Shadow Over Dale - Darkening of Mirkwood - TOR 2e - Solo Game

Shadow Over Dale (Based on the fan made adventure: Shadow Over Dale)

The Player Characters

Hallas: Elf of Mirkwood, Captain

Sigibert: Woodman, Champion

Photo Source

2946: 10th of June

• Adventure Phase
• The King of Dale wants to invite representatives from the Upper and Nether Marches as well as from the pastoral nomads of the area to the Gathering of the Five Armies celebration. Gloin has been told to find some messengers to extend an invitation to the people that live between the River Celduin and the Redwater river.
• Some of the people living in these areas are not interested in submitting to King of Dale and an Elf and a Woodmen will be seen as neutral parties to not give the impression that the King is demanding submission or fealty.
• The party will be lent horses to aid in their travels.
• The first destination to visit will be Lunn Doring a gathering place for the pastoral tribes of the area which is 150 miles South East of Esgaroth.
• The fellowship travels quickly (Sigibert Guides to the two in an efficient way to save time and minimise Fatigue) but after a couple of days they come across a horrific scene. They find the corpses of a group of pastoralists. (Sigibert and Hallas feel Despair and gain 1 Shadow Point each).
• Hallas finds arrows that look like they belong to Easterlings.
• Hallas finds a marble sculpture of a tiny elf holding a lute seated on a chair (Generated with Trinkets (d1200) )
• Does Hallas recognise the workmanship?
• Hallas Lore Roll against TN11: d12 +2d6 = 2 + 5 + 6 = 13 = Success with a Tengwar
• Tengwar = Gain Insight
• Does he recognise something about who made this?
• Telling Table: 1d12, Likely. Higher than 4 = Yes. Result 6 = Yes
• Was it made by Elves? 
• Telling Table: 1d12, Likely. Higher than 4 = Yes. Result 8 = Yes
• Was it made by Mirkwood Elves?
• Telling Table: 1d12, Likely. Higher than 4 = Yes. Result 6 = Yes
• Roll 3 d12 on Lore Table (Strider Mode): 7, 1 and 2
• 3d6 for each of the Action, Aspect and Focus
• 7,2 = Preserve
• 1, 2 = Ancient
• 2, 2 = Death
• Hallas recognises the statue as depicting Oropher (Father of Thranduil and Grand-father of Legolas). He wonders why it was in the possession of these people.
• They drag the bodies towards some bushes and cover them with stones. They don't have time for a more elaborate burial and the perpetrators might still be close by.
• The fellowship reach the easternmost border of Dale, noting that the landscape is changing as they near the lands of Rhûn. The weather is bright and warm, with a hint of moisture on the breeze—the River Running (Celduin) lies just a few miles to the south.
• The fellowship reach the ruins of what was Lunn Doring by midmorning. The town is a sobering sight. The blackened remains of buildings lie in disorganized heaps and a long line of burial mounds marks the final resting places of the town's inhabitants. The fellowship sense profound sadness in the area, as if the land itself grieved over the town’s fate.
• Much of the ground has been disturbed by the movements of the burial detail, but the hero does find several sets of horse tracks leading east.
• As the fellowship searches the area, a band of Abrélinds (pastoralists) crests a low hill overlooking the town. Seeing the ruined state of Lunn Doring, they charge the heroes with an angry cry. They are dressed in simple clothing and patched-together armour, but wield well-maintained shields and weapons.
• Hallas and Sigibert are vastly outnumbered so do not put up a fight. They are taken prisoner and led to their camp and their leader Arélin.
• Hallas easily convinces Arélin that they aren't to blame. It's just the two of them after all. 
• Hallas: Persuade (2) TN11: 1d12 +2d6 = 1, 5, 6=12 Success with a Tengwar
• Gain Insight: Gain information not necessarily to the task at hand
• Lore Table: 7, 2, 4, 6: Preserve, Ominous, Refuge
• Hallas gets the sense that Arélin is hiding something in order to protect it. He guesses it might me where his people live.
• From the way that he is leaving certain information out he can guess where it is.
• Hallas convinces Arélin that they can help find those responsible.
• Together they decide to find those responsible for attacking the village.

2946: 15th of June

• The fellowship joins one of the search parties and search the surrounding areas for a couple of days, not finding anything concrete as hoof tracks aren't always visible in this terrain.
• But one day they finally find tracks of the Easterlings and follow them.
• They now easily (Scan) track the Easterlings until they come to an encampment.
• They hear laughing and singing in the distance, then as they follow the source of the noise they see campfires around which Easterlings are drunkenly celebrating.
• Do they have lookouts? Likely? 4 or Greater: Roll Eye: Always no, with an extreme result or twist
• They have large barrels of wine (from Dorwinion perhaps). The Easterlings might believe they are too far away from anyone who could hurt them so they have neglected to have lookouts or guards on duty.
• Player note: I'm often rolling on the Strider Oracle tables or using the Motif Story Engine for these kinds of situations. I use oracles to determine the details of a situation and sometimes I get lucky.
• The camp is too big to attack with this search party so they'll have to relay their findings to the rest of the tribes of Abrélind.
• Hallas decides to creep aroudn the edge of their camp (Stealth) in order to understand the lay-out and composition of the Easterling force. Information that can help the tribe.
• Hallas learns a lot about the Easterlings. Their numbers, weapons, command structure, layout of the camp and supplies.
• Upon their return Hallas informs Arélin of what he has discovered.
• Arélin want to bring the party back to his tribe to introduce them his father Agrél and chieftain of the Abrélind tribes.

2946: 16th of June

• Hallas and Sigibert are taken back to a temporary camp of the Abrélind tribe. In a large round tent they are introduced to the chieftain.
• Hallas explains everything he has seen. 
• Agrél decides that with the information he has provided they will be able to dispose of the Easterling raiding party. He invites the party to join them in battle.

2946: 19th of June

• It takes 3 days to ride out to the Easterling camp.
• Do scouts indicate that they have moved?
• Motif Story Engine
• 4 = Maybe, mixed
• 1 = Weak, inconsequential, minimal
• 2 = But
• 3 = Danger
• 3 = A few serious obstacles, but modest risks
• Scouts tell us that the Easterlings have started creating simple fortifications, digging ditches and fixating sharpened sticks into the earth.
• They are in the middle of building them, but not yet finished. They can be caught by surprise if they are attacked now.
• Everyone dismounts and the battles begins.
• Hallas and Sigibert hang back because they are not that experienced in battle.
• Hallas downs an Easterling Warrior with an arrow, Sigibert does damage to one with a spear.
• Together they dispatch this second Easterling. As usual Sigibert is deadly with his axe.
• How did the rest of the battle go? Did we win?
• Telling Table: 1d12, Likely. Higher than 4 = Yes. Result 6 = Yes
• The battle was won by the Arélin.
• Hallas and Sigibert refuse any of the bounty recovered from the Easterling camp other than basic supplies that will help on the journey.
• The Fellowship invite the Abrélind to send a representative to the Gathering of 5 Armies.
• The Abrélind tell the Fellowship how to get to the Old Dwarf Road which will bring us to Rosfen and Lach Celduin so that they can continue on their mission.
• Each character gets 3 Adventure Points and 3 Skill Points.

Notes and comments:

This fan made adventure was adapted to fit the time period and to serve as a lead up to the Gathering of Fiver Armies. It's the start of a journey expected to take several weeks. These adventures will introduce the characters to various locations, NPCs and factions which might come into play later in the campaign but are presently separated from the Darkening of Mirkwood campaign. Connections and relationships between these adventures and the greater campaign will emerge as I play.

I'm aware that I'm playing more than the recommended number of adventures per calendar year but it will help to provide the characters with experience before they tackle more dangerous adventures in the future.

I'm intrigued by the meaning of the marble sculpture that was found. The characters were lucky that the Easterlings were not ready for an attack. I kept the battle very simple with only two adversaries to fight, leaving the rest to the Abrélind warriors. I'm still wondering about how to model such battles in a more detailed way, without getting too bogged down.