Ditto. I’m sorry not to have every original player still involved, but that’s life. I check the thread every day or so and sometimes get antsy when not much seems to be happening, but that’s just me. All in all, I’m still very pleased and am having fun. Thanks, What Exit?, for all you’ve done and are still doing.
I have hopes of wrapping up the Ered Lithui mystery and getting the party back to Minas Tirith for some R&R and trade and research. Will anyone be crest fallen if we skip on the Goblin Hunts coming up?
I also have several PCs that are now apparently NPCs. I would like to offload them in Minas Tirith. Sadly it appears both Brin and Gil-Gandel are gone, but Malacandra may at least return when he gets more time. It appears everyone else is active. It is also time to get Riglo and Hodwain out of the party.
Any suggestions for what is next?
It could be exploration of mostly unknown places or staying in the Minas Tirith area. You could rejoin the cleansing of Ered Lithui/Mordor or join a campaign to the south or perhaps join Hodwain in the East.
There is alway action up in Angmar/Gundabad area and the Grey Mountains of course.
Several people have expressed interest in exploring the Sea of Rhun area. Maybe Hodwain will be send a return message back that direction?
After that little fight, I think skipping the goblin hunts may be a good idea.
I look forward to the other players returning when they can, but have no problems starting a new adventure.
Joining Hodwain on his return to the Sea of Rhun could be interesting, although I honestly don’t mind. As long as What Exit? is prepared to keep the game running, I am prepared to keep playing. 
I am going to ditto this. All the options sound interesting, and I am willing to follow along for the ride.
Whatever we do, let’s range a little further afield. Minas Tirith is fine, but let’s explore the depth of this world a little more. We could also sign on to guard a caravan heading east or south, range up toward the Lonely Mountain and the Iron Hills and help out Gwaelur’s kin, or explore Thoroncir’s native coasts.
The Sea of Rhun sounds like it could be interesting. This is probably a stupidly suicidal thing to say, but I always liked naval/underwater/coastal sequences, so I think this could be a lot of fun.
ED: Oh yes, and I agree with appleciders about longer range adventures. One of the really neat aspects of Ered Lithui adventure was the fact that, had we been truly outgunned, our party could’ve been well and truly screwed due to the lack of potential aid.
Given the number of characters, do we want to put out a call for new players to start the next adventure?
What Exit?, I believe that is your choice.
Hi gang. Sorry for my continued absence but I’m still unsettled as to lifestyle, availability and so on, and I prefer to give this top-notch campaign only my best. If I can manage to devote the time to it, I shall certainly do so.
Thanks for your continued patience,
GG.
I’m looking forward to the return of a refreshed and ready to go Gil-Gandel.
All the best with getting life sorted out.
I would like to seperate Gil-Gandel from the group until you are ready to return. Will that work for you? There are issues with you being the party’s nominal leader that prevent me from wanting to run Gil-Gandel as an NPC.
I think we have enough players and Malacandra will probably return at some point. I don’t know what is up with D_Odds but I would rather just leave open the spot for him or **OneCentStamp **to return.
If anyone is really eager to join in, they should contact me, but I am not going to openly solicit. I can handle a few more players, but the group seems find as is.
I’m cool with that. I remember that Merry had a private word with me about someone I should meet up near the borders of the Buckland. Perhaps we could slot that in offline while the folks are doing their stuff. (Not that I’m in any hurry to start anything that might see me out of action for a prolonged period!)
Actually, scrub that, and bring me back in at the next scene change. I’m sure I can find time to post once a day if I really try… and I could certainly do with being back in the loop.
Perfect, I even have a method to get you there and back into the game when needed. You already have an extremely fast horse, I am thinking an item or two that extended it’s endurance would facilitate rapid travel. It would not take much for Cúran to travel 100+ miles per day. You could even go from Bree to Rhûn in a reasonable amount of time. Minas Tirith to Bree would be very quick maybe 10 days.
ETA: Seeing your follow-up post, even better. I’ll be glad to have you back in the game.
I’m fine with skipping the goblin hunt. Not to sound to mercenary though, but it might not hurt to find the vampire’s lair. There might be some [del]phat lewt[/del]… umm… evil in need of vanquishing there. Likewise with cleaning out the rest of the orc fort. I realize we’re working for the crown, but Hobbits have to eat too! 
Good point, the orcs should be easy to finish off now in the small local under the hill fort lair.
I have no clue how you would ever track the Vampire back to its lair. The orcs did not know where it lived and it flew.
So much for my brilliant idea of asking the orcs. :smack:
Tracking Grilianch and finding her lair would be nigh-on impossible, I’m afraid. As for the orc-lair, we could give directions to the Gondorian cavalry (now en route) and they could take out the weakened garrison, or we could return with them to assist - should be a relatively easy operation (famous last words!). Either’s fine with me.
Then a visit to Minas Tirith to recharge and restock, followed by an expedition to Rhun, would get my vote.
And I’d certainly like to have Malacandra back with us!
What Exit?, rather than a general appeal for more Doper players, are there any on a waitlist or who’ve already expressed an interest in playing? Would Qadgop want to sign on?
I don’t believe anyone is on a waiting list, but they can contact me.
**QtM **has never expressed any interest. He is chief Tolkien fan and scholar of the SDMB, but I don’t think he is a gamer. He is also enough older than most of us, that D&D was not something he would have played as a teen or kid. I started before AD&D existed at age 10 and I think **QtM **has 12 years or more on me in age. I think it goes without saying that he would be more than welcomed. I would hope that he would play a character that would be conductive to displaying his knowledge.
It sounds like Rhûn might be the place to go. Hodwain would probably appreciate an escort and help so that would be easy to accommodate.
A note on the game and a possible error that I have retained. About 22 years ago, I decided Legolas would have a younger sister. I consulted my notes (hand scribbled from a few sources available back then) on the Elven Language and came up with Star Maid (Elen Wen) which I made Elenwë.
I did not realize until years later that the name Elenwë already existed in the legends as Turgon’s Vanyarin wife and thus the mother of Idril.
BTW: This Elenwë died crossing Helcaraxë.
I like the name too much and she was woven too much into my near future world of Middle Earth to abandon the name and I decided it was just a coincidence. Thranduil would never have met the elder Elenwë and I am reasonable sure the Noldorians that survived the crossing Helcaraxë spoke very little of this great sorrow overall.
The younger Elenwë does not has Golden hair, but long raven locks instead. She is not as beautiful as Arwen or Galadriel but she is of more than human beauty.
I guess using the old D&D scale, if Arwen and Galadriel were 24s, Elenwë would be a 22 and Gilraen (Renee) a 20 perhaps. The other way to look at this is on the standard 10 scale, Gilraen is a 10!, Elenwë an 11 and Arwen and Galadriel go all the way to 12 with Luthien a 12!
Gil-Gandel knows a bit more about her than the rest of the party, I PM’d him some details.
Her mount Neeya is basically a Unicorn, but it does not look much like a horse. You have probably seen some medieval tapestries and painting that depict a more delicate creature with Deer-like features (or Goat-like in many cases) This is a silvery-white Deer Like creature the size of a small horse. Don’t assume you know what the Minaras can do. By the way, *Minaras *combines elven elements of One, Horn and Deer. They are extremely rare but a few are known to live in Mirkwood (Now Eryn Lasgalen, Sindarin for the Wood of Greenleaves)
One thing I will tell you, these Unicorns or Minaras hate Giants Spiders and are proof vs. their poison and the Minaras are great at killing the Giant Spiders.