/Erebor/Thranduil’s Halls via the Forest Road, passing by Tirith, Alisa’s orphanage, Deagoldane hobbit village, and the Ford leading to the Forest Road through Mirkwood.
The party will go as far north as Riverhall and Longbarrow, near the farmstead site of the orc raid from the Dwarven Delve. Wynfar and Aria will pass news along the way up the river that organized combat exercises from different groups will be organized in that area. The concept here is deter the orcs and potentially defend the northern Anduin from orc raids with organized forces to combat them. We foresee representative contigents (about 10 men each) from Ithilien, Dale, Erebor, Beornings and Thranduil’s elves at the least, possibly including Haldir’s (Lothlorien) Northern March scouts. Things are brewing up north and this is a preemptive preparatory move. The contingent will meet there in early spring (late in the 6 month off-journey time frame).
The party will get news updates along the way up the river. Dwarrowhall has come to terms with the female white dragon, at least for now. Curiously, she has expressed a desire to participate in Dwarrowhall’s famous Winterfest town gathering, as if she is trying to befriend the populace. She (nor anything else) has not attacked any settlements and it is rumored that she has already fended off another young white dragon from trying to settle there (as eyewitnessed by Fenor, the scout who seems to have a “relationship” with this dragon as she now flies with him, but never to her lair).
Elsewhere, things seems to have settled down. Radagast has tamed the “Tarn Ness” serpent that was troubling the fishermen on the waters of the Black Tarn (Alisa’s home area), with the help of the Trident in the hands of the Mer-King (whose Kingdom’s presence is a closely guarded secret, as Radagast will advise you).
Meanwhile, Wynfar ventures further up north through his early ancestors’ lands through the vales in search of Windrunner, the stallion of the Anduin Mearas mustangs. Somehow, Windrunner establishes a connection to Wynfar’s horse, who reacts to the presence (and later, the sight) of Windrunner. These are nomad mustangs and they range as far north as the vales surrounding Framsburg, the original seat of the Éothéod throne in an Age past. Notably, the Eagles seem to keep overwatch nearby where they happen to roam. Also, further up north, Wynfar comes near a mountainside waterfall in woods that he later discovers serves as the Eagles’ gathering place, as he saw dozens of them congregate in that area, but respectfully didn’t not venture into and disturb.
Theo has gained entry into the vast Gondor Library, meeting the Librarian and her team of Loremasters and Researchers. Asked by Theo if they kept a written catalog of their collections, the Librarian responded that the catalog studied and memorized by the Librarians, though they may not know the specific contents within the works not within their specialty. There are many, many scrolls (almost all of which is not magical, but historical), tomes (most of them historical/almanacs/maps/diaries/guides on herbalism, medicine, etc). There are highly restricted sections of where potentially magic scrolls and tomes, for good or evil, are kept, not always well organized (as Gandalf discovered) depending on the Loremaster in charge of the collection.
Theo specifically asked about clues regarding the Blue Dragon currently residing under Dol Guldur. The Library has a Dragon Loremaster, whose business it is to keep track of known records of dragons of the past, dating back for Ages. It turns out that this Blue Dragon (name unknown) is likely from the 2nd Age, when dragons were often utilized in the Enemy’s Wars. Back then, dragons were captured, detained and forced to obey a Master’s overpowering Evil Will. The Chain of Thangorodrim that you found inside Dwimmerhorn was likely used to enchain this Blue Dragon, who may have been the Clan Leader for his flight of Blue Dragons. If so, he is to be feared as one of the most evil dragons of the past, able to cast dark magics in addition to its raw destructive powers. It being undead could only mean that its’ strong dark spirit powers are that much more powerful. It is possible that the enemy either could not tame him or that he was left there buried for 50 years after Galadriel leveled the Hill and left it undiscovered to starve to death in body (but not evil spirit).
Eldarion in the meantime is serving as the Commander of the Gondor Expeditionary forces into Mordor, still being cleaned half a century later after the War. Nobody has migrated anywhere within the core of Mordor, as bleak and unfertile as it is. However, the Nurn valley in the southeast valley of Mordor has large, sprawling shoreside town with collectives of orc butcheries and granaries that originally fed the Enemy’s armies during the War with pigs and other slaughter raised in the fertile, muddy valley. There are thousands of “free orcs” that populate this area. Eastward of the Nurn Valley is another desolate valley that eventually opens up far east into the deserts of Khand, between Harad and Rhun. It is reputed that Khand slave traders frequently raid the Nurn valley roads and outlying butcheries/granaries to take slaves back into Harad for labor and sport.
All for now!
Mark