Oddsbod

Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age

Finished the illustration for Lady Nesrine's sheet, might do some simple busts for the other two sometime in the future. Nesrine's sheet also has a bit of canon worldbuilding for Near Harad in the RPG, with Lucian's approval, in case anyone's wants some extra Middle Earth deets.

Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age

Lady Nesrine of Harad

Name:
Lady Nesrine

Age:
39

Description:
Lady Nesrine is no stranger to the international stage. She is trained as a soldier, but shines brightest on the political battlefield, where she takes great joy in the metaphorical bloodshed and violence of renegotiated trade routes and an opponent's diplomatic humiliation.

Though Nesrine reigns as Master of Erdir, the northernmost Haradrim kingdom, you can tell just from looking at her that she has set her eyes on a prize somewhere far above everyone else’s shoulders. Her ambition is a force like fire and brimstone, and she has great plans for the future of the Fourth Age.

Even during peacetime, she was always a bit of a thorn in the side of Gondor, which gave her no small popularity among the various Harad nations. It was under her rule that Erdir gained a reputation for frequent (and sometimes successful) political pushes for reestablishing Harad influence in both the great port city Umbar and in Gondorian Harondor. She is most infamous for the brazen and daring construction of Sur Saraf ten years ago, now a prosperous port town on the mouth of the Harnen River, almost directly on top of the border between Near Harad and Southern Gondor. Though never proven, suspicion runs high in the West that Lady Nesrine and Erdir have indirectly sponsored the more aggressive Haradrim tribes in their military clashes with southern Gondor in the past. However, rumors aside, she has allowed free trade and travel by Gondorians in Sur Saraf and the rest of Erdir, even in the current contentious climate of the South. She prefers Gondorians humiliated to killed, and is privately perturbed by some of the recent unrest in the region that has come trickling in from distant Khand. When news reached her of the fall of Minas Ithil, Nesrine dispatched her spies and rangers to the east and north, and decided to personally attend the coming council as representative of Erdir. Harad would not sit on the sidelines while others decided the future of Middle Earth, and there was no one she trusted more than herself to oversee this changing of the tides.

Tall and imposing, Nesrine stands at 6’4”, with a grim black gaze offset by long, slightly smiling lips. Her cunning mouth and scarred jawline are often the only parts of her face visible, as the traditional crown of Erdir covers up its owner’s eyes with a long visor. She has the slow and careful walk of someone who is used to sudden and violent fights. Gold rings glitter at her fingers.

Nesrine wears a long red cloak over immaculate Haradrim scale-armor the color of brass and sunblasted rock. Her kingly overcoat drags a little on the ground behind her, and is marked with intricate gold patterns across the sleeves and back. At her hip is the ceremonial king-sword of Erdir, a pale and beautiful thing carved from mumakil ivory, along with a long and much more pragmatically made sword of yellow iron.

Lady Nesrine is a great believer in knowledge as power, and has invested considerable resources into the research of the past, especially into the smithing arts taught to the southron people by Sauron in the Second Age.

Thought traditionally rule of Erdir fell primarily in the hands of the Erdira Council, Nesrine has fashioned herself with through years of posturing and politicking into a role more fitting a Queen.

Nira Bassar

Name:
Nira Bassar

Age:
26

Description:
Nira is not a great fan of the limelight. Not to be rude or anything, honest, but if you could go talk to someone else that’d be great, thanks. Easily flustered, generally shy, Nira is a natural fit for the silence of the wilds, where he is often dispatched as Lady Nesrine’s personal spy and reconnaissance officer. A slight, unimpressive build, a slight, unimpressive face, soft sad eyes and dark hair cropped close to the head—Nira is the kind of unremarkable-looking person who is perfectly suited for passing from place to place without being noticed.

Nira has scouted the lands of southern Gondor and western Khand since he was first apprenticed to the rangers at 12. Soon, he was spending more time abroad than he was at home. Though deeply loyal to Nesrine (and perhaps harboring a precocious kind of crush on the reigning Master of Erdir), Nira has grown to love the wooded lands of Harondor and central Gondor. He is someone with a deep and quiet appreciation for the natural world, and often acts as a bit of a conscience towards Lady Nesrine, whose tendencies towards industry and technology might occasionally threaten the land around them.

As a ranger, Nira wears a browner variant of the crimson, ankle-length cloak the warriors of Erdir are equipped with, along with a dark hood and lightweight clothing. His arms and legs are armored with Haradrim chainmail, masterly made, while a variety of weapons are kept on hand for multipurpose use. As a woodsman and hunter, Nira carries with him a hand-axe, a bow, and a vicious Harad-made dagger. An expert at identifying plants and herbs for cooking and healing, Nira is at home with the many tools offered to him by the wild, and is skilled at preparing all manner of shelter, medicine, and food.

Nira is easily flattered, and enjoys feeling useful to others.

Basima Khan

Name:
Basima Khan

Age:
32

Description:
Basima is a rather peaceful person, despite her status as Erdir’s Captain of the Guard. Slow and careful, and generally more laid back than you’d expect, Basima is the kind of woman who listens more often than talks, one of those people you associate with rainy days and hot cups of tea. In appearance, however, she more than fits the profile of Lady Nesrine’s armored right hand: a tall and stocky woman in the red cloak and proud armor of Near Harad, with a square jaw and narrow, hawkish eyes, and dark hair pulled back into a series of carefully ordered braids. She has a broad-shouldered build, and stands at nearly six feet, with a habit of folding her arms while listening. Basima herself likes to get to the point quickly and efficiently while talking, but privately enjoys hearing the arguments and quipping of others.

As Captain of the Guard, Basima wears a strange helmet of leather and yellow iron, whose mask-like visor covers up her head with the angry face of a bearded and kingly man. It’s fairly common to see her without it, however, as Basima’s secondary duty requires unobstructed sight.

Basima is a soldier first, but as the sister of the eminent Haradrim blacksmith Diwa Khan, she has learned more than a thing or two on architecture, blacksmithing, and the construction and maintenance of armor and weapons. She has a creative spirit and a fondness for the arts that she rarely makes public outside quick and efficient smithing and repairs, but has noncommittally encouraged Lady Nesrine once or twice to open up trade talks with the dwarves of Khazad-Dum, who she admires.

Though not always visible due to her armor and helmet, Basima is much darker than most Haradrim, and her family traces its roots down to the distant countries on the edge of Far Harad. As outsiders in both the west and the south, she and her sister are appreciative of the faith Nesrine has put in them, and take enormous pride in the high positions they have both achieved in Erdir.

In combat, Basima wields a shield and scimitar, both of which are often seen strapped to her back, and she is especially proficient at bringing the shield to battle as its own unusual blunt force weapon.

Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age

Not a GM, but can I ask, why does everyone apparently like Aquarius? It seems weird to have a character who is universally respected by basically every major race. What has he done that makes Mirkwood like him, an outsider, enough to pay him to go with their representatives to address a major international crisis?

He like to seclude himself, he does bizarre, childish things like literally running off when the subject of his past is brought up, he dabbles in magic (which many non-elves greatly distrust), he is disliked by horses, he is apparently vain and succumbs to flattery easily, and and he has a short temper—these are all things that seem to make him very untrustworthy and unlikely to have a huge network of friends and allies across Middle Earth, right? Like, look at Gandalf. He spent more years than this guy possibly could've just wandering Middle Earth, offering sincerely helpful advice, turning the tides during periods of war, and even then by the time of the War of the Ring many considered him a cheap conjuror and/or a meddler.

Who Believes In Fairytales?

What was the conflict you'd been planning between Terror and Eissen, btw?

Who Believes In Fairytales?

Yea, I'm excited! Can't wait to get down to Serious Busines.

World Warriors: The Nomadic Fist (Quirky Fighting Game Influenced Roleplay)

I do really like "You don't have to make your journey alone" as an overarching theme.

Oof, boss character, nice. Should be a blast. And yea I agree with ending the tournament early.

Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age

<Snipped quote by Oddsbod>

The peace that was made with the Easterlings and Southrons is actually broken now, due to things that are spoilery. That said, you can make such a character if their motivations work out. In fact, we already have one. I would need to fill you in on some things plot-wise, though.

@Lucian

Since Near Harad is so large, and pretty factiony and divided, would it fit within your setting and story for at least some of the tribes to have stayed neutral after the old treaties broke? Or at least, to find the fall of Minas Ithil troubling enough to call a truce and send representatives to Minas Tirith?

Middle-Earth: The Fifth Age

Ooh, yes Lord of the Rings stuff my jammm, this sounds like a whole lot of fun. I'd love to join if you'll have me.

Question though. Will the East and South be open for characters? If the RPG is taking place in the Fifth Age, then it'd be well after Aragorn and his son had made peace with Harad and Khand, so wouldn't they want to send representatives as well? I thought it might be really cool to play as the guard of a Near Harad emissary, and maybe play with all the similarities they share with the Numenoreans, another culture with the background of a powerful race of men that were taught my Sauron/Annatar before quickly collapsing into darkness.

World Warriors: The Nomadic Fist (Quirky Fighting Game Influenced Roleplay)

One of the things that stood out to me and got me interested was the huge variety of very different characters and backstories. Maybe something having to do with that, different people in different places?

You could also do something like with Superman, given how powerful most of the cast is—the struggle to reconcile idealism with reality, fighting and surviving through scenarios where raw strength and fighting aren't the solution, having incredible strength but being forced into situations where that strength isn't the factor it could be.

Something about cooperation? Something about friendship? Something about giving people who might seem like total potatoes, either due to power level or personality, a chance to prove themselves?

Also really like Drag's thing, about purpose.

World Warriors: The Nomadic Fist (Quirky Fighting Game Influenced Roleplay)

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It didn't take much to make the captive bomber talk. The wolf woman took her revolver and shoved its cold metal head against the gangster's crotch—a squeak on initial contact, then a long, drawn out whine as the woman slowly jammed the gun forward. Very efficient, Askin thought, as the bomber quickly spilled the beans.

Askin was over by the coliseum wall, and while the woman was busy taking charge, Askin had rested a hand over the bombs nestled up in the shade, a brass container hidden in the palm of his hand. He did want to have faith—if not in himself, then at least in these scary and rather confident looking strangers. But, if they failed...one less bundle of bombs could only be a good thing. His lips moved imperceptibly, wordless whispers of ki and magic, as he forced himself to block out the bomber's soft little whine. Ugh. How is he still going?

When the wolf woman had what she needed, she made quick and efficient work of the bomber—duct tape to the mouth, duct tape to the limbs. Askin finished his rites, and the bombs vanished into his container. No, this won't matter, Askin thought. Just a safety precaution We can do this. We can do this for sure. Easy-peasy. No bombs are going off today, Askin thought, forcing any thoughts that might've whispered otherwise as far away as he could get them.

"Sounds like we know where they are," the wolf woman said. Then, she turned to Askin. Face-to-face, the bomber incapacitated, he could get a much better look at her now, scarred and strong, and for the first time Askin could see that the wolfishness wasn't just in her ears and tail; the eyes, too, were a beast's eyes. She wore very little clothing. He hoped he wasn't blushing. "Looks like you showed up at a convenient time. Want to help stop a bombing?"

"My childhood dream," said Askin. "Haha. So, uh, how can I help, boss? What's your game?"