Your Favorite Characters

General
#1

The purpose of this thread is to share the vision from Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) of the various M-E characters. ICE produced dozens of game modules for the Rolemaster rpg system and obtained rights from Tolkien Enterprises to publish game material based in Middle-Earth.

From the collection of modules that I own, I will share the personalities from which the MEPBM game obtained the various characters.

I will present the characters by name, then race and profession, level within the Rolemaster gaming system, then MEPBM’s profession levels, and end with a description.

First up, I will present Veantur of Northern Gondor.

#2

From the “Tower of Cirith Ungol and Shelob’s Lair”

Veantur – Dunadin fighter – 16th level Rolemaster - 50 commander MEPBM

Served as Captain of the garrison at The Tower of Cirith Ungol, he had always enjoyed the privileges and security guaranteed by immense family wealth (the noble Axardil house). Although rigorously trained in the use of arms as any properly raised Dunedain noble, he had never known real hardship. Standing 6’10”, the 90 year old (middle aged) Veantur had graying hair and towered above his soldiers. Though not extraordinarily strong nor tough, his lean body was well-conditioned and surprisingly agile.

The greatest heirloom of the noble Dunedain House of Axardil was the Ring of Axardil. An elvish inscription on the inside of the band reads: “Man’s true glory lies not in power over the world material but in the mastery of one’s own deepest thought, for to he who rules his own mind naught else shall be denied.” (Seems a bit lengthy to fit on a ring band, but … okay.) The ring provided a circle of protection to its wearer against elemental spells and increased chances to save. If the wearer was a bard, then the ring offered additional powers such as a minor teleporting ability and increased spell potency.

The other item described with Veantur is his blade, Gilgador. It is said to have been given to the House of Axardil by Isildur himself. Forged in pure mithril, it possessed an innate intelligence with the ability to detect invisibility and to deflect missile attacks (each power accessible 3 times a day). The blade was +20 to hit (+4 if you are familiar in D&D terms).

#3

From the “Tower of Cirith Ungol and Shelob’s Lair”

Herumor – Black Numenorean astrologer – 12th level Rolemaster - 30 Co/20 EM/20 MA in MEPBM

Flew around Mordor upon a fell beast, being charged with a dual mission: Encourage the orc tribes to unite against Gondor and to gather military strength information of the Dunedain. Trained at Dol Guldor, he knows well the Necromancer’s secrets. Standing 6’8”, his build is gaunt, and is middle-aged at 80 years. Few have the will to long resist Herumor’s piercing gaze or the hypnotic powers of his voice, whether smoothly persuasive or darkly threatening.

Herumor had one item that had a special description, a simple 2" bronze cube. The cube was named “Azaer’s Enchanted Abode”. When “open” was spoken in Sindarin, it would unfold into a 15’ diameter grey pavilion, complete with furnishings. Furthermore, there was a 30’ diameter force that kept outsiders from entering.

#4

So… Veantur was a momma’s boy and Herumor had BO…?

#5

Veantur was certainly priviledged and inexperienced with command. And anyone sticking around a fell beast is bound to develop BO after awhile.

#6

From “Mirkwood, Haunt of the Necromancer” campaign module, we find:

Vagaig – Edain fighter – 15th level – 40 CO in MEPBM

He was the Eastern Regent of Gondor appointed by King Tarondor. A veteran of Harad Wars. Has a decisive manner and occasionally ruthless, paving the way for more than a few of Gondor’s victories. Vagaig did not have much administrative experience and prefers being in command of Gondor’s Requain (Knights) over adminstrative matters.

Vagaig stands 6’7” and is strong of build. Called handsome by others even with battle scars, he vainly agrees. He is pleasantly imposing by being gregarious, bolstered by a dry wit and dedicated sense of humor. His men find him likable.

In private times with his wife, he is given to quiet bouts of grief and longing which often last for days, having lost 3 of 4 sons in the last 6 years. Vagaig has vowed to exterminate the Asdriag (Easterling) tribes who slew his sister just two years previous. Unfortunately, this driving hatred of the Asdriag and rash raids upon the tribe has caused less policing of the Men Morannon (road leading from Dol Guldor to the gates of Mordor), and the Orcs and Trolls had an easier transit to Mordor than King Tarandor hoped for.

Vagaig favors clothing of a deep green hue and equips a “greenish” chain mail and green sword. He scoffs at too frequent a use of a warrior’s protective covering as the weight and heat bother him.

#7

Keep them coming. I sold my ICE books years ago and this is like meeting an old friend.

#8

Aye – I agree – has been awhile !!

#9

From “The Tower of Cirith Ungol and Shelob’s Lair”:

I am including two characters in this write-up, primarily because one of them was not well described, but fit in well with the first.

Skargnakh – Uruk-hai fighter – 14th level – 30CO/10AG/10MA

His weapon of choice, the Ongrum, was looted from the ruins of Barad-dur and mounted on an 8’ long spiked staff of superior Orc-forged steel. The Ongrum is a massive dark iron humanoid skull, 1’ in diameter whose eye sockets blaze with rubies. He was chieftain of an orc tribe and lair in the Morgai near Shelob’s lair. Skargnakh was phenomenally strong, but he lacked guile. To make up for that, the orc chieftain was prone to resort to brutality to enforce his will. Skargnakh collects skulls of his victims, mounting them on stakes around his throne or transforms them into jeweled goblets in which to drink spiced fresh blood from.

Uklurg Ironfangs – Uruk-hai fighter – 13th level – 40 CO

Wore boots of quickness and was the leader of a rival orc tribe in the Morgai.

Herumor, mentioned in an earlier message, strove to drive both orc tribes into battles against Veantur’s forces from the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Because they could not penetrate the wall’s defenses, the Orcs primarily raided on supply trains and the small mounted patrols.

#10

From “Mirkwood, Haunt of the Necromancer” campaign module:

Mahrcared – Northman fighter – 18th level – 50 CO in MEPBM

Thyn of the Ailgarthas, the largest Northman settlement on the Talath Harroch river. Northmen and Eothraim are essentially the same peoples, but the Northmen populate the settled towns, while the Eothraim are the “Plains-Northmen”.

At 83, Mahrcared is a member of an ancient house. A superb horseman, his cavalry enjoy the thrill of striking an Easterling camp and carrying away their horses, while taking few prisoners. Standing 6’4” and weighing 265 pounds, Mahrcared is burly, blond, and gruff. Legends credit him with breaking the neck of an Easterling warhorse with his bare hands while a youth. Mahrcared rides into battle on his steed, Mohrig, striking a formidable presence with his expertise in axe and sword.

#11

Where u guys getting this from??? LOL

#12

He told you where he is getting it from right in his first post :slight_smile: , Wish I would have saved mine – to many moves and thus mine is lost unless its still in a box somewhere which I am not gonna hold my breath on !! Bet it would be a collectors item today !!!

#13

Yeah, but was this an actual game or just a publication???

#14

Isn’t this Middle Earth Role Playing? MERP?

Note, if you look very closely at this MERP information and start drawing lines matching MEPBM stats, you can come to some conclusions regarding NPC’s that are quite useful.

#15

The same company that made MERP also made the Rolemaster RPG game system. MERP was sorta like the junior high version of Rolemaster (which was admittedly a bit complicated and combats were slow due to lots of factors and criticals). The company was called Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) … I think they are still in business at some small degree (or at least they were a couple of years ago).

The modules were published ranging several years from the 80’s into the early 90’s. Rolemaster has gone through a couple of new editions and the last one I knew about was quite different from when these modules were printed.

#16

ICE turned out modules and sourcebooks for all of the regions of middle earth. For those of you interested, they can be found at some of the online sites in downloadable .pdf format. Sure, you dont get the maps, but the write up is all there scanned in and ready to go.

Also an interesting side note: Bill Field wrote the sourcebook for the Sea of Rhun. Din Ohtar is a ring WIGHT, a slave to a lesser ring of power, a concept Bill invented and likely why he is one of the nastiest starting characters in the game. If you have ever wondered why the Northmen seem set up as the Long Rider’s patsy, draw your own conclusions!

#17

For those interested I found 3 folks on Ebay that are selling MERP at auction. One guy in particular appears to have a near mint boxed set and he has several other items related to the game available for perusal.

I don’t buy junk online, but I thought I would pass this on. Very interesting information as I have read somewhere about Duran being a “demon from beyond the Pale” but that was all I could find. I was intrigued but little else can be found outside of fan fiction for the Nazgul and such.

thanks
jer

#18

some years ago I made contact with a guy who had scanned nearly all of the ICE sourcebooks and was offering the pdfs for free download on his webspace. ICE was not existing anymore, so what.
after a while the movie hype began and some legal successor of ICE turned up and complained, but until then I had downloaded them all :smiley:

unfortunately, I have not kept the files, but erased them after I printed the modules…

I have to say that the characters taken from the sourcebooks do not always fit in the MEPBM structures too well. It seems a bit forced sometimes, because every nation has to have 8 starters. same goes for the artefacts, the PBM powers do not always correlate with the ICE stats. nevertheless, this is a very interesting topic…

#19

The module “Dagorlad and the Dead Marshes” lists a trio of Dark Lieutenant characters.

Thuringwathost (as its inhabitants call it) is a grim formation of rocks SE of the Dead Marshes. It has always been a place of mystery and terror for the natives of the area. If one were bold, cautious, and foolish enough to creep up to it, get past the steep walls of natural rock, and the sentries to look within, one would find a paradox: a lovely little garden with a pond, benches, and trees. This is Miruimor’s private haven, and few who see it ever see anything else again.

Miruimor – Black Numenorean mage – 20th level – 20 CO/30 MA

Having grown up in Umbar named Firailian, she was a fervent believer in Sauron and his Black Temple, but held a deep scorn for those of her own race. When the temple master tried do away with her due to her belief that she should be the leader, Firailian, now known as Miruimor, tipped off a rival temple as to the Black Temple’s location. The ensuing battle slew the high priest, and Miruimor fled north, settling in Osgiliath disguised as a noblewoman from Pelargir.

Her great beauty had her courted by many fine men, including the army commander of the area who told her pillow secrets that should have only been told to the Steward of Gondor. One night, Miruimor dreamed of a dark, powerful figure of black with only nine fingers standing upon a hilltop of Southern Mirkwood. She awoke knowing her god and inspiration was alive and well in Dol Guldor! Eventually arriving at the gates, she demanded to speak with the Necromancer, but Khamul had her imprisoned therein. When the nazgul interrogated her, she referred to Sauron as the “Lord of the Rings” and attracted the Dark Lord’s attention.

The next day, the avid pupil met her Dark Master alone. No one knows what transpired in that throneroom, yet Sauron was pleased and amused by her presumption. He had plans for her, as he needed an agent in the south near Mordor which he was planning to reopen. Miruimor was told to set up residence at Thuringwathost to serve as an waystation for Orcs and Trolls transitioning onwards into Mordor, out of Mannish sight. As a private joke onto her, knowing her scorn about her own race, he assigned Black Numenoreans to serve as her lieutenants.

Herudor, a promising captain at Dol Guldor was to serve as her Lord of Arms, and Feagwath, a lesser Nazgul would inspect the fortress from time to time and also act the part of the Necromancer to her troops during those visits to help keep them in line. Miruimor had a rich selection of magical items including a staff of lightning, demonskin armor, and a magic broadsword named Morlach.

I will update with Herudor and Feagwath soon, as they fit closely with Miruimor.

#20

Well then, the Ring of Binding shouldn’t be transferable with a 360/TrArt then; Din_O ought to be a 60 natural rank agent…or maybe the RoB not transferable with 360, but whenever Din_O is slain, the Ring Binds his slayer…