Okay so, I'm running TOR in a story that jumps off from The Marsh Bell and I only have a 3 person group.

I have a fourth person who wants to play, and I want him to play, but fate has made things difficult.

He missed the first session (The marsh Bell) due to illness. No worries, I have a perfect place for him to come in when the group is sent to deliver the invitation.

Unfortunately he missed that session due to a theft and having to wait for the Police and stuff. Well I went on.

The Party is now in the middle of Mirkwood along the Old Forrest Road. Not a terribly convenient place to introduce a new character.

Now, I have a good portion of the whys and wherefors figured out BUT I can't figure out how he would actually run into the party.

here's what story I have so far for the player.

"About a year ago you were part of a good-sized contingent of Dwarves headed West along the Elf-Path through Mirkwood to help establish an outpost and possible mine near Mountain Hall in the foothills of the Misty Mountains. All went well and when your work was done you headed home.

On the return journey Svathi son of Nithi decided to attempt to take the Old Forrest road as a 'short-cut'. You and three other Dwarves accompanied him. At first everything went well, the road was in decent shape considering and was fairly easy to follow. However a few weeks later things began to go badly.

First, Hannar ,the company's scout and your uncle, tumbled into a small gully breaking his left leg quite badly. Afterwards going became slow and difficult, and the party became lost, unable to find trace of the road. You continued to head East as best you could but four days later Regin, the group's huntsman, went out to gather food and never returned, his fate unknown. The next day, after much fruitless searching and arguing Svathi managed to convince Lofar to leave Hannar behind in an effort to make better time. He tried to convince you as well but you refused to leave Hannar, him being kin. So, with Hannar's protests in your ears you watched as Svathi and Lofar vanished into the trees and out of all reckoning."

Now, I intend on Hannar dying from fever and most likely passing on some heirloom weapon(I very much expect the player to take Valour) but beyond that I'm not sure.

I can tell you that the main party just killed a small group of Goblins and are only about 2 weeks into the 35 day journey along the road (I can adjust times for the new player's info if needed)

Any ideas for a small scenario to get the new character from that point and with the group? The really need a look-out man.

Your characters are in Mirkwood...nice) We all know that an ancient evil dwells there among the shadows of the oaks. Why not have your new player character entombed in a spider web...from head to foot. Say he was captured, by nasty spiders, for a meal later. The main characters hear his cries for help and respond...

Just some food for thought.

Ask the player. "So, you're alone in Mirkwood. How did you come to be such a situation?"

Yes!

I can even run him through a combat before the game starts to give him an idea of the system.

Also give the players something other than Goblins to deal with.

As for asking him... I like the guy and I like having him in a group, but he's not quite that kind of roleplayer... Hell, I'M not that kind of roleplayer most of the time.

Tensen01,
You're exactly where you need to be on the character's story. Connecting the character up with the rest of the party is easy. The "problem" is getting the final link is going to require a half hour or so of solo play.

Try the following:

First, add a bit of foreshadowing by having the Nephew notice eyes staring at him from the darkness. Get as explicit as necessary to convey the idea that he isn't safe. Nothing happens at this time, but it is fairly obvious that the character has gained the attention of something.

Second, Hannar should pass away from Wikipedia: Septicemia due to complications arising from his leg as you've indicated. I would suggest this occurring while the Nephew and Hannar are still alone. It makes the loss more poignant and if you can handle the role-playing, might elicit some wonderful acting.

Third, having lost his uncle, the character is grieving and distracted - so the eyes in the dark from last night make an attack attempt against the character. Re-use the goblins. Nephew and Uncle Hannar and the rest of the Company are relatively close to each other at this point. If the Nephew fails, he is captured and brought to wherever the goblins were camped - the rest of the party might still be there - and these new goblins come in toting a trussed up Nephew along with them.

If the Nephew should succeed, things are a bit harder, but not impossible. Just have the last goblin be wounded and run off, obviously calling for help. This should make the Nephew try to silence it, so following along, the Nephew stumbles into the Company's camp. Or the goblin and/or the Nephew draw the attention of the rest of the Company through the cries for help or the sound of battle, as appropriate.

Keep in mind that this means that the Company (including the Nephew) are probably going to spend some time on burying Uncle Hannar. I would suggest that the actions of that last goblin imply that there might be other goblins in the area. The burial compels the Nephew to help the rest of the Company. After all, the Company was at the service of both "him and his family" between the burial and the combat assistance. With more goblins nearby, it makes sense for the two groups to merge and operate together.

Hmmm I like where you're going Garn.

A few things don't quite Mesh, which is fair since I didn't give all the details.

The Party has only been attacked once and were ambushed at their own camp, so they don't know about any Goblin camp that the Dwarf could be brought to, and they didn't really seem like they intended to search for one based on the end of last session.

And as Goblins are also going to come into the story a little later I don't really want to over saturate them.

So I think I'm probably going to go with the Spiders, but it can work about the same.

Also, the character will already be tied into the party, I've spoken with the player and he's down with it. He's the son of a Dwarf who fought side by side with one of the company at the battle of 5 armies, so there's already a tie there.

But good ideas definitely.

I think the Spiders are more appropriate than Goblins, so agree with your thoughts on that, Tensen. In the old ICE MERP supplements they documented a daughter of Shelob living in the bowels of Dol Guldur, Enna San Sarab:

Enna San Sarab is a Greater Giant Spider and the daughter of the infamous Shelob. She entered Dol Guldur around T.A. 1500 while still small and unremarkable and made her lair deep in the hidden confines of the fortress. But as Enna San Sarab grew in size and appetite she became known throughout the stronghold and feared by the lesser inhabitants. Sauron, however, was fond of his pet, as he thought of her, and forbade anyone from harming the fearsome arachnid.

By the time Enna San Sarab had grown to her full girth of seventeen feet she had, at the bidding of Sauron, moved her lair deeper in the citadel and began the spinning of the Great Web. After this time she and her Web served as the principle form of execution in Dol Guldur, as well as a nearly impassable barrier in Môrlat that prevented any intrusion into the deepest levels of the citadel through the central shaft of the volcano.

The offspring of Enna San Sarab go forth from Amon Lanc to populate the dark depths of Mirkwood and to directly serve the Necromancer by making the forest a more dangerous place.

You could use the spiders in your scenario as agents of this daughter of Shelob and foreshadow her appearance later in your campaign? Its an idea I'm certainly using in mine - upon Sauron's declaration in Mordor and the return of the Nazgul to Dol Guldur, Enna San Sarab will be 'released' from that place into Mirkwood. You could just bring that forward for your game - ie, she leaves of her own accord and is already spreading her influence into the forest.

Hmmm good idea and very interesting. Not sure it jives with things though. I intend on going from this "adventure" into Words of the Wise and then into Tales from Wilderland.

But I will definitely keep it in mind should the opportunity come up... Especially after the characters are more powerful... I might use it with an idea that came up in the idea thread.

It can be used as very long-term foreshadowing though... The creature's involvement, again, being any number of adventures in the future.

Very true. "Great Spider" it is