Woodmen of Wilderland

Written by: Free League

Det var mange av dem, og de var modige og godt bevæpnet, og selv Vargene våget ikke å angripe dem hvis de var mange sammen, eller i klart dagslys. Skogmennene i Villmarken er grensefolk fra nord, som deler sin arv med bardingene. De bor i spredte, isolerte landsbyer og gårder omgitt av trepalisader, bygget langs grensene til den store skogen, eller i dalene vest for elven Anduin. Truede av Dol Guldurs skygge og det som lurer i dypene av Myrkskog, er skogmennene jegere og sporere av ville dyr, og kjemper mot orker og edderkopper i selvforsvar. Trollmannen Radagast, en av de vise i Midgard, har valgt å bo blant skogmennene siden tidenes morgen, med bolig i Rhosgobel. En mester i forvandlinger og en omsorgsperson for dyr, har hans lærdommer vist seg uvurderlige for skogfolket.

CHARACTERISTICS #

Skogmennene i Villmarken er vanligvis lyshårede og høye, men ofte brunhudede med litt rødt i kinnene takket være et liv under åpen himmel. Noen ganger blir de ansett som mutte og lite meddelsomme av andre folk, egenskaper de skylder sitt liv under Skyggen. Alle skogmannsforeldre frykter dagen når de ser øynene til sine elskede sønner og døtre skinne med fjerne tanker, for de vet at villmarkens hemmeligheter kan vikle dem inn i en lengsel som ikke kan tilfredsstilles hvis de blir hjemme. Dette kallet til eventyr kan komme så tidlig som i en skogmanns 16. år, og kan holde dem borte fra hjemmet langt utover førtiårene. Skogmenn man møter på veien er ofte dyktige krigere, som kjemper med buer av barlind og langstettede økser.

Cultural Blessing – Wood-Goer #

Den lange kampen til skogmennene mot Trollmannshaugen har ført til at de utnytter alle aspekter av verden rundt seg for å hjelpe dem i deres kamp. De kjenner skogene så godt at de kan sette navn på hver nyanse av grønt som finnes i en skog, og kan narre andres øyne og bruke de mange hindringene som finnes i skogen til sin fordel.

Add +2 to your Parry rating when fighting in a forest.

In spite of the dangers of this far land bold men had of late been making their way back into it…

Standard of Living – Frugal #

Skogmennene skaper seg et liv gjennom magre jaktresultater, kullbrenning og dyreoppdrett. Deres konstante kamp med skogen og dens ville skapninger gjør at de strever med å gjøre mer enn bare å overleve.

ATTRIBUTES #

Choose one set of Attributes, or roll a Success die

ROLL	STRENGTH	HEART	WITS
1	2	5	7
2	3	4	7
3	3	5	6
4	4	4	6
5	4	5	5
6	2	6	6

Derived Stats #

Calculate the following scores based on your chosen Attribute
ratings:

Endurance	STRENGTH + 22
Hope	HEART + 8
Parry	WITS + 10

Skills #

Copy the listed Skill ranks onto the character sheet; then, choose
one Skill among the two underlined and mark it as Favoured

AWE 0	ENHEARTEN 1	PERSUADE 0
ATHLETICS 2	TRAVEL 0	STEALTH 2
AWARENESS 3	INSIGHT 0	SCAN 0
HUNTING 3	HEALING 2	EXPLORE 2
SONG 1	COURTESY 0	RIDDLE 1
CRAFT 1	BATTLE 1	LORE 0

Combat Proficiencies #

Copy the following Combat Proficiency ranks onto the character sheet, selecting a preferred Proficiency when offered a choice.

Axes OR Bows	2
Choose one Combat Proficiency	1

Distinctive Features #

Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Cunning, Eager, Faithful, Patient, Stern, Swift, True-hearted, Wary.

LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES #

Nordmennene som bor i dalene ved Anduin-elven — Beorningene og skogmennene — snakker samme språk, men foretrekker forskjellige navn. De skiller seg ytterligere ut ved bruken av tilnavn og kallenavn. Skogmennene viser ingen spesielle preferanser, men det er en vanlig praksis blant eventyrere å holde sitt virkelige navn hemmelig, og heller la seg bli kjent kun ved et kallenavn (Bruden, Hunden).

Male Names #

Amalric, Ansegisel, Audovald, Balderic, Beranald, Beormud, Ebrimuth, Euric, Gisalric, Grimbald, Gundovald, Hartgard, Hartnid, Imnachar, Ingelram, Malaric, Munderic, Odo, Odovacar, Reginar, Ricfried, Sigibert, Sunnegisil, Theodebert, Theodemir,
Theudebald, Theuderic, Waleran, Willicar.

Female Names #

Adosinda, Amalfrida, Amalina, Avagisa, Avina, Basina, Beranhild, Brunihild, Deuteria, Gailavira, Garsendis, Geleswinta, Gelvira, Grimhild, Gunteuch, Hermesind, Heva, Hilduara, Ingund, Radegund, Sichild, Verich, Waldrada, Wisigard.

Woodman Nicknames #

The Bird-keeper, the Bowman, the Bride, the Bright one, the Eagle, the Healer, the Hound, the Hunter, the Quick, the Shepherd, the Shield-bearer, the Silent one, the Spear-shaker, the Wood-goer.

VIRTUES OF THE WOODMEN OF WILDERLAND #

The qualities that let the Woodmen clans survive in one of the most dangerous corners of Wilderland are subtle and diverse, and all have been put to the test during years of constant struggle against the darkness of Dol Guldur.

A Hunter’s Resolve #

You have learnt to tap into the inner strength of the indefatigable and relentless hunter of Orcs and Spiders.

♦ If you are not Wounded or Miserable, you can spend 1 Hope to recover a number of Endurance points equal to your HEART or VALOUR score, whichever is higher.

On and on he led them, tireless and swift…

Herbal Remedies #

Mirkwood is shunned by many men and beasts, yet its shadowy eaves are still good for the growing of herbs. You are learning the ancient craft of concocting salves and herbal remedies from your village elders and wise-women.

♦ You gain (1d) on all your HEALING rolls.
♦ Additionally, at the end of a journey, you can roll HEALING to reduce your accumulated Fatigue (in addition to rolling TRAVEL to do so, see The One Ring, page 111).

Radagast… has much lore of herbs and beasts…

Forest Harrier #

The Woodmen are redoubtable warriors, excelling in forest warfare. You have long practised their surprise tactics, learning to always be ready to strike first.

♦ Your opening volleys and close combat attacks made during the first combat round of a battle are Favoured.

«…he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may need to strike no more.»

Hound of Mirkwood #

Your folk have always delighted in training great, long-jawed hounds, stronger than wolves. You have chosen a wolfhound of Wilderland to accompany you in your wanderings.

♦ When you make an AWARENESS or HUNTING roll you gain (1d) if the hound is with you.
♦ In combat, the hound counts as another Player-hero fighting in a Close Combat stance, and the first close combat attack aimed at you each round loses (1d).
♦ Finally, if you are hit by a Piercing Blow, you can choose to cancel it, wounding your hound instead. A wounded hound is considered to be out of combat for the remainder of a scene and will return at your side at the start of the next session if you succeed in a HEALING roll. On a failure, the hound won’t recover until the beginning of the next Adventuring Phase.

… in trotted… several large, long-bodied grey dogs.

Natural Watchfulness #

Whether travelling, exploring or resting, the behaviour of animals can communicate much to those who know how to interpret the signs — be it the sudden silence of a bird or the distant rustling of a beast in flight. You read your surroundings with uncanny precision.

♦ Whenever you are making a roll using AWARENESS,
EXPLORE, or SCAN, you can spend 1 Hope to achieve a Magical success.
♦ Also, you are allowed to cover the Look-out role in addition to any other role during a journey.

The wood was full of the rumour of him, dreadful tales even among beasts and birds.

Staunching Song #

This song has been taught to the worthiest members of your clan since your people first travelled down the banks of the Great River. Singing its words can reduce the loss of a warrior’s life-blood to a trickle, letting it flow back to the heart.

♦ Raise your maximum Hope rating by 1 point.
♦ Additionally, you can roll SONG to administer First Aid or to save Dying heroes (in addition to rolling HEALING to do so, see The One Ring, page 101).

Then they came to lands where people spoke strangely, and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before.