There's no way I can post the entirety of the Middle-Earth Mod.
but the plot was to be as follows.


The timeline was the close of the 2nd Millennium of the third age, starting in 1973,TA.

The main quest was called "The Scion", and roughly speaking, it was as follows.

Background.
First, Morgoth destroyed the two Trees, then in following ages, his actions were followed by his lieutenant, Sauron. He in turn corrupted the Numenoreans, and burnt the White Tree of Numenor. In the Akallabeth, all but the faithful few perished, and they came to Middle-Earth, and founded kingdoms there. Sauron arose once more, and in the closing years of the second age, Minias Ithil was assaulted and ruined. Before it's sacking however Isildur is recorded to have taken seedling of the white tree planted there, and marched to the north, and gathered forces for the Last Alliance of Men and Elves.
But at least one of the seedlings was never clearly accounted for...

The plot was designed for multiple entry points, along the years, for different races. This is the entire plot as it could have been played out by one storyline. There were other branches for starts and midsections of the narrative.


Beginning.
At the beginning of the MeMod, Fornost Erain in Arnor is under threat from the forces of the Witch-King of Angmar, and steadily as time grows, that threat becomes ever-more tangible, before the final siege of Fornost.... through those times, the player was to slowly grow in ability and skill, and become a humble servant of the city, and eventually a trusted servant to the Royal Line of Arnor.
As Fornost fell, the player was one of those who assisted the escape of King Ardevui and his entourage, leading to a long and dangerous escape to the north downs, near the ruins of Annuminas where a guerrilla warfare could hone the player's skills - taught by the royal guard to use a sword, given weapons, and even light armours. as winter grows closer and the dangers grow too great the company moved on, into the foothills of the Blue Mountains, where, sheltered by meeting the dwarves, the player's company slowly regrouped, and the player was instructed to accompany Aranarth, the son of the king, to the Grey Havens, as the King heading north, into the frozen wastes Forochiel.

In such a manner, the player finally reaches the Grey Haven, and in company of the Prince, is messenger to Cirdan, whose foresight sees a little of the importance of the messenger...
A ship is sent to the rescue of the King, but as the days pass in the relative safety of the Grey havens, no news comes, through winter, and into spring... before unexpectedly, a host from Gondor arrives... the army of Earnur, late for the defence of Fornost, and suddenly, all of the Grey Havens stir for war, and the player must prepare for battle to come...
During those days of preparation, the havens are a bustle of activity; armourers ensure that the player gains access to equipment, and the player’s life become son of servitude to the kings in a different fashion than that of a serf.
But before this, the player, as servant to Ardevui and Aranarth is brought into a council…
And there, the player gets to speak with, and learn, from Cirdan of the Havens, the messengers from Gondor, and an old man, dressed in grey...

Many things were lost and left behind in the ruin of Fornost, and before the city falls, the challenge must be to enter the city and retrieve some of the heirlooms of the city… and the player is given such a task, to enter into the city under the cover of dusk, and using their knowledge of the layout of the city, to seize a number of pieces in a sealed vault – including a small casket, that the old man seems to find important…

And so, the player travels with scouts, ahead of the army, toward Fornost – and as the witch-kings forces descend to the plain, the player enters the desolate ruined city, and finally, retrieves the casket, before rendezvousing with other scouts sent on similar tasks throughout the city.
The return is buoyed by the news of the defeat of Earnur, yet all too many have died, the population of Arnor ruined, the city lost, and when the player enters the pavilion of the council of war, on the battlefield, following the victory, they are advised to join the company of Gondor, and to bear the objects recovered to the care of the White City, Minias Anor.

Here, the story takes a pause, with many different options, including travel by the ships of Earnur, or south, through Breelands, to Tharbad, and past the fortresses of Isenguard and Alglarond, and into Gondor.
The story takes up again almost 20 years later… although much takes place in the intervening times - Durn’s Bane awakens in Moria, the Elf-prince, Amroth, flees from Lorien, and Galadriel and Celeborn take the rule, the strength in Dol Guldur grows strong, the Eothed of Frumgar rides north as the Rohorrim develop an identity, Vorondil the Hunter, Steward to the King of Gondor goes hunting the Kine of Arawn to the west, near Dorwinion, and the dwarves found the Lonely Mountain, and many other events as well.

In such time, the player becomes linked to the lines of the kings of gondor, growing more respected as a servant to the houses of gondor in the deadly political climate of Royal Gondor. Arranged marriage raises the player’s standing, and many quests fill the time… In those years, the casket passed into the care of the Kings of Gondor, Stored by Earnur in the vaults of Minias Ithil, seemingly forgotten.

And then, in the year 2000, the forces of Mordor strike. Minias Ithil is besieged by the Nazgul, the ringwraiths, and swiftly falls under the shock of the attack, and the player is again summoned to councils – older, wiser, the player learns of the true importance of the casket from the same old grey man, revealed now to be Mithrandir, Gandalf the grey, wizard. The Casket’s contents are a seedling of the White Tree, linked to the very destiny of the Kings, the scion of Telperion the white of Valinor. Perhaps it is the very tree which Sauron wishes to see destroyed, a survivor of the Trees Morgoth slew in Valinor in an mythical age, and yet which the wizard speaks of, almost like one who was there…
The Scion must be safe, and it is the common servant, whose duty it is to ensure the safety of the line of the kings, the player learns. And so, in an echo of their valiant effort in their youth, the player has to infiltrate the siege of Minias Ithil, and recover the last Scion of Telperion, and return to Minias Anor, where, accompanied by Gandalf, they must climb mount Mindoullin, evade the watch of the guard of the White City, and reach the sheltered hallowed ground where only a king had the right to walk… and there, at the guidance of the wise, the last Scion of Telperion was to be planted, hidden beyond all knowledge of the forces of Sauron, in a place that Gandalf the Grey could eventually bring the rightful king to, and ensure that the Kings of Gondor would never fail, as long as the seedling remained buried, waiting for the right time to germinate…

The same seed that would germinate one thousand years later, to be found by Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, to ensure the Return of the King.




And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the ultra-shortened, simplified (and most direct version – there were many branches and links) of the Scion, the plot for the Middle-Earth Mod for Morrowind. A story where the least powerful, a common servant held the destiny of the kings, and ensured that the events of The Lord of the Rings came to conclusion.
It would have been a good story to tell, and play.

This was a huge blow deep in my heart.

*I am going somewhere to die*

It would have been so great, it could have been so great.

I just had a minor heart attack...

Long live MEmod in our hearts.

Wow, that would've been insanely cool.

~V

What a story that would of been indeed, i dont think words can describe the effort and time that you people have spent on this and as ive said before. Well done

We finally know......

Only to never be able to experience it....

Man this story just shows how briliant and dedicated the team was.
What a punch in the gut this all is. But maybe the work so far can be saved and who knows maybe after TES 4 comes out the dogs who put this mod down may allow this master piece to come to fruition...

Man what a depressing day this is

This is indeed a sad blow. To have though out all that detail and work it in so seamlessly into Tolkien’s world is worthy of a book unto itself. I certainly now see no hope of this mod coming to fruition, as the secrecy behind it was almost as legendary as the undertaking itself, and the breaking of the story is as much a herald of the end of the project as the computer holding the data burning in a fire along with all backups.

But I would like to say only one thing that Suz and the others might find disagreeable: Had you gone ahead and released the mod, I would be willing to bet that, more likely than not, it would not have stirred the ire of the lawyers… That is only my opinion, based on the plethora of other “fan-fiction” works out there not only based on Tolkien’s work, but that of countless others, and the seeming non-existence of any legal action against those who do engage in such enterprises. But few are so grandiose and well published as this one, so they may have decided to make an example of you, had you gone ahead.

But you did choose the prudent and safe approach in asking for their legal opinion on the matter, even if it was too late, and I find that more than decent. Others who are less scrupulous would have gone ahead heedless of the consequences.

Sigh, I wish those law-people had a heart, so you had the chance to finished this.
And poor me... after a long pause from the forums, and a planned return I return just in time to this very sad event.
I feel pity for you. Wish you could somehow get the permission.
*mumbles* Heartless bastards

Well, I know they are right, but I wish it was possible to convince them with a bit or money or hatemail.

I'm sitting here in my chair, crying. This is NOT something I usually do, but this is just too damn sad! I've been following this mod for such a long time, and to be told the main quest is a blow to my heart that I will never recover from...


pharzon..

Pessimism is usually how I deal with something in order to keep my excitement down. So when I started following on the forums, when something new and exciting was posted, I'd tell myself it'd never be finished. But I never truly believed it. I wanted this so much to happen; the realization of Tolkien's work, all of the changes to gameplay that would completely change Morrowind. This story-line shows how much time and thought you put into everything. It also reveals the extent of the change of gameplay. Imagine, doing whatever you want while you're waiting for the story to advance. I know that sounds like the quintessence of Morrowind, but it's not if you think about it; Morrowind has stuff for you to do if you don't want to do the main quest. This had you waiting in a cave for a week (or whatever) waiting for the main quest to continue. You'd keep yourself fed and watered in addition to going out and hunting game or enemies or whatever you felt like doing just to pass the time. (It may sound boring, but this type of gameplay I have never experienced and I find it very exciting.)

Off the bunny trail and back onto the main road: This summary of the story was the real clincher for me. Yes the thread all ready told me, but I think I will always consider this the thread; I felt something in my gut on this one.

And I truly can feel for you when I say this because I've been here since before most of the non-seniors: I feel terrible for the entire staff, past and present, for the enormous amount of time they put into this inspiring work of art, and would consequently like to thank them.

Thank you.



P.S. As an expression of my sorrow for the staff I plan on this being my last post on this forum. I wish you all luck in what you do later on.

[He fades from view as the refrain of a familiar melody takes his place.]

Bring back that Tolkien feeling,
Whoa, that Tolkien feeling
Bring back that Tolkien feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...gone,
and I can't go on,
noooo...

Bring back that Tolkien feeling,
Whoa, that Tolkien feeling
Bring back that Tolkien feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.


We are where many paths and errands meet. Now, we do not know what to do, but we must go on....

Maybe something will come up. Just maybe.

And I though Fable had a good story. It doesnt even touch this, even condensed. Truthfully, my eyes started watering up during that. That was a strange mix of emotion, sad that it will never be experienced ingame and its genius will go to waste, but happy for some reason. Maybe because I can stop wondering.

*sigh* I've been following this mod for about a yr and a half.
Not done much of the forum stuff, down to lazyness I suppose. I clicked my memod link on the desktop. and my heart lept... I thought, hurrah the guys have done it. Then I began to read.

Damn those executive thingys...

You guys would've made the greatest game ever. *sigh* I'm just sad that you never got the chance to do so ='< (I might start using the forums now though ...)

Buh-bye Memod!

Pads.

(mumblestupidrichpeoplemumblecurse )

Genious story, worthy of everything you did. Interestingly, I always asked myself, where that seedling came from which Aragorn and Gandalf found. So now we know

Guys, I know how disappointing this must be (I would feel the same way when someone told me that I couldn't publish my novel over legal issues). But life (hopefully) goes on and from what I saw you are alltogether great modders. I wish you all good blessings in the world and better chances, if you sometimes perhaps try to create another mod.

Well, thanks for all the fun, interesting debates, great screenshots and concept art. God bless you all, goodbye...

No! *Thwaps TheNemon* (or however its spelt O.o)
We will NEVER leave, except maybe for coffee, but then, we will return, and we will fight those tolkien estate people (just kidding I know its not tolkien estate)
So stay with us!!!

Only if he signs me a nice fat cheque before he commits self-cannibalism....

S

I claim the first six digits! You can keep the remaining zeroes for yourself.

I call Big Blue Box....

And the rest of his money.

Yes, that's a good story line. I didn't read it before just in case you did decide to continue making the game. I think it would also make a good story, and as the book copyrites weren't sold (as far as I have gathered), perhaps if there are any writers about they should try writing the book as a prequel to LotR. It would be a good read, but probably this forum isn't the best place to find a writer.

What have you written, Malchik?

No, maybe there aren't any serios writers here... including myself...

EDIT: This is a one-liner post, plz read the recent rulez...

And so it disappeared in mist ...
I was away for so long, kept away from MeMod by the surprises of life, and when i finally took the road back ... there was no home after the last corner

Sometimes it seems we are really on the wrong chessboard ...

Nothing will really replace it, there's one more hole in everyone's heart.
Thank you everyone for the dream you nearly got real ...

Tolk, walking back to his broken dreams.

that is fu*k*** sweat

I'm assuming your post expresses your approval of the plotline?

I just re-read it.

God I miss this. If only Bethesda and Tolkien estates would realize how cool this would be and allow you guys to release this.

Alas. Wishful thinking.

After reading what the thread starter posted. I truely weep for what might have been. F**k who ever forced you guys to pull the plug on this mod, greedy SOBs.


Edit Spelling :o

Nobody forced them to "pull the plug", for the last time. They did it because legal action could have been taken, not because it did happen. No matter how good it seems, a PC mod isn't worth losing that much money. They also did it because [obviously] they hold a lot of respect for Tolkien and his works, and the holders of those works. As they respect the holders of the copyrights, they wouldn't use the information contained within them without expressed permission. This permission was thought to be had, thanks to Daerk; in reality, it was not.

But such is life. Presently, I'm content with the the first two Thief games and Counter-Strike: Source to hold me over till Oblivion comes out. Also, sad to say, I've cooled on Tolkien (never thought that would happen) and am enjoying H.P Lovecraft and Hard Science Fiction.

By all rights, I'm still somewhat disappointed in what transpired to cause the end of MEMod, but I'm largely over it. I played so little a part in it anyways I really had nothing invested in it to be attached. Now for those folk who did have time (and money, Suze ) invested in this project, I truly empathize and feel sorry for, nothing can bring back those lost hours. In any case, Daerk did what he did, and somebody should have checked out the laws for themselves as opposed to taking D's word for it.

A good article on this sort of thing was just published in the June PCGamer (US). It went into detail all about companies shutting down mod projects due to copyright and also spoke of mods being aided by companies that are smart enough to realise that by making the mods we are helping the franchise. I would suggest picking it up even though it doesn't mention MEmod directly, it still talks about the type of problems that other mods have encountered and that we shut down so as not to run into.

(Maybe someone could transcribe the article... I just don't have time enough to do so myslef).

-Oak

To clarify, we were not forcibly "shut down" but rather denied a proper license. It was at that point that we made the call to cancel the mod.

Exactly. the article also shows the serious nature of what rights the copyright owners have to prosecute us. We were not exagerating when we said that continuing could make us all bankrupt as the holders can fine us $10,000 per download . With the amount of people interested in this mod it could have very quickly climbed into the tens of millions of dollars. That is not the way any of us want to end up in life... bankrupt.

Money grubbing taffers that they are, one must admit they're good at what they do best: make money. It's a simple law of the jungle, EA has more money than all the members have or will ever have. They can afford to take such action against us; to them it's a drop in the wallet. To us however, it could mean selling a house, dropping out of college, or worse.

But still...

Hell no, I won't give EA the satisfaction of footing the bill.

If only..

Has it really been that long?
I first heard about it back when Daerk abandonned the team.
God, I wish this would have been completed!
*sniff*

_Zexion

You´re not the only one that´s wishing