Adventure Ideas - Large or Small!

[Wbweather]

An adventure written using the rules for jamesbrown
by Bill Weatherford

Adventure objective: Defend

Part One: Encounter - Beorn
Part Two: Combat - Slavers (Full of Hate)
Part Three: Journey - Great Hall (Swift Travel, Heavy Burdens)
Part Four: Combat - Orc Guards (Full of Hate, Weakened Enemy)
Part Five: Journey - Encounter - A Princely Gift (Favorable Meeting)

Part One: The Troubles of Beorn
The company while traveling through the the Beorning lands encounters Beorn (either while visiting his house or perhaps meeting him in the wild). The great man is obviously in a state of agitation. He makes a comment that he "really doesn't have the time to deal with this foolishness". If they players ask him what is troubling him he eyes them carefully as if wondering if they could help him out. If they don't think to ask, he might just outright ask them for a favor. The company must convince him that they are capable of helping him.
There have been rumors of a band of Viglunding slavers terrorizing the northern Beorning villages again. He asks that the company head north and see what is going on and if possible discourage the Viglundings from continuing their activities.

Encounter Evaluation
1-2 Successes: Beorn is not impressed but must settle for any help he can get.
3-4 Successes: Beorn Is somewhat impressed and offers the group some Twice-Baked Honeycakes
5-6 Successes: Beorn offers one of the rewards for the Befriend the Beasts undertaking
7+ Successes: The company gets honeycakes and 2 of the rewards from Befriend the Beasts

Part Two: Defenders of Freedom
Beorn tells the company that the slavers have been threatening a small settlement just south of the Elf Wood and asks them to head there. This is just a day or two journey north. On arriving at the settlement the company learns that the farmers have been told to pay tribute in gold or be taken as slaves. The Viglundings are returning that night. This is a group of people barely scraping by and they cannot pay the money that has been demanded. That night the Viglunding slavers arrive and demand their payment. When no money is handed over, they attack. The company must fight to defend the farmers.

After defeating the slavers (or driving them off) the players discover that there are several captives chained in a waggon. Most of these are Beorning men and women from the surrounding area. They give their thanks for being rescued and head back to their homes. However, in the group is a young boy. No one knows who he is or where he lives. He is reticent about his background but eventually tells the group his name is Eirik and that he needs to get to Mountain Hall. In actuality he was traveling from Dale with his mother and some body guards when they were attacked by the slavers. He does not know what fate befell the others, they were separated over a week ago during the attack.

Part Three: Escort to Mountain Hall
The company needs to escort the lad to Mountain Hall. Along the way if the boy warms up to the company he might reveal to them that his family was relocating from Dale to Mountain Hall. His father is an important figure in Dale and is working on developing trade between the two towns for minerals from the Woodmen's mines. As they rush to get the boy to Mountain Hall, they travel 5 miles farther each day, but doing so increases the fatigue from failed fatigue checks.

Part Four: A Gauntlet of Orcs
After passing south of the high pass when they near the foothills of the Misty Mountains, fate turns against the company once again. They notice that they are being followed by a company of orc guards. Despite their best attempt to outrun them, it becomes obvious that they are losing ground. They must pick a defensive point and make a stand. The orcs engage them weary from pushing so hard to catch up and full of hate for having to put out the extra effort. They attack at night when the company stops to rest.

Having defeated the orcs the company then must continue their journey to Mountain Hall.

Part Five: An Anxious Meeting

Arriving at Mountain Hall, the group gets a less cordial greeting than they might have expected. Armed Woodmen soldiers and a few bowmen of Dale surround them as they approach the Narrow Bridge. The company is asked what their intentions are. Eirik's mother and her body guards escaped the slavers, but unable to locate them or the boy, after several days continued to Mountain Hall to tell his father and gather a search party. Seeing the company with the boy, there is suspicion that they may be in league with the Viglundings and may be seeking a ransom for the boy's return.
The company is ordered to lay aside all weapons and wait. Before long a Barding man and woman are seen walking across the bridge. Upon seeing her son safe and sound the woman bursts into tears of joy. The man looks sternly at the companions. The group is ordered to let the boy go and make no effort to follow. Once he has returned safely to his parents, the soldiers step forward and take the companies weapons, then bind their hands behind their backs and escort them into Mountain Hall. There in the Great House, they are questioned about the events that lead to the return of the boy by Hartfast and the boy's father, Einar. Having heard Eirik's account, the mood had lightened somewhat and the group meets with much less suspicion than they did upon arrival. (Increase tolerance by 1) Still though, they must convince Einar that their intention was only to reunite the boy with his parents and that they had nothing to do with his capture or no desire to profit from his return. Asking for a reward will increase the man's suspicion and count as an automatic failure.


Encounter Evaluation
1-2 Successes: Einar has his doubts about their true intention. He tersely thanks them and then dismisses them
3-4 Successes: Einar is genuinely grateful and offers them 1 points of treasure each.
5-6 Successes: Einar is very grateful and gives each character 2 points of treasure
7+ Successes: Einar is eternally in their debt, each player receives 5 points worth of treasure and a note that may be used in Mountin Hall or Dale to increase tolerance in a future encounter by 3

[Wbweather]

An adventure written using the rules for jamesbrown
by Bill Weatherford

From the Land of the River tables

Wild Adventure - The Stolen Horn

Part One: Encounter-Viglund the Cruel (Encounter. exposition)
Part Two: The Long Delves (Journey, rising action)
Part Three: Snaga Trackers (Combat, climax)
Part Four: Old Songs (Encounter, resolution)

Company Challenge:To recapture the warhorn of Viglund, stolen by a band of orcs.

Tolkienian Theme:Assisting those in need, fostering peace

Suggested Calling: This adventure might particularly be suited for a Warden seeking to right wrongs against the undeserving and help those in need.

Part One: The Stolen Horn
While traveling in the land of the Viglundings, the company sees smoke rising from a hilltop settlement. There appears to be a flurry of activity. As they approach they realize that there has been an attack on this village and several stout warriors are searching about the area. If they approach the soldiers ro spotted, they will be gathered and brought to their leader, Viglund, who is enraged at the attack. The Viglundings are not hostile toward the companions, but they are suspicious. Viglund questions the company about why they are there. As they talk he begins to formulate a plan.

Encounter Evaluation
This encounter should be based on the characters’ Valour.
Reduce the tolerance by 1 for any Beorning in the group.
During the night a group of orcs raided the settlement, one of Viglund’s personal estates. During the attack, several things of value were taken. Most upsetting to him, his Warhorn was stolen. This has been his symbol of leadership for many years, having been fashioned from a horn of a great auroch that he slew in a coming of age ceremony of sorts, many years ago. He desperately wants to give chase to the orcs, but must attend to more pressing matters, such as dousing the flames and assessing the damage. He offers to reward the companions if they can hunt down these orcs and return his warhorn.
0-1: Viglund is not impressed. He points to the west and tells them, “They fled that way.”
2-3: Viglund explains that from what could be gathered, this was a hunting party out of Mordor, what they were doing in the northern reaches of the Anduin Vale is beyond him.
4-6: Viglund confesses that the orcs also took with them an orc which they had captured and intended to use as a slave. The orc had claimed he was “some sort of important fellow to his masters in the south”.
7+: Viglund believes that the orcs were escorting the freed slave to the Long Delves to the west at the base of the Misty Mountains.

A Player character with Anduin-lore or shadow-lore would probably be able to surmise that the group was heading to the Long Delves on their own.

Part Two: Tracking the Trackers
If the companions are aware that the orcs are headed to the Long delves, the journey is straightforward. If they just know the orcs headed west, then they must make a hunting test every day to keep on their trail. On a failed test, they lose the trail and must spend half a day a day retracing their steps. They can make up for the lost time by opting to take an additional fatigue test for the entire company with all consequences of increased fatigue and hazards in effect. It should take the heroes roughly 5 days to make the journey (depending on their starting point). If they lose more than 2 days of travel time, the orcs escape into the Long Delves and are lost.


Part Three: Battle for the Horn
As the companions reach the area near the entrance to the long Delves, they finally catch up to the company of orcs. These are snaga trackers from Mordor. The orc slave taken from Viglund had been sent on a mission to carry information from Mordor to the orcs in the Misty Mountains. His capture had caught the attention of someone in Mordor and the trackers had been sent to make certain he got his message through or didn’t survive to speak it to any enemy of the shadow.

The company must attack the orcs switly before they can flee to the safety of the Long Delves or alert the orcs garrisoned there. As soon as it appears that the battle is lost, one of the snaga trackers slays the messenger from Mordor, lest he be captured and give up his message.
Among the belongings of the orcs, the heroes find the Warhorn and gold which amounts to the equivalent on one point of treasure apiece.

Part Four: Peace through Song
When the company returns the Warhorn to Viglund, the chief holds a celebration in the companions’ honor. This should be run as an Encounter. The adventurers take turns with the Viglundings singing songs of heroes long past. Emphasis should be on tests of song, riddle and courtesy. Inspire or awe might also play a part. The outcome of the encounter will determine the reward given to the player characters and also influence the relationship of the Viglundings with the other free peoples in Wilderland.

Encounter Evaluation
Base this on the character's valour, once again subtracting one from the tolerance for each Beorning in the company, but increasing it by 3 if the company successfully returned the warhorn. If the company fails to return the horn, the encounter still can be run, but reduce the tolerance by an additional point.
0-1: Viglund’s prejudices against the Beornings and other cultures are reinforced, although out of gratitude, he offers each hero an amount of gold equal to one treasure.
2-3: Viglund enjoys the company’s songs and offers a place to stay in his lands anytime their travels might bring them this way. They also get 2 treasure worth of gold a piece.
4-6: Viglund offers the company 3 treasure worth of gold each and promises no aggression towards any culture represented by the heroes for one year.
7+: Viglund offers the companions 5 points of treasure or a small holding in the East Upper Vales (their choice) and agrees to seek peace with his neighboring cultures. For the next 2 years there is a cessation of all hostilities between the Viglundings and the other free peoples, including the Beornings.

[Hystalis]

Here is the adventure / campaign I embarked my players on :

During the Crossing of Celduin part of the Tales from Wilderland, the company fought the Gibbet King and I added an Orc chieftain next to him.
The Orc wielded a strange mattock which I emphasized upon in order to catch my players's attention.
It did the job since they looked for it after the battle.

The campaign went on until the end, the players forgot about the weapon a little, it remained in the bags of one of the characters' horse.

Then, during the next fellowship phase which they took in the lonely mountain, an old friend came to talk to the company, no-one less than Gloin
whom they met at the very beginning of their adventures in the "Marsh-Bell". He asked the company if they would agree to meet a friend, an elf from a distant land.
They agreed and were introduced to Damron, the elvensmith of Rivendell who took the road just as the snow started to melt on the misty mountains to come and visit his dwarven smith counterparts in the lonely mountain.
He travelled with Erestor on a diplomatic mission from Rivendell.
He wanted to meet with the company because when he arrived in the mountain, he went to the stables where he saw the saddlebags of the company and his eyes were drawn to the strange weapon.
He thinks he has some recollections of a weapon which highly ressembles the one he saw and asks if the company would agree to let him study the item.

The fellowship phases went on and a few weeks later, he set up a meeting with the company. There, he revealed the strange mattock to be a part of a much more prominent weapon : Aeglos, the spear of Gil-Galad.
He knows a bit on the weapon and its forging but not much about its history and, as Erestor allowed him to, he invites the company to come to Rivendell to meet with his lord Elrond.

The company sets on a new adventure phase and departs for Rivendell where they meet Elrond, the play session was really pleasant having the players a bit shy about where they could wander in the house and who they would meet.
The young aragorn is not to be seen, Arwen is in Lorien, but they could see Elladan and Elrohir and spot Glorfindel from the distance... The players were really excited.

Elrond taught them the history he knows about the events he witnessed the last time he was next to the spear :
First, Aeglos means snow-point or icicle in the old elvish tongue. It is rumored the spear was eventually broken after Gil-Galad's death.
Gil-Galad fought during the war of the last alliance in Dagorlad before the land became the dead marshes. He fell during the war, Elrond was his Herald there and had to follow the battles getting into Mordor.
Only a few elves stayed behind to build a mausoleum for Gil-Galad and they placed the weapon next to its bearer. He knows for certain the mausoleum is located in the dead marshes now and probably sank during the 3 thousand years.
The chances are low but the only way to find out more about the history of the weapon would start there...
He does not say anything about Vilya, the ring of power he bears that was passed to him by Gil-Galad.
I decided the spear to be broken in the following way, the blade slipped off the staff as the owner died. Both parts were laid next to him in his grave.

The company then plans its travel to the Dagorlad. My last session stopped when they arrived at the dead marshes.


What's planned for the future :
Next to the marshes, they found a poor mushroom farm with a family of 4, they are from rohir descent but look like old hags, in game terms, they suffer from corruption, they haven't become evil but rather are succombing to a deep melancholy next
to the dreaded marshes. They won't be of much help. Next to the farm is the only tree for miles around, it looks like a willow tree but is actually an Ent loosing his last remains of conscience.

They have to search the nearby waters according to Elrond's advices, they are not in the heart of the marshes and they shall face an encounter or two with dead ones and will probably suffer some shadow points like 1 per day in the marshes and 1 for each diving.
Eventually, they will find the ruins of the mausoleum under water, not really deep, between 3 to 10 meters/yards down. The should find some traces of struggle and probably an orcish helmet.
This should lead them to some research and find the helmet to be linked with gundabad orcs.

The following is still an idea in progress. I will have them go to gundabad and search for clues, humans of the north shall recognise the helmet as an old one from the orc tribes in Gundabad and maybe reveal the company the orc leader wields an elven curved blade that could fit the description for Aeglos' blade.

As the Enemy enters Dol Guldur, we know it calls upon the evil creatures and the chieftain will probably be drawn to the fortress, the players will have to decide if they go there to look for him...

The campaign shall finish in the Dol Guldur's Area with the company being witness to the gathering of the shadow and a final confrontation to recover the blade which might be crafted anew...
I have yet to decide on the details there.


Hope you like it.



Hystalis

P.S.: Sorry if my english is not perfect... Frenchies are not good in English =)

[Fenton Hardy]

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing this interesting and ambitious adventure. I think the premise is really interesting, and I am sure your group is loving it. I do have a question about the relationship between Gil-Galad's spear Aeglos and the orc weapons. If I understand you correctly, orcs looted Gil-Galad's mausoleum and took the broken spear, part of which became the mattock and the other part became the the curved elven blade. Is that right? One pragmatic issue I see is that a spear point is not large enough to be refashioned into two such large weapons. I also doubt that orcs would possess the knowledge and skills to refashion such a powerful weapon. Would they even touch an elf weapon like Aeglos? Here I am thinking of the goblins' reaction to Orcrist and Glamdring in the Hobbit. On an unrelated note, how will the Ent play into the adventure? That's an interesting story in its own right.

[Hystalis]

Thanks for the reply.

According to the few sources i found regarding the spear, it is said that the speartip is longer and curved so i thought anyone could mount this part to use it as a scimitar blade of some sort...
You are absolutely right about the orc using an elven item, I shall change it to an evil human who probably will become a lieutenant in dol guldur. The plot shouldn't change a lot with this idea.

Regarding the Ent, in fact, I don't even know if the company will understand it but as a LM, I always add side details for players to use or disregard, it often ends up in side quests or good moments... I may have them be asked later if they saw an ent... Just opening possibilities =)

[Wbweather]

Overall it sounds like a very fun campaign to run/play. I may take from it once I finish off the TfW campaign and am looking for other adventures to run along side of DoM.

[Fenton Hardy]

The Ent sounds like a great plot hook. I hope your group goes for it. I like the idea of trying to prevent some power artifact, other than the ring, from falling into Sauron's hands. I look forward to hearing more as the adventure develops and will likely borrow some elements from your adventure.

[Majestic]

I think this idea is really cool as well, Hystalis! I may try to incorporate Aeglos into my campaign as well, as I've long thought it is one of the coolest weapons in Middle-earth. I can't believe I never thought to look into what happened to it. Thanks again for the great idea!

[Wbweather]

Reposting this from another thread to keep it with the others.

The idea behind this adventure was to create a reasonable, playable, and enjoyable adventure for a single player character.

A Captive's Errand

While traveling across Wilderland, the player character finds himself captured by Viglunding slavers.
- A hobbit might have been traveling to the Easterly Inn and been captured
-Woodmen characters may have been captured by outlaws from the south and traded to the slavers
-Beornings would most likely have run into the Viglundings while traveling north of their lands
-Dwarves could have been traveling to visit the Blue Mountains and been waylaid by the slavers
-Bardings, Lakemen, or Dwarves could also be captured by bandits or orcs and traded to the Viglundings
-Woodland Elves might have been captured by orcs and traded to Viglundings

The adventure could start after the player has been captured, or could begin with a combat in which the player is too outnumbered to succeed. However he came to be captured, the player character soon finds himself chained by the ankles with several others captives:

The Captives

Avina - This 21 year old Beorning woman is stunning in appearance. She is stoic and appears to have a tough fiber. She has not lead a privileged life and has had to learn to survive on her own. She married at age 18 to a Beorning man, more out of necessity than love. He had been a kind husband to her and for a few years they lived together and began to develop a true bond of respect for one another. Unfortunately a year ago, he developed a sickness in his chest. Before long he was coughing up blood and he soon weakened and died. She buried him herself and continued trying to maintain their farmstead in the northern Beorning lands until one day she was visited by Viglunding thugs, who finding a beautiful woman living alone decided she might bring a fair price on the slave market. She had put up a fight and a couple of the men had broken noses and bruises before she was subdued. She mostly fears what will become of her once she is sold. She has the following traits: Anduin-Lore, Cooking, Fair, Quick of Hearing, Swift

Walcaud - This 17 year old Woodman is the fifth and youngest son of a regional clan leader among the Woodman north of Mountain Hall. He has hunted the vales of the Anduin along the foothills of the Misty Mountains since he was a child. He is wood-wise and a skilled hunter and tracker. He was hunting a bear and tracked him 3 days north-east of his village before he had finally taken down his prey. He had built a fire and was smoking the meat and hide when he found himself surrounded by Viglunding slavers. He was caught off guard and unarmed and not only lost his game meat, but his freedom as well. He is young and fearless and will attempt an escape at the first possible opportunity. His traits are: Beast-lore, Herb-lore, Bold, Elusive, Reckless

Eldacar - This 47 year old Dúnedain is weathered and worn, but still has a noble bearing. He is obviously injured and as the group travels his health is gradually declining. Initially he has a cough and fever. He favors his left flank. As time goes on he begins having feverish nightmares in which he cries out in his sleep. Soon he has trouble traveling and one night you see him making a poultice out of herbs he has been gathering. When he lifts his shirt to apply it, a 5 inch gash is seen along his left flank. The skin around it is deep red and there is a foul odor and some yellowish, blood-tinged drainage from the wound (Sorry folks, I am a physician in real life). Eldacar had been scouting out the northern aspect of the Misty Mountains and the Vales of Gundabad. He has discovered some important information about the increase of the Shadow. Unfortunately he had found himself waylaid by orcs. He fought his way free, but not until a filthy orc sword had opened up his side. He had headed south, hoping to find refuge and healing in the Halls of Beorn. After 3 days of travel however, blood loss and fatigue overwhelmed him and he could travel no farther without rest. It was there the slavers found him. He has tried to hide how ill he is, hoping to escape as he gets farther south and closer to a village in the free lands. It is becoming obvious that he will not survive unless he gets treatment soon by a skilled healer. Realizing this, he wishes to entrust his secret to the player's character (assuming he has earned Eldacar's trust). He will ask the hero to deliver a message to Rivendell for him if they can engineer and carry out an escape. Eldacar’s traits are: Fire-making, Story-Telling, Foresighted, Hardened, Secretive

There are four slavers transporting the captives
The Slavers

Tegaer - A cousin of Viglund, he is obviously the leader of his group. He is cold and calculating. There is no empathy to be found in the man. He would rather slit his captives' throats than to see them escape. He keeps them alive and treats them humanely solely because he wants to make certain they bring him as much gold as possible. His primary motivation is profit. He does not tolerate any challenge to his authority.

Albair - Although a scoundrel at heart, the man at least has a jovial nature and is kind to his prisoners as long as they give him no grief. He is known to offer extra food for a good story or song. Of all the slavers, he is the most likely to speak directly with the captives. He is not above making a joke at the expense of suffering of his captives, especially if they displease him.

Helgut - Of all the slavers, he is the most vile. He gets enjoyment from causing pain and suffering whenever he can get away with it. Tegaer keeps him in check, for the most part. He still has a swollen nose and black eye (and an aching groin) after the capture of Avina. He has a special hatred for her and has threatened her repeatedly. He has yet to assault her, but every night she shudders whenever he draws near.

Breon - The youngest of the slavers, he is just beginning to see his beard fill in. If any of the men have any qualms about the morality of their actions, it is Breon. He obviously is enamored by Avina. He is close enough in age to Walcaud that he sees him as someone he can relate to. He seems fascinated by the ranger, Eldacar, and would listen to stories of the wide world if only he was allowed to sit and talk with him. The older men however are beginning to become concerned that the boy is soft. They continually have him administer punishment to the prisoners to help break him of this.

The adventure should start somewhere North of the Beornings' lands in the upper Anduin Vales. The player may want his character to escape as soon as possible. If a player is really set on this option, he shouldn't be discouraged or made to feel forced into the story against his will (although as a captive, he kind of is). Should he propose a great escape plan and get amazing rolls to accomplish it, he could still carry out Eldacar's mission, although the LM will need to think on his feet, allowing an alternate route to Rivendell. It would be better though to use the circumstances and NPC's to discourage escaping immediately. For example, if the player broaches the idea of escape with the other captives, he might be overheard by one of the slavers and punished. Walcaud could reveal his Reckless trait and attempt escape on his own and get a severe beating for his effort. Eldacar should urge patience. For now, the group is relatively safe. They have time to plan and look for weaknesses to exploit. Every day takes them further south into regions that the slavers do not know, but that he is quite familiar with. Better to act as if the captives have given up hope and let the slavers grow complacent and let their guard down.

The goal is to not let the player feel like he is being forced along a path in which he has no choice, but rather that he is biding his time as he and the other captives plot and prepare so that when the escape attempt is made, it will be successful.

Once each day the player character may propose a task aimed at making preparations for the escape. A character with a decent skill in healing could attempt to help Eldacar with his fever or wound although the TN for this should be raised as he has limited resources at hand. Characters could also use tasks of song or inspire to raise the captives' spirits. It might even be possible to persuade their captors to show some kindness. Other ideas might include trying to discover information about where they are headed, fomenting distrust between the slavers, finding a way to unlock the shackles, or gathering herbs to poison the slaver's food.

As they travel, it will also be possible to gather information about the slavers and their plans. This might be accomplished through overhearing discussions (Awareness) or through knowledge of the areas they are passing through and the direction they are headed in (Lore). Riddle might also help the player to piece together what is being planned. A character with decent social skills could manage to earn the trust of one of the slavers and get them to share their plans either voluntarily or unintentionally. Riddle or insight might prove particularly useful.

For every success, award the player with a bonus success die. He can use these in a manner similar to dice from preliminary rolls. He might choose to spend them hazard tests or save them for advantages to rolls when the escape actually happens. He should role play out how each dice confers an advantage when it is used, hopefully relating it in some way to a successful task from earlier in the game.

As they travel, the player character should learn about the other captives and their captors. Of course the slavers do not allow much communication and so the chances to talk are infrequent. Twice each day, the player can propose a task with his common skills to interact with the other slaves. Not only should the player discover the NPC's backgrounds, but should also begin to learn about their traits. For example, Alvina might mention during a talk that she visited this place as a girl or that this stretch of the river is especially beautiful in the autumn, thereby revealing her Anduin-lore trait. One night the Slavers might throw a couple of coneys at the PC and tell him to cook up a decent meal for them. If successful, he will earn their trust and a bonus die to be used when carrying out the escape. Alvina can agree to help and with her Cooking trait lower the TN by 4 for a success. Walcaud could find some herbs while walking using his Herb-lore trait and help lower the TN of a healing test when the player attempts to heal Edacar. Eldacar's story-telling trait might distract the slavers, for a half hour while the player performed a craft test at a lower TN to look for a way to loosen the shackles around his ankles.

While the player may interact directly with the slavers, most of their characteristics should be revealed by the LM through their interaction with the player and other captives. Breon might blush when Avina catches him staring at her. Albair might offer the player character an extra bowl of stew if he can sing a good song. Helgut will probably kick the player character in the back to wake him up in the morning.

The journey to the Trader's Island is roughly 200 miles depending on where the player is captured. This will take about 12 days and should allow for lots of opportunities to get to know and bond with the other captives as well as prepare for the time to escape.

The captives should be thinking about escape this whole time. The adventure is written with the intent of having the escape take place in or around the Gladden Fields, however a creative player could engineer a successful escape earlier than this although Eldacar will counsel against this. In forming an escape plan, the player should take into account all of the special abilities and traits of all the captives, along with their own. Escape prior to reaching the Gladden Fields should be difficult as the captives are all in chains and are well guarded. As stated before, should the player manage a successful escape earlier than expected, then the Loremaster will need to modify the adventure somewhat.

The slavers' plan is to make their way south to the Wolfswood where they hopefully can gather information among the outlaws that dwell there. They stick to the West bank of the Anduin in order to avoid contact as much as possible with the Beornings and Woodmen. From the Wolfswood, they will head to Trader's Island to acquire a raft,then head further south into the East Nether Vales. Recently, Easterlings have been trading in the Toft and a black market slave trade has sprung up. They suspect they will be able to sell their 'goods' at the Toft and hope to get an especially good price for the comely woman. They can occasionally be overheard joking about what a fine trophy she'll make for an eastern prince. In fact after a while they begin referring to Avina as the Princess, or My Lady, snickering all the while.

The journey south is generally uneventful and the slavers are not particularly cruel. However, being chained and prodded along against their will is a miserable experience at best. The player should roll travel tests as usual for a journey although at an increased difficulty of +2 to the TN. He forgoes the preliminary lore roll as the slavers are not particularly interested in what he knows of the route. Any failed roll adds to fatigue as usual. Hazards could involve twisting an ankle, giving in to despair, getting caught in a thunderstorm etc. Failed hazard tests should result in increased fatigue, temporary states of being weary or miserable, or the gaining of shadow points.


Upon reaching the outskirts of the Wolfswood, the slavers decide to make camp before going in. Tegaer takes Breon with him to visit the outlaw camp and leaves Albair and Helgut in charge of the prisoners. While they are gone, Helgut takes advantage of Tregaer's absence to be especially cruel to the captives, in particular Avina. He begins to make advances on her, but is stopped by Albair who warns him what Tregear will do to him if something happens to the Princess. The next morning, the other two slavers return.

The news from the Wolfswood is that there is indeed a caravan of Easterlings visiting the Toft. The Viglundings now make plans for transporting their captives to the settlement. They will head to the Trader's Island and obtain a raft or boat in order to make use the Anduin for the last part of the journey.

By this point Eldacar is very ill. He has so far hidden the severity of his sickness from the slavers only by sheer will and some virtue of the Númenorean blood in his veins. Even the Dúnedain are mortal though and it is becoming harder for him to keep up with the forced march.

At Trader's Island, the captives are chained to a tree on the west bank. This time, Tegaer stays behind to keep watch along with Helgut. This is decided after some argument. Helgut is furious having been made to stay back with the prisoners again. He takes out most of his anger on the slaves. Seeing the Ranger favoring his side, Helgut kicks him in the flank saying, "Got an ache there?" The pain is overwhelming and Eldacar passes out. Tegaer comes over to investigate and discovers for the first time how ill the ranger truly is. Helgut wishes to cut their losses and put Eldacar out of his misery. Tegaer is less willing to throw away a chance of gold if he doesn't need to. He prefers to give the ranger a few days of rest on the boat to see if his strength recovers but agrees that if he doesn't improve he's not worth the food or effort and they will slit his throat and throw him overboard.

That night the others come back across the channel with a raft and the supplies are loaded. Albair breaks out a keg of ale he picked up on the island and the Viglundings spend the night drinking and singing until late into the night. They do make certain to take extra precautions securing their prisoners beforehand however and so there is no chance for escape that night.

As the slavers snore, the group of captives have time to plan. Eldacar does not think he will live more than another day or two. He tells the group that tomorrow they will be entering the stretch of the Anduin that passes Hag’s Island near the mouth of the Gladden River. The Anduin moves swiftly here. Hag’s Island is a small tree covered mound of earth rising out of the midst of the river. The Anduin tumbles and rushes over treacherous rapids to the east of the island. The only safe transit past the island is on the west side, but maneuvering a raft into the western channel is no easy task. Furthermore, at this time of year a heavy fog often enshrouds the island making the passage even more dangerous. If the slaves are going to make an escape, their only chance might be while the slavers are busy navigating the treacherous route past the island.

Eldacar has little hope that he will survive the escape, but will do what he can to help the others. He entrusts the player character with his secret and makes him promise to deliver the message to Elrond personally. If they can manage to escape near the Gladden, then the player character can follow the river west to the Misty Mountains where there is a pass into the Lone Lands. From there he can head north to Rivendell. He gives a general description of finding the Hidden Valley.

Eldacar’s Message
While scouting the area around Mount Gundabad at the request of Elrond and Gandalf the wizard, Eldacar had learned from the Hill-men in the region that there were rumors of none other than the Witch-King himself visiting the northern mountain fortress within recent months. The ranger had investigated this lead at great personal peril, but his efforts had been fruitful. He had gathered important information. While Wilderland enjoyed a time of relative peace, the Shadow had not subsided, but was in fact preparing to make an even bolder move. Some said that Sauron himself was even now building an army in Mordor and that there were plans to retake and strengthen Dol Guldur. There were suggestions that Khamûl himself might even be leading the effort to retake the abandoned stronghold. As he was fleeing south with this information, he was ambushed by a company of orcs. None of them had lived, but in the conflict, he had sustained his wound.

There is no set way for the captives to escape. The player should be encouraged to be creative and to take advantage of all the captives’ traits as well as his own. There are several things that the group might use to their advantage. The slavers are hung-over and their guard is down. They can certainly play the slavers against one another. Avina could use her beauty to distract one of the slavers. Walcaud might be reckless enough to attempt something bold such as attacking one of the slavers or throwing one off the raft. The passage around Hag’s Island will require the full attention of the slavers, lest the rapids wreck the raft. Let the player invoke the other captives traits for automatic successes or to lower the TN for his rolls (i.e. while the slavers are distracted by Eldacar’s Story-telling trait, the player can attempt to knock one of them into the river with an athletics roll at a lower TN than usual).

For their part, the slavers are much worse for the wear after their over-imbibing the night before. All day long they bicker and curse one another. The raft will approach Hag’s Island late in the afternoon. This is when the slaves should attempt their escape. Unless the player can convince the Viglundings to pull ashore, most likely the group will find themselves in the river, swimming for their freedom. This is complicated by the fact that they are all chained together at the ankle. Let the player roll athletics as a prolonged action requiring 3 successful rolls against a TN of 16 (14?). After 5 total rolls, Eldacar loses consciousness and the TN is raised to 18 (16?). A great success counts as 2 successful rolls, an extraordinary success counts as three. If the total number of rolls exceeds 8, Eldacar drowns and the player must pass a corruption test or gain a point of shadow.

As the group lays gasping for air on the bank of the Anduin they suddenly see Helgut rise up out of the river behind them, sword in hand. He is enraged and intends to make the escapees pay. He storms over to Alvina and backhands her across the face. He then grabs her by the hair and pulls out a knife saying "I'll teach you to run away from me wench. I'm going to mess up that pretty face of yours."

"Drop the knife you idiot!" A voice shouts from behind the group. Tegaer stands dripping wet on the bank of the river. "I haven't hauled her all this way to have you throw away our best chance and making some gold."

Helgut glowers at the other slaver. "The stuck up she-bear has it coming." He raises his blade to her cheek and presses the blade into the skin until a drop of blood appears.

"Let her go now or I'll drop you where you stand", orders Tegaer.

Helgut points the knife at the other Viglunding. "You know, I'm about sick of you ordering me around like your dog. You think you can take me? Why don't you give it a try?"

Then suddenly shoving the woman to the side, Helgut charges Tegaer, swinging his knife at his chest. As the escapees watch, Tegaer deftly steps aside and runs his sword through Helgut's abdomen. With a look of shocked disbelief, Helgut falls to the ground dying. Tegaer quickly finishes him off.

Turning to the slaves he says, "Good riddance. That fool's had that coming for a long time. Now the question is what to do with the lot of you? What punishment do I come up with to keep you from trying something so stupid again. I guess I’ll start with a good beating and then figure out what to do next.”

He kicks Eldacar in the side. The ranger moans but remains unconscious. ‘Looks like your friend here isn’t going to make it. I guess I’ll show him some mercy and put him out of his misery.”

He walks toward the ranger and pulls out a dagger. He bends over to slit the ranger’s throat when suddenly there is a flash of movement from the reeds along the river. There is a glint of silver in the afternoon sun and then Tegaer is clutching his stomach as red blood pours out between his fingers, he falls to the ground gasping out curses for a few seconds until what appears to be a child, barely three and a half feet tall, steps out of the reeds and puts a small sword through his heart, stopping it. He bows to the group.
“Well now, what have we here?” Says the Hobbit. "Looks as if you all have yourselves in a bit of a fix."

From Heart of the Wild:
Byrgol
In the Gladden Fields, a brave Hobbit is usually a dead Hobbit. This is not the Shire, protected by Rangers and Wizards — this is the Wild. If a Hobbit is caught by an Orc or even a Man, his fate is likely to be a grim one. Therefore, wise wild Hobbits hide in the undergrowth when the Big Folk go by, and stay almost invisible in the shadows.

Byrgol is a brave Hobbit. He found a sword in a wrecked boat — it’s really more of a long knife — and stole it. He’s proved surprisingly successful in battle — a well-placed stab from below has emptied the guts of more than a few Orcs.


Attribute level: 3
Specialities: Tunnelling, Fishing
Distinctive Features: Eager, Reckless, Nimble
Relevant skills: Stealth ♦♦♦♦, Travel ♦♦, Sword ♦♦
Endurance: 13


Encounter With Byrgol
Base the tolerance on the players valor. Add one if the character is a ranger or an elf, two if a hobbit. In this case add one for Avina and one for Eldacar (if still alive).
Byrgol had been fishing along the western bank of the Anduin when he noticed the raft. He followed stealthily for a mile or so and watched the escape attempt. At this point he has a good idea what is going on and is willing to help the captives, but he is wary and will not take any unnecessary risks. The player can ask for help with getting care for Eldacar, assistance with removing the chains, food, a place to rest, etc.
For his part, Byrgol wants to know who the captives are, who their captors were, and if he can trust them. He is not motivated by financial reward, having little use for gold out here in the Gladden Fields. He has worked with some of the Dúnedain previously and shares in their fight against the shadow in his own small way.

Encounter Evaluation
0 successes: Byrgol does not trust the strangers and disappears offering no further assistance.
1-2 successes: The hobbit digs through the pockets of the dead man (Tegaer) and returns with a key to the locks on the captives' ankles. Looking at Eldacar he comments that the ranger probably is done for. He mentions a man, Arciryas, who dwells in the area that could help, if he can be found in time.
3-4 successes: Byrgol mentions that he last saw Arciryas, who is reknown as a skilled healer, a day's journey to the south-west a week ago. He helps point the player character in the correct direction, making the hunt for Arciryas easier (see below).
5-6 successes: The hobbit escorts them to a place where they can camp safely and rest. The player character can recover lost endurance. He also gives each of them enough dried fish and berries to eat for one week.
7+ successes: All of the above plus Byrgol gives the group shelter in his own home for as long as they desire. While not much more than a large hole in the ground, it is comfortable and warm and the player character can recover from fatigue as if resting in a safe place.

If the player decides to search for the raft, he sees no signs of it along the shore. It may be lost in the mists around Hag’s Island, or the two surviving slavers may have fled with it, if they aren’t drowned somewhere in the river.

If Eldacar is still alive, the only way to save him is to find Arciryas and bring him back to the ranger. If Eldacar dies, the player must pass a corruption test or gain a point of shadow.

From Heart of the Wild:
Arciryas, Servant of Saruman
Arciryas is a man of Gondor. He was once a Healer in Minas Tirith, and learned the arts of herbalism and chirurgery in the Houses of Healing. His curiosity led him to consult old, musty scrolls in the archives, scrolls that spoke of the atrocities and evil spells worked by the Enemy. Arciryas saw many warriors of Gondor who were wounded by Orc-poison and other devices, and believed he could heal them if only he learned their secrets. When his research could go no further, he went to the Tower of Orthanc and consulted with Saruman the White, who had himself long studied the arts of the Enemy.

Arciryas never returned to Gondor. Today, he lives in the Gladden Fields. He is a student of herb-lore, and says that the medicinal properties of the many plants that grow in the marshes must be catalogued. He is devoted to his work, spending long days wandering the wilderness, poking under reeds with his long white staff. He travels south to Isengard every few months to report to the White Wizard. Sometimes, he suspects that Saruman has another purpose in mind for him, beyond searching the fields for herbs and roots. The people of Mountain Hall know of Arciryas, and call upon his expertise for wounds that they cannot heal.

Attribute level: 5
Specialities: Enemy-lore, Herb-lore
Distinctive Features: Lordly, Steadfast
Relevant skills: Lore ♦♦♦♦, Healing ♦♦♦♦
Endurance: 20


The Hunt for Arciryas
To find Arciryas requires a prolonged action involving hunting, search, or explore. It takes 3 successes to find the healer as he is gathering herbs. The player character can perform two tests a day. Once they find Arciryas, it will take a day to return to Eldacar. The ranger will die if he is not treated successfully within 4 days.

Arciryas Encounter
Once found, the healer must be convinced to come treat Eldacar. Base the tolerance for the encounter on the player character's wisdom. Add one if the character is an elf or ranger. Mentioning that it is a ranger who is in need of healing lowers the TN to 12 for all rolls.
Encounter Evaluation
0 Sucesses: Arciryas is not impressed and cannot be persuaded to come treat the ranger.
1-2 Successes: The healer states he cannot leave, but he does offer a small bag of Reedmace (see below) and instructions on how to treat Eldacar.
3-4 Successes: Arciryas agrees to go and see if he can help the ranger.
5-6 Successes: Not only does the healer go with the player character, he offers to give the player character a bag of one of the herbs he has been collecting (see below).
7+ Successes: Same as above, but the player can chose three bags of herbs.

Marsh Herbs
Reedmace - TN for all healing rolls reduced by 4 for the remainder of the adventure.
Kingcup - Rolling an Eye on travel tests does not trigger a hazard for the remainder of the adventure.
Hagweed - TN for all corruption tests is lowered by 2 for the remainder of the adventure.
White Water-lilies - While at rest, endurance is recovered at twice the normal rate for the remainder of the adventure.
Red Water-lilies - Damage rating is increased by 1 for the remainder of the adventure.

If Arciryas is convinced to come and tend to Eldacar’s wound, he will find the ranger barely holding on to life. Healing him will take all of his skills.

Treating Eldacar
Eldacar’s wound is severely infected. He is feverish and passing in and out of consciousness. To save his life will not be easy. All healing rolls are at a starting TN of 20. Arciryas (or the player if Arciryas does not come) may attempt to heal the ranger as follows:
-The wound must be properly cleaned and dressed within 4 days of the escape or the ranger will die. One healing roll per day is allowed to attempt this.
-His fever must be eased, an additional healing roll may be attempted each day to accomplish this. Successfully lowering Eldacar’s fever will add an additional day to attempt to dress the wound (5 days instead of 4).
-If Eldacar’s wound is successfully cleaned and dressed, he may yet live, but he is far from healed. This will require a prolonged action of 4 successful healing tests over the next 7 days. One roll is allowed each day. A great success counts as 2 successful heals, an extraordinary success counts as 3.

The player may choose to wait and see if Eldacar pulls through, or he may take off when he feels he is adequately rested to make the trip to Rivendell. Arciryas is well known in Mountain Hall and agrees to escort the other captives there once Eldacar is strong enough or dies. Walcaud busies himself hunting for food while he waits and Avina helps tend to the wounded ranger. She soon develops a bond with him and for now agrees to care for him until he is strong enough to return home. Two weeks after the escape, the other former captives bid farewell to the hobbit Byrgol and travel with Arciryas to Mountain Hall.

The player can equip himself with the dead men’s weapons (which likely are the ones taken from him at his capture).

The trip through the Gladden Fields and the West Nether Vales should be fairly straight forward if the player follows the river to its source in the Misty Mountains (40 miles through severe terrain and 50 miles through hard terrain) where he will find the beginning of the Mountain Pass (70 miles of daunting terrain). As he is traveling alone, he must fulfill all of the travel roles. He may do so without incurring the normal hope expenditure.

Hazards could be as follows for each role:
-Guide - The player takes a wrong path through a particularly swampy area of the river and unless he is able to pass an travel roll, must lose a day and become temporarily weary.
-Huntsman - The player runs out of food and must pass a hunting test or lose 3 endurance each day until he does.
-Scout - Dark clouds are rolling in and soon a thunderstorm is raging. The player must pass an explore test or else fail to find adequate shelter and loose 5 points of endurance.
-Lookout-The player is being followed by a pair of wolves, if he fails an awareness test, they attack.

Orc Attack
Traveling through the Misty Mountains is a dangerous endeavor for a full company. It is even more so for a solitary traveller. One night, midway through the Mountain Pass, as the player makes camp under a small outcropping of granite, two orcs pass near where he is. A successful awareness roll allows him to hear them before they see him. He can attempt to hide with a stealth test. Failing to hide, he will be attacked by two orc soldiers.

Once through the mountains, the player must take his character 80 miles (40 miles of hard terrain and 40 miles of moderate terrain) north through the Lone Lands and Trollshaws to reach Rivendell. The elven sanctuary can be found per the rules in the Rivendell supplement.

From Rivendell:
Adventurers attempting to enter Rivendell without leave or invitation from Elrond and who lack an appropriate guide will find it very difficult to find the right path. To an inexperienced eye, the landscape appears devoid of any useful landmarks, and even a veteran traveller will be confused by the nondescript quality of the territory.

While Rivendell is certainly a remote place, the reasons for such travelling difficulties are not immediately apparent. In truth, Imladris is a secret valley, hidden to the eye of the Enemy by the power of its Master, and the Elven Ring he wears.

When a journeying company approaches Rivendell, the Guide must pass a test to find the path marked with white stones. If the guide of the company is an Elf, possesses the Elf-friend Trait or has a Wisdom score equal to 4 or more, then he needs only to succeed in a Travel roll with TN 14. A Guide who has none of these uncovers the proper path only on a roll producing a G-rune
instead.

The Guide may attempt the Travel roll once a day. Each failed roll results in a Hazard episode, as if the roll produced an Eye icon. Actually rolling an Eye icon results in a Hazard episode AND in the impossibility of repeating the Travel roll for the following three days.

Upon entering the Hidden Valley, the player character immediately finds himself surrounded by a group of elven guards who demand to know what business he has in Imladris. This could be run as an encounter if the Loremaster so wishes. Regardless of whether he is taken as a prisoner or escorted as a hero, the player character will be given an audience with the master of the house, Elrond himself. After delivering Eldacar’s information and giving an account of his adventures, the player character will be invited to stay as an honored guest in the Last Homely House until he has recovered from his travels. He is named an Elf-friend and is offered gold equivalent to 5 treasure for his efforts.

He can take a fellowship phase in Rivendell.

So there it is. Enjoy!

[TheMonarchGamer]

One method I consistently use for generating adventures is a modified version of the 'Five by Five' method. My version calls for coming up with five (or more) ideas, and formatting them in a grid like so:

Edit - the formatting on the table posted wrong. Imagine the 'x's where the two letters would meet.

A B C D E
A. X
B. X
C. X
D. X
E. X

Each idea could be something along the lines of the following: a rumor of a lost treasure, a cursed mountain fortress, a rich and jealous noble, an undead barrow wright king, and a city in danger. Taking these, then, and cross referencing them on the chart yields a total of 10 combinations (repeated once). Each combination should be a plot point reflecting the two ideas that compose it; for instance:
Treasure & fortress = treasure inside fortress
Treasure & noble = noble wants to steal this treasure before his rival can get it
Treasure & wright = wright owns treasure
Treasure & city = noble's rival wants to donate to the city
Fortress and noble = the noble has already sent some mercenaries to claim the treasure
Fortress and wright = the wright lives in the fortress
Fortress and city = the fortress is near the city
Noble and wright = the wright is the noble's long dead grandfather
Noble and city = the noble lives in the city
Wright and city = the wright is sending down minions to raid the city to get back at his grandson who dishonored him.

So through this process, you can come up with the skeleton for an adventure that is interesting and intertwined. It's really a simple process once you get used to it, and you can find the ideas most anywhere on random generator websites across the net if you're not feeling particularly creative.
Comments welcome,
The Monarch Gamer