Westernesse: A Númenórean Colony Quest
- Thread starter Telamon
- Start date
DarkLight140
Credit to Team
- Location
- Lost in my thoughts
I think I'd agree with this; offering to repair the walls is reasonable but doing so immediately is somewhat less so. The wall repairs are needed in order to face incoming threats, which as I currently understand it are either Middle Men, who are economically shattered and will take years if not decades to recover enough to be a threat) or Gundabad, which is gathering power and sending scouts but is not making any overt plays right now. Saying something like "we'll do your wall repairs no more than two years following the completion of our super-harbor" isn't a timeline likely to result in wall repairs being delayed to the point that they are impacted by it, so while it makes our offer less favorable to them it's not vastly less so for someone who thinks in the long term- and thinking long term is likely a point of pride for someone whom lifespan is a key mark of superiority over their vassals.
Their situation is more stable than ours and we really need that construction making our trade/manufacturing economy get up and running. A slightly less favorable offer to them will help us a lot and hurt them little.
So for now:
[X] Plan Surveying the Land
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- Location
- Finland
[X] Plan Surveying the Land
- Location
- Asia
[X] Plan Surveying the Land
I trust Tharbad about as much as I'd trust a goblin doctor. I don't like that we're essentially vassalising ourselves and selling our carrots cheaply to a bully. Which in so many words, Tharbad is. Bullying people for money to protect them from other bullies doesn't make it any better.
We also need all the resources we can muster to situate ourselves before we go about throwing carrots at tax avoiding donkeys. Offering up such a powerful trading assets such as the shapers on the onset of negotiations and without a better lay of the land seems foolish, naive and premature to me.
I trust Tharbad about as much as I'd trust a goblin doctor. I don't like that we're essentially vassalising ourselves and selling our carrots cheaply to a bully. Which in so many words, Tharbad is. Bullying people for money to protect them from other bullies doesn't make it any better.
We also need all the resources we can muster to situate ourselves before we go about throwing carrots at tax avoiding donkeys. Offering up such a powerful trading assets such as the shapers on the onset of negotiations and without a better lay of the land seems foolish, naive and premature to me.
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I completely agree. Those are all good points. It'd also quite presumptuous on our part to attempt to broker such am ambitious deal in the same turn that we're meeting with people, some for the first time. Even if the talks go nowhere, it's expending political capital too early and too quickly. It'd make us look incompetent and naïve instead of ambitious and daring. We need a clear picture of the situation in the surrounding lands, and only then should we re-approach the Warden. They know the land more than us, but we have some leverage over him and we aim to get even more.
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[X] Plan Surveying the Land
Fuck Tharbad. If we have to deal with him, (and we probably will end up having to, given the threat of the Orcs) it's a terrible idea to do it until we know what kind of situation we're sticking our noses into.
Even if the deal was a good idea, though, we don't have the authority to broker it in the first place.
Fuck Tharbad. If we have to deal with him, (and we probably will end up having to, given the threat of the Orcs) it's a terrible idea to do it until we know what kind of situation we're sticking our noses into.
Even if the deal was a good idea, though, we don't have the authority to broker it in the first place.
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DkArthas
CAPITAL IS TO BLAME
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- They
Eh, in return for helping him we are getting Military protection, this allows us to focus on our industry and trade instead of doing too much Military shit when we have barely a couple of thousands people.
Honestly, I like this shit because it gives Tharbad a chance to redeem themselve, which is fairly Tolkien-ish? Give them a chance to be less shit, if they fuck it up, we will deal with them, the MC won't forget it.
Honestly, I like this shit because it gives Tharbad a chance to redeem themselve, which is fairly Tolkien-ish? Give them a chance to be less shit, if they fuck it up, we will deal with them, the MC won't forget it.
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There's a difference between redeeming yourself for making a mistake and suddenly changing the entire character of your society because some newcomers that you could roll over if you had to demand it. We have no leverage besides repairing the wall and the nuclear option, and we don't have anywhere near the kind of prestige we'd need to found this kind of alliance; the whole thing is incredibly unrealistic.
I do think we could and should resolve the issue of Tharbad and Middle Men diplomatically, but not right this moment - our arrival is just too recent, and we are barely established. Let's spend a couple of turns building our colony and reputation first, and then, after the inspection and perhaps after we find the signs of orcish activity, we can start diplomatic overtures.
- Location
- Australia
Honestly really like the idea of the league but I feel like it's too soon? Also I would prefer to keep the walls waiting for another year or so to encourage their cooperation while we finish up our shipyard. After that time, things will likely have settled with the Middle Men and Tharbad and we can use the Walls as a symbol of how great an idea it was. Doing it immediately seems :/
[X] Plan Surveying the Land
[X] Plan Surveying the Land
Omake: Deep In The Forest
- Location
- United States, CA
Omake: Deep in the Forest
Far away from the eyes of men, dark in the tales of Durin's folk, and bitter in the memories of the Elves, the wreck of Eregion lay mired in pale ruin. The trunks of great trees stood without their green crowns and no flowers took shelter under their boughs. Lesser trees huddled together as soldiers around a campfire, for they would never match the splendor of their ancients. It was a country of scars and silence, only the faint calls of stange birds cutting through the chill air. Not even the cry of the wind rang out in Eregion, for the land itself remembered the horror and betrayal.
A stranger passing through would know discomfort, and dark dreams fell upon all who lingered too long. The sun was dim, even on a summer's day, and warmth faded from thought. A thick mist lay upon the land, and here and there great hills rose up, appearing like islands in a grey sea. Great works of stone were set upon the summits of these hills, and none were whole. The great forges and workshops of the elves were all dark and cold, never to be lit again. Edifices and statues were hewn or torn down, or marked with evil symbols and words of malice and cruelty in the Black Speech.
In the very heart of Eregion, a deep valley sat surrounded by steep cliffs and near-mountains of grey rock, where no life dared dwell and no river ran. Two pairs of great gates still stood at the southern entrance, the walls flanking them long cast down and their doors, portcullises, and bars smashed inwards. Cálennyn, they were once called, the Gates of Light: it was said that Celebrimbor named them such for through them shown the lights of the hundreds of forge-fires within the valley.
The ever-present mist writhed and seethed in the valley, as if unfelt winds marked the motions of armies long dead. The ground was black with the signs of a great and terrible fire, and the carved stone of the road and walls was split and scattered. In the center of the valley, the mist abruptly halted and circled a half-league away from a single tower, split in two down the center. Here, Sauron fell upon Celebrimbor, demanding in all his fury and rage the location of the Three, and tore the secrets of the Seven and Nine from the smith's tongue.
But a little further beyond, past the northern, narrower, unguarded entrance to the valley, past the furthest excursion of the forest and past the quiet streams flowing out of the earth, a small golden band lay under grass and soil, unadorned and unnoticed. Whether deliberately hidden or cast aside in fright, this ring laid quiet during the burning of Eregion, and no evil thing had touched it. Far from a great ring, it was a lesser- a step on the road to greatness, but still a remarkable creation. Deep within Eregion it rested, unnoticed and forgotten.
Eregion, once the forest of crafters and smiths, now was only a place of cold anger.
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New to this quest and saw there weren't many omakes so I thought, why not?
Far away from the eyes of men, dark in the tales of Durin's folk, and bitter in the memories of the Elves, the wreck of Eregion lay mired in pale ruin. The trunks of great trees stood without their green crowns and no flowers took shelter under their boughs. Lesser trees huddled together as soldiers around a campfire, for they would never match the splendor of their ancients. It was a country of scars and silence, only the faint calls of stange birds cutting through the chill air. Not even the cry of the wind rang out in Eregion, for the land itself remembered the horror and betrayal.
A stranger passing through would know discomfort, and dark dreams fell upon all who lingered too long. The sun was dim, even on a summer's day, and warmth faded from thought. A thick mist lay upon the land, and here and there great hills rose up, appearing like islands in a grey sea. Great works of stone were set upon the summits of these hills, and none were whole. The great forges and workshops of the elves were all dark and cold, never to be lit again. Edifices and statues were hewn or torn down, or marked with evil symbols and words of malice and cruelty in the Black Speech.
In the very heart of Eregion, a deep valley sat surrounded by steep cliffs and near-mountains of grey rock, where no life dared dwell and no river ran. Two pairs of great gates still stood at the southern entrance, the walls flanking them long cast down and their doors, portcullises, and bars smashed inwards. Cálennyn, they were once called, the Gates of Light: it was said that Celebrimbor named them such for through them shown the lights of the hundreds of forge-fires within the valley.
The ever-present mist writhed and seethed in the valley, as if unfelt winds marked the motions of armies long dead. The ground was black with the signs of a great and terrible fire, and the carved stone of the road and walls was split and scattered. In the center of the valley, the mist abruptly halted and circled a half-league away from a single tower, split in two down the center. Here, Sauron fell upon Celebrimbor, demanding in all his fury and rage the location of the Three, and tore the secrets of the Seven and Nine from the smith's tongue.
But a little further beyond, past the northern, narrower, unguarded entrance to the valley, past the furthest excursion of the forest and past the quiet streams flowing out of the earth, a small golden band lay under grass and soil, unadorned and unnoticed. Whether deliberately hidden or cast aside in fright, this ring laid quiet during the burning of Eregion, and no evil thing had touched it. Far from a great ring, it was a lesser- a step on the road to greatness, but still a remarkable creation. Deep within Eregion it rested, unnoticed and forgotten.
Eregion, once the forest of crafters and smiths, now was only a place of cold anger.
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New to this quest and saw there weren't many omakes so I thought, why not?
Telamon
A corvid.
- Location
- Texas
Very nice. The minds and hearts of your people turn towards the Land of the Ringmakers of yore. They wish to pass beyond the gates of Celebrimbor. The next exploration roll in Eregion receives a +10.
Very nice. Meant to get around to this earlier, but...The Baradhrim whisper and marvel to see the tall men come again. No uncles or cousins in timeworn armor are these, but the Kings of Men from over the sea, and the light of their eyes is the light of the bright stars. Get +20 to your next interaction with the Baradhrim (Not the Tower Garrison, specifically the Middle-Men who dwell around the tower).
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- Location
- Russia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Plan "Laying the Foundations" is indeed idealistical and over-ambitious. This is not nessesary bad, because Arda is idealistical setting. But I am wary about it. If I've written this quest, this would be succeed only in the case of strong/critical success. Of cause Telamon could see situation otherwise, it is his right as author. But I shall not change my vote. I should prefer to gather some information and only then to decide.
By the way.
By the way.
Possibility is very low, but it is possible that we have been interacted with future nazgûl .
DkArthas
CAPITAL IS TO BLAME
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- They
Eh, if this doesn't work, we can try for an lesser settlement as the plan states, getting both Tharbad and middle man dude in the same room is already progress. We already know enough about this situation, it's time to stop being indecisive and strike.
That possible lesser settlement might grow into an league later or something.
Edit: Though, I would prefer that we explictly try to make sure that Longbeard neighbour humans are well off. But the MC may be opportunistic enough to do it on his own initiative.
That possible lesser settlement might grow into an league later or something.
Edit: Though, I would prefer that we explictly try to make sure that Longbeard neighbour humans are well off. But the MC may be opportunistic enough to do it on his own initiative.
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If I remember my facts correctly, the One Ring is unique in being a plain band of gold out of all the Rings of Power and the rest (the Three, the Seven, the Nine) all have one jewel of some kind, so a featureless golden ring shouldn't be one of the Nine.
Aside from this, the Nazgul are supposed to have been active for several hundred years at this point.
It is not impossible, however, for that golden ring to be one of the lesser rings. There are supposed to have been many of the things at one point, this is well over three thousand years before the War of the Ring and Tharbad is sufficiently close to Eregion that an enterprising treasure hunter may have uncovered some gizmos.
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Telamon
A corvid.
- Location
- Texas
Some rest even now upon the fingers of mighty Numenorean lords, or in the vaults of the dwarves, or around the necks of Haradrim chieftains. Each and every one of them, from lesser to least, is still (even if dimly so) under the power of the One, though they cannot fully bend a wearer into it's service as their cousins might. Their influence is more subtle still -- an inopportune moment of rage, an uncharacteristic twist of jealously, a loss of empathy at a moment when it might have been most needed.
Well.
Nothing suspicious to see here.
Okay, so the Tharbad garrison (or at least its leader) seems to have simultaneously adequacy issues in terms of blood purity, a lot of pride invested in the "glorious" history of the fortress and a lot of fear of both potential royal attention and the middle men their raiding have turned into a hostile force.
That's some very fertile ground for Sauron's potential corruptive shenanigans and if the hypothetical lesser ring happens to be a family heirloom (spoils from Sauron's defeat at Tharbad) or the symbol of the master of the tower or anything like that. It would go some way towards explaining the current state of affairs, even beyond Numenorean colonizers being dicks.
Well.
Nothing suspicious to see here.
Okay, so the Tharbad garrison (or at least its leader) seems to have simultaneously adequacy issues in terms of blood purity, a lot of pride invested in the "glorious" history of the fortress and a lot of fear of both potential royal attention and the middle men their raiding have turned into a hostile force.
That's some very fertile ground for Sauron's potential corruptive shenanigans and if the hypothetical lesser ring happens to be a family heirloom (spoils from Sauron's defeat at Tharbad) or the symbol of the master of the tower or anything like that. It would go some way towards explaining the current state of affairs, even beyond Numenorean colonizers being dicks.
- Location
- Austria
True, it could just be a random heirloom too.
He's still a problematic ally to have, and we will have to figure out a way to reconcile the entire circus sooner rather than later.
Going full League might be too ambitious, but, well, we probably will actually go for it eventually? Mostly because I don't really see a better option. So question's mostly of when, I suppose.
