The One Ring, Strider Mode: Episode 2

Character creation

“Love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West, and cometh from the Sea.”

The character I made for this solo game is one that I had already designed for another One Ring campaign that was set during the Second Age, before the forging of the titular One Ring. I wont get too deep into the Lore, since that requires knowledge from The Silmarillion that I don't want to assume everyone has.

Meet Ûrdis (pronounced oor-diss). She was born towards the beginning of the Second Age, the scion of a powerful family of the elven kingdom of Eregion. Eregion was the home of Celebrimbor, one of the greatest craftsmen in Middle-Earth's history, and at its height it was a great center of industry and culture.

Ûrdis was a wilful child, and brought a great deal of trouble to her parents. She loved to explore the world, and would often travel over and under the Misty Mountains in search of lost treasures and metals. However, she was forced to grow up quickly when Sauron's armies attacked. She fought bravely in the defense of her home, but was wounded in battle and brought across the mountains to the Golden Wood of Lórien.

In Lórien, Ûrdis became the protector and lover of Celebrían, the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn. Unfortunately, Celebrían was also in love with Elrond Half-Elven, and she eventually left for Rivendell to marry him. Heartbroken, Ûrdis became a warrior and protector of the woods, traveling alone to hunt orcs, trolls, and other creatures of darkness.

Eventually, word reached Ûrdis's ears that Celebrían had been captured by orcs while traveling back to Lórien. She rode as hard as she could to save the woman she loved, and joined the search for her alongside Elrond's twin sons. By the time they found her, Celebrían had already received a poisoned wound, and would never be the same. Despite her husband's healing prowess, she never fully recovered, and would eventually decide to sail into the West forever.

Ûrdis traveled with Celebrían, Elrond, and their children to the Grey Havens, and watched her sail away from Middle-Earth, never to return. Elrond offered to give her a place in Rivendell, but she could not accept. Instead she has stayed among the ships and workers of the Grey Havens for centuries, relishing her solitude and wondering when she, too, would sail away.

So as you can see, our girl is a depressed lesbian disaster; being in a love triangle with Elrond himself will do that to you. It was fun to extrapolate Ûrdis's story out from where the Second Age campaign left off. In that game she was impulsive, irreverent, and more than a bit insensitive at a mere 200 years old. Ûrdis in the Third Age is now well past 4000 years old, and is much more measured and contemplative.

The One Ring's Strider Mode has some alternative rules for character creation, to make your character better suited to the rigors of traveling alone. In addition, I made use of the Elf-Lord character creation rules found in The One Ring: Realms of the Three Rings. Ûrdis is not the oldest elf in Middle-Earth, but she has been around long enough to come into her own power and enter the Big Leagues, alongside the likes of Arwen and Glorfindel.

Generally speaking, characters in The One Ring have a Culture and a Calling. Ûrdis's Culture is High Elves of Rivendell; despite not having lived there, those elves have the most in common with the elf-smiths of Eregion. As an Elf-Lord, Ûrdis gets the benefits of two different Callings. For the first I picked Warden, to reflect her recent experiences as a hunter and warrior. For her second I picked Treasure Hunter, reflecting her youthful lust for exploration and riches.

Characters have three primary stats: Strength, Heart, and Wits. Ûrdis favors Wits, with a score of 6 (out of a possible 8), followed by a Strength score of 5 and a Heart score of 4. She has decent ratings in many skills, with her Favored skills being Awareness, Hunting, Insight, Healing, Battle, Stealth, Scan, and Explore. Her highest weapon proficiency is in Spears, followed by Bows and Swords. Many of these skills and proficiencies have been boosted by the extra experience points one gets for playing in Strider Mode and playing as an Elf-Lord.

The juiciest thing you get as an Elf-Lord is starting with powerful artifacts that you can decide. I decided to give Ûrdis a Famous Weapon and a Wondrous Item. The weapon is a Dwarven-made spear called Namárië (which is also the title of a poem recited by Galadriel). It was gifted to Ûrdis by a friend from Khazad-Dûm, when the elves and dwarves were trusted allies. The other is the Ring of Draugnir, which once belonged to her father. It is far from the power of the Great Rings, but is a precious reminder of the craftsmanship of her parents.

And that's the broad strokes of Ûrdis! As you will see, she will soon be pulled from her centuries of sorrow and into a new adventure!