View Single Post
Old 10-06-2014, 10:44 PM   #8
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: [Tolkien] Playing in the Second Age

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
Note too that the Downfall of Numenor is not the end of the Second Age. The Second Age goes on for centuries yet, and this is the period when Arnor and Gondor are being founded, and Sauron returns to Mordor. There are possibilities here, too!
The Downfall is 3319; Isildur takes the One Ring in 3441. A long time but not "centuries yet."

Quote:
One backhanded possibility: nobody (or almost nobody) thinks of themselves as being corrupt. The King's Men wouldn't have considered themselves corrupt or degenerate. So the Downfall would have left the surviving King's Men with some Hard Choices to make.

We know from JRRT that most of them remained corrupt, becoming the Black Numenoreans who tended to side with Sauron and fight against Arnor and Gondor. But I would imagine at least a few had their worldview shaken up by the Downfall, recognized Sauron's treachery, and repented.

So imagine a party of former Numenorean King's Men, living in Arnor or Gondor, trying to redeem themselves, learning how to be 'righteous' Dunedain, and coming to terms with the fact that the Faithful they'd been raised to see as disloyal or religious fanatics or old-fashioned or whatever were Right All Along, and are now on top, running the show, holding the scepter and making the laws. Moreover, coming to terms with the fact that it's right and proper that those people are now on top.

Also, in Numenor the religious schism split families, friends, husbands and wives, so now our repentant King's Men may meet up with those people again, as well.

For players who like intense character-role-playing, that could be interesting.
Yes. It would have what Tolkien calls "applicability."

Bill Stoddard
whswhs is offline   Reply With Quote