Extra realms in Middle Earth - Ideas

[DM_Kev]

Im looking for ideas for ways in which we can support/justify extra realms/planes in Middle Earth for the next large quest im writing up.

The place in question im trying to create is a sort of heavenly 'good' realm or plane. Can anyone think of a good name for this place and a theme/purpose to justify it.

Im not asking us to stick rigidly to the books here; but using the world and environment Tolkien created, lets create a story of our own as to how this place exists.

Use this thread and ill use the posts to create a background/theme for this quest.

[Fasin]

Obviously 'the West', reached by taking the straight road towards the sunset, over the horizon. But that is usually a one way trip that only the likes of Gandalf and few others have or indeed could return from. It might be great as an epic quest locale, but once everyone has been there and done that it would cheapen the homeland of the Valar totally...
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OK this isnt anything 'neccessarily' 'heavenly'...

In Celtic Mythology and in Tolkien's Lost Tales, magical sylvan beings were mentioned - the Fae races - existed in another parallell world to Earth (or in this case Middle Earth) just outside the mundane world. I shudder to call it Fairie land. As to what we could call such a place - well in Quenya here are just a few, many more are possible:

Yáranórë - Ancient Land
Arambar - Outside (beside) the World
Avambar - Beyond the World
Fairemar - Radiant Land

I kind of imagine them in Tolkiens world as they are represented in Celtic and other pagan mythologies. Living in a Fea World outside the mundane, able to slip through when the season is right, the places where the words have been spoken, places where the walls between the worlds is a gossamer veil.

Some myths suggest that stone circles were erected around places where the 'world was too thin' where he barriers between their world and ours were weak and they could come through. Wheter the stones were there to kep them out or in tribute to them is unclear. Portals into their world could be located within the circles at 'circle time' - etc. For details ask your local druid, Tom Bombadil, Treebeard, some old woman who cackles over much and is generally considered mad and owns slightly too many cats...

In case anyone reckons I'm not being true to Tolkien by discussing 'the Fae', he leaves the door open for such speculation in the Silmarillion ---

"...in majesty they are peers, surpassing beyond compare all others, whether of the Valar and the Maiar, or of any other order that Ilúvatar has sent into Eä."
---------- The Silmarillion, Valaquenta

This single phrase 'any other order' seems to be a survival of a much older and more detailed account found in the Lost Tales:

"...brownies, fays, pixies, leprawns, and what else are they not called, for their number is very great... they were born before the world and are older than its oldest, and are not of it, but laugh at it much..."
---------- The Book of Lost Tales, Part I, III The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor

They varied widely in temerament from the beatifically benign to the utterly amoral and truly selfish. These Fae could be considered as more magical than the elves and somewher less in power than the lower orders of the Maiar.

[DM_Kev]

Good stuff. I do like the 'Radiant Land' name and will use that.

[Fasin]

Fairë - the word that is the root of that one means: Fae, spirit and radiant. Handy. The suffix -mar means land :)

Grammatically its probably all to hell, but maybe I hit lucky this time. :P

[Balac]

I think a the Fae plane would be a wonderfull expansion and it certainly could be called "Good" but not necessarily "Pleasent". The Fae are a notoriously fickle and unconcerned lot who can be friendly in one miniute and then open up a shaft for you to fall in in the next moment.

Selfish and unconcerned might be the best way to describe thier attitude toward humans. All the wee folk are that way in stories and lore. The leperchaun might have a pot of gold but as you reach for it he turns it into a pot of snakes---just for fun. The browines are normally found in and around homes and farms and will help with chores like cleaning and tending animals, but they can bite, scratch and upset the milk pails if you try to catch them or take away a favorate item. Spries and pixies are of the same ilk.

Dryads and fauns are a bit more of loners and claim the wilderness areas as thier own. They as non evil but like the others are not sensitive to the wants or needs of humankind. And if the humans anger them they will drag them into a tree or drownd them without a care.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but it has a great amount of lattitude and oportunity for expansion. I like Fasin whould not like to see a God like place because that would not only remove the Valar mystery but also be quite boreing for players.

Later Balac

[DM_Kev]

Thanks for all that input, it has been very useful.

My internet connection was down from saturday till early this morning, but during that downtime I completed this area and its attached quest. Tested it myself and it seems perfect. A nice little twist in the adventure which I will leave the evils who do it to find out :)

This quest is the 6th Isengard quest for evil players. It's the last isengard quest, targetted towards early - mid teen levels. Isengard will offer more qiests later on for epic levels. :)

[Argon Balros]

what about being able to reach the undying lands? would that do

[peterjer]

dol amroth whith its provinces:lamedon, anfalas, morthond vale, pinnath gelin, lossarnach, dol amroth, ringló vale, pelargir and lebennin. this are some examples i have more just let me know about those examples.....

[DM_Kev]

Once you go to the undying lands, you dont come back...I don't want to have to write your chars off once you get there :P

[Argon Balros]

sorry for my ignorance just most of my middle earth knowledge comes from playing on this server and another middle earth server before i came to this one aswell as watching the movies and i've found a bit of info on this site as well
http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm