Idea for a fan created campaign

[Wbweather]

I've been thinking about this for some time and mentioned it in the House Rules section, but I have had an idea about a collaborative effort to create a Saruman centric campaign. I think he is a very interesting character and it would be fun to explore him through the eyes of a company of adventurers as they begin to see him embrace the shadow and turn against the white council.

My thought was that if a group of us worked on putting together an outline for the campaign and then each wrote up an adventure, then we could break up the work and make the task more manageable. I know it still would be an ambitious project, but I think it would be fun and hopefully useful to the community at large.

So I was looking at what we know about Saruman between 2941 and 3000 TA (those of you who are more well versed in the canon please correct or add to any of this):

In 2941 Saruman consents to drive the necromancer from Dul Guldur with the white council

In 2953, Saruman tells the White Council that he has knowledge that the One Ring has been forever lost in the Belegaer. After this meeting he takes Orthanc as his (he had the keys to it prior to this) and begins to set up his own kingdom of sorts.

He is suspicious of Gandalf and begins watching the wizard closely and begins sending spies to the Shire.

He continues searching for the One Ring in the Gladden Fields

Isildur's remains are found, Sauman aquires the Day Star or Elendilmir that Isildur wore when slain. (This was found in Orthanc once Saruman was bannished). He may have burned Isildur's bones.

He continues actively searching for the One Ring and knowledge about other rings of power.

He forms an alliance with the Dunlandings and begins stirring up strife between them and Rohan.

He is actively seeking knowledge to construct his own ring of power, which he ultimately succeeds at. This was likely not as powerful as one of the originals.

Around 3000 TA he uses the palantir for the first time and is enticed by Sauron.

The way I envision this campaign unfolding is that a company is asked to do a favor for the White wizard and earning his trust, he then employs them to help carry out his schemes. Of course the players will believe they are serving the White Council in an effort to thwart the shadow, but unwittingly they are strengthening Saruman's position and aiding his treachery. As the campaign progresses, there will be clues that some unknown force is at work trying to interfere with the good they are doing, but not until the end will they realize that it is Saruman himself who is the enemy.The campaign could end with the company sharing their information with Gandalf, who tells them to keep this knowledge to themselves and allow him to investigate further.

Here is a quick sketch of a possible outline for such a campaign:
1. The company is enlisted by Arciryas to help deliver a "shipment" from the gladden fields to Isengard.
(The remains of Isuldur, along with the Elendilmir have been discovered found buried in a barrow, perhaps interred by some hobbit folk in the ancient past)
2. Impressed by the company, Saruman sends them to investigate a dwarven ruin (looking for clues to one of the 7 rings)
3. The company is sent north to the Shire to establish trade with the Hobbit folk and procure some pipe-weed (as well as spy on Gandalf and see why he is so interested in the Shire)
4. Saruman sends the company south into Rohan and Dunland under the pretense of securing allegiance with the folk in the region. (In reality he is looking for weaknesses to exploit and seeking to turn a traitor against Theoden while stirring up animosity between the Rhohirrim and the Dunlandings.)
5. The company is sent on an errand to explore an ancient dragons lair and hopefully find an important tool to use against the enemy. (Searching for one of the 7)

I think that the setting for most of this will involve the material in the upcoming Rohan supplement, and so once that is released, it would likely shape how much of this plays out. At this stage it is just an idea and I am submitting it here to see what kind of interest there might be and to see what ideas others might like to suggest. So tell me what you think. I realize this is ambitious and would take a lot of work to see it through, but I would love to see it happen and someday be able to offer it to the community.

[Tolwen]

As the campaign progresses, there will be clues that some unknown force is at work trying to interfere with the good they are doing, but not until the end will they realize that it is Saruman himself who is the enemy.The campaign could end with the company sharing their information with Gandalf, who tells them to keep this knowledge to themselves and allow him to investigate further.

Depending on how closely one prefers to stick to canon, an important (and possibly spoiling) detail is that Gandalf genuinely believed Saruman to be an important and valuable ally (as head of the WC and the Istari) until mid-3018 of the Third Age when Saruman tried to sway and finally imprisoned Gandalf in Orthanc in July of that year.

If you want to stick to this, there can't be serious clues that suggest real evil-doing by Saruman before that date (or at last Gandalf must be ignorant of them for one reason or the other).

Cheers
Tolwen

[Wbweather]

Perhaps the company could be left wondering at the end of the campaign or if they attempt to notify someone on the White Council, they will be dismissed out of hand. Saruman could set them up so that no one believes or trusts them. Likewise he could threaten or beguile them with his voice never to tell?

[TheMonarchGamer]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3344

This thread might also shed some more light on his happenings. Some adventure involving fortifying Isengard might also be interesting. I'll get back to you later.
-TMG

[Blubbo Baggins]

I think the first adventure should be helping Hobbits deliver a shipment from the Shire to Isengard. Of course it will be of pipeweed. It could come at the end of Ruins of the North or during that campaign. The Hobbits need help bringing the goods that far. There will be some lackey or representative of Saruman there, who planned to pay for the goods and recruit the halflings to help transport it. But perhaps the PCs will run across the caravan on its way being attacked somewhere not far from the Shire. They will help them out, and Saruman's lackey will offer to hire them. The PCs might not even know, at first, where they are going or at least to whom the shipment is going. It could be a nice OOC irony when the players discover what the shipment is and who ordered it. There would certainly need to be some kind of problems on the journey, enough to impress the lackey, who in turn impresses upon Saruman the usefulness of the company.

[Wbweather]

I think the first adventure should be helping Hobbits deliver a shipment from the Shire to Isengard. Of course it will be of pipeweed. It could come at the end of Ruins of the North or during that campaign. The Hobbits need help bringing the goods that far. There will be some lackey or representative of Saruman there, who planned to pay for the goods and recruit the halflings to help transport it. But perhaps the PCs will run across the caravan on its way being attacked somewhere not far from the Shire. They will help them out, and Saruman's lackey will offer to hire them. The PCs might not even know, at first, where they are going or at least to whom the shipment is going. It could be a nice OOC irony when the players discover what the shipment is and who ordered it. There would certainly need to be some kind of problems on the journey, enough to impress the lackey, who in turn impresses upon Saruman the usefulness of the company.

Yes! I like that idea a lot! I'm certain something challenging could occur along the North-South road passing through the ruins of Tharbad and then Dunland. I am assuming that is the route Saruman would use to transport good between the Shire and Isengard.

[Wbweather]

On the recovery of Isildur's remains, or at least the Elendilimir, I would appreciate the insight of those more knowledgeable. We know that Saruman at some point finds them because he possesses the Elendilimir. Also there is a hint in the Unfinished Tales that Saruman may have burned Isildur's bones. How his bones would have survived 3000 years in the Anduin is difficult to explain. Would it make sense that someone living along the Anduin in the Gladden fields (possibly a proto-hobbit) found his body shortly after his death and not knowing who he was, but seeing that he was obviously someone of importance, interred him, thus preserving his remains for that long stretch of time? If so the discovery, recovery and transport of the remains to Isengard would make for a good adventure.

[Tolwen]

Also there is a hint in the Unfinished Tales that Saruman may have burned Isildur's bones. How his bones would have survived 3000 years in the Anduin is difficult to explain. Would it make sense that someone living along the Anduin in the Gladden fields (possibly a proto-hobbit) found his body shortly after his death and not knowing who he was, but seeing that he was obviously someone of importance, interred him, thus preserving his remains for that long stretch of time?

There are several options. The passage in UT is speculative on Isildur's remains, so it might just be that - speculation by some but not "true", i.e. Saruman or his servants only found the items and no bodily remains.
IMO you're quite right about a body falling into (shallow) water would disintegrate surely, leaving no trace 3000 years later. The idea about someone finding the body and burying it locally is a good option if you prefer the speculation about Saruman and Isildur's remains to be true.
These could be proto-Hobbits, but there is also another option which ties in with the report in UT: It is said that "certain Woodmen" had noticed the orcs and assembled a force themselves to destroy them. The victorious orcs got wind of that and avoided the ambush, but the Woodmen came in time to avoid desecration and plundering of the bodies of the Dúnedain.
These men are likely candidates for a proper burial of the fallen Númenóreans. Even though Isildur fell a good distance away from his force, it is not that unlikely that the Woodmen also searched the surrounding area in pursuit of the orcs and found the body of Isildur (the bright Elendilmir showing them the way?) and buried him with the items he bore in a small mound close to where he fell.
Even though the shape of the river and its vegetation changed considerably afterwards, this grave would by some grace be spared from inundation or destruction by these changes until it was found and looted by Saruman's servants late in the Third Age.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Wbweather]

Where would one find one of the 7 rings if they still existed? Sauron had 3, 4 were destroyed by dragons. Let's say that one survived the dragon fire, where would it most likely be? Of the 7 houses of dwarves 4 dwealt in the Mountains of the East, Durin's folk came from the Misty mountains and the other two houses dwelt in the Blu Mountains, if I am not mistaken. After the fall of Khazad-dum, many moved to the Grey mountains where it seems most likely that they would have encountered the dragons. I am having a hard time figuring out at what time and in what locations the dragons would have detroyed or taken the rings, but somewhere around the Grey Mountains Between 2000 TA and 2700 TA would make the most sense. Any scholars out there who can help out on this one?

[TheMonarchGamer]

Not sure, but you could always do something along the lines of 'he's already in possession of it but had it stolen from him. You need to get it back.'
-TMG