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Path of Saruman (LOTR Quest)

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Council of the Valar, 1000 TA

Manwë summoned a great council of the Valar, made to decide what...
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TA 1000
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    GilcuruLend

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    Council of the Valar, 1000 TA

    Manwë summoned a great council of the Valar, made to decide what to do about the dark shadow of Sauron upon Middle-earth. And the Valar could not go themselves, lest they wreak great havoc upon the world once more as they did in the War of Wrath.

    After some discussion, it is resolved to send three emissaries to Middle-earth.

    "Who would go? For they must be mighty, peers of Sauron, but must forgo might, and clothe themselves in flesh so as to treat on equality and win the trust of Elves and Men. But this would imperil them, dimming their wisdom and knowledge, and confusing them with fears, cares, and wearinesses coming from the flesh." Manwë stated.

    And it is at this that Curumo, chosen by Aulë, came forward and volunteered to lead the Istarí in Middle-earth, for he was great in skill craft and regarded well by all. The only other to do so is Alatar, sent by Oromë came forward.

    Then Manwë asked "Where is Olórin?" And Olórin [Gandalf], clad in grey, and having just entered from a journey had seated himself at the edge of the council, asked what Manwë would have of him. "I wish you to go as the third messenger to Middle-earth.

    But Olórin declared "I am too weak for such a task, and I fear Sauron."

    "That is all the more reason why you should go. You will be the third messenger to Middle-earth to protect and guide the free peoples of Middle-earth." Manwë commanded.

    But at that Varda looked up and said: "Not as the third"; and Curumo remembered it.

    Then Yavanna begged Curumo to take Aiwendil [Radagast] with him, and he was obliged to do so to please Yavanna, wife of Aulë, though he did not wish it. And Alatar took Pallando with him as a friend. And so each Istar was chosen by each Vala for his innate characteristics to go to Middle-earth as the emissaries of the Valar.


    Lindon, 1000 AD

    The first of the Order to arrive in Middle earth was clad in white, and was of noble mien and bearing, with raven hair and a fair voice, and he had great skill in works of hand. He was to be well respected by nigh all, as the head of the order.

    Only Círdan saw Curumo's landings upon the western shores, and thus truly knew he was an emissary from the Valar. Curumo stayed in the Grey-Havens for a time, long enough for the rest of the Istarí to arrive.

    Others did come: two wizards clad in sea-blue, and one in earthen brown. Last came one who seemed the least, as he was less tall than the others and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey clad, and leaning on a staff. However Círdan from their first meeting divined he was the wisest, and welcomed him with reverence.

    However, long have the Maiar been separated from Middle-earth, and the Istarí needed to learn much anew by slow experience for upon coming to Middle-earth much of their knowledge was sealed. So for a time they stayed in the Gray-Havens, learning much, but only so much can be learned there and soon the blue wizards decided to set out east.

    Now you, Curumo, must decide where you shall travel.



    [] Travel south.
    [] Travel east.
    [] Travel with the blue wizards to the far east.
    [] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards.

    AN: The first section is adapted from page 393 of Unfinished Tales. Each turn will be ten years in this, but there will be sub-turns. You play as Saruman in this quest, though he isn't named that yet, and have to either guide the forces of Middle-earth to defeat Sauron, or do as Saruman did in the books and try to seek out the ring for yourself. I will update every few weeks, though sometimes it will be my other story that updates.
     
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    Character Sheet
  • Informational
    • More stats will be revealed as they become relevant.
    Personal Power: The power the Ainu or elf has manifested inside their person. This can be used to do magic, such as conjuring fire, reading a mind, convincing someone with speech, shaping/controlling inanimate objects etc. This can be gained slowly over time, through the Song for good and through Morgoth's power left on Middle-earth for evil. Formula for income: 2|Alignment| + 20
    Alignment: This is how good or evil you are. Positive means good, negative means evil. Certain actions will increase or decrease this, and it can affect your actions as well as how you interact with others. It is on a scale from -100 to 100.
    Followers: These are those who serve you.
    Inventory: What you have with you.
    Skills: How good you are at things. The level determines how high of a roll you need when doing certain actions.
    Traits: These can affect possible actions.

    Curumo, Head of the Order of Istarí
    Personal Power(PP): 930(40)
    Alignment: 10
    Followers:
    Leader: King Thrilrik
    Advisor: Curunîr
    Army: 800 Axe Infantry, 2000 Shield Wall Infantry, 30 Engineers
    Axe Infantry: Steel chainmail and other heavy armor, heavy battle axe
    Shield Wall Infantry: Steel chainmail, large shields, long spears
    Sword Infantry: Light Steel Chainmail, sword
    Engineer: Can quickly build catapults and use them when attacking a city, etc.
    Wealth: 300(5)
    Relationship: 65
    Admiration: 3
    Fear: 0
    Dislike: 2
    Description: The dwarfs in the north-west of the Orocarni Mountains.

    Wizard Staff. (Allows the direct manipulation of PP)
    Speech I: The ability to bend minds to one's will using the power of speech.
    Craft I: Skill in works of hand.
    Guide I: The ability to guide others.
    None.
     
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  • Informational
    • Ooh, Saruman is a great protagonist. I'm sure SVers can properly roleplay his mix of incredible lore knowledge and sheer arrogance. ^_^

    [x] Travel with the blue wizards to the far east.

    This is the most interesting to me, presuming that the world-building won't be too taxing. :)
     
    [x] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards.
     
    [x] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards
     
    [X] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards
     
    [X] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards.

    To become the master of lore. Especially regarding the rings. Because the only ones remaining are Elendil's and Galadriel's. And they need those to preserve their lands. Perhaps we could forge our own? Unbound by the One, it could possibly last even after the One gets destroyed. Maybe teach the elves to build more so that their time in Middle-Earth didn't have to end?
     
    [X] Travel with the blue wizards to the far east.

    Are both of your LOTR quests gonna star the Easterlings now? I hope so.
     
    [x] Stay in the Gray-Havens and continue learning more about Middle-earth from here, as well as interacting with the elves and the other two wizards.

    Totally not a plot to get in Cirdan's good graces, i swear.
     
    TA 1010
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    • 1000 TA, The Grey Havens

    One morning when eating breakfast, Alatar and Pallando, brilliant blue robes rippling in the wind, come up to you and sit down at the table near you.

    "Curumo, I with Pallando will be traveling to the far East, to break Sauron's control over the people there. Would you like to come with?" Alatar offers you.

    "We would appreciate your skills and wisdom with us." Pallando adds. "The more the merrier!"

    You, after considering this offer, decide to accept. Traveling there will allow you to get a good idea of everywhere in Middle Earth, after all. "I would be amiable to traveling with you to the east, Alatar. It is near the end of the year, so I suggest near the start of the new year we should go." Alatar agreed that that is a good time, and thus it was agreed.

    As you walk through the streets of the city, you notice Olorin walking by, with a golden ring on his finger, set with a red stone. But even as you see it, it seems to disappear even though you know it is there. Interesting. You think you want to know more about this seemingly magic ring Olorin seems to have gotten.

    You finally find Círdan, who is walking to the shipyards, and say, "My good friend. You have been most gracious in hosting me and my kin here. But I am afraid the time to depart is near; I will be leaving a little after the New Year."

    "May I ask why it is you must leave so soon, Curunír? You still have much you could learn, here." The bearded elf responded.

    "Indeed I have." You reply. "Alas, the libraries of Lindon do not contain everything I could wish to know, for if I am to complete my goal I will need to know much from all corner of Middle-earth."

    "Then let's not say farewell, for your leaving will not come for a time yet."

    You still have time left in Lindon. What will you do?

    [] That ring Gandalf had looked interesting...
    [] Research information about the lands in the east.
    [] Research information about the Enemy.
    [] Write in.

    1001 TA, Middle-earth

    Awe: 91 > 80
    Persuade: 97 + 5 (Speech I) = 102 > 75
    Craft: 53 + 5 (Craft I) = 58 > 40

    It is Spring, the elvish month of Ethuil, and time to depart. You travel east from the gray havens with Alatar and Pallando, first passing through the Kingdom of Arthedain, then through Rhudaur, and finally you stop in Imladris.

    Once there, you greet the elves: "Greetings! I am called Curunír, and these are my companions Alatar and Pallando. We would like to stay in Imladris for a while."

    The Ñoldor let you in, for they could tell you were not ordinary men and Imladris is a refuge for all. In the weeks that followed, you stayed in Imladris for peace and rest. Imladris has many libraries, especially those saved from the fall of Eregion, so you decided to research a bit while you were there.

    [] Research about the rings. (If this is the highest picked and the first option for the last vote isn't, the second highest vote will count.)
    [] Research about the elves in Middle-earth.
    [] Research about the Dúnedain.
    [] Research tales and stories that are in the library.
    [] Write in.

    In the latter days that followed, you found yourself in conversation with some elves over many glasses of wine.

    "Do you have any interesting stories on your travels here, Curunír?" One of the elves ask.

    "Why yes, I do have one interesting story. We were traveling along the road, when we decided to stay in an inn in Fornost for the night. This is how it happened..."

    Curunír said:
    As I entered the inn, I noticed there was a shoddily made metal crest on the wall. "Hmph! I see the metalworking skills here are poor indeed" I whispered to my companions most discretely.

    "I think it is excellent for them to hang it up anyway!" Pallando foolishly and jovially stated. The innkeeper took notice of our banter, though, and took offense.

    "This crest has been in this inn for generations! You may be old and wise, but I will not have you disparaging the works of my forefathers just because of your age. If you ask forgiveness, I may let you stay, but otherwise you'll have to stay in some other inn!", the innkeeper disparaged Pallando.

    Ever the peacemaker, Alatar meekly cut in. "Forgive us. We are merely old men who wish to stay in a room for we have had a long day of travel. Won't you let us stay for the night?"

    At this, I took offense. "We are greater and wiser than you! Do not insult me. Why, I could make a better crest in a day than that one."

    "Let's make a bet then! There is a blacksmith across the street. Make me a crest better crafted than my own and I will let all three of you stay for the night. But should you fail, you will apologize profusely for your insults."

    At this, Alatar got a pained expression on his face, as if he knew I would accept the bet. And I did, for success was certain. "Very well! Wait here, my friends. I will be back before you know it, and we will get free board and room for the night."

    And so I went to the blacksmith, and demanded that he let me use his tools. Startled that an old man would be requesting such a thing, he was easily susceptible to my words. "Blacksmith, I do sorely need to use your tools here. For the innkeeper across the street has demanded that I create his family crest greater than what he already has made to put upon his wall, else he will not let me stay. He demands this of me because he knew that I was a great blacksmith in my youth and wants some of my craft. And old as I am, I need a comfortable bed and that inn is the best I can afford in the city."

    And I was in luck, for the blacksmith distrusted that innkeeper greatly for he once cheated one of the blacksmith's friends out of a few pennies. "Of course you may use it. All I require is that you pay for the materials you use and let me see the finished product when you are done."

    And so I worked, crafting the crest in but a few hours with my masterful skill and craft. And when the sun set, I returned to the inn with the crest. "Look! I have made a new crest, the same as yours but better in every way. I now demand that you let me stay in your best room, and pay me for the crest because it is much better than yours."

    For it was indeed better, but there was already someone in the inn's best rooms, so he refused. "No, I shall not kick good men out of their rooms for you. You will take the open rooms I have. And I shall not pay for the crest you made; give it to me or keep it, I care not."

    "That really is a shame, I was hoping to get a nice room." Pallando said, walking up to the innkeeper and I. "But the worst rooms will do, I suppose. Let's go!"

    At this, I took great offense. The rooms he was going to give us were the worst? And worst of all, he refused to take your masterful craft? So, in a fit of rage, you threw the crest at him, though causing no great injury.

    "None of my rooms are in bad quality! I will not allow an assault upon my person in my own in." He responded, while unsheathing his sword. "Leave!"

    "A fight? How excellent." And then Pallando unsheathed his sword (when he picked one up you do not know). At this, the city guards, being alerted to possible violence, came into the inn.

    "No fights! You may be old men, but you are foreigners and assault on a citizen of our city will not be tolerated. You must go." And so, forced to either fight to leave, we left.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    "And ironically enough, I heard a few days later that the innkeeper replaced his old crest with my better version of it" you finish.

    But alas, your time in Imladris had to end, for you had to continue on your journey. So you continued onto Khazad-Dûm, a great dwarven city in the Misty Mountains. Though distrustful of three strangers wandering, they let you pass for you were merely old men and did not think you a threat.

    You passed through Greenwood soon after, though did not linger like you did in Imladris. Upon reaching the Kingdom of Rhovanion, the last stop before you reach the Easterlings, you were in argument with the blue wizards.

    "We should go to the tribes most west of the Easterlings, for it is they that it will be used the most when Sauron returns. The tribes farther east are not much use." You argue.

    Alatar responds back, "It is the tribes farther east that need us the most, though. They have little to no contact with the elves and other servants of the Valar, and thus if we could help them they would be most prone to be free. They are also farther from Mordor and will not fall back under Sauron's influence as easily."

    "What does it matter if there are free men far in the east? Do you believe they will help when orcs overrun Gondor and then Eriador? No. We need to form a barrier to stop the Easterlings who side with Sauron from coming to fight us."

    "Saving people merely on their strategic values is foolish. It is our job to be the guardians and protectors of all of Middle-earth, not just the west." Alatar bit back.

    "How about we first go to the East, and then we can go our separate ways? You can even meet with the dwarves from the Orocarni, Curumo, as I know you were interested in them." Pallando broke into our argument, and you know that you could either keep traveling with them or split now. Splitting up would be foolish, as then you would be going all alone into land loyal to the Enemy.

    So you travel due east, mostly bypassing the tribes farthest west, into what you will learn to be the Hazga Realm, a confederacy of four tribes. You reach the Myri tribe first, a tribe of mostly herders and north of the capital, Kelepar, which is owned by the Desdursy tribe.

    You three stay with the Myri tribe for nine years, giving them wisdom and learning from them, but at last nine years are over and you must decide what to do for the next ten years.

    In this quest, each main turn (Year is a multiple of 10) will allow you to do as many actions as you want from this list. This is in plan voting. There will be other voting, both in sub-turns between the turns and during turns, which will not be apart of the plan for the plan voting. For the plan vote, which will be at the end of each turn, you can preform an unlimited amount of actions, though there will be consequences to each you may not foresee.

    [] Travel somewhere
    -[] Stay with the Blue Wizards no matter where they go.
    -[] Go South-west to the Hazga Realm tribe based upon hunting.
    -[] Go South-east to the Hazga Realm tribe based upon farming.
    -[] Go directly south to the Desdursy cities.
    -[] Go to the east to the Orocarni Mountains where the dwarves live.
    -[] Go back west to the tribes there.
    -[] Go far west to Rhovanion.
    [] Craft something
    -[] Write in
    -[] Put power in it.
    --[] 10 PP
    --[] 50 PP
    --[] 100 PP
    [] Gather followers to yourself to serve you.
    -[] Write in who.
    -[] Use power to convince them.
    --[] 10 PP
    --[] 50 PP
    --[] 100 PP
    [] Write in.

    AN: I kinda imagine Pallando as the comic relief side-kick, so if he sounds more informal than everything else that's why. Also, it's Saruman telling the story while tipsy on wine, so... yeah. With voting, each vote section is counted separately and not as a plan vote, and next chapter will finish up each section that you voted on before going onto the main part. Also, I was going to introduce spending Personal Power without voting on it in this chapter, but you kept getting good rolls so you didn't have to.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Research information about the lands in the east
    [X] Research tales and stories that are in the library.
    [X] Travel somewhere
    -[X] Go to the east to the Orocarni Mountains
     
    [X] Research information about the lands in the east
    [X] Research tales and stories that are in the library.
    [X] Travel somewhere
    -[X] Go to the east to the Orocarni Mountains
     
    [x] Research information about the lands in the east.
    [x] Research tales and stories that are in the library.
    [x] Travel somewhere
    -[x] Go to the east to the Orocarni Mountains where the dwarves live.
     
    To be clear, you don't have to vote for all the same thing to have it still count. Each section of votes is counted separately.
     
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