He doesn't take advantage of his immortality unlike Sauron who actually had goals he was willing to suffer for, Morgoth only cares for himself and he is too chickenshit to subject himself to any kind of true suffering for the sake of any goal
Yes. This. Sauron honestly believes that he is doing good and always gives 110% (too bad for him almost all of that is spent on controlling the vain peacock tendencies). Morgoth has no delusions on the matter and is an abject coward.
 
Alright, given that Telamon has revealed that this is the only turn that the Wise will be able to impart the knowledge of any of the four Old Ways, I've changed the plan Of Ents and Men to take this into account. Instead of focusing on recruiting a bard hero from amongst the ranks of the Wise this turn, Belen will instead focus on learning a second Old Way in addition to The Wood Way.

[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.

Between The Wood Way to both compliment the First Friends questline and even perhaps aid in creating homes for our people to inhabit and Baran, the hunters being sent out to explore, and increasing the size of the House of Beor by convincing members of the second tribe to join us, we've positioned ourselves ideally to expand and grow for the foreseeable future. The Sun Way will give us something we don't have, and that's a direct boost to our ability to combat the servants of the Shadow which is massively important given that we will have to send troops to aid in the siege of Angbad no matter what. There's also the fact that next year the Greater Folk under the leadership of Marach will be entering Beleriand next year, and sharing this knowledge with them would mean that they'd be even better suited for combating Morgoth's forces, which is a huge force multiplier given that they're already the most militant and learned in warfare.

Also, like, seriously people, we're playing as the ancestors of the Men of the West. If we don't pick the Flame of Anor so that we can get Anduril a couple millennia earlier or at least steal one of Gandalf's best lines then honestly we're doing something wrong. Plus there's poetry in men finally arriving in the West so that they can stand tall in the light of day and fight the enemy instead of fleeing before him and hoping that they'll be able to lay ambushes in the night. We're one hundred and fifty years before the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, destiny is ours to change, but we've got to actually change in order to do that.

On other points, I'm concerned that people want to send our least diplomatic and wise hero to entreat with the Ent-wives when those are going to be the two biggest factors involved with convincing them to help us. Baran is a great tracker, the best woodsman, wise, insightful, diplomatic, and he's the chief of the House of Beor. It is literally his job to handle major diplomatic endeavors and furthermore, it's something he's well suited for. Curwen is our best tracker, and she's every bit as skilled a combatant as Baran while also be a phenomenally skilled woodsman as well. That is a skillset that is perfect for hunting down beasts that are plaguing our people just like this giant boar.

If these points have convinced any of you, here's plan Of Ents and Men.

[] Plan Of Ents and Men
-[] Attempt to convince the dark-haired men to join your folk in Estolad and become members of the House of Beor. (Decreased Morale among the people, some of the new men may join you)
--[]
Baran
-[] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
--[] Baran
-[] The Wood Way: In days gone by on the shores of the Sea of Rhun, the Quendi taught the oldest of your ancestors the art of speaking to the trees, and the Ents deepened their knowledge. They say that your fathers' fathers could induce the elm to grow, could persuade the yew to part with itself, and could make their homes amid the trees as the elves did. The elves know this way, and attribute it to the Valar Yavanna, who is mother of all growing things.
-[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.
-[] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
--[] Halbeth
-[] The hunters are new-come to this new land, and request your permission to travel to it's bounds and edges to map out your new home.
--[] Baran
-[] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
--[] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
-[]
You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
-[]
You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
 
Alright, given that Telamon has revealed that this is the only turn that the Wise will be able to impart the knowledge of any of the four Old Ways, I've changed the plan Of Ents and Men to take this into account. Instead of focusing on recruiting a bard hero from amongst the ranks of the Wise this turn, Belen will instead focus on learning a second Old Way in addition to The Wood Way.

[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.

Between The Wood Way to both compliment the First Friends questline and even perhaps aid in creating homes for our people to inhabit and Baran, the hunters being sent out to explore, and increasing the size of the House of Beor by convincing members of the second tribe to join us, we've positioned ourselves ideally to expand and grow for the foreseeable future. The Sun Way will give us something we don't have, and that's a direct boost to our ability to combat the servants of the Shadow which is massively important given that we will have to send troops to aid in the siege of Angbad no matter what. There's also the fact that next year the Greater Folk under the leadership of Marach will be entering Beleriand next year, and sharing this knowledge with them would mean that they'd be even better suited for combating Morgoth's forces, which is a huge force multiplier given that they're already the most militant and learned in warfare.

Also, like, seriously people, we're playing as the ancestors of the Men of the West. If we don't pick the Flame of Anor so that we can get Anduril a couple millennia earlier or at least steal one of Gandalf's best lines then honestly we're doing something wrong. Plus there's poetry in men finally arriving in the West so that they can stand tall in the light of day and fight the enemy instead of fleeing before him and hoping that they'll be able to lay ambushes in the night. We're one hundred and fifty years before the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, destiny is ours to change, but we've got to actually change in order to do that.

On other points, I'm concerned that people want to send our least diplomatic and wise hero to entreat with the Ent-wives when those are going to be the two biggest factors involved with convincing them to help us. Baran is a great tracker, the best woodsman, wise, insightful, diplomatic, and he's the chief of the House of Beor. It is literally his job to handle major diplomatic endeavors and furthermore, it's something he's well suited for. Curwen is our best tracker, and she's every bit as skilled a combatant as Baran while also be a phenomenally skilled woodsman as well. That is a skillset that is perfect for hunting down beasts that are plaguing our people just like this giant boar.

If these points have convinced any of you, here's plan Of Ents and Men.

[] Plan Of Ents and Men
-[] Attempt to convince the dark-haired men to join your folk in Estolad and become members of the House of Beor. (Decreased Morale among the people, some of the new men may join you)
--[]
Baran
-[] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
--[] Baran
-[] The Wood Way: In days gone by on the shores of the Sea of Rhun, the Quendi taught the oldest of your ancestors the art of speaking to the trees, and the Ents deepened their knowledge. They say that your fathers' fathers could induce the elm to grow, could persuade the yew to part with itself, and could make their homes amid the trees as the elves did. The elves know this way, and attribute it to the Valar Yavanna, who is mother of all growing things.
-[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.
-[] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
--[] Halbeth
-[] The hunters are new-come to this new land, and request your permission to travel to it's bounds and edges to map out your new home.
--[] Baran
-[] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
--[] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
-[]
You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
-[]
You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
The flames of Anor is combat, so the numenorians can probably still get it from the house of Hador.
 
The flames of Anor is combat, so the numenorians can probably still get it from the house of Hador.
The argument that someone else will probably do a thing so we can ignore it is not a particularly inspiring one. Yes, our House of Men is not the one focused in entirety on war/battle/murderdeath; we are, however, a people of wisdom, which means learning, which may also eventually translate into crafting. Other Houses of Men may spawn Killfuck Soulshitter Túrin Turambar and the like, but it'd be cool if down the road we were the House of Men that equipped them with swords that cast forth rays of true sunlight when wielded against the Shadow and so forth.
 
On other points, I'm concerned that people want to send our least diplomatic and wise hero to entreat with the Ent-wives when those are going to be the two biggest factors involved with convincing them to help us. Baran is a great tracker, the best woodsman, wise, insightful, diplomatic, and he's the chief of the House of Beor. It is literally his job to handle major diplomatic endeavors and furthermore, it's something he's well suited for. Curwen is our best tracker, and she's every bit as skilled a combatant as Baran while also be a phenomenally skilled woodsman as well. That is a skillset that is perfect for hunting down beasts that are plaguing our people just like this giant boar.
First, the real biggest factor in convincing Entwives to help us would be finding them in the first place. Without that, nothing else matters, and so I think that putting our best tracker for that job is important. Second, we don't actually have any idea whether diplomacy or wisdom rolls would apply right now. Perhaps we will be tracking them only, and then doing diplomacy next turn. Third, putting aside diplomacy in which Halbeth has only 10 less a bonus, I do not think that her wisdom malus would be critical. She is brash and quick to action, it's true - but then, wouldn't all humans be so to Ents and Entwives, some crazy outliers aside? Almost every human is moving much to hurriedly and without patience to them, and yet they taught us nevertheless, so I think they can accept a bit more brash and quick to action youth without being overly offended. And fourth, I think it is rather unfair for you to disregard that Halbeth has a much greater magic modifier than Baran (as much greater as he has wisdom over her, in fact), which might well be very important for any teaching Entwives could provide, perhaps more so than either diplomacy or wisdom.

Edit: Oh, and while Curwen is as skilled a combatant as Baran, he's actually better than her at it due to higher strength, and so would be a bit better suited to killing the boar after finding it.
 
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Alright, given that Telamon has revealed that this is the only turn that the Wise will be able to impart the knowledge of any of the four Old Ways, I've changed the plan Of Ents and Men to take this into account. Instead of focusing on recruiting a bard hero from amongst the ranks of the Wise this turn, Belen will instead focus on learning a second Old Way in addition to The Wood Way.

[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.

Between The Wood Way to both compliment the First Friends questline and even perhaps aid in creating homes for our people to inhabit and Baran, the hunters being sent out to explore, and increasing the size of the House of Beor by convincing members of the second tribe to join us, we've positioned ourselves ideally to expand and grow for the foreseeable future. The Sun Way will give us something we don't have, and that's a direct boost to our ability to combat the servants of the Shadow which is massively important given that we will have to send troops to aid in the siege of Angbad no matter what. There's also the fact that next year the Greater Folk under the leadership of Marach will be entering Beleriand next year, and sharing this knowledge with them would mean that they'd be even better suited for combating Morgoth's forces, which is a huge force multiplier given that they're already the most militant and learned in warfare.

Also, like, seriously people, we're playing as the ancestors of the Men of the West. If we don't pick the Flame of Anor so that we can get Anduril a couple millennia earlier or at least steal one of Gandalf's best lines then honestly we're doing something wrong. Plus there's poetry in men finally arriving in the West so that they can stand tall in the light of day and fight the enemy instead of fleeing before him and hoping that they'll be able to lay ambushes in the night. We're one hundred and fifty years before the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, destiny is ours to change, but we've got to actually change in order to do that.

On other points, I'm concerned that people want to send our least diplomatic and wise hero to entreat with the Ent-wives when those are going to be the two biggest factors involved with convincing them to help us. Baran is a great tracker, the best woodsman, wise, insightful, diplomatic, and he's the chief of the House of Beor. It is literally his job to handle major diplomatic endeavors and furthermore, it's something he's well suited for. Curwen is our best tracker, and she's every bit as skilled a combatant as Baran while also be a phenomenally skilled woodsman as well. That is a skillset that is perfect for hunting down beasts that are plaguing our people just like this giant boar.

If these points have convinced any of you, here's plan Of Ents and Men.

[] Plan Of Ents and Men
-[] Attempt to convince the dark-haired men to join your folk in Estolad and become members of the House of Beor. (Decreased Morale among the people, some of the new men may join you)
--[]
Baran
-[] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
--[] Baran
-[] The Wood Way: In days gone by on the shores of the Sea of Rhun, the Quendi taught the oldest of your ancestors the art of speaking to the trees, and the Ents deepened their knowledge. They say that your fathers' fathers could induce the elm to grow, could persuade the yew to part with itself, and could make their homes amid the trees as the elves did. The elves know this way, and attribute it to the Valar Yavanna, who is mother of all growing things.
-[] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.
-[] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
--[] Halbeth
-[] The hunters are new-come to this new land, and request your permission to travel to it's bounds and edges to map out your new home.
--[] Baran
-[] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
--[] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
-[]
You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
-[]
You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
As said above, Baran is a better hunter and fighter.

Meanwhile, I consider to frankly foolish to try and get them to join our tribe considering it's harder and will reduce morale, we get everything we want from them with an alliance.
 
[X] Deep Roots are not touched by the frost

Okay, I do not like "Of Ents and Men " at all, it seems to me that that integrating the other tribe is an obvious mistake. Also it seems to me that Baran should go to the Ents and Halbeth could manage with the boar. The Healing Way seems the right choice, shoot the medic first. I am not sure about The Wood Way , I think we could study it from other sources. But... I think this is managable.
P.S.
[X] Plan Healing Moon
 
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[X] Deep Roots are not touched by the frost
Okay, I do not like "Of Ents and Men " at all, it seems to me that that integrating the other tribe is an obvious mistake. Also it seems to me that Baran should go to the Ents and Halbeth could manage with the boar. The Healing Way seems the right choice, shoot the medic first. I am not sure about The Wood Way , I think we could study it from other sources. But... I think this is managable.
If you're not sure about Wood Way, there's my (mostly @GAZman's) plan "Healing Moon", which picks Healing Way and Moon Way. It does send Halbeth to Entwives and Baran to hunt the boar, but like I said higher, I think Halbeth can manage Entwives without problems, and if Baran goes on the hunt, he can upgrade his legend to Rank I, which I think would also do us good.
 
Yes, I could accept different magics, but the needless risk and higher chance of failure in inviting the other men into our tribe is just silly.
 
If you're not sure about Wood Way, there's my (mostly @GAZman's) plan "Healing Moon", which picks Healing Way and Moon Way.
Ok, I vote for both plans (I understnd that it is possible, am I right?)
It seems to to me that combination of Halbeth and Entwives is dubious at best due to low wisdom and diplomacy bonuses... but attemp of integration seems more dangerous.
 
@Telamon
I am extremely interested in seeing the late Feanaro's sheet. Is there anything I might do or write to get it shown, given he's no longer affecting things and thus showing his stuff won't be spoilers?

Ok, I vote for both plans (I understnd that it is possible, am I right?)
It seems to to me that combination of Halbeth and Entwives is dubious at best due to low wisdom and diplomacy bonuses... but attemp of integration seems more dangerous.
Indeed. Integration is risky and not worth said risk.
 
Come on guys, how is the greater risk of failing and getting nothing at all, and the morale loss even if WE do succeed, worth trying to get the other men to join our tribe?
Adhoc vote count started by HastyGaming on Aug 16, 2019 at 7:11 AM, finished with 291 posts and 57 votes.

  • [X] Plan Their Grace

    -[X] You accept the offer of Finrod, and take a final, greater step. You swear yourself into the service of Finrod Felagund, as his vassal and leal servant, for all the days of your mortal life. You will dwell with him in his realm of Nargothrond, and your son Baran will lead your people ever after. So will begin a friendship between the House of Finwe and the House of Beor that will last all the days of the World. (Gain Trait: Elf-Friends, remove Great Flight modifier, lose Beor as a leader, Faction Leader becomes Baran, Gain Modifier: Beor the Old for as long as Beor lives, granting +5 to all Wisdom and Lore rolls, Gain Permanent Ally: The Kingdom of Nargothrond, can begin the Ring of Finrod questline later on)

    -[X] The Grace of the Undying: The Elves are fair and graceful beyond measure. Their words carry the weight of centuries, and they move with the self-assured grace of the undying. Learning from Finrod has passed some small part of this on to your people. (+10 to all Diplomacy rolls for ten turns, leaders are generated with minimum 7 Grace)
    --[X] Baran​
    -[X] The Song of the Firstborn: Finrod's song still echoes in your hearts, and the tunes that he taught the Wise are but pale echoes of the beautiful sounds that fell from his lips. His song, he says, is itself a pale echo of another song and an older Music, a greater tune that woke before the World. There is a power to the Music, he says, a strength to the song. Those who can master it's tunes may master the world -- for the world is the song, and the song is the world. (+10 to all Magic rolls, increased chance to generate Bard leaders, Bard leaders generate with minimum 8 Magic.)
    --[x] Belen​
    -[X] The Wise seek to practice the songs and arts of Finrod, in an attempt to reproduce his haunting music.​
    -[X] Some among the Wise know something of the old magic of tree and wood and fen, the arts which bend earth and shape stone. You wish to know more of these things. (Begin Questline: The Old Ways. The Wise begin to investigate magic. -1 action to the Wise for ??? turns. The leader selected may have his magic increased by ???)
    -[X] The Wise know much of the woods and the wild, of the earth that is wide and holds many secrets. You ask them to led their wisdom. (Increased chance of finding food this turn, chance of finding ??? in the wild)
    --[X] Beor​
    -[X] The hunters say that in their rangings they have stumbled upon a great glade, in which lies a lake filled with shimmering stones. You could send some hunters to investigate.​
    -[X] There are hunters of great skill and fame among their number, and a select few of these may grow greater still. (Chance of recruiting a Ranger or Warrior leader)
    -[X] Some among your people do not trust the elves. You speak to them, calming their fears and reassuring them.​
    -[X] A new generation of children has begun to come up, the first in many lifetimes who have known green grasses and lived more than a few months without the Great Flight. You order the Wise to pay special attention to their tutelage. (???)​
    -[X] Finrod has not been alone. Elves have followed him from their Western kingdoms, and some among your people have begun to barter with the strange travelers, trading their hand-made arts and embroideries for elvish fineries and even small silver trinkets. You encourage this burgeoning trade.​
    -[X] You send the Wise among them to collect their stories and tales of the past year, adding them to the collected stories of the House.​
    -[X] You order the fastest among your people to scout into the surrounding lands and return with news.​
    -[X] You send scouts to search the low passes of the mountains for signs of the other clans of Men you know attempted the crossing.​
    [X] Deep Roots are not touched by the frost
    [X] Plan Moon Hunt
    [X] Plan Wood Hunt and Children
    [X] Plan Baran Treefriend
    [X] Plan Of Ents and Men
    -[x] Attempt to convince the dark-haired men to join your folk in Estolad and become members of the House of Beor. (Decreased Morale among the people, some of the new men may join you)
    --[X] Baran​
    -[x] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
    -[x] The Wood Way: In days gone by on the shores of the Sea of Rhun, the Quendi taught the oldest of your ancestors the art of speaking to the trees, and the Ents deepened their knowledge. They say that your fathers' fathers could induce the elm to grow, could persuade the yew to part with itself, and could make their homes amid the trees as the elves did. The elves know this way, and attribute it to the Valar Yavanna, who is mother of all growing things.
    -[x] The Sun Way: It is a truth in your bones, that your ancestors have always known: the Enemy is weaker in the light of the sun. The ancient foe fears the sun and her children, the licking flame and the roaring fire. In days gone by, the greatest warriors of your people fought the orcs brandishing a burning blaze and shouting aloud that day, for all the Shadow might avail you, would come again. The elves know this way, and call it the Flame of Anor.
    -[x] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
    --[x] Halbeth
    -[x] The hunters are new-come to this new land, and request your permission to travel to it's bounds and edges to map out your new home.
    -[x] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
    --[x] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
    -[x] You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
    -[x] You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
    [X] Plan Too Late To Gain Supporters
    -[X] Invite the dark-haired men to join you in Estolad, and swear themselves to the elves. (Increased relation with Finrod, some of the new men may share Estolad with you)
    --[X] Baran​
    -[x] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
    --[x] Halbeth
    -[X] The Moon Way: In the darkest days of the Great Flight, when the Shadow stretched across the world and the power of the Enemy prevailed upon all, those who could walk without sound and move without sight were valued above all others. This is the way they kept silent from the Orcs and outran the Wargs, in the light of the moon in older days. The Elves know the power of the Moon, whom they call Ithil, and name it among the great enemies of the Shadow.
    --[x] Belen​
    -[X] The Healing Way: An old crone named Imarwen remembers her mothers' mothers tales of the grasses and the herbs and the words which could heal, which could quicken womb and help bone mend. The words have all but been forgotten, and the skill is all but dead. Belen learns it from her. The elves know something of this way, and say in their songs that Este, the gentlest of the Valar, weeps for the suffering of mortals, and aids them as she can.
    -[X] The hunters say that there seems to be great abundance in the forests to your north. They wish to explore it.
    -[x] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
    -[x] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
    --[x] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
    -[x] You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
    -[x] You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
    [X] Plan Healing Way
    [X] Plan Healing Moon
    -[X] Invite the dark-haired men to join you in Estolad, and swear themselves to the elves. (Increased relation with Finrod, some of the new men may share Estolad with you)
    --[X] Baran​
    -[x] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
    --[x] Halbeth
    -[X] The Moon Way: In the darkest days of the Great Flight, when the Shadow stretched across the world and the power of the Enemy prevailed upon all, those who could walk without sound and move without sight were valued above all others. This is the way they kept silent from the Orcs and outran the Wargs, in the light of the moon in older days. The Elves know the power of the Moon, whom they call Ithil, and name it among the great enemies of the Shadow.
    -[X] The Healing Way: An old crone named Imarwen remembers her mothers' mothers tales of the grasses and the herbs and the words which could heal, which could quicken womb and help bone mend. The words have all but been forgotten, and the skill is all but dead. Belen learns it from her. The elves know something of this way, and say in their songs that Este, the gentlest of the Valar, weeps for the suffering of mortals, and aids them as she can.
    -[X] The hunters say that there seems to be great abundance in the forests to your north. They wish to explore it.
    -[x] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
    -[x] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
    --[x] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
    -[x] You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
    -[x] You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
    [X] The Wise seek to practice the songs and arts of Finrod, in an attempt to reproduce his haunting music: DC 120
    [X] The Wise know much of the woods and the wild, of the earth that is wide and holds many secrets. You ask them to led their wisdom. (Increased chance of finding food this turn, chance of finding ??? in the wild): DC 90
    -[X] The hunters say that in their rangings they have stumbled upon a great glade, in which lies a lake filled with shimmering stones. You could send some hunters to investigate. DC 55
    [X] There are hunters of great skill and fame among their number, and a select few of these may grow greater still. (Chance of recruiting a Ranger or Warrior leader): DC 140
    [X] Deep Roots are not touched by the frost
    -[X] Invite the dark-haired men to join you in Estolad, and swear themselves to the elves. (Increased relation with Finrod, some of the new men may share Estolad with you)
    --[X] Leader Baran
    -[x] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
    -[X] The Healing Way: An old crone named Imarwen remembers her mothers' mothers tales of the grasses and the herbs and the words which could heal, which could quicken womb and help bone mend. The words have all but been forgotten, and the skill is all but dead. Belen learns it from her. The elves know something of this way, and say in their songs that Este, the gentlest of the Valar, weeps for the suffering of mortals, and aids them as she can.
    --[X] Leader Belen
    -[x] The Wood Way: In days gone by on the shores of the Sea of Rhun, the Quendi taught the oldest of your ancestors the art of speaking to the trees, and the Ents deepened their knowledge. They say that your fathers' fathers could induce the elm to grow, could persuade the yew to part with itself, and could make their homes amid the trees as the elves did. The elves know this way, and attribute it to the Valar Yavanna, who is mother of all growing things.
    [X] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
    --[X] Leader Halbeth
    -[X] You give extra rations to the women and children, increasing the growth of the clan. (Requires an extra month of food)
    -[x] You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
    -[x] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
    --[x] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
    [X] Deep Roots are not touched by the frost
    [X] Plan Healing Moon
    [X] Plan Baran Treefriend
 
Right, new important information, there was a mistake in Halbeth's sheet. Her Combat stat is actually 7, not 10, and she therefore is much less skilled in combat than Baran and has no modifier. So she would be much less suited to actually killing the boar should she find it. Baran's Combat skill was also heightened to 14 to correctly reflect his high Combat modifier.
 
Right, new important information, there was a mistake in Halbeth's sheet. Her Combat stat is actually 7, not 10, and she therefore is much less skilled in combat than Baran and has no modifier. So she would be much less suited to actually killing the boar should she find it. Baran's Combat skill was also heightened to 14 to correctly reflect his high Combat modifier.

Combat has no relevance to your hunting skill. That would be tracking, which applies to both the actual tracking and the hunting part of hunting. Hunting is a double woodsmanship/tracking roll.

You can be an amazing hunter and a terrible close-combat fighter.
 
Combat has no relevance to your hunting skill. That would be tracking, which applies to both the actual tracking and the hunting part of hunting. Hunting is a double woodsmanship/tracking roll.
Oh, so the actual fight with the boar still wouldn't be combat? Thanks for correction.

Baran and Halbeth then should be the same in it, due to former's higher woodsmanship and latter's higher tracking and the legend.
 
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[X] Plan Of Ents and Men

By far the best plan in my opinion. The Sun Way gives us a much needed addition to our combat ability and the Wood Way gives us considerable utility.

I remain highly unconvinced by the arguments for sending Halbeth to the Ent Wives. Ents are - unintentionally, and simply by their nature - quite frustrating to deal with

The biggest risk isn't not finding them, it's finding them and not having sufficient wisdom and diplomacy to deal with them and thereby souring the relationship. And Halbeth, frankly, is clearly the one with the greatest risk of this happening.

As for recruiting them men; for me it's a no brainer. The benefits to our House are substantial, not just in terms of greater numbers (which we badly need) but also the knowledge they have, and most importantly the addition of their bloodline, their Dynastic Trait, to our own. This is beneficial to the entire race of man.

Yes it'll cause a small morale drop, but of course it would. They're us from Turn 1, fleeing the Shadow all their lives they've now arrived somewhere safe, but they don't know that yet. Of course their morale is lower that the tribes' they've not had 2 turns of safety, but it will rise and recover quickly once they're integrated to the tribe and they come to realise they no longer have to run.
 
Yes it'll cause a small morale drop, but of course it would. They're us from Turn 1, fleeing the Shadow all their lives they've now arrived somewhere safe, but they don't know that yet. Of course their morale is lower that the tribes' they've not had 2 turns of safety, but it will rise and recover quickly once they're integrated to the tribe and they come to realise they no longer have to run.
Or even if we manage to roll well on them joining our clan, we'll be dealing with integration issues for turns to come, because they don't speak the same language, they're traditions, they're habits, etc. are different to ours. Instead by having them settle nearby us, maybe if Baran or Belen marry one of the women of their clan, you'll see a slow trickle of others doing the same. So by the time, a generation or two passes, we manage to assimilate one another. It's more natural this way than taking them into the clan and having another contentious issue that will keep cropping up time and tine again, since we might belong to the same race, but we aren't of the same culture.

I'm not saying it wouldn't get there, but it seems needlesly adding more conflict to the plate when we already don't have enough action points for many things we want to do.

Frankly, I too wish to see a quicker merging of the Houses, but not at the cost of too much conflicts. If all of us swore ourselves to Finrod, how much easier would it be for the women and men of our clan to marry those of other clans? Wouldn't the merging then come naturally overtime as we do our best to become closer and closer allies to one another? We already have the Spears and the Wise, and conflict will probably emerge at some point between them, adding the House of 'Haleth' to the equation seems like the surest way that at some point we'll have to waste action points to smooth things over. And even then we might not succeed if we roll badly.
 
Turn 4: The Children Of The Sun
Turn Four:
The Children of the Sun

[X] Plan Healing Moon/Too Late To Gain Supporters
-[X] Invite the dark-haired men to join you in Estolad, and swear themselves to the elves. (Increased relation with Finrod, some of the new men may share Estolad with you)
--[X] Baran
-[X] The Land Above The Rivers:
The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things.
--[X] Halbeth
-[X] The Moon Way: In the darkest days of the Great Flight, when the Shadow stretched across the world and the power of the Enemy prevailed upon all, those who could walk without sound and move without sight were valued above all others. This is the way they kept silent from the Orcs and outran the Wargs, in the light of the moon in older days. The Elves know the power of the Moon, whom they call Ithil, and name it among the great enemies of the Shadow.
-[X] The Healing Way: An old crone named Imarwen remembers her mothers' mothers tales of the grasses and the herbs and the words which could heal, which could quicken womb and help bone mend. The words have all but been forgotten, and the skill is all but dead. Belen learns it from her. The elves know something of this way, and say in their songs that Este, the gentlest of the Valar, weeps for the suffering of mortals, and aids them as she can.
-[X] The hunters say that there seems to be great abundance in the forests to your north. They wish to explore it.
--[X] Baran
-[X] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
--[X] Baran
-[X] You begin the construction of small, temporary homes to shelter your people. Little more than hovels of mud and wood, they are still more than you have ever known.
--[X] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
-[X]
You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
-[X]
You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)

An Encounter Upon The Hunt: DC: 60
Halbeth: 1d100 + 2 (The Gift of Men) +10 (Grace of the Undying) + 20 (Diplomacy) +20 (Elf-Friends) = 78
Result: Success
[X] The hunters have found a mighty boar that rampages through the forests, and has already slain two men. You declare a Great Hunt to find and kill the boar, promising that the man who slays it will be rewarded with extra food and a celebration in his honor. (Requires two months of food)
: DC 150
Baran: 1d100 +90 (Woodsmanship) +5 (The House of Beor) +2 (The Gift of Men)) +20 (Tracking) +20 (Ambarussa) = 171
Result: Success
-[X] Invite the dark-haired men to join you in Estolad, and swear themselves to the elves. (Increased relation with Finrod, some of the new men may share Estolad with you): DC 110

Baran: (1d100 +20 (Diplomacy) +5 (The House of Beor) +2 (The Gift of Men) +10 (Grace of the Undying)) = 59
Baran (Gift of Men reroll): (1d100 +20 (Diplomacy) +5 (The House of Beor) +2 (The Gift of Men) +10 (Grace of the Undying)) = 51
Result: Significant Failure.

-[X] The Land Above The Rivers: The wide land called Thargelion is open and lush, and may well be home to some few of the ents. If any have settled in these open plains, it would likely be the Entwives, who value open land to plant and tend their great gardens. The Entwives, the Elves say, know the secrets of the growing things. DC: 90

Halbeth: 1d100 + 2 (The Gift of Men) +2 (The People of Beor) + 60 (Woosmanship) +20 (Ambarussa) = 124
Result: Success

The Daughters of Yavanna: DC 100
Halbeth: 1d100 + 2 (The Gift of Men) +2 (The People of Beor) + 20 (Diplomacy) +20 (Ambarussa) +10 (The Grace of the Undying) = 74
Halbeth (Gift of Men reroll): 1d100 + 2 (The Gift of Men) +2 (The People of Beor) + 20 (Diplomacy) +20 (Ambarussa) +10 (The Grace of the Undying) = 117
Result: Success



F.A 313

Halbeth crept silently through the underbrush. The still of winter hung upon the land, and the fair white snow crunched under her feet, gleaming in the sun. The other hunters had fallen behind some time ago, driven back by the cold or the hunger. But not her, not the one the elves called Bow-Maiden.

No, this was her favorite moment, alone in the wild on the trail of her quarry. She loved the quiet of the hunt, the still of it, the soft heartbeats between moments that could spell life or death. She hefted her bow, a finely carved thing of yew, and crept forward softly. The deep rent of tracks in the snow had led her here, to this clearing, and...there. The stag stood panting and snorting in the middle of the clearing, the air steaming with his sweat and the force of his breath. He was massive, with a crown to rival that of any elven lord, and black eyes that flickered back and forth frantically as he stamped the snow. An arrow already sprouted from his hindside -- likely one of her fellow hunters had found him earlier and been unable to get the kill.

All the more pity for them, then.

Halbeth breathed in, took aim, and let fly. A moment later, her arrow flowered from the stag's wide neck. For a moment, the king of the wild snorted with rage and turned towards her, eyes glinting. Then, as if he had suddenly realized his predicament, he heaved a final defeated breath and slumped down into the snow. The huntress stepped forward from the edge of the grove where she had been hiding and paced over to her prey, unable to stop a self-satisfied grin from spreading across her face.

As she neared however, Halbeth frowned. The second arrow which rose from the stag was longer than her people used, a thing of dark wood carved with curling script along it's length and decorated with a fine tassel on the end. Not her people's work. But where --

The silence of forest exploded in a flurry of snow and leaves as two black horses thundered into the clearing, tearing up the snow with their mighty hooves. Two riders sat atop the horses, dressed in identical dark leathers and twinned simple green tunics. Two rich cobalt-colored capes lined with fur fell about their shoulders, and dark fur hoods obscured their faces.

"Well, brother," said one of the riders. "It would seem we have been beaten to our prey."

The horses circled the grove as the riders called out to one another, seemingly ignoring Halbeth.

"And whose fault would that be, then? T'was not I who sent the beast running."

"Alas! You are a poor hunter, my brother, but a poorer liar still. It was thine own fault the beast fled!"

"I fear that last fall must have shaken your senses, Ambarussa. You forget things easily."

Halbeth reached down and pulled the other arrow from the dead stag with a shout that drew the riders' attention. "It was both of you who could not lead the chase and scared the beast, and it was I who killed it. Poor hunters must ye both be indeed, if you bicker like such children."

The riders lapsed into silence.

"You know, brother, I do believe she has the right of it." The rider to Halbeth's right said after a moment. He slid off of his horse and walked over to her, then bowed slightly. "It is an honor to meet one of the Apanónar. What are you called?"

"I do not see why I should name myself when you and your brother walk about masked and hooded like poachers in the dark." She held her bow at the ready, backing away from the strange elves.

The hooded rider chuckled. "She thinks us thieves, my brother."

"Was this not our land?", the rider still atop his horse called down.

"Apparently not," the one in front of her said with a laugh. With that, he drew back his hood and mask. Ringlets of long flame-red hair tumbled out over his shoulders, framing a long angular face with sharp cheekbones. Soft wood-green eyes were set above a bow-shaped mouth that curled up in a wry grin, and his curved ears rose from the side of his head.

An elf, Halbeth realized. But he looked more human, she thought, than any elf she had ever seen.

He bowed again, his long orange hair dangling as he did so. "I am Ambarussa, though some call me Amrod."

His brother tossed back his hood to reveal the same face, though the eyes were harsher and his hair was shorter and lighter. The same wry grin curled his lips. "And I, Ambarussa as well, though some call me Amras."

Halbeth knew then whom she stood before, for she had heard tell of two twin elves, red of hair, who held lordship over all the lands east of Estolad. Her heart trembled for a moment -- she had insulted and threatened elf-lords, and mighty ones at that -- but she stood tall, and met the eyes of the twin before her.

"I am Halbeth of the Folk of Beor, called Curwen by Thingol's folk, and this beast is mine...my lords."

Amrod held up a gloved hand and smiled. "Please. We are no lords of the Apanónar. Your prey is rightly slain and rightly won. We will not take it from you."

The tenseness that had filled Halbeth since the riders entered the clearing disappeared. Yet something rankled her still, and she gripped her bow still.

"And by what name did you call me? Apanónar? What means this?"

"It is no insult, my lady, and we did not intend it as such. Apanónar -- it means After-Born, for that is what you and yours are to us. Those who followed after. The Children of the Sun."

The Children of the Sun.

She liked the sound of that. It reminded her of darker days in the East when she was a little girl, she and her sisters would sit with bated breath while wolves snarled in the dark, waiting for the rising sun to banish the shadow once more. She remembered how much she treasured it's light, how much she had come to love the dawn.

Yes, she liked the sound of that very much.



In the first days of the year, when the winter hangs cold over the land, Halbeth returns out of the dark woods from a hunt with two others besides her, elf-lords with red hair and soft green eyes who speak to you and yours differently than most visitors from Doriath, or even Finrod. To them, you are not children to be aided and coddled or babes to be spoken down to, but equals, Children of Illuvatar.

Amrod and Amras are young among the elves, and so speak to you as peers, not inferiors. They take a liking to your people, and over the next year, your hunters are often joined on their expeditions by the flame-haired elves. They teach you new ways of shaping wood to make bows, new methods of hunting, and even aid a few of you in the art of mastering horses. Amrod, in particular, strikes up a deep friendship with Halbeth, and any time the Bow-Maiden wanders the woods, more often than not the copper-haired Feanorian rides at her side.

Amrod and Amras have taken a liking to the House of Beor, and will aid you for the next ??? turns. +20 to all Woodsmanship and Tracking rolls. Unlock Questline: The Sons of the Fire

There is a mighty boar which has plagued your people's new lands for the last several months, goring and killing two of the hunters who have in that time tried to kill it. You set out alongside several of your best hunters and one of the elven twins in a great hunt that lasts several days. You track the boar across wood and fen and hill, across the width and breadth of your small land, and it is in Thargelion, the wide land that Amrod and his brother rule, that you finally corner the massive snarling beast with your spears and cut it down. It's meat will feed your people for a time, but it's great ivory tusks are a sight your people will not long forget. You may be the clan chief now, but you have proven once and for all to be a hunter of unmatched and unparalleled skill. Your hunters are glad indeed to be honored, and rise in the estimation and esteem of the common folk of the tribe.

(Hunter Legend Gained!)
Baran of the Deep Wood:
Your skill as a woodsman is exemplary among the children of Men, and will be the stuff of stories in later times. (Rank I: +10 to all Woodsmanship Rolls)

Bolstered by this confidence, you set out into Ossiriand and Thargelion, where the dark-haired men who spilled over the mountains last year have vanished into the wild places. You knew of them from your wanderings in the East -- your distant cousins, whose path had strayed from that of your ancestors during the first days of the Great Flight long ago. They were a secretive people, and a quiet one, not quickly given to friendship or war. You travel out into the wide valley between the rivers, but if you had hoped to win some of them over to your cause, then you were sorely disappointed, for you do not even get the chance. Wherever you pass, you spot only echoes of their presence -- a kicked-over campfire here, an abandoned campsite here, the markers of a people who have lived centuries in hiding and do not want their presence known.

After a few fruitless weeks, you are forced to call off the search. Your hidden cousins will stay hidden, it seems.

Your brother, Belen, spends many long months among the oldest of the Wise, studying their deepest ways and the old lore that they had carried down in word for lifetimes without count. He learns of the way our ancestors staved off the dark, of the secrets of wood and wild that sheltered them, of the moonlight in which they hid from the Enemy in darker days. Ithil, the Elves call the moon, but the men of centuries past knew it as Isil, the night-sun. It guided your people in the darkest nights and brought hope when there seemed none. It will do so again. (Cultural Lore Learned: The Moon Way: +2 to all sneaking actions, bonus to all actions at night, the House of Beor gains a special affinity for the Moon.)

Yet this is not all he learns -- in the deep days before your people wandered in the East, you learned under the Avari, the Elves of the Darkness. These Elves had long stood against the Enemy and the Shadow, and had prevailed against all hope in deeper and darker days. There was a power that healed their hearts and their bodies, that gave them the strength to stand against the Nameless alone, to bear the suffering of the Shadow. In the lore of the Elves, the powers of healing and spirit dwell in the gardens of Valinor, ruled by the Valar Lorien and his wife Este, who heal the hearts and hurts of the world. To call upon them is to know the sleep that mends hurts and knits bone. (Battle Lore Learned: The Healing Way: Warriors and hunters recover faster, and special healing options are available in combat. Your people are more resistant to sickness.)

Lore is a certain knowledge, a set of understandings or beliefs which your people hold and may affect your journey through the First Age. Those who understand the Lore of the Flame of Anor, for example, and have mastered it to a certain extent, may make weapons which burn with the light of the sun, fashion lamps that never dim, and fight all the greater in the light of day.

There are certain forms of Lore:

A Cultural Lore, like the Moon Way, may affect all of your people, while a Crafting Lore such as the Way of The Exiles, may affect the weapons, buildings, and homes, you make, while a Battle Lore such as the Flame of Feanor may affect how your people behave in battle. As Men, Lores may fade over time if you do not constantly use and refresh them, and may evolve and take on new traits over time as more knowledge is gained.

When your history has stretched long enough and your skill is great enough, you may even develop Lores of your own. For example, if the Houses of Men became exceedingly skilled bowmen, they could develop the Battle Lore: Way of the Afterborn, which would grant archers better modifiers in battle.

You send a messenger to Thingol's realm to ask aid in building your people permanent homes. Your people have lived among the trees and the hills for all your lives, and the art of building as the elves do is foreign to you. Your messenger leaves, and when he returns, it is with shining tall elves on horseback, their hair lined with leaves and their eyes old and wise. These are the Marchwardens of Doriath, who guard eternal the eaves of Thingol's realm. They will show you how to place the logs to hold out the rain, how to build your simple homes to keep out the cold and the dark and the wild. In return, however, in three years time, you must send one hundred men of war north, to the Siege of Angband. This is what was promised, and the aid of the elves does not come without a price.

Faction Capital Gained: The Encampment (Rank 1): A cluster of wooden homes and log shelters built upon the plains of Estolad, from which it takes it's name. The sons of Feanor call it Apanolar, the home of the Afterborn.

Your first permanent dwelling is completed, but your people's hearts are uneasy and frightened by the Marchwardens' proclaimation. The Enemy, the Nameless, the Shadow -- they have fled from this power for lifetimes, and now they must fight it? Some speak in whispered tones that the elves have merely brought us here to die, that there is no hope in the West or the East, and that the Power which rules now in Angband is the master of the world, the Elven 'Valar' aside. The elves spin mighty tales, but perhaps they are just this: tales. For where are their Valar now? Where is their Iluvatar? There is only the Shadow, and it has reached the West before you.

Trait Gained: The Great Fear: For the first time since your long flight has ended, fear has arisen in the hearts of your people. The Enemy was here before you. He lies to the west and the east and the north, and it seems there is no place in all the world free from his reach. There is no hope under the sun, for the Shadow is Lord of all the World. (-50 to all Morale and Combat rolls. -100 to all morale rolls against the servants of the Darkness, and all Warrior leaders suffer -3 to Combat and Warfare)

Questline Gained: The Great Fear

As fall stretches across the land, Halbeth and her elven friends embark on a journey into the wide land known as Thargelion, where you had previously led your fruitless chase for the little Men. The Wise have seen signs in the wind and the water and the earth -- there are Ents there, creatures of the wood and the land older even than the elves. Even Amrod and Amras are suprised at this, for these lands are nominally theirs, yet they have never seen sign of any of the Onyalie, as they name the Ents. Yet they ride with Halbeth and her hunters all the same, across plain and gorge and hill and dell, from one corner of the land to the other. Finally, in a small valley near the mountains, where the wind is still and the earth is quiet, Halbeth finds them.

She sees their garden long before she sees them: a sprawling field of flowers and plants and berry bushes as far as the eye can see, wild and free and boundless. Not much grows in the plains of Estolad or Thargelion, for the hard winds that rush down from the North kill many of the growing things. But here, in this valley, life has blossomed. Even the sons of Feanor are taken aback -- beauty like this, they will later tell you, has not met their eyes since the Blessed Land of Aman, in the very gardens of Yavanna herself.

They come lumbering across the land, taller than oaks and thin as beeches. Halbeth thinks them trees at first, but trees do not move, do not stride titanic across the earth. Their hair was long and flowing, made from lilies and primroses and tigerlilies, and their skin was green all over with moss and ivy and the breath of life. Their eyes glinted like stars at dawn. Amrod and Amras fell to their knees then, and Halbeth a moment later.

These were the Entwives. There were five in total, and the eldest and greatest of them was one named Willowspur. In a voice like the wind in spring or the rustling of leaves on a summer morning, she spoke, and though her words were slow, they were strong. The little people had not come in so very long, she said, and the winds had grown cold and the land had grown harsh. In the East they were hunted by the Shadow, and though they had fled to the West, here His power has scourged their gardens bare. This is what their might has been able to save -- this is what they hold back from the darkness.

The Entwives are old and their memories are long, and they remember also the Orynin, the little ones, the Men who they helped so long ago. Their power is weak here, in these lands where the Morgoth dwells, but they will give the children of the children of the Orynin leave to feed upon their gardens, to take what is needed from their garden to feed their people. Your people are welcome to walk among them, and to learn from the daughters of Yavanna. But they leave you with a warning: they five, gathered, are capable of resisting the Enemy's power unless he comes in force. Their native brethren in Beleriand have not been so lucky -- long ago the ents of this land fought their own wars against the Enemy...and lost. Those who remain are less wild things, half-mad beasts of wood and hill driven by fury and rage. Theirs is the power of oak and the hate of yew, and should be avoided at all costs.

(Trait Gained: The Gift of the Entwives: Population increases by an 1% every turn)

Your hunters return from the wilds with strange tales -- there are short squat *things* in the south of Estolad, hairy short men with beady eyes and dirty clothes who lurk near their hills and pelt your hunters with dirt, mud, and more unsavory things when they range nearby. These, Amrod informs you, are the Noegyth Nibin, the Petty-Dwarves. Shorter and smaller still than regular dwarves, they are a rude and proud people who once ruled all of Beleriand, yet have declined since. Their once-mighty halls in Nargothrond and Menegroth are now ruled by elven-kings, and they scrabble in the dirt, a doomed and dying people.

Questline Unlocked: The Petty-Dwarves

Lastly and finally, you hear reports that what you have so long awaited has come to pass: your cousins, the tall men, have arrived at long last in Beleriand. Long ago and far away in the utmost East, your people split in two -- one House, your kindred, fled before the Shadow and the Men who served it. Another turned and fought the Shadow and it's servants, and for the long years while you have fled, they have warred and fought and grown in might. They come over the mountains, and their coming is unlike any before them. They are great in number, some fifteen thousand tall men with golden hair and dark eyes, who drive before them sheep and oxen and cattle, who wield swords and known of war. Their warriors march in ordered ranks and bear mighty weapons made in the East to slay the servants of the Shadow, and their leader is a giant with a golden mane and a mighty beard, a man your hunters say is named Marach -- and those who follow him are the House of Marach, mightiest among the Children of the Sun.

Questline Unlocked: The Children of the Sun





Barachor crept slowly through the underbrush, the darkness of the forest making it impossible to see anything further than a few feet in front of him. He and his fellows had been on the trail of a pack of hinds for nearly a week now, and had followed them from the northern corners of Estolad up into the black forest which they now crept -- Nan Elmoth, the elves called it, the valley of Stardusk. Here, the prey was fat and thick and abundant, more than Barachor had ever seen before they crossed the mountains. Everything was more plentiful in these lands, richer and fatter and healthier. The Shadow that fell over all the world did not fall here.

And yet, Barachor realized, he was hopelessly lost, though he wasn't quite sure how. He had walked in a straight line down a thin path through the forest, and then followed the deer's tracks up a small hill, and now he no longer recognized his surroundings. Every turn took him somewhere unfamiliar, and even when he marked the trees to keep sense of his meanderings, he could not find the marked trees even if he doubled back on his own footsteps. His voice had long grown hoarse calling for his fellows, and though he was a sturdy and well-seasoned woodsman, his heart drummed nervously in his chest. The evening was shortening, and the shadows in the trees grew longer and darker and deeper.

Suddenly, as if out of a mist or a dream, a figure materialized from the darkness before him. A tall shape wearing armor blacker than the shadows, that appeared as a darkness before the darkness, sucking in all light and twisting it before his eyes. As he moved, the shadows of the trees bent and danced around him, here seeming to follow him, here seeming to hide him, and there trailing along in his wake.

"And who are you, that comes sneaking through my hall to steal my herds and slay my beasts?"

Barachor opened his mouth, but the dark figure waved a hand dismissively. "Speak not, Firimar. I have heard tell of you indeed, and seen your rangers from afar, riding with the Dispossessed Ones. Yet you are poor indeed to see up close. So dim, so dull, so young. There is no strength in you. Is this the company Feanor's whelps keep in these later days -- sickly small mortal things?"

The tall being sneered in the dark.

"The Latecomers you are called, the Self-cursed, Shadow-hounded and Heavy-handed, the Lastborn and the Frail, and all these names and more I see that you rightly deserve. Yet last and worst Usurper I name you and yours. Thingol may have granted you leave to dwell in his lands, but these woods, this star-lit valley of dusk, is not yours to tread. The lackeys of the Noldor are not welcome here. Those who dread the night have no place in the valley of the darkness." The dark figure seemed to rise to double his height, and the black of his eyes was the black behind the stars.

Yet in that moment, where others would have trembled, Barachor found his voice where it had fled, and rose up with the indignant pride that had so long ago led his ancestors to defy the Nameless Shadow.

"And who are you, to speak to me so, or to name me thus? I am Barachor of the people of Beor, who are called Elf-Friends and Ent-Friends, and also the Apanonar, the Children of the Sun. And I name you, as you named us: Shadow-speaker and Dark-Talker, a whisperer in the night. Liar I name you above all, and thing of the Shadow. Who are you, I ask again, to call us so?"

At this, the dark one chuckled, and white teeth flashed in the shadow. "Your tongue is bold indeed. The Afterborn do not lack for bravery, I see."

"By no measure," Barachor agreed, and drew shining his sword.

At this, the tall one laughed -- truly laughed, a deep-throated thing that shook the wood and echoed in Barachor's bones. "I like you, Firimar. You are not as dull as Thingol's folk, at least."

He stepped forward for the first time, and the shadows fell away. He was an elf, with black hair that fell to his waist, and a sharp pale face that was white as milk. Above it all were set eyes like samite, that glittered with a darkness like the oldest shadow in the deepest pool in the blackest cave.

"So be it then, bold little Apanonar -- I shall name myself. I am the master of the land upon which you walk. I am called Moghrím by the Dwarves, and also the Star-smith. I am the Lord of Nan Elmoth, the prince of the black rivers and the high trees and the deep dells and the shrouded ways."

The elf smiled a smile like knives in the dark.

"I am Eöl. My kinsmen call me the Dark Elf, and these woods are mine."

Questline Unlocked: The Dark Elf

Turn Three
Your first year in Estolad has unveiled strange neighbors and new friends, and seen the establishment of the first permanent human settlement in Beleriand. It has seen also the coming of your cousins, the warlike and tall Men who have crossed the mountains and arrived newly into Beleriand. All the Houses which once fled from the Shadow have now arrived in the West.

The Children of the Sun have all come to Beleriand.

The folk of the House of Bëor currently number at some two thousand one hundred and fifty-seven, with the majority of these being women and children. There are some six hundred-odd men and women capable of fighting and hunting among your people, and of these, most all are hunters and trappers, not true warriors of any sort. The overall mood of your people is grim. The great fear lies upon their hearts.

Your people have 12 months worth of food -- just enough to get through to the next year, barring any unfortunate accidents. Fell winds gust down from the horizon, and all signs indicate that this year will be harsh indeed. Your hunters will gather just 6 months worth of food, with an extra 2 from the Gardens of the Entwives. You have gathered enough trinkets and baubles from the elves that you might be considered to have something of worth in Beleriand: roughly 4 Wealth. You will gain no wealth this turn.

Baran has three actions, Belen has two, and Halbeth has one, for a total of six.

Voting works a bit differently here from my other quests. Each leader has a certain number of actions available based on their rank and yearly modifiers. Leaders can be assigned to as many actions as they are capable of, and depending on the action, leaders can even double up on the same action to increase the chances of success. The actions will be listed below, and players must construct a Plan that not only decides which actions will be taken, but which leaders will be assigned to which actions. Watching stats and modifiers thus becomes very important, as a mismatch between a leader and an action could lead to disaster.

Not all votes have to be taken, and most can be ignored unless they're labeled Vital. You cannot do everything, nor should you try. Some actions must be foregone for others, some disadvantages must be taken. Questlines, in particular, are leader-specific story chains which force the leader in question to spend a vote on them per turn, and may even require them to spend more than one vote. However, the in-universe and story effects of questlines may have game-changing effects, and the rewards at the end may be great. The leader who starts a Questline by taking the action that begins it must see it out to it's end.

If you feel constrained and trapped, or as if there is no clear way forward -- well, that was the lot of the race of Men in the Elder Days.

VOTES:
Questline: The Old Ways
The old magics that Belen has revived among your people speed their passage under moonlight and heal their hurts in dreams. The elves speak of these things, and say that the powers which have sheltered men this long are no mere magics, but the gifts of the Powers of the World, the Ainur who are forever and always: the Valar and their immortal servants, the Maiar. The moonlight so long revered by men is the gift of Ithil, and the power to heal hurts and pains comes from the Grey Lady Este and her husband Lorien, who is king of dreams. The powers of mortals are the Powers of the World, they say, and to understand the Powers is to understand their gifts. To learn the teachings of the Elves will take time -- or, you might figure it out on your own, and make works such as even the elves do not know.

[] The Starmoon: When your elven visitors speak of the Moon, they speak also of Ithildin, the starmoon, the script of living light with which they write upon their blades and their doors and their armor, which protects them always and garbs them in the light of the moon. You could learn of Ithildin, though it would take time, they say. (May Upgrade The Moon Way to The Path of the Moon)
--[] Send the Wise:
You send several of the Wise to study and learn this art from the elves. It will take time. (Requires 5 turns, moderate chance of success)
--[] Send Belen: You send your brother Belen to study and learn this art from the elves. (Belen will leave for 3 turns, significant chance of success)
[] The Gardens of Lorien: Irmo, called also Lorien, is the lord of dreams and visions, and in his gardens, he and his wife Este tend to the wounds of all the world. Among the Eldar there are plants and arts and ways brought over the sea from Valinor, which may heal both body and spirit. Este weeps for all the Children of Illuvatar, and her tears may heal our wounds. (May Upgrade The Healing Way to The Path of the Grey)
--[] Send the Wise:
You send several of the Wise to study and learn this art from the elves. It will take time. (Requires 5 turns, moderate chance of success)
--[] Send Belen: You send your brother Belen to study and learn this art from the elves. (Belen will leave for 3 turns, significant chance of success)
[] The Dreaming: Irmo is the lord of spirits and the master of visions. Where his brother Mandos tells the dooms of mortals, he sends visions of the future that may be, or has yet to come to pass. It is he who governs prophecy and vision, and he who gave mortals the gift known as the Sight. There is a power in dreams, say the elves, if you know where to look. (May Upgrade The Healing Way to The Dreaming Way)
--[] Send the Wise:
You send several of the Wise to study and learn this art from the elves. It will take time. (Requires 5 turns, moderate chance of success)
--[] Send Belen: You send your brother Belen to study and learn this art from the elves. (Belen will leave for 3 turns, significant chance of success)
[] You tell Belen and the Wise to study the arts of the Valar themselves, and perhaps find a path that even the elves have not walked. (???)

Questline: The Great Fear

The power of the Enemy lies like a shadow upon the hearts of Men. He has hounded you and your ancestors for lifetimes without count, and it is the Shadow which has hung over all your days. Now that your people have had time to settle and find themselves, they still know in their hearts the Great Fear -- the terror of the Dark that haunts all mortal hearts. You may make an attempt to shift their spirits, but be aware that failure may be disastrous. Yet if this shadow is not lifted from your people's hearts, they may never grow as great as the Firstborn. (Select a leader)

[] The Hope of the Elves:
You send one of your wisest to speak with Finrod, the Elf-Friend. He knows your people well, and may tell you something of hope, and how their hearts have withstood the dark this long. (???)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Hope of the Flame: There is a fearlessness in the eyes of Feanor's sons. Amrod and Amras move without fear of death, for it is beyond them. You send one of your wisest to question them on what gives them the fire to spit in the Enemy's eye. (???)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Hope of the Earth: The Entwives in their Garden do not fear the Enemy, though his winds tear up their plants and choke their vines. You send one of your wisest to question them on what gives them the strength of spirit to weather the power of the Shadow. (???)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Defiance: Mayhap you cannot lift the shadow from their hearts, but you may be able to turn them against it. Your people did not give in for a dozen lifetimes of the Great Flight -- why should they succumb to fear now that it is ended. The Enemy has followed us here -- so what? The Enemy is master of the world -- so what? We will spit in his eye all the same, and go grinning to our deaths. (???)
--[] Leader (write-in)

Questline: The Sons of the Fire
The Feanorians Amrod and Amras are masters of wood and wild and beast, the youngest and furthest-ranging of all their kin. They have taken a liking to you and yours, and you may well request aid from them. (This Questline will last until Amrod and Amras are recalled by their brothers to the Siege of Angband)
[] The Sword:
The sons of Feanor offer to teach your people the way of the blade that they learned on western shores in older days. (Chance of learning a Battle Lore)(Lose the Ambarussa bonus next turn)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Forge: Amrod learned the arts of smithing and forging at his father's knee. He offers to teach your people how to work metal as the Spirit of Fire once did. (Will unlock Crafting and Smith Leaders. Chance of learning a Crafting Lore)(Lose the Ambarussa bonus next turn)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Wood: Amras, youngest among the Feanorians, once rode on great hunts with the Huntsman of the Valar himself, Orome. He has a few tricks he can show even your hunters. The twin sons of Feanor know how to drive their prey before them, and how to bend the wood to their will. (Chance of learning a Cultural Lore)(Lose the Ambarussa bonus next turn)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Sons Of Fire: You ask the Feanorians to aid you in all your endeavors for the next year, to lend their wisdom and expertise to all your tasks. (The Ambarussa bonus is doubled next year, and applies to Diplomacy and Combat as well)

Questline: The Dark Elf
In their wanderings, your people have encountered a wanderer in Nan Elmoth, an elf of terrible power with black hair and milk-pale skin, who is named by his people The Dark Elf. It is said he has dealings with the dwarves, and that the works of his force are might indeed.
[] Appease Him: You send envoys with trinkets and sheep, hoping to appease the lord of Nan Elmoth to allow your people to hunt in his wood.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Circumvent Him: Eol, for all his power, is not truly master in the woods of Nan Elmoth -- the Elvenking is. You appeal to Thingol to be allowed to hunt in the woods, no matter Eol's wishes.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Hunt Anyway: You send hunters into the eaves of the dark wood despite the elf's wishes.
--[] Leader (write-in)

Questline: The Petty-Dwarves
In the far reaches of your new land dwell a strange sad people -- the Noegyth Nibin, the Petty-Dwarves. Hunted nearly to extinction and driven from their homes by the Sindar long ago, they dwell in hills and under rivers, the last exiles and survivors of a people who once ruled all of Beleriand before the coming of the Elves. They now harass your hunters and have claimed many areas in the south of Estolad for themselves. You could try to drive them off, or perhaps somehow negotiate with them. (If you do not take one of these actions, hunter morale will be reduced)
[] Drive Them Off:
You have your hunters fire arrows at them until they run off. Let them foul someone else's land.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Appeal To The King: These lands nominally belong to the King of the Sindar, Elu Thingol. You appeal to him to deal with the petty-dwarves.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Send Someone To Talk To Them: You send one of your fairest-tongued speakers to attempt to convey your grievances to the Petty-Dwarves.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Trade With Them: Your people remember the dwarves your ancient fathers met, a short and stout people with a love of coin. If their cousins are anything similar, they will value wealth over flinging dirt. (-1 Wealth)
--[] Leader (write-in)

Questline: The Children of the Sun
At long last, the House of Marach has arrived over the mountains, great and mighty and magnificent to behold. They have no Wise, as you know -- only Spears. Theirs is the mightiest force of Men west of the Blue Mountains, and so you reach out to them. (You may take as many of these actions as you wish)
[] Greet Them:
You send someone to welcome your cousins to the new land.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Send Word To Finrod: The Elf-King may be busy with his people in Nargothrond, but mayhap he will want to know a mighty army of men has arrived in Ossiriand.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Send Someone To The Green Elves: A force this large and numerous is no doubt upsetting and frightening the reclusive Laiquendi. You send someone to ascertain how they are doing and act as a liason between them and the tall men of Marach.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Share Knowledge: You tell the House of Marach of everything you have learned since coming here -- from the history of the elves to the tales of the Valar and the Enemy.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Trick Them: You tell them that the land to the south of Ossiriand is plentiful and fruitful, and that their people should head there instead of to Estolad.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Gift Them: You send someone with a few elven trinkets as a gift. Beauty like this does not exist beyond the mountains. Hopefully they will be suitably impressed.
[] Speak With Marach: You invite the boisterous and golden-haired leader of the tall men to speak with you in your newly-built home.

The Words of the Wise:
Since time immemorial, the Wise have ever been the shepherds of the flock, the keepers of history and lore, memorizing every agonizing step of the long journey. Their words are a balm in dark times, and their ancient knowledge is ever of a use to the people. (Due to their increased influence, The Wise can take another action this turn, not requiring a leader)

[]
The Wise have stories to tell of times much like this, and troubles much like these. (Chance to gain a +20 to all rolls for a turn)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Wise
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Wise seek to travel to Doriath, to learn the lore of the elves.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Wise seek to travel to the Garden, to learn the lore of the ents.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] The Wise know much of the woods and the wild, of the earth that is wide and holds many secrets. You ask them to led their wisdom. (Increased chance of finding food this turn)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] Some among the Wise wish to visit the lands of Finrod Felagund in far-away Nargothrond, and look upon the Elven-lands. This journey will take additional resources, of course. (Requires four months worth of food)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] There are some among the Wise whose voices are deep and whose words cut the soul with their beauty. Their music is an echo of the First. (Chance of recruiting a bard leader)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] There are some among the Wise strong of mind and respected among the people. They may yet hold positions of leadership. (Chance of recruiting a seer leader)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] You encourage the Wise to get closer to the Elven visitors and learn their knowledge.
--[] Leader (write-in)
-[] The Wise are petitioning you to build a hall where they could gather and speak their stories.

The Hunters:
The masters of wood and hill and beast and bow, the hunters feed, clothe, and protect your tribe.

[] The hunters are new-come to this new land, and request your permission to travel to it's bounds and edges to map out your new home.
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] You begin trying to train the best fighters of the hunters as bowmen who may serve as your promised levies to the Elves.
[] You cannot enter the forest of Doriath, but there is better game closer to it's eaves. You allow your hunters to get closer in order to fill your people's bellies.
[] The skilled hunters among your tribe are few. You send the most skilled to train the rest in tracking and stalking their prey. (Chance of increased hunter effectiveness)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] There are hunters of great skill and fame among their number, and a select few of these may grow greater still. (Chance of recruiting a Ranger or Warrior leader)
--[] Leader (write-in)
[] You encourage the Hunters to get closer to the Elven visitors and learn their knowledge.
--[] Leader (write-in)
-[] The Hunters are petitioning you to build a lodge on the outskirts of the village where they can gather, clean their kills, and set out on rangings.


General Leadership:
As the leader of your people and a bastion of their strength even unto the darkest of days, you must see to their needs and wants, and tend to their spirits. Here are all decisions relating directly to your clan as a whole. (You can take any of these you like without spending action points, and though they do not require a leader, one may help the roll go smoother. Taking more than three of these votes will take an action point from your faction leader, however -- three further votes for every AP spent.)

[]
You implore your people to find the strength to carry on. (Requires Baran)(Increases morale)
[]
You send the Wise among them to collect their stories and tales of the past year, adding them to the collected stories of the House. (chance of improving quality of the Chronicle)
[]
You give extra rations to the women and children, increasing the growth of the clan. (Requires an extra month of food)
[]
You give extra rations to the elderly and the Wise, that the memory of where we have been does not fade before it can be passed on. (Requires an extra month of food)(Increase the influence of the Wise)
[]
You give extra rations to the hunters and the scouts, that the people may be better defended and protected in the days to come. (Requires an extra month of food)(Hunters are more effective)(Increase the influence of the Hunters)
[]
You have the youngest and most able men of the tribe gathered and armed. These will not hunt, but rather protect the people of your tribe when the men are away. (Hunters may be displeased)
[]
You increase the number of hunters out on the plains, that you might gather more food this year. (Hunters gather more food)(Increased Hunter influence)(The tribe is less defended)
[]
You order the Wise and the women to pick berries and gather plants to eat. (The Wise may be displeased. More food gathered this turn)
[]
You attempt to expand the village, building larger, more permanent structures that your people may grow into in time.
--[] Request Elven Aid (may owe the elves)
--[]
Do it alone (May take longer)
[]
More elves have followed Finrod, seeking to interact with these new men and trade with you. You order the women of the House to make a concerted effort to sew and weave more embroideries and trinkets that they might wish to trade for.
[] You send your scouts to search for things of note in your new homelands.
[] You send a messenger to Elu Thingol praising the Elvenking and asking him for some of the mighty horses his people ride, that your own people may learn to ride.
[] You send a messenger to Finrod asking him for some of the mighty horses his people ride, that your own people may learn to ride.
[] You attempt to construct a great Hall in your burgeoning village, to serve as your seat and the seat of your children.
[] You have seen the massive herds of the House of Marach, for you are not blind. You would have herds such as these. You begin attempting to increase the size of your people's herds.
[] Send a messenger to the mountains of the east, to meet the dwarves.
[] Send a messenger to the north, to meet the Noldor and the other sons of Feanor.
[] Write-In


There is now a ONE DAY MORATORIUM on all votes.

Use this time to discuss the choices available and create different Plans. As previously discussed, any votes not in plan form, or submitted before the moratorium is up, will not be counted.

As always, discussion is rewarded with Echoes. (As are Omakes and Reaction posts.)
 
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