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Post by Eru Iluvatar on May 4, 2014 4:15:22 GMT
 “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
The year is 2958 of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, 1358 by Shire Reckoning. Life continues as it has for many. For the rangers of the north, they fight valiantly in the shadows to keep the orcs from raiding and pillaging the Northwest, the south deals with the usual problems like banditry, and like the north, the occasional orc raid.
But events in Middle-Earth are brewing. There are whispers amongst the Dwarves that the child of Thráin, son of Thrór, is looking to begin an expedition that will see that the Dwarves reclaim their lost kingdom of Erebor. However, there is one problem; the dragon known as Smaug. A massive beast, whose armor is like tenfold shields, this teeth are swords, his claws spears. The shock of his tail is a thunderbolt, his wings a hurricane and his breath death.
Needless to say, it's going to be quite a difficult journey. Killing a dragon is no easy task. Even then, they have to find a way into Erebor in the first place! To this end, Thráin's child must find a burglar to help them with their quest. For this, one of the Istari has turned their gaze to the Shire to find a burglar amongst the many hobbits. While they do not know it yet, one of those hobbits is about to have an unexpected journey.The Red Book of Westmarch is an AU retelling of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In this retelling, the canon characters themselves do not exist; but their roles do! Gandalf is not playable, but the Grey Istari is. Because of the nature of this retelling, this means that some events may not go as they did in the books. For example; it is entirely possible for Thráin's child (the Thorin role) to survive the events of The Hobbit should they play their cards right, and change history.
The Red Book of Westmarch offers ample opportunity to develop one's characters both in characterization and in power alongside others and forge a lasting legacy in the history of Middle-Earth. Players can freely dungeon crawl to earn Silver and other goodies and help fight the forces of evil (or even good, if one so desires). Not only that, but roles that originally did not show up in the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are available for play; such as the Blue Istari and the Pirate Lord of Umbar.
The site's timeline takes place right before the beginning of The Hobbit, right before the Unexpected Party. Once the Burglar has been chosen, the expedition to Erebor will take place, setting us off on the path of The Hobbit (though how far it deviates is up to you). Once the expedition is finished, regardless of result, there will be a 60 YEAR TIMESKIP to the events of The Lord of the Rings, so be ready for that!
If the Red Book of Westmarch interests you, then follow the links below!
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