Wedding adventure ideas (DoM Spoilers)

[Majestic]

Outstanding! Mogdred is being quite clever and manipulative in your game. I love it!

[bluejay]

Thank you! Honestly the whole idea came off the back of my Beorning making an extraordinary success in Courtesy when meeting villagers in Stoneyford during Kinstrife and Dark Tidings. That simple meeting of a girl in the village grew into this plot.

[Majestic]

Those are some of the best results, when stuff that comes up organically in play ends up spurring further stories, based on what the players have done. Kudos to you on utilizing things like that!

[bluejay]

Wow, so last night it was ON!

Picking straight up, the Fellowship plus 8 Beornings headed East to Woodland Hall to help muster an army to head South. Unfortunately they were met by archers. Mogdred had already planned for this and his men had sent messages that a Beorning war party was heading into the forest to attack Woodmen. It was a tense situation and obvious that most of the woodmen did not want to stand against Mogdred. Our Woodman PC (Aethelwulf) parleyed and spoke with Ingomer who thankfully was suspicious of Mogdred (despite him being his long lost son Ingold).

In the end Ingomer was sympathetic to the fellowship but felt that Mogdred currently had too much support amongst the halls. The fellowship took 5 woodmen loyal to them and headed south skirting wide of the other halls. They met Radagast outside of Rhosgobel and he was truly concerned that Shadow had returned to Dol Guldur (it is 2951 and Sauron has declared in Mordor and sent his Nazgul into Mirkwood). He was disturbed to hear of Mogdred's actions and felt the Shadow was somehow involved. As as result he gifted the Fellowship with a spell of concealment, Mirkwood Cordial and a Storm Bag. When asked what the Storm Bag did he simply walked away laughing and said "Honestly, what do you think it does?"

So the group under their spell of concealment head through to Tyrant's Hill. They approach it at night and notice there are many patrols in the area. The fortress is on a rise and so Eberulf the Beorning decides to climb the sheer face at one side while the the rest of the group waits out of side down the rise ready to rush the main gates. Eberulf makes a Herculean effort and scales up the face and walls of the fortress (three Athletics checks at TN 20! Still it's a favoured skill, he has 3 dice and a favoured Body of 8!) He leaps the wall and under concealment reaches the gate. He rushes out and lifts the bar from the gates before the guards can reach him (more Stealth and Athletics checks). As the guards approach he throws the bag on the floor and ... a small draught of warm air leaves it. The guards are bemused but press the attack. Archers on the parapets also target him. He yells at the top of his voice and amazingly the woodmen hear it (Extraordinary Awareness check result). They advance upon the fortress.

The Beorning takes down both the guards but takes some damage. He sips some Mirkwood cordial to restore his Endurance. The Woodman and other guys push through the main gates. At this point Mogdred and 20 more men come out from the main keep of the fortress. They lead out some of the women and children with bows trained upon them. Mogdred laughs as to how they have walked right into his trap but his laughter is stolen away by a growing wind.

BOOM! Suddenly lightning strikes the keep, a crack of thunder rolls through the air and hurricane winds hit the hill. Guards are literally blown off parapets and a torrent of rain hammers down upon them all. Chaos ensues and the group head to free the women and children. Eberulf and Aethelwulf are left to face down Mogdred and his bodyguards.

This battle is hard and they hack away at each other. I made up Mogdred like one of his bandits but with an Attribute level and Hate score of 5, Armour of 3d+4, 20 Endurance and Hideous Toughness (to represent his superior armour). After a few rounds (and much Hope expenditure) everyone was low on Health and Weary. Aethelwulf slew the last of the bodyguards and Mogdred (now on 3 Endurance) ran for the keep. Eberulf (down to 2 Endurance himself) took a second sip of Mirkwood Cordial (becoming Miserable) and charged after Mogdred. He immediately rolled an EYE on his Athletics check and so had a bout of madness. He caught Mogdred on the stairs into the keep and leaped upon him rolling an extraordinary success and pinning his dying body to the steps with a Great Spear. The raging of the storm pulled down sections of the keep and Aethelwulf dragged Eberulf away. Grabbing the women and children the group left Tyrant's Hill. As they fled through the forest they heard howls of Wargs and saw a great pack of them heading up the rise into the fortress.

So they survived, killed Mogdred, made it back safely to Rhosgobel and Eberulf got a point of permanent shadow and the Idle flaw. Tyrant's Hill has been taken by the Enemy. The Nazgul will retrieve Mogdred's maimed body and restore him to life with dark sorcery.

The players loved it and Eberulf's player particularly loved how his happy-go-lucky young Beorning was being scarred by the evils of the world. I believe that he is going to replace his Reckless and Curious traits slowly, becoming more Grim as the years pass.

Anyway totally epic adventure and there are many pieces to pick up now. Losing Tyrant's Hill will cause massive problems for Sunstead and Black Tarn Hall. There will be division amongst the woodmen as some feel the Fellowship have removed a powerful ally and others feel that it shows their heroism and integrity removing a wolf in the pack.

Fun, fun, fun!

[Finrod Felagund]

Sounds fab!

Maybe it's now an opportunity to explore another part of Wilderland whilst the enemy develops plots on Mirkwood?

[bluejay]

Possibly although it will be a while before they stray far from the Anduin again. After all Mogdred only managed to grow his power base while the Fellowship were over in Dale.

Still Viglund is about to cause serious problems for the Beornings and so they might be called to the North again.

The first issue they'll face is finding a way to keep the Narrows and Black Tarn protected against Orc attacks out of Dol Guldur, Fenbridge Castle and now Tyrant's Hill.