LotR The Hall of Fire Magazine 09.pdf

I I SSUE N I INE

A UGUST 2004

Gandalf and the Balrog by New Line

I I N TH I IS I ISSUE

G REETINGS P AGE 2

A F IELD G UIDE TO THE C REATURES OF M IDDLE - EARTH P AGE 3-5

- Part II- Wolves, Wargs, and Other Canines

A PC’ S S O -C ALLED L IFE P AGE 6-7

- Experience and Advancements

I T ’ S A LL O PTIONAL P AGE 8-13

- Sailing the High Seas: Part II- Combat

T HE R OAD G OES E VER O N P AGE 14-23

- Chapter 3 – To Find Ephanial

F AN F LAVOUR P AGE 24-26

- Heroic Items in Middle-earth

- New Items and Equipment: Gaurcrist, Tinlothir, Lindalóm, Carcelebrin,

Elendúlan, Whistle of Summoning, Black Arrows

- New Racial Package: Line of Girion

A LLIES AND A DVERSARIES P AGE 27-36

- Indur Dawndeath, Bard the Bowman, Bard – King of Dale, Beorn – Lord of the

Carrock, Common Folk - Dúnedain

F EATURED C REATURES P AGE 36-37

- Neeker-Breekers

C ALLING A LL G AMERS P AGE 37

W HAT ’ S O UT T HERE P AGE 38

C ONTACT T HE H ALL OF F IRE AT :

CODAWEBZINE @ HOTMAIL . COM

Issue Nine

T HE H ALL OF F IRE

August 2004

Issue Nine – August 2004

G REET I INGS , , S ALUTATIONS ... H ELLO A LL !

First off, I'd like to thank all the loyal readers out there for their responses to the queries and polls that Tomcat and

I have put out on the newly upgraded messageboards at Decipher's website. They have been a great help where the

focus of future issues will go as well as improvements to our website.

As I just mentioned, Decipher had launched their new messageboard system on their website at the time of release

for last month's issue to the great delight of us all. But sadly, no further news has come from anyone at the company

more than "dunno" or "wait and see." The bright side is that you get to read yet another great issue of The Hall of

Fire !

This issue furthers the new rules for ships in detailing ship combat, gives you Part 2 of the Canid ecology, character

write-ups for Bard, Beorn, and another Nazgûl, plus a whole lot more!

As with all the others, I hope you enjoy this issue!

Matthew A. Kearns

aka GandalfOfBorg

Editor

The Hall of Fire

A F I IELD G U I IDE

TO THE C REATURES OF M I IDDLE - EARTH

P ART I I I I C AN I IDS : : W OLVES , , W ARGS , , D OGS AND H YBR I IDS

Ecology

True Wolves: The preferred food items of wolves are

mostly warm-blooded prey. This includes deer, harts, elk,

moose, caribou and other smaller mammal species. True

wolves hunt in large packs and work in a coordinated

fashion to bring down large prey. Usually, this includes

carefully selecting the sick, weak, or old members of a prey

animal’s herd and making a coordinated effort to separate

this individual from the pack for killing. Because the wolf is

an endotherm, it must consume large amounts of meat to

fuel its internal metabolism. Therefore, a wolf can consume

over 9 lbs of food in a single sitting.

Wolves are very shy and usually run from humans and

dwarves. Furthermore, and despite popular belief, they also

very rarely attack humans. Despite the fact that some

farmers believe wolves to have a negative effect on their

livestock, this is largely untrue. While wolves have been

reported to attack and kill domestic animals on occasion,

this usually only occurs in areas where humans have

significantly encroached upon the wolf’s territory or reduced

the wolf’s food source through the over-hunting of deer, and

the like. In these situations, hungry wolf packs may resort to

attacking and consuming livestock as a necessity for

survival. However, most canid attacks on livestock are

actually due to hybrids and not true wolves. Telling the

difference between whether a true wolf or a hybrid has

attacked domesticated animals is very easy: wolves work

silently when hunting and sneak up on their prey. Hybrids,

on the other hand, use surprise and brute force to catch

prey. Therefore, a hybrid attack on domestic animals can be

identified based on the fact that any pen or fence

surrounding the herd of livestock being attacked will be

completely obliterated in several places (because hybrids

generally do not bother jumping fences, and simply crash

through them into the trapped herd of livestock; see below

for more information on hybrid hunting tactics). In

addition, a wolf attack will usually result in one or two

individual livestock missing. A hybrid attack will result in

the death of most, or all, of a farmer’s herd, as these animals

require much more food than do true wolves.

“The Warg that one hears is worse than the orc that

one fears.”

“Whatever may be in store for old Gandalf, I’ll wager it isn’t a

wolf’s belly.”

-Sam Gamgee, The Fellowship of the Ring

Habitat- If all species and sub-species are considered, canids are

found throughout Middle Earth. They can adapt to many environments

and some have even been found to thrive in areas of Middle Earth,

despite significant persecution by humans.

Wolves- True wolves are geographically located throughout most

of Middle Earth, and in a wide range of habitat types (although less

often in the south). They are found in dense lowland forests,

mountainous forests, boreal forests, tundra, temperate grasslands, and

prairies. They usually require areas that are less populated by humans,

as humans are the most significant source of mortality facing wolves

(aside from the occasional territorial battle with hybrids). Although

much smaller than hybrids, true wolves operate in much larger packs

and can efficiently defend their territories from their larger cousins.

Hybrids- Despite the fact that hybrids are large and ferocious in

their behavior and hunting tactics, this sub-specie is relatively rare in

Middle Earth. They generally avoid humans (although have been

known to exist near urbanized areas in heavily wooded northern

habitats), and avoid true wolves when possible. They seem to prefer

dense old-growth forests, with many trees and little under-story

vegetation (i.e., plants growing at the base of trees, such as grasses,

shrubs and raspberries). Because of this, they are more frequently found

in Northern Middle Earth and most of Mirkwood, outside of the Wood-

elf’s realm (Note: While Elves do not spare hybrids when encountered,

they feel great pity for them. This is because hybrids are creatures that

have been indirectly perverted by the Dark Lord and, although

dangerous, act only on the survival instincts instilled in them by

Morgoth and Sauron.). They also exist in the northern Misty

Mountains, the Grey Mountains, and the boreal forests north of there.

Wargs- Wargs are a captive animal and are not found existing on

their own in the wild. They are normally found near or within the

dwellings of orcs, goblins and other servants of evil. Therefore, you are

more likely to find Wargs in the realms dominated by the minions of

the Dark Lord (such as Angmar, the northern Misty Mountains, and

near Mordor).

Preferred Food and Hunting Tactics- As said previously, as in

most carnivores, canids consume only animal material. Furthermore,

because they are endothermic, most must hunt and eat constantly to

maintain their internal physiology. Therefore, not only are many

aspects of their anatomy highly evolved specifically for hunting prey,

even their behavior has evolved to help in the efficiency of prey

capture, while still reducing the amount of energy spent during

hunting. To insure that the energy acquired from food exceeds that

expended during hunting, all canids will readily stalk prey that is larger

than themselves (e.g. taking the time to stalk and kill an animal the

size of a deer, which results in more calories consumed as food, is more

efficient than wasting the same amount of energy and time hunting an

animal the size of a mouse, although smaller animals are eaten in leaner

times).

-Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring

Wargs: While Wargs are definitely equipped with the tools

necessary to bring down considerably large prey, all Wargs

are captive bred and have been raised by the minions of the

Dark Lord since the First Age and have no need to hunt.

The Dark Lord specifically selected their natural weapons

and prowess when he began attempting to breed them for

his own devices. Because of this, the ferocious nature of

Wargs, which has been strengthened by selective breeding,

is solely for combat and not survival. They have no

instinctual drive to hunt for food because it has been

provided for them since they were brought into existence,

and their only desire is to be allowed the opportunity to kill

Issue Nine – August 2004

on the battlefield. Therefore, Wargs are an unnatural

creation; a perversion of true wolves essentially

created by the Dark Lord.

Under normal conditions, Wargs are fed by

their captors and eat whatever is offered them.

Favorite foods include the flesh of the free peoples

(Elves, in particular, are said to be relished). In fact,

a Warg handler who is trying to persuade a sick or

fastidious animal to eat will use Elf flesh (if

available), as no Warg can resist it and this food item

often stimulates the finicky animal’s appetite. In situations

where this flesh is unavailable, Wargs will eat nearly

anything tossed at them; this includes rotten meat, the meat

of other Wargs, and even the flesh of orcs/goblins. In fact, it

has been reported that in certain orc clans where the Warg

is revered, old or weak family members will readily be

sacrificed to feed growing Wargs.

Hybrids: Hybrids will eat any kind of warm-blooded

animal that they are presented with and feel that they can

catch. They will hunt any and all of the animals that true

wolves will, and to supplement this they will hunt humans,

dwarves, elves, and livestock. Hybrids are just as dangerous

(if not more so) than Wargs. These beasts originally came

into existence as a result of copulation between a true wolf

and an escaped Warg, which basically means that they

retain the best qualities of both: the true wolf’s instinctual

ability to hunt and survive outside of captivity, and the

Warg’s incredible size and prowess in combat. While they

hunt in packs, as do true wolves, there are several

fundamental differences in the tactics that they employ.

Unlike wolves, which hunt in much larger groups, hybrids

only hunt in packs of three (which is also the average size of

a family group without pups). Furthermore, while wolves

generally single out the sick or old members of a prey item’s

herd by carefully isolating and taking down those that lag

behind, hybrids do no such thing. When hunting, two

individuals (usually females) move to one side of the herd

being stalked, while a single individual (usually the male)

moves to the opposite side of the herd in question and waits.

When the time is right, the two females rush into the group

of prey at great speed. Because of their amazing ability to

stalk prey and mask their scents, the herd is often taken

completely unawares. Once into the herd, the females

quickly lash out with fang and claw attacking any animal in

their path. At this point, Hybrids can employ one of several

very effective tactics for quickly taking down large prey.

Most often, they grab the prey animal’s throat in their teeth

and shake violently, breaking the victim’s neck, severing

major arteries/veins and dropping the animal instantly.

However, they have also been reported to employ their

massive forepaws and swat prey animals with enough force

to break the spinal cord, legs, or hips, rendering the animal

immobile. Often, the animals that are killed during the

surprise attack are initially left where they lay as the females

continue to drive the rest of the herd head-long into the

waiting male, who employs similar tactics to kill as many

more of the unsuspecting herd as he can. Then, the pack

can feed go back and feed on the previously slain animals at

their leisure. It is a savage display of hunting ability

combined with deadly force, and it’s amazingly effective.

The amount of prey killed during an episode such as this is

also vastly different from what is reported in true wolf

attacks, largely because hybrids are significantly bigger and

require more food to survive. In fact, because of their size

and fast paced metabolism, it is very difficult for hybrids to

acquire enough food, thus the presence of adequate prey

populations is a limiting factor in the geographic distribution of

hybrids. Furthermore, many efforts have been made by the free peoples

in the mid latitudes to eradicate them, thus they are more often found

in less populated areas of northern Middle Earth. While a wolf can

consume more than 9 lbs of meat at a single meal, a Hybrid must

consume nearly 30 lbs.

Competition- While there is no direct competition between

Wargs and other canids, wolves and hybrids feed on many of the same

prey items, and are therefore constantly at odds. Because they are larger

and eat more, the presence of hybrids within a geographical area may

result in other carnivores living nearby to be pushed out due to lack of

food. This leads in bitter territorial bouts between the two species.

While in one on one combat a true wolf has no chance of defeating a

hybrid, true wolves usually face intruders as a pack. Therefore, a pack of

wolves (consisting of up to 30 or more individuals) can easily force a

pack of hybrids out of an area that they are defending.

“At a gap in the circle, a great wolf shape could be seen halted,

gazing at them. A shuddering howl broke from him, as if he

were a captain summoning his pack to the assault.”

- The Fellowship of the Ring

Pack behavior and dynamics- Most wild canid species are

highly social, having very specialized and extensive means of

communicating with one another. This includes vocalization,

production of scent, and posturing. All of these allow most pack-living

canids the ability to be very organized in their behavior.

Wolves- Wolves are highly social animals, often living in packs of

two to thirty-six individuals. Wolf packs are typically composed of an

alpha mating pair and their offspring, including young of previous years.

Unrelated immigrants may also be allowed into the pack if immediately

submissive to the current alpha pair upon approach. The territory of an

average wolf pack ranges from 50 to 5,000 square miles, and is

vehemently defended against intruders.

There is a strong dominance hierarchy within each pack. The

pack leader, usually the alpha male, is dominant over all other

individuals. The next dominant individual is the alpha female, who is

subordinate only to the alpha male. In the event that the alpha male

becomes injured or is otherwise unable to maintain his dominance, the

beta male will take his place in the hierarchy. Rank within the pack

hierarchy determines which animals have breeding rights and which

eat first after a kill. Rank is demonstrated by postural cues and facial

expressions, such as crouching, chin touching, and rolling over to show

the stomach.

Vocalizations, such as howling, allow pack members to

communicate with each other during hunting and to advertise

territories to other packs. Scent marking is ordinarily only done by the

alpha male, and is used for communication with other packs.

Each year, wolf packs have both a stationary and nomadic phase.

Stationary phases occur during the spring and summer, while pups are

being reared. Nomadic phases occur during the fall and winter, when

adequate food supplies can only be found by roaming over large areas.

Wolves are mostly nocturnal in their habits and may cover long

distances on a daily basis (i.e. up to 120 miles, with a pace of 5 mph).

Wolves can run at speeds up to 34 to 43 mph.

Wolves may live thirteen years in the wild, though average

lifespan is 5 to 6 years. In captivity they may live to be fifteen years of

age.

Wargs- Because they are essentially domesticated animals, Wargs

have few social interactions of note. Unlike true wolves, they do not

have the instinct to communicate whether they are dominant or sub-

ordinate and have no way of forming a social structure. Thus, they

display no instinctive pack behavior and no understanding of family

dynamics and do not pay any heed to relatives during their daily life

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