Roleplayers of Laurelin LOTRO RP

Roleplayers of Laurelin's monthly roleplay prompt for January 2025 is... "Brigands, Ruffians, and Outlaws"!

"For in that time of ruin houseless men went astray: remnants of battle and defeat, lands laid waste; and some men were driven into the wild for evil deeds. They hunted and gathered such food as they could; but many took to robbery and become cruel, when hunger or other need drove them. In winter they were most to be feared, like wolves; and Gaur-waith, wolf-men, they were called by those who still defended their homes." (“Túrin Among the Outlaws”, The Children of Húrin)

"‘And now they’re gone for robbers and live outside, hiding in the woods beyond Archet, and out in the wilds north-away. It’s like a bit of the bad old times tales tell of, I say. It isn’t safe on the road and nobody goes far, and folk lock up early….’" (“Homeward Bound”, The Lord of the Rings)

While Middle-earth has long fostered heroes, from Tuor, to Glorfindel, to Frodo of the Shire, it has also bred men and other folk that harbour something of the Shadow in their hearts. In some cases, these wayward folk have been compelled to villainy by the Enemy or their servants, but in others, as in the case of Turin’s band of robbers in The Children of Hurin or Sharkey’s men from the south in The Lord of the Rings, these brigands, ruffians, and outlaws have turned to cruelty, robbery, and murder against the Free Peoples of Middle-earth out of desperation, want, and even a simple lust for greed.

This month’s prompt asks you to host sessions and events focused on exploring, interacting, and dealing with the consequences of brigandry in Middle-earth. Details are below:

Yule-tide has come to an end, and for many folk in Middle-earth the hardness of winter has reared its head again: winter stores and rations begin to dwindle. What’s more, what little is left to most people is now under threat by bandits that stalk highways, sail ice-choked shores, and raid small farms and towns in an effort to refill their own diminishing hoards. No longer will a locked door, a trusty bow, or the avoidance of dangerous roads ensure a Free Person’s safety; at the turn of winter, all of Middle-earth is menaced by brigands, outlaws, and ruffians.

For the “Brigands, Ruffians, and Oulaws” prompt, host a session or event on Roleplayers of Laurelin's LFRP Board that deals with brigandry in some capacity. Sessions or events responding to this prompt can range from encounters—and skirmishes—with brigands, or character explorations of these outlaws; this is a fine opportunity for you to dust off a brigandly character and probe what it means to live on the edges of society and make a livelihood, there, by thievery or worse. We also strongly encourage members to make use of our new RP Opportunities forum for this prompt: looking to encounter or to create a band of outlaws? Create a “seeking character” hook on the RP Opportunities forum! Brigands stole your family’s supplies in the last RP encounter you did? Make a “seeking object” hook out of it! While you are free to do what you will with this prompt, it is a great opportunity to use RoL's new forum to collaborate with others.

💰 🗓️ Players who host sessions on Roleplayers of Laurelin's LFRP Board responding to this prompt by January 31, 2025, will be added to a prize draw for rewards that include 600 gold and more!

Roleplayers of Laurelin's monthly prompt for December 2024 is... "Yule-tide" and "Helm's Hoarfrost"!

"By midwinter Gandalf and Bilbo had come all the way back, along both edges of the Forest, to the doors of Beorn’s house; and there for a while they both stayed. Yule-tide was warm and merry there; and men came from far and wide to feast at Beorn’s bidding." ("The Hobbit")

"In Helm’s Deep, there was a great hunger after Yule…. Helm grew fierce and gaunt for famine and grief; and the dread of him alone was worth many men in defence of the Burg. He would go out by himself, clad in white, and stalk like a snow-troll into the camps of his enemies, and slay many men with his hands." ("The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A")

Winter is a time of uncertainty in Middle-earth; it can bring both great cheer as in the Yuledays of the Hobbits (a time of special feasting!), or great despair as in the Long Winter of 2758 and 2759 of the Third Age, which saw many folk suffer from starvation and exposure to the cold, and even led to wolves crossing into the Shire, and Rohan being invaded by its enemies.

This month’s prompts ask you to engage with the ambiguity of winter in Middle-earth by hosting sessions or events that involve the gift-giving and feasting traditions of Yule-tide and/or the travails of surviving a particularly difficult winter in Rohan, as Helm Hammerhand once did. Details are below:

"Winter has come to Middle-earth!

For the folk of the Westlands, it is a time of great festivity: Hobbits and Men celebrate the Yule-tide, while the Dwarves and the Elves follow their own secret and forgotten winter customs. Yet in all places, family and friends gather in hearth-warmed cottages or garlanded halls to share food, gifts, and cheer to stave off the bleak cold of winter.

This year, that bleakness is felt especially harshly in the realm of Rohan. There, a bitter frost has been driven north from the frigid peaks of the White Mountains to blanket the wide lands of the horse-lords in an ice and snow that recalls the Long Winter of yore, when Helm Hammerhand held the Hornburg against invasion. Though Rohan’s people suffer in this cold, they are heartened by the memory of Helm: the bellies of hungry children are filled with old folks’ tales of his heroics, and riders, lost, wayward, and close to death on some frozen track are inspired by the grim and ghostly echo of the horn of Helm Hammerhand.

For the “Yule-tide” prompt, host a session or event on Roleplayers of Laurelin's LFRP Board celebrating Yule and involving the sharing of gifts and food. Sessions or events responding to this prompt could include a small gift-exchange between family and friends in a small home, or the gathering of folk for a great feast (consider creating a menu!) in a communal space, such as the Grand Smials, the Prancing Pony, the Last Homely House, Grimbeorn’s Hall, or the Hall Under the Mountain at Erebor.

For the “Helm's Hoarfrost” prompt, host a session or event on Roleplayers of Laurelin's LFRP Board located in Rohan that involves the difficulty of winter and/or engages in the history of Helm Hammerhand. Sessions or events responding to this prompt could involve the sheltering of folk in a mead-hall, the telling of tales about Helm Hammerhand, the dangers of horse-riding or farming in the winter, or even the pursuit of rumours of a horn-blowing wraith that haunts the Deeping-coomb."

Players who host sessions on Roleplayers of Laurelin's LFRP Board responding to this prompt by December 31, 2024, will be added to a prize draw for rewards that include an exclusive Steed of the Red Dawn, a Snow Fangorn Huorn pet, gold, and more!

Roleplayers of Laurelin needs your help updating our server banner background, and so we are hosting a screenshot contest! Submit and vote on screenshots depicting wintry, snowy, or icy "skyboxes" from LOTRO to help us replace the screenshot in our current server banner!

💰The member that posts the winning screenshot will have their image made Roleplayers' server banner background, and they will also receive 200 gold and two pet tomes (Tome of the Snowy Mountain Eagle and Tome of the Yule Princess Bunny).

🗓️The contest begins today, November 24th and will run until Sunday, November 30 at 11:59 PM server-time.

For information and instructions on how to participate in this contest, come visit us at Roleplayers of Laurelin: https://discord.gg/dnqFVATpj6.