Minas Tirith City Hall (OOC)

[Ercassie]

OK well I'd hoped to have tied up a few more loose RP ends before I do this, but I guess its no surprise that i didn't manage it. I have been having to force posts out, by which i mean its been a literal endless editing nightmare for almost every single one, in a vain effort just to keep up, for far too long now. Months if not more. My post list is consistently over thirty at almost any given time and I need a break. Before I break. It has reached that point now.

Since this is not a sudden whim of a decision though, some of you are already aware of my plan to resort to this, after having already tried several other methods of resolving my mad 'to do' list. So some alibis and permissions for IC gap filling and things have been worked out to try to limit the impact on the rpgs i am involved in. Thankyou so much to those wonderful people who have been so generous in working that out with me.

Just to make it official then, I am taking at least the rest of this month off from Plaza RP. Because I'm Bilbo's butter right now, spread way too thin over far too many slices of bread. I guess that's all there is to say. Except that I will miss not only you but all that you amazing people do here, in the meantime. Thankyou for putting up with me when the waiting became ridiculous. Sorry for making such a mess of things.

See you on the other side.

[Arnyn]

@Ercassie You haven't made a mess of things as far as I'm concerned. Love you and your writing and I will miss both - so hope to see you back sooner rather than later! That said, you need what you need and I am on support team Cassie!

[Pele Alarion]

@Ercassie I'm joining in with Arnyn there - certainly love you as a person, and your posts! Hopefully you will find the time away refreshing for you, and I'll try not to start looking for you already this very minute. Also, if you need a random chat, you know where to find me. Can't promise I won't come hunting you with virtual hugs, silly gifs and such now and then.

[Lail]

as someone with a way, way shorter list than you @Ercassie, I still understand and I'm not really keeping up anymore myself. I hope you have a lovely break and come back whenever you're ready. Remember it's ok to let some things go unfinished or abandon them if that is what you need. maybe it helps to hear someone else say that. rest up, have a cuppa tea, and stay well!

[Rillewen]

Will miss you a lot Ercassie, but definitely take care of yourself first and foremost.

I may leave a few posts in some of the rps we had on pause, to give you something to read in your absence. Just wanted to let you know not to feel obliged to reply to anything until you're good and ready. There's just a few that I've been itching to post back to, lol. So don't be surprised if a few posts show up now and then

[Karis Ziranphel]

Have a good thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful for all of you and the many years of being a part of this community no matter how much or how little I have time to write.
I have family visiting through the weekend, so won't be online as much, although I'll probably still check in occasionally to see what is new.

[Rillewen]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

[Hanasian]

OK well I'd hoped to have tied up a few more loose RP ends before I do this, but I guess its no surprise that i didn't manage it. I have been having to force posts out, by which i mean its been a literal endless editing nightmare for almost every single one, in a vain effort just to keep up, for far too long now. Months if not more. My post list is consistently over thirty at almost any given time and I need a break. Before I break. It has reached that point now.

Since this is not a sudden whim of a decision though, some of you are already aware of my plan to resort to this, after having already tried several other methods of resolving my mad 'to do' list. So some alibis and permissions for IC gap filling and things have been worked out to try to limit the impact on the rpgs i am involved in. Thankyou so much to those wonderful people who have been so generous in working that out with me.

Just to make it official then, I am taking at least the rest of this month off from Plaza RP. Because I'm Bilbo's butter right now, spread way too thin over far too many slices of bread. I guess that's all there is to say. Except that I will miss not only you but all that you amazing people do here, in the meantime. Thankyou for putting up with me when the waiting became ridiculous. Sorry for making such a mess of things.

See you on the other side.

Hey, I hear you, and I get it. I've always had an issue with over commitment to RPs on RP Repository and find myself doling out mediocre replies. Sometimes we just have to recalibrate and find our center again. All the best in that endeavor for you Ercassie.

Question for the hive-mind here in the White City... I have a rather intricate and detailed collaborative RP story I'd like to share. I would like to post it here as a period story set in Gondor in an early third age time period. It would I suppose be like a 'private' RP thread. Thoughts?

[Pele Alarion]

@Hanasian
Mediocre replies is my field of specialisation. I often end up with posts that are more or less standard 2-3 short paragraphs with basic info. It gets the job done, though sometimes I wish I could write detailed, intricate, long RP posts.

I think you can easily use the existing free RP thread of appropriate locations and title your posts with a location, timing, title, etc. Though perhaps private RP masterminds can advise you better, @Rillewen , @Ercassie , and perhaps also @Arnyn .

[Hanasian]

I think you can easily use the existing free RP thread of appropriate locations and title your posts with a location, timing, title, etc.

I was kind of thinking that, though what if the story isn't limited to just the one area? Some of it is set in Osgiliath, some is set in Minas Anor, some in Pelargir, some in Edhellond, and some in Umbar. The years are 1428 III to 1448 III.

[Rillewen]

As far as I know, there are no rules to limit you from creating your own personal thread for it if you want to do that. But I would ask the admins to be sure

[Arnyn]

@Hanasian Do I understand it right that you have a story you want to post, taking place in different areas and throughout different years, and more specifically a story you want no interaction with (here and now)?

Because you could definitely use the existing free RP threads for that. You could post parts of the story in the applicable free rp threads, label your posts to show they are part of that particular story (use the same main title for all your posts), along withthe specific place and the year that part of the story is taking place in.
You could then also label your posts 'private' so people know you're not looking for other characters barging in.
That's how most people do it if it's RP with characters they also play in other RP threads across kingdoms!

I have not seen people making a thread in an RP kingdom that is private for one person. That doesn't seem right lol. Threads in rp kingdoms are supposed to be for groups of people, not just one person.
So! If you want a private thread for your story, maybe the Cottage of Lost Play is what you should be looking at to post it. Or if you want it to be plaza-members only, Gondolin is also an option.

[Hanasian]

@Hanasian Do I understand it right that you have a story you want to post, taking place in different areas and throughout different years, and more specifically a story you want no interaction with (here and now)?

Because you could definitely use the existing free RP threads for that. You could post parts of the story in the applicable free rp threads, label your posts to show they are part of that particular story (use the same main title for all your posts), along withthe specific place and the year that part of the story is taking place in.
You could then also label your posts 'private' so people know you're not looking for other characters barging in.
That's how most people do it if it's RP with characters they also play in other RP threads across kingdoms!

I have not seen people making a thread in an RP kingdom that is private for one person. That doesn't seem right lol. Threads in rp kingdoms are supposed to be for groups of people, not just one person.
So! If you want a private thread for your story, maybe the Cottage of Lost Play is what you should be looking at to post it. Or if you want it to be plaza-members only, Gondolin is also an option.

Ok, thanks for this. I at first looked at 'Cottage' but the works there seemed more 'General' than 'Tolkien' to me. Asked about the Kingdom of Gondor since the story takes place in Gondor, but I get why it wouldn't be accepted. I suppose if I wanted to present the outline and post a starter and have it open for participation it would be accepted in Gondor?

I could break it up among the various 'Area' threads, but having a few posts here and there and attempting to link them in order seems a bit difficult. I'm sure it could be done though. For some reason I never feel right putting 'private' posts in the middle of a continuing RP exchange usually between two writers that may be going on for pages. That is usually what I see taking place in the Area threads, and it great. I love reading along with some of them. I know that's how things are done here; it just always felt 'odd' to me. That's on me though, not the Plaza.

Anyway, I'll ponder this some more while I edit the story to present in a forum format. I'm thinking at this point I'll just dump it on a thread in Cottage and call it a day since the formatting will already be set. Just thought that because it's Gondor-centric that it would fit within the Gondor realm. Thank you everyone for your responses.

Quick question... does anyone know what the character limit is for a single post?

[Lail]

hey @Hanasian! if your story takes place all in the Third Age, you could also post it all in the Tales from the Deeps of Time: Third Age Free RP which is not bound by geography, only by the Third Age. hope all the options help you find a fit that makes you happy for your story! I don't know the character limit but I am pretty sure @Rivvy Elf does.

[Rivvy Elf]

@Lail You have a good memory, haha!

@Hanasian If it's like 10,000 words then you're around the character limit.

[Hanasian]

@Hanasian If it's like 10,000 words then you're around the character limit.

Ah, I see. Like Tolkienforums of old. Didn't think it was so short but I'm sure there is reasons. I've decided what I'm doing then. Thanks everyone.

[Arnyn]

@Hanasian The suspense, though! What did you decide on?

[Hanasian]

@Hanasian The suspense, though! What did you decide on?

@Arnyn, Sorry.... um... I forgot. I think someone came in my office and so I just posted without completing. I'll probably post random private posts in the 'area' threads until such time I run into the 10,000 character limit. It becomes a real hassle at that point so will probably drop the project when I run into that wall... unless I feel like 'splitting the posts', which I probably won't. I should have asked what the limit was right away.

I may also start an open thread in Gondor with the preamble and backstory information and see if it gains any interest. Who knows, may end up writing a whole new account of the events from different characters?

[Hanasian]

I've debated over the week whether to post the beginning of my story in this thread but it seems like it would be out-of-place inserting such a big difference of scene in what has the feel of a private group RP. It doesn't feel right.

Thinking I'll just start my own thread, and if the powers that be don't like it they can either move it or delete it.

[Rillewen]

I understand that feeling, as I've felt the same myself. So I'll just repeat what others have said to me: it's an open thread. You can post whatever you want there. It's not like your story is actually going to intrude on the other.

In fact, you may have noticed that I posted several solo things of my own in that very thread, right in the middle of the Rp story I have going there. Many of us will use the same thread for multiple stories going on at once, it's just a matter of when someone gets around to making a reply.

But you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with

There are also rp threads like this and this which you can use if your story is going to move to different locations.
Or, what I'll do sometimes if my stories cross into different locations, I'll just add a link to the last post saying "continued here" and in the first post of the new location saying "continued from here" so if anyone else is following along they can easily find the whole story.

Also, if you'd like to find someone to join you in rping, you can always ask for anyone willing to participate in stories

[Karis Ziranphel]

Only a few more days until the longest night and the days start getting longer again (for those in the northern hemisphere)!

[Pele Alarion]

The future is not yet here, but still - may the New Year fulfill some of your hopes and dreams, people!

[Arnyn]

A Happy and Fulfilling 2024, folks!

[Hanasian]

(Ten Weeks Later) So I've been editing this story for the Library of Annúminas and decided to post the thing here in the various roleplay areas. The first two parts are up, with the summary and overview of the Kin Strife in the Northern Fiefdoms since most of what is described happens around Minas Anor and Osgiliath, with some mention of Ithilien. The second part is a scene.. more of the actual story... set in Edhellond so it went into the Southern Fiefdom area. It is likely the rest of the story will be posted in these two areas. I'll number them and link them so they can be read in order should anyone actually be interested.

[Arnyn]

Cool, Hanasian! Are you enjoying it?

[Durien]

Hi y’all! I didn’t realize this ever got back up and was running after it crashed the last time. I’m looking forward to looking around later. How is everyone?

[Rillewen]

Hi, I don't know you but maybe I will now that you're here! I'm well :) Hope you are, too.

[Ercassie]

It is very lovely to see you around again @Durien.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Hi Durien, nice to see you again! Old name, definitely. I am around and about, popping in and out, and most commenting in the Lore Section these days. It is slow around here, but we get on quite nicely.

[Pele Alarion]

@Durien !!! So good to see you!
Alive and kicking, if you ask how things are.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

@RillewenHey! I think you posted in the wrong section for our Roleplay (Journey to Minas Tirith with Xyler and Hadassa). We should be not be in Southern Gondor. We should be in Northern Gondor, I believe. According to this map, we should be just past Edoras, heading into the Eastfold right now. We are taking the Great West Road to Minas Tirith, not cutting through the mountains to Erech.

If we went to Erech instead, we'd be travelling through a mountain pass of some sort, and it would take a lot longer--so we would not be at that point in the story yet. If we wanted to do that, we'd need to describe going through some more trecherous terrain--rocky, steep, mountain paths (harder on the horses), forests, possibly crossing rivers. In October I would think the mountain pass could be snowy as well.

But either way, we are not there yet. We only went up a small mountain outside Edoras to the grandma's village, and back down that mountain, heading towards Eastfold. So we are just outside Edoras at this point. :D

I believe we should be right here, headed back to the main road (Great West Road/Royal Road), coming back from the village.

[Rillewen]

Hi, Melahny. Sorry, I thought you would have seen the discord message I left for you and Pele. But actually, the mountain pass that we used (which I invented) is actually a pass that crosses the white mountains from Rohan into Gondor and comes out near Erech. That is what Xyler and Hadassa set out to do, is to cross the mountains and travel the majority of their trip through Gondor, rather than Rohan, because it seemed more exciting to them, as first-time travelers.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Ahhh okay, I thought we had changed plans and we going the direct way. I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense for my character to go the long route--what should I do? I could have her change her mind... so she could trade throughout the smaller Gondor towns. Are those settlements very populated at this point in (I think we're in the early 4th Age)?

So we're still currently going through that pass, right? Because I think it would take a few days from Edoras to Erech even with this handy little shortcut! :)

[Karis Ziranphel]

I couldn't help but see this, although I haven't been following your RP, and would like to add a reminder that this invention would need to be a high and difficult pass, or Aragorn would not have needed to take the paths of the Dead to cross the mountains at that point. So it would necessarily take a good amount of time even if more direct (you determine how much). Cheers!

[Rillewen]

I responded to melahny's comments in discord, but I figure I should say something here so it doesn't look like I'm ignoring people lol.

Well, I had initially thought that the paths of the dead had come out at a different point, closer to pelargir since that is where they intercepted the corsair ships. But, after taking a closer look at maps to check this fact, I realize that is actually the same place I had this one ending. So, I am glad that was pointed out, although it does change things. So, I'll have to give it some thought now.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

@RillewenPerhaps they can go on for some time through the mountain pass to solve this? But if we want to be quick about in the writing, we can jump skip through this part lol. Like "And so, they crossed through the mountain pass, at times treacherous it was, but they persevered. In (such many hours/days) they had come to the other side!" Or something like that but not as cheezy. Haha.

Thanks @Karis Ziranphel for the insight.

[Rillewen]

Sure that works for me, melahny :)

[Ercassie]

The time of year might also have made a difference maybe. Aragorn took the Paths of the Dead in March. Xyler and friends are trekking the mountains in September.

Maybe it was made impassable by snow or something at certain times of the year, and not at other times ? Maybe there had been an avalanche recently, that would have taken too much time to dig a path back through, but which was later cleared. The history of the pass that Xyler described to his friends involved a history of wolves using the mountain pass as well ... There could be any number of reasons why it is a more accessible route to the healers some years after the army were trying to cross into Gondor.

[Rillewen]

Good points, Ercassie :)

I think if we just gloss over the whole 'crossing the pass' portion, it should all be fine.
Though I am still very curious how Aragorn and co came out of the PoD near Erech in Lamedon, and yet managed to get to Pelargir in such a short amount of time that, to me (who just listened to the audiobook of that a week or two ago), it seemed like they must have only been like a few hours' march from there to Pelargir when they emerged from the paths. I mean, I'm not arguing that they did whatever Tolkien says they did, I just have trouble wrapping my mind around them covering that distance in that amount of time.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

@Rillewen @Pele Alarion For our Rohan/Gondor RP, is it Pele's turn to post or mine? I think Pele's character would go next but not sure if she knows.

[Rillewen]

I believe it is her turn, but she's been sick and traveling and not feeling well, so that's why she hasn't posted much

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen , @Melahny_oftheWoods I'll get there, hopefully sooner rather than later. :)

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

No worries. I wasn't sure whose turn. No rush. :)

[Silky Gooseness]

Hi @Vardarianna! Welcome to roleplaying in Gondor, and thanks for submitting your character roleplay description which was very creative and interesting! I look forward to seeing what you write.

Just a few helpful tips for you going forward:

- Most of the current roleplay going on in Gondor is set in the Fourth Age in about the 4-5th year. Your character may be outside of this - it may help to check with people before jumping into roleplaying with them (here is a good place to tag people in and ask questions)!

- You may wish to solo roleplay, writing just as yourself and any NPCs or non-player characters - that’s additional characters that you write to interact with your main character. You’re free to make your own stories and settings, and check with thread runners where you’re exploring someone else’s setting!

- Your character looks to be a non-canon spin-off. This is a fun aspect to explore but of course not all other roleplayers may wish to engage with this if they’re playing in a more canon setting! But don’t worry, there is room for all sorts of stories here.

- we have more guidance on roleplaying and thread running in our admin forum pinned to the top! This is a good place to start: viewtopic.php?t=741

Hope you have fun here and don’t hesitate to tag if you have any questions or want to chat!

[Vardarianna]

Hi @Vardarianna! Welcome to roleplaying in Gondor, and thanks for submitting your character roleplay description which was very creative and interesting! I look forward to seeing what you write.

Just a few helpful tips for you going forward:

- Most of the current roleplay going on in Gondor is set in the Fourth Age in about the 4-5th year. Your character may be outside of this - it may help to check with people before jumping into roleplaying with them (here is a good place to tag people in and ask questions)!

- You may wish to solo roleplay, writing just as yourself and any NPCs or non-player characters - that’s additional characters that you write to interact with your main character. You’re free to make your own stories and settings, and check with thread runners where you’re exploring someone else’s setting!

- Your character looks to be a non-canon spin-off. This is a fun aspect to explore but of course not all other roleplayers may wish to engage with this if they’re playing in a more canon setting! But don’t worry, there is room for all sorts of stories here.

- we have more guidance on roleplaying and thread running in our admin forum pinned to the top! This is a good place to start: viewtopic.php?t=741

Hope you have fun here and don’t hesitate to tag if you have any questions or want to chat!

Thanks for this. I have noted that most OCs in the threads I have read write within a certain timeframe, and I may create a character in that timeframe in the future.

I am curious how my character is perceived as 'non-canon'. Spinoff she is for sure as she is an OC based on the fact that Aragorn and Arwen had daughters (at least two, possibly more), which is canon. I have researched the 4th age pretty heavily and am pretty sure my OC fits within the lines of canon (what has been written by Tolkien). I am always interested in any information on the subject of Aragorn and Arwen's children.

[Silky Gooseness]

Hi Vardarianna! I mean by non-canon that she is, as you describe, an original character invented by you and not by Tolkien, and thus not a canonical Tolkien character. Can she fit *within existing canon*? Yes, of course! Many of us play characters like this or expand upon the bare details that we have of other unnamed characters.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

That is what I did for years with Quennar Tarcelmë. And how Idril Celebrindal played hers in de earliest days of the Plaza. Semi canons are quite fun. There is a bit of a basis, you can expand on in all directions for the future. :)

[Vardarianna]

Hi Vardarianna! I mean by non-canon that she is, as you describe, an original character invented by you and not by Tolkien, and thus not a canonical Tolkien character. Can she fit *within existing canon*? Yes, of course! Many of us play characters like this or expand upon the bare details that we have of other unnamed characters.

Of course, in this line of thinking, ALL OCs in the character submissions thread are "non-canon" since nothing was ever written about them in the legendarium. Not sure why it had to be specifically stated about MC. I've come from places where the saying 'you're character is non-canon' is meant to be derogatory and degrading of one's creation, so I took your comment badly. I am sorry because I see you didn't mean it that way.

I've always taken 'non-canon' as characters and events that have lore that is contrary to the written works, not careful OC creations 'within the lines of canon'. There are many 'unnamed children' ('sons of Arvedui' meaning there was at least two sons, Amliath and his brother, and in MC's case the word 'daughters' in a single line in the appendices meaning Eldarion had at least two sisters; invented by Tolkien I will add), non-existent wives (so many in Tolkien's line of descent are never mentioned as existing, but were obviously needed to birth the sons of the line), unnamed soldiers, etc. to be 'within the lines of canon', but that is just me. Thanks for understanding.

[Rillewen]

Hello Vardarianna! Welcome to the plaza!

I'm not an admin here or anything, but I just wanted to add in a couple of points to what Silky Gooseness said. There's one matter which puzzles me about your character, which is that you're saying she's older than Eldarion, who was born in the first year of the Fourth age. In your character bio, you say that he was born almost 30 years later, which goes against what Tolkien wrote, and is a bit confusing to me.

Since the stories that most of us in Gondor are writing are set about the end of the 1st year and nearly the beginning of the 2nd, Eldarion has only just been born. And so that only leaves a very brief window for another child to be born, since they married in 3019, and Eldarion was born in what would have been 3022, if they hadn't changed to the fourth age. I suppose it is possible, but it would be a very tight timeline. Anyway, it's not a criticism of your character, I just thought I'd point out the inconsistency with the dates, and explain that this might be what the 'non-canon' comment was referring to.

There are plenty of places to write characters in any timeline, so feel free to look around the site. If you want to write future, past, present, or whatever, don't feel like you are stuck writing in any one specific timeline. If you need any help finding your way around, feel free to ask anyone. We also have a discord server for easier chatting with fellow plaza members, if you want to join it :) there's probably a link somewhere but I'm not sure where.

[Vardarianna]

Hello Vardarianna! Welcome to the plaza!

I'm not an admin here or anything, but I just wanted to add in a couple of points to what Silky Gooseness said. There's one matter which puzzles me about your character, which is that you're saying she's older than Eldarion, who was born in the first year of the Fourth age. In your character bio, you say that he was born almost 30 years later, which goes against what Tolkien wrote, and is a bit confusing to me.

Since the stories that most of us in Gondor are writing are set about the end of the 1st year and nearly the beginning of the 2nd, Eldarion has only just been born. And so that only leaves a very brief window for another child to be born, since they married in 3019, and Eldarion was born in what would have been 3022, if they hadn't changed to the fourth age. I suppose it is possible, but it would be a very tight timeline. Anyway, it's not a criticism of your character, I just thought I'd point out the inconsistency with the dates, and explain that this might be what the 'non-canon' comment was referring to.

Could you point be to a cited credible core reference source or sources where it is stated that Eldarion was born in the first year of the 4th age please? I'd love to be directed to it.

I have seen the Tolkiengateway wiki entry on Eldarion) and other wikis state the year 1 birth, but none provide any specific credible reference as to where this information is obtained. The entries on these wikis, being widely editable, include a lot of fan-fictional elements and are clearly 'non-canon'.

I did note this on the Tolkiengateway wiki on Eldarion: In the twelfth note to a text written around 1959 and published in The Nature of Middle-earth, it is said that either the slow maturity of the Half-elven, or the "choice of kindred"[4]:78 extended to the third generation, suggesting that Eldarion, and Tar-Amandil, were among the Half-elven.[4]:82 However, this was changed to the second generation in the actual text.[4]:78 In the same text, Tolkien wrote that Eldarion had lived until the age of 125, most likely having passed away in Fo.A. 126.[4]:79

This does allude to Eldarion being born in year 1, but he dies at age 125 which means he only ruled for six years.

________________________________________________________________


For my character, I have used as reference Appendix A - The story of Aragorn and Arwen of course, along with the entry for Eldarion on Encyclopedia of Arda which estimates Eldarion's year of birth around year 30 of the 4th age. Also, no year of birth is given on The Thain's Book entry on Eldarion. The sources in The Thains Book are thus: Sources:

• Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings: "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen," p. 343-44
• The History of Middle-earth, vol. XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "The Heirs of Elendil," p. 202, 217-18; "The Tale of Years of the Third Age," p. 244-46; "The New Shadow," p. 410, 419-20
• The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Letter #338 (reference to Eldarion's reign lasting 100 years)