LotR - Adventure - The Shadow Over Dale (Decipher) (Decipher).pdf - Adventure - Dihercen

S HADOW

O VER D ALE

An Adventure For

The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game

A UTHOR : Jim Johnson

D EVELOPMENT : Jeff Tidball

This adventure is for use with The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, published by Decipher, Inc. It is made freely available

in PDF format on the web through Decipher’s web presence at www.decipher.com and other sites, and may not be posted in

other locations without permission.

Towers, and the characters and places therin, are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

T HE

T HE S HADOW O VER D ALE

T HE L ORD OF THE R INGS R OLEPLAYING G AME

T HE S HADOW O VER D ALE

‘The Shadow Over Dale’ is an adventure for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game set in

the Third Age of Middle-earth in the years just before the War of the Ring. It begins in the

lands near Dale but takes the heroes into the western reaches of Rhûn. It is meant to be a

stand-alone adventure, but can also serve as a springboard for larger, more complex stories or

be folded into an existing chronicle. It has been designed for a group of four to six heroes with

up to three advancements each. If your party consists of fewer or more heroes, or contains

heroes with fewer or more advancements, adjust this adventure's encounters, challenges, and

target numbers accordingly.

S UMMARY

In the north-east of Middle-earth lies the kingdom of Dale, a bustling community of

woodcrafters and tradesmen who often, of late, pause to gaze eastward with concern. For

countless hordes of Easterlings, long under the domination of Sauron the Deceiver, are

marshalling their strength inside the borders of Rhûn, waiting for the signal to descend upon

the West.

The adventure begins with the player characters in Esgaroth (Lake-town). Someone or

something has razed several outlying settlements of Dale, looting the buildings and putting

everyone to death. King Brand has decreed that a scouting party must investigate the cause of

the attacks and return to him with the information.

Over the course of this adventure, the heroes travel through the lands of Dale,

encountering challenges along the way. After passing the easternmost fringes of Dale and

moving into the far western reaches of Rhûn, they encounter a tribe of Men who at first

appear to be forces of Sauron, but are, in fact, a forgotten people of mixed descent.

The heroes, initially at odds with this tribe, soon learn that these Men have also suffered

attacks on their homesteads. The heroes discover that an advance Easterling force probing the

borders has made these attacks, estimating the strength of the Bardings (the Men of Dale).

The heroes and their allies have an opportunity to strike first, potentially delaying the

Easterling onslaught and buying the Bardings more time to prepare for the coming war.

A CT I: A R EQUEST FOR A ID

The story begins in Esgaroth, where the heroes learn what King Brand's mission entails.

It falls to you to determine, based on the PCs’ backgrounds and stories, why the king has

chosen them to carry out this mission and in what manner they are summoned before him.

—2—

T HE S HADOW O VER D ALE

T HE L ORD OF THE R INGS R OLEPLAYING G AME

S CENE O NE : T HE M OOD IN D ALE

The heroes walk through the busy streets of Esgaroth on the way to the Great Hall,

where the king conducts his official business while in the city. (Although the king’s capitol is in

the city of Dale, his household maintains a manor in Esgaroth as well.) They note along the

way that the general mood of the populace is that of uncertainty. People trade whispered

comments, and the city's usual air of energetic tradesmen hawking their wares is subdued.

The PCs must make Observe (Hear) tests as they head for the Great Hall. Alternatively,

a hero could stop and converse with some of the traders. Allow these heroes to make Inquire

tests instead. Depending on the results, each hero has a chance to hear any or all of the

following items.

The Hero Hears

‘Fine weather we're having today. Should be good for the caravan bound for

Erebor.’

‘Our king's not looking himself these days. He's worried about what's

happening in the East, no question.’

‘Another village was found destroyed the other day. I'll wager the great

worms have returned, eatin' the villagers and burnin' all the homes!’

S CENE T WO : A N A UDIENCE W ITH THE K ING

The heroes soon arrive at the Great Hall and are asked to wait in an antechamber to King

Brand's audience chamber. Allow the players to discuss the King's request, the fearful mood of

people in the city, and anything else they may have heard for as long as they wish. Then, an

aide enters and ushers the heroes into the audience chamber.

King Brand of Dale, grandson of King Bard (slayer of Smaug the Golden), stands near a

large table covered in papers and maps. The king is a goodly man in the prime of his life and a

strong leader, much respected and admired by the Bardings. He offers the heroes a warm, if

weary, smile. He apologizes for the lack of a more appropriate welcome to Esgaroth and moves

straight to the matter at hand.

He gestures to one of the maps. ‘Eight days ago, a tradesman reported that one of my

small villages far to the east had been destroyed—all the people and livestock put to the sword

and all the buildings burned to the ground. No trace of who or what did this remained to be

found.’

He flips to another map. ‘Three days ago, I received a report from one of my patrols that

a second village had been similarly destroyed. And just today,’—he holds up a dispatch, ‘I

received word that a third settlement likewise smoulders in the summer air.’

He looks at each of them with steel in his eyes. ‘I need a scouting party to search the

eastern lands of Dale for whoever is behind these attacks. This will not be an easy endeavour;

there are no survivors from any of the attacks, and no evidence identifying the attackers has yet

been found.’ If the heroes ask the king why he cannot send his own scouts, he informs them

that most of his soldiers are either fortifying other communities or guarding various trade

—3—

T HE S HADOW O VER D ALE

T HE L ORD OF THE R INGS R OLEPLAYING G AME

caravans. The forces of Dale are spread thin, so King Brand needs the heroes to fulfil this

mission.

If the heroes resist taking on the mission or push for some form of reward, King Brand

simply dismisses them, muttering about how many have proven unreliable in these dark days.

Allow the reluctant heroes to return to whatever lives they had before arriving at Esgaroth,

and encourage the players to create heroic characters who would be willing to undertake King

Brand's mission.

If they accept the mission, they see a smile cross King Brand's face. He thanks them and

suggests they travel first to Lunn Doring, the most recently destroyed village. It is their best

chance for useful clues, as summer showers have washed away any evidence from the other

ruined villages. If the heroes choose to pursue a different path, they're welcome to do so.

Adjust the following scenes accordingly, but make sure that somehow, the heroes eventually

end up at Lunn Doring.

King Brand can provide the heroes with basic gear as needed, but does not have armour,

weapons, or horses to spare. The heroes have to make do with what they own or can purchase

in Esgaroth prior to leaving. If the heroes ask for one, the King provides them with a map of

Dale that points out several outlying communities as well as the destroyed settlements.

S CENE T HREE : O VER H ILLS AND T HROUGH D ALE

Lunn Doring lies some 150 miles south-east of Esgaroth. The terrain between the two

consists predominantly of plains and low hills, which is average terrain. If the heroes are on

horseback and travel an average of ten hours a day without encountering any distractions, they

should reach Lunn Doring within five days. Travelling by foot takes a little longer; they'll

reach the ruined town in eight to nine days barring unforeseen delays.

The following optional encounters can be used to make the travel more interesting. You

could also create additional travel encounters, tailoring them to your PCs’ backgrounds and

specialties.

T RADESMEN : One evening, the heroes come across a small caravan of hunters making camp.

The traders are Barding huntsmen, returning home after several weeks of hunting in the wild.

They have perhaps forty pelts they plan to trade in Esgaroth, along with a variety of salted

meats. If the heroes don't do or say anything to arouse suspicion, the traders invite them to

share their camp for the night.

The traders are interested in any news the heroes have concerning Esgaroth, King Brand,

and the attacks on the villages. In return, the traders mention that they have noticed animals

acting strangely, as if some darkness lurked in the plains of Dale. In the morning, they break

camp and make their good-byes.

A TTACK IN THE D ARK : During the fourth night of travelling, the hero on watch must

attempt a TN 15 Observe (Hear) test. If the hero succeeds, he hears growling in the

night—wolves are nearby! He has two rounds to wake his comrades before a pack of eight

black-furred wolves attacks the camp. If the heroes do not have anyone on watch, they are

taken by surprise. Use the statistics for wolves on page 297 of the core rulebook.

—4—

T HE S HADOW O VER D ALE

T HE L ORD OF THE R INGS R OLEPLAYING G AME

The wolves fight until half their number are dead, the remainder fleeing into the night.

After the attack, the heroes can attempt a TN 10 Survival (Plains) or related test. Anyone

who succeeds realises the attack was highly unusual behaviour for wolves. It's possible that a

cruel master or some form of evil sorcery forced the wolves to attack.

A CT II: T HE U NLIKELIEST OF A LLIES

In this act, the heroes reach Lunn Doring. While they search the ruins, a force of Men

attack and take them captive. The heroes learn that these Men are the Abrélinds, a tribe of

mixed ancestry, and that they have also suffered attacks on their homes. The heroes have an

opportunity to make these Men allies in the search for the raiders.

S CENE O NE : T HE R UINS OF L UNN D ORING

The heroes reach the easternmost border of Dale, noting that the ground gets rougher as

they near the lands of Rhûn. The weather is bright and warm, with a hint of water on the

breeze—the River Running (Celduin) lies just a few miles to the south.

The heroes reach the ruins of 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 heroes sense profound sadness in

the area, as if the land itself grieved over the town’s fate.

The heroes will likely search the town for clues. Ask each of the heroes to attempt an

Observe (Spot) or Search test. Depending on their results, each hero has a chance to discover

any or all of the following.

The Hero Discovers

An intact storage chest lies in one of the ruined homes, partially covered by

ash and debris. Opening the chest reveals a bolt of homespun cloth, a bag

containing 11 silver pennies, and a simple metal ring.

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.

15 While searching the rubble for clues, the hero hears an unnatural noise on

the wind. He is not surprised when the Abrélind attack begins.

As the heroes search, a band of Abrélinds 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.

The Abrélinds close the distance and attempt to stun the heroes into submission. (See

‘Stun Effects’ on pages 231–2 of the core rulebook. If it proves exceedingly difficult to stun the

PCs, they may also try to grab and immobilise them. See page 229 of the core rulebook, or the

revised rules for grappling in Fields of Battle: The Guide to Barbarians and Warriors.) The

heroes don't know it yet, but the Abrélinds were trading partners with the inhabitants of Lunn

—5—

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