I came up with what I think could be a brilliant way to incorporate the "Singer on the Shore" who is referenced in a small box in Ruins of the Lost Realm into a campaign. I would love your thoughts and input, especially if you have your own Tolkien knowledge to make this fit better or can affirm it's plausible enough that players would enjoy it. First some backstory to give you context:
One of my PCs is an Elf of Lindon whose Patron is Cirdan. The player is very knowledgeable about Tolkien lore, and so I'm happy for him to play an Elf who has lived since the First Age.
The player shared with me that Cirdan's own story is one of disappointment and extreme patience - Cirdan wanted to go to Valinor right away with the main group, and unlike other Avari, had no desire to stay in Middle Earth. But to keep things short, one thing led to another and he ended up staying, and then was tasked by the Valar to build ships and ensure the Elves always had a way to return.
Well, 10,000 years later Cirdan is still in Middle Earth, and by the time this game is set, is really hoping things get wrapped up so he can finally go home. So he has sent this Player's PC out to go find and encourage Elves, especially those who are succumbing to Shadow or feel the call of the sea, to return.
Well, Ruins of the Lost Realm provides several of these kinds of Elf NPCs who fit this description - we have:
- The Elves of Tindailin (pg 74)
- Nethig (The Sleeper)
- Nalien (pg 85)
- The Singer on the Shore (the ultimate Elf who needs to go home)
Tales from Wilderland and Ruins of the North (1e) also gives us:
- Irime (Those Who Tarry No Longer, TfW)
- Feredrun (Harder than Stone, Ruins) - not exactly an Elf, but she's close enough to fit the "free or help beings belonging in Valinor to return"
Anyway, here's the big idea that I had:
I was already thinking about the material about Mount Gram presented in RotLR, and how it likely has dungeons with prisoners in it, and then a deeper level of dungeon containing even more important prisoners. I thought it very realistic that high value prisoners in the time of the Witch King's rule of Carn Dum might have been transferred here when he was defeated (the rest of such prisoners perishing, escaping, or being set free).
I was mulling over the idea of, "What other High Elf might be trapped in Mount Gram, in the deepest dungeons, who might have been a prisoner for thousands of years? Which character's fate is left undefined and open by Tolkien?" Immediately I thought of Elured and Elurin.
Now, here's where I strech canon a bit - how one or both of them could have become prisoners of Sauron is hard to say, but perhaps during the ruin of Doriath he went to them in his fair form and guided them away from the dangers and into Middle Earth, which is why they were never found. Eventually, they were made prisoners. By the time of this game, only one is surviving, and has been a prisoner in Mount Gram for quite a long time.
How amazing would it be for Elured to be rescued?
If the Singer on the Shore saw this, it might be enough to remove some of the deep guilt and shame, and he would accompany Elured to the West. Imagine how all the Elves of Rivendell, Elrond the most, would react to this news?
There might even be a world where, somehow, the PCs get proof that it's a high elf of the first age that's captured, and the Singer on the Shore is convinced enough to join them. In helping free Elured, he would be given just enough of a sense of freedom from his shame and past deeds that he would be willing to face the consequences of returning to Valinor . . . and certainly would not ever want to leave Elured's side again, and so would accompany him West regardless of the consequences to himself.
What do you all think?
Is there a better high elf, whose story is left dangling by Tolkien, to have there as a prisoner in Mount Gram?
Personally, I don't see any way any PC could convince the Singer to ever return to Valinor unless it had some way to find small redemption for his past deeds. So if that isn't possible, at least another Elf with an interesting story to rescue is a good fall back plan.