Using Heart of the Wild in your campaigns ?

[Glorelendil]

Although I'm looking forward to all the expansions we've heard about, I hope C7 doesn't just abandon Wilderland and move on. Reading the above makes me envision a new campaign book that happens in northern Wilderland, based around the Sorceress.

[Rich H]

Although I'm looking forward to all the expansions we've heard about, I hope C7 doesn't just abandon Wilderland and move on. Reading the above makes me envision a new campaign book that happens in northern Wilderland, based around the Sorceress.

They won't abandon it.

[Bomilkar]

Good to hear. We still need more coverage of the Grey Mountains, Erebor, and the Dalelands (even though I'd be happy to stick with the unofficial resources on the latter region).

And speaking about things that were tragically missing in the Darkening of Mirkwood: Given their impact on the overall storyline, I was puzzled by the decision not to include an adventure focussing on the Viglundings and their feud with Beorn's people. I know that we are supposed to pad the given campaign with adventures of our own, but wouldn't it have been great to make the players an important force in the two people's on-going strife?

Looking at the Dark Tidings adventure from TfW, for example, I felt that it would be rather easy and maybe even more appropriate to locate Stanford near the Elfwood and replace Valtar's band with a Viglunding war party led by Viglund or Viglar to recreate the first battle for the Forest Gate.

[Mytholder]

The Viglundings started off as a way to explain why the Beornings were largely sidelined during _Darkening_ - I wanted it to be primarily about the Woodmen. When Darkening and Heart were split in two, and Heart expanded to cover the Vales, they got a more detailed writeup, but still weren't an integral part of the Darkening campaign.

The Sorceress... when I started on Darkening, I wrote up a list of NPCs I intended to include. Most of them got used, but the Sorceress never seemed to fit, and I was very, very hesitant about including too much overt sorcery in the game. I also didn't want to cut her from Heart, either. I feel there's a good adventure in her, but I don't know what it is yet.

[Corvo]

Thank you for the insights, Gareth. Interesting, and understandable.

Earlier I expressed my doubts about "what will the Sorceress do once Sauron is revealed? Will she dare defying her master?". I would like her to be rogue, not another pawn subservient to the Enemy, yet it's a mighty dangerous thing to do for her. She need good reasons.
My tentative solution is to have the Sorceress try, maybe in '50 (before she knew that Sauron was about to come back), to trap a Nazgul and steal his Ring. I was thinking about the Messenger, who in my campaign was roaming Mirkwood since '46.
She failed, and now she don't trust any offer from Mordor, since she's afraid of the Nazgul's vengeance.
So she's an independent power in Mirkwood, trying to carve a position for herself and antagonist to the Nazguls

[Bomilkar]

That is indeed some interesting insight. It is quite understandable that in a campaing called "The Darkening of Mirkwood" the focus should lie on the wood and the people living there. And in my opinion, including the Viglundings to make the Beornings more occupied with their northern borders was a great idea. Looking over the rich detail in which you have described the Anduin valley and its inhabitants I can only feel that this part of the setting really deserves its own series of adventures. Maybe that's something for the creativity of the fans?

[Dunheved]

Wow. Its been a little while since I looked at this post. I was about ready to start DofM but looked back at HotW to see what else could be running while the Woodmen & Radagast were largely occupied. There are some astonishingly good ideas here - I wanted to use The Easterly Inn as my own sourcebook [Hobbit Tales 2: Tales from the Forest Dragon] and have things going on there while DofM occasionally spread into that part of the Forest. I think I am a bit small minded. There are so many ideas offered here. I am glad that DofM only covers the South-West corner of the map!! Many thanks to many contributors here for excellent openers.

The Kingfisher King as a local god - this is brilliant, dsmvites, appreciated.

There is so much imagination used on the Sorceress, all those ideas -stunning. It's a huge encouragement to get the brain cells on overtime. For instance, the Sorceress of Mirkwood now strikes me as a dark parallel of Saruman - she is betraying the power of Mordor for her own ends . Just how much of a Power might she become if she gets a Ring? or she gets control of any of the darker forces in Mirkwood? the Parliament of Spiders; Tyrant's Hill; Castle Fenbridge. Viglund and Mt Gundabad could also be open to her later. (thanks for the great picture Bomilkar - almost a Tim Burton film image!)

A big question that just occurs to me - Does the Sorceress survive 3019 and the Downfall of Sauron? How would Aragorn/Elessar root out that evil in the Fourth Age?

Yippee - Ky- Ai.. (normal expletive deleted)

[Murcushio]

It's worth noting that there doesn't necessarily have to be a hard and fast line between "the Sorceress is totally working for Sauron" and "she's gone rogue! She doesn't play by the rules anymore! Turn in your badge and gun!".

Given that she was probably his personal student, I can see the Sorceress simply taking the tack that if Sauron wants to issue her some orders, she'll obey them, but they had better damn well involve him issuing her some orders; she doesn't obey his flunkies and if the Nazgul know what's good for them they'll stay the hell away from Minas Raug. I sort of envision Khamul riding up to her tower intending to take her in hand and incorporate her into his plans for Southern Mirkwood, and the Sorceress standing on the battlement and demanding that he produce specific proof of Sauron's authority over her, because she's his apprentice and as far as she's concerned that means the Nazgul should obey her. If he feels differently, she invites him to take his best shot.

And Khamul looks up at her, considers her chances, and turns around and rides away.

Now, you might just think "Well, doesn't Khamul just report to the Witch-King, who reports to Sauron, that the Sorceress is being kind of a bitch and can you get the Eye to cut her some orders telling her to obey?" Only it isn't that simple. That makes Khamul look weak; if he were strong, he could just daunt her with force of will or make her bend the knee with strength of arms. It makes the Witch-King look like he can't control his minions if he brings the matter to Sauron. And maybe Sauron considers that and decides "You know what? Maybe the Sorceress should be in charge of Mirkwood. She knows it a lot better than you guys do. Yeah. Yeah, I like that idea. Tell Khamul she can move into my old tower in Dol Gulder, she's in charge now." The Nazgul don't want that to happen.

Because Sauron does stuff like that. For that matter, he may like the idea of his servants squabbling with each other. Keeps them sharp. And it's amusing to watch, like when you throw a bone to your dogs and watch them fight over it.

Also, with much respect to Gareth... the Darkening of Mirkwood has mystical river-women seizing control of boats, evil fogs, an undying Werewolf that almost literally can't be killed, the Lamp of Balthi, Radagast, Saruman, mind-controlled assassins, crazy ladies who turn into vampires, and Tyulqin.

I think the "overt sorcery" ship kind of sailed on that.

[Glorelendil]

You've been reading too much G.R.R.M., Mercushio...



But I like it.

[Falenthal]

Lately I've been playing ICO for the first time.

Just bumped in to say that the Sorceress reminds me a lot to the Queen in ICO, Yorda's mother.
I'll post an image here. You need to right-click on it and select View Image: