The Lamp of Balthi (Spoilers for Darkening of Mirkwood)

[Er-Murazor]

What I want to know is how the other Lamp got destroyed by the Werewolf? Certainly it couldn't have eaten the gemstone that gave the lamp its glow (Carcharoth swallowing one of the Silmarils comes to mind). Did I miss it and the Werewolf gave the gem to one of Shelob's spawn?

Also, to me, I find the claim by Thranduil of the Lamp being Wood-Elven property to be thin at best since it was supposed to be the work of Celebrimbor himself (IIRC). If any have a claim on it, that would be one of the surviving Noldor Gwaith-i-Mírdain in Rivendell to dispose of....

[uhu79]

Read page 32 of the Darkening campaign book.

After the destruction of Eregion by the armies of Sauron, Ormal carried the two lamps out of the ruin. He brought them over the Misty Mountains to Amon Lanc, where King Oropher hung them in a place of honour above his gates. There the lamps hung for more than three thousand years, until the Shadow first descended on the forest.

and so on... pretty strong claim IMO.

This section also describes that the Werewolf managed to destroy the lamp on its own.

Sauron convinced the spirit to serve him, first by threatening it with the light of the remaining lamp, and then by giving the spirit the lamp to destroy. The Werewolf was braver than the Spiders – it endured the agony of the light because its hatred was stronger.

[Winterwolf]

I'm still running Darkening and I want to foreshadow the later events by introducing the Lamp of Balthi

Reading the TOR guidance I get the impression that the Woodmen are well aware of the value of the lamp - it's brought out on festival days for example.

Some of the Woodmen might even know where it came from, from page 32 of The Darkening of Mirkwood
" For fifty generations, the lamp has hung from the rafters in the Great House of Woodmen-town, and only the Wizards and a few descendants of Balthi know about its true origins."

[Lifstan]

My group found the broken lamp in the werwolf's cave. Thranduil also introduced them at the end of the scenario to the NPC that is an Elf specialised in lamps.

The scenario states that his an expert in lamps. So I guess they can use a fellowhip phase to get the backstory about the lamp with him (new felloship undertaking in the Darkenning book). He also can provide new spells for Elf that already knows all the ones in the rulebook. OK, cool stuff...

But can he repair the lamp? I mean, that's obviously what my players are thinking! The guy is introduced as THE expert in lamps. So they want to ask him to repear it!

Obviously, I can just say (with that NPC as a mouthpiece) that it can't be done, that the lamp is too far gone... But is it? Did some DM made him repair the lamp? How did it went?

In a way, from a story perspective, why bother introducing this NPC if he can't repair it???

But if he does, that would change the end of the campain quite a bit...

[Majestic]

My players never asked him to, and I would have had it be impossible for Ormal to repair.

Ormal the Lampmaker is still key to the story, as he is the one who travels to Woodmen-town to investigate the lamp. The Wayward Elves that accompany him are also key to the story, when they steal the lamp.

[mica]

The lamps were created by the Gwaith-i-Mirdain a unique fellowship of Noldor elves that also benefitted from trade and good relations with the dwarves of Khazad Dum. Ormal therefore had access to techniques and resources that have been lost forever in Middle-earth. At best he can make mere shadows of his former glory.