The Treatise
It may take weeks before any headway is made on deciphering the treatise. We are now in mid-November as well and winter is very rough this year. Your characters have thus quite a bit of time to go on personal pursuits. This time will mostly be abstracted, so feel free to do whatever you think your PC wants to do. Do you want to remain in the Shire? Head to Tharbad to take on Commander Ciril's offer for lodging? Do you want to learn something in particular?
Annuminas
As a bounder, Irina feels that she needs to figure out what lurks in Annuminas. She is planning a trip to recon the place. We may play this out as a solo session. However, cleaning up the place would be even better. Since some company members seemed eager to go on an old-fashion orc/troll hunt, or a treasure hunt (these trolls have got to have a hoard), we could game this adventure around the table for the next session. If your PC wouldn't really want to be part of this, but you'd like to play, there is still the possibility to play a one-off bounder, a passing ranger or, gasp, an elf.
Reply into the comments below and we'll bring the campaign to wherever it should be the next time that we sit around the table.
Although Fin hasn't had much opportunity to use up his sting poison I am not surewhat it's shelf life is, or if I would be able to find it in the winter or not but if it is obtainable at this time I was going to have Fin do a little gathering or even some work to make it more potent?
ReplyDeleteThis shouldn't interfere with carousing the Shire with my big folk guests, after all I am still in my tweens as we say in the Shire.
I am sure if the famous Irina asked Fin to accompany her on a scouting trip back to Annuminas Fin would oblige. He has the adventure bug now. He faced down a Wraith!
Winter isn't the best time to gather herbs. But, I can see some options.
Delete1) Contact someone (or many people) with a higher Herb Lore, or Area Knowledge (North) and learn from them. Irina qualifies for Herb Lore. 200 hours of cumulative time being taught gives 1 point in the skill. This would occupy your days, but not get in the way of drinking at the Green Dragon.
2) If you want to prepare from dried material, you can at least try. GURPS has a very cool way to handle PC-made inventions. We can play this out by post and see if you can make a breakthrough in preparing the oily sting using something else than fresh material.
3) There may be ways to learn about wraiths and understand better how they "work". Someone in the Shire has got to know a bit about Hidden Lore (undead).
4) Irina would certainly enjoy having Finbert in her venture. There are not a lot of hobbits like him in the Shire!
Ok, well I think some study into attempting to obtain my sting from the dried samples could be in order. And perhaps as a bit of a side venture developing a good hangover cure...or at least one that works for Fin.
DeleteI like the idea of learning what I can about wraiths but that would be mostly for academic interest as my area of specialties tend to lean toward the biological. So I figure more as part of a conversation down at the green dragon over a pint and see what I can learn that way.
Fin's ineffectiveness in certain martial situations could lead him to ask a few questions of the party's experts. Perhaps Sir Galdor could show him a few things with a short sword, also anyone in the party or the shire with some wrestling skills. He knows he won't be able to dominate an orc but a hobbit on your back surely makes it harder to fight.
So let me know what I would need to do for this.
I would definitely like to go back to Annuminas with Finbert. I actually have 15 in Area Knowlege (North), so I could probably help with that. I'd also like to improve my Strength over this time, somehow?
ReplyDeleteBuilding up ST requires you to gain experience in ST-based skills but diverting the points into the attribute instead of the skill. There is not a lot of skills that are ST-based. However, you can make them work this way.
Delete1) Swap your bow for another bow set for 1 or 2 ST higher than your own. You'll get penalty to shoot, but it doesn't matter if it is for target practice.
2) Hike with a heavy bag, Hiking is a HT-based skill, but you can make it a ST-building activity.
3) Spar with your quarterstaff, but focus on hitting hard rather than fighting well or with finesse.
In an abstracted down time, you may just tell me that you make a point to challenge your ST in some of your daily activities, and I'll grant your points towards increasing your ST.
OK. I think that I will swap my bow for one of 7 ST (my goal).
DeleteOK, and you practice every day I assume? Kind of like what you did this Fall with your real life bow. Jumping from ST 6 to 7 shouldn't be very difficult.
DeleteHi all, seeing as not all the party is able to recon, or clear out, Annuminas, I would strongly recommend we wait. I know that Araliniel has limited combat experience, but Kasper would be needed in the possible combat situations. We were lucky to survive the stone knights, and even luckier the wraths lost interesting us. If these are the kind of foes we can expect to encounter, then I truly believe we should only attempt this with the entire party.
ReplyDeleteScouting Annuminas and going back into the library are two different things. Playing safe is, however, a good idea.
DeleteOh Fin nearly died there. He wouldn't go back without a little more muscle around. Also the question of this strange cold has yet to be investigated more.
DeleteIrina is NOT going back to the library, last time she spent the whole time (unsuccessfully) waking Galdor.
DeleteArnadil is very eager to return to Annuminas in order to see to possibly reclaiming more of the lost city for his liege. He is, of course, after realizing some of his peers are of like mind, offering to come with them on the basis that they relinquish any artefacts to the king, if any are found.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to, abstractly, improve Arnadil's knowledge skills for the upcoming adventure(s); which do you suggest I would look into, given what we know?
OK, sounds good. I think that the ONLY source of information will be in the Library of Annuminas itself. Depending on the information coming out, maybe sources like Minas Tirith would be good (but impractical).
DeleteAs the party seems set to return to the Annuminas, while the Treatise is being studied, Kasper will be regrettably unable to accompany the party.
ReplyDeleteKasper pulls Anidil aside and voices his concern about the library key being lost, if Anidil were to fall during this sortie. ‘Even though I am but a lowly squire I will swear on my life that the key will be returned the King, in the event that something dire were to happen to you.’ With that oath Kasper drops to one knee and bows his head.
Arnadil is relieved that a member of the commission is recognizing his role. The Gondor guard grants the squire his request and relinquishes his possession of the key. "But do not worry; we will return."
DeleteSeeing as most of the others are dead-set on returning to Anuminus, Halin will accompany the group out of a curiosity as to what happened to the city. His general attitude towards the endeavor is still conservative, however, recognizing the extreme and in some ways foolhardy danger involved.
ReplyDelete