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
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| 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.
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