Elbereth

I wasn't. EDIT: It's remarkably fun, though.

If you think I'd act like this as a Ghostblood, that's your right. Mm, true. I do have a reason. And it's not that line, either, though it's weird.

Disagree! NAI for Araris, not for me. Agree! He is. Just like me!

Fun?

Wait, Fifth, you made me Tintallë again? I should give myself soul seeing powers again! Thank you!! @Coda Yes, I could.

You might want to reread this.

Note that PMs are open (still one on one plus me), but you may not reuse PMs from the previous iteration of this game. Open new ones and label them MR38b, please. Corrupted PMs are sent out; everything else will come in about two hours when I’m back from frantically getting ready / class!

Elrond smiled, breathing in the fresh morning air. Fall was deep upon them, and he’d selected a chamber which was more a courtyard than anything else, full of red and yellow leaves which waved above and scattered the ground in a carpet of autumn below. At last, when everyone had gathered, he rose to address the council. “You have come here for your own reasons, your own troubles, and we shall hear those today: but they are all tied up in one matter, you may find, and so there we will begin.” So he spoke of the Ring, of its creation and how Sauron had used it to great effect and terrible power, until the Last Alliance had defeated him, and the Ring was taken by Isildur and then lost. “Its tale from there is best told by others,” he said. “And I would hear all your tales, of why you have come: I know that the Shadow is encroaching everywhere, yet perhaps we may hear a common thread if each tale is told.” He gestured to Astranwir, and sat to listen. The wizard looked old and tired, and his face was grimmer than Elrond could recall ever seeing him. “My news is long and hard,” he began. “But I can begin with the Ring. Saruman was always the one who studied the Rings most closely, not I, and he oft said that the Ring was lost forever and could never be reclaimed by the Enemy. And we trusted him, yet he has betrayed us and become Sauron’s tool. How long, I do not know, but I feared as soon as I learned of his treachery that the Ring could indeed be found again.” Astranwir continued on to recount the tale of his encounter with Saruman and subsequent escape, which he’d confided to Elrond earlier. The faces around the council grew yet more grave, for if one of the Wise was lost, who else might fall to Shadow? Phellom shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This was... bad. Saruman’s tower was close to Mirkwood, and his betrayal would put all in danger. He wished, more than anything, that someone else had been sent. He wasn’t prepared to deal with this! He’d barely even delivered Thranduil’s letter. What was he supposed to do about Sauron? Robin Smallburrow frowned. This was a mighty gathering and all, he could tell, but too many words were flying over his head to keep track of. Who even was this “Saroomann” that everyone was talking about? Robin had certainly never heard of him. Aidenn leaned forward, enraptured. Had Saruman been corrupted by the Ring without even finding it? Was its lure so strong? Perhaps Sauron could enhance it somehow... He scribbled down notes furiously. If Saruman had been corrupted, the Ring could do even more than he’d thought. Although from Astranwir’s telling, Saruman had been twisted, not corrupted entirely - he had reasoning nominally against Sauron, simply warped beyond recognition. Fascinating. He resolved to corner Astranwir later to ask. He glanced for a moment at Elrond’s hands, clearly empty of any ring. If only he could convince Elrond to let him see it, even for a moment, it could tell him so much! Elrond clearly had one, Imladris couldn’t be explained without it. But what did it do? What were its powers? Did it affect psyches like the One Ring did except in the opposite direction? He sighed and continued writing. Striker had no idea what was going on. Gwendolyn glanced at the leaves scattered over the floor, wrinkling her nose. They were nearly perfect - Imladris did have a way of ordering itself better than the world, at least - but if she could just move the color patterns a little... She pushed with her feet the few nearest her, so at least the area in her reach would be satisfactory. Then she forced her eyes up. Elrond had asked her to be here, and she was here for the Grey Havens. For home. She would pay attention even if she had to bite her lip bloody to do so. She couldn’t help looking at Aranmir and Striker, though. She hadn’t seen Men since she came here, she thought. Odd, they looked so very rumpled compared to the elves. And the halfling, too - she’d never seen one of his kind even in the wilds. Her attention was caught by the wind picking up for a moment, rustling the leaves with a dry sound that she immediately hated. She clapped her hands over her ears, blocking out as much as she could, dropping her notebook in the process. She flinched, but wouldn’t remove her hands until she was sure the breeze was gone. Then she noticed that everyone was staring at her. She stammered something incomprehensible and dove to pick us her notebook again and put it in its proper place. “Gwendolyn,” said Elrond, for what she realized had been the second or third time. “Bring forth the Ring.” “What stories are left to tell?” Elrond asked, when the day had progressed into the mid afternoon. “Speak, and let the council hear your concerns. Then we will decide the fate of this Ring and who shall bear it, together.” MR38 has begun, again! GM PMs to the Corrupted will be sent out immediately; if you do not receive one you may assume you’re village and I’ll send you confirmation in a couple hours. Updated Rules: 1. Ties now result in a coin flip to determine who is elected, rather than electing everyone tied. 2. The Corrupted no longer have a group Soothe. 3. The Corrupted now must win four seats in the Council, not three. The total number of seven seats remains unchanged. 4. You may not vote on yourself. Note that the player list has changed. Player List

I second that! Elandera.

Signing up, possibly against my better judgement.

The next cycle is up!

MR38: Corruption, Spreading The Council debated long that day, as the sun made her slow trek across the sky. During moments of respite for refreshment, members murmured to each other, trying in vain to find the very best to be in this Fellowship which Elrond had proposed. Suspicion ran high, and all feared the Ring’s corrupting power. Who truly could take the Ring and be safe? The Ringbearer certainly did not seem unaffected. Many proposed themselves, for they were arrogant or brave enough to believe in their own character. But consensus was slow to come. As the sun fell, Elrond stood before the Council. “It is not required of us to decide each member today, for we have time yet to speak, but I ask that we begin to name the Fellowship, so that they may begin preparations, and we may have accomplished something of use in all this great debate.” He turned his gaze on Scar. “Bring forth the Ring,” he instructed, pointing to the pedestal in front of him. “Why should I?” Scar said belligerently, and Elrond noticed the flush of drunkenness on her cheeks. “It’s mine, ain’t it? I’m the Ringbearer! I keep the Ring!” “All the more reason to give it up,” Elrond said with a forbidding frown. “Attachment to the Ring will only make its corruption easier. It is only temporary, besides.” “I’m not scared of you,” Scar muttered, but reluctantly got up and placed the Ring in its place. There was silence for a moment. The Ring was tiny, and yet its presence dominated the room and left all feeling uneasy. Astranwir was the first to speak. “If I might suggest Bombur?” Elrond turned a skeptical eye on him, alongside much of the rest of the council. Bombur heard his name and looked over, but couldn’t speak as his mouth was presently full. “I will second that,” Beren said unexpectedly. “He showed great courage in helping to restore the Lonely Mountain, I am told. And besides, Sauron’s servants will not suspect him for returning in that direction. Mordor is not far from there.” Bombur finally finished chewing. “So long as I can take Dronlir with me!” he declared. “I shan’t be going anywhere without my trust porters.” “The party must remain small,” Elrond said. “Dronlir may go, but not all the rest, I should think. You shall need to be walking for this, not being carried.” “Fine,” Bombur allowed. “So! Who else, then?” A young elf leapt into the chamber, seemingly out of nowhere. Elrond had known a few watched from the edges, but he trusted that fate would ensure any who needed to be here would be, and thought little more. “I, Coda, wish to venture on this quest,” the elf said loudly. “I have managed to sneak into this meeting without notice! I am obviously fit to join the Ringbearer’s party.” Elrond smiled faintly, but the rest of the council was staring at this Coda with expressions ranging from stern to shocked. He wilted a little. “Let me join the quest. Please?” Bombur laughed, suddenly and loudly. “Yes, let him join! Such bravery should be rewarded. He has the look of strength about him. Why not?” Elrond considered, seeing little disagreement from the rest of the council. “Perhaps he was indeed brought to be on the Fellowship by fate. Very well.” Nightingales sang, and a sense of tranquil twilight was falling over Imladris. “We ought to adjourn for the night, then, and meet again when we are rested and fresh to consider who else ought to go. For the moment, Bombur, Dronlir, Coda, come forward.” Bombur’s porters assisted him forward. He somehow managed to stand with only Dronlir’s support as the rest drew back, his eyes fixed on the Ring. Elrond hesitated. The gleam in Bombur’s eyes was disconcerting, and yet... he was better to keep the Ring than Scar, he thought. “Take the Ring, Bombur. Keep it safe, and never, ever put it on.” Bombur nodded gravely. He reached one pudgy hand forward to take the Ring and slip it into a pocket, which Elrond could only hope contained no food. “Go, then,” he said to the council, cutting off Scar’s protest. “We will meet again tomorrow.” He sat thoughtfully as the others began to file out of the chamber, considering the day. The council was... unorthodox, he had to admit, but perhaps the old ways could not work here. Even with Vilya, the way was unclear to him, and all he could do was trust the council to guide the fate of Middle Earth. Bombur made his way out, accompanied by his porters (of course), and this new man, Coda. “Come with me back to my room,” he said. “If we’re on this Fellowship now, we ought to get to know each other!” Coda smiled and came with him. “I’m no one special, I was just... curious, that’s all. I heard there was this important council, and when I heard what was happening, I just couldn’t resist. I want to do something important.” Bombur was lowered carefully down onto his bed, and he dismissed his porters except for Dronlir. “I know how that is,” he agreed. “That’s why I joined the quest to take back the Lonely Mountain, after all! Needed to prove myself. Well, I’ve done that now, and I’m happy enough with my life. I’m not even sure I really want to go on this Quest, or if I trust Elrond’s advice.” He reached into his pocket and brought out the Ring, staring at it in his palm. “Such a beautiful thing, this,” he said. “Whatever else you can say about him, Sauron was a master craftsman. Not quite as good as the Seven Rings, certainly, but powerful nevertheless.” “What does it do?” Coda asked curiously. “I mean, I got that it’s powerful, but what kind of powerful?” Bombur considered. “I don’t actually know. Dronlir, did I miss something at the council?” “I don’t think so,” Dronlir replied. “They all said it was powerful and evil, but I admit I don’t really know what that means.” Bombur shrugged. “Well, only one way to find out, I suppose.” The Ring looked too tiny to fit his finger, but he tried to force it over his pinky anyway, and as he did it seemed to change size until it fit perfectly. “Bombur!” Dronlir exclaimed. “Oh no - what if Sauron got him?” Bombur blinked. “I’m right here,” he said, and then noticed that he was in fact not there at all. “Oh. Huh.” He slipped the Ring off again. “Invisibility,” Coda said. “That’s its power.” Bombur grinned. “Maybe this is even more powerful than the Seven! Oh, that will be useful. Here, Dronlir, you try it on - let me see what it looks like from the outside!” Dronlir smiled eagerly, accepting the Ring and sliding it on. And then he was gone - absolutely invisible, no trace at all left. Coda yelped as something tugged at his arm. “Hey, stop that!” Bombur chortled. Dronlir appeared as he slid off the Ring, smiling broadly. “Here, your turn!” he said, handing the Ring to Coda. Coda slid the Ring on happily, disappearing just as Dronlir had. This time it was Dronlir’s turn to yelp as his hair was tugged. “Oy!” “Now, enough of that,” Bombur said genially. “I won’t have infighting in this Fellowship! But really, why didn’t they tell us what it could do?” Dronlir nodded, adding, “Why couldn’t just one person sneak into Mordor wearing the Ring and take it all the way to Mount Doom without Sauron noticing?” Coda appeared, and gave the Ring back to Bombur with a nod of thanks. “One person might not be enough?” he suggested. “But I definitely think at least someone should be wearing the Ring all the time. That way if we get attacked, that person can get away even if the rest of us don’t.” Bombur nodded enthusiastically. “Wonderful! We’re agreed, then. Dronlir! Get some food, I’m feeling hungry again.” Dronlir dipped his head and left. Coda took his leave as well, promising to return to talk more tomorrow night. Bombur settled back onto his pillows. It had been a good day, he thought. The food here was just so good. Idly, he played with the Ring in his pocket, slipping it on and off again. And far away, in the land of Mordor, Sauron knew his thoughts, and smiled. Coda (Coda), Fifth Scholar (Bombur), and Elandera (Dronlir) were elected to the Fellowship of the Ring! They were all Corrupted! The Corrupted have won! Vote count Fifth (2): Hael, Straw Coda (2): Coda, Fifth Elandera (2): Elandera, Wonko Striker (1): Striker Assuming Wilson approves when she sees the results, the game will be restarting in just under 24 hours. During this time you may drop out or join if you wish to. If you want to change character, that’s also fine. Unless you tell me you are dropping out, I will assume you wish to play again. There will most likely be a change to the rules around ties, or perhaps the Soothe, but I’ll hold off on what exactly the change will be until I have a chance to talk with Wilson. (And to clarify, don’t take me to mean the Corrupted won only because the game was broken. It’s probably unbalanced, but their win lands squarely on their own shoulders - and the village’s for allowing the possibility of a three-way tie.) Congratulations to the Corrupted on their win! Also, special thanks to Fifth and Kas (along with others) for doing so much PM RP that I felt truly immersed in the world in a way I never have. I hope the RP keeps up next game, because it’s been absolutely fantastic thus far! Player List Doc Links Corrupted Spectators (Master Spreadsheet reserved for reuse)

The cycle is closed! Writeup will be posted in an hour. Sit tight! EDIT: Do not post or PM during this time.

So long as it ends before 2020, please.

I apologize. You’ll get one in the next writeup or tomorrow. I just had to leave right after turnover so couldn’t really take my time with the writeup as I’d have liked.

Important Rule Change: The Corrupted can now remove one vote per turn as a group action. (I.e. a group Soothe) Due to me completely misremembering Wilson's advice, I neglected to add this at the start of game. Oops. >> EDIT: This will be reflected in the writeup - ie, both the number will change and the player affected's name will be removed.

All PMs should be sent out! Let me know if you didn’t get one.

MR38: Cycle 1 - Who Will Take The Ring? Elrond looked at the council before him. If these are who must decide the fate of Arda, I truly hope that the strands of fate somehow twist them together that they can succeed, for I cannot see the way. Those scattered around the room were a motley collection. They had come from across Middle Earth: Kavan and Bombur spoke of Dale and the Lonely Mountain, and Phellom of troubles in Mirkwood. The Rangers, Beren Adaeldah and Striker, were no strangers to his sight, either. But the halfling Scar, the Ringbearer, was wild and strange to his sight. At least Astranwir the Blue was a comfort to him. Perhaps Saruman had been corrupted, but Astranwir had always been an aide and a friend. But aloud, he said, “The Ring must be sent to the Fire, to Mount Doom from whence it came. Some of you must do this. If we are agreed that it must be destroyed, then the only matter remaining is to choose the bearers. “It will be a path of greater peril than perhaps any of you have yet faced. Do not take this burden lightly. And should the quest go astray... Middle Earth may fall to Sauron forever.” He looked slowly around the chamber. “Who will do this?” MR38 has begun! GM PMs should be sent out within the next five minutes. (Writeup may get more added to it later.) Cycle 1 will last 47 hours, until 7am Eastern time. As a reminder, the lynch is different in this game. Please read the rules, they’re very short. PMs are open but must include me and only two players. Wilson has asked not to be included. Player List Good luck! EDIT: The numbers as originally stated in the rules are correct. The Fellowship has seven spots on it, and the Corrupted win if three spots are filled by its members.

*sighs* Welcome to the game.

The game will begin in just under 23 hours. Any last minute spectators or players are welcome! (preferably not one minute before signups close though >>)

While I cannot stop you from playing Ulmo, you are correct that it would make very little sense. Might I suggest one of the Wise? Gandalf is the well-known one, but there are others who are much more varied. If you want water-themed that’s plausible, think of it as sort of a wizard / godling notion and go from there wherever you like. Alternatively, Ulmo appeared to you and sent you here. That’s also totally plausible. Elberond is... I guess it works?

No, sorry. You may PM another player, including me (and possibly the IM, tba) so I can see what you're saying. You cannot have a PM containing more than two players (yourself and one other). Kolo? Also, welcome!

Noted. I’ll add you to the spectator list. (Also, if anyone else doesn’t want to play but is interested in watching, let me know and I’ll get you a link to the spec doc, where we can all watch together!) Rules change: One-on-one PMs are now allowed (so long as you include me).

Absolutely! Added you to the list.

I’m not saying taking turns would be an effective idea. Maybe they just put it in a locked box on a horse that Elrond keeps the key to, and throw the box into the Fire. Harder to use the Ring if you can’t actually get to it. Nor does the initial Ringbearer have to be a Hobbit, either. For all you know, carrying as far as they have already, they have succumbed to it and become Corrupted. Or maybe not. Point is, play whoever you want and I’ll make it work somehow.