Unexpected Common Interests

Thorin's Hall greenhouse at dawn

Norvtia's favorite place in Thorin's Hall is not the Inn with its ale or the forges with their heat. The place she steals away to think and dream is the greenhouse.  It is here she met an adventuring elf named Gelmirian who was surprised to find a (female!) dwarf loving the serenity of flowers and trees. Gelmirian was even more surprised at Norvtia's curiosity, thoughtful questions, and genuine friendliness without a hint of distrust or hostility. These two quickly became friends, and before heading off to her next adventure Gelmirian offered to serve as Norvtia's patron in learning forestry and woodworking. Norvtia gratefully accepted as her twin Norvti is more keen on seeing her married than master of a craft!

Trestlebridge: A Different Point of View

The covered wooden trestle of Trestlebridge is quite a feat of engineering, and Gelmirian has completed several quests to protect it from orc's fire.  Behind some of the buildings in Trestlebridge is a path that wends its way down to the river's edge far below the bridge.  Here's the view from there.

Off the Beaten Path

I like to poke around the edges of regions and to discover delightful scenery that some players never see.

In the case of the picture below, Gelmirian was picking flowers on a hillside in Nan Amlug West (North Downs); soon the hillside became quite steep. But instead of encountering impassable rock, she was able to wind all the way up to the peak.  The view was spectacular.

 
The really neat thing, though, was that Gelmirian also discovered a signal post with wood laid ready to light in time of trouble. The structure is stone and clearly old, but who put the wood there recently?  Rangers of Esteldin?  Dwarves of Othrikar? Dourhands? Hillmen?

Perhaps she will find out the answer in a future adventure.  Maybe it will stay a mystery.