The Marsh Bell - Darkening of Mirkwood - TOR 2e - Solo Game

Darkening of Mirkwood - Campaign Overview

The Player Characters

Hallas: Elf of Mirkwood, Captain

Sigibert: Woodman, Champion

Hallas and Sigibert have both been sent to Laketown in order to forge friendships and alliances with the free people of Rhovanion. There they met and have decided to help each other to fulfil the mission given to them by their people.

The Marsh Bell (TOR 1e Core Rule Book)

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2946: 15th of April

• Adventure Phase
• Rumours in Esgaroth / Laketown are that some Dwarves have gone missing.
• Gloin puts out a request for anyone to help find the Dwarves.
• The meeting with Gloin (Council) doesn't go well, Hallas and Sigibert come across as inexperienced and inept. But they have enough information to start searching.
• The party reaches the marshes after a couple of days of Travel to the South of Laketown where they encounter som Elves.
• Their leader Galion says they were tracking the Dwarves but they have disappeared.
• Galion is Persuaded by Hallas to lead the party to the last campsite of the Dwarves.
• Hallas discovers: "A small ivory jewel case, with intricately carven images of regal-looking birds: the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains. The box contains a written and illuminated parchment, King Dáin’s letter to the King of the Eagles. The letter is rolled and wound about by a fine necklace of twisted gold wire, holding a magnificent precious stone of a snowy colour the size of a small fist: when the box is first opened, any surrounding light is caught and multiplied by the jewel’s countless facets, making the box shine as if it contained an inner light. It is a lordly gift, intended to pass from one king to another."
• Sigibert feels slightly covetous of the jewel case and gains some Shadow points.
• Do Galion or any of the other Elves desire the jewel case and message? Ask the Motif Oracle: 1, 4, 3: No - Good, Notable, Average - Neutral of Mildly Disadvantageous. None of the Elves desire the jewel case as they recognise it was intended for the Eagles whom they respect.
• Galion says he will camp with the party this night but will leave them in the morning.
• The party finds the tracks of the Dwarves but on the way they encounter a Marsh Hag who is busy eating a deer.
• Hallas and Sigibert ambush the Marsh Hag and then defeat it in close combat.
• It is now the 22nd of April.
• They continue to track the Dwarves and discover a half sunken boat in the marsh.
• The party finds a deep pool surrounded by ruins which looks like it might have been an important part of a town.
• They are compelled to walk into the pool.
• They both wake up, soaked, lying at the top of of some crumbling steps leading from a water logged tunnel to a stone chamber.
• I determine that there are 3 Marsh Dwellers within this underground location and that there is a 50% chance that the party will encounter one in any of the 6 areas.
• Hallas and Sigibert encounter a Marsh Dweller in a corridor which they defeat. The commotion alerts the Dwarves that have barricaded themselves in a wine cellar.
• The Dwarves come out and are grateful for being rescued.
• On the way out they encounter another Marsh Dweller which they defeat.
• They all swim out without encountering the final Marsh Dweller and then travel back to Laketown arriving on the 28th of April.
• The ivory jewel case is given back tot the Dwarves.
• Gloin rewards the party with 5 Treasure Points each.

• Fellowship Phase
• Each character receives 3 Adventure Points and 3 Skill Points.
• Hallas and Sigibert become each other's Fellowship Focus.
• All Hope regained.
• Undertaking: Gather Rumours
• Undertaking: Sigibert writes a song: Song of Victory (Combat): Battle of the Marsh Dwellers

Notes and comments:

I made some adjustments to the written adventure to accommodate for only two PCs and playing with the 2e rules. I swapped an encounter with a Troll with a Marsh Hag. Traveling through the swamp incurs Shadow points for every day spent there but I limited it to just 1 for the entire expedition. In the adventure there were many more Marsh Dwellers in the underground area but they are quite strong adversaries so I limited it to three and rolled for random encounters. Playing it as written would make for a very dangerous encounter even if you're playing with 4 to 6 characters.

I had to use a lot of hope, especially in combat since the maximum level I have for any weapon is 2. I've since learned that for starting characters it makes sense to have at least one weapon skill at 3 because it costs less Adventure Points to do so during character generation.