Ruler Ramblings
The Sayings of Siblings
Lady Eléowyn
Forth Eorlingaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas! Looking to the future with pride, courage and honor-the legacy left us by our departing king, Wamba the Fool. Like the great leader that he is, he looked into our hearts and gave us what we needed, allowing us to mourn while at the same time nudging us to accept the future.
And never have I been more filled with pride in my fellow Rohirrim
than during times such as we face now, times of change. We have lost
one great leader but embraced another, Ele Isenfolme, our new
king. We have a new editor for the Rædboda, the best newsletter
on the Plaza, Éile, who I have no doubt will continue
our tradition of excellence with your help. Discussions have begun for
reforms in the organization that is the backbone of our kingdom, the
cavalry. It is only through the good citizenship of our amazing
residents of Meduseld that we can weather these changes and emerge even
stronger. My heartfelt thanks to all of you, proud Eorlingas, for your
support, help, and encouragement as we continue our quest to keep the
dream alive.
News and Tidbits
Imbealcariel, Miny Aranor, and Elarith
Meduseld Special Ranks for September: Imbealcariel
Well, it seems that the SCRs are back this month! Eleo announced
that Eilonwy and Eldrith would be receiving the ranks
of Théodwyn and Lothíriel, respectively. With a break
from SCRs last month, Eleo and Wamba were working on a new format.
While not much as been said, it seems this new format will mean fewer
riders awarded the ranks each month, so more focus can be on each rank
winner. Also, winners will now be asked to explain why they chose the
character they did, at the awards ceremony. After this was explained by
Eleo, the awards were given out, and speeches were made.
The crowd grew, adding their congratulations, and after a short while, Eldrith, or Lothíriel, appeared to accept her new rank gracefully. Having almost missed the ceremony, she was delighted she decided to come! As for the reason she chose Lothíriel, she said "for two reasons: there is not much said about her, so you can fill most of her in yourself. But I've always thought she must be influenced by the image of her father, who was such a knightly man. I remember the scene in the books where he takes the time to kneel before Theodens briar. And the way he discovered Eowyn was still alive. I think she must have been a regal lady, which makes her very different from Eldrith; a woman of the courts and used to knightly behaviour. I always had the feeling she must have been almost like a vision to Eomer when first he saw her. The way I see her she combined a royal dignity, with gentleness, formality with softness. And I'd love the challenge to play someone so unlike Eldrith." After a roar of applause and further congratulations from the crowd, Eldrith stepped off the dais to begin her 'duties' as a special ranker for the month.
The crowd waited for Eilonwy to arrive, and after a wait,
she finally took to the stage. She thanked the rulers gratefully, and
said she wouldn't give them too much trouble, playing their mother for
the month. After a few audience comments, she went on to explain her
choice of rank: "Now, why did I choose her? Well, first off, in
Eilonwy's history (still getting finishing touches) Théodwyn
is a relative of my family (my mother is a cousin of Éomund).
Secondly, her marriage to Éomund also intrigued me greatly. I
don't believe Éomund was a particularly easy man to be married
to, so Théodwyn must have had a great deal of fortitude and
patience. Having grown up in the royal court, she also probably
well-schooled in the diplomatic arts, a definite advantage when dealing
with Éomund's temper! Of course, not much is known about her, so
I can shape her character as I see fit!" The audience congratulated
her again, before she stepped down to join the throng of people and
being her month as Théodwyn.
The Rædboda would like to extend its congratulations to both Eilonwy and Eldrith for their success as this month's special rankers! See here to check out the SCR RPG, At the court...
(to match icons to
names, visit here)
Inter-Kingdom Pen-Pals: Elarith
Recently opened in the IK Competition Forum is the Pen-Pals thread, set up by a Gondorian by the name of Ibiralian, and it's already become the hottest thing since badger burgers. Begun in OOME, the idea took off immmediately and its popularity saw it moved over to the IK Forum, where it is already well into its second thread.
Inter-Kingdom Pen-Pals was created to set up people from all over the Plaza with a pen pal who they can correspond with IC through the Kingdom Post Offices. So far, 37 people and counting have been matched up through the service, and more people are joining each day. Pen pals are by no means limited to one per person, although people without a pen pal will be given preference over someone who already has a contact.
To sign-up to get yourself a pen pal couldn't be simpler ((Hey, even I managed to do it, so it can't be that hard!)). Just pop along to the current thread, link given below for anyone who can't find it, and fill out the form. All you need to state is your name and the Kingdom you'd prefer your pen pal to belong to if any, and then Robert is very much your mother's brother. With so many people interested, penpals are usually assigned pretty quickly - mine took less than a day - so you can be off writing to your new found friend pretty pronto.
Please remember that all correspondence via the Kingdom Post Offices
should be IC - letters that are OOC tend to get 'misplaced'. Inter-Kingdom
Pen-Pals:Volume III
Tribute Ranks for September: Miny Aranor
It is the second month since the ATR started to be given by our admins, and once again I am here to tell you all who got their: time, sweat, love and their strains on their fingers paid off. Without further ado the ATR for September were:
Ishkamitul received Pengolodh from Fëawen
Mirluin received Gollum from Protoguy
Eliendriel received Ilmarë from Blackrose Bugg
Eouwen received Urwen from Sere Feataurie
Quill received Arien from Pip Reonyea
Lilu received Uinen from Arlo Cuthalion
Geir received Melian from Ander
Son of Huor received Eönwë from Alkthoniel
Uruloki received Ossë from Morgoth
YojimboJinn received Telperion from Luthy
Halfir received Thingol from Hoth
Here are some of the reasons that made the admins award the ATRs:
Feawen
"Ishkamitul - I cannot tell you how honored I am to share The Plaza
with a poet of your talent. You make the PFF a wonderfully magical
place with your words. Thank you for being an example for other members
to follow."
Protoguy
"My choice for Tribute Icon is Mirluin. Though she offered many bribes
and I have to admit, they were tempting, I have to state unequivocally
that "I did not take bribes from that Wizzie". Umm, can you define the
word 'not'? Ahem...yes, well... Mirluin is a tireless contributor to
the Plaza, though 99.9% of that is in the White Council, so many might
not be aware of her efforts. But withouth her the WC would not be the
vibrant place it is."
Blackrose Bugg
"It is my great pleasure to announce that Ilmare will be worn this
month by Eliendriel of Rivendell, in recognition of her fine insightful
work in the Lore forums, and a true skill with words! Remember -
handmaid does NOT mean sweep, cook, or clean...we have hobbittsses for
that! Congratulations, m'lady!"
Pip Reonyea
"My rank this month goes to Quill as a kind of prize for winning my
contest, but also for her general plaza presence. Have fun pulling the
sun around!"
Arlo Cuthalion
"Lilu - for your many contributions, your humour and your dedication to
this place. Happy Uin-ing!"
Ander
"Geir: Your work for the Library and your vast knowledge of Tolkien
lore prompted me to give you this rank. I was pleased to hand it down
to you and I hope you enjoy it for this month!!"
Alkthoniel
"This month I give Eönwë to Son of Huor, for his
contributions in the lore forums!"
Morgoth
"Under the water,
Under the sea.
Counting fishies,
One, Two Three.
Dead or Alive?
"This months Morgoth Rank is that persistent switcher of sides
Ossë. Who else could play the evil side of the Maia of H2O better
than the second meanest person the Plaza ever spawned? The person that
had me quaking at my keyboard when I was a Newbie.Congratualtions
Uruloki. "
Luthy
"This month, I award Telperion to YojimboJinn. Without you, my house
wouldn't be so great. Thank you for all you do "
Hoth
What is an ATR?
"A gift come with a warm handshake for very special hearts
A bequest given with honor to the honorable
An acknowledgement that to dream is to believe in yourself.
A declaration that we are your students
A clear pool in which we hope to see ourselves one day
A reminder that without our treasured members we would be nothing
"This one's for you M'Lord Halfir........may your month with Elwe
Singollo be blessed and may Geir forgive me for this."
Congratulations to all attributed with ATRs from all the Rædboda
staff.
(to match icons to names, visit here)
If you want to congratulate the recent ATR yourself just go to this
link: September
ATRs
Pelennor Pigskin - The Final Four: Elarith
The initial group stages of Pelennor Pigskin are finally drawing to a close, after weeks of frantic, fast-paced Pigskin the like of which has never been seen before in Middle Earth.
Group A, consisting of the Brandywine Bigfeet, Isengard Eagles, Galadhrim Giliath and Gondor Gale, has had all its matches played. Finishing top of the group, with a maximum 9 points from 3 games, was Gondor Gale, who have struck mithril with an impressive strike force of PeLai and Hoyamir up front. With a ballistic attack and strong defense, the Gondor Gale have literally blown away all challengers, and will be amongst the favourites for the title. Joining them in the semi-finals will be the Isengard Eagles, who lost early on to the Gale but magicked themselves a win and a draw in their other two games to collect 4 points. In third place, with 2 points, was the resilient Hobbit team of Brandywine Bigfeet. Despite only taking two draws, the Halflings' had a good stab at each match. At the bottom with 1 point is the Galadhrim Giliath, the Lothlórien team. Needing a win in their last match to stand any chance of progressing, the Elves faltered at the final hurdle and couldn't pull off the victory.
Group A
Gondor Gale (9 points)
Isengard Eagles (4 points)
Brandywine Bigfeet (2 points)
Galadhrim Giliath (1 point)
Over in Group B, the final match is currently being played out between the Khazad-dûm Krushers and Imladris Ice. With 6 points already in the bag, Khazad-dûm are certain to go through as top finishers. A rock-hard defense of Dwarven Queen Dis has provided a mighty stumbling block for all their opponents, and the forwards have proved that dwarves really are natural sprinters with their lightening attacks on goal. Second in the group is Mordor United, who have 4 points after a 4 - 1 win in their final match against Meduseld Mearas. In third with 2 points is the Imladris Ice, the Rivendell outfit. With 2 draws so far, the Elves need a win to make sure they go through to the semi-finals. Fourth, and with a single point, are our own Meduseld Mearas. The Mearas had to win their last match against Mordor to stand a chance of going through, but the fiery team from the Black Land wilted the Mears hopes, leaving the Rohirrim to rue the rule that meant they couldn't use their steeds in these games.
Late breaking news… the Ice have lost to the Krushers, allowing the Mordorian team to hang on to second place.
Group B
Khazad-dûm Krushers (9 points)
Mordor United (4 points)
Imladris Ice (2 points)
Meduseld Mearas (1 point)
News
from the Cavalry
Behind the Spears
Éormed
*news music*
INVASION: GONDOR
*zzzz* Wha? O right. Welcome, I am, um, who am I? Hoofhead Weaseling?
*puts on glasses* Of course. I am Heafod Eallisen, reporting on
INVASION: GONDOR. Previously the Cavalry had just defeated invading
Easterlings when the beacons were lit. After several days of riding,
Middle-earth's best cavalry arrived in Mundburg, only to find a
practically deserted city. Only a few guards, some mere boys, others
having seen many summers, defended the Tower of Guard. The Cavalry
along with the destriers of Rohan's best knights were housed in the
wide First Circle, and many have found out the few pubs that are still
open. Meanwhile, the Second and Third Marshal went up to the Sixth
Circle into the Chamber of Conclave to speak with Reserve Force Captain
Starrick Greaves, who told them of the situation. The Marshals now know
where the king and his enemies are, southern Gondor. Resting and
re-supplying from their hurried march, the Rohirrim now prepare to ride
to glory.
This has been INVASION: GONDOR. Tune in next time to INVASION: SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN GONDOR for more.
*news music*
*bleeeeep*
Raciendas þæra Talu Guild Report
Scymrwendian
With the beginning of fall for the Northern Hemisphere (and also a Practice Drill against Lórien going on), activity increased hugely in the Rohan Lore Guild. The Wizard Mædhros (a.k.a. Fréolác, a.k.a. Elk) became a Rider and joined the Raciendas, where he took part in an animated discussion on the subject of Merry, Éowyn, and who or what caused the Witch-King's death. Eventually, the Guild agreed (well, mostly) that Merry and Éowyn were both instrumental in the stripping of the Witch-King's power, but that his actual death did not occur at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. This brief summary does not do justice to a fascinating discussion and I highly recommend reading the relevant thread of the Raciendas Raciendas þæra Talu - Speakers of the Tales VIII. As it would turn out, this was the only discussion Elk took part in, as he found himself irresistibly drawn back to the WC. We were sad to see him go.
Currently, the Raciendas are pondering different scenarios in Gondor; What would have happened had Boromir lived? Would Denethor have gone mad? Would Faramir and Éowyn still have married? If not, who would they have married? The debate so far has been called both 'sad' and 'silly' and as I write this, we are desperately trying to keep Freud from taking over the entire Guild. So far, we haven't been entirely successful. We have, however, realized that Boromir's death may have been key in more ways than it appears. Again, I'll refer to the full discussion - Freud and all.
The quiz mentioned last month, made by Eilonwy, lead to well-earned (and, it seems, much worked for - the quiz is hard) promotions on the parts of Ragnelle and Gem. Congratulations to them! Another new quiz is in the works, which we look forward to. We're also looking forward to the Drill Season which begins very soon. Be assured, the Rohirric Tweam is sharpening its minds and quills in the Lore Guild. Why not join us?
The Guild always welcomes new recruits - interested parties can take one of the Raciendas þæra Talu-tests located in Gaebaswanærn. The current Raciendas thread can be found here: Raciendas þæra Talu - Speakers of the Tales IX, and from there one can travel back to older threads and discussions.
InterKingdom
Competitions & Contests
Elarith & Cyrnwen
On the IK Debate and Drill front most of this month was a hopping one spent organizing new teams and prepping for the coming season. Intrakingdom debate kicked off at the end of this month with teams led by Ragnelle and Fëanor. This debate's topic: "Who was more crucial to the victory at Helm's Deep, Théoden or Gandalf?"
The InterKingdom Derby Race took place in Gondor this month bringing the Plaza Inter-Kingdom Races 2004 to a dramatic close as Firefly's lava snake Flicker slithered into a first place position helping to bring an overall win to Mordor!
The Orange Invasion
Organized and orange'd by Gwaihir, the competition began as a tribute to Fëawen's obsession with oranges. The challenge to all Plazarians was to come up with an original recipe for a dessert involving, yes, oranges, or at least the color orange. The creation had to be edible and could take any form from cookies to full blown gateaux.
Sounds easy, huh? Well, contestants had to go a wee bit further than just the recipe. They also had to describe which Tolkien character they'd serve it to, and do a shameless plug saying why their recipe was so delicious. Recipe suggestions came flooding in, with oranges being pared with foodstuffs such as yogurt, ice cream, and cream cheese.
After careful deliberation by the judges considering the exstrawberry quality of the entries, Star Flower's creation of Chewy Caramel Chocolate Toffee was chosen as the overall winner. May it long be cherrieshed as the apple (or orange) of Väire's eye. In second place came Charstar's Mandarin Orange Cheesecake, third was Idesinholdè's Cheese Orange and the honorable mention went to Blackrose Bugg for her incredible if rather bizarre Tomato Soup Cake.
(( All fruit puns in above article are, ashamedly, intended. *waits for pelting with rotten fruit*))
If you'd like to try these recipes or some of the others, take a
peek here, The
Orange Invasion.
Plaza Name Contest
Another competition to take place in the IK Forum recently was one to root out the best and funniest Plaza names. These entries had to make the judges of Samuraielf, Haladin and Firerose Arien, who organized the competition. Entries fell into one of three categories:
Best Name in Place - Your name. Entrants had to explain their
name and any history behind it, why they chose it as their Plaza name,
and the meaning (if any) it holds.
Funniest Name - The funniest original name contestants could
come up with.
Best Name in General - The best original name Plazaites could
think of.
All categories were judged on creativity, the name's meaning, and the depth of information provided about it by the contestant. After a fortnight, the judges announced their verdict.
Funniest Name
1st: Oin
2nd: Pharazon
3rd: Twin Demon
4th: Caran Aracyll
5th: Lyra Arariliel
Best Name in General:
1st: Ria W. (Trey)
2nd: Daelin
3rd: Idesinholde
4th: Sammeh
5th: Feanarawen
Best Name in Place:
1st: Terith
2nd: Earanna
3rd: Ria W.
4th. Pharazon
5th: Galastel
The winners of the Best Name in General and Funniest Name categories get to use the names they nominated free of charge for as long as they desire. To read more about the contest, go here: Plaza Name Contest
Having so many of our shop owners away in Mundberg with the cavalry
has made for another relatively quiet month in the Riddermarket, quiet,
yet interesting nonetheless as many shops are currently being run by
relatives and friends. Among these stand-ins can be found many an
interesting personality, more often than not, a personality much
different than the shop owner themselves. On a slightly busier note,
the long empty armory has finally been dusted off and reopened. Giving
life to the new enterprise, Eofor Armouries, is our very own
Pellakal. If you find yourself with spare time or in need of an
amourers anvil, stop on by, I'm sure he'd be glad to see you!