The Battle of Five Armies is a key event in the recent history of Wilderland, at the time of The One Ring’s core campaign. Many game sources refer to the Gathering of Five Armies, a festival which occurs annually in commemoration of the battle, beginning in T.A. 2946, the battle’s five-year anniversary. Since this year falls at or near the start of the timeline for any new campaign of TOR, one would expect that many campaigns will include this event, yet we have scant details in the published materials.
I thought it might be fun and useful for the community to compile information about their own handling of this event. Future LMs could adopt whatever elements of this resource appeal to them or fit the style of their own campaign.
In my own campaign, we ended the first year’s adventures with a return to Dale for this festival. I chose not to use it as a backdrop for a larger mystery or adventure, but as an opportunity for the fellowship to meet new NPCs and to receive recognition for their efforts during the year. Another Loremaster might choose to set important intrigues against this backdrop, perhaps teasing adventures to come.
-- gsecaur
The Gathering of Five Armies
The Gathering of Five Armies
Last edited by gsecaur on Tue Jan 30, 2018 5:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
Activities at the Gathering of Five Armies
Most festival-goers spend their time drinking, eating, and shopping, but games and challenges abound, some more formal and some purely informal. Most of these activities are just an excuse to let the players roll some skill checks and try to accumulate Advancement points, though at the LM’s discretion, there might be a small trophy or purse to be won at certain events, especially the officially-sanctioned ones. Either way, winning Treasure or magical items isn’t really the point of these challenges.
It’s probably best that no player-hero be allowed to attempt the skill checks from any one of these challenges more than three times. Otherwise, you could end up with a player spending the entire session rolling the same skill again and again, frantically trying to get great successes to fill up his Advancement points.
• In the taverns and drinking halls, a popular game is to sing new words set to a popular tune. It is expected that the lyrics are invented on the spot, not prepared ahead of time. Such songs are usually about humiliations visited upon Orcs or Old Smaug or other scorn-worthy targets, and fewer folk have the temerity to mock King Bard or Thorin or other such heroes. (The crowd will turn on such jokers quickly.) PCs who attempt to join in this game can make a Riddle check to improvise the lyrics and a Song check to perform it well. Success on both gets a huge cheer from the crowd, and success on either gets a generally positive response. Failure at both will lead to booing.
• Another popular pastime among drunks is barrel-stacking. This entails climbing onto a barrel and having another barrel handed to you, which you then stack atop the first one while also standing on it. Then you climb onto the second barrel and a third is handed to you, etc. Keep going as long as you can still balance and you haven’t died. It’s considered bad form to do this while sober, since that imparts both a better sense of balance and a stronger sense of one’s own mortality. Most people fall while trying to climb onto the third barrel. Players may roll Athletics or Riddle, with a cumulative penalty of +2 TN for each level above the second. Falling from a great height should do some damage; consider 1 Success die of Endurance at the third barrel and an additional die at every odd number thereafter. (It might seem logical that falling onto cobblestones from fifteen feet up should cause more serious damage, but avoid inflicting actual Wounds unless you really want to punish the revelers.)
• Another barrel-themed contest is barrel-racing, through the canals of Dale. In honor of Thorin’s Company (and presided over by Bombur himself!), contestants climb into barrels held in a corral of ropes at one end of the canal. They are given barrel staves to steer and row, and then the rope is loosed and the current carries them all downstream. The race is a prolonged test of Athletics, and the cumulative number of successes determines the winner. The best NPC competitor is Ingi son of Skarf, with 4 successes.
• Along the pier, a fishing contest is held, with different divisions for adults and children. Sharp-eyed observers (who pass an Awareness check) can see that a person is swimming under the pier, attaching fish to the lines of the children, but no such aid is given to adult competitors, who have to rely on their own skill or fortune. Players may roll Hunting to participate, and the degrees of success indicate especially good catches. The best NPC fisherman is a Man of Lake-town, Finn the Fisher, with 5 successes on three tests. (If anyone points out the dopiness of a fisherman named “Finn”, he just shrugs.)
• Lots of Dwarves and Men are conducting demonstrations of the Craft skill. Mostly these are on a small scale, where someone plops a stool behind a crate and starts drawing a crowd with their whittling, toy-making, gem-working, etc. (There’s not much room for blacksmithing, in other words.) Some of those craftsmen sell their wares, but most are either hobbyists looking to show off or build word of mouth for their tiny business by making and then giving away their work. If a PC is inclined to do this, they can make up to three Craft checks. (If they choose to sell their goods, they can earn 1 Treasure per two successes on these checks.)
• Finally, people-watchers will find a lot of opportunity. Just by observing those around them, a dedicated people-watcher can learn more about their fellow Men (or Dwarves, etc.). PCs may make up to three checks in some combination of Insight, Riddle, and Persuade.
Most festival-goers spend their time drinking, eating, and shopping, but games and challenges abound, some more formal and some purely informal. Most of these activities are just an excuse to let the players roll some skill checks and try to accumulate Advancement points, though at the LM’s discretion, there might be a small trophy or purse to be won at certain events, especially the officially-sanctioned ones. Either way, winning Treasure or magical items isn’t really the point of these challenges.
It’s probably best that no player-hero be allowed to attempt the skill checks from any one of these challenges more than three times. Otherwise, you could end up with a player spending the entire session rolling the same skill again and again, frantically trying to get great successes to fill up his Advancement points.
• In the taverns and drinking halls, a popular game is to sing new words set to a popular tune. It is expected that the lyrics are invented on the spot, not prepared ahead of time. Such songs are usually about humiliations visited upon Orcs or Old Smaug or other scorn-worthy targets, and fewer folk have the temerity to mock King Bard or Thorin or other such heroes. (The crowd will turn on such jokers quickly.) PCs who attempt to join in this game can make a Riddle check to improvise the lyrics and a Song check to perform it well. Success on both gets a huge cheer from the crowd, and success on either gets a generally positive response. Failure at both will lead to booing.
• Another popular pastime among drunks is barrel-stacking. This entails climbing onto a barrel and having another barrel handed to you, which you then stack atop the first one while also standing on it. Then you climb onto the second barrel and a third is handed to you, etc. Keep going as long as you can still balance and you haven’t died. It’s considered bad form to do this while sober, since that imparts both a better sense of balance and a stronger sense of one’s own mortality. Most people fall while trying to climb onto the third barrel. Players may roll Athletics or Riddle, with a cumulative penalty of +2 TN for each level above the second. Falling from a great height should do some damage; consider 1 Success die of Endurance at the third barrel and an additional die at every odd number thereafter. (It might seem logical that falling onto cobblestones from fifteen feet up should cause more serious damage, but avoid inflicting actual Wounds unless you really want to punish the revelers.)
• Another barrel-themed contest is barrel-racing, through the canals of Dale. In honor of Thorin’s Company (and presided over by Bombur himself!), contestants climb into barrels held in a corral of ropes at one end of the canal. They are given barrel staves to steer and row, and then the rope is loosed and the current carries them all downstream. The race is a prolonged test of Athletics, and the cumulative number of successes determines the winner. The best NPC competitor is Ingi son of Skarf, with 4 successes.
• Along the pier, a fishing contest is held, with different divisions for adults and children. Sharp-eyed observers (who pass an Awareness check) can see that a person is swimming under the pier, attaching fish to the lines of the children, but no such aid is given to adult competitors, who have to rely on their own skill or fortune. Players may roll Hunting to participate, and the degrees of success indicate especially good catches. The best NPC fisherman is a Man of Lake-town, Finn the Fisher, with 5 successes on three tests. (If anyone points out the dopiness of a fisherman named “Finn”, he just shrugs.)
• Lots of Dwarves and Men are conducting demonstrations of the Craft skill. Mostly these are on a small scale, where someone plops a stool behind a crate and starts drawing a crowd with their whittling, toy-making, gem-working, etc. (There’s not much room for blacksmithing, in other words.) Some of those craftsmen sell their wares, but most are either hobbyists looking to show off or build word of mouth for their tiny business by making and then giving away their work. If a PC is inclined to do this, they can make up to three Craft checks. (If they choose to sell their goods, they can earn 1 Treasure per two successes on these checks.)
• Finally, people-watchers will find a lot of opportunity. Just by observing those around them, a dedicated people-watcher can learn more about their fellow Men (or Dwarves, etc.). PCs may make up to three checks in some combination of Insight, Riddle, and Persuade.
Last edited by gsecaur on Tue Jan 30, 2018 4:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
Timed events at the Gathering of Five Armies
These events occur at set times, no matter what the companions are doing.
November 22nd
The Elves arrive, and Thranduil’s entourage creates quite a stir. The Elvenking walks at the front of his company, a dozen or so courtiers behind him (including his son, Legolas), and a chorus of another dozen who sing a song of unearthly beauty. The song is in Sindarin, a language which is understood only by Elves and those who possess the Elven-lore trait. [In my game, I used "Song of the Sea", which Legolas sings after the Battle of the Black Gate, in The Return of the King.]
Beautiful though the song is, its subject is deeply melancholy, an acknowledgment that Middle-earth is no more the domain of the Elves. Fortunately this message is utterly lost on the assembled Men, as it could be interpreted as a bit of an insult to the hosts.
Thranduil accepts lodging at King Bard’s palace, and is not seen much in public during the festival.
November 23rd
Beorn arrives early in the morning, accompanied only by Merovech, one of his thanes, and word gets around fast that the Bear-lord has arrived. Most Men are in awe of him, more than they are of any ratty old king. He is seldom seen on this side of Mirkwood, and his exploits in the Battle of Five Armies (in which he killed Bolg) are the stuff of legend. If the fellowship has an existing relationship with Beorn, they may have an Interaction with him or Merovech. (This is also a good opportunity to introduce Merovech, if you intend to run “Kinstrife & Dark Tidings”.)
The Bear-lord is not much interested in parties or celebrations, which are far too impractical and wasteful for his sensibilities. But he honours the pact he made with Bard, Dain, and Thranduil after the battle, so he is here.
At mid-day on November 23rd, a mock battle is held on the field outside the Ravensgate, with children playing the role of Dwarves, women playing the role of Men and Elves, and men playing the Orcs. There is no attempt at verisimilitude – this is not a true reenactment of the battle, but a comical representation held only for fun, and there is no danger to any participant.
If any PCs wish to participate, they will be assigned to the appropriate army based on sex, although Hobbits might be assigned to the “Dwarf” army (along with the children of Dale). PCs may attempt a prolonged test of Battle, as they command their “troops”.
The Eagles are not represented by the performers, as that would obviously be too complicated and require difficult rigging, but the arrival of the actual Great Eagles, led by the Wind Lord Gwaihir, coincides with the performance of the battle, casting a stunned hush across the field, followed by a great cheer from all, even the “Orcs”.
The Eagles’ arrival is just after noon, when the sun is finally directly overhead. Dale is often in shadow because of the mountain ridges to the east and west – sunrise comes late and sunset comes early. But today, the mid-day sun is eclipsed by the flight of the massive birds, who swoop low over the city before settling atop a tower of Bard’s palace. Observers see Bard, Thranduil, and a tall, gray-robed figure emerge onto a balcony, on which one of the Eagles then alights. (That is Gwaihir.) The Wind Lord is accompanied by his second-in-command (and brother), Landroval, and four other Eagles.
November 24th
The Adventurer’s Companion describes (on pg. 132) a Famous Company called the Hunters of the North, formed in 2946 and having its first meeting in one of the sanctuaries of the North. The initial Gathering of Five Armies is the perfect time and place for this meeting, since it is rare that all the leaders of the North are together.
Kings Bard and Dain assemble all the leaders in Bard’s main hall for dinner on the fourth night of the festival, and an invitation comes to the player-companions to join them. Other attendees at this dinner include some of Thorin’s Company, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Merovech of the Beornings, and a certain gray-robed wizard, and several dozen other renowned and respected warriors of the five main cultures in attendance.
[Ask each player to invent an NPC who is present, someone that they either know personally or have admired by reputation. Make note of these NPCs and look for opportunities to work them into the game in coming years.]
Bard welcomes the assembly and explains his purpose in calling them all together. “You who are assembled here represent the very best of the Free Peoples of the North. In recent months, we have all heard tales of things abroad which were once thought driven back into the Shadow. If the North were ever to come to war, it is we who will stand together, we who joined our forces five years ago on this very field.
“Therefore, I issue an invitation to all present here tonight. If you will swear yourselves to the common defense of the Free Peoples, you may count yourselves among the Hunters of the North, and wear this badge, marking our new fellowship. The lords you see before you – King Dain of Erebor, King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, Beorn of the Vale of Anduin, and I, King Bard of the Dale-lands – have all pledged our aid to this common cause.
“We feast now, and if you be so moved as to swear yourself to this company, approach the table, give your oath, and number yourself among the Hunters of the North.”
Joining the Hunters of the North is much like taking a Patron, in that it confers benefits and obligations.
• You may count your Standing even when dealing with other cultures, as long as the person you are trying to impress is aware of the Hunters of the North and supports their mission.
• You will occasionally be asked to take on missions to explore, scout, or go to battle with enemies of this alliance.
These events occur at set times, no matter what the companions are doing.
November 22nd
The Elves arrive, and Thranduil’s entourage creates quite a stir. The Elvenking walks at the front of his company, a dozen or so courtiers behind him (including his son, Legolas), and a chorus of another dozen who sing a song of unearthly beauty. The song is in Sindarin, a language which is understood only by Elves and those who possess the Elven-lore trait. [In my game, I used "Song of the Sea", which Legolas sings after the Battle of the Black Gate, in The Return of the King.]
Beautiful though the song is, its subject is deeply melancholy, an acknowledgment that Middle-earth is no more the domain of the Elves. Fortunately this message is utterly lost on the assembled Men, as it could be interpreted as a bit of an insult to the hosts.
Thranduil accepts lodging at King Bard’s palace, and is not seen much in public during the festival.
November 23rd
Beorn arrives early in the morning, accompanied only by Merovech, one of his thanes, and word gets around fast that the Bear-lord has arrived. Most Men are in awe of him, more than they are of any ratty old king. He is seldom seen on this side of Mirkwood, and his exploits in the Battle of Five Armies (in which he killed Bolg) are the stuff of legend. If the fellowship has an existing relationship with Beorn, they may have an Interaction with him or Merovech. (This is also a good opportunity to introduce Merovech, if you intend to run “Kinstrife & Dark Tidings”.)
The Bear-lord is not much interested in parties or celebrations, which are far too impractical and wasteful for his sensibilities. But he honours the pact he made with Bard, Dain, and Thranduil after the battle, so he is here.
At mid-day on November 23rd, a mock battle is held on the field outside the Ravensgate, with children playing the role of Dwarves, women playing the role of Men and Elves, and men playing the Orcs. There is no attempt at verisimilitude – this is not a true reenactment of the battle, but a comical representation held only for fun, and there is no danger to any participant.
If any PCs wish to participate, they will be assigned to the appropriate army based on sex, although Hobbits might be assigned to the “Dwarf” army (along with the children of Dale). PCs may attempt a prolonged test of Battle, as they command their “troops”.
The Eagles are not represented by the performers, as that would obviously be too complicated and require difficult rigging, but the arrival of the actual Great Eagles, led by the Wind Lord Gwaihir, coincides with the performance of the battle, casting a stunned hush across the field, followed by a great cheer from all, even the “Orcs”.
The Eagles’ arrival is just after noon, when the sun is finally directly overhead. Dale is often in shadow because of the mountain ridges to the east and west – sunrise comes late and sunset comes early. But today, the mid-day sun is eclipsed by the flight of the massive birds, who swoop low over the city before settling atop a tower of Bard’s palace. Observers see Bard, Thranduil, and a tall, gray-robed figure emerge onto a balcony, on which one of the Eagles then alights. (That is Gwaihir.) The Wind Lord is accompanied by his second-in-command (and brother), Landroval, and four other Eagles.
November 24th
The Adventurer’s Companion describes (on pg. 132) a Famous Company called the Hunters of the North, formed in 2946 and having its first meeting in one of the sanctuaries of the North. The initial Gathering of Five Armies is the perfect time and place for this meeting, since it is rare that all the leaders of the North are together.
Kings Bard and Dain assemble all the leaders in Bard’s main hall for dinner on the fourth night of the festival, and an invitation comes to the player-companions to join them. Other attendees at this dinner include some of Thorin’s Company, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Merovech of the Beornings, and a certain gray-robed wizard, and several dozen other renowned and respected warriors of the five main cultures in attendance.
[Ask each player to invent an NPC who is present, someone that they either know personally or have admired by reputation. Make note of these NPCs and look for opportunities to work them into the game in coming years.]
Bard welcomes the assembly and explains his purpose in calling them all together. “You who are assembled here represent the very best of the Free Peoples of the North. In recent months, we have all heard tales of things abroad which were once thought driven back into the Shadow. If the North were ever to come to war, it is we who will stand together, we who joined our forces five years ago on this very field.
“Therefore, I issue an invitation to all present here tonight. If you will swear yourselves to the common defense of the Free Peoples, you may count yourselves among the Hunters of the North, and wear this badge, marking our new fellowship. The lords you see before you – King Dain of Erebor, King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, Beorn of the Vale of Anduin, and I, King Bard of the Dale-lands – have all pledged our aid to this common cause.
“We feast now, and if you be so moved as to swear yourself to this company, approach the table, give your oath, and number yourself among the Hunters of the North.”
Joining the Hunters of the North is much like taking a Patron, in that it confers benefits and obligations.
• You may count your Standing even when dealing with other cultures, as long as the person you are trying to impress is aware of the Hunters of the North and supports their mission.
• You will occasionally be asked to take on missions to explore, scout, or go to battle with enemies of this alliance.
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Otaku-sempai
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- Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 2:45 am
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Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
Did the Gathering begin on the 21st? Because otherwise the 24th is only the third day of the event, not the fourth.gsecaur wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2018 4:54 amKings Bard and Dain assemble all the leaders in Bard’s main hall for dinner on the fourth night of the festival, and an invitation comes to the player-companions to join them. Other attendees at this dinner include some of Thorin’s Company, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Merovech of the Beornings, and a certain gray-robed wizard, and several dozen other renowned and respected warriors of the five main cultures in attendance.
"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he."
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Enevhar Aldarion
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Mon May 23, 2016 6:25 pm
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
The sixth adventure in Tales from Wilderland, The Crossings of Celduin, takes place during this festival, in case you have not read through it yet.
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
Lots of stuff about Dale and the festivities to be found in my Guide to Dale: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nmok5kyz1qe6x ... 9.pdf?dl=0 within my resources thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=62
TOR resources thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=62
TOR miniatures thread: viewtopic.php?t=885
Fellowship of the Free Tale of Years: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8318
TOR miniatures thread: viewtopic.php?t=885
Fellowship of the Free Tale of Years: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8318
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
You add some great atmosphere Gsecaur, thank you! 
Re: The Gathering of Five Armies
Does it actually say anywhere that the Gathering of Five Armies is an annual event? I see reference to the "first" Gathering, but not to any others or to any frequency.
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