Hey, guys. I think I'm about ready to introduce the Seneschal, then, and describe their arrival.
Angmar, if you have any ideas on how the meeting should go, tell me and I'll incorporate it into the post.
Serenoli (and everyone), below will be the charge that King Tarendur made on November 6 to Broggha.
“You offered me two hundred fighters. It is not enough. You can do better. Take five hundred Hillmen and lead them yourself under the King`s banner with my blessing. If in two months you bring me the keys of Dol Hithaer, a rich reward will await you. Every one of your men will be counted in the Army of Rhudaur with full pay and subsistence that only Dunedain guards now have. But make haste, as winter gales are at hand.”
“Help you will have. Once in the lands of Imlad Mitheithel, make sure to contact Lord Aegremir, the Seneshal of this land. He will rally his men and send at least a hundred with you, maybe more.”
“Lord Belzagar here...”- the King`s heavy gaze fell on the young councilor, who rose to his feet - ”Your lands of Duniath are close to Imlad Mitheithel and also threatened by the orcs of Gundabad, so it is only fair if you send a hundred men to help Lord Broggha to reclaim Dol Hithaer, unless you choose to go there in person. As for me, I will send Captain Merendil north with some reinforcements, once he is back.”
“What say you to that, my Lords?”
Lord Broggha will not walk into Lord Aegremir's hall at Imlad Mitheithel with his men-and-arms brandishing swords and threatening. I think Broggha has learned a little diplomacy, or at least he has become more wiley. He should make a great show, though, complete with rich clothing and a display of power. He will then sit down with Aegremir and discuss the necessity for troops to assist in taking Dol Hithaer.
If you wish, you might describe Lord Aegremir's hall.
When I am first beginning to describe a place (ie, village, city, countryside), I try to visualize how it might look. I consult the Tolkien books where they apply, but many times I must use other sources. I rely heavily upon descriptions that have come down to us of real places in medieval times.
I am going to recommend three books that are a great help for visualizing medieval life. (There are endless other books and links on the internet, but these books, which are meant for younger readers, are heavy in graphics and have information that can be accessed quickly. I bought them used a few years ago from Amazon. They were originally written to be library and/or school research books for children. They are worth buying, if you can find them.)
Castles by Philip Steele; published by Kingfisher, a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint
How Would You Survive in the Middle Ages? written by Fiona Macdonald; illustrated by Mark Peppé; created and designed by David Salariya. Salariya Book Co. Ltd. First American Edition 1995 by Franklin Watts, a division of Grolier Publishing
A Medieval Castle written by Fiona Macdonald; illustrated by Mark Bergin. Salariya Book Co. Ltd. Published by Peter Bedrick Books, a division of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group
(An example of a page in
Castles by Philip Steele can be found at:
www.geocities.com/thequietwraith/siege.gif This shows a siege in progress and the siege machinery that would have common in medieval times. I scanned this picture from the book back when I was gamemastering another creative writing project. The type is a little blurry; the scan wasn't the best, but it is readable. You might want to refer back to it if we ever write about a siege.)
Here is one of my favorite sites on the web to show a medieval Anglo-Saxon village.
www.regia.orgIf you want to go straight to the table of contents and see a complete list of articles, visit
www.regia.org/listings.htmNow if you ever are writing about someone from Harad or parts of Khand, below is an absolutely phenomenally good site. I find it invaluable. I can't say too many good things about it. Of course, it is not really applicable to the North, as it covers such things as camels ;D , but it is a very good read. I wish this school had a guide this good on medieval times in Europe.
Medieval Islamic Cultures
www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Islam_New_Main.htmlUsing the "Similar Geographic Landmarks" theory of Tolkien's Middle-earth as the real world (which it was, but in a much earlier time), Imlad Mitheithel is located near Alborg, Denmark, and Carn Dum lies beneath the North Sea. The average January temperature in Alborg is 32 to 50 F (0 to 10 C) and 40 to 68 F (10 to 20 C) in July (according to the Hammond Comparative World Atlas).
Of course, in Middle-earth, all of the land under consideration is one solid chunk above water, so the climate will be more like the climate of Russia and/or northeastern Europe. (According to the atlas, the average January temperature of northeastern Europe is 13 to 32 F (-10 to 0 C) and the average January temperature of Russia is -4 to 14 F (-20 to -10 C). The average July temperature of northeastern Europe is 50 to 68 F (10 to 20 C). The average July temperature of Russia is the same.)
I hope this is some help to you.