LOTR Chronicle Seeds

[Camdin]

When: Late Third Age, at least within a few decades before the War of the Ring.

Where: Anywhere; Rhudaur, Bree-land, Ithilien, and other parts of Gondor are best.

What: The player characters intercept a small band of orcs, and after battling them they discover one with a bizarre bundle in a backpack. The bundle is about the size of a Man's head and appears to be simply a big ball of string. If cut open, it is filled with a viscous, foul-smelling goo. A character that succeeds on a TN 15 Lore: Mirkwood test will recognize it as the egg-sac of a giant spider.

Why: The orcs, under the orders of their master (his identity is up to the Narrator) have gone into northern Mirkwood and collected several spider egg-sacs. The Master's plan is to transplant the horrible Mirkwood Spiders to other places in Middle-earth. All the orcs bear the symbol of a spider on their shields. Inquire tests and other methods of information gathering reveals stories of other groups of these orcs in the area. The players must track down these scattered bands of orcs and destroy the spider egg sacs before they hatch -- or battle the spiders themselves in areas where they already have hatched!

[Feeves]

I'm kind of new to this whole chronicle writing, and to this board as a matter of fact. Any help you could give me would be much appreciated.

Name: War of the Dragon
Suggested era: fourth era
Where: (First Chapter) Mirkwood Forest, Outer lying Orc stronghold of the North, The Gray Mountains. (Second Chapter, starts as the heroes approach the gray mountains) Dwarven kingdom under the gray mountains, Erebor caverns, Erebor peak. (Third Chapter starts after the slaying of the Winged Drake) Erebor, Outer Lying village of Isengard, Ruins of Isengard. (End)

What: The PC's (I believe my group likes elves so that's why they started out in Mirkwood forest) begin with a simple quest from the king of Mirkwood to infiltrate a Orc base up North to try and find out why their ranks have been bolstering so lately. Infiltrating the base, not only do they find that the orcs are planning to take Mirkwood, but they also find that someone else is pulling the strings. Immediately they must kill the leaders, and signal for reinforcements from men (whom they had met along the way). They also find an enchanted blade, the Drakerim, a powerful blade indeed, with an important purpose later on. So they depart for the Gray mountains where the dwarves greet them.
Chapter 2: PC's find out about a Winged Drake gaining power (need a dragon name) and already taken the Mountain of Erebor. So they PC's travel down to Erebor, and traverse through it's maze like caverns. They are currently too weak to take on the dragon head to head, but they do have a weapon that can take it on. So long story short, Drakerim is used as a way to destroy the dragon.
Chapter 3: PC's claim hoard of treasure and realize that the dragon and the orcs are connected. Using information found at both sides they realize a powerful sorcerer is taking refuge somewhere in the ruins of Isengard (the last place any one would look), while his own sanctum of power is being constructed. The heroes travel to a village near Fangorn, learning that they will have to sneak in through a Fangorn. Emerging from the forest (passing through by the ents), they make they're way into the New tower and fight the sorcerer, who was planning to enslave the cold and fire drakes of the north along with a few winged drakes, and unleash it upon the kingdom of man. They defeat him and everyone's happy. (any suggestions to help me out?)

[Alkarion]

This is just a new idea I've had, and still didn't had the time to write it or think if it could make a good chronicle.

The Search of Smeagol

Recommended Age--3009 TA, just before Smeagol enters Mordor and Gandalf and Aragorn are already searching him or
3017 TA, the year Aragorn found him when he was released from Mordor and taken to Thranduil's palace.

Key Locations-- Rhovanion, Anduin Vales, Dagorlad, around Mordor...

Description-- It can be played at three times....still don't know which one is better for a chronicle:

3009 - Aragorn and Gandalf (new friends) ask the players to try to find Smeagol, and they tell them the path or the places to look.

3017 - Before Aragorn captures him, the players are asked the same as above.

3017 - After Smeagol escapes from Thranduil's palace, the players are asked to find him again.

In any of the three cases, the group of players will one amog many groups with the same mission. The groups can meet at times and share information, even with Gandalf or Aragorn.

You can let the players have him found without interfering in Tolkien's writings, for if they find him, all the glory will be for Aragorn, of course, and Gollum WILL escape from Thranduil.

Let me know what you think.

Alkarion
-Barcelona-

[simon_hibbs]

Name: Friend or Foe
Suggested era: End of the 3rd Age
Characters: Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin and Sam.

The game starts with the breaking of the fellowship. Boromir and Frodo wandered away into the woods. The party hear an orc horn blowing, and on their arrival find signs of orcs near by, but Boromir and Frodo are nowhere to be found. The orcs appear to have captured Frodo and made off with him, but Boromir has gone in another direction.

If the group pursue the orcs with Frodo, they will find that Frodo is dead (or mortaly wounded) and nolonger has the ring. Boromir took it and has headed towards Gondor, intending to use it to confront Sauron.

What to do?

Simon Hibbs

[MonkeyWrench]

Alternative Fellowship (sorry no fancy title)

Time Frame: War of the Ring

Key Locations: Shire, Bree, Troll-Shaws, Rivendell, Misty Mts, Moria, Lothlorien, Rohan, Ithilien, Gondor, Mordor

Description: Now is the time for Heroes. Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the Wise have called a Council at Rivendell to discuss the destruction of the One Ring. How will you go about this task?

This is a sort of alternative history of the Fellowship, a chance to give players the opportunity to be in the spotlight. It will obviously veer away from Tolkien canon, but I think it would be fun.

The Chronicle depends upon a few things to keep events mixed up.
-Saruman does not reveal his plans to become a new Dark Lord. Indeed he has struck a deal with Sauron as is acting as a spy and sabotuer (sp?). Along those lines he doesn't amass an uruk-hai force at Isengard but instead marshalls the leaderless Moria Orcs (see below)
-using what Saruman knows about the Shire, Sauron doesn't send the Nazgul there but instead dispatches half-orcs and Southron spies. However instead of becoming bandits or brigands they seek to establish themselves as honest citizens of Bree.
-Gollum doesn't escape from Mordor. He is instead put on a leash and given an Uruk-hai escort. He is held in reserve as a Ring-Finder.
-Sauron contacts the Balrog of Moria and makes an alliance with it. The Balrog replaces Gothmog as the leader of the Black Armies, but not before stirring up more horrors in Moria should the party pass through it.
-Using the Palantir Sauron forms a treaty with Denethor. Osgiliath will be left alone but it is the now the new eastern most border of Gondor. The poisoned mind of Denethor agrees.
-Gandalf isn't captured by Saruman and so is in Bree along with Strider to meet the hobbits.
-The Council includes Faramir (who left Gondor without telling Denethor or Boromir), Gloin, Gimli, other Dwarves (possible PCs), Elrond, Elladain, Elrohir, Glorfindel, Legolas, elves from Lothlorien or the Grey Havens (possible PCs), Frodo, Gandalf, Saruman, Aragorn, possibly some Men of Rohan or Dunedain of Dol Amroth.

Players will pick from a group of elligible members to form the Fellowship. Aragorn is sent by Gandalf to muster and army of the remaining Rangers and the seek out the Paths of theDead. Saruman is staying in Rivendell for a short time, but will meet the party at Orcthanc if they choose. Gandalf and Frodo are NPCs.

What route will the party take? CAn the party overcome the traps that the Enemy has laid? Can they sniff out the traitors amongst them?

[Soulclaw]

I was writing this for a LotR campaign when one of our regular players, an avid fan of the works of JRRT, passed away earlier this year. The rest of my players have opinions of his work ranging from indifference to dislike so I am shelving this idea in favour of creating a new world and using the LotR rules there.

Dedicated to Mark Ferelli

Timeline

3019 iii: the One Ring is destroyed and Sauron defeated.

3021 iii: the end of the Third Age

120 iv: death of Aragorn, beginning of the reign of Eldarion son of Aragorn

237 iv: death of Eldarion, beginning of the reign of Aldamir II son of Eldarion

274 iv: the Great Plague and the War of the North

302 iv: death of Aldamir II, beginning of the reign of Arathorn son of Aldamir II

317 iv: the current date

The Waning of the West

Men

The reign of King Ellessar was a shining time at the beginning of the Fourth Age but after he passed events turned to the worst. It was as if the spirit of resolve and strength that had served the men of Gondor for so long had finally been exhausted in the war against Mordor. Fewer children were born and the people turned to idle pleasures or even the study of forbidden and dark lore. Greed and avarice became more common. It was as if some perverse element of the men of Numenor could not keep from the path of darkness.

In the year 284 a great plague swept Middle Earth, hitting Arnor the hardest. Roughly 40% of the population died, more in the Northern areas.

In that same year a mysterious woman called the Crone lead an army of orcs and other fell creatures in an attack on Arnor. She was reputed to be a sorceress and necromancer. The conflict was savage, and Fornost was destroyed again. At great cost the evil army was defeated but the Crone deserted her troops and disappeared when it was clear that the final battle would go against her utterly.

As Gondor lost her grip of the lands between Isengard and Tharbad bandits moved in, as well as other less wholesome things. The Southrons have shaken off the control of Gondor as well. Pirates lurk off the coasts and raid up undefended rivers.

Arnor is sparsely settled now, with the population of Arthedain primarily around Annuminas and Lake Evendim, and that of Cardolan near Tharbad and between the Greyflood River and Bree, mostly East of the Greenway. Rhudaur is wholly deserted except for beasts and fell creatures. The kings’ sister Eowyn rules as Duchess of Arnor and the duchy is almost fully independent of Gondor, but the Duchess is completely loyal to her brother.

Elves

Almost all the elves have gone West. A small number still live in Rivendell, and there are wanderers here and there, that is all. Lorien is deserted and Mirkwood overrun with Evil things. The Grey Havens has the largest elvish population, such as it is, and a few ships still stand ready to take any elf over the sea.

Dwarves

Dwarves can be found in the Lonely Mountains, the Glittering Caves beneath Helm’s Deep, in isolated mining outposts, and a small colony in the Dimril Dale seeking Mithril from Moria.

Hobbits

The hobbits withdrew entirely into the Shire in 277 after the war and plague. A thick hedge had been planted along the borders of the Shire in 251 that helped isolate the halflings from the outside world.

Hidden and unknown things

The hobbits are gone, the entire population slipped away to the Grey Havens and with the approval of the Elves, took ship West. The Shire was abandoned, though the hobbits, per their ways, tidied up their homes and left everything in good order.

The Alantaru: the descendants of the kingdom founded by Alantar in the East far beyond Rhun. Their culture is now decadent, baroque, very ritualized, expansionist, and looking westwards for somewhere to conquer.

What about the other toys held by Sauron? What items and knick-knacks might he have left behind to cause trouble in the current age?

The unresolved fate of the Crone.