I'm still toying around with a chronicle idea that would involve the characters to have their share of action within the vincinity of mirkwood and the realm of Thranduil and the Kindom under the Mountain.
Little is said in the LOTR about the time before and during the War of the Ring but you can get some places were there are hints, that the dwarves and elfes as well as the people of Dale held themselves against orcish armies and kept Sauron's forces busy.
As I think that dragons are very fascinating creatures.
I had the idea of having someone (probably Radagast) sending the player's into Mirkwood and the mountains beyond because nature itself and the animals of the areas in particular started to behave strangely.
This chronilce could actually explain why Radagast wasn't around much during the War of the Ring itself. He had to resolve another task located more in the northern realms of MiddleEarth.
A "new" power might have surfaced somewhere near Mirkwood probably near or in the Iron Mountains or the Ered Mithrin.
Indeed I wanted to have a Dragon hiding or simply arriving there, but one that is not at all evil but a mighty, albight very old and wise creature that - in the end - would help in some way safeguarding the dwarven kingdom under the mountain as well as the Elf realm of Mirkwood against a devious plan of Sauron's. (As a follow up chronicle the dragon could reveal that he was driven away from his old lair by some mighty wizard, looking like an old man, that has come to power there, probably one of the lost two Istari?)
I wanted to send the player's in, let them discover what kind of changes appeared and slowly learn about the possibility that there might be a Dragon.
Somehow I want them to get charged with the task of slaying the beast, only to realize at some point, that slaying the dragon would just further the reach of Sauron's hand. In my mind I had thought about a scenario where the dragon had refused to join forces with Sauron and started slaying the Orcs probably moving against any larger Orc dwellings there are, so that the orcs were forced to push their planned move against Mirkwood and co. before time. You know, something like that.
How would elves, men and dwarves react, when they realize that somehow a Dragon could be an ally against the Dark Lord himself and probably could be the only thing that stood between them and the destruction of their realms. Would they be able to trust the beast after centuries of mistrust and hatred for the dragon kind?
Will the dragon survive and will the players take on the task of helping him free his homelands?
It's just a rough idea so far. Could one build an interesting chronicle around this?