Vidar starts his day early, going to the Seeking Field.  Then makes his way through Thimblerig, to Shepherd's Pie.  Finally, ending the day with the Torch Run.  In between, he stops for lunch, and a few drinks.

The daughter of Kolbeinn joined those gathered upon the Green where a cheerful spirit filled the air and she found herself infused with it.  She wished her Dwarf-friends luck in the Seeking Field and promised Homnir to cheer for him during the Ancient Game.  She had no head for riddles but found them entertaining.  And then the folk began to disperse and move to the events of the morn...and suddenly Kelda, who had little intent to join any activities, intending only to observe and enjoy the atmosphere, found herself moved to review the day's list and select one...no two...contests for herself.

She was well training in conduct befitting a court and knew bits of history of the kings of old which might appeal to an audience.  Noble's Court it would be then for her first contest.  Then she would watch the Ancient Game so that would mean a bit of a break...The Uplifting Lay then, perhaps the ditty Tommycock and his Mighty Flock for a bit of fun or Horns of the North for something more serious but stirring.

To the bottom of the notice she placed a finger and smiled to herself.  Words she was trained but at bit of sport would be welcome.  She considered herself no great hunter but in the Great Hunter she would compete.  Three events then for when should she ever find herself in Bree during festival time again?

Distinctive Features which might apply to these:
- Noble's Court - DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore
- Uplifting Lay - DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Mon 13 Dec 2021.

I am very open and flexible with the days, just trying to organize a bit, but am not holding people to a real timeline.

On the first day of the Festival, just after it had opened, and before the Reeve's speech, people came to the Seeking Field.
Here, in the fallow field contestants must seek out small prizes (copper coins and baubles) but especially small rocks engraved with 'Spring', to win.
Scan Skill
Excited people come to sign up and scour the field, while others drink warm wine laced with spices from the Eastern-lands, and watch.

A young Hobbit wants to take part-- but decides his mum would be unhappy if he got his foot-hair all dirty and muddy on purpose! So Mip gives up (correct?) and goes to do some other contest.

Homnir sees the Hobbit leave--
--and then spots the young son of the merchant who sold him the "Elvish-Coin".
When the Dwarf offers to donate anything he finds to the young man, this makes the merchant's son very happy:
"Why, thank you, milord! Mayhaps you'll find more rare coins?!"

Vidar arrives, and comes up beside Homnir: "May the best Dwarf win."
He too joins the search.

Vidar starts his day early, going to the Seeking Field.

Meanwhile, Mip has headed off to the riddle game. A light tickle in his feet is better than muck and grime-- especially for his mum.

Present, Kelda smiles at this, and wishes her Dwarf-friends luck in the Seeking Field.

Will wait to see who wishes to do what, to try and organize a bunch of you competing and rolling at the same time
• Seeking Field (Scan) - Homnir ; Vidar
• Ancient Game (Riddle) - Homnir (cheered by Kelda) ; Mip (sees Homnir again) ;
• Noble's Court (Courtesy) - Kelda (DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore)
• Thimblerig (Awareness) - Vidar
• Uplifting Lay (Enhearten) - Kelda  (DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore)
• Torch Run (Athletics) - Vidar
• Great Hunter (Bows) - Kelda
• Shepherd's Pie (Brawling) - Vidar

Mip is carefully listening to the first riddle, then takes his time to do some thinking before he gives his answer.


17:10, Today: Mip Tanglefoot rolled a total of 12 (10 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 14 with rolls of 5 (Feat Die), 1, 1, 5.  riddle contest.

Vidar combs the field, diligently search for items.

12:27, Today: Vidar son of Flar rolled a total of 15 (13 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 16 with rolls of 3 (Feat Die), 6, 2, 4.  Scan.

Aredhel had never been the best at finding things - even with the eyes of an elf, he had always been more of a singer than anything. And so he would stay back from this competition, looking to join the Thimblerig and the Torch run.

Orodil walks around the Green, feeling a little uneasy despite spending the night in safety beside the warm hearth. He tries to shrug it off while searching for Tarry-Mack. He isn't here to amuse himself and keeps away from the games when he notices someone running Thimblerig. He smiles, remembering his father playing something similar with him when he was little and decides to try it.

After a while he realises there is no way he can beat the sly hobbit and walks away, continuing to search for Tarry-Mack.

19:36, Today: Orodil rolled 2 using 1d12 with rolls of 2.  Favoured roll for Awareness.
19:36, Today: Orodil rolled a total of 6 (5 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 12 with rolls of 1 (Feat Die), 1, 4.  Awareness.

Áski remained his habitually-circumspect self, eshewing the games and general festivities in favour of a vantage well-suited to smoking and watching the crowds. He sat preferentially with the local gaffers, purchasing a keg of Barnabas's Best to share along with his pouch of Old Toby. None would spy suspicious behaviour or odd goings-on as avidly as the town's elder gawkers and gossips. Their insights might prove well worth the coin spent, as an advance warning against potential trouble. Part of a messenger's duties, keeping a weather eye for trouble, and to that end Áski despatched Old Mág to seek her own vantage from which to observe, with orders to report any activity seemingly out of the ordinary.

The First Day

Out in the Seeking Field (Scan)--
--Vidar combs the field, but only collects stones and rock chips. Before realizing that that is not what is required... thus he does not collect enough items to continue with the game!
--Homnir can roll.
You all see an Elf - not many around! -, Aerdhel, who checks things out before moving on.

At the Ancient Game (Riddle)--
--Mip tries to answer, but is a bit lost with all these tall people, and does not answer correctly. Thus he is out of the game for the day... but there are other things for Hobbits to do!
Mips sees the Dwarf, Homnir, who, cheered on by Kelda--can roll.

As Orodil sees a game that interests him, Theorondil says that he: "will go seek the Ranger we want. Play your game, you can join me later."
Then Theorondil gets lost for a while, in the crowd.

The game Orodil likes is the game of Thimblerig (Awareness).
He likes it-- but is no good at it!
Ah, even his keen Ranger eye is no match to the fast Hobbit's hands.
So, he fails and just leave. How to find this other Ranger?
As Orodil leaves--
--Vidar arrives... you can roll
--as does the Elf, Aredhel... you can roll

Kelda arraives at the--
Noble's Court (Courtesy)
--and Kelda you can RP and roll away

• Uplifting Lay (Enhearten) - Kelda  (DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore)
• Torch Run (Athletics) - Vidar ; Aredhel
• Great Hunter (Bows) - Kelda
• Shepherd's Pie (Brawling) - Vidar
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:40, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Meanwhile, Áski spends some time talking, with his raven out to keep an eye on things.
Can you roll Awareness, please?

In reply to The Loremaster (msg # 42):

QUICK ASIDE: IF YOU MANUALLY ENTER 0D6 WHILST USING THE ONE RING SYSTEM DICE, THE DIE ROLLER WILL ROLL JUST THE FEAT DIE FOR YOU. (YES, WE THOUGHT OF THAT WHEN FIRST EDITION CAME OUT.)

17:41, Today: Aski Adisson rolled a total of 19 (11 if weary): a success (failure if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 15 with rolls of 6 (Feat Die), 5, 2, 3, 3.  Hope spent to get +2d Inspiration from Wary, +1d from Old Mág.

17:43, Today: Aski Adisson rolled a total of 1: a success (same result if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 01 with rolls of 1 (Feat Die).  Favoured Awareness Feat die (not that I need it).

Homnir scans the Green, but focuses his attention on finding the stones, and less on picking up every trinket that he finds, but he does pick up some of them, so he can give the merchant's son, as he promised he would.

01:00, Today: Homnir rolled a total of 15: a great success (same result if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 14 ((1 (Feat Die), 4, 6, 4)).
01:01, Today: Homnir rolled a total of 12: an automatic success with the Gandalf Rune using the The One Ring with a target of 14 ((12 (Feat Die))).



At the Ancient Game, he tries to take the time to figure out the riddles, and not blurt out the first answer that comes to mind.

01:03, Today: Homnir rolled a total of 21: an extraordinary success (same result if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 14 ((9 (Feat Die), 6, 6)).

Mip frowns. He is really quite good at solving riddles.
How did this go wrong?
The young hobbit just takes a little stroll around, not paying any attention.
Hm, maybe it was because of the distraction, lots of people and everything.
He shrugs.
Better luck next time, for sure.
He starts looking for something to eat, preferably something sweet, maybe a pie.

Waiting her turn Kelda laughed and clapped to the antics of those before her in the Noble Court competition.  She gauged the crowd as they responded to the contestants before her and noted a clear preference for one king.  She then focused upon the stories of his penchant for issuing proclamations while drunk during feasts and soon had the audience in an uproar.

18:44, Today: Kelda rolled a total of 26: a great success with the Gandalf Rune using the The One Ring with a target of 14 with rolls of 12 (Feat Die), 6, 4, 4.  Courtesy, Favored, DF: Folk-lore (populate nobles of old), TN 14.
- nice

Heartened after a quick lunch, and a few beers, Vidar enters Shepherds pie.  His luck, or skills seems much better.

20:35, Today: Vidar son of Flar rolled a total of 13 (11 if weary): a success (failure if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 12 with rolls of 7 (Feat Die), 1, 1, 4.  Athletics w/gloves.  Shepherd's Pie.

Galar helped at the Greenway's stall hawking their goods and dutifully observed and recorded the trades his father negotiated throughout the day but he couldn't help his growing distraction as he watched passing Festival goers enjoying the day's activities.  Patience at an end, the young Bree-lander managed to foist his recorder duties on his brother, Gareth, while the old man was distracted negotiating some iron trade with an particular long-winded and elder dwarf.  Before his elder brother could object to the younger's particularly lame excuse, Galar was away and cloaked by the crowd.

Free, the young man scanned the stalls for anything new but wended his way towards the center of the day's festivities.  He smiled at the laughter in response to a particularly witty response to the master's riddle in the Ancient Game.  The merchant's son loved riddles and it was not too late to throw his hat into the ring as he stepped out of the crowd of on-lookers.

OOC
22:32, Today: Galar rolled a total of 19: a success with the Gandalf Rune using the The One Ring with a target of 15 with rolls of 12 (Feat Die), 5, 2.  Riddle (favored).

Don't need to roll d12 again since have Gandalf on first roll;-)

The young man puts in a showing but what he was most looking forward to this year was the Noble's Court.  Living in the shadow of the bones of King's of old he loved those tales and stories of the lost time.  His chance visit as a child to the Mathom-house in Michel Delving inspired him to assemble a collection of his own in a small well worn journal he managed to wrangle out of his father.

As the Ancient Game played out he waited with growing trepidation for the Noble's Court to begin.  While some of his nervousness stemmed from his prolonged absence from the family stand, more if came from the effort he had put in to prepare for this year's Court.  What if the crowd didn't like it or he got some detail wrong?  He snapped his vade mecum shut as he heard the presenter announce the start of the Noble's Court.

Galar practically leapt towards the center to be first both to put an end to his fear that his father would show up to drag him away by his ear like some errant child, or worse, before he could lose his nerve.

The Bree-lander started slow, his voice cracking at first in nervousness as he set the stage of the tragic speech of Arvedui, the last King of Arthedain, which in Bree and the Shire was called Norbury, before the assembly of Fornost.  His tempo grew as he found his voice as he started into the forlorn oration of the last heir to Arnor.  Finally reaching a crescendo he lays into it as Arvedui demands that they take action, the crowd disappearing as he lost himself in the moment...

"It is this doom, I gravely assure you,
that I dread for you, when the time comes that
you make your reckoning, and understand
that there is no longer anything that
may appease the Evil Will.  May you nev'r
find yourselves, men of Arnor, at such a
pass!  Yet in any case, it is better
to die a thousand deaths, than to act out
of servility towards the Enemy
or to sacrifice any of those who speak
for your good.  A grand recompense did the
people of Rhudaur receive, for entrustin'
themselves to the usurper Rhugga, and
thrusting Calimendil aside!  And
equally extravagant reward
did the people in Cardolan reap, for
jealous were they to keep their powers and
privileges that their words of unity
were as empty as the wind that whistles
through the hollow ruins of Amon Sûl where
they failed to be the Anvil for our brave
Arthadan garrison.  They are slaves, scourg'd
and butchered.  A merciful clemency
did the Witchking show to Annúminas,
whose nobles banished Arveleg's young heir
and elect'd a traitor to 'treat with Shadow!
They found their peace at the blackened tips of
Angmarean wolf-rider lances as the
Tower of the West burned from orc torches.
It is folly, and it is cowardice,
to hold hopes like these, to give way to ev'l
counsels, to refuse to do anything
that faith and reason demands, to listen
to the advocates of the Enemy's
cause, and to delude yourselves that you shelt'r
in such a redoubt that, whatever happ'ns,
you will not suffer awful fate!"

Galar finishes Arvedui's last speech and bows to the hill where the barrows of the old kings lie, "If my words stirred you, I pray return to your rest and leave us to our happy green."

OOC
Partially cribbed from Demosthenes' Third Philippic speech (which some professor or other would crib & abridge as well for a certain speech at the end of the Third Age;-)

Spending 1 hope, Fair-spoken distinctive feature.

00:50, Today: Galar rolled a total of 19 (14 if weary): a great success (failure if weary) using the The One Ring with a target of 15 with rolls of 8 (Feat Die), 6, 2, 1, 1, 1.  Courtesy 1 hope +2 due to distinctive.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:25, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

The First Day

Out in the Seeking Field (Scan)--
--Vidar combs the field, but does not collect enough items to continue with the game.
--Homnir glances out across the Green, but, with so many people, in all color of clothes and such, it is too distracting. So, he focuses his attention on finding the stones-- and starts looking around the field, picking some up. At the same time, he collects some nice trinkets - oh, there, a small copper whistle! Fresh from Erebor. Probably came over in the caravan that brought Homnir to Bree! That is collected to give to the merchant's son.

Homnir's favoured choice of 1 or 12 on the Feat die means a 12. That is a Gandalf, and thus an automatic success.
Adding 4, 6, 4 from the Skill dice gives a total of 26 which would be a success even if no automatic success (this does not add to the success).
Since there is one 6 rolled, the Success becomes a Great Success.
Because Homnir succeeds, he can continue in the game.
Can Homnir please make another Scan roll. This time the TN is increased by +2.
Homnir succeeds again. Can you please make another Scan roll. This time the TN is increased by another +2 (+4).
As people give up, including Vidar, not finding enough things, getting too dirty, Homnir plods on, among those who remain, looking around, lifting clods of dirt...
<Blue>re. the Great Success: I tallied that (along w. the Success) giving Homnir the equivalent of 2 successes so far.


At the Ancient Game (Riddle)--
--Mip now sees people clapping a-- Dwarf? Is that a Dwarf?! How can a Dwarf be better at riddles than a Hobbit.
Mip frowns: Bree riddles are different than real riddles.
He will-- what is that smell? Minced-meat pie?
Mip scurries off and is soon tasting these little meat pies. Very good! With pieces of sausage in them.
Homnir just stands there, thinking hard, and waiting before answering... at the very last moment. At first, people pay the Dwarf no attention, then they think he is struggling to understand but a bit lucky... then they admire the calm Homnir, who answers every single riddle!
((9 (Feat Die), 6, 6)) = 21, which is a Success vs. TN14. The two 6s gives the Extraordinary Success!
People flock around Homnir, excited to see how far the Dwarf will go!
Because Homnir succeeds, he can continue in the game.
Can Homnir please make another Riddle roll. This time the TN is increased by +2.
Homnir succeeds again. Can you please make another Riddle roll. This time the TN is increased by another +2 (+4).
<Blue>re. the Extraordinay Success: I tallied that giving Homnir the equivalent of 3 successes.

Galar leaves his brother, Gareth, to do the work, and went over to throw his hat into the ring for the riddle game. And the hat landed well, for Galar gave good answers.
Success with the Gandalf Rune.
Because Galar succeeds, he can continue in the game. [EDIT: THIS IS DONE]
Can Galar please make another Riddle roll. This time the TN is increased by +2.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Galar stutters as he searches for a witty return in the Ancient game.

OOC
01:47, Today: Galar rolled a total of 14 (11 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 17 with rolls of 6 (Feat Die), 5, 3.  Riddle (favored).

01:48, Today: Galar rolled a total of 6 (3 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 17 with rolls of 3 (Feat Die), 3.  favored roll (ignore d6).

At the game of Thimblerig (Awareness)--
--Orodil has left.
--Vidar arrives... you can roll but does not manage to outwit the Halfling and leaves the game.
--as does the Elf, Aredhel... you can roll


At the Noble's Court (Courtesy) --
--Kelda laughed and claps as she waits her turn. Having gauged which King is preferred, she focuses on drunk proclamations... and does great imitations!
A great success with the Gandalf Rune (it is an Automatic Success with the Gandalf, and the 6 rolled makes is a Great Success).
It is Favoured-- but no need to roll the Feat die again, since it came out a Gandalf (the best roll) on the first roll.

NOTE: DF: Folk-lore (populate nobles of old)-- that is 'only' used if you spend a point of Hope to get a 1d (1 extra Skill die) Hope Bonus. In that case, invoking a Distinctive Focus,  that fits, makes you Inspired: the Hope Bonus becomes 2d.

Because Kelda succeeds, she can continue in the game.
Can Helda please make another Courtesy roll. This time the TN is increased by +2.
Because Kelda succeeds once more, she can continue in the end of the game.
Can Kelda please make another Courtesy roll. This time the TN is increased by another +2 (+4 total).



With his love for King's of old - that is stronger than his father's wrath for not manning the stand! - Galar Galar lept to center stage, and, though starting slow, he truly found his voice-- and, when he reached the end, the crowd applauded as Galar bows to the old barrows.

Galar spends 1 Hope (for a Hope Bonus of 1d) and uses his Fair-spoken Distinctive Feature (with an incredible piece of RP to back it!) to be Inspired, and get a bonus of 2d.
His result of 19 is abouve his TN of 15, so a Success-- and the 6 he rolled makes it a Great Success.

Because Galar succeeds, he can continue in the game.
Can Galar please make another Courtesy roll. This time the TN is increased by +2.
Because Galar succeeds once more, he can continue in the end of the game.
Can Galar please make another Courtesy roll. This time the TN is increased by another +2 (+4 total).</Blue>

Galar is pleased to see he did not get any detail wrong-- and his heart is lifted when he sees that crowd not only did not dislike his speech, they seem to have loved it!
Then, as he bows and smiles-- he catches a glimpse of a figure, out there in the crowd.
His heart is at first filled with fear-- because, yes, it is his father! His father come to drag him off-stage, yelling at him for... what? Wait?!
Time stops as Galar sees his father-- wipe a tear of emotion from his eye. His father, moved?
Then Galar's father looks Galar in the eye, from out amongst all the onlookers-- and gives a very short and brief bow, but a bow nonetheless, to his son.

Then the man is gone.
It is as if he was never there-- but Galar knows he was.
He saw his father being moved, he saw his father show respect to him!
Galar's self-esteem is bolstered. His heart is uplifted!
Galar regains 1 point of Hope (thanks for the great RP post!).
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Back at the Ancient game, Galar does stutter and maybe is overshadowed by that Dwarf who is doing so well... and thus he does not give good enough answers to the harder riddles. He abandons the game.
I Edited the big post above, crossing out the need to roll again.

As you are out in the Green, enjoying the first day of the Festival, looking for someone, or doing what are you doing, you hear people talk of a beautiful text read during the first session of the Noble's Court.

Orodil, hears some words that spark his interest.
"It is folly, and it is cowardice,
to hold hopes like these, to give way to ev'l
counsels, to refuse to do anything
that faith and reason demands, to listen
to the advocates of the Enemy's
cause, and to delude yourselves that you shelt'r
in such a redoubt that, whatever happ'ns,
you will not suffer awful fate!"
As a Warden, one who seeks to stop the Shadow, who speaks these words? Who is this Galar? He must be one fighting the same fight a you.


When Aredhel hears repeated:
"it is better to die a thousand deaths, than to act out
of servility towards the Enemy
or to sacrifice any of those who speak
for your good."
He wonders what fair tongue spoke this. As a Warden, the Elf is moved by this, also wondering if the poet is one involved in countering the Enemy, the Shadow.


As for Vidar, he frowns when someone talks of:
They found their peace at the blackened tips of
Angmarean wolf-riders lances as the
Tower of the West burned from orc torches.
Is this Galar, this speeker, an enemy of the Orcs like Vidar is?

Just putting up some hooks for PCs to maybe meet (Galar in this case, or all or somne of you congregating) if you wish.

A wary Áski smokes and watches the crowds, while talking to folk.
Old Mág flits about. Up high, even landing on top of the maypole for a bit-- but also coming down to the ground to nibble pieces of dropped food.
This is too hard to resist!

However, the raven spots something, and caws to direct Áski's attention.
Interrupting his discussion with a local gaffer, Áski looks over and spots--
--a Dwarf and a Bree-lander Man talking.
They are off to the North of the Green, at the mouth of a alleyway-passage between two houses.
And it does seem somehow fishy-- maybe how they glance around nervously.

The Dwarf is sullen-faced, his face hidden in the shadows of his cowl and the curls of his beard.
The Man seems to be some sort of brute.
The Dwarf is the one leading the conversation, maybe giving some orders?

_________________________
• Uplifting Lay (Enhearten) - Kelda  (DF: Fair and/or Folk-Lore)
• Torch Run (Athletics) - Vidar ; Aredhel
• Great Hunter (Bows) - Kelda
• Shepherd's Pie (Brawling) - Vidar
- Heartened after a quick lunch, and a few beers, Vidar enters Shepherds pie.  His luck, or skills seems much better.
Vidar: success (Athletics w/gloves) BUT RE-ROLL? Brawling
- Mip? (He starts looking for something to eat, preferably something sweet, maybe a pie.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:26, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Vidar plays at Thimblerig, but finds the Halflings movements a might to quick for him.  So moves on, to prepare for the next event.

03:27, Today: Vidar son of Flar rolled a total of 8 (5 if weary): a failure using the The One Ring with a target of 14 with rolls of 5 (Feat Die), 3.  Awareness.  Difficulty should have been 12, but it was a failure either way.
*L*

Vidar is another one to find the nimble-fingered too fast for his eyes... and so he too shrugs and leaves the game.
(I also updated the main post I made above)

Vidar wanders around, waiting for the next event.
(I will wait a bit to get to Shepherd's Pie & other events)

Vidar applauds the young man (Galar) with the others.  The speech was well done, and the tale of ravaging orcs and enemy deeds stirring.  Passing a coin to a nearby vendor, he send the young man a cider.  Keldas' tale too was good, causing him to chuckle.  Another coin he spends, and send her a nut brown ale.  Vidar himself buys a few meat pies, and a Porter.  Stopping by Aski, "Well met again Aski.  Heard anything of worth?"  he hands the dwarf a few pies, as he accepts some pipeweed and joins him for a smoke with the meal.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:58, Tue 14 Dec 2021.