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Majestic wrote:Yeah, I think if they ended up causing a Wound with one of the characters, I might tweak their stats slightly to reflect that. In this case, they dropped Tauler down to 0 Endurance, but they never did cause any Wounds. The archer was getting ready to hit him hard, though, and spent his last action doing Prepare Shot (had he got one more action he could have potentially got him).

I'm looking forward to having the Uruk who killed Frain (just one of the regular Uruks from Tales originally, named retroactively due to the fact that he ended up being lucky, avoiding Dragonfire as he escaped) boosted a bit when he next encounters the party.

A perfect chance to use the upgrades from Rivendell.

Good call, Zed. Care to point me to the right section? I've not read all of Rivendell yet (mostly the Eye and Treasure stuff). There's so much goodness in that one supplement!

Sweet. Thanks! I'll have to go check that out!

Later edit: Oh yeah, I've used some of those before, though I haven't read that section thoroughly yet. Great call on using those.

Funny, I would have Tauler react actually completely opposite - he now bears the company a grudge - they attacked him while he was sleeping etc. so this party are going to have a hard time later from Tauler when they want something! Ask yourself how you would react to a bunch of murderous thugs who attack you whilst you're sleeping, and then come and ask you for something a few years later!

This is exactly the sort of situation where i reward those PC's who do not 'see an Enemy ' all the time... (and I believe that was the writer's intention with this scene)

Robin S.

I'm wondering where you picked up that Tauler wouldn't hold a grudge against my PCs? I think he very much was set up as a potential character the PCs could talk (and reason) with, and my group (who had just wiped out some of his children) decided to try to slay him instead.

I had him flee exactly as the conditions spelled out in Darknening (when he got to 0 Endurance), and Tauler very much will have a grudge when he next runs into the PCs!

“The Beast of the Forest”
Summer 2953

After the Werewolf attacks Elves in the Bower, King Thranduil dispatches hunters. A brave knight named Orophal tracks the monster to its lair in the Mountains of Mirkwood and slays it. Ardorwyn, Me’lereal, and Falandor come across the returning entourage and join them as they feast and celebrate beneath the stars. Suddenly the Werewolf appears (identical to the skinned one they have hanging from a tree), sinks its teeth into the drunken Orophal, and flings him across the clearing. The trio of adventurers attack the beast while it smashes lamps, forcing it to flee into the woods. They rush Orophal back to the safety of the Elvenking’s palace, and the Werewolf howls and claws at the gates for several hours. The three scholars research information about the creature and study the history of the two lamps of Amon Lanc, created by Celebrimbor and Ormal thousands of years ago. They decide to learn more about an item possessed by the Woodmen. They make the long journey across Mirkwood via the Elf-path, stay at the Easterly Inn, then trek south to Woodmen-town. In the Hall of Balthi they discover the remnant of one of the lamps, concealed within a glass case. After learning more about the young boy who aided Gandalf centuries ago, they cross the Narrows of the Forest, briefly stay in Sunstead, then make their way north, eventually catching a ride on a merchant boat back to the Woodland Realm. The trio then travels to the Werewolf’s lair, where they barely overcome three Hounds of Sauron after an epic fight. In the deepest caverns they find the shattered remains of the other lamp and realize that the artifact tormented the beast. They hear the distant roaring of the Werewolf of Mirkwood again as they return to the Halls of the Elvenking.


Link to Epic Fight with the Hounds

I just played that part of Darkening on Friday too. Except after encountering the werewolf at the camp the company decided not to hunt it. That beast was wicked! They left the Elvenking's palace and headed to Laketown instead for a Fellowship phase and winter. That's when we played my adventure called "The Bats are Missing" found in the house rules forum.

study the history of the two lamps of Amon Lanc, created by Celebrimbor and Ormal thousands of years ago. They decide to learn more about an item possessed by the Woodmen.

How did they know that the Woodmen possesed a lamp? I've been reading through this adventure recently again and I think part of the plot is that the elves don't know that a twin lamp to the one found in the Werewolf's den exists.
That's why Thranduil explodes in anger some years later.
Had your players already seen something in Woodland-Hall that made them suspect?

Besides... what a trek they made!! Halls of Thranduil to Easterly Inn to Woodland-Hall to Sunstead to Esgaroth to Halls again. Puuufffff!!!

jamesrbrown wrote:I just played that part of Darkening on Friday too. Except after encountering the werewolf at the camp the company decided not to hunt it. That beast was wicked! They left the Elvenking's palace and headed to Laketown instead for a Fellowship phase and winter. That's when we played my adventure called "The Bats are Missing" found in the house rules forum.

That's awesome. Yes, the beast was tough. I was surprised at how well my players did against it, but part of it was that I had the Werewolf use his first attack to continue to try to "kill the lights". My players opted to forego any Preliminary Rolls in order to aggressively attack him!

Falenthal wrote:

study the history of the two lamps of Amon Lanc, created by Celebrimbor and Ormal thousands of years ago. They decide to learn more about an item possessed by the Woodmen.

How did they know that the Woodmen possesed a lamp? I've been reading through this adventure recently again and I think part of the plot is that the elves don't know that a twin lamp to the one found in the Werewolf's den exists.
That's why Thranduil explodes in anger some years later.
Had your players already seen something in Woodland-Hall that made them suspect?

Besides... what a trek they made!! Halls of Thranduil to Easterly Inn to Woodland-Hall to Sunstead to Esgaroth to Halls again. Puuufffff!!!

They had not that long ago visited Woodmen-town, and though the Elves weren't invited in (to the Hall of Balthi), they visited the trade show outside of town, and some of their company did (see the lamp). So that's when they first probably heard a snippet. Then, after their first encounter with the Werewolf, and especially after spending a Fellowship Phase in the Elvenking's Halls doing research (and doing the Undertaking "Search for Answers"), and the High Elf (a scholar who is about 650 years old) rolling a 23 (I can't remember if it was a Great or an Extraordinary Success, too), I gave him most of the info about the Lamp and the Werewolf (though they still lacked some info, like how Gandalf had hidden this from the Elves). It piqued their interest enough that they decided to make the long journey to Woodmen-town to see the lamp of Balthi themselves. Being members of a company with the great renown that they have (and friends with the amazing Malaric, a Woodman who has become one of their greatest heroes), they were allowed to see it for themselves. They were stymied on how to find the second one (figuring that it was likely lost to the spiders, somewhere in Mirkwood), but did speculate that it was possible it was with the Werewolf. And though they were pretty wiped out after their fight (they were extremely cautious exploring the lair after that), found the remains of the second one, which confirmed their theory.

And yes, that was a LOT of traveling they did (doing the entire circuit, just about, around Mirkwood)!

“The Lost Path”
Spring 2954

As the lands around the Black Tarn grow more treacherous and evil creatures make their way south through Mirkwood to Dol Guldur, Amaleoda has Malaric contact his companions. She hopes to find a safe path through the Narrows of the Forest to the East Bight, as Mogdred and his men have been harassing Woodmen travellers. Boarthok, Me’lereal, Falandor, Sigmund, and Ardorwyn join Malaric at Black Tarn Hall and set out. They pass through perilous swamps, and Malaric enlists the help of River-maiden Duskwater (under a spell from Tyulqin the Weaver), who agrees to guide them. After many days of travel the group moves into a quiet, high-sided valley, where they find Togo, caught in a huge Spider-web and shouting for help. Falandor climbs up to rescue him, but some of the adventurers realize they are deceived by an illusion and actually are wrapping themselves up in a thick, black web. Tyulqin drops the enchantment and attacks, but the heroes swiftly injure the great Spider and force her to flee. The company realizes they are lost, but soon find their way back. They encounter a mysterious longhouse, but resist entering the Hall of Ghosts. At the edge of the forest a dozen of Mogdred’s warriors are unable to ambush the party, and are defeated after a long fight. In Sunstead, Ceawin rewards the explorers for establishing a safe path through the Narrows.