Men of Bree

Written by: Free League

«…fire mil langs veien vil du komme til en landsby, Bri under Briåsen, med dører vendt mot vest.»

Innbyggerne i Bri-landet og de fire landsbyene rundt Briåsen er etterkommere av det eldgamle folket som først bodde i regionen kjent i dag som Eriador, De ensomme landene. Få har overlevd de urolighetene som har herjet området, men de er fortsatt der nå. I dag bor mennene i Bri ved et gammelt veikryss, og selv om trafikken var langt større i tidligere dager, reiser fortsatt forskjellige slags reisende langs disse veiene. De som går inn i fellesrommet på Bri-vertshuset vil garantert høre merkelige historier og nyheter fra fjerne steder, og kanskje bli revet med av dem.

Characteristics #

De fleste mennene i Bri er brunhårede og ganske korte, og har en tendens til å være kraftige og brede. Dette, kombinert med deres muntre sinn, er grunnen til at de ikke virker så fremmede som de fleste utlendinger gjør for sine naboer, innbyggerne i Hobsyssel. Men som Hobbiter kan deres utseende være villedende: mennene i Bri kan være enkle og vennlige, men de er selvstendige og kloke på sin egen måte.

Faktiske eventyrere fra Bri-landet er sjeldne. Hvis de i det hele tatt forlater landsbyene sine, gjør de det når ungdommens styrke er i deres lemmer, og vender vanligvis hjem for å slå seg ned før de fyller førti. Ikke krigerske av natur, foretrekker Bri-folket enkle våpen, avledet fra hverdagsredskaper og jaktutstyr.

CULTURAL BLESSING — BREE BLOOD #

På grunn av hjemlandets beliggenhet har mennene i Bri bedre forhold til Hobbiter, dverger, alver og andre innbyggere i verden rundt dem enn det som anses som vanlig.

Each Man of Bree in the Company increases the Fellowship Rating by 1 point.

_{The Men of Bree were brown-haired, broad, and rather short, cheerful and independent: they belonged to nobody but themselves…}

STANDARD OF LIVING — COMMON #

Bri-landet er ikke så velstående som det en gang var, men i dag er innbyggerne i de fire landsbyene ikke mer landlige enn sine naboer i Hobsyssel, og ikke mindre velstående.

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 + 20
Hope	HEART + 10
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 2	PERSUADE 2
ATHLETICS 1	TRAVEL 1	STEALTH 1
AWARENESS 1	INSIGHT 2	SCAN 1
HUNTING 1	HEALING 0	EXPLORE 1
SONG 1	COURTESY 3	RIDDLE 2
CRAFT 2	BATTLE 0	LORE 0

COMBAT PROFICIENCIES #

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

Axes OR Spears	2
Choose one Combat Proficiency	1

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES #

Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Cunning, Fair-spoken, Faithful, Generous, Inquisitive, Patient, Rustic, True-hearted.

LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES #

Mennene i Bri har glemt sitt eldgamle, opprinnelige språk, og snakker det felles språket, om enn litt endret i en lokal dialekt. De bruker navn som for fremmede ører høres like ut som de som brukes av Hobbiter i Hobsyssel (Hobbiter er selvsagt uenige i dette).

MALE NAMES #

Alfred, Artie, Bill, Bob, Carl, Ed, Fred, Giles, Herb, Larry, Nob, Oswald, Percy, Perry, Sid, Tom, Harry.

FEMALE NAMES #

Daisy, Emma, Etta, Fay, Fern, Flora, Gert, Holly, Lily, Myrtle, Poppy, Rose, Sage, Tilly, Violet.

FAMILIY NAMES #

Appledore, Asterfire, Bellsap, Briarcleave, Butterbur, Cherryborn, Chesterstout, Droverwind, Ferny, Foxglow, Goatleaf, Hardybough, Heathertoes, Hedgedon, Kettlegrass, Lilyhawk, Mossburn, Mugworts, Oakstout, Pickthorn, Pollenroad, Rushlight, Shrubrose, Sweetroot, Thistlewool, Wayward.

Virtues of the men of bree #

The Bree-folk live a sheltered life, it is true; but there is an upside in being fond of a warm hearth and the company of friends — you know there is something worth fighting for.

BREE-PONY #

Bree-ponies are very similar to their owners, the Bree-folk they don’t seem to have anything special compared to their peers in other parts of Middle-earth, and yet some of them display uncommon courage and exceptional memory. You have acquired an unusually brave and intelligent beast that follows you everywhere.

♦ Raise your maximum Hope rating by 1 point. Additionally, your pony has a Vigour rating of 4 (regardless of your Standard of Living). Your pony never leaves your side. If you are forced to abandon it, for example to enter an underground passage, you can choose to find the pony where you left it when you return, or to have it find its way back to Bree.

Bill the pony was with them, and as before he had a good deal of baggage, but he trotted along beside Sam and seemed well content.

DEFIANCE #

Many realms have risen and fallen in the Lone-lands of Eriador since the Elder Days. Only ruins remain to mark their boundaries. Yet, the Bree-men have endured, revealing an unexpected reserve of strength and vigour in the face of adversity.

♦ Raise your maximum Endurance rating by 1. At the end of each Combat scene, if you are not Wounded or Miserable, you recover a number of Endurance points equal to your HEART or WISDOM score.

Few had survived the turmoils of the Elder Days; but when the Kings returned again over the Great Sea they had found the Bree-men still there…

DESPERATE COURAGE #

You have lived all your life on the edge of the Wild, but the worst news that has come to Bree in your time concerned only brigands or packs of hungry wolves. You don’t know yet what the likes of you can do against the Shadow in the East, but you are sure you will stand against it, no matter the cost.

♦ When you choose to spend Hope on a roll, you can
choose to also gain 1 Shadow to be Inspired for that roll.

«Are you still willing to help me?» «I am,» said Mr. Butterbur. «More than ever.»

FRIENDLY AND FAMILIAR #

Since you started your adventures, you have realised that your folk’s custom of trading with foreigners may help you in your endeavours. Your nice manners and friendly demeanor easily gain the sympathies of those you meet, and your ability to inquire about the doings of strangers, without letting curiosity get the better of you, provide you with many opportunities to learn from those you meet along the way.

♦ Raise by 1 the maximum number of Skill rolls that you may attempt in the course of a council. Additionally, the folk encountered are always considered Friendly towards you.

…they were more friendly and familiar with Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and other inhabitants of the world about them than was (or is) usual with Big People.

STRANGE AS NEWS FROM BREE #

It is indeed true that the affairs of the four villages are the chief concern of the Bree-folk, but the most inquisitive among the inhabitants are always ready to gather what tidings come from distant lands. You have learnt that listening to the strange tales that travellers often talk about can prove to be very precious.

♦ During each Fellowship Phase, you receive a rumour from the Loremaster. In addition, if you are in the Bree-land, you gain (1d) on all INSIGHT and RIDDLE rolls.

Strange as News from Bree was still a saying in the Eastfarthing, descending from those days, when news from North, South, and East could be heard in the inn…

THE ART OF SMOKING #

You have mastered the art of smoking pipe-weed, and you always carry your pipe with you, as well as a bag of tobacco, for using it grants you patience and clarity of mind.

♦ Whenever you regain one or more points of Hope, you recover one additional Hope point (regardless of whether it’s the Adventuring or Fellowship Phase).

And certainly it was from Bree that the art of smoking the genuine
weed spread in the recent centuries…