Message:We finished the job of the Western Elves and recovered the prisoners from the goblins in the hills outside of the Shire. Finding there the Palantíri of the North in the process (held and understood by Elf Conrad). Against all advice, the Forodwaith King, Arvedui, took ship to sail south; there he was drowned in the ice bay, together with the Palantíri of the North. Our first augury revealed in distant Forodwaith, in the ruins of the War of Wrath, a place past the World Spine and into the tundra claimed by the last glacier gnomes. There find the Ring of Barahir.
From there the party traveled onto the Old Forest and then Barrow Downs, following a certain story saga. (There were other choices, not just a railroad, forcefully.) We ended the session in Dunland to the south. Avoiding Northern Travel even though we know where to find the Ring of Barahir: Northern Waste. While the Ring of Barahir was not known to contain any redundant magic or power, it is notable as one of the oldest crafted objects in Middle-earth.
Several characters over the session gained XP for levels two and three. Well done! Bojangles added several spells to his books, as did others. Elf Pax is the group’s Clerical spellcaster, bravo. Four characters of six and now Sanctified and can call the Three elvish Deities in battle climaxes.
A few big hits by Mobs, but we are still healthy and all thrive. Gaining Magic Gloves and Magic Cape. Knowledge of a slew of other relics. We should try to gain as many as possible before pressing our travels into Book Two. We ended the session at Dunland (for a second time). Now hunting for the Arcane Quill: Book One, Dunland. Made by an Elf Bard to record his poetry, the pen continued to write long after its master lost interest.
Other notable Plot Points:
We found a dead Hobbit, and we found a magic ring. What could that portend? See the detailed summaries below for any clues you might speculate. Feel free to suggest (guess) what might be happening via text in this thread. You will be wrong; too early.
More next week.
===Tales of Book One (cont.)===
+++Old Forest: SANCTUARY (1st visit only). Espy an "Old man, a merry fellow! Bright Blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow!" His ringfinger also glints. Visit Tom Bombadil, maybe to ask if he has received a ring from Hobbits. He shows his hand and fingers are empty. Twas the sun of morning and the light of fair Goldberry. "I have no jewels, no need for trinkets. I am eldest, that's what I am; my gems are the first raindrop and the very first acorn. He will then recall in rhyme that he has been given many rings. The birds drop Gloriosa -- also known as Ring Lily. In his home he has a small coffer with lid that rattles and emits light. Search the glowing lidded box in his house will just make him laugh and cause saves vs Polymorph. Inside was a rather plain ring which Elf john put-on and found was magical. He feels the ring is evil but also he now can Fly (like spell). If asked about Frodo by name, Tom will say he helped the lad out in Barrow Downs. Bombadil can provide clues to elven relic if asked (nicely). Purse in an electorate of Dell Pond; Goblet at Sea Twixt & Helms and Quill at Punland.
+++Barrow Downs: Enter a Dungeon Path and battle Barrow Wights. Here find a dead hobbit, strange. Nothing of value on the body.
+++Bree: There is a set of terracotta, but oddly only pots not a single cup or plate. Chief Magistrate reports that gatekeeper was slain. His murderers were dressed in black, head to toe. They headed east in the direction of Weathertop. Regarding any relics, he says his Mum reported the Arcane Quill was a legend from Dunland. No Sanctuary, but all players may roll for more Hirelings (up to their limits).
+++Dunland: All the people of the village, male and female have stringy beards. Not full, warming beards, but weedy thin, hairy beards. The Hill Folks have assembled war parties and moved toward Isengard. Leave region as a Dungeon battle with Wargs and Warg Riders. Ping-Pong selection of the mobs. Easy battles may substitute Goblin and hard ones as Goblin w/ Boss. Still more to discover, including the Arcane Quill….
Dunland is the starting point for next week.
If I accidentally gave a major plot point away, so be it. I commend your reading this far, as most will scoff TLDR (as I understand the intertubes’ vernacular).
===Hirelings, Expanded Rulez===
At various places the character may attempt to recruit Hirelings. Test CHR for each addition. Each one kept in your service for the session increases the characters HP by one. However, the hireling representing the HP bump dies, if that HP is damaged. If the character's total goes to zero, all his henchmen die with him. Did you even know their names?
You may also sacrifice Hirelings for the cause to gain a new Dungeon Event or Tactic Card flip. You may slay one to stop any Trick or Trap from occurring. You may also spend a Hireling to gain a second roll for treasure. Not an extra treasure, but a second attempt at rolling for loot. Finally, you may kill a hireling like a soak-off to absorb any single to-hit Mob attack damage or any single Stat loss. Since some Mobs like the Balrog can kill outright, you may wish to have one of your followers step in to suffer that failed save instead of your main character.
Hirelings can perform tasks outside the group; these require the henchman to be sent away at the start of a session. The player character leader then makes Tests based on his own Stats; the basic idea being that Birds of a Feather....
***Marshal Forces: Test CHR for each man sent away for the session. Success and he returns with a companion for next session. There is no penalty for failure. This task may not be assigned when your character has acquired maximum hirelings.
***Scout Ahead: Test both Con and DEX for each man sent away for the session. This action may be dangerous. Success on both, and your man returns with the location of a major site. e.g., Rivendell. Referee selects site revealed. This might relieve the party from exploring empty map space hunting for famous sites (from the book). You will not gain anything if all sites of the map (by Book) are already known. Fail both, and the hireling never returns.
***Forage: Test three Stats: STR, INT and WIS for each man sent away for the session. This action may be dangerous. Success on two awards a Potion. Success on all three awards a Scroll and Potion. These awards are collected at the start of the next session. Fail all and the hireling never returns.
***Minor Quest: Test all six Stats for each man sent away for the session. This action may be dangerous. Success on all awards a Magic Item. This award is collected at the start of the next session. Fail three or more and the hireling never returns. This option is the only one where you may work in fellowship with other players. However, the dispatched team must be assigned roles. Not all just roll all six Stats and see which ones they make. You specifically send your man with one to six Tests to perform. Death for all the henchmen may still occur, though less likely. Regardless, success only collects at most one Magic Item.
None of these Tests may be performed using the party's combined best Magic Items; use only your own (those carried).
Hirelings may not be traded or given away as gifts to other players. Each must recruit his own.
Yours,
IronRed
14-Jul-2025