My party have just completed the Marsh Bell adventure and so I am kind of planning a follow on.

Without giving too much away, my plan is to write an adventure where King Dain and Gloin request the party to tale a message to the Lord of the Eagles.

I suggest that any ideas Loremasters may have for an Adventure be posted here for other Loremasters to get ideas from. Although I could do with a better idea for the name of my scenario, currently a working title is Messengers of Dain.

When: The Company may undertake this adventure shortly following the events in the introductory adventure The Marsh Bell. If that adventure was not run, the timeline is early spring 2946.
Where: Esgaroth, Dale or Erebor. Travelling to the Eyrie.
What: King Dain seeks adventurers to take a message to the Lord of the Eagles. This message was originally taken by the Dwarves Balin and Oin, but they fell foul of a group of Marsh dwelling creatures and were forced to hide in the Wine cellar of the ruins.
Why: For those who have rescued Balin and Oin from the Marsh Dwellers, King Dain will personally greet them and ask for their assistance in return for a reward. Also, and for those who did not play the Marsh Bell, the chance to make a name for themselves and to earn a reward from King Dain.
Who: Gloin and King Dain as quest givers, the Lord of Eagles.

I would be interested in peoples thoughts.

E

No thoughts other than Cool

I had the same idea for a sequel, but the route the dwarves were planning was through some really unpleasant terrain, the Old Forest Road, for new characters.

So, as the party is less likely to prejudiced as elves, it might be better to go along the Elf Path and possibly call in on the Elves for a rest.

This has the added benefit of setting them up with possible Sanctuary, assuming they manage to get on friendly terms with the elven king!

I was planning to give the party an option; either follow the original route planned by Balin and Oin (given that they already know some of the dangers) and hit them with a few new dangers like wandering orcs/goblins and possibly an attercop or two, or use the Elf-path and have to face the occasional spider and maybe get troubled by the elves as they travel through the Elven territory.

Either way once they are free of the forest they would be hassled by the Beornings while they cross Beorning territory.

BTW please feel free to add your own follow up adventure ideas for other Loremasters to expand on.

E

I have just been reading the History of the Hobbit and its interesting to see that there is a little bit of Tolkien lore behind the Marsh Dwellers. Unless I am mistaken, they are a degenerate race called Mewlips.

I could see a few more quests around the Mewlips, the destruction of the society that prospered before the Long Marshes arrived and perhaps connecting the two.

What if the Long Marshes began to creep up the River Running toward Laketown? We have already seen it corrupting Mirkwood. What if traffic from Dowinion to Laketown began to die away?

What did the Mewlips degenerate from? Humans? And how does this tie into the magic of the Marsh Bell? What if the power of the Bell were magnified? Perhaps people in Esgaroth begin to hear it in their dreams and find themselves walking in their sleep; heading south and craving for flesh?

Here's the poem by Tolkien. Maybe if you have a Hobbit in your group he can remember aspects of this poem the group could make use of.

The Mewlips by JRR Tolkien
The Shadows where the Mewlips dwell
Are dark and wet as ink,
And slow and softly rings their bell,
As in the slime you sink.

You sink into the slime, who dare
To knock upon their door,
While down the grinning gargoyles stare
And noisome waters pour.

Beside the rotting river-strand
The drooping willows weep,
And gloomily the gorcrows stand
Croaking in their sleep.

Over the Merlock Mountains a long and weary way,
In a mouldy valley where the trees are grey,
By a dark pool´s borders without wind or tide,
Moonless and sunless, the Mewlips hide.

The cellars where the Mewlips sit
Are deep and dank and cold
With single sickly candle lit;
And there they count their gold.

Their walls are wet, their ceilings drip;
Their feet upon the floor
Go softly with a squish-flap-flip,
As they sidle to the door.

They peep out slyly; through a crack
Their feeling fingers creep,
And when they´ve finished, in a sack
Your bones they take to keep.

Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road,
Through the spider-shadows and the marsh of Tode,
And through the wood of hanging trees and gallows-weed,
You go to find the Mewlips - and the Mewlips feed.

I think the Bell is some foul relic, possibly from the first age. I think the Mewlips probably were at some point Human or even some type of Hobbit(after all, the poem about them is a Hobbit one). The bell could definitely play a part in further Wilderland adventures, especially once the shadow returns.

Nice find. Those descriptions are great for Marsh Bell. Very creepy. Thanks.

Oh!

Check this out, I listened to it countless times...:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ntMbUEjf0

Nice!

Now I have something to feed the guys who make their Lore Test. :-)

/wolf

Cool

If only I had had access to this when I ran the scenario

Nice work.

E

Well done, CRKrueger for sharing that.
I, err, hadn't got round to doing it...

The poem from The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is outside the terms of Sophisticated's/C7's license, so we have 'marsh-dwellers' that aren't explicitly mewlips, but... you get the idea. The poem is eerily vague as to their nature, but I'm really impressed with the interpretation!

They seem never come out of their cellars, e.g. to roam the land looking for prey. You can find Balin's and Oin's footprints going into the pool, but no marsh-dweller footprints anywhere about the place.
So they live -- however many of them there are -- on whatever prey they can pull in by means of their Bell.
That suggests they can't get enough prey to be sustained by their cannibal diet, which might lead one to believe they're not just degenerate, but are no longer natural beings, and their "feeding" is of another nature...
The fact that they have a hoard of ancient gold is an intriguing parallel with Barrow-wights (as we're discussing under the 'Monsters' topic).
I think giving them Seize Victim (LMB p.68) would be good, especially to convince gung-ho treasure-hounds that fighting large numbers of these things is a bad idea, or to increase the deadliness if the PCs are having the fight too much their own way. (But I'd be careful before springing this combat-complication on novice players...)

The Bell itself is worth playing up too.
I will be starting 'The Marsh Bell' for a company of dwarves starting at The Lonely Mountain (existing PCs from this game that'll be ported in from HarnMaster), or Dale to take in non-dwarf characters if anyone wants to try something new. And Dale was noted for its bells: the dwarves' song in Bag End, 'Far over the misty mountains cold' includes the line "The bells were ringing in the dale";* Balin spoke of "the days when the bells rang in that town";** Bard thought "of Dale rebuilt and filled with golden bells".***
The joyous ringing of golden bells symbolising the rebuilding of civilization in Dale might make for a neat contrast with the tolling of the Marsh-Bell, if I can carry it off.**** If the guys don't quote 'Ask not for whom the bell tolls' during play, I'll be a bit disappointed, but will make sure I use the line myself, including the follow-up: 'it tolls for thee'. (It's especially applicable to the poem, The Mewlips, with its ominous ending that the Mewlips will feed on you!)
Disabling the Bell in the aftermath of the struggle should be worth its own Experience Point award ('encouraged' in the direction of Wisdom more than Renown or Weapon Skills?).

The Gorcrows are of course the same as the crebain we know from LotR, nasty pieces of work attracted to bad places. Francesco doesn't give them combat stats, but I'd cheerfully let the PCs fear that they might have combat potential. If anyone is Wounded, they should find themselves under unsettlingly close scrutiny from these carrion birds.
Beast-Lore should offer some detail of their hostile nature; Shadow-Lore could reveal that they are often used as spies and messengers by evil types. Elves with the virtue 'The Speakers', dwarves with 'Ravens of the Mountain' et al. should be able to understand their nasty chatter, like Balin said of the crows around the Lonely Mountain.

Cheers! -- and thanks, Francesco!
--Os.

* 'An Unexpected Party', ch. 1, TH
** 'On The Doorstep', ch. 11, TH
*** 'Fire and Water', ch. 14, TH
**** See note 3, The History of the Hobbit, Part Two, p. 651

Alright, I realize this is a bit of Topic Necromancy, but as most of it is applicable to my question, it seemed foolish to start a totally new topic to cover the exact same ground. Many of the above comments, particularly the inclusion of the poem, the video link and Osric's conjecture were particularly helpful.

Now, however, I have some additional questions. There are no correct or incorrect answers - just your opinion and (hopefully) some wild ideas.


Q1: Are the Marsh-dwellers Living or Undead creatures?

Q2: Assuming they are living creatures, how are that many creatures surviving in this swamp?

Q3: Obviously, the bell has an enchantment on it, what do you think it is, or represents?

Q4: Do you think the ancient pile of gold is enchanted? What kind of enchantment do you think this is?

Q5: How would you break / disenchant these items?

Q6: When you played the Marsh Bell, did the Marsh-dwellers leave the cellars at all?

Q7: While you would not have placed the ruins anywhere specifically, approximately which hex did you think the ruins were located within? South of the road? North of the road? East side of the Running River?

Q8: Census time! Please provide a break-down of your company's racial/cultural numbers. Use #/#/#/ etc going down the list: Barding, Beorning, Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, Woodman

I have a further one to add.

Q9 Do you think that the Dwarves are just going to leave all that gold just lying there?

I considered that Balin might attempt to swear the company to oaths of secrecy regarding it's existence until he had decided what to do about it.

The Dwarves will want it, no doubt. Are they willing to share though?

If we assume that Balin leads a successful expedition to retrieve the treasure and clear out the Marsh Dwellers, might that not be the catalyst that spurs his ultimate plan to reclaim Khazad Dum.

A9: Yes, the dwarves are going to leave that treasure lying there. They didn't get to see it, and no one is telling them about it!

As for Balin... while it all depends on you campaign's needs, I'm not sure what the Marsh-dwellers might have to tempt a dwarf into trying to face down Durin's Bane. I mean, he only just woke up from his nap - he's not going back down.

So what were your answers?

I ran this adventure.
In mine, the heroes were going to follow the route the dwarves had planned. However, as they headed toward the marsh, they heard the sound of fighting in the woods.
The beorning rushed to the aid of Galion, who he had impressed greatly in the Marsh Bell, and his companions, and the heroes helped the elves defeat an orc squad.
When Galion found out the route they planned, he led them to the halls of Thranduil and asked the king to grant them shelter for the night, and let him lead them on the elf road, a request that was granted.
Worked out well and they liked seeing the elves.

Okay, that's a fair point. Balin and his companion did not see the treasure first hand. If any of it gets brought out by the pc's though? Converting the treasure into spendable coin might draw the attention of the Dwarves, especially if it is known that it was the folk who rescued Balin.

I don't reckon that the marsh Dwellers have anything that would be useful against Durin's Bane, but then again, Balin didn't need such things for him to attempt to recolonize Moria. He went ahead anyway. I am thinking that a successful campaign to clear out the Marsh Dwellers plus the liberation of their treasure might lead to grander ventures.
Next thing, he might decide to force open the Old Dwarf Road. With his star, very much, in the ascendant perhaps King Dain consents to allow the recolonisation attempt, especially as Balin is rich enough to fund it as a private venture.

ForgottenKing,
Interesting name. I'm a bit confused though. Did the Party meet Galion before or after saving Balin and Oin from the Marsh-dwellers?


Halbarad,

I always got the impression in Middle-earth that any coin was acceptable since all of the cultures are in a state of decline, living off the greatness of their forebears.

As for Balin... Yes, all of that is completely possible. I just cannot image what would make anyone willing to risk an encounter with Durin's Bane.

Hmm, apparently I didn't make my interest clear. While the adventure idea is sound, I am focused more on the Marsh-dwellers, their existence, , history and any other facets of the subject.

So, here are my answers to the questions I posed.

Q1: Are the Marsh-dwellers Living or Undead creatures?
A: Undead. While TOR leaves the idea open to Loremaster interpretation, IMO the Marsh-dwellers are some form of Undead. As Osric posted, the Marsh-dwellers' fascination with gold implies they are some form of barrow-wight. However the Bell's effect implies that something more is going on. Exactly what I have not worked out.

Q2: Assuming they are living creatures, how are that many creatures surviving in this swamp?
A: It would be much easier than I thought after looking up Wikipedia: Freshwater Marsh in Wikipedia. Apparently such areas are quite conducive to wildlife. So there is more than enough game to support the Marsh-dwellers no matter what they are. Granted this terrain is supposed to be blighted, but how much?

Q3: Obviously, the bell has an enchantment on it, what do you think it is, or represents?
A: I'm not sure. I mean, I get the general idea of it being, quite literally, a 'fishing lure'. But beyond that I have not made up my mind.

Q4: Do you think the ancient pile of gold is enchanted? What kind of enchantment do you think this is?
A: This is one of the questions that I really wanted answered because while this supplies a recognizable motivation (ie, they represent victims of dragon-sickness) then the Bell should not enter into things. Yet it exists and is clearly an intrinsic part of the Marsh-dweller's existence.

Q5: How would you break / disenchant these items?
A: Not immediately answerable since to do so depends on the answers from questions 3 & 4. Obviously if this was just dragon-sickness and barrow-wights, then spread their collected wealth around. (Hmm, I wonder if re-smelting the gold would be an effective purification?)

Q6: When you played the Marsh Bell, did the Marsh-dwellers leave the cellars at all?
A: I have not participated in this adventure in any capacity.

Q7: While you would not have placed the ruins anywhere specifically, approximately which hex did you think the ruins were located within? South of the road? North of the road? East side of the Running River?
A: Well, I blush to say it, but I originally thought that these ruins were located at or near the headwaters of the Rotting River. After I realized my gaff on that one, I figured the most likely spot for me would be

Q8: Census time! Please provide a break-down of your company's racial/cultural numbers. Use #/#/#/ etc going down the list: Barding, Beorning, Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, Woodman
A: Not applicable as I have not participated in this adventure in any capacity.

I agree that they are undead -- as, indeed, ICE had them. They eat people, which is very ghoulish. Also, as I wrote in my earlier post in this topic, they seem from the lack of tracks around the black pool etc. not to starve to death despite never coming out of their subterranean lair. So they can't have a normal dependency on regular meals, and therefore can't be regular (albeit 'degenerate') living creatures. It works to have them almost all dormant in their Treasure Chamber until stirred by the arrival of living prey.

But where I drew the parallel with Barrow-wights -- based on the significance of a hoard, where we 'know' hoards to sustain Barrow-wights -- I'm not sure I'd say they literally are Barrow-wights. The cannibalistic feeding makes them come across to me like once-living things that haven't (properly) died -- like ghouls? -- rather than as corpses that are re-animated by fell spirits installed by a necromancer.
It would be delightful if a group of PCs could seize the Marsh-dwellers' gold, resist the lure of all those Treasure Points, and instead leave it outside their ruin like Tom Bombadil left the Barrow-wight's hoard outside its barrow, and thereby break the dark enchantment that sustains the undead things.

Despite what I just said about the significance of the hoard of gold, it's equally tempting -- in light of the fact that the Bell is already clearly possessed of a sorcerous enchantment -- to say that the Bell is responsible for the condition of the Marsh-dwellers themselves.
Bells are used to awaken people, or to summon warriors to meet an attack; might the Marsh Bell be a necromantic twist on that?

From the game mechanics used for the lure of the gold, I would say its innate property of inciting greed has been sorcerously potentiated. I would hazard that the 'morifairë' that we know to be particularly inherent in gold might have been particularly boosted in this hoard, making it a power-source for other sorcery or necromancy, like whatever effect sustains the Marsh-dwellers.
Might the Bell somehow magnify-and-broadcast the Dragon-sickness lure of the hoard underground to draw people to it? I like this idea... But the logical conclusion of this would be that they don't fall into an enchanted slumber but carry on to stand in a trance before the Bell itself (and with Endurance loss from their cold swim and added Fatigue for their waterlogged gear) while the Marsh-dwellers emerge and come to start chowing down on them.
(I'm glad Francesco didn't put anything so lethal in, given that the adventure has to not kill total newbs to RPGs!)

I read the Tom Bombadil episode as depending not just on the dispersal of the hoard, but on the active rejection of its Dragon-sickness lure. That would mean that any cunning plan calculated to retain the gold for oneself in any form would fail -- and it would be a dramatic imperative to have the Marsh-dwellers come lurching indefatigably across the countryside after the thieves!

One of the PCs in my run of The Marsh Bell stole the clapper from the Bell. This was so cool I'm almost inclined to reward it by saying that the clapper was the focus of the enchantment. But really, the essence of a bell lies in the ringing of its 'foundried' metal body, and breaking this by some means would be what would symbolically 'kill' the Bell... except that a cracked bell is somehow almost more evocative of foul necromancy than an intact one! So I would rule that it has to be broken into pieces, or at least have a substantial part of the body of the Bell removed.
Muffling or removing the clapper should have some effect. Maybe this ought to be the PCs' first priority, to prevent the requirement to keep making Wisdom checks (instead of the adventure as written just saying that you check once and then kinda forget about it?). Or for those who don't immediately think of singing a song to rouse their inert companions, stilling the ringing of the Bell might allow them to be awoken naturally.

Actually, despite my suggestions above, in my run of The Marsh Bell I did have signs of Marsh-dwellers having devoured wildlife in the area over long centuries.
And though it didn't come out in play, I reinterpreted the lack of tracks at the Dark Pool as meaning that the Marsh-dwellers must have other routes in and out -- I envisaged tight, fully underwater tunnels through which only a being that does not need to breathe can safely pass...
But on reflection, I think it's eerier to have the Marsh-dwellers never leave their lair.

0/1/3/1/0/1. Three of my players ported their Dwarves from our previous adventure (that'd used HârnMaster) into TOR, and three chose to create new TOR PCs.

Thanks for the penetrating questions, Garn. I'll have a better game when I run this a second time for my next group!

Oh, I am not good at this, but really enjoy the activity

Bigasd,
Some of this forum's most original comments are from the average player rather than the "sages" of Middle-earth lore.


Osric,
Thanks for your original thoughts in this thread as well as the detailed answers to my questions. I really appreciate it. I think in general at least, you and I are thinking along similar lines.

I'm working on an idea, a soul-binding, that traps the recently deceased's soul within their own body for a couple of years, causing the soul into madness (per Tolkien's reluctant fea), while the the body transforms. There is more involved, but I don't have it all nailed down quite yet.

Dormancy is an interesting idea although a bit odd for undead. Its a form of hibernation and thus a function of a living creature. As opposed to the undead's tendency to remain bored, but active, consuming anything that wanders into reach. It is an interesting approach; I'll have to give it more thought.

The presence of the Bell in my imaginings is a bit different, at least with regards to the back story. I am using it as a summons although it is not being used in the exact manner of it's original intent. The Hoard is, as you suggested, the lynchpin for some other magic.

The removal of the Bell clapper was a bit of genius. I understand what you're saying about the enchantment being warped as the Bell's form is warped. It is an interesting idea to play around with although I think Tolkien kind of uses "marred = ruined or flawed functionality" as a motif. So I'm not sure if this will work. Hmm... reforging Narsil refutes that idea. Definitely will have to think on this some more.

Hi Garn,
This is the sort of exercise that I love best -- working out what must really be going on to account for the surface observations. It's the surface that has to work well in order to have a satisfying plot/drama/player experience, and can and should be enough on its own.
But for those who want to really delve into the details (or whose players might want to), working on the underlying stuff is good too. And just occasionally leads to the real epiphanies of gaming where someone works something out for themselves and deduces a detail of the situation that can be used to great advantage against the bad guy. I think an adventure-writer can devise things along these lines and a GM with a deft touch may be able to pull them off with only the faintest whiff of contrivance clinging to them (like writing in a missing armour scale and a talking bird?) but when it's the players' own actions and insights that achieve the unexpected, the experience is much purer.

The reluctant fëa...?

• These guys from 'Laws and Customs Among the Eldar' (MR p.224, in my copy):?
  [T]hose who at the least have refused the door of life and remain in regret and self-pity. Some are filled with bitterness, grievance, and envy. Some were enslaved by the Dark Lord [the first one!], and do his work still, though he himself is gone.
  They sound like they could include almost every manifestation of the slide into Shadow, don't they?
  
  
• Or like the hypothetical fëar of Men setting foot on the shores of the Undying Realm, in 'Aman and Mortal Men' (Text XI, in MR pp. 427-431, in my copy):?
  They're described as soon getting messed up by the immortality that clashes with their own intended and 'designed' nature.
  I confess I find that passage quite hard to follow...

But yeah, I guess you meant the first one.
On the transformation of the body, is that to account for the 3 dice of Armour, which goes counter to the description of "clammy, pale flesh"?
I know at least one AP writer repeatedly described them as rubbery; I went with the interpretation that they were all leathery, the same as bog bodies like Lindow Man.

Dormant/Inert Undead

Well maybe 'inertness' would be a more accurate term. I certainly didn't mean them just breathing and metabolising at a slower rate like an overwintering bear!
I felt the need to address how come the Elves knew nothing about them or anything significant about their ruined lair. (Another reason not to have the Marsh-dwellers ever venture abroad in search of souls/flesh/entertainment!)
So I figured that they've been inert like D&D zombies when there are no adventurers around, or a vampire in a sealed coffin. But with Sauron's move to Mordor, things have just started waking up in response to something he's begun doing to the Shadow-in-the-Land that they all hook into on some level, as per:
Mordor draws all wicked things, and the Dark Power was bending all its will to gather them there. (Gandalf, in 'The Shadow of the Past', FotR)
At this stage, it could be as simple as the Marsh-dwellers having recently gained the energy to ring the Bell for the first time in centuries, which pulled in another victim, which gave them a bit more energy... Or maybe it's the range at which they can detect the living that's now recently started extending...

(In my own adaptation of the adventure, I said 'The Mewlips' was a corrupt Rhyme of Lore containing a subtle curse effect! "You go to seek the Mewlips, and the Mewlips feed," was not just a warning to save unwitting hobbits from a dark fate, but a horror-genre self-fulfilling prophecy. So victims would drop in from time down the years... )

After writing my last post, that idea of a cracked bell just kept coming back to me. It would be really eerie and evocative if the Bell rang out with 'ghost' chimes that it's no longer physically capable of making. . .

Cheers,
--Os.

Osric

Sorry, when I alluded to "reluctant fea(r )" here is what I meant.

I am postulating that these people die within the Long Marsh and, based on certain pre-existing magical effects (curse), they might suffer transformation into a Marsh-dweller. This curse takes the form of a soul-binding and the equivalent of a Corruption Check at time of death.

If failed, the soul has been corrupted and will be tied to it's dead body, rather than passing on to the Halls of Mandaros. So the soul cannot move on and remains attached to it's dead and decaying body while it is also being subjected to natural preservation processes as well as transformation into a Marsh-dweller. As this change takes years, the personality/mind of that soul is irrevocably warped; incorporeal and unable to communicate while all this goes on (kind of like the "buried alive" motif in literature).

This differs from a Barrow-wight which is Soul A possessing Body B; Marsh-dwellers would be Soul and Body A (only).


I had not considered dormancy from the perspective of not being found by the Elves of Mirkwood/Greenwood. Considering the great age, and resulting long term memory, of elven people historic events are still actively remembered - not obscure events of yesteryear.

This may be a major snag for my efforts which basically had events set long ago (First or Second Age) and forgotten by the simple expedient of not being actively relevant for anyone who once knew the ruins. So it was more "obscure" rather than "lost".


I agree about "ghost chimes" being a really great idea.

I'm thinking about an adventure like this too. Someone must invite Gwaihir and our heroes will do just fine! It would be interesting to let them choose either the old forest road or the elven path. And for the other talkings in the thread about the marsh-dweller's treasures I think they're cursed/blighted/enchanted. In my game Balin took some before running away from the creatures and he won't be able to rest for some time. He will dream about his days in captivity and dream about those slimy creatures and their dark, wet dungeons. He will have many nightmares and then he will just think of the treasure and pour it to the river to get rid off it and he'll have peace after that. BUT my Balin gave one of the players a ring from the treasure. I'll make the player also have the same nightmares and some corruption tests while he is on the journey to Eagles and I'm even thinking about giving some lesser broken powers to the ring*.

What are your thoughts about this and any ideas for the journey to Gwaihir?

*: http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?tr...&showtopic=3240

In my game, Gloin asked the characters to deliver the invitation, and suggested that they might use the Elf-path, because they had less reason than Balin to avoid it. I'm planning on mixing this with the first adventure from Tales from Wilderlands, that also features a crossing through the Elf path, so they don't have to travel the same path twice in a short while.

Os & Garn - I'm enjoying your deliberations on the Marsh Dwellers and the Marsh Bell .... makes for great brain-candy! I hadn't really considered the details until you prompted us, but here are some initial thoughts (& probably some flawed logic!):

The Marsh Dweller flesh is tough yet described as pale & clammy - I too consider their skin to be leathered like The Bog Man, etc... but also their flesh to be rubberised (tough as old hardened rubber!) by their preternatural marsh-lingering... kinda like Bog-Mummification.
I have the Marsh-Dwellers as being in a static condition unless outsiders threaten their boggy domain and their 'valued property' (see below).
I figure the Marsh Bell's original enchantment was to alert & summon local folks to protect that which the townfolk most valued - I'm thinking: town treasury, grange, family homes, children, etc.
With the falling of Shadow on the town, and its sink into marshy decrepitude over the many years, this enchantment has indeed been corrupted (and subsequently the souls & corpses of the residents). So the Bell still attempts to draw any living folk who come within proximity to that which remains of value to the 'residents' - the hoard of coin from the town treasury. (The food-stores, homes & children being long-gone).
I have the Bell as being cracked (an effect of the major Shadow catastrophe in the past) AND missing the clapper (thieved in same Shadowy event). It continues to ring out its sorcerous summons however - due to the Shadow corruption of the original enchantment (the bell-cracking & clapper-theft being part of that dark ritual).
The hoard of coins have a special magical significance to the 'residents' in as much as it is the focus to which the corrupted Bell enchantment binds them. (The years of being such a focus for Shadow sorcery may indeed have endowed the coins with some Dragon-sickness influence).
I also think that the Bell's corrupt summoning of life-forces to their proximity acts as a kind of necromantic pulse for the Marsh Dwellers - in that their lingering undead essences are kept slowly clocking over by the spirits of their (& the Bells') victims.
Another way to see it is that when the bell tolls on detection of nearby life-forces, this same ringing invigorates the Marsh Dwellers .... For whom the bell tolls!?
Only when the enchantment is nullified/returned-to-original-functionality will the Marsh Dwellers' necro-pulse stop, and their tortured souls released to approach the Halls of Mandos.
I think that IF the Bell enchantment is to be nullified/ restored then the Bell must be repaired/ re-founded (the Dale of olde was the home of bells, and Dwarvish craft would be a boon too), AND have the original clapper found and restored.
Of course - any adjustment or man-handling of the bell would influence the Shadow-corrupted enchantment such that the marsh Dwellers would be summoned to it (the Bell also being 'valued property' of the town 'residents').

As one of you mentioned - it'd be a hoot if the Heroes retrieved the Bell and tranported it (what a task!) to Dale, only to hear reports of Marsh Dwellers rising from the waters of the River Running near Dale, or even under Erebor - depending where the Bell is being repaired.
Then again the Marsh Dwellers may stay in the Long Marsh to protect their hoard... options??
What effect would it have in Dale if it were to toll again prior to being restored? Could be nasty!

A nice touch could be that when the Bell is finally restored to its original splendour (& functionality) the next tolling brings the Marsh Dwellers to act in service of the Bell's community one last time before their spirits are released. This would be a grand climax to a long, hard adventure plotline - and would make worthy Bard-fodder.

More hooks for further encounters & adventure for my Heroes! Yay! Thread discussions do indeed inspire creativity & interesting plot hooks.
Keep it up gang!