We traveled Deagoldane then we explored trouble in the swamp.
We assaulted the Dwimmerhorn, slaying as many orcs as we could, destroyed their ballista and rescued prisoners. Uruk-hai retreated into the main building with magical darkness and sealed doors.
Subject: GM Summary and Info
Hail, Questars!
Wow, we went into OT in this one! From a GM perspective, this was meant to be a difficult challenge. I’m still learning what you guys can do individually and as a group for future challenge-level play balance, so it’s a test. We went through the mechanics of several things, including climbing and jumping on walls You could even come up with a SOP for future mountain climbing. We looked up a lot of rules today, which took time, but necessary time to really read the wording of some spells and abilities, just for accuracy’s sake from get-go. The wording is important. It’s a new game system to most of us and we’re still in the learning curve. I’ve got my lookup resources including how the reddit GM community answers FAQ’s on ambiguous rules, as I try my best to be fair and impartial.
Well, we completed a recon mission to the Long Delve, traveled quite a distance south through Stonyford and Trader’s Island , thence to Deagoldane, then circumnavigaing the Gladden Fields and finishing with a recon-in-force and rescue mission, ending in a stalemate. You’ve got a tough nut to crack and it’ll depend on your ingenuity and resources to accomplish.
The half-elf who you saved is Enna, from Rhosgobel. She appears to be a seasoned explorer and an expert in arcana (5th level-ish like us guys). She says that she is curious about certain parts of the Gladden Fields, given its long history going back ages. She discovered the mountain fort and got captured trying to get over the wall on her second visit to have a look inside. The grated pen she was kept in was dreadfully called Undeath Row, meaning she was next to be sacrificed and turned Undead, perhaps even that very night. Radagast knows who Enna is and they have met on chance occasions during their travels. Upon reaching Deagoldane, she immediately sends word of the events to Radagast, who may know more about the mountain fort. The three young, relatively inexperienced men from Mountain Hall got caught by surprise while they attempted to traverse the Gladden Fields and they’re happy just to be alive and offer their gratitude.
Enna believes the mountain-fort is the “Dwimmerhorn.” The history: More than 2,000 years ago, Isildur was ambushed by Orcs and slain in the Gladden Fields. The One Ring – Isildur’s Bane – slipped from his finger and was lost in the waters of the Anduin River. When the Enemy came to Dol Guldur, he sent out his slaves to search the marshes and the river for signs of the Ring. The Dwimmerhorn housed but one of their outposts and watchtowers. When Gandalf entered Dol Guldur for the first time in the year TA 2063, the Enemy fled before him, and his servants dispersed. The Dwimmerhorn was abandoned and laid empty for many long years. It was repaired and reoccupied centuries later, when the search for the One Ring resumed. When the White Council attacked Dol Guldur and the Necromancer was again forced to retreat, a minion of the Enemy, the spirit known as the Gibbet King (and Jailor of Dol Guldur) fled to the Dwimmerhorn and established a Temple to Melkor there.
Thanks, Tony, for hosting! We kept you a lot later than we planned on.
At your service,
Mark