Have a great trip! Fear not - I have a strong suspicion Gwaelur will still be here when you return.
Just to assuage my curiosity: What Exit , what racial characteristics did you assign to Woses?
I’m guessing short, well-tanned, hairy, beetle-browed environmentalists.
Another group of Men were the Woses. They were small and bent compared to other Men. They lived among the Folk of Haleth in the First Age and were held as Edain by the Elves, who called them Drúedain (from Drûg, Halethian name for them, plus Edain).
More the mythological Noble Savage, in tune with nature and completely at home there.
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, the Drúedain are a fictional race of Men which were counted amongst the Edain. They were also known as Drûgin (singular being Drug), Woses, Wild Men of the Woods and Púkel-men.
The Drûgin lived among the Second House of Men, the Haladin, in the First Age in the forest of Brethil. They were an alien folk to the other Men: a bit like Dwarves in stature and endurance, stumpy, clumsy-limbed (with short, thick legs, and fat, “gnarled” arms), had broad chests, fat bellies, and heavy buttocks. According to the Elves and other Men, they had “unlovely faces”: wide, flat, and expressionless with deep-set black eyes that glowed red when angered. They had “horny” brows, flat noses, wide mouths, and sparse, lank hair. They had no hair lower than the eyebrows, except for a few men who had a tail of black hair on the chin. They were short lived and had a deep hatred of Orcs. They were known to have certain magical powers and to be still in meditation for long periods of time. Although a number of the Drúedain were present in Númenor they had left or died out before the Akallabêth, as had the Púkel-men of Dunharrow. At the end of the Third Age the Drûg still lived in the Drúadan Forest of the White Mountains, and at the long cape of Andrast west of Gondor. The region north of Andrast was still known as Drúwaith Iaur, or “Old Drûg land”.
Púkel men was also the name used by the Rohirrim to refer to the fearsome statues constructed by the Drúedain. These statues were built to guard important places and homes of the Drúedain, and seemed to have to the power to come to life in a similar fashion to golems.
Because of their ugly appearance and frightening statues the Drúedain were feared and loathed by other Men of the region. Indeed the name Púkel man meant Goblin-man and they were considered little better than Orcs, and there was much enmity between those peoples.
Nevertheless the Drúedain of Ghân-buri-Ghân’s clan came to the aid of the Rohirrim during the War of the Ring. A large company of Orcs had been sent to the Drúadan Forest to waylay the host of Rohan as it made its way to the aid of Gondor. It was the Drúedain who held off the Orcs with poisoned arrows whilst they guided the Rohirrim through the forest by secret paths. Without their help the Rohirrim would not have arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and Sauron would almost certainly have triumphed.
As a result the Drúedain gained the love and respect of other Men, and King Elessar granted the Drúadan Forest “forever” to them in thanks.
The Drúedain are reminiscent of the mythological woodwoses, and like them their relic status and physical description are eerily similar to the typical depiction of Neanderthals.
Just a little more:
The Drúedains were in the First age much sought after: they had great skill as trackers, using their scent like hounds. They could smell an Orc further away than men could see them and follow its scent for weeks. Their knowledge of all growing things was equal to that of the Elves, and it is said that if removed to a new country they knew within a short time all things that grew there and what was poisonous and what could be used as food.
The Drúedain had great skills in carving wood or stone: they drew pictures and patterns on wood and stone and with proper tools they delighted in carving figures of men and beast to which the most skilled could give vivid semblance of life. Some of these figures served as watch-stones and the Drûgs were able to hold communication with them. ( Ut )
Glee : Just in case you were wondering, the reaction is Mulligan’s concern over Ghan’s plan, not my personal opinion.
Likewise, Deor’s feeling out of his depth and is exhibiting this by being grouchy and absolving himself of responsibility in making decisions here.
glee
May 6, 2008, 9:35pm
907
It’ll be Ghân that looks forward to sneering at any plan Mulligan comes up with like: ‘let’s all run around dark, trap filled caves’. :smack: :rolleyes:
Ghan’s heart is in the right place. Thoroncir’s worried that his Wose friend might just be a trifle naive when it comes to orc alliances.
glee
May 7, 2008, 3:46am
909
Ghân is indeed starting to think about agreeing with everyone else. Just kill all orcs.
Oh, and one more point of order, What Exit? - how do Woses differ (numbers wise, like STR and DEX and other stats, and abilities like darkvision) from the other player races?
appleciders:
Oh, and one more point of order, What Exit? - how do Woses differ (numbers wise, like STR and DEX and other stats, and abilities like darkvision) from the other player races?
I have to check my notes at home, but in general they see better at night than other Edain. They are natural trackers in woodlands. The have a natural herbology skill. They use this to heal, for mild recreation and in warfare. They will use poison against Orcs and paralysis/sleep concoctions against others. It is said that their poisons are deadlier than the ones the Orcs have contrived and easier to use. Ghân would be rare in not carrying any.
Recall what I quoted: “and it is said that if removed to a new country they knew within a short time all things that grew there and what was poisonous and what could be used as food.”
I don’t recall any stat adjustments except they are limited in percentile strength and Druids get a +1 Wis.
They finally have an innate ability to be resistant to fire more than any other race.
D_Odds
May 7, 2008, 5:27pm
913
d_odds, not Brin, speaking:
Better the cavalry be the cannon fodder (although elf does come close second)
D_Odds:
d_odds, not Brin, speaking:
Better the cavalry be the cannon fodder (although elf does come close second)
Admit it, you want Renee to be the decoy, don’t you
D_Odds
May 7, 2008, 6:44pm
915
Too obvious at this time. Still, if Thoroncir was the fodder…I mean decoy, that would free the pretty NPC up for the rest of the party.
Only if Gil-Gandel went slumming. A man of Dale or pair from the lower Middle-Class of Rohan would have no chance. We’re not even going to joke about Ghân. Thoroncir is a long shot at best. At least he is a Dúnadan and has a high charisma.
Actually would that be slumming? She is Arwen’s daughter, but she is human. Interesting question. I’m not sure of the answer.
D_Odds
May 7, 2008, 7:11pm
917
You said nothing of the hobbit and dwarf. Now we know she has a short fetish!
Meanwhile, any ideas for this ambush of an ambush? If so please post in the game thread. Let’s move this thing.
Only if Gil-Gandel went slumming. A man of Dale or pair from the lower Middle-Class of Rohan would have no chance. We’re not even going to joke about Ghân. Thoroncir is a long shot at best. At least he is a Dúnadan and has a high charisma.
Actually would that be slumming? She is Arwen’s daughter, but she is human. Interesting question. I’m not sure of the answer.
I wouldn’t call it slumming, not a fairly short lineal descendent of Melian and Elu Thingol, whether human or not.
