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As far as I can tell, there's little info on the Beacon Tower in the books. My players got the idea to go there, and I would like to hear some ideas on what I could throw at them.

I'd like to have the players run into one of the Nazgul (possibly the Ghost of the Forest), but I need other stuff as well. It'd be great if I could somehow squeeze a Great Size -foe into the mix, as my Beorning has been getting little use for his Giant Slaying Spear.

But really, any ideas are welcome! Thanks!

hints:

- Its an old Dwarven mine and colony whilst the road was used to much more extent and there was light in mirkwood. The goblins of Mirkwood dug into it underneath and attacked and wiped it out. Have some oldie ( Gandalf have the map ) mix into it. Link the mine to one dwarf in the company, so that it will become personal and involve the whole fellowship.

- One of the Dwarwen 7 rings of Power is there and can have some fun effects and happenings...How will the company react to this ( corruption is heavy ) and what will they do with the ring ? Go to Elrond ?

- For the road to be functioning well for the free peoples they have to clean that place out. Talk to dwarves in Erebor about this. Bofri

- If succesful in cleaning out the road can be opened, and it might become a holding of between 6 to 8 if you are a dwarf.

- For a nazgul its of insignificant value but a great orc or such might the leader of the rabble.

Does any of this appeal ?

regards

- There could be an Ogre, Giant or Troll (even an Olog-hai if deemed appropriate) lairing in the vicinity.

- Spiders inhabit the Haunted Hills. A nest might have been established in the ruins of the Beacon Tower.

- Borrowing a page out of Rivendell, perhaps a Fell Wraith has been placed in charge of the tower.

Cool ideas. Although it's not original, you could always go with the old 'band of trolls/spiders' have holed up there and are ambushing travelers passing by. I think that was in an old MERP adventure. I'll see if I can't find it later.
-TMG

...Interesting.

Sauron reclaimed 3, and the other 4 of the Dwarven Rings were supposed to be eaten by dragons.

I always thought it'd be an interesting plot point if one of those 'eaten by a dragon' rings were in fact just added to the hoard...to be found later.

Great stuff, keep it coming!

The dwarven ring sounds awesome and I'd really like to include it. However, my Tolkien lore is weak. Would it change the canon too much if they found one? Wouldn't it be known by the war of the ring, and thus in LOTR? The ring would be a great excuse for the Nazgul...

The first thing is why are the players going there - perhaps Thranduil is interested in reoccupying it as a Southern outpost and commissions the them to investigate, or rumours have come to the players of Dwarf gold still being there and they decide to check it out if they like that sort of thing.

It's very easy to make this place the hideout of a standard baddy, in which case a Troll / Olog Hai / Orc tribe will do. If you want a different Monster, we never see a Giant Serpent (Snake type) but Tolkien mentions them several times in the literature.

However the HoTW does say that the Fortress fell as the inhabitants turned on each other. Therefore why not make the inhabitant a kind of Fell Spirit that works by sending the players visions of treachery on the part of the others. Things could include images of Heroes stealing from each other, cuckolding each others Wives, plotting against each other, having discussions with Orcs etc. They could also be tempted - sent visions of the treasure they could get if they turned on each other etc. Sort of a modified Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with the attacks being mental rather than yet another fight. Visions should be sent to one player at each time maybe so that the others can restrain them so as not to have PvP combat. Those failing should have serious Hope loss.

Finding one of the Seven is against Canon and is difficult to justify IMO, but go for it if you want to. I also think its too great a treasure if you see what I mean. It would lead to major Dwarf action (maybe Dain would claim it and send lots of warriors to waylay the players if they don't give it up?), Sauron would also get involved (think armies / Nazgul being sent to get it) and Gandalf/Saruman etc would also be involved in dealing with it. Personally I don't see how the Players could keep it unless they are really secret about it, and even then it would come out in time.

You could always make it so that the players for some plot reason or another have to give the ring to a dragon or agent of the enemy, thereby not changing the lore TOO much. I feel like them being forced to GIVE the ring is better than it being TAKEN from them.

As far as the fell wraith, why not give the players visions of their NPC allies betraying them? The players KNOW that the other players won't up and betray them, but they can't know that about NPC's. Especially if the spirit presents itself as benevolent at first - you know, guiding them around an Orc trap or something. This also works better if the NPC's are minor ones that aren't in the movies/books. You could add a sense of urgency with the visions, as the spirit tries to keep the players away from the Beacon Tower FOR SOME REASON...
-TMG

Angelalex242 wrote:Sauron reclaimed 3, and the other 4 of the Dwarven Rings were supposed to be eaten by dragons.

I always thought it'd be an interesting plot point if one of those 'eaten by a dragon' rings were in fact just added to the hoard...to be found later.

The Forest Dragon is over thee hunded years old; might she possess one of the lost Dwarven Rings? That is the only way I can see one of them being found in Mirkwood. And, as has been pointed out, such a discovery could be problematic in regard to Tolkien's canon. If a Fell Wraith acquired one of the Great Rings would it become the equivalent of one of the Nazgul? What would become of a Wight with such a Ring?

Actually, the Forest Dragon is lacking in a fearsome name and reputation. A more likely suspect to possess a lost Dwarven Ring might be Raenar, the Cold-drake who lairs North in the Withered Heath (from TfW).

In either case I doubt a Ring of Power would be of much use. A Fell Wraith is a slave to its master; a Ring of Power wouldn't change this. Without a will of its own, it has no use for such a ring, whose main purpose is to strengthen the wearer's ability to mentally dominate others.

A wood- or barrow-wight might be able to use a Ring of Power to dominate its victims more easily, but other than that what use would it have for one? Their existence is limited to skulking around their mounds, luring in travelers. It is not capable of achieving the life it yearns for, ring or no ring.

Discovering one of the dwarf-rings isn't necessarily a disruption to "canon." Maybe between now and the War of the Ring that dwarf-ring is lost to a dragon and consumed. So long as it is known by Gandalf to be destroyed by the time Gandalf visits Frodo to test the One Ring, you're staying within canon.

There are always, of course, the lesser rings, whose powers are unknown except that they did not extend life.