Solo Campaign: Barâz-felak Náli, Part 2

This is the second post of my new solo campaign using Strider Mode for The One Ring™ roleplaying game, published by Free League Publishing. It is unofficial fan-made content and not affiliated with or endorsed by Free League Publishing or Middle-earth Enterprises. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners. Shared freely, not for sale.

You can find a list of all posts pertaining to this campaign on my page The One Ring™ 2nd Edition.  

NAME: BARÂZ-FELAK, THE RED-HEWER

Náli, son of Barzunâk the Hammerer, is one of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. He is also known as Náli the Red-hewer, a proud cousin of Bofur the Miner (Erebor: The Lonely Mountain 21-22). He earned his name during the years after the return of King Dáin Ironfoot to Erebor, when the hammer-song echoed in the halls once again. 

I needed some inspiration to complete my character's backstory. I already knew (made up) that Náli was a miner who was named the Red-hewer after he split hard rock with his mattock and uncovered a treasure seam filled with rubies and garnet. However, I wanted to tell it in a way that felt Tolkienesque and incorporated a bit of Khuzdul (which I admit I am no expert in), so I asked ChatGPT for some help. Since this was entirely for brainstorming purposes and ideas for my game, I felt that it was completely appropriate. What I got back surprised me, so I used it (some of it word-for-word) to help me write the following to tell the story of his naming. 

Náli was skilled in hard rock and set to work in the old lower deeps, where the rock was black with age. There, his famed uncle Bofur was an overseer, and he had marked a stubborn wall of felak-zahar (axe-stone as the Dwarves called it), for he was sure that richer seams lay beyond.

For three days and nights Náli hammered, the head of his mattock ringing like a bell throughout the tunnels. The sparks leapt in the lamplight, and chips of grey stone flew like shards of ice. On the fourth day, as his pick bit into a stubborn seam, the rock split with a sound like a smith's anvil cracking, and out poured a scatter of barâz—rubies like frozen fire and dark-red garnet glinting like the heart of a smoldering coal.

Bofur, a hardy soul, led a rousing song among the miners that day. 

Barâz felak! Barâz felak!

(Red hewing! Red hewing!) 

And so it is told among the Dwarves of Erebor, that some win honor by the red of battle, and others by the red of the earth; but in both, the mattock writes the name in stone.

CHARACTER SHEET

Here is an image of my character sheet after I have made all the hard...easy choices.

Character sheet designed by Jez Gordon, modified slightly by me.

I decided to use the character sheet by Jez Gordon, rather than the one provided by Free League Publishing mainly because I liked the layout better and it was easier to modify. I am somewhat of an aspiring perfectionist. I like all my Fields to be centered and so on, but I fall short myself at times.

I won't go through every decision about this character as you can see the results for yourself, but I will say that I followed Strider Mode recommendations and gave Náli a set of Target Numbers based on 18 − Ratings rather than 20 and I gave him 15 Skill points for previous experience rather than 10.

My choice to improve his Athletics was due to how strong and agile I imagined him due to his work in the mines. Also, Treasure-hunter seemed to be a good pick for Calling because of his love of exploration and discovery of gems. The Fell mattock and Dark for Dark Business were perfect. I look forward to being inspired often with that Cultural Virtue and on journeys due to the Strider Distinctive Feature.

Eventually, Náli's fate will lead him to go on an expedition with Balin himself, but for now Balin was an obvious choice for Patron since he is “eager to know anything that can be learned regarding Dwarf-­holds fallen to the Enemy” (The One Ring™Core Rules 213).

And that's that. Let me know what you think of my choices. Would you have done something different? Why? I'm open to suggestions.

Solo Campaign: Barâz-felak Náli, Part 1

This is the first post of my new solo campaign using Strider Mode for The One Ring™ roleplaying game, published by Free League Publishing. It is unofficial fan-made content and not affiliated with or endorsed by Free League Publishing or Middle-earth Enterprises. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners. Shared freely, not for sale. 

You can find a list of all posts pertaining to this campaign on my page The One Ring™ 2nd Edition. 

In this post, I introduce my character and his background. When I am speaking or talking to the reader in game terms, I will use regular type, but when my character is telling his story, I will use italics for his journal entries.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

Image by Julius H from Pixabay.com,
modified by James R. Brown

Náli, son of Barzunâk (the Hammerer), from Erebor was the friend of Frár II, son of Felgrom the Stonecutter, and grandson of Frár I the Beardless, son of Fráen (see The Heart of the Wild 22). Their friendship began at Lake-town, when Frár the Beardless came to address the Council of the North (November 25-29, 2956, The Darkening of Mirkwood 42-43) requesting an army to reclaim the Greydelve.

When reading the award winning supplement Moria™: Through the Doors of Durin, I couldn't wait to try out the expanded solo rules and start my adventure there as a member of Balin's company. That led me down a path of research and the name Náli caught my attention as one the Dwarves who died in Moria as read by Gandalf from the Book of Mazarbul, but there was no other mention of him anywhere in The Lord of the Rings, nor anything about him. Tolkien only tells us his fate. In that same passage, he mentions Frár. This rang a bell. I remembered a Dwarf of the same name written about in The Darkening of Mirkwood and The Heart of the Wild. He petitioned for many years to raise an army and retake the Greydelve, his ancestral home in the Grey Mountains. I got the idea then, that perhaps Náli of Erebor crossed paths with Frár and maybe Náli's first great expedition, after the restoration of Erebor, was to join the mercenaries in retaking the Greydelve. This would give him the history and experience enough to catch the eye of Balin.

However, I didn't want it to be Frár the Beardless that went to Moria. If he survived the Greydelve, he would still be there enjoying it and protecting it. I wanted it to be another Frár, so I gave him a grandson. This Frár would be the one to join Balin's expedition because of his companionship and experiences with Náli. I will make Frár a member of Náli's band.

From the journal of Náli, titled Barâz-felak Náli or The Sacred Expeditions (or Delvings) of Náli...

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“It was November 27, 2956, on the third day of the second Council of the North in Esgaroth, that I, Náli the Red-hewer, accompanied King Dáin in the Great Hall to hear a petition from Frár I, son of Fráen, a mad Dwarf of the Narrows of the Grey Mountains. While he was speaking, I caught sight of his grandson, who seemed to be a downcast figure; lonely and uncomfortable, even for a houseless Dwarf, and I wondered what it must be like for him to listen to his grandfather demand help from the King Under the Mountain only to be turned away and dismissed as a dotard and told to have patience. An army is what he asked for, to take back his ancestral home—the Greydelve, a once magnificent citadel that produced the finest steel in the North. But the King could not be persuaded, for the Dwarf-hold had been long overrun by trolls and goblins, and the House of Durin had not yet the strength to reclaim it, nor did it possess the will, having counted it as lost without hope of ever returning.

When the final answer was given, the countenance of Frár II, son of Felgrom the Stonecutter, darkened even more and the last bit of light in his eyes faded as he perceived that his grandfather’s dreams were nothing more than that.

And then I knew what had to be done. A fire awakened in me and I determined in my heart that I should go unhindered to kindle a friendship with young Frár. I was a Longbeard, the favored nephew of Bofur, the famous Dwarf of Thorin’s Company. I knew what it was like to re-enter the rich Halls of a lost house. In those days, I wrought much to my honor when leading excavations into the Lower Halls and the Deeps of the Lonely Mountain. Each night, I enjoyed warm pillows and a comfortable bed in my lavish house in Stángard. Why should these exiled Dwarves be deprived of the same enjoyments?

That day, I pledged to Frár I, son of Fráen, my mattock and promised to speak up as often as I could, in favor of the expedition, no matter how many years it would take. 

Finally, at Yuletide in 2963, the King agreed to help and in early 2064, I joined Frár I and II as we traveled the breadth of Wilderland to hire adventurers and warriors to build an army. After months of recruiting, we marched to the Greydelve to finally reclaim it. Here follows a record of those times.”

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ᛒᚨᚱᚨᛉ ᚠᛖᛚᚨᚴ ᚾᚨᛚᛁ

Tell me what you think so far. In my next post, I will walk through my choices during character creation and upload a picture of my character sheet.

Solo Campaign: Barâz-felak Náli, Part 2

The Overture of Creation

Ainulindalë by ralphdamianiart.com https://artstn.co/pp/KelZX

“There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1992.

I decided it was time to start reading the Silmarillion again, so I cracked open my beautiful hardbound copy of The Silmarillion Illustrated By the Author edition that I received for Christmas a couple of years back. The opening, titled the Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur is always so beautiful and intriguing. The following are some of my observations. 

First, anyone familiar with the Bible would have a difficult time not seeing Silmalarities...I mean similarities with the book of Genesis, an account of how God created the heavens and the earth. Tolkien named the Creator—Eru, the One. On earth, he is called Ilúvatar by the Elves, a word that means “All-Father” or “Father of All” in Quenya.

So, how are they similar? Well, here are a few of my unpolished ramblings. Feel free to post a few of your own.

It is traditionally accepted that Genesis was written in ancient Hebrew by Moses, somewhere between the 15th and 13th century B.C. The very first verse is translated, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Moses uses the word אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) for God. Interestingly, it is the plural form of El, which means God or mighty one. Of course, this does not mean Moses meant “Gods” or “Mighty Ones.” Rather, his grammatical use of the plural form with singular meaning was meant to intensify and emphasize the majesty and supreme power of God as Creator. Moses absolutely believed there was only One True God. He wrote in Deuteronomy 6:4 (English Standard Version—ESV): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” By using Elohim, he was pluralizing God's majesty, if you will.

So, both The Silmarillion and the Bible begin with a Creator who is powerful and singular (One). 

Eru makes the Ainur from his thought, thinking them into existence, while Elohim makes the angels by his command. Psalm 148:2, 5 (ESV), “Praise him, all his angels... Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.”

Both the biblical account of creation and Tolkien's story tell about a Creator who places his will and purpose into his creation. For the Ainur, we see a calling for them to understand who they are and their place among other created beings. Ultimately, they were called to be in harmony with Eru and with the other Ainur. They were to sing the same music. Some—the Valar—were even to become sub-creators, creating and embellishing on what already exists.

The angels of the Bible have one calling: to praise their Creator and serve him as messengers to mankind.

Tolkien's story is not an allegory of the Bible, but it sings the same music by starting off with ‘the One’ Creator and the words ‘Holy Ones’ for his Ainur, or angels. And this is just the beginning...