Shadows of Isildur

Shadows of Isildur is a RPI (Roleplay Intensive) MUD based on the series of books by J. R. R. Tolkien and opened in the public early 2003. SoI, as it's commonly referred, differs from many other MUD's in that death is permanent and characters are approved by application only, requiring all actions in the game to be in-character with a minimal use of out-of-character communication.

Gameplay features the conflict between Gondor and Mordor, opening in the year 2460. Time has since lapsed to 2477, leaving a ruined Osgiliath after Boromir (the steward) and his army pushed Mordor back after its fall, which was a featured HRPT (Highly Recommended Playing Time) July of 2006. Now, Lord Eradan's Battalion are charged, along with several other Lords, to reclaim the territories of the Ithilien, a highly contested area spanning between Osgiliath and Minas Morgul. Non-combative characters can enjoy several other activities, most notably Shadow of Isildur's branch-based and Fellowships, allowing for multiple professions to take raw goods and produce finished pieces either as a member of a Fellowship or on their own, with each playing their own role in creating conflict within the game. Currently the game features over 2,000 crafts in 51 categories, with new ones added constantly.

The code is written in C and multiple MySQL databases, though progress has been underway to convert the codebase to ; its original code is from Harshlands, a derivative of DikuMUD, and has been in constant development since then. In late 2004, the games' engine was released back to the community, boasting both 6 years of development by Harshlands and 3 years of additional development. In March of 2007, it was announced that a new release would be distributed as well.

Playable Game Locations
Shadows of Isildur features several playable areas.
Gondor
While all of Gondor technically exists in the game, in order to keep the conflicts close and playerbase together, the playable areas of Gondor are the city of Minas Tirith, Osgiliath, Anórien, Pelennor, and North and South Ithilien. Characters have been known and it is not uncommon to travel to and from a large number of other places as part of their background or 'breaks' in their gameplay.
Anórien and Pelennor
Situated between Minas Tirith and Osgiliath, these areas constitute the majority of farmlands and open areas for most of the playerbase. Pelennor is situated south of the Anórien, which is guarded by the natural barriers of the sea. It is a feudal territory owned and operated by Lord Astirian and patrolled by his Wardens and Squires; an enforcer clan open to players. Since Osgiliath fell it has been more actively developed, and continues to do so as places such as Wardog's Tavern, Cherry Blossom Farm, Greenleaf Winery, Hawk and Dove, White Stag Hunting Company, and more continue to grow with active player support.
Minas Tirith
The White City, Minas Tirith, acts as the hub for the majority of the playerbase. True to its inspiration, it is built in a series of 'circles' on a mountainside, each a little more classy the higher you go. Featured here are many player owned or run shops and taverns, most notably the Battered Shield in the first circle, The Alehouse in the second circle, and the Wizard Inn in the third circle, offering a good chance for players to meet up. This capitol city of Gondor is also the center of the Fellowship system, complete with a council and Fellowship Halls. Notable clans here are the Minas Tirith Guard and Cityworkers, the latter being specially suited to take in new players and show them the ropes.
Osgiliath
Once a booming city, over the past years Osgiliath has slowly declined until it was finally ransacked by Mordor's armies, only to be recovered shortly after by the efforts of Boromir's army. Now it is a base of operations for Lord Eradan's Battalion, a group of soldiers tasked to reclaim Ithilien territories by force. Supported by a fort system, Both these Battalions and Mordor battle for control over minor outposts without staff involvement by use of special crafts and room programs, requiring regular visits of food and supplies for its upkeep.

Mordor
General info about mordor.

Minas Morgul
Minas Morgul was once known as Minas Ithil - a city originally founded by Elendil (alleged creator of Arnor and Gondor), and his sons Isildur and Anárion. Minas Ithil, or "The Tower of the Rising Moon", was built by Elendil and his fellow Gondorians during the Second Age in the year 3320, near the borders of Mordor, to keep watch over the dark lands. By the year 3429 of the Second Age, however, the dreaded Sauron had begun to take control of the city. Finally, in the year 2002 of the Third Age, the Nazgûl and their lord, the Witch-king of Angmar, had gained control of the city in a swift and vicious assault. It was renamed "Minas Morgul", meaning "Tower of Black Sorcery", and soon became home to orcs, goblins, Uruk-hai, and the dark races of Men - an important waypoint in the raging struggle between the forces of light and darkness.

Tur Edendor

Society and Classes

Unlike Minas Morgul, where one's ranking depended on a complex relationship of races, power, military service, and overall status, Tur Edendor's classes are simple. The lowest two classes are freemen (Naruir, in Adunaic), and bondsmen (Nadroth-za), the distinction being a bondsman is a freeman with a recognised owner, and a freeman a bondsman without a recognised owner. Neither a freeman or a bondsman are technically people under the law of Krayd in Tur Edendor, but instead considered to be property of other people, or property of no-one. Freemen and bondsmen are not allowed to own land outright, wear metal armours, wear anything made or decorated with gold or silver, or raise a hand to someone of higher rank. Most everyone who comes to Tur Edendor starts life in the city as a freeman.
Kadar-Lai (towns folk, or citizens) are members of Tur Edendor who have been recognised for their contribution to the city, and are thus afforded many rights, and considered actual people before the law. They are allowed to dress and arm themselves however they like, save for wearing gold, own land, own up to a dozen bondsmen, own one license of business, and have legal protections as well as taxation obligations.
Khors (lords) are the prominent members of Tur Edendor society entrusted by Duke Krayd to fulfill a specific task, usually supply the city with materials and resources, or raise a warband to protect Krayd's lands and harass those of his enemies. Khors have all the rights of a citizen, and can also wear gold, own any amount of bondsmen, own land in the Ithilien, and can have their bondsmen wear armours made of metal.
For a freeman to become a bondsman, they must make the choice to submit themselves to a Kadar-Lai or a Khor, on terms worked out between the two parties. One cannot be forced to become a bondsman. A bondsman is expected to wear insignia of their master at all times, and cannot leave their masters' service without their permission. To become Kadar-Lai, a freeman must have resided within Tur Edendor for no less than a year, have committed no major crime, be of appropriate mind and morality, and be prepared to donate a not insignificant amount of coin to Krayd and swear loyalty to him and his land above all other nations. Bondsmen face the same task, but must also obtain permission from their adar-Lai or Khor master to be released from their service first. To become a Khor, a Kadar-Lai must have held his or her rank for no less than two years within the city, have made continual contributions to the strength of the city, have no other obligations or undue allegiance with another Khor in the city, and show talent, loyalty and diligence to accept the responsibility of organising a warband or mercantile body for the city -- all in addition to paying a hefty tribute to Duke Krayd.
The Black Watch exist outside this status, and, if anything, would be ranked superior to even Khors. Every race has the opportunity to exist in any social ranking, save Black Númenóreans; all of that race are at least Kadar-Lai. However, seeing as nearly all of the Black Númenóreans in Tur Edendor are part of the Black Watch, or have very close ties to it, in effect the Black Númenóreans remain at the top of the social totem pole.

Fellowships

There are fifteen Fellowships in Minas Tirith. These are akin to medieval guilds and the Efreahir of the Northmen, but are far less restrictive and formal. Effectively they serve two purposes: to gather together workers producing similar sorts of goods so that the economies of having a communal workplace are achieved, and also to provide a fellowship, a sort of club that workers in that industry can join in order to gain political and social benefits. The social benefits include looking after widows and orphans of workers and, on a much lighter note, revelries and get-togethers of like-minded fellows (and ladies) after a hard day's work.

The Fellowships are as follows:
* Apothecaries
* Armorsmiths
* Bakers and Confectioners
* Clothwrights
* Engineers
* Healers
* Horticulturists
* Hostelers
* Jewellers
* Leatherwrights
* Masons
* Metalsmiths
* Sages
* Weaponsmiths
* Woodwrights

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu