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QUENTA SILMARILLION
Basically this occurs in the First Age of Middle-Earth, where the mighty High Elves strove against Morgoth (aka Melkor), a God that walked the world, for 3 jewels called the Silmarils, crafted by Feanor the greatest craftsman that ever was, who captured the Light of the Creation of the world within his perfect creations.
To give a quick comparison to the 3rd Age of Middle-Earth - Sauron is essentially similar to Gandalf, both are of essence Spirits (called Maia), whereas Morgoth was a God that predated the creation of the world. The Balrog that Gandalf encountered in Moria is also considered a Spirit-level being, and Morgoth in his time, ruled over all the Balrogs there were, and moved them in regiments over battlefields. Morgoth himself also was the creator of Orcs, and later on, Werewolves, Wyrms, Wyrms made of pure Iron or Flame, and Winged Dragons.
The Elves were by no means the pale pathetic shadow of the 3rd Age. Despite Morgoth's power, the forefathers of Elrond besieged his realm Angband and the fortress of Thangorodrim, with relative ease, keeping it up for more than half of the First Age, almost 400 years.
The scenarios from this storyline that you may look out for as you visit the Chronicle at
http://mywebpages.co...-Chronology.htm
would be -
( additional detail from the actual Silmarillion itself )
The Kinslaying - how Feanor and his sons slew the Teleri at Aqualonde to gain their ships to sail to Middle-Earth in pursuit of Morgoth
The Death of Feanor - how the freshly landed Noldor (High Elves), barely establishing a foothold, and only less than 1/3 of them was there under the command of Feanor's house, devastated the orc army sent upon them in the dark. Feanor pursued almost halfway to Angband before a Balrog ambush took him and his bodyguards that had outstripped the rest, and he fought Gothmog Lord of Balrogs son of Morgoth to a standstill until his bodyguards were all dead and one of the Balrogs crept up behind him and sliced his helm and head open.
Rescue of Maedhros - Maedhros is captured by Morgoth and nailed by one hand to the cliff behind Morgoth's Fortress. Fingon sneaks in alone and rescues him after the King of Eagles lifts him up to where Maedhros was nailed by his hand. Fingon weeps for his friend but Maedhros bids him chop his right hand off, and from there they fly to safety on the King of Eagles' back. Henceforth, Maedhros renounces his position as High King of High Elves and gives it over to Fingolfin. Hard to implement in BG2
The Emergence of Glaurung - Not really focus, I think this would be optional if we run out of scenarios
The Glorious Battle - thus begins the Siege of Angband, which lasts for nearly 400 years, coordinated by Fingolfin
The Battle of Sudden Flame - ends the Siege of Angband. Fingolfin rides single handedly (through hosts of orcs occupying an area probably twice the size of Rohan, which is the approximate size of Ard-Galen) to the gates of Thangorodrim, and shouts a personal combat challenge to Morgoth. Morgoth emerges, and suffers 7 wounds at his hand, before he finally manages to kill Fingolfin the Valiant. Fingon his firstborn is made High King of the High Elves
Adventures of Barahir - a Ranger with 12 men wreak havoc in enemy territory. This would be optional
Tale of Beren and Luthien - non-war but MUST have
the human Beren falls in loves with Luthien, the immortal daughter of Elven King Thingol, and departing together, they destroy Sauron the Lord of Werewolves Castle, where Finrod firstborn of Finarfin (the oldest brother of Galadriel) dies to defend Beren. After that they infiltrate Morgoth's castle and pry a Silmaril out of his iron crown. Beren's hand gets bitten off by the greatest of Werewolves, Carcharoth, who goes berserk and then is later hunted down and killed, and the Silmarillion retrieved. Beren is mortally wounded and dies, but Luthien visits the Halls of the Dead and manages to get him back. She chooses mortality of a human rather than the immortality of her heritage and they depart from Thingols' kingdom to live quietly.The Battle of Unnumbered Tears - the betrayal of the elves by men. Morgoth's reign of power basically begins from here. Fingon is slain and Turgon his second brother is made High King of the High Elves
Turin the Blacksword - adventures of Turin from his days of raiding and how he slew his best friend Beleg who rescued him, successfully, from being enslaved by the orcs. He claims the broken Blacksword (Anglachel, also known as Gurthang) from Beleg and goes to Nargothrond
Fall of Nargothrond - Turin reforges the Blacksword, then he and Orodreth the king of Nargothrond the hidden and prospering hidden citadel of stone, belonging to the high elves, do battle against the invading army of orcs led by Glaurung Father of Dragons. They are defeated and Nargothrond is utterly destroyed. Turin survives and flees to Brethil where he marries his sister Nienor, who he has never met and who has lost her memory, including that of her name.
Death of Glaurung - Glaurung heads to Brethil, but before he can reach it he is slain by Turin who takes him by surprise while he is crossing a gorge, plunging the Blacksword into his underbelly. As he dies he lifts the spell cast on Turin's sister and she commits suicide knowing that she has married her brother. Turin, awakening to know the full tale, also kills himself on the tip of the Blacksword.
Tuor's Adventures - escaping enslavement by the men of Morgoth, he raids them ceaselessly before meeting Voronwe and speaking with Ulmo the God of the Seas and Waters, he recovers the armor and sword of king Turgon, now the High King of the High Elves. From there Voronwe guides him to the hidden city of Gondolin, last of the hidden elven bastions.
Death of Thingol - Thingol is given the Necklace of Dwarves and invites Dwarven smiths to forge it together with the Silmaril that Beren retrieved. The dwarves do it flawlessly, but refuse to return it. The smiths kill Thingol, and are in turn slain by their elven hosts.
First War of Doriath - dwarves attack Doriath kingdom of Thingol for the Silmaril and Necklace of Dwarves. they succeed but are destroyed in an ambush by an army of elves led by Beren, who claims the Silmaril. Optional.
Destruction of Doriath, the 2nd Kinslaying - Dior son of Beren, now holding the Silmaril after the death of Beren, is attacked by all 7 sons of Feanor. Dior is slain, while Celegorm Caranthir and Curufin of the sons of Feanor are killed as well, and Doriath is utterly destroyed. The Silmaril is borne by Dior's daughter Elwing to the Havens at the Mouth of Sirion
Fall of Gondolin -
The hidden city of Gondolin has its location betrayed by Maeglin and is assaulted by the fullest might of Morgoth. Morgoth fields wyrms of pure fire and wyrms of iron as orcish transports for the first time in this battle ; however, it is also in this battle that some Balrogs are finally destroyed ; Tuor and Ecthelion of the Fountain slay 9 of them, but they meet Gothmog son of Morgoth Lord of Balrogs, and in the battle Ecthelion is killed, but Gothmog also perishes. the King's Guard manages to kill a Wyrm of Flame by forcing it into the depths of the Fountain, but the rising scalding steam wipes out the remnants of the King's Guard. Turgon is slain, and Tuor and Idril with their son Earendil escape from the back. Glorfindel the Golden, as the rearguard of the entourage, slays a Balrog on the steep cliffs, but the dying demon drags him down into the chasm where he is killed. The remnants arrive at the Havens at the Mouth of Sirion
<< this battle is described in great detail in one of Tolkeins book and is very epic
Must-have! It will likely be broken down into at least 4 or 5 maps. Possibly broken down into separate scenarios, for eg. the Ramparts of Gondolin, the Death of Gothmog, the Last Stand of the King's Guard, and Escape through the Encircling Hills.>> << Off the side note, readers of the original Tolkein know that in Fellowship of the Ring, it wasn't Arwen but a high elf named Glorfindel who went to battle the Black Riders at the Ford; his might was such that he could deal with more than one of them at one time armed with little more than a torch.
Tolkein states that elves are immortal and no two elves are given the same name. Plus all High Elves have dark hair except one ; Glorfindel the Golden alone had golden hair, which was the described hair color of the High Elf that warded the Black Riders off at the Ford. It would therefore make it likely that Glorfindel did not in fact perish at the Fall of Gondolin but survived to help escort the Ring bearer Frodo to eventually reach Rivendell.
In terms of seniority, he would probably be something like a bodyguard of Elrond's GrandMother, who is Idril wife of Tuor, but ultimately still considered of a "retainer" status rather than royalty like Elrond. >>
Destruction of the Havens - While Earendil is away sailing and seeking help from the Gods, the 4 remaining sons of Feanor attack the Havens at Sirion and destroy it. Amrod and Amras of the sons of Feanor are slain, and Elwing by then wife of Earendil, throws herself into the sea, but is transformed into a seabird by Ulmo to light Earendil's path to the land of the Gods.
War of Wrath - The Gods have assembled their armies and now invade Middle-Earth, largely dominated by Morgoth, led by Earendil on his (now flying) ship. Morgoth's army is wiped out, and his last hope of victory are the sudden emergence of a race of flying Dragons that manage to turn the tide for a while. However Earendil on his flying ship slays Ancalagon the Black, the greatest of the Flying Dragons, and most of the rest are slain. Morgoth is defeated and cast into the void
ZYRAEN'S NOTES
The mod begins at the Havens, where you are a commander of Earendil and the remnants of the peoples there. Earendil has not yet set sail, but the Havens is under frequent attacks by Morgoth's forces, and Earendil himself has taken ill, a condition unheard of among Elves. Elwing reveals that there is some disturbance in the timestream of the past, by an unknown force, and Earendil is channeling his powers to prevent its effects from washing over the Havens.
You are given some time to select your party members from among the most capable leaders of the Havens. You can also choose one out of her two sons, either Elrond or Elros, to take along in your journey to the past.
1) Eventually, after all major events have been visited and sorted out, you and your party return to "modern" Havens, only to find it over run and assaulted by the 4 remaining Sons of Feanor. Survive this Battle and rescue Elrond and Elros from the Sons of Feanor.
2) Welcome Earendil back and ensure that he survives to the end of the Battle. Fight alongside Earendil and the hosts of the Gods to destroy the enemy and slay all the Winged Dragons that come against you. Unlikely an easy battle
3) Cutscenes involving the source of the timestream disturbances. Finally your party is sent by the Gods to investigate and you confront Morgoth in the void, at the source of Time (Throne of Bhaal? lol). Defeat him (and his minions) to end the story.
JOINABLE NPCs
From the Havens (at most 3 of the following will join you)
You can only take one of the following, though you may choose neither.
Elrond - Male High Elf F/M- prince of the Havens.
Elros - Male High Elf F/C - prince of the Havens (edited from first post)
Khorin - Male Dwarf F/C - one of the leaders of the fugitives from the Dwarven kingdom Nogrod
Myravin - Female High Elf F/T - asst head of intelligence unit in Havens. Romanceable
Illuvi - Male Wood Elf Ranger/Cleric - one of the leaders from Doriath. trusted by Elwing. Romanceable.
Maric - Male Human Paladin - Skilled human leader in Havens
Kyra - Female Human Mage - Skilled human leader in Havens. Romanceable
From the Time-streams (picked up during scenarios)
Finarfin - Male High Elf Sorcerer - youngest brother of Feanor and Fingolfin, father of Finrod, Orodreth, Galadriel. also known as Finarfin the Wise. Has limited access to cleric/druid spells and bonus spell slots. He will join you if you show him proof that you are who you claim to be. He will become hostile if during any mission, you attack any members (including soldiers) from the house of Finarfin (ie troops of Finrod, Orodreth, Galadriel, etc) or Fingolfin (Fingon, Turgon, Idril, Tuor). Some events may affect him drastically. Finarfin is meant to be a slightly more powerful character than average NPC. Obtainable from the Kinslaying at Aqualonde.
Finrod - Male High Elf F/M - firstborn of Finarfin, founded the Elven Hidden City of Nargothrond, which was later ruled by his brother Orodreth. after being captured by Sauron, he and Beren and his squad were beaten, starved, and chained, with a werewolf sent to eat one of them everyday to reveal their identity. When only he and Beren were left, the next to be eaten was Beren, but Finrod burst his shackles and despite his weakened and injured state, fought armorless and weaponless against the Werewolf and killed it with his bare hands, before dying of his wounds. Romanceable if he joins you. Obtainable from the Tale of Beren and Luthien
Gharin - Male Dwarf Cleric - smith that forged the Necklace of Dwarves together with the Sylmarel. Advocated not killing Thingol, was trying to convince him to hand it over. He was slain together with the blacksmiths after Thingol was killed. Has extra spell slots. Obtainable from the Death of Thingol.
Beleg - Male High Elf Ranger - friend of Turin, one of the ranger captains of Doriath. known to Illuvi. has bonus points in some weapons. previously wielded the Blacksword. He can use the Blacksword if you get it off Turin's scenario. Romanceable if he joins you. Obtainable from the Adventures of Turin.
Turin - Male Human Berserker - slayer of Glaurung, by whom he was in turn slain by (indirectly). Arrogant and abrasive, angsty and aloof, yet he is also persuasive and cunning in his own right. Wields the Blacksword in combat. Romanceable but you won't be able to really have him. Meant to be Stronger than Normal NPC. Obtainable from the Death of Glaurung.
Imari - Female Wood Elf F/T - younger sister of Illuvi, who perished in the destruction of Doriath preventing the invading armies from reaching her older brother, who was moving to rescue Elwing. She remembers Illuvi as much more serious and overbearing than he was when he was with you. Romanceable if she joins you. Obtainable from the Destruction of Doriath.
Emaeva - Female High Elf M/T - assistant commander under Caranthir. she refused Caranthir's advances and without support, her outpost along the March of Maedhros was destroyed by an army of invaders . It is not known if she was slain or fled or was taken as a slave under Morgoth. Obtainable from the Battle of Sudden Flame, but if you rescue her you will probably not be able to complete the scenario.
LIST OF ROMANCEABLES
Male PC - Myravin, Kyra, Imari, (Emaeva?)
Female PC - Illuvi, Beleg, Finrod. (Maric?)
TIME STREAM NOTES
Every Scenario has certain critical objectives. These objectives, if failed, will cause everyone in the party to suffer XP and Level losses. However, a scenario can be abandoned before the objective fails, by leaving combat and summoning up your timeless slipstream (similar to Pocketplane). This way you can "fail" a map without incurring penalties.
If any party member in a Scenario meets himself or herself (ie comes within Detect Radius), the party member will fall over and immediately suffer Level and XP Loss. Being on the same map is fine.
Although scenarios may be run multiple times, only the LATEST attempt is considered. ie you may have completed a scenario many times, but if you attempt it one more time and fail it or do not complete it, it is considered FAILED.
All level losses are not reversible UNTIL you regain the XP that you have lost. Then the Level debuff will be removed. XP losses are permanent.
Most Characters will try to remain discreet or at least act similar to their old selves when facing people that they know from the past. However occasionally this may cause hostilities, due to the commander suspecting you are a trickery from Morgoth or other interesting effects.
Most weapons and armor will be fairly ordinary, though you can purchase just about anything you need from Aule's representative in the halls of Mandos.
Most Battlefield scenarios will not allow Resting, although Saving outside of combat is fine.
For "Legendary" +3 Weapons
eg. Ringil (sword of Fingolfin), The First Blade (sword of Feanor), Glamdring (sword of Turgon, later on sword of Gandalf), Anglachel aka Blacksword (sword of Beleg, later broken and reforged as sword of Turin)
Due to the ability to replay scenarios, logically speaking you could get a tonne of powerful +3 weapons by replaying the same stages. The game prevents this by spawning the weapon only ONCE, when the scenario is first completed to the extent the weapon shows up. Other than that it will not spawn again.
For eg the death of Feanor allows you to gain his weapon, but on your First Attempt it is unlikely you will be able to complete it. You'll have to prevent Feanor's early demise, crush the orcs, and when he pursues the Balrogs AND is slain by them, THEN the weapon will spawn. Trying to murder Feanor early on in the map will NOT spawn the weapon. However, ONCE Feanor is slain, you have to defeat whatever demons that's left to get the weapon ; if you choose to avoid the demons hanging around him, after a certain amount of time the elven host will arrive, causing the demons to leave and end the scenario (having completed it). henceforth the weapon will never spawn again.
ELVEN FACTIONS
These roughly describe the disposition of the different Elven Houses and their Commanders when encountered on the Battlefield, and in fact in general as well.
Feanor's House - suspicious and wary, but very courageous. distrustful but hate Morgoth and his armies with a burning passion
Fingolfin's House - courageous, friendly, needs reason to distrust but also reason to trust. most driven by tactical benefit; ie makes sense to invade.
Finarfin's House - very friendly but very cautious, unless all is on their side. most driven by need to aid someone.
Thingol's House - suspicious and withdrawn. cautious but courageous. prefers ranged combat over melee. will move to defend their own.
Beor's House - the house of Men loyal to cause of the Elves. very fierce and courageous, likely to charge into the assault and be killed. when in small bands, they are masters of guerilla warfare. can be likened to barbarians.
Edited by Zyraen, 21 December 2007 - 12:20 AM.
