Appearances I - Fan Modules - Free

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's MIDDLE-EARTH TM as detailed in
THE HOBBIT TM and THE LORD OF THE RINGS TM .
Appearances I
The Anduin Vale Spirit

Adventure Location – The Lower Nan
Anduin
1

1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................1
Appearances I
1.1 OVERVIEW .................................................1
1.2 INTENT ......................................................1
1.3 SYNOPSIS...................................................1
1.4 SETTING ....................................................2
Læferceaster..................................................2
The Lower Nan Anduin..................................3
The Steormnestan (Spinning Storm)...............3
2.0 THE TALES................................................4
2.1 RANDA’S BANDITS .....................................4
2.2 ADUNAPHEL’S GENERAL.............................5
3.0 THE NPCS...................................................6
3.1 THE PATRON..............................................6
Tirouv Polarion.............................................6
3.2 PRIMARY TARGETS.....................................6
Hlothran........................................................6
Albeth............................................................6
Helegorn........................................................6
3.3 THE CREW OF THE STEORM’.......................6
Uolgen Beolgensunnu....................................7
Iliten Uolgensunnu........................................7
3.4 THE GAMAILYONS......................................7
Makram Gamailyon.......................................7
Safiya Gamailyon..........................................7
Nashita Gamailyon........................................8
Maha Gamailyon...........................................8
Debitha Uto...................................................8
3.5 OTHER PASSENGERS...................................9
Edron & Mornen............................................9
Tanas, Talc and Gulas...................................9
The Anduin Vale Spirit
3.6 THE BANDITS ..........................................10
Trangul.......................................................10
Raban..........................................................10
Tama...........................................................10
3.7 THE URUK SHURKÚMPH ...........................11
3.8 THE URUK GASHNA .................................12
4.0 ACT ONE – INTRODUCTIONS..............12
4.1 SCENE I – THE RECRUITMENT...................12
4.2 SCENE II – THE SPINNING STORM .............14
4.3 SCENE III – THE RIVER.............................14
4.4 SCENE IV – LORIEN..................................16
Arrival ........................................................16
Loniathiel....................................................16
Return.........................................................17
5.0 ACT TWO – TROUBLES........................17
5.1 SCENE I – BANDITS ..................................17
A Bump in the Night....................................17
Uninvited Guests.........................................18
A Slight Change of Plans.............................19
The Gang’s All Here ...................................21
5.2 SCENE II – ORCS MARK I..........................22
Organisation...............................................22
The Advance Party......................................23
Preparations...............................................24
The Assault..................................................25
5.3 SCENE III – REPAIRS AND REPARATIONS....26
Hang-on, What, More?................................26
Ad-Hoc Boat Repairs..................................27
A Fireside Discussion..................................27
A Conversation with Maha..........................29
A Short History Lesson................................29

1
An Overheard Conversation.........................30
Further Conversations.................................31
5.4 SCENE IV – ORCS MARK II........................32
6.0 ACT THREE – HEALING........................32
6.1 SCENE I – A MESSY WAY TO DIE ..............32
6.2 SCENE II – IN SEARCH OF GRASS ...............33
6.3 SCENE III – RESCUE PARTY.......................33
6.4 SCENE IV – AMBUSHED ............................34
SCENE V – REINFORCEMENTS.............................35
6.6 SCENE VI – A SOMBER RETURN ................35
6.7 SCENE VII – ON THE MOVE ......................36
6.8 INTERMISSION ..........................................36
7.0 ACT FOUR – THE STAND......................36
7.1 SCENE I – A LOT TO THINK ABOUT ...........37
7.2 SCENE II – A DECISION.............................37
7.3 SCENE III – TURNING THE TABLES.............38
Preparation of an Ambush...........................38
Holding the Line.........................................39
End Game...................................................40
To the Victors…..........................................41
7.4 BANDITS? WHAT BANDITS?.....................42
7.5 INTERMISSION..........................................42
8.0 ACT FIVE – HOMECOMING.................42
8.1 SCENE I – FUTURE PLANS .........................42
The PCs.......................................................43
The Three Lads............................................43
The Gamailyons..........................................43
8.2 SCENE II – THE LANDING .........................43
9.0 ITEMS OF NOTE.....................................44
Saif Alim.....................................................44
Super-Heavy Crossbow................................45
10.0 MASTER NPC TABLE........................46
11.0 MASTER MILITARY TABLE............47
Michael Cole: 11 Woodchase Crt, Cranbourne, VIC 3977 Australia (mdc222@yahoo.com.au)
8 th August 2007

1.0 INTRODUCTION
This module is based on an adventure written by
Richard Flunker entitled “The Anduin Vale Spirit”.
Mark Owen later revised it on The 20th November
1998.
The central idea of the adventure has been kept, but
names and nationalities have been changed, and the
adventure greatly expanded and made more specific.
The title has been changed to “Appearances”,
because that more fits the central core of the
adventure, but the original title has been retained as
the subtitle.
Both titles are relevant in many ways.
“Appearances” refers to the fact that initial
appearances can always be deceiving and to the
sudden appearance of various people over the course
of the adventure, and also can refer to the
Appearance as a spirit or ghost.
“The Anduin Vale Spirit” can refer to both the
undead, and also to the spirit of the people who live
in the vale.
Note that this module makes reference to morality in
shades of grey, and to circumstances where the good
and evil of a situation may not be clearly defined.
As such, this module may not necessarily be to
everyone’s liking. It also features an extremely
powerful weapon with unusual powers, which whilst
it should not fall into the hands of the PCs, may also
not be to everyone’s liking.
Note also that whilst statistics for MERP and
Rolemaster are included, the module is written in a
generic format, such that multiple gaming systems
can be used. It is set in TA1640, the standard ICE
era, and so reference should be made to those
publications for further information. If the
MERP/Rolemaster statistics are used, then the PCs
should be of roughly 3 rd to 5 th level.
1.1 OVERVIEW
The adventure starts off with the PCs being recruited
by an agent of Gondor to secretly ride shotgun on an
Nan Anduin river barge that is transporting a
prominent fence of stolen goods to the Fortress of
Tirith Limlaith, so that he can turn informer. This
however is merely the method of introducing the PCs
to the adventure.
After the PCs have made the acquaintance of the
people on the boat, the journey will be mostly
uneventful. It is only during the final stage of the
journey, the as they approach the Undeeps, that the
adventure starts in earnest.
The barge is attacked by a group of bandits seeking
to kill the fence. Due to both tactics and magic, they
manage to quickly capture the boat, but then every
thing will change.
The PCs will be rapidly drawn into a conflict
between a fugitive General of the Nazgul Adunaphel,
and two groups of orcs sent to track him down and
capture him. The players will be required to join
forces with someone who would normally be
considered as one of the bad guys, just to survive.
Through this, they may form friendships with these
people, and through them gain a greater
understanding of the machinations of the world.
1.2 INTENT
This adventure is the first of a three-part series, and
is followed by Appearances II – The Pride of
Calenardhon and Appearances III – The Echoes of
Vamag – both of these adventures build on what
happens in this one. As such, this adventure is very
tightly plotted, and options for players are limited.
The intent of this module is thus to introduce and
ingratiate certain NPCs to the players, and thus give
them a reason for continuing with the following two
modules. As such, the outcomes of certain events
are preordained, far more so than in the subsequent
modules, and thus you will need to manipulate the
outcomes to achieve the required results.
Also because of this, in many aspects the PCs will be
lead around, and as such will in many cases be
playing more the role of bystanders rather than
central characters – if the players are not used to
this, it may be difficult.
By the end of the series, the players should be taking
the central roles, and the three adventures are
structured to graduate this advancement, but for
now, events may occur which may not be to their
liking, nor within their ability to change.
1.3 SYNOPSIS
The basic idea behind the plot is that it is a story of
redemption. At the start, the Gamailyon's are
arrogant and selfish, not simply because it is their
nature - indeed considering most of Sauron's
servants, they are amongst the "nicest", but because
1

2
of the nature of their environment. The
Numenoreans were known for arrogance and
selfishness, and that didn't wane with their coming
to Middle Earth. That the family has spent their
entire time here in the service of Adunaphel adds to
that. There are very few Numenoreans left in the
service, and as such, they tend to be the elite and
insulated from the wider community - their own
small grouping.
The main problem is not that the Gamailyons are
deliberately nasty, but that they have a lack of
consideration for others, in that they "know", not just
believe, that they are better than all others. This is
shown not only in the manner that Makram
dispassionately dispatches his former comrades in
the bandits, as pointed out by Tama, but also by their
attitudes beforehand.
The story here is in the rebirth of Makram, not only
physically, but also spiritually. The physical rebirth
starts the process, with the amnesia helping to
remove some of his past excesses. Some of this can
be seen by the fact that he insists that everyone
should know the full story as to why the orcs are
after them, and his insistence of having the story
spoken in Westron, even though it both exposes him
and brings grief to him. This spiritual rebirth
continues as a gradual process through the story.
It is assisted by Loniathiel, who has the gift of
foresight, in her comments to Maha – note that
Maha, being the youngest and most naive, is the only
one who would associate with elves. Effectively she
is telling Maha that their way out of being
continually hunted is through selflessness, kindness
and consideration for others.
Out of all of the family, it is then Maha who initially
shows those qualities, by her insistence on going to
find the Dogmallow to help Iliten. She decides that,
not only for her sake but also for that of her family,
she needs to do something altruistic to gain a sense
of belonging in the small community that is the boat.
For her efforts, she ends up with an injury that will
prevent her from ever being able to have children,
but through that, she helps her family to understand.
It is then, in Act Four, that Makrad completes his
spiritual rebirth, in his willingness to sacrifice
himself, even though he has only just located his
family again, simply to try to save some local
civilians whom he doesn't even know. He is
basically completing what his daughter started.
What completes the rebirth is the knowledge that
because he is willing to make that sacrifice, others
are willing to stand with him and make that sacrifice
alongside him - he is no longer isolated and alone.
He has now re-entered the wider community, and as
such, is no longer "evil". At the end, Mornen, being
rather perceptive, recognises this, and so acts as she
does.
1.4 SETTING
This adventure is set on in the Nan Anduin (the
Anduin Vale), on a boat that ends its journey in
Tirith Anduin. As the conflict only occurs near the
end point of the journey, the starting point can be set
to whatever is convenient. Some options are
Læferceaster (Gladdenburg), Maethelburg or even
Thistledow.
If the village of Thistledow is to be involved,
Johannes Lomborg has written a supplement
entitled, “Banks of the Northern Anduin”, which
details this site.
The initial stages of the journey will thus need to be
winged by the GM. For all intents and purposes, the
module will be written as if Læferceaster is the
starting point.
LÆFERCEASTER
Læferceaster (Gladdenburg) is a city based on the
City of Irilian as first detailed in White Dwarf issues
42 to 47, and reprinted in The Best of White Dwarf
Scenarios Volume III. It has been located on the
Gladden about two thirds of the way towards the
mountains. Some conversion notes have been
provided in another module, so no further notes on
the city will be provided here.
A note on Læferceastrian language and
pronunciation – generally speaking, it is pronounced
as English, except that non-initial g is sounded as y,
and two vowels together are sounded as one. The
language is based on Old English, (as Northron is on
Anglo-Saxon), so speakers of Westron (the
equivalent of English) should not have too much
trouble interpreting words. Think of it as English
with a Scandinavian accent – Uolgen’s name is
pronounced, UL-yen BEL-yen-sun-nuh. Note that
names are all patronomical – Uolgen is the son of
Beolgen – his sister has the surname of
Beolgundohtor.
All Læferceastrians are fluent in Westron and well
as Northron, however to add colour, they will
occasionally use words in their own language to refer
to locations. Some examples: -

- Grýtíegstréam (“Great River” - The
Anduin)
- Læfíegstréam (“Iris River” - The Gladden)
- Sihtíegstréam (“Marshy River” – the major
tributary of the Gladden)
THE LOWER NAN ANDUIN
The Lower Nan Anduin (Lower Anduin Vale) is the
portion of the Nan Anduin located between Lorien
and the Undeeps. A map of the area is located on
the inside front cover. It comprises the first eastward
and westward bends of the Anduin as it reaches the
Undeeps. The various encounter points are marked
in red.
Descriptions of the land are in various ICE
publications, and as such, shall not be repeated here.
The most applicable is the Ents of Fangorn
Campaign Module. This also includes descriptions,
maps and people of Tirith Limlaith, the end point of
this adventure, including a map of the Tirith
Limlaith Docks. The Lorien Campaign Module may
be useful for the Lorien part of the journey.
Also note that the ICE Sourcebook, “Hands of the
Healer”, may also be useful for several scenes.
THE STEORMNESTAN (SPINNING STORM)
The sister ship of the Clodnestan (Spinning Cloud)
and the Windnestan (Spinning Wind), the
Steormnestan is one of three river barges that ply the
Anduin between Læferceaster and Tirith Anduin.
Generally riverboat travel is very safe – most folks in
the area are honest and hard working, and any
bandits in the area generally think twice before
upsetting the locals, as they are all rather clannish
and independent. The orcs of the region also tend to
avoid attacking boats also – there are easier and
more profitable targets on land.
The boat is about 45’ long and about 12’ wide, with
a blunt stern and a rounded bow. It is clinker built,
with a flat deck with a 6” lip running around the side
and a railing 3’ above that. It has a very shallow
draught, required for river navigation, and a
flattened bottom.
It is controlled by a single steering oar from a seat at
the stern, and on the downward trip, simply goes
with the current. For the return trip, it does have a
single lanteen sail that can be rigged, but that will be
stored away for the moment. Generally when
coming up the narrower rivers, they use a horse on a
path to the side of the river to pull them along.
There is a long low cabin situated 20’ from the bow
and running 20’ down to 5’ from the stern. The
cabin is sunken 3’ into the deck and has entrances at
each end, with stairs leading down. A passage leads
along the full length of the cabin connecting both
entrances.
The cabin is only 6½’ in height, 3½’ above the deck,
so that it can be seen over by the crew. Given that it
curves down slightly at both sides, and that it has
exposed beams, taller characters may be forced to
walk around hunched over or risk whacking their
forehead against a beam.
Coming in from the bow, there are six tiny cabins,
three on either side. They each contain a
permanently fixed triple bunk bed against the far
wall, a tiny wardrobe to the left of the door, and a
stool to the right. A curtain over the opening
maintains privacy. There is very little room to do
anything in them, and they will generally only be
used for sleeping.
After the sleeping quarters, the cabin opens up into
the main area. This contains padded benches along
the length of both walls, with windows in the top
half of the walls opening directly onto the deck.
This is where all meals will be eaten, and most of the
guests will spend their time.
Past the main area is a small passage section that
contains a kitchenette to the starboard and a small
privy to port, both with curtains to hide them off.
Note that when the kitchenette is in use, the cook
will pretty much have to stand in the passage to
cook. Space is at a premium here.
In the centre of the foredeck is a set of large trap
doors that give access to the main hold below. All
bulk goods such as wool are stored in here. There is
a smaller set of doors on the stern deck, where
smaller goods are loaded.
On the boat are located two glaives 1 , four throwing
spears and a military fork (all strapped on the cabin
roof), and a couple of cudgels – one near the front
door of the cabin and one near the steering oar.
1 For those uncertain as to what a glaive is, it is a
long pole (normally around 7’ to 8’ long) with a
single-edged long curving blade attached, which can
be used for both slashing and thrusting.
3

4
2.0 THE TALES
Two tales are introduced here, as the adventure is
caused by an unexpected coming together of two
completely separate journeys.
2.1 RANDA’S BANDITS
One of the many bandit groups that plague the
Anduin Vale is a group lead by a Cardolani named
Randa. A former mercenary in the Cardolani wars,
and then a private caravan guard, he took up his new
occupation about four years ago after the Plague
caused his previous employer to cease business
permanently.
With some of his associates, they decided to join an
existing bandit group located out on the east side of
the river up around the confluence of the Gladden,
lead by an old crusty thug by the name of Herzog.
This group, which had been active for about three
years before Randa turned up, met its end about two
years later when, upon raiding an isolated farmsite,
found that they had bitten off more than they could
chew. One of the farm inhabitants managed to
escape and alert neighbouring estates, and the
bandits were cut off. In the ensuing fight, Herzog
and a number of the bandits were slain, and Randa
was beaten to within an inch of his life.
Randa and a couple of the other survivors managed
to avoid execution, mainly because they had at the
end allowed their hostages to escape rather than
killing them, and promptly fled southwards after
their release. Randa then decided to start his own
band, but with a change of tactics – they based
themselves in the Eastern Wold, and constrained
themselves to raiding only Gondorians and
merchants, thus sparing themselves the wrath of the
locals.
They continued in this vein with limited success for
about a year and a half, until about six months ago,
their luck changed. A man, an obvious foreigner
with brown skin and dark hair, and wearing
expensive but dirty and torn utilitarian clothes,
wandered into their campsite. This man professed
amnesia and was obviously confused, but after one of
the bandits challenged him and was promptly
dispatched on the point of the stranger’s sword, they
decided to welcome him into the group.
He was unable to tell them his past, or much else.
On pressing him for his name, he was able to give
them the name of something along the lines of
“Savalin”, so he was christened “Sava”, and made
one of them. This turned out to be an excellent
move on their part, for apart from his excellent
swordsmanship, they quickly found out that he had a
brilliant tactical mind, as well as several mystical
abilities. With his assistance, their success rate
increased greatly, to the point that they became the
most feared and respected bandits in the area.
As a result of this, Malion, the Governor of Tirith
Limlaith, resolved to do something about the
situation, and contacted his old friend, Tirouv
Polarion, the current representative of the Gilds-
Marchant in Læferceaster. Tirouv, by dint of his
money and influence, his wide network of contacts
and his diligence and persistence, managed to find
out that a trader by the name of Hlothran had fenced
many of the goods that Randa’s bandits has stolen
many miles to the south.
Tirouv then engaged in gathering evidence, some
actual, some manufactured, but enough to convince
Hlothran that unless he cooperated fully with him,
the evidence would be handed over to the
Læferceastrian authorities, and it would not go down
well with them. Hlothran rapidly acceded to
Tirouv’s well-formulated argument, and provide him
with all the information he had on Randa and his
band, which wasn’t much.
Tirouv was smart enough to realise that this
information was not going to be sufficient to end the
threat of Randa. For a start, Randa was based far to
the south, and the Læferceastrian authorities, corrupt
as they are, would have no interest in pursuing the
matter anyway. So he decided to come up with an
alternative plan to lure Randa into the open. He
would send Hlothran down the river as bait, such
that Randa would come out to get him.
He managed to convince Hlothran, which wasn’t
hard, that he would need to travel to Tirith Limlaith
in person to testify to Malion, which Hlothran after
some whining, acceded to. He then had Malion send
up two soldiers to escort Hlothran down the river.
Even though the two soldiers were dressed in
civilian clothes, everyone immediately recognised
them for members of the Gondorian Military – that
sort of thing is hard to hide up in these lands. That
they are escorting Hlothran southwards would
immediately get tongues wagging. Then, once the
boat is on its way, all Tirouv would need to do is
release covertly some rumours that: -
- Hlothran was actually on his way to inform
Malion as to the location of the bandits hold

(and collect a reward) – information that
Hlothran was actually not aware of;
- Malion is assembling forces now to track
down and capture the bandits based on
Hlothran’s information.
Given the speed at which these rumours would
spread, Tirouv felt that Randa would make an effort
to intercept the boat and silence Hlothran. Then all
that would be needed would be sufficient skilled and
hardy folk also on the boat to stop and capture
Randa.
His next step is thus to recruit the PCs to also go
down on the same boat, but to conceal their skills
and abilities as much as possible, such to surprise
any hijackers. Note that both the PCs and the two
guardsmen will be made fully aware of Tirouv’s plan
– Hlothran will of course not be.
2.2 ADUNAPHEL’S GENERAL
Whilst the House of Gamail may not be well known
to most denizens of Middle Earth, for the natives of
Haruze, whilst they may not be able to name the
current members, the House is certainly part of their
history. Of mixed heritage, it can trace its Haruzan
roots back to the original lords of Chelkar – indeed a
prominent hill near Engiz is named for them – and
its Dúnedain roots back to Adunaphel’s first ship.
The Lords of the House have always featured highly
in the Lady’s confidences, and the current Lord is no
exception.
Makram Gamailyon was one of Adunaphel’s most
trusted Generals, named as her Steward and thus
having authority over all forces at her home, initially
at Kres Lugal but for the last four years, in Nurn.
The word “was” is used, because eight months ago,
things changed and Makram left his employment
and, along with his wife and two daughters, fled.
No one truly knows the full reason – the Gamailyons
certainly don’t plan to share with anyone, but several
matters may have influenced the decision.
- Four years ago, as the Plague passed
through the lands, Adunaphel was ordered
to relocate to Nurn from Kres Lugal.
Makram thus travelled with her to
command her new castle. The change in
scenery from Chelkar to Nurn was not well
though of by the Gamalyons, particularly
the females, who preferred their homeland
to the dreariness of Mordor.
- Nashita, Makram’s elder daughter, reached
an age where she began to be courted by
many of the Dúnedain nobles in the service
of Sauron, and this only increased once her
father moved to Mordor. The numbers of
the Dúnedain had never been many, and a
noble lady of beauty, lineage and skill was
highly sought after, however Nashita had
secretly, with her father’s approval, become
engaged to a young Variag, and so
disapproved of all her suitors. This
situation was threatening to come to a
head 2 .
- Maha, Makram’s younger daughter, had
shown considerable skill in the healing arts.
Representations had been made for her to
join the Dark Lord’s healers, which was
something that neither Maha nor her
parents desired. This also was threatening
to come to a head.
Whatever the reason or combinations of, the
Gamailyons decided to try a change of scenery.
Unfortunately, handing in a letter of resignation to
the Dark Lady is generally considered as not good
for one’s health, thus a measure of discretion was
called for.
After considerable surreptitious planning, at a
moment when Makram was called northwards to
Ostigurth in Mordor itself to perform some
organisational tasks, his wife and daughters took
their leave to travel back to Chelkar for a holiday
and to visit family. They then kept going, first
travelling westwards to Ithilien and then northwards
into the Talath Haroch.
Makram, after leaving a suitable period of time to
ensure that his family would be safe, then headed off
northwards with five fully trusted companions to
cross the Ered Lithui and thus rejoin his family.
There has been no word, at least outside of Mordor,
of any of them since.
His wife and daughters have roamed Rhovanion for
the last eight months, seeking word of their husband
and father, but always with discretion. They have
traveled as far north as Buhr Chep, and have now
traveled up the Nan Anduin as far as the Old Ford
seeking word. They are now travelling south again,
not quite sure of what they shall do, but considering
2 This will be expanded on in Appearances II – The
Pride of Calenardhon.
5

6
travelling into Calenhardon through Tirith Limlaith,
just in case…
3.0 THE NPCS
3.1 THE PATRON
TIROUV POLARION
If you are using Irilian as Læferceaster, then the
most likely patron is Tirouv Polarion of the Gild
Faector. As with all half-elves in the original
publication, he should be changed into a Dunédain.
If the PCs have played the Rising of the Dark
adventure, they should be known to Tirouv and thus
well respected by him. Some should also have met
him in the company of the dwarves.
For the purposes of this adventure, he is also a good
friend of Malion, the Commander of Tirith Limlaith,
and together they cooked up this scheme. It was
Tirouv who got the initial information on Hlothran
and performed the gentle persuasion, and it was
Malion who provide two guardsmen to act as
security. Recruiting the PCs as secondary security
was a later plan by Tirouv, but Malion and the two
guardsmen are fully aware of the details.
If you are not using Læferceaster, then an alternative
patron will be required. This patron should be
linked or associated with Malion or Gondor in some
way, but discretely – the locals of the Anduin Vale
do not take lightly to Gondor interfering heavyhandedly
in their affairs. It would help if the patron
was aware or had previously associated with the PCs,
to make their recruitment easier.
3.2 PRIMARY TARGETS
HLOTHRAN
Hlothran is or was a local fence for stolen goods. As
such, he is familiar with Randa and his crew. He
has been gently blackmailed by the Patron to travel
to Tirith Anduin and testify to Malion about the
bandits, and as such is both very nervous and very
untrusting of all and sundry.
A short chubby balding person, nearing his late
forties, he is lived his whole life with one foot on the
other side of the law, and as such, looks after his
own skin first. Although not by nature a coward, the
countless situations that he has been in has made
him a very cautious man.
He is armed with a dagger, but combat is not his
forte – he has always relied on hiring others to do
that for him. Now blackmailed into impotence and
no longer in control of his own circumstances, his
pleasant veneer is cracking slowly, and he is liable to
lose it if things totally start getting out of control.
ALBETH
The first of the two Gondorian soldiers supplied as
security, Albeth hails from a farm just on the north
side of the river from Tirith Limlaith. Indeed, both
of the two soldiers are locals, cousins from the Parth
Celebrant.
Albeth is the older (at 28) and more senior of the
two, and is of average height and of a solid build.
Whilst both of them are reserved, Albeth is the more
talkative of the two. He has a very dry sense of
humour, and is very observant.
He is reasonable proficient in hand weaponry, and
passable in bows, but the main reason for him being
chosen for this mission is his independence, selfconfidence
and maturity. He was made a sergeant
very early on, and whilst most of his roles have been
in the watch or administration positions, it was felt
that he was the best suited for the job. He has a good
rapport with people, and has enough qualities and
intelligence to act appropriately, on such an
important mission so far from home.
HELEGORN
The second of the two Gondorian soldiers supplied
as security, Helegorn’s home is to the north by some
fifteen miles from his cousin’s. He is 24, and is
slightly taller and a fair bit thinner than his cousin.
He is a lot shier than Albeth, and tends not to talk
that much to strangers. Whilst not as proficient as
Albeth in melee weaponry, he is an above average
shot with a bow, and has lived out on the plains long
enough to be a quite reasonable hunter and tracker.
Also, living near wetlands, he is knowledgeable
about those locations, which will come in handy in
this adventure.
The main reason why he was chosen was because it
was his cousin leading the two, but his outdoor skills
were certainly thought of as possibly coming in
handy.
3.3 THE CREW OF THE STEORM’
The Steormnestan can be crewed by up to four on the
bulk runs, but for this journey, it is controlled by
only two.

UOLGEN BEOLGENSUNNU
A native Læferceastrian, Uolgen is half-owner and
Master of the Stormnestan. An expert boatsman, he
makes his living by transporting goods and
passengers up and down the Anduin and the
Gladden.
He is forty years old, a large and solidly built man,
almost portly, with thinning blond hair and a very
bushy moustache. He tends to walk with a distinct
waddle, and is completely at home on board a boat.
He is and always has been a Riverman, like his
father and his father before him.
He dresses casually and is not an overly talkative
person. He is very business-like in his approach and
demeanour, and whilst pleasant enough, does not go
out of his way to chat to passengers.
He always has a sharp knife in a sheath on his belt,
but generally goes unarmoured and unarmed. He
does have a quilted vest in his cabin that he can just
manage to buckle around his frame.
ILITEN UOLGENSUNNU
The eldest son of Uolgen, Iliten has the same sandy
blond hair, but much more than his father, and is
clean-shaven. He is twenty-one, slightly taller but
without the bulk of his father. He is a very goodlooking
young lad, and much more social – he tends
to do most of the work with passengers.
Like his father, he does possess a quilted vest, but
has also lashed out and purchased a short-sword,
which he stores in his cabin. He is not particularly
proficient with it yet, and his father would prefer that
he doesn’t wear it around the ship, but he does
practice in private. Like his father, he is also skilled
in the weapons on board the ship, particularly in
spear throwing, and has been known to go spear
fishing.
As well as the First Mate duties, he also acts as the
boat’s cook.
3.4 THE GAMAILYONS
The Gamailyons hail from Chelkar in Haruzan, and
are of mixed Dúnedain/Haruze ancestry. All of light
brown skin, dark straight hair and dark eyes, they
are all relatively tall, and tend to stand out in these
parts.
They are of noble stock, and will act appropriate to
that, often without thinking. Their social equals are
few and far between in their previous service, and
whilst before they would have been considered as
amongst the most reasonable and modest of their
peers, here they cannot help but convey an
impression of arrogance and disdain, even though
they try not to.
They are all well read and educated, and all are able
to speak at least four languages each, including
Adúnaic, Westron and Apsaic (Haruze).
MAKRAM GAMAILYON
Makram does not start on the boat, but will make his
first appearance in Act Two.
Makram is the consummate General, a skilled
soldier and brilliant strategist and tactician. Unlike
most who serve the Necromancer or his allies, he has
the ability to command through encouragement and
suggestion, though if the need arise, he will certainly
be able to take full control and command through
force of will.
He is a brilliant swordsman, and possesses an
ancient heirloom of his house, the Saif Alim, or
Sword of Shadows, described in the Items of Note.
He is tall and very handsome, and whilst now in his
sixties, is still very strong and hale, thanks to the
Dúnedain blood.
He is normally a reserved and self-effacing person,
extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and with
the ability to make split-second decisions. He is
lethal in combat, and whilst not bloodthirsty, is
certainly dispassionate about the dispatching of foes.
He does not seek combat, but will not shy away from
it if it is required. He will use whatever tactics are
required to win, and does not care if they are
“chivalrous” or not.
For all that, and considering where he comes from,
he does unusually possess a sense of ethics, and of
right and wrong, which he has attempted to instill in
his daughters and his underlings, mainly along the
lines of the protection of innocents. It may not be to
everyone’s liking, but he is not without some sense
of honour.
SAFIYA GAMAILYON
Makram’s wife is now in her late 50s, but is still a
very beautiful woman, tall and slender, with long
black hair and a very aristocratic look. She can tend
to be rather haughty, perhaps more so than her
husband, but that is more a matter of upbringing.
She is a very kind and generous person, but does
sometimes find it hard to relate to strangers, being a
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8
very quiet person, and tends to cover that with a
standoffishness that can translate as snootiness.
She is also cousin to her husband – they have known
each other from childhood and she loves him dearly
and relies on him totally. The past eight months of
searching have taken their toll on her, and she has a
permanently drawn and tired look about her. Whilst
in the absence of her husband, she is still the head of
the family, she is starting to rely more and more on
her eldest daughter for support, and is starting to
withdraw more and more into herself.
Whilst she is adequate with a sword, and possesses a
very fine thin long-sword which she keeps in her
cabin, she has never studied the martial arts like her
daughter, always considering her role first and
foremost as a wife and mother.
Even though when they fled from Chelkar, they
brought a lot of portable wealth with them, after
eight months that is starting to dissipate. She is very
prudent with their wealth, and can bargain with the
best of them, but even so, they have been forced to
economise.
She no longer dresses brightly, favoring now more
simple clothing, and her jewelry is very simple and
restrained. She does however still carry herself well,
and still conveys an impression of one who is
comfortable in high society.
NASHITA GAMAILYON
The 27-year-old eldest daughter of Makram and
Safiya, Nashita is a skilled warrior, extremely
proficient with both bow and sword. She is of the
same height as her mother, but broader in build. She
is also extremely attractive, but does little to make
use of it, preferring a more utilitarian look. She does
still possess long dark hair to her mid back, and will
wear jewelry and dresses – there are some limits.
In the absence of her father, she has taken on the
protector role, providing support to her beloved
Umma, and sheltering, possibly overly so, her
mother and sister from the approach of strangers.
Unlike her mother, she is quite at home talking to
others, but tends to be very sarcastic and cutting in
her comments. She has come from an environment
where most men were only interested in her as a
potential producer of heirs, and now tends to
consider all men as being only interested in one
thing.
She is engaged to a Variag by the name of Debitha
Uto, which for her took a long time to develop. The
fact that he appreciated her for more than her
lineage was what finally swayed her, and now she
feels that he is truly the one person that she would be
able to rely on for the rest of her life. She is as
devoted to him as he to her, and that gives her great
strength.
Whilst she will normally dress in a dress whilst
travelling, she does possess a very fine long sword
and small sword and a long bow, all of which she
will keep in her cabin unless needed. She also owns
a fine chain hauberk, which she will don with
trousers and leather boots if the need arises. She is
also semi-ambidextrous – whilst she fires the bow
and uses the long-sword right-handed, she fights
left-handed with small-sword or dagger. Note that
her normal hand-to-hand combat is with long-sword
and small sword together.
She is stern and determined, and will not hesitate to
attack should she feel her mother or sister is
threatened in any way
MAHA GAMAILYON
The youngest daughter is 19, shorter and stockier
than her mother, but still very beautiful. She is very
much an innocent, possibly slightly naive, which is
partially due to the attitude of her family and their
protectiveness of her. She is training as a Healer,
and apart from a dagger, possesses no other weapons
or weapon skills.
She is the most likely to strike up a conversation
with a stranger, and is a very pleasant companion.
She also possesses a very fine singing voice, and can
be very charming and captivating.
She enjoys new experiences and talking to others,
and is very looking forward to Lorien and meeting
some elves. She is a very kind person, and will
always do what she can to help others.
DEBITHA UTO
Debitha also does not start on the boat, but will
make his first appearance in Act Two.
Debitha Uto is a 30 year old Variag from Khand,
and the fiancé of Nashita Gamailyon. He is the
second son of a horse breeder, and entered the
military at an early age where his intelligence and
qualities came to the fore, eventually being recruited
and used as a ranger and messenger for Uvatha. It
was during this service that he first met the
Gamailyons, being assigned to run messages
between Uvatha and Adunaphel. As such, he was an
extremely competent and trusted person, and given
that the engagement has remained secret, still is.

Her fell in love with Nashita almost immediately, but
it took many years for his feelings to be reciprocated.
Given his estrangement from his own family, he is
very close to the entire Gamailyon family, and is
pretty much considered as one of them.
When they fled, he was of course aware of it, but
chose to remain behind, as no suspicion would fall
on him. After Makram failed to show up, Nashita
got a message to him, and he has spent the last
several months tracking down what happened to her
father.
He is smart and quick, an excellent shot with a short
bow and blindingly quick with a sword. He is a
brilliant horseman and an extremely skilled
outdoorsman, all within a rather inconspicuous
exterior.
He is of average height for a Variag, which means a
couple of inches shorter than his fiancée, of a slender
build and unremarkable appearance, with dark skin
and hair. It is only his eyes, which show great
intelligence and will, that betray his mundane look.
He wears a Brigantine hauberk, and carries short
bow, sword and various knives. Whilst he is without
horse, he still can travel very fast overland, and is
skilled at avoiding others and surviving by himself.
He is determined, dependable and courageous, whilst
being humble and reserved. He is indeed a fine
match for Nashita, something that her father
recognised early. Indeed for Makram, Debitha,
regardless of his Variag background, contains all the
qualities that he would want in a son.
3.5 OTHER PASSENGERS
EDRON & MORNEN
Edron (68), and Mornen (66), are two elderly
Dúnedain from an estate named Amon Arindôr near
Dunlostir in the Westfold of Calenardhon, who are
returning from visiting their niece. They are both
very nice, pleasant folk, utterly devoted to each
other.
Both are rather short for Dúnedain, with Edron at
5’9” and Mornen at 5’7”, but both still have the dark
hair and eyes. They are calm in a crisis, and
resourceful and stoic in troubles. They are
effectively farming gentry, and whilst solid and
commanding when needed, they put on no airs, and
are happy to be sociable with all.
Mornen is losing her eyesight, but is still very fond
of her needlework – she is currently embroidering a
frock for her 7-year-old granddaughter, Bellas. She
is still a very intelligent and perceptive person, and
sees and realises a lot more than she lets on.
Edron’s hips are starting to go, and he sometimes
becomes forgetful, needing to be reminded
occasionally by his wife of what he was doing. He
does still possess the knowledge of his time in the
service, even if his body is no longer up to combat.
Both are generally non-combatants, but definitely on
the side of the good guys. Play them like your
favourite elderly relatives. Note that further
information on their estate and family is available in
Appearances II – The Pride of Calenardhon, which
is set partially at their estate.
TANAS, TALC AND GULAS
These three young men, two brothers and a friend all
under 23 years old, are farm labourers travelling to
Calenhardon looking for a job. They are all friendly
and good-natured and enjoying the journey
immensely. They are happy to chat with anyone,
and will be happy to assist with whatever is needed.
Gulas is the oldest at 23, tall and lanky, with strawcoloured
hair, and blue eyes. He is probably the
leader of the three – he is very competent in what he
does, and is intelligent and knowledgeable, but does
tend to take things casually, and is reasonably
cautious in his approach. He does have a very wry
sense of humour, and is rather observant.
Tanas is 22, dark haired, and shorter and more solid
than Gulas, his best friend. He is the most talkative
of the three, and the most sociable. He is also
possessed of the same sense of humour as his friend.
Talc is 19, the younger brother of Tanas. He is
shorter than his brother, and much more shy. Tanas
and Gulas tend to kid him around quite a bit.
All three are a unit, and will generally remain
together and act as one. The two older boys are
particularly protective of Talc, regardless of any
ribbing they may give him.
They will be very respectful of Edron and Mornen,
and whilst politely rebuffed, will try to draw the
Gamalyons out of their isolation. Note that the
youngest brother, Talc, will take a shine to Maha,
and her to him. They will get on well with the two
guardsmen, and will make friendly approaches to the
PCs.
They do have quilted vests and short swords in their
cabin, and can use any of the spears and pole-arms
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10
on board, but are average at best in their use – they
are labourers, not soldiers.
3.6 THE BANDITS
Given the nature of the adventure, the players will
not be making the acquaintance of the bandits for
very long, so their descriptions shall reflect that.
Short descriptions of six of the major bandits will be
given in Act One – Scene I, which will basically be
what Tirouv Polarion will be able to tell the PCs
before they leave. Three further bandits – the
survivors from the attack – will be described here in
more detail.
TRANGUL
Trangul is a half-orc, the child of a serf who was
raped by an orc. As such, he couldn’t come from a
much lower social status. Growing up is a small
community, he had no friends, and very few
acquaintances, and was pretty much ostracised by
everyone. As soon as he was old enough, he ran
away from his home, and made his way in joining a
bandit gang – Herzog’s. He was a member of
Herzog’s band since before Randa joined, and has
thus known both Randa and Amalon for quite a
while. They are probably the closest he has to
friends.
He is a very fit and well-built person, now about 25
years old. Whilst his build is human, his facial
features definitely show his orcish parentage, which
does cause most people to shun him – he is used to
the reactions.
He is also rather intelligent. Unfortunately that
wasn’t what people expected in a half-orc, so he had
to hide it and survive on his strength and combat
skills, which are quite good. He is rather
circumspect in his attitude, and tends to do his best
to blend into the background and not get noticed –
he feels that it is better and easier that way –
however his qualities do come out, and the other
bandits do look to him for leadership.
He has a very subdued demeanor, rather quiet, but
unusually considering what he has gone through, he
is actually a very kind person. He tends to do his
best not to cause waves, and is happy to assist others,
but he does have a strong moral streak, and will do
his best to assist those who need help, and to avoid
harming innocents. He does tend to speak very
slowly, mainly because with his oversized canines
courtesy of his orcish heritage, he worries that he
won’t be understood if he speaks quickly.
He is skilled in sword and shield, and in short-bow,
and generally wears leather armour. He is a good
man to have beside you in a fight – solid, dependable
and skillful.
RABAN
Raban is an Easterling, an Asdriag from the Western
Dagorlad who was apprenticed at an early age to an
itinerant Priest of Hûr-Iriga (The Lord of Light –
generally identified as Eru). Whilst he was popular
in his village, his brother took up with the Kor-
Sharhaigun factions (The Black Master – generally
identified as Morgoth), and as such, had to flee as
his brother now considers him as an enemy.
His master died during the plague, and he chose to
make his way northwestwards into the wold, where
he made contact with Randa and his band. He has
since acted not only as additional manpower, but
also as an unofficial spiritual advisor.
He is a skinny youth, but looks older than what he is.
He is only 17, but both acts and looks about 25. He
has his moments of sadness, but generally hides it
under an exterior of cockiness. He is uncomfortable
with strangers, and tends to withdraw into himself.
He does have a very dry, dark and warped sense of
humour, and is very amusing if you appreciate that
sort of humour. Unfortunately for him, many people
don’t.
He has been debating whether or not to return home
to work against his brother for a long time, but keeps
putting it off because he doesn’t think he can do
anything. He then gets upset with himself that he
isn’t doing anything.
He is not particularly skilled in combat – he is
competent without being outstanding, but he is
courageous and determined, and will not let people
down. He will look to Trangul for both support and
orders, and does both like and admire him.
TAMA
Tama is a career criminal, from a family who were
career criminals. Originally from a town out on the
Talath Harroch, he moved to the shantytown at
Tirith Anduin when the plague struck, and fell in
with a criminal gang there. After a rather nasty
falling out with his colleagues, he moved northwards
and joined Randa’s gang.
He has a knack of being able to ingratiate himself
with others, and of getting others to work for him.
He is a good-looking person, well-muscled and
impressive in physique without being muscle-bound.

He has a cheerful, easy-going and friendly nature,
with a mop of strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.
In reality, he is cold-hearted and low, and cares only
for himself. He is egotistical, and considers himself
as far better and more important than he is.
He is actually quite musically talented for a selftaught
amateur, and is skilled in the flute. He would
like to make a career out of it, but probably never
will.
He is capable in combat – probably more so in barbrawl
type fights rather than proper combat, but he
can hold his own. He would of course prefer not to
have to, or to get others to fight for him.
3.7 THE URUK SHURKÚMPH
The Uruk Shurkúmph are an orcish tribe based in
Eastern Nurn, in a mountain stronghold in the
northernmost tip of the eastern arm of the Ephel
Duath, at the point where the mountain range turns
east. They tend to be a dark gray to black in colour,
about 5’6” in height, with very broad shoulders.
They also tend to have wide flattened heads with a
distinct domed skull with very sparse hair, and short
necks.
They are infamous as long-distance shock troops.
They wear heavy armour, generally banded mail,
with round bassinet-type helms that fit closely on
then heads and come down to their noses, with
eyeholes cut into them. They fight almost
universally with a single-edged falchion with a back
hook on the end, and a 4½’ long rectangular shield.
They are known for their endurance, and their ability
to travel for days at a steady pace without flagging,
in full armour with kit – during travel, the shield is
slung on their back. They travel in a lope, which
whilst not particularly quick, is a pace that they can
keep up constantly.
They are generally not known for their social skills –
they value strength, and dislike talk. Even amongst
other orcs, they have a reputation as being extremely
boring. They were generally used for long-distance
expeditions out into the Harad – this is the first time
they have been sent north.
They are organised into 4-orc lurgs, with unusually,
all members armed and equipped the same. They
are suprisingly uniform and socialistic in their
approach, and tend not to have the same sort of
infighting that many other orcish tribes have. Part
of this is due to their reliance on religion – a shaman
11
always travels with any long-distance excursion, and
generally acts as decision-maker for non-combat
decisions.
They offer their allegiance to Adunaphel, and look to
the Dark Lady for guidance. She tends to use them
as her own personal assault troops, and the Shamans
will venerate her above all.
They are solid, consistent and predictable in their
approach. They will generally run with an advance
team of one lurg, which runs in a Y format. The orc
at the centre of the Y acts as the tracker, and directs
the two orcs at each arm with a series of vocal clicks.
The two orcs at the end of each arm run ahead of the
tracker, and watch forward to avoid ambush. The
orc behind watches over the tracker, who generally is
concentrating fully on the trail.
The remainder of the unit travels some distance
behind the advance party, and only comes up once
the advance party has sighted their target.
They honed their abilities out on the desert steppes,
where their tactics work well. There, opportunities
for ambush are different, and the chances of giving
away your position through a dust trail are much
greater. Here in the wold, it does work slightly
different, but the Uruk Shurkúmph are not
imaginative enough to change their tactics.
They are also known for their predilection of using
Arclax, a drug formed by the stewing and distilling
of the seedpod of the Clax plant. Clax seeds, when
chewed, act as a stimulant, and will increase
endurance whilst reducing the need for sleep. The
Uruk Shurkúmph do use the seeds raw for this
purpose. Arclax, being much more concentrated,
has more serious effects, and they will drink some
before any major combat.
The effects of the drug will depend on the system
used, but effectively people under its effect will: -
- Ignore stunning and shock
- Continue fighting until they drop – no
consciousness rolls
- Not make morale checks
- Swing at whatever is closest, regardless of
whether or not it presents the biggest threat
to them
It also has some other negative effects, mainly in the
reduction of reasoning and mental skills, but the fact
that the users will struggle to add up two plus two is

12
probably not relevant to most situations in which
Arclax is used.
3.8 THE URUK GASHNA
The Uruk Gashna are based on the eastern side of
Mount Doom in Mordor itself, and are a much more
varied force that the Shurkúmph. They tend to black
in colour, and far more typical of orcs in behaviour
and varied appearance.
Their allegiance is offered direct to the Lieutenant of
Barad-dûr, and they are often used for tough longrange
missions, being well known as intelligent,
skilled and self-sufficient. Indeed, they are generally
the first port of call for such, and take pride in their
renown.
They are organised more typically into five-orc lurgs,
with distinct roles. The Lurg consists of: -
§ A Ujak (seargent), wearing steel breastplate and
open-faced helm and Kurbul skirt, greaves and
shoulder-guards, with a large round shield.
They are normally armed with long sword and
short-bow. The Ujak is normally of average
height, but strong and skilled. They command
the lurg, and are expected to be able to fill any
role within it.
§ Two spear-orcs, in Kurbul hauberk and a steel
closed-face helm, and a mid-sized tower shield.
They are normally armed with a shortish but
very thick and solid spear. They are generally
the tallest and strongest of the orcs, and are used
both as the assault force, and paired with an
archer as their protection or defender. They do
not need to be intelligent, merely dependable.
§ Two archers armed in leather with shortbows
and short swords. These are generally the
smaller orcs, quick, and agile. Some also double
as trackers. Generally they will be paired with a
spear-orc, who will defend then and cover them
with his shield. They are known for the use of
poison on their arrows, and unlike the spearorcs,
can be quite intelligent.
Five Lurg form a company, which is commanded by
a Dratul, or captain. He is separate from the lurgs,
and generally is armed like the Ujaks but with chain
hauberk and steel breastplate, greaves, shoulderguards
and open-faced helm. Again, like the Ujaks,
he is expected to be able to drop into and fill the role
of any missing Ujak.
They are inventive and persistent in their approach,
and whilst probably not as individually tough or
determined as the Shurkúmph, are much more able
to react to the unexpected. All things considered,
out here they are probably the greater threat.
4.0 ACT ONE –
INTRODUCTIONS
This act is mainly to introduce the players to the
various NPCs in play. There should not be any
major conflict or skill resolution as such, and the
majority of this act should involve conversations
between PCs and NPCs. As such, a lot of this act
will need to be played by ear, particularly as the
starting point can vary.
The purpose of this act is to get the major exposition
points out of the way, and to involve the PCs in the
lives of various NPCs such that they can feel
involved in assisting them.
You can certainly add more scenes along these lines
if you so wish, such as an approach prior to the
recruitment, or a stopover in Thistledow, or further
scenes on the rivers, but these should be the rough
requirements.
4.1 SCENE I – THE RECRUITMENT
Assuming that you are using the patron as described,
then this scene takes place at Tirouv’s office in the
Gild Faector. Here he will explain to the PCs the
general plan that he has, as described in the first of
the two Tales. He will be as truthful as possible,
given that he does trust the PCs – the only person
that he has lied to is Hlothran.
He will be able to give a rough background on Randa
and his band, including the first four paragraphs of
the Tale. He will also mention that they have
recently become a lot more of a threat, but he will
assign this to the ex-military members whipping the
others into shape and also to the band (as both he
and Malion believe) having some sort of spy or
insider, possibly at Tirith Limlaith or Anduin. He
will use this idea of an insider to explain why he
wants the PCs undercover, and that they should not
go around flashing weapons or armour until the trap
is sprung.
He will be sure to explain that both Albeth and
Helegorn are good people and fully trustworthy, and

that they are aware of the role of the PCs but will
play it quiet on the boat. He will also note that
Albeth is in charge of the operation, and is a
sergeant from Tirith Limlaith. A brief description of
the boat and its intended journey will also be in
order.
A description of the bandit gang will be in order, and
this can take as long as needed. The more emphasis
that is placed on the bandits as being the
protagonists, the better for the adventure when
everything changes in Act Two.
Randa’s Bandits number around 25 to 30, and
contain an above-average number of ex-military in
their ranks. They are tight-knit and run along semistructured
lines. Tirouv will express some sort of
grudging admiration for them, not only for their
ability, but also for the fact that they are restrained in
their actions.
He will also provide a brief run-down on several of
the major players, including physical descriptions, in
the band that he has become aware of. In Italics
after each is what will actually befall them – this
should not of course be mentioned to the players.
Randa: Randa will be the third person killed by
Makram on the boat, dying through decapitation.
His background is given in The Tales section.
He is around 38 years old, sandy brown hair, average
height and build. He was a foot soldier in Cardolan,
and is known to use sword and shield and wear
Brigandine armour.
He is reasonably smart and very tough, and good
with weapons. He is relatively courageous and very
inventive, and prefers ambushes, trickery and stealth
to open battle.
Klorgnoff: Remains behind at the camp, and is
killed by the Uruk Gashna.
Randa’s First Lieutenant, he is also ex-military, a
mercenary from higher up in the valley. He is
around 45, tall with wild greying hair. Also uses
sword, shield and Brigandine, and is a very capable
fighter. Has been with Randa for a year and a half.
Amalon: Second to die on the boat, almost bisected
by Makram.
Randa’s Second Lieutenant, an ex-member of
Herzog’s Band. Tends to remain in the background,
but has been with Randa the longest, and seems to be
the most trusted. Is non-military, but has been a
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bandit for about six years. He is a local lad, and has
family on the east side of the river.
Sava: See Makram Gamailyon.
A dark-skinned southerner, he is though to have
some magical or mystical skills. Not much is known
of him but he seems to be held in respect. He has
not been with them long – perhaps six months.
Seems to be some sort of advisor.
Dais: Commanding the Crossbow division – second
to be killed by Debitha, having his throat sliced
open.
Læferceastrian, ex-member of the Garde. Fled a
couple of years ago after making off with a payroll.
Was always someone to look out for his own self
above all others. Is known to be competent in
combat. If he were returned alive to Læferceaster,
his ex-squad mates would very much like to have a
friendly chat with him.
Virling: Remains behind at the camp, and is killed
by the Uruk Gashna.
The most recent member – a big fat northerner from
Maethelburg. He is as hard as nails, and rather
savage, but not particularly quick. He murdered
someone in a bar brawl about four months ago and
had to leave town – there is a price on his head,
payable in Maethelburg. Known to be lazy but is
strong and tough. Can be very fierce and cunning in
combat – someone that you should be very careful of
if you run into him.
---
Play up the personnel such that the players are
concentrating solely on them as the enemy. Sava
needs to be mentioned, but his qualities played down
– word was provided that he was a southerner with
mystical powers, so the assumption was made that he
was a mystic. No knowledge of his martial
knowledge or skills has made it out. Any comments
about the time period of the bandits radically
improving and Sava’s arrival should be dismissed as
simply coincidence.
Make whatever reasonable financial arrangements
are required for the PCs to undertake the mission,
and them inform them that the boat will be leaving
first thing tomorrow morning. Then end the scene.

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4.2 SCENE II – THE SPINNING
STORM
This scene takes place at the docks early the
following morning, and is mainly designed to
introduce the PCs to the boat and the crew, and to
mention the other passengers.
The PCs arrive as the boat is being loaded with bales
of wool. Introduce both Uolgen and Iliten, and then
have Iliten provide them with whatever information
that they PCs ask for.
After this scene, the players should be familiar with
the boat and its layout, and the personalities of its
crew. They may also have been given a run down on
how trading happens on the river, and what the
journey will entail. A mention of the other guests,
from the point of view of Iliten, should be made, and
perhaps a sighting of them, but they shouldn’t be
chatting to them yet – leave that until the next scene.
The entire scene should be reasonably short and run
with a hurried pace – as the PCs are on the dock
talking to Iliten, have then occasionally interrupted
by the labourers wanting them to move so they can
shift goods around.
As the conversation dies down, having Uolgen yell
from the deck to his son that they are leaving now,
and then having Iliten hurry the PCs on board so
they can depart, would be a good way to end this
scene.
4.3 SCENE III – THE RIVER
This scene is designed to allow the PCs to interact
with the other guests on board the boat. It can be
extended as much as required, as the journey may
take a while. It can be interspersed with descriptions
of the countryside or descriptions of other travelers
either on the river or on the paths that run alongside.
As stated above, you could split this scene into
Gladden and Anduin legs, and have a stopover in
Thistledow in the middle, if you so desire.
The relationships between the PCs and the various
NPCs should proceed as follows: -
Uolgen and Iliten will generally be too busy either
working or sleeping to have much interaction with
people. There are only two of them crewing the
ship, and one is required on the steering oar at all
times. Iliten will be acting a cook, so will be able to
occasionally chat, but not for long periods.
Hlothran will be in a foul mood for the entire trip.
He is feeling cornered and used, and will not be
happy with anyone. He will try to keep to himself,
and everyone else on the boat will be happy to ignore
him. He will spend a fair bit of his time sulking in
his cabin, tiny as it may be.
It will be obvious to all that Albeth and Helegorn are
guardsmen, and that they are escorting Hloithran
somewhere – even in civilian clothes, the context of
their relationship is plain.
At some stage, Albeth will covertly speak to a PC
without raising suspicion, to let them know that he
and Helegorn are aware of who they are and their
role. He will give a very good impression, and the
PCs should realise that he is quite competent and
intelligent.
One thing that you should endeavour to do here is to
effectively have Albeth “deputise” one of the PCs.
This should preferably be one of the more martial
and intelligent of the PCs, even if the player is not
necessarily the nominal leader of the group. Have
Albeth do most of his speaking to that one PC, and if
he wants the PCs to do something, have him
approach that same PC and ask him or her to pass
the message on. Not only will it involve that PC
more, but that way, that PC can be used in
subsequent scenes as the voice to express the
“official” line.
In public, he and Helgorn will be social with all,
Albeth more so, but it will be plain that they are still
sort-of on duty. Note that it should be made clear
that Albeth and Helegorn are cousins. Another note
to drop is that if and when they discuss their homes,
Albeth will jokingly make reference to Helegorn as a
“Swamp Rat”, and if questioned on this, will let the
PCs know that Helegorn’s home is near the North
Undeep wetlands
Safiya will look tired and worn out most of the time.
She will not be into much conversation, and will
generally only offer a wan smile is spoken to. The
only other guest that will be able to draw her out into
conversation will be Mornen, and that will mainly be
discussions about textiles and grandchildren, mostly
lead by Mornen. Safiya will tend to gravitate to
Mornen to sit. Make sure you make the point subtly
that her daughters both call her, “Umma”, which
most people should be able to figure out is their
familial term for Mother.
Nashita will be very watchful of any males PCs and
the three labourers, particularly any PCs who look as
if they are arrogant or confident, or of higher status.

She will be very protective of her mother and sister
and distrustful of the motives of others. If
approached by any males, she will automatically
assume that they are after one thing, and will be curt
and dismissive of them.
She will get a reputation from the labourers, who
will try to strike up a conversation and be rebuffed,
as being a “stuck up [expletive deleted].
Maha will generally avoid most males in the PCs,
but if there is a Healer or a non-martial (non-scary)
female, and especially if there is a female Healer, she
will look to strike up a friendship. This should be
encouraged, as it will directly affect the next scene.
She will generally avoid discussing what she is
doing in the Nan Anduin, simply saying that they
are “just passing through”, but the perceptive will
understand that there is more to it but she doesn’t
want to talk about it. She will be happy to discuss
both the Healing Craft and other topics, such as
weather or boys, but will generally not discuss
herself.
She may let it drop in general conversation that her
father is no longer with them, and he was lost only a
little while ago, but the general impression that she
will give is that he has passed away. She may also
let it be known that they have recently traveled up
into the Bight of Mirkwood, but no explanation will
be given.
When playing the Maha/Talc sub-thread, it will be
obvious that they like each other – it’s a small boat –
but it should not progress yet past the coy glances
and shy smiles. Nashita scares the hell out of Talc,
and he is not willing yet to risk her wrath by making
an approach to her younger sister, particularly as it is
also obvious that they are of different social strata.
Another point that you may want to subtly drop if
there are any elves in the PCs, is that Safiya and
Nashita don’t seem to be particularly enamoured
with them – Maha will be happy to be sociable, but
even she is hesitant.
Mornen will be happy to talk to anyone, but her
conversation will probably not be very exciting to
most adventurers. As noted above, she will succeed
mostly by being persistent and very nice in drawing
Safiya into conversation, which Safiya will actually
enjoy. PCs may get the impression that Mornen is
actually very intelligent and perceptive, but hides it
all very well under the “old granny” exterior.
Edron will always be happy to talk, and is quite a
talkative fellow, even if he does occasionally lose his
15
train of thought. It is he who will most likely
approach the PCs first, and will be happy to hear
their stories, and share his own. Any PCs who are
interested should be able to hear all about his estate
in Calenhardon where he runs sheep, and his
children and grandchildren, and issues with the wool
trade, and the effects of the plague, and the changing
weather, and various other topics.
Note that Edron is definitely not snobby or boastful,
and will act as a simple farmer. Of course the
players may wonder why a simple farmer and his
wife are able to travel such distances for a holiday.
If the PCs do make inquiries about his “farm”, such
as how many sheep he has, he will matter-of-factly
comment, “Oh, around two thousand or so.” and
then move the conversation along. He is quite happy
just to hear about the exploits of others.
Tanas, Talc and Gulas are happy to be social, and
will appreciate any of the PCs wanting to talk to
them. Edron is also happy to talk to the three, but a
little bit of his conversation can go a long way, and
given that he reminds them of their grandfather, they
feel restrained in conversation around him, as they
are continually having to self-censor their swearing.
The two older ones will also be happy to chat with
any females, and surprisingly, they don’t simply
have one thing on their minds. They are actually
quite well mannered and have obviously been
brought up well. If allowed, they will be happy to
flirt, but they are protective and considerate towards
women.
Note that Talc will get a fair bit of ribbing from the
other two about his being taken with Maha, but it
will all be very good-natured – Talc will do little
more than just pine. The two elder boys are much
more forward than Talc when it comes to women.
They will spend most of their time in good weather
sitting up on the bow, whereas Mornen and the
Gamailyons will spend most of the journey in the
cabin, thus Maha and Talc’s paths will generally
only bisect at meal times.
The only other point to be noted is if the PCs bring
up the idea of bandits to the crew or passengers. The
Gamailyons and Edron and Mornen are non-locals,
so will have no information or opinions. The boat
crew and the three lads will all be aware of Randa’s
band, and will even mention them by name as being
well-known bandits. They will generally be neutral
in their regard – the bandits generally avoid boats
and locals, so they don’t run into contact with them.
There will be some comment that even though

16
bandits in general are not liked, Randa doesn’t seem
to be as bad or maliciously nasty as some.
Most of these you will need to play by ear. Have
conversations when the PCs want them, but if they
don’t want to socialise, they don’t need to. This part
of the journey is rather long, but you don’t need to
play every mile.
4.4 SCENE IV – LORIEN
ARRIVAL
As they come down the Anduin, they will pass
through Lorien, and the Steormnestan will stop at
the Naith to unload and load cargo. It will be there
for a few hours, and the passengers are welcome to
disembark and stretch their legs, but the elves will
not particularly welcome strangers wandering
around their forest, so they will be restricted to the
Naith.
The main scene here will only take place if Maha
has befriended one of the PCs on the trip down the
river, and will only involve the two of them. As
such, it is probably best to play this scene with only
the player involved, as exposition will be given here
which may spoil the surprise for the other players.
Effectively, Maha will gravitate towards her friend
from amongst the PCs as they disembark, and will be
very excited about seeing the elves. Note that her
mother and sister will not be that impressed by the
elves.
After some conversation about wanting to see and
talk to the elven healers, Maha will impulsively walk
up to an officious-looking elf and ask if there are
healers nearby. The conversation should go
something like: -
§ Elf: - [Concerned] Why, are you ill?
§ Maha: - No, it’s just my friend and I [indicating
the PC and gesturing for her to come over] are
healers, and we were hoping to meet some
healers here, you know, to talk to then and see
what they do.
§ Elf: - [Slight pause with furrowed brow as he
surveys the two, and then glances over to the
rest of the party. He then reaches a decision,
and his brow clears.] Take that path up there
[indicating] then second path on the right.
There’s a small cottage on the left about forty
feet down. [Gestures to the guards to let them
through.]
On the way up, Maha and the PC (assuming she is
female) could chat about Talc, Maha asking along
the lines of, “Do you think he’s cute?” and “Do you
think he likes me?”
LONIATHIEL
When they arrive at the cottage, they will see an elf
out the front tending an herb garden. Her age will
be indeterminate, as with most elves, but she will
look warm, friendly and trustworthy. She will also
not express any surprise about her two visitors, and
indeed may give the impression that she has been
expecting them.
For additional surprise, have her address the two by
their names before they have introduced themselves.
If asked how she knows their names, have her
cryptically reply that word gets around fast in these
woods, which might make sense except that Maha
and the PC have not told anyone else here their
names either.
She will introduce herself as Loniathiel, and will
invite them inside for some refreshments and to talk.
Run about an hour or so of eating elven cakes,
drinking elven wine and discussing elven healing.
She will have great knowledge of healing herbs, and
her comments will be very educational to both Maha
and the PC. The “Hands of the Healer” Sourcebook
may be useful for this.
As time arrives to make their way back to the ship,
she will escort them out to the garden and gather
some herbs for them. As they say their good-byes,
she will have some parting words for them each.
She will firstly take the PCs hands in her own, and
speak some parting words. Obviously this will need
to be customised for the PC. This works best if you
have some short prophetic advice that you can give
to the PC. It doesn’t need to be anything major, but
just something that will give the PC the impression
that Loniathiel knows about stuff that she shouldn’t.
She will then take both of Maha’s hands in her own,
and look into her eyes for a moment, before saying to
her gently and softly, “What you are seeking may be
a lot closer than you think, and may turn up when
you least expect it. Do not be disheartened. And do
not lose your selflessness, kindness and generosity.
The help that you give to others, even though it may
be hard on you, and on those you hold dear, has a
way of coming back to help you out in the end.”
Maha will look stunned at this, and will be
speechless. Loniathiel will bid them both farewell,
and wave to them as they leave. She will not explain

any of her comments any further, but will simply
smile and say that the boat will be leaving soon, and
they will need to hurry back to make it.
RETURN
Maha will be very quiet on the return trip. If the PC
gently questions her, then she will come to a
decision, and draw the PC off the path. She will
swear the PC to silence over what she is about to say,
in that it cannot be told to anyone else. She will not
go on unless this pledge is made.
Providing it is made, she will then disclose the backstory
as to why they are here. She will mention the
fleeing from their home, and how their father left
separately and did not meet them. She will not
mention whom he worked for, or the reason for them
fleeing, merely that they had to, that “there was stuff
happening”.
She will be sure that Loniathiel was referring to her
father, in that they have been searching for him for
months. She may even mention in passing that her
sister’s fiancé is searching down south.
If by chance the PC mentions about the bandits (and
they shouldn’t – their mission isn’t supposed to be
common knowledge) and Sava, Maha will
immediately dismiss it. For a start, her father is a
knight and land-owner, not a mystic, and besides, he
would never join a bandit gang.
After ensuring once again that the PC won’t tell
anyone what she has said, they can return to the
boat, which is already prepared to leave, and just
waiting for the two of them to return. The boat will
then depart Lorien – End of the Scene and of Act
One.
5.0 ACT TWO –
TROUBLES
All scenes in this act occur at the same location – a
point in the Anduin about halfway between the
Celebrant and the Limlaith, shown on the location
map as “Initial Ambush”.
This is where the main combat occurs, and features
the ambush by Randa’s bandits followed in quick
succession by attacks from two separate orc bands.
This is designed to be quick moving, and several of
the sub-scenes in Scene I are designed such that they
can simply be read verbatim. Note that if you should
17
wish to run them as actual scenes, then notes will be
provided to assist.
5.1 SCENE I – BANDITS
This occurs at about 8pm at night, as the ship is
drifting down the river. Dinner should have
finished, and most people will either be in bed, or
relaxing in the main cabin prior to going to bed.
Run the entire afternoon from leaving the Naith so
that players aren’t suspicious, and then after dinner,
casually determine from the players as to what their
PCs will be doing after dinner.
This scene is probably the most crucial of the entire
module to get right, as it sets up the nature of the
main protagonist, Makrad, and also to a lesser
extent, that of Debitha. These two will, to some
extent, force the direction of the rest of the
adventure, so they need to be introduced well.
A BUMP IN THE NIGHT
This starts with a soft whump of a large crossbow,
followed by the whack of something solid hitting the
hull somewhere lowdown on the port forequarter of
the hull. Hearing checks may be required by the PCs
to detect this, depending on their current level of
awareness. Someone from a concealed position in
bushes on the left bank has just fired a bolt from the
Super Heavy Crossbow (see Items of Note) with a
rope attached, into the boat’s hull.
Some PCs may decide to investigate, but even if they
don’t, the boat should start pulling to port a couple
of seconds later. If the players aren’t aroused by
now, Iliten, who is manning the steering oar at this
point, will call out, “The boat’s snagged on
something at the bow, she’s pulling to port.”
It should only be a few seconds later that the boat
will swing around and head toward the shore, and
then impact on some rocks. There will be a loud
splintering sound, and a sudden jolt forwards as the
ship grounds out – this may throw people to the floor
if they are not braced.
The next few seconds should be pandemonium.
Albeth will immediately take charge, and will yell
for the women to take cover in the main cabin, and
the men to go forward to defend the boat (yes, all
right it’s sexist, but…
Remember that it is a narrow passageway, and many
people will be trying to get out of their cabins and
move up and down the hallway. There should be a
fair few collisions and pushing and shoving – no one

18
will be getting anywhere quickly unless they had
stationed themselves at a doorway.
One thing perceptive PCs may notice is that Nashita
comes out of her quarters holding a belt with two
swords, a bow and a quiver of arrows, and it doesn’t
look as if she will be going to hide in the main cabin.
As Albeth and whoever makes it out the front door
come up on the foredeck, there will be a shower of
half a dozen or so arrows fly overhead – most people
including Albeth will immediately hit the deck – it
would be natural for the PCs to do the same. No
arrows will strike home – they will all go high.
Albeth, in his best Captain Obvious impersonation,
will state, “They’re firing over our heads!”
Effectively, what should happen next is that the PCs
and other defenders should take cover either just
inside the doorway or crouched down on the side of
the cabin. Arrows may occasionally be fired from
thick cover to keep people’s heads down, but it may
be seen that none of them seem to be aimed to hit
anyone. As soon as everyone has taken a position
(and determine where everyone is) move to the next
section. Hopefully all the men (and Nashita and any
martial female PCs) should be down the front end,
except of course for Iliten who will remain at the oar.
All the female non-combatants, namely Safiya,
Maha, and Mornen, and hopefully the same PC that
Maha befriended should be in the cabin peering out
the windows. If you need to, have Maha grab the
PCs hand and pull her along for security.
Notes: If one of the PCs does decide to be a hero
and try to cut the rope holding the bolt to the
anchoring tree, then feel free to have one of the
bandits put an arrow in him – they are firing high
because they would prefer not to kill anyone if
possible, not because they cannot shoot straight. If
the PCs do try to be heroes, then feel free it
introduce an effect along the lines of bullet shyness
– give a negative modifier to any actions that they
try to accomplish whilst exposed to the archery,
regardless of whether or not they are hit.
Generally, the NPCs on board will not be trying to
be heroes – they will try to take up defensive
positions, but given the speed, at which the attack
occurs, not much should be allowed to be done.
UNINVITED GUESTS
If there is a PC in the main cabin, read the following
verbatim to that player only.
As you are peering out the window, you hear a sound
behind you, almost like a soft pop, and then you
suddenly get the feeling that the room is a lot more
crowded. Before you can react, you feel a man’s
hand grab you over the mouth from behind, and feel
a blade pressed against your neck. A soft firm voice
speaks into your right ear, “Be quiet, don’t struggle
and you won’t get hurt.”
You hear some muffled curses behind you, and see to
your right, a man with his hand over Maha’s mouth
with a knife in his right hand, pulling her up and
toward the front of the boat. At the same time, you
are pulled back off the bench and turned towards the
back exit.
In front of you, you see the back of a man exiting
through the rear stair with a loaded light crossbow
held in front of him. Behind him you see another
man with his back to you, holding on to Mornen
with his left hand and holding a sword with his
right, and walking her out. You are propelled out
behind them.
As you exit the stair onto the deck, you see the first
man aiming his crossbow at Iliten from point blank
range – Iliten has raised both his hands. You are
turned around to face towards the front of the boat,
and you hear the second man, who is now standing
on the deck just to your left with Mornen, shouting
out down the length of the boat
Effectively, what will happen is that the man holding
Maha with a knife to her throat will move forwards
down the passage, with Randa moving behind him
with Safiya and a sword. They will keep yelling for
the passengers to drop their weapons, and to move
back down onto the bow. Randa will check each
cabin as they go past to ensure no one is in them,
and there is nowhere to hide inside the cabins.
If the PCs are debating whether to launch an attack,
then Albeth will tell everyone to do as they are told.
The bandits won’t take any chances, and will do
their job methodically and thoroughly. Everything
should take place reasonably quickly, and not give
the PCs many options.
Randa will push all the men back to the bow, and
will release Safiya and let her go forward. Note that
the PCs should recognise him from his description –
if they are having trouble, one of the other
passengers can comment of who he is. The other
bandits will hold their positions and their hostages.
Randa will then ask for Hlothran to come forward,
which he will do reluctantly.

The next bit will need to be played by ear. Randa
will ask Hlothran, “So, you’re going to show Malion
where our camp is, Huh?” Hlothran will of course
express genuine surprise at this, because it is the first
he has heard of it – he doesn’t even know where
their camp is.
As this is happening, point out that four men have
stood up and started making their way leisurely
down the slope towards the bow of the ship. They
are all armed with short bows and swords in
scabbards. Now that the PCs have seen where they
have come from, they also notice three other men
still up on the slope – one kneeling behind a massive
crossbow on a stand on the ground, another kneeling
to the right of him and a third standing leaning
against a tree. A rope runs tautly from the tree to the
bow of the ship, where the PCs can assume some sort
of bolt is embedded.
If the PCs wish to speak up now, let them – Randa is
not averse to conversation, and he is not in any
hurry, but the PCs probably won’t get far. Run a
short session of debate, and then throw in the next
paragraph.
Nashita will have stopped motionless on the foredeck
at some point, and will be staring straight down the
ship, past Randa. As Randa moves forward, he will
notice her and gesture her back with his sword, she
will ignore him, and say loudly and clearly, “Aba?”
If the PCs react to this, well and good, but if they
ignore it, run a few sentences more of debate, and
then abruptly stop the players and move to the next
section.
Notes: The point of this sub-scene is mainly to get
Makrad on board safely such that he can meet up
with his family and realise the situation. To this
extent, the arrival mechanism of Makrad walking
some of the bandits on board, and them taking
hostages was designed to accomplish this with the
minimum of bloodshed and possible risks.
Be aware that the bandits are not stupid, and are not
going to blindly charge on and get killed. Providing
that the ship is run aground onto a rock, it should be
sufficiently immobile such that the bandits can wait
if needed
If the actions of the PCs are such that the bandits
would not be able to get on board safely, or without
major bloodshed of either themselves or the
passengers (they are not mass murderers) then they
could effectively conduct their negotiations from the
19
shore line. From that point, the adventure could
proceed roughly as planned
The main possible issues here will be if the PCs
decide to do something unexpected. If you have
impressed upon the players the leadership of Albeth
in the previous scene, then he can be used to calm
down overexcited PCs, particularly if he can direct
it through his “deputised” PC. Also, if you have
impressed upon them the relatively benign nature of
the bandits in previous conversation, then they
should be more willing to take it slowly.
Probably the most difficult task will be to conduct
the conversation at the end – it is hard enough to
conduct a two-way conversation between NPCs
without more being in the mix. For this
conversation, Randa, Hlothran and Albeth are all
natural respondants. Unfortunately, it is difficult to
script such a conversation, as hopefully the PCs
should also be getting in the act. You may want to
figure out some rough guidelines beforehand – if
some of your players are more inclined to
participate, then feeding them openings to interact
and take Albeth’s position would make your job
easier – then you can just naturally evolve to a
conversation between Randa and the PC.
A SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS
This sub-scene involves a lot of very quick combat
between NPCs, and a certain outcome is required.
As such, the players may feel left out slightly. This
section is written as several verbatim passages to be
read out. Pauses are set between each passage –
these pauses will give the player or players a chance
to take some action.
The suggested way to run this is that after reading
each passage, pause for about three or so seconds to
allow for player input. If none is forthcoming, move
into the next passage. Note that if the players do
come up with an action, the pauses should only allow
for the PC to perform a single action, such as
drawing a weapon or moving forward – if they state
more than this, then only allow their first action to
occur. The pause covers about a second of game
time – any further actions or extended actions should
be reserved for the next pause.
The first part is only for the PC who was grabbed
from the cabin, if one was, and should be run
separately to the other players. If no PC was
grabbed, move to the second half of this section.
If Makram is holding a PC, give the following
verbatim to that player only.

20
You feel the hand grasping your shoulder stiffen
slightly, before the presence behind you moves closer
and same low calm voice say to you, “Stay calm, stay
quiet, stay down.” The hand then pivots you around
until you are facing him, and then pushes you down
so that you are sitting with you back to the cabin.
[Pause – note that this should happen quickly, and
Makrad is strong and skilled enough that the PC
(assuming that they are reasonably compliant)
should not be able to resist. Only the player who is
being told this would have a chance to take action]
You see the person who was holding you, now
revealed to be a dark-skinned southerner, reverse his
sword in his hand, and without even looking at his
target, thrust backwards into the middle of the back
of the bandit holding the crossbow. The bandit
stiffens, gives a small sound, and then as the
southerner withdraws the sword tip, crumples to the
ground.
[Pause]
At the sound, the other bandit now to your right
holding Mornen turns and looks backwards over his
shoulder. Without even looking at him, the
southerner steps towards him whilst spinning his
sword around in his hand so it is held properly, and
swings the sword overhand down into the right
collarbone of the other bandit, slicing diagonally
down into the middle of his chest.
Even before he has fallen, the southerner then, with
a twist, pulls his sword out and steps directly towards
the cabin wall where you are sitting, and seems to
just blur as he comes towards you, and vanishes.
You feel suddenly very cold for some strange reason.
[Pause – assuming no action here, return to the
group – the following is for all players.]
Read the following section verbatim to all other
players.
There seems to be a bit of a disturbance down at the
back of the boat, and as you look down, there seems
to now only be two people standing up, when there
was six. Even Randa and the other bandit take a
look over their shoulders.
[Pause]
All of a sudden, a man just seems to appear, just
appearing as a blur and then solidifying as he steps
forward. He holds a black-bladed long-sword, which
he swings low and backhanded towards Randa.
Randa brings his own sword around quickly to parry,
but as the stranger’s blade comes around, he just
seems to flick his wrist slightly up, and Randa’s
sword spins out of his hand and skids over to rest
against the cabin wall.
[Pause]
The stranger brings his sword back on a high
forehand stroke towards Randa’s head, and
immediately steps diagonally towards the other
bandit – the one holding Maha, about five feet away
from him. He seems to blur as he steps forward, and
then disappears.
[Pause]
The other bandit is turning around, still holding
Maha with a knife at her neck, as the stranger
suddenly reappears near him with his sword held
slightly above and behind his head with the tip
pointed down and forwards. He almost delicately
thrusts the point of the sword into the other bandit’s
left eye.
[Pause]
As the bandit falls, he starts to drag Maha down with
him. The stranger reaches out and grabs her gently.
At the same time, you see Randa, five feet behind
and to their right, just collapse in a heap on the deck.
As he hits the ground, his body thumps down flat,
but his head bounces slightly, and then rolls away
about a foot. All of a sudden, blood starts spurting
out of his neck and right wrist.
[Pause]
As Maha looks up at this stranger, she cries out,
“Aba!” and then grabs on to him and hugs him
tightly.
Hopefully this should leave the players slightly
bewildered and lost for words. You can exaggerate
this by having Albeth ask quietly to no one in
particular, “What the [expletive deleted] just
happened?”
Point out the four bandits making their way down
the slope have all stopped dead, and are simply
staring up at the boat with open mouths. The three
up on the hillside are also stunned. Most of the
passengers on the boat aren’t sure what to do, either.
Nashita will be the only one who moves, moving
quickly to retrieve her bow and quiver, and then
moving to the other side of Maha and her father,

nocking an arrow as she does, but not aiming at
anyone.
The four bandits on the shore will take a couple of
hesitant steps backwards, unsure of what they should
do. They will be looking both at the boat and
glancing back at the three up on the hillside, looking
for direction.
Makrad will also look up at the three on the hillside,
and call out, “Its over, come down.” The three
figures (and they are some way off, and it is dark),
will pause, as if unsure as what to do.
Draw the pause out for as long as you can, but as
soon as the players act like they are going to do
something, move immediately onto the next section.
Notes: - This section is possibly the most contentious
in the adventure. What needs to happen here is
twofold: -
§ The majority of the bandits need to be killed
quickly and without any serious bloodshed by
the boat passengers.
§ Makrad needs to quickly develop a reputation
as someone seriously skilled, and someone not
to be trifled with. He needs to immediately
become the main focus of interest by the
players, but as someone whose skills place him
out of their league, and thus not able to be
directly challenged
If you would prefer to play this out rather than just
reading it direct, then you should do so, simply
using the outlined text as the rough method that
Makrad will use. Note that if done properly, most of
the boat occupants should not have time to react –
make sure that you check for surprise and inaction
by the PCs. The entire combat should be over within
five seconds, and if you need to fudge the combat
due to the system that you are using, you should do
so.
Remember that Makrad’s combat abilities should be
way out of the league of any of the PCs, or even
anyone that they have ever seen. Shock and awe is
needed here.
Note that if you do allow the PCs to participate, then
you will need to also ensure two other things: -
§ That they don’t go overboard and start killing
the bandits on the beach – three of them are
needed for the rest of the adventure. If they do,
then some sleight of hand can be used by having
the three required survivors being the bandits
up near the heavy crossbow, who will all
21
surrender in the next scene when Debitha
appears behind them.
§ That they don’t do anything to directly
challenge the bandits on the hill, such that they
would open fire on those on the boat. Note that
their inaction on the death of their leader is
reasonable and rational if it is one of their own
who is doing the killing – they don’t know what
is happening, and they don’t fully understand
who is a friend and who is an enemy. If,
however, the boat passengers start killing
bandits, then it would be obvious whom the
enemy is, and they would react appropriately –
in this case you would need to introduce
Debitha a lot earlier.
THE GANG’S ALL HERE
This section is much like the previous, in that it is
designed to introduce another major NPC, and
impress on the players his ability. Again, much of
this section is written as several verbatim passages to
be read out. Pauses are set between each passage –
again, run it much like the previous section.
Read this verbatim
Up on the hillside, the man leaning against the tree
bends and seems to say something quietly to the man
kneeling behind the crossbow. As he does, the
kneeling man seems to jerk and stiffen. The first
man turns to look behind him, drawing his sword as
he does, and suddenly from behind, a man appears
and slashes at his neck with a sword.
[Pause]
As the first man grabs at his throat, the bandit on the
right starts to get to his feet and is drawing his sword
when the new arrival grabs him by his shoulder and
stabs forward into his chest, running him through.
He twists as he does so, pulling the bandit in front of
him to shield himself, and then slipping further to
the right behind the tree, extracting his sword as he
does.
[Pause]
Almost simultaneously, the bandit kneeling behind
the crossbow and the one run through the chest both
collapse forwards. The third bandit, the one
grabbing at his throat, staggers down the slope,
taking about two or three steps before he pitches
forwards and starts rolling down the slope.

22
You notice one of the bandits on the shore start
running up the slope – the other three stand
motionless, looking.
[Pause – note that this pause will occupy a couple of
seconds of action. During this time, Nashita will
raise and aim her bow at the bandits on the shore,
though she will not fire yet, calling on them,
“Don’t!”]
The new comer reappears on the other side of the
trees with a drawn bow and nocked arrow, aiming at
the bandit running up the hill and calling out,
“Hold!”
[Pause – note that if any of the PCs act to fire at the
newcomer, she will seek to prevent them.]
As the bandit continues up the hill, the man pivots
and fires, and puts an arrow in his neck. Before the
bandit has even hit the ground, he has drawn another
arrow, and is aiming at the remaining three.
There should be a longer pause here, so the players
can get back into the action, although it is pretty
much all over. All actions can now take place at a
regular pace.
The three remaining bandits will surrender,
particularly if the PCs grab weapons and also cover
them.
Safiya will say very softly, “Makrad?” Makrad will
transfer his sword to his left hand and hold out his
right towards his wife, and she will go towards him
and her daughter and embrace them both.
The rest of the passengers will be unsure as to what
to do. Albeth firstly and then Helegorn following his
lead, will go to retrieve their weapons and check on
the passengers, calling out to those down the stern of
the boat as to whether they are all right. Albeth in
particular will give Makrad a careful long look as he
passes him, but will refrain at the moment from
questioning him.
Let the PCs reorganise and possibly rearm
themselves. Just as the PCs are about to start asking
questions, stop and read the next section verbatim.
The three bandits are starting to unbuckle their
sword belts as the newcomer comes down the slope
at a quick trot. As he passes them, he says to them,
“Keep them on, you’ll need them.”
As he approaches the ship, you notice that he is a
dark-skinned Variag. Nashita calls out to him,
“Deb, its Aba, he’s here!”
The newcomer replies to her, “Hi, yeah I know.”
He turns to the rest on the passengers on the bow and
says, “Look, I’ll explain later, but you need to get
this ship back out onto the river and get moving
now. We have twenty-five Uruk Shurkúmph out of
Nurn, shock troops, on their way here now, with
orders to kill everyone and everything. The advance
party will be here in five minutes and the rest here
inside twenty. We need to get out of here now.”
There is a slight pause, and then Uolgen speaks up,
“Uh, we can’t. We’re holed below the water line.
We can’t travel anywhere…”
Notes: - Again, this can be played out if needed
rather than read – much of this will depend on the
outcome of the previous scene, and should be run as
an extension of that. Again, the intent is to
introduce Debitha as appropriately impressive, for
much the same reasons as for the introduction of
Makrad.
Also note that the players may not be familiar with
the Variags of Khand, or the position that their
culture holds in Middle Earth in these times. They
may not attach the required symbolism to both his
appearance here so far from his home, nor to his
appearance as presumably one of the good guys.
You may need to go out-of-character to give a brief
description of who Variags are, and the position that
they occupy in society.
-- End of Scene I --
5.2 SCENE II – ORCS MARK I
This scene continues immediately on from the
previous scene. Again, try to run everything up to
the actual assault quickly, so as not to give the
players much time to think about things. Overload
them with information, and then let them sort
everything out in Scene III.
To be read verbatim
ORGANISATION
There is a slight pause whilst people digest this, and
then Uolgen continues, “If you can take care of the
advance party, I’ll try to put a temporary patch on, so
we can get out into the stream. We can’t go
anywhere, but…”
The Variag answers, “Right, I’ll need 5 peo…”
Nashita jumps down of the bow of the boat, and
makes her way to the beach.

“…ple.” The Variag watches her as she approaches
and looks as if he is going to say something to her.
He obviously reconsiders and turns back to the rest.
“OK, I’ll need four more.”
Here, selection needs to be made as to the other four
people to take on the Orcish advance party.
Obviously, any martial PCs should be high on the
list. If no one jumps in quickly to volunteer, have
Debitha select some – remember that the orcs are
expected in less that five minutes, so there is no time
for debates.
Non-martial PCs should remain on the boat, and
Debitha will dismiss any non-martial characters that
try to volunteer. If there are not enough martial PCs,
then add Albeth firstly, followed by Helegorn, to get
the numbers up. As soon as the selection is made,
Debitha will lead them back up the slope.
As they leave, let the focus remain with those on
board the boat for a minute.
Uolgen will yell for Iliten to fetch sailcloth, tacks
and a hammer, and will move to the large trapdoors
in the foredeck and open them. He will explain,
“Right, I need to shift some of this wool, to get to the
hole.” Tanas, Talc and Gulas will move in to assist
in the unloading, and everyone else will get out of
the way.
Read the next bit verbatim – even the players that
have headed off with Debitha can hear it, as they
will still be in range of the boat.
You notice that one of the bandits has walked over
and waded out to the side of the boat, and calls out to
Gulas, “Pass it here.” After a moments pause, Gulas
starts to swing the bale towards him.
As he does, you notice that the man obviously has
some orcish parentage – his face has distinctive
orcish features. One of the other bandits, a wellbuilt
young man with strawberry-blond hair, has
come after him, and exclaims from the beach,
“Trangul, what are you doing?”
As the half orc reaches for the bale, he simply states,
“We stay and help.”
“Didn’t you hear what he said, if it’s true, we got
orcs here in five minutes, we gotta go now.”
As the half-orc shoulders the bale, and starts back
towards the beach, he comments as he passes the
other, “If you want to go, go.”
23
The other bandit watches the half-orc walk past him,
then shakes his head and wades out to the boat to
grab the next bale.
THE ADVANCE PARTY
As Debitha leads the others up the rise, he will firstly
go up to where the three bandits on the slop were.
He will extract, wipe and re-sheath a throwing knife
that is jutting out of the back of the bandit that was
on the large crossbow. As he does so, he will
instruct someone to grab the device – if no one else
volunteers, Albeth will.
As he does, he will introduce himself by name, and
will explain about the Uruk Shurkúmph, armour,
weapons, attack patterns, use of drugs. Note that he
knows them extremely well – they were effectively
his local tribe when he was growing up.
He will suggest how to ambush them. His plan is as
follows: -
§ Place two people with the SHC in cover directly
on the trail.
§ Place the other four – two on each side, in cover
about 15’ to the side and 10’ ahead of the first
two.
§ The person with the SHC waits until the last
moment, and then fires at the tracker, possibly
managing to take down both him and his
guardian with the one shot.
§ The two forward orcs will then immediately
rush the position of the crossbow-man.
§ The other two groups then ambush the orcs as
they charge in.
He will be happy to listen to other suggestions, but
remember that time is limited – they cannot spend
more than a minute discussing this. Assuming they
run with this basic plan, you could put Debitha with
a PC on the right, Albeth with the SHC and a PC (or
Helegorn) in the middle, and Nashita and a PC on
the left.
Nashita will be non-communicative throughout all of
this, and the perceptive PCs may notice that she
seems to not be happy with Debitha, for some
reason. If they take it up with him, preferably in
private, whether he and Nashita know each other, he
will mumble something along the lines of, “Well,
she’s like … you know … sort of my fiancée.” If
anyone asks what is happening between the two of
them, he will just shrug, and say, “Don’t ask.”

24
If you as the GM are wondering what the issue is
between them, it’s a personal matter that they will
work out between themselves in Scene III, and it
won’t affect the story line.
As an option, if you want to introduce a bit of moral
discussion, have Debitha, when settled in his ambush
position, extract a small vial from his pouch, and
pour some of the viscous fluid onto his weapons. If
anyone asks what it is, he will inform them that it is
a poison. What happens next will depend on the
PCs reaction to this – if positive, he will be happy to
discuss the actual substance and its effects, if
negative, he will be genuinely surprised and puzzled,
and will simply comment, “They’re only orcs!” The
poison that he is using is a muscle relaxant.
The orcs should arrive exactly as Debitha said. Run
the combat as it seems fit, but the good guys should
be able to bring them all down quickly and with a
minimum of fuss. Note that these ones will have
taken Clax, but not Arclax – that stuff is only shared
out prior to combat.
After that, they should return to the boat.
PREPARATIONS
By the time they should get back, the preparation
should be in full swing, and there is probably not
much anyone else can do but wait.
Basically, what Uolgen will be doing is to get inside
the hull to where the hole is, and firmly tack a piece
of sailcloth over the hole. The ship won’t be able to
travel with this stop-gap measure, but he can at least
back it of the rocks into the stream and anchor it
away from the shore, this providing greater
protection. He will be happy to explain this as he is
doing it.
People should be preparing for battle – Albeth and
Helgorn will take the opportunity to don their
armour, and the PCs should probably do the same, as
we could assume that they were not wearing it all at
8pm on the boat. The three labourers will also don
their quilted vests, and Iliten will find his and his
father’s.
Nashita will also disappear to her cabin, and will
reappear sans dress wearing trousers, thick leather
boots, and a chain hauberk. The opportunity to place
the wool bales, in order to act as a barricade of sorts
– this will be suggested by Albeth – refer to the next
section for information on how that will work. PCs
could also introduce themselves to the three
remaining bandits. Whatever is done should be done
quickly.
Markhad and Safiya will probably be too deep in
conversation with each other to chat to others, and
they will speak in Apsaic to each other and will not
welcome intrusions -–they have a lot to talk about.
Maha, after some time, may come over to her friend
amongst the PCs and let him or her know that it is
her father. She will not know much of what
happened, but will obviously be very excited that he
is here.
At some stage, just as Uolgen is hammering home
the last tack, have whoever remained on guard at the
top of the rise (most likely Debitha) come back and
inform everyone that the main orcish force has
arrived.
There will then be a mad rush to push the boat out
from the shore, and get everyone on board, including
the three remaining bandits. A rear anchor will be
dropped, and the boat will then just float out in the
water.
Everyone should be assembled on the boat – if
anyone decides to form on the shore, Uolgen, Albeth
or Debitha will quickly dissuade him or her of that
notion.
One of the main but subtle points to make here is the
question of authority or leadership, and who looks to
whom, and who gives over to whom. Theoretically,
Albeth should be in charge, given that he is the
senior Gondorian soldier, and this is occurring in
nominal Gondorian territory, however given that the
area is at the northernmost reaches of Gondorian
claims, and given that it occurs on his boat, Uolgen
also has some authority.
Uolgen will graciously cede authority to Albeth, and
will point blank ask him to organise things. Albeth
will do a first-rate job of organisation, including
instructing people to place the ten bales of wool to
place (which are 4’ long and 2’ high and wide) – the
effects of these will be described in the next section.
Helegorn will of course look to Albeth, and it is
assumed that the PCs will also, at least to some
extent, given the natural independence of PCs. Note
that Albeth will certainly listen to the council of the
PCs, and may even take their advice – he’s not pigheaded
or proud by any means, but the commands
will come from him. He is a soldier first and
foremost, and that means chain of command.
Iliten and the three lads will look first to Uolgen as
being the oldest of the Northerners, and then
following his lead, look to Albeth.

You could subtly show this by having at the start as
everyone boards the boat, Uolgen and Albeth both
start to speak at the same time. They both then stop
and look at each other. After a very short pause,
Uolgen asks Albeth, “Would you mind taking
command of the defense?” Albeth will nod and
begin to do so. Uolgen will then catch the eye of his
son and the three lads and subtly point to Albeth.
Edron and Mornen are probably non-combatants,
however Edron will be happy to assist as much as his
failing hips will allow – they will also respect the
authority of Albeth.
Edron will go and retrieve Randa’s broadsword
(unwrapping his amputated hand from the hilt as he
does) and scabbard, and fasten it on. He will try to
take a position where he can lean against the cabin
roof for support – his mobility and stability are
rather suspect. Albeth, assuming none of the PCs
do, will show some concern towards him, and will
ask if he is sure that he can do this.
Mornen, assuming none of the PCs have grabbed it,
will pick up the light crossbow – she will show some
suprising skill with it. If asked, she will comment
on how she used to go hunting with a light crossbow.
Makrad will be rather withdrawn – he will ensure
that Safiya and Maha are both inside the cabin at the
front, and then will station himself on the edge of the
boat near the front door to the cabin. He will
prepare to defend his location, and Albeth will quite
wisely refrain from offering him any direction.
Nashita will station herself to the right of her father.
Debitha, if not a natural leader, is certainly a natural
Second-in-Command. He will be talkative, and will
move up and down the boat once he arrives on
board, helping to instill morale. As soon as he
arrives on board, he will take note of the dynamics,
and will move to back Albeth by asking him, “Where
do you want me?”
In some ways, his willingness to work with others
will put him at odds with both his fiancé and his
future father-in-law. Again, you could subtly show
this by having Nashita say quietly, “Deb?” and
indicate a place to her right as Debitha passes by her
position. Debitha will answer, “I’m needed over
here.”, and keep going. Nashita will give a dirty
look at his back as he continues, but won’t say any
more.
The three bandits will be an interesting issue. Raban
in particular, and Tama to some extent, will both
look to Trangul for leadership and direction.
25
Observant PCs may notice that Trangul looks first to
Makrad for direction, and not finding it there, will
look hesitantly to Albeth. It will be plain that the
bandits are still not sure of their place here. They
will obviously prefer to support each other
The entire length of the boat is 40’, so firstly the PCs
and NPCs, all armed as they see fit, should be
arranged along that length. Don’t forget the
polearms lashed on the top of the cabin, and that
apart from the SHC, three short-bows and a light
crossbow can also be obtained from the dead bandits.
The SHC should probably be set up on the top of the
cabin, and fired by someone standing behind the
cabin – who this falls to is up for debate.
Have a small quiet wait, then have the main party of
the Uruk Shurkúmph suddenly come all charging as
one over the top of the rise, all yelling at the top of
their voices – enough to scare anyone.
The assault has begun…
THE ASSAULT
The easiest way to run this is as follows: -
From the crest of the rise to the bottom is a distance
of 40’ running at a 45° decline. From the bottom of
the slope to the shoreline is about 10’, with the boat
anchored a further 6’ out from the shore in about
2½’ of water. The deck then rises a further 3’ from
the waterline, with the hull extending a further 6”
above the hull. The railing is a further 3 ‘ above
that, but that can be ignored, as the orcs will be
clambering under the rail.
Arrange the 20 orcs along the top of the ridge. For
all intents and purposes, treat them all as identical.
Their tactics will be simple – charge towards the
boat by the straightest route, and attempt to get on
board and hit stuff with their falchions. Much of
their tactical skill is the result of their ingestion of
Arclax, which they will all have juiced up on prior to
the assault.
For each orc running down the hill (and they will
come charging down a breakneck speed), roll
percentile dice. A 01 to 10 indicates a stumble and
fall, with the roll indicating the position on the slope
– 01 being just as they come over the crest, and 10
being where it flattens. A stumble will cause the loss
of one round for them as they pick themselves up.
For any who stumble, make a DEX or Maneuver
roll, depending on what system you use – a failure
indicates a fall meaning the loss of two rounds of

26
action (instead of one), a critical failure will indicate
a face plant, with a resulting damage roll.
Also, any serious leg wounds incurred whilst
running down the slope should also cause a DEX or
maneuver roll as above.
On the flat section, the players will have ten bales of
wool to place (which needs to have been done first).
The bales are 4’ long (and 2’ high and wide). Orcs
will try to go over them, not around them, so any
bale that is placed in the direct path of an orc will
require them to make a DEX check or a maneuver
roll, depending on what system you use. A failure
will cause the loss of one round of action, a critical
failure will indicate a face plant, with a resulting
damage roll. Stacking bales should increase the
difficulty of the roll.
Once they have reached the boat; due to the depth of
the water, they will be unable to take a running leap
on board, so will be forced to either swing
awkwardly at the legs of those on board, or clamber
up on board, which will certainly expose them.
Effectively, this should be pretty much a turkey shoot
for the good guys, albeit with very tough and
persistent turkeys. These guys shouldn’t drop at the
simplest wound, you should need to hurt them a hell
of a lot, but they will be at a distinct disadvantage,
and so should be able to be really pummeled without
placing too many of the good guys at risk.
There then exists the issue of the shaman. He will
place himself up on the ridgeline in some trees and
start merrily chanting away. The effects of this
chant will also depend on the system that you play,
but could be along the lines of improving the orcs
rolls, reducing the rolls of the good guys, causing
thunder, lightning and rain, or have absolutely no
game effect at all, apart from possibly annoyance.
Either way, he should be easily able to be picked off
by either bow or the Super Heavy Crossbow,
providing careful aim is taken. He won’t have
partaken in Arclax (it stops him remembering the
words), so should be able to be dropped normally.
This scene should end with the good guys surveying
a large pile of dead orcs.
5.3 SCENE III – REPAIRS AND
REPARATIONS
This scene occurs at the same location as before,
between about 8:30pm and 6am the following
morning. It will allow the PCs to catch their breath,
and work out what actually just happened in the
previous scenes. A lot of this is exposition, and the
majority will need to be played by ear. Some
verbatim passages are given for the major plot
points, but the PCs should not be given everything
on a plate.
HANG-ON, WHAT, MORE?
As the passengers and crew are surveying the dead
orcs, conversation will probably turn to what
happens now. Uolgen will comment that he will
need to properly repair the boat to continue the
journey. Debitha, who is starting to look very weary
by now – he has been travelling a long distance
without sleep for some time, will comment as in
passing as he rubs his eyes, “Yeah, well, you should
have about six to eight hours before the Uruk Gashna
arrive.” This should elucidate a lot of surprised
questions from the others.
Debitha: “Oh sorry, I thought I mentioned that.
There’s two groups of orcs headed here – the
Shurkúmph and the Gashna. You should have at
least six hours before they arrive, though.”
Someone else: “What, aren’t they as fast as this lot?”
Debitha: “Ah no, its just that when they found the
bandit’s trail, the Shurkúmph came straight here,
whereas the Gashna headed eastwards first to clear
out the bandit’s base camp, then after they do that,
they will have to turn back.”
At this, the three remaining bandits should be
stunned and anxious, and will exclaim that they need
to go back and help their friends. Debitha will again
be apologetic, and will explain that there’s no point,
that everyone left at the camp will now be dead. He
will finish with a rather lame, “Sorry.” The three
bandits will definitely be both upset and stunned by
the news, and will be at a loss for words.
No doubt, after a short pause, someone will ask why,
or what the orcs have against the bandits. Debitha
will reply, “Their orders were to kill everyone and
everything that… [The perceptive will note that he
will swiftly glance at Makram], to kill everyone and
everything.”
As others start asking questions, Makram will
suddenly take command and will interject, “Perhaps
we should first start on the repairs. I’m sure that
once we have organised that, there will be plenty of
time, and Debitha will be able to give us all a full
understanding of what the situation is.”

After agreement is obtained on this, Uolgen will take
over and will state what needs to be done.
AD-HOC BOAT REPAIRS
In brief, what needs to be done is as follows.
§ A set of “legs” needs to be taken from the boat,
where they are stored, and set up on the beach.
§ The boat is then run onto the beach, and through
manual labour, hauled partway onto the beach
and lent over on its starboard side (so the hole is
exposed).
§ The front hold of the boat needs to be partly
unloaded so that free access is available to the
damage.
§ Once this is all done, the rest of the work can
pretty much only be performed by Uolgen and
Iliten. If PCs have any applicable skills such as
carpentry, then they can assist, but Uolgen and
his son will be working most of the night and
morning.
§ They will need to knock out the two
damaged boards (the ship is clinker-design),
and chop out the damaged areas with adzes.
§ Then using the planks they have on board,
cut out some pieces to fit the chopped out
areas.
§ The boards with the replacement pieces will
need to be refitted and nailed in place.
§ Pitch, stored on board, will then need to be
heated up and used to caulk and seal the
boards in place.
§ To finish up, Uolgen will then tack another
piece of sailcloth tightly in place on the
inside over the damaged area, as a backup.
Aside form this, certain other tasks are required,
such as gathering wood for a fire (they are going to
be here for a while) and dealing with the corpses all
over the place. The orcs can probably just be
dumped either in the river or in a mound
somewhere, but there will be some comment that the
bandits should all be at least buried.
Note that burning of corpses will be discouraged –
whilst it looks good in movies, bodies really only
burn well at high temperature, and chopping down
enough wood to build the required pyre to burn all of
them would take a huge amount of time. Besides
that, burning flesh is not a pleasant smell, and the
light from a huge funeral pyre is rather hard to hide.
27
Whatever happens, something will need to be done,
as the scene is rather unsightly.
Once these basic tasks have been performed, and you
can just run through them briefly rather than
running every minute, all can gather around the fire
for Debitha’s explanation. Note that those working
on the boat will still be able to hear.
A FIRESIDE DISCUSSION
This involves a lengthy piece of verbatim text, which
effectively comprises an overheard conversation
between two NPCs. As such, it may prove tedious to
some players, but it required to provide the major
part of the back-story in a form of disclosure that
would make sense given the nature of the NPCs.
PCs may of course interject, but nearly all of what
they need to know should be disclosed here. If they
do go off on a tangent, then you will need to break
from the script and play it by ear. Note that this is
designed to create more questions than it does
answers, so that players will have to start asking
around for further answers.
Start this off with everyone gathering around the
fire. Someone will probably ask why there are two
groups of orcs trying to kill all the bandits. Run the
following from there.
Makrad responds, “Well, given that both the
Shurkúmph and the Gashna are from Mordor, I
assume that it probably has something to do with me
– if it was a local matter, they would have originated
from Mirkwood, but as to why the extent of the
order, that I don’t know. I could understand an
order to recapture or kill me, but if it also covers
those I have associated with, then there is more to it
that I don’t realise.”
He looks across at Debitha, and says, “I assume that
you do know, or at least have some sort of idea?”
Debitha seems to not be too sure as to where to start.
He asks Makrad, “How much do you remember of
what happened?”
Makrad runs his hand through his hair, and replies,
“To be honest, not a great deal. My previous life
prior to the last eight months was very much a blur
until before on the boat”; he jerks his thumb back
towards the boat. “Then, all that sort of came back
to me in a rush, but still the period between setting
out northwards from Ostigurth up to meeting up
with Randa is a blank.”

28
He rubs his face, “Even the last six months have
been a bit of a blur. I’m not sure what happened,
some head injury perhaps, but I can’t find any scars,
but something obviously happened on the trip
north.”
Safiya starts saying something in a foreign language,
but he cuts her off, “We’ll speak in Westron. If they
have been marked for death, then they deserve to
know why.”
He looks at Debitha, “What did I miss?”
Debitha takes a deep breath, and starts, “After you
didn’t turn up, Nashita contacted me, and I went
back into Mordor to try and follow your movements
– to see if I could find you. You and five others set
out from Ostigurth northwards to cross the Ered
Lithui. A couple of days after you left, someone
must have realised something was wrong. Either
someone talked, or someone guessed something”, he
shakes his head, “there was a lot of confusion.”
“People were sent after you, and others were sent to
intercept you. They were both very small bands – it
was all very hush-hush, as no one was sure what was
happening. They caught up with your party halfway
across the Ered Lithui.” He takes a deep breath,
“Three of you died and the other three were
recaptured and taken to the slave pits at Ostigurth.”
He pauses, as if unsure where to go next.
Have a bit of a pause here, in case any of the PCs
would like to point out the obvious numerical error.
Makrad gently points out, “I think that there may be
a bit of a problem with your arithmetic. There were
six of us in the party, and I was one of them, so
unless I escaped from the slave pits very quickly…”
Debitha continues very slowly, “No, no error. No,
you didn’t escape from the slave pits.” He looks at
Makrad, “You were one of the three who died.”
Again, have a small pause here to allow people to
comment. Both Makrad and Debitha will just
continue to look at each other, and won’t respond to
any direct questions.
Makrad asks gently, “Could my death have been
announced prematurely?”
Debitha slowly speaks, “I managed to get into the
Ostigurth slave-pits, Jamal had already died in there
by the time I got access, but Willan and Botha were
both still alive – I don’t know whether they still are.
Willan was certain – he confirmed that you were
dead, and he had protected and carried your body for
some hours. He personally built a cairn over you on
the top of one of the mountains…”, he trails off.
Makrad slowly nods, and after a short pause,
comments, “So obviously my appearance here is
intriguing to my former Mistress, and given the use
of the Gashna, presumably also to the Lieutenant of
Barad-dûr.”
Again, another small pause to allow people to
comment. Makrad just looks at his feet as if to figure
out what is happening and Debitha will just continue
to look at Makrad.
Makrad speaks slowly, “But intriguing as that must
be, and it would certainly provide additional reasons
for wanting to have a friendly chat with me, it
doesn’t fully explain the contact-extermination
order. Nor why troops would be sent from both
Nurn and Mordor when Dol Guldur is so close. Nor
why two such disparate tribes would be used, unless
there was some sort of competition happening here.”
He looks up at Debitha, “And I am assuming here
that you can explain this, but would prefer not to?”
Debitha looks at the ground, before looking up at
Trangul, the half-orc bandit, “You refer to Makrad
as ‘Sava’, why is that?”
Trangul replies slowly, “When he first came to us,
he was dirty and disheveled, and couldn’t remember
anything about himself. When we asked him his
name, he said he was something like ‘Savalon’, so
we called him ‘Sava’.
Debitha breathes out and looks back at the ground,
and speaks carefully, sounding each word out, “Saif
Alim, the Sword of Shadows.”
Makram unconsciously places his left hand on the
pommel of his sword. He then speaks softly and
slowly, “What exactly were the orders given to the
orcs?”
Debitha replies after a pause, “To kill everyone and
everything that has come in contact with you; to
either capture or kill you; and above all else, to
return with the sword. They had some sort of
informant in the bandits, and word has got back
about you, and it seems that someone has started
thinking about things. They sent a party up secretly
to check out the cairn where Willan buried you, but
no one is letting on what they found.”
Makram rubs his face, then stands up and starts to
walk out of the circle. Maha exclaims, “But I don’t

understand, you’re here, so you can’t be dead!
There’s obviously been some mistake!”
Makram pauses, and says, “I have fought beside
Willan for over forty years, he was my closest
comrade – he rocked your cradle when you were
small. He would not have made a mistake.”
He walks off into the darkness, and after a moment,
Safiya follows him.
As they walk off, everyone will start talking,
including probably the PCs. Most of the NPC’s will
not be sure what has just happened, or how it all
adds up.
If anyone goes to follow Makram and Safiya,
Debitha will motion them not to, or ask them to
leave them alone. Nashita will move over to be next
to Debitha, and he will put his arm around her –
neither will be in the mood for talking. They will
also get up and move off together.
Most people will disperse in a bit of a daze after this,
though it will be a topic of conversation. This can be
to establish watches, assist with the boat, or simply
to discuss things privately. The only people left
should be Maha, Edron and Mornen and the PCs (if
they remain.)
A CONVERSATION WITH MAHA
Maha will look for her friend amongst the PCs, and
will go to her saying, “I don’t understand. What’s
going on.” She will be very distressed, and it will be
up to the PC to calm her down and explain things, if
they can.
Maha will be in a bit of a daze, and will want to
remain with her friend. Given what has occurred,
she will be willing to disclose more of her backstory,
including their family name and background,
the identification of the Lady (Adunaphel) and her
father’s occupation (Steward and Garrison). Note
that she is not familiar with any inner workings, and
she doesn’t understand the politics that occur. She
has led a rather sheltered life.
She will get more upset if people push her, and will
require gentle handling. Edron and Mornen will be
pleasant and understanding. If the PC doesn’t want
to look after Maha, or if they start pushing too hard,
then Mornen will step in and will try to settle her
down. They will be interested in knowing the full
story, but they will not inquire closely themselves.
If the name of Adunaphel is mentioned, some or all
of the players (or at least the PCs) may not recognise
29
the name. When it is mentioned, have the perceptive
amongst the PCs notice a quick look between Edron
and Mornen. Note that Maha will not know any
more of Adunaphel, merely that that is the name of
The Lady.
If the PCs don’t pick up on the name, have Mornen
interject quietly with, “Maha, how long have your
family been in the service of the Lady?” Maha will
respond, “Since Vamag.” Mornen and Edron will
exchange an even longer look, which Maha will spot
and begin to get worried. Mornen will then start to
calm her down, and will gesture to Edron to take
over with the PCs.
If the PCs start asking Edron or Mornen as to who
she is, Edron will look at Mornen, and after a pause,
she will give a small nod. Mornen will then take
over the calming down of Maha, and Edron, after
indicating that the PCs should follow him, will stand
up and make his way over to the riverbank, out of
earshot of others. It will be obvious as he walks that
his hip is starting to play up again and is painful.
A SHORT HISTORY LESSON
Assuming that the PCs follow him, Edron will stand
in quiet thought for a moment, before saying, almost
to himself, “Adunaphel. It has been a long time
since I have heard that name. And much longer
since she has used it herself, I’d wager. “Nine rings
for mortal men, doomed to die”. Except it was
actually eight men and one woman.” He will give a
sigh and turn to face the PCs, particularly a
Dúnedain if one is amongst their number, “How
much do you know of your history?”
From here, you will need to play it by ear. Edron
will be able to disclose the following points. Note
that he will prefer to do it in order – it’s easier for
him to remember that way. He may also be inclined
to go into too much unnecessary detail, and over
think things – that’s just the way he is. Of course, if
the players start getting annoyed, you may want to
just cut to the chase.
Adunaphel was the cousin of Tar-Ciryatan, the
Twelth King of Númenor, and it was in his reign
that it is held that the first coming of the Shadow on
our ancestral land was felt, for whilst he was mighty,
[sigh] he was also greedy. It was under his reign
that our ancestors came to view Middle Earth as a
prize to be divided up – as spoils to reap.
Adunaphel was no exception. She first landed at
Umbar, then just a small Númenorean anchorage, in
the early years of the twentieth century of the Second

30
Age, and set about establishing her own demesne.
She settled at Vamag, on the northwestern tip of the
Umbarean Peninsula.
She showed great skill at nation building, and by the
end of the century she became the effective ruler of
all the country between Ramlond and the Nen
Umbar, paying tribute directly to Tar-Ciryatan.
Only then a dispute opened between Adunaphel and
Tar-Ciryatan. The King ordered her to remove all of
her forces from Umbar itself, and Adunaphel
refused, considering it an insult. The dispute went
on through diplomatic channels for almost fifteen
years, before things changed.
For then the Variags of Khand – yes the forebears of
young Debitha over there – invaded the Haruzan and
threatened Umbar itself. The Governor of Umbar
was slain along with many of his men, and for the
first time in its history, the Variag nation stood ready
to wash its horses’ hooves in the sea 3 .
It was Adunaphel herself, now calling herself Ard
Veraba, who rallied both the Haruze and the
Númenoreans to defend Umbar, and under her
command, she fought the Variags to a standstill.
Indeed, when the relief force from Númenor arrived,
they found that their native allies were now less than
subservient, and they found that they themselves
were forced to fight under Ard’s banner. It was Ard
herself who lead the forces eastwards and recaptured
Pezarsan and Chelkar, and became the greatest of
the Lords of the region.
[A sigh and pause]
Whilst it was not known at the time, it is held that it
was during the time of the dispute with her cousin in
Númenor that Adunaphel accepted one of the nine
rings from the Dark Lord, and became the Seventh
of the Úlairi – the mortal men doomed to die. And it
was her opponent at the time, Uvatha Ito Uchef, who
accepted the ninth. Both profited greatly by the
twenty-year war, both using it to carve out an
empire.
[Another sigh and pause]
3 When Uvatha Ito Uschef first began his invasion,
he stated that his armies would, “wash our horses’
hooves in the sea”. This has since then become a
very famous quote, used by many others, most of
whom would not know who the original author was.
She ruled the Haruzan for almost 300 years, until in
the year 2200 of the Second Age, alarmed by Tar-
Amcalimon’s talk of Empires, she moved to
consolidate her holdings and rule in her own right.
She captured and held all Haruzan, and then moved
against Umbar itself, by then a Royal Haven. And
there, north of Umbar at the Pass of the Gleaming
Shore, she came upon the Nen Umbar Garrison, and
her forces were destroyed in battle.
Ard herself fled from the defeat, and the subsequent
reconquest of the Haruzan by Tar-Amcalimon, and
from there her history in murky. Some time later in
Chelkar, a cult arose dedicated to the “Dark Lady”
and it was felt with the hindsight of history that this
was the remnant of Ard Once Vain. And there she
lived for a thousand years. Until the end of the Age,
when the Dark Lord was destroyed, and Barad Dûr
was broken, and all of the Úlairi fled – some thought
destroyed.
[Longer pause]
And that was all that we knew for certain. There has
been some thought that the Úlairi have returned –
there is some though that the Witch King of Angmar
is one such, and even some though that the
Necromancer of Dol Guldor to our northwest is
another. But it was all speculation. [Pause] …All
speculation.
After this, he will be visibly weary, and will look to
return to his wife’s side. He will show no anger or
hostility, and instead will show some concern for the
plight of the Gamailyons. He will also note that it
seems that the Gamailyons are fleeing from the
Lady’s service, and as such, should not be considered
automatically as enemies, and in fact may need their
help.
Even if after all this, the PCs want to go and
challenge Makrad, Edron will try to caution then and
restrain them. He will be of the opinion that, “We
don’t know the full situation, so we shouldn’t be to
quick to judge”, and “The Gamailyons were nice
people before, and this shouldn’t change that”.
He will also point out that, “Look, I’m sure that if
they would like our help, they will ask for it.
Perhaps we should just give them some time. I think
that they have a lot to discuss, and I don’t envy their
choices.”
AN OVERHEARD CONVERSATION
As the party goes to leave the shore after the
conversation with Edron, they may notice Trangul

standing further along the shore looking out into the
water. As they watch, Tama will come down to join
him. If anyone is interested, they may be able to get
close enough to overhear the conversation.
Tama: “So it’s something to do with that sword
then, is it? Is it worth something?”
Trangul, in disbelief: “Are you thinking of trying to
take it off him? You do remember what happened to
the last person who tried that, right?”
Tama: “I’m just saying that we need to look after
ourselves. You saw what Sava, or whatever his
name is, did to Randa and Amalon and the others.
They were supposed to be his friends, and he killed
them like that. He’s not one of us – you heard them.
We can’t trust him, we’re on our own. Now look, if
we can get to say Onodrith, we can start working for
ourselves. We can start up again.”
Trangul: “I think that, given my appearance, I don’t
really think that I would be welcome in any town.”
Tama: “Well we can work together. I’ll be the front
man, and you can be the muscle. One of these
smaller villages, we can take over. Just the two of us
– it’ll be easy, you and me. Trust me.”
Trangul: “And Raban?”
Tama: “Well, I mean, he can’t really do much, can
he?”
At this, Trangul abruptly will turn and walk away.
If he notices the PCs, he will check his pace for a
minute, and then continue, nodding to the PC as he
passes. He will continue up to the top of the ridge to
take over watch duty.
FURTHER CONVERSATIONS
From here on in, play it by ear. Don’t forget that it
is late, and people may want to get some sleep.
Blankets can be brought out and people can sleep on
the shore near the fire – the boat is currently on a bit
of an angle. Also note that watches should be kept,
and the PCs should be involved in this.
As for everyone else...
Makrad and Safiya, and Debitha and Nashita will
both want time alone. They will keep their own
council, and it will be clear that they do not want to
talk with anyone else. Both couples will have a lot
to discuss, and will do so in low voices such that
their conversations cannot be easily overheard.
Some players may wish to push conversations with
them, and if so, you will need to play them by ear.
31
Nashita will certainly not want to talk, and will go so
far as to bluntly tell anyone pushing themselves to
“Go away”, or words to that effect.
Debitha will be happier to be sociable, but it is
obvious that he is very tired. He will not want to
discuss the family as it is not his place to do so, and
he will make this obvious. He will defend Nashita if
the PCs are rude towards her.
Safiya will seem rather upset and will not speak to
any PCs, and will remain with her husband who will
protect her.
If the PCs try to talk to Makrad, he will try to be
civil if the PCs are also. He will not discuss his
background or history, because as far as he is
concerned, it is not relevant. The reason for the orcs
being after them is relevant, as it affects the people
on the boat, but his life doesn’t. He will tell the PCs
this, bluntly if they continue to press.
If they wish to discuss with him his future, he will
thank them for their concern, but will state that it is
his problem, not theirs. He doesn’t know what he or
his family will do, and will suggest to the PCs that
they concern themselves with their own wellbeing.
He will suggest that at the moment, all they should
be concerned about is getting out of here on the boat
before the Gashna arrive.
Note that if the PCs do start causing a scene, others
will arrive, and Albeth, Helegorn and the others will
all be on the side of preserving the peace, which will
most likely be on the side of the Gamailyons. Given
that there is the threat of orcs, all else is secondary.
Note that no-one else other than Albeth, Helegorn,
Edron and Mornen is familiar enough with history to
know of Adunaphel or the Nazgul – the overthrow of
Sauron was 1600 years ago. The most that they can
be convinced of is that Makrad used to work for
someone who isn’t nice, which as far as most are
concerned, is a sufficient reason for them escaping.
Uolgen and Iliten will continue working on the boat,
with anyone who wants to help them. They will be
very busy, and will not be into chatting. They have
their own thoughts, but will keep them to
themselves, being rather non-committal.
Albeth and Helegorn will busy themselves with
organising guard shifts – they will be happy to talk
with the PCs, but they don’t fully understand the
situation either. Their basic response will be to
shrug their shoulders, and say, “We just do our jobs,
and see what happens.”

32
Hlothran will be annoyed with both the two guards
and with the PCs, as by now he will have figured out
that he was set up as bait, and the PCs were in on the
act – he’s not totally stupid. He now has a grudge
against everyone, and will not want to be social.
The three labourers will be bemused and puzzled by
what has occurred – most of what was said went
right over their heads. Talc will be concerned for
Maha, and may ask her friend if she is all right, but
he will recognise that it is family business, and will
not want to stick his nose in. They will take part in
the watches, but will otherwise also try to get some
sleep.
The three remaining bandits will be very rather
private – they don’t fully trust the others yet. The
PCs can talk with the bandits if they so choose, and
the bandits may disclose some of their back-stories –
play it by ear.
5.4 SCENE IV – ORCS MARK II
Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Uolgen
and Iliten will have finished with their repairs, and
will call upon everyone to assist them to reload the
cargo and refloat the ship. This should all be done
successfully.
As the ship floats out in the river, and most stand on
the bank watching Uolgen critiquing his work, a call
will come out from whoever is on watch duty, that
orcs are approaching fast. There will then be a mad
scramble for everyone to get on board.
As they all get on board, and the ship gets underway,
the Uruk Gashna will appear on the ridge and come
charging down, firing arrows as they come. They
will follow the ship down the shore as far as they can
before it gets out of range of them, still firing.
Play this scene as you see fit, but apart from Iliten,
who is on the steering oar and thus exposed,
everyone else should be taking cover either inside the
cabin or crouched behind the cabin, and thus no one
else should be in struck. Feel free to roll dice and
describe the attack.
Just before the ship finally outpaces the orcs, there
will be a yell from the back of the boat. Anyone
looking will see that Iliten has an arrow embedded in
his left bicep. He will call out to anyone who looks
like that they are going to assist him, “Stay down,
I’m fine, its all right.”
As the ship drifts out of sight of the orcs around a
bend, someone should go to check on Iliten. As they
do, Iliten’s face will become pale, and he will
collapse on the deck. Someone should quickly take
the oar, and Iliten should be carried into the cabin
and laid on a bench – he will not look good. The
wound itself looks like there is some sort of blue
paste substance in there, which looks like it was
coated on the arrowhead.
As someone goes to look at the wound, Debitha, who
has just arrived, will spot the wound and exclaim,
“Don’t touch the arrow, its poisoned!”
-- End of Scene and End of Act Two --
6.0 ACT THREE –
HEALING
At the start of this act, the PCs (and other
passengers) should believe that they have escaped
the orcs. The last parting gift of the orcs was to
leave one person poisoned, and the PCs will need to
obtain medical supplies, which involves stopping at
a swamp and searching for a particular herb.
It is then that they will find out that the orcs are not
going to give up, and this act will end on a touch of
sadness and despondency.
This works best by splitting up the PC party. It
contains six short scenes that involve quickly cutting
between the various groups. Note that there will be
no need to run each group separate from the other –
the scenes are written such that knowledge of what is
happening to one group will not adversely affect the
other, and may even heighten the tension.
6.1 SCENE I – A MESSY WAY TO
DIE
Start this scene up right at the end of the previous
act, as people are clustered around Iliten. This is
where Maha and any other healers will be able to
show their stuff. Run this by ear as a discussion,
probably involving Maha, Debitha and any PC
healers, with Helegorn coming in at the end. They
should establish the following: -
§ The poison is a toxin known as Gonhithui (S.
Misty Stone) (HotH, page 107). In brief, it is a
small blue lichen found in Gorgoroth that, when
ground up and then made into a paste, will
cause serious dysentery. The effects normally
take about a day to reach their full potential,

esulting in diarrhea, vomiting and incessant
sweating, which in most cases leads to death by
dehydration. There is no known antidote to the
toxin, but by keeping the patient warm and
providing plenty of fluids, occasionally they can
recover on their own.
§ Whilst there is no antidote, it is possible to slow
down the onset of the toxin, which should not
only relieve the symptoms, but also be of great
assistance in allowing the victim to fight off the
effects of the toxin, thus increasing his chances
of survival immensely.
§ There is a reed known as Dogmallow (HotH
page 99), which is found in wetlands. In brief,
it is a reed that can grow to a height of over 10’,
which can be distinguished by a thick coating of
golden hair surrounding the lowest 3’ of the
stem. The reed is solid in the upper third of the
stem, and if that part is scraped out and the
contents boiled in water for ½ an hour and
consumed, it will slow the effects of the poison
by a factor of ten.
§ Helegorn, having lived near the Parth Celebrant
wetlands, will know of the reed, and will be
certain that he will be able to find it. Whilst he
actually lives near the southern wetlands, he
knows that the northern wetlands are only a
short distance down the river, and if the boat
can stop there, he will lead an expedition into
the area to find the reed.
Make sure that Maha takes an active role in the
discussions, so that she can insist in accompanying
the expedition. If all else fails, have her remember
something that Loniathiel said back in Lorien.
This scene should end with a resolution to stop by
the northern wetlands and go in search of
Dogmallow.
6.2 SCENE II – IN SEARCH OF
GRASS
This scene should start a couple of hours after the
previous scene, with the boat anchored on the
eastern side of the river in the northern Parth
Celebrant wetlands – see Gathering of Herbs on the
regional map on the inside cover.
The first step will be to establish who is going on the
expedition – note that all cannot go, as some will
need to remain on the boat to provide security, and
besides, it won’t need a huge number of people
33
traipsing through the swamp. Helegorn will lead,
and will suggest a total party size of four to five.
Maha will insist that she goes, as it is her job to find
the reed – she will not allow herself to be dissuaded,
and as a plot device, it is imperative that she be
amongst the party. If anyone wants to talk her out
privately, she will inform them that, a) its her job,
and b) the only reason why Iliten is injured is
because of the presence of her family, thus she owes
him. She will be fierce and determined, and it will
be clear that the two sisters are very similar in some
ways.
Other than that, let it be debated. At least a couple
of PCs should go, if only as security, but not all
should. The bandits won’t, and Debitha will be the
only other one of the Gamailyons that would be
willing, but he is dead tired, and needs to sleep –
he’s been on his feet for three days and nights
following the orcs across the Talath Harroch, and is
ready to drop. Nashita will insist that he sleeps, and
will remain to ensure that he does.
Albeth would be better remaining on the boat in
charge of security, and would prefer to do so. It only
needs to be a small party, so an additional two or
three PCs should be sufficient.
Note that everyone will be of the opinion that the
orcs are no longer an immediate threat, and everyone
will be much more relaxed.
Once decided, they can set off. You can run this as
you see fit, but they shouldn’t run into anything too
dangerous, and it should take them about two hours
to find the reed.
Get to the point where Maha is chopping down the
reed, and then stop and go to the next scene.
6.3 SCENE III – RESCUE PARTY
We now shift back to the boat, and back one-hour in
time, one hour after the foraging party left. Have
whoever is watching back up the river spot a raft
carrying five orcs across the river. By the time
anyone gets around to do anything, they will have
reached the western shore, and all will have quickly
disappeared into the wetlands about 150 yards
upriver. Now sit back and let the players try to
figure out what to do.
In brief, there should be three concerns: -
1. Where are the rest of the orcs? Are they
planning on crossing or attacking the boat
from the other shore?

34
2. Are these five orcs planning on coming
around and attacking the boat from the near
shore?
3. What about the safety of the group
searching for the reed? They will not be
aware of the orcs.
What should eventually end up is that a rescue party
should be organised to go and find the foragers,
however enough people need to be left on board to
defend the boat. Uolgen and all the non-combatants
will remain on board, and Albeth will also (for plot
reasons, and because he feels that it is his job to
defend the innocents, given that Helegorn isn’t
here).
Makrad will insist on going – his little girl is out
there. He will also insist that Nashita stay to protect
her mother. Trangul, suprisingly to the other
bandits, will also offer to go, as will Debitha. Some
or all of the remaining PCs may also want to go.
The question may end up being that who should stay
out of Trangul, Debitha and the various PCs.
Once decided, the rescue party should set out. Run
their journey for a short period (say ¼ to ½ an hour,
in which nothing much should happen except them
possibly finding tracks) and then switch back to the
foragers.
6.4 SCENE IV – AMBUSHED
We now come back to the foragers, just as Maha is
trimming down the Dogmallow. A sound should be
heard to the north (give normal chances to hear),
and Helegorn will jump up on a nearby rock to see.
After a few seconds scanning, he will call out quietly
that there are orcs moving to the north, closing in.
Just as he is doing this, and pointing to them, a bow
twang will be heard, and Helegorn will be struck in
the chest with an arrow and fall down.
Feel free to roll dice for this, but this is a plot device
– he needs to die here. You can either run it with
him saying some dying words, or just have him
killed instantly, but either way, this is his end. At
this, the party should hear the screeching of an orc to
the north, moving down and around to their west.
The party should hotfoot it back to the boat along the
path to the east.
The screeching orc will continue around behind the
party and then to their south, staying out of sight
about 30 to 40 yards away, but following along
parallel to them and continuing to make loud
annoying sounds. He should be very disconcerting.
He will avoid any combat, and will move away
whilst continuing to screech should the party move
towards him.
Apart from him (a Gashna archer) there is also a
Gashna spear-orc following them on the path, but he
will stay well back and out of sight, and as quiet as
he can. If the party do realise that he is following
him, then it is possible for a single member to
discretely drop of the end of the party and hide and
ambush him, but if the whole party halts, then so
will he.
Eventually, after say five to ten minutes, the party
will enter the ambush zone, where a spit of land
connects two hillocks in the middle of the marsh, as
pictured below. The numbered areas are as follows:
-
1. This is where the party will enter from, and
also where the trailing spear-orc will enter.
2. The location where a spear-orc is lying in
the mud concealed under two bushes. He
will have coated himself in mud, so will be
extremely hard to see.
3. The location of the orc archer. He will have
wedged the shield of the concealed spearorc
between the two trees and draped it with
foliage, in order to provide further
protection and cover.
4. The location of the Ujak, crouched behind a
large rock.
5. The ridge, the location where the
reinforcements will enter from.
They will wait until the centre of the party is around
the two small shrubs beneath which the spear-orc
lies, before the Ujak and the archer will both pop up
and start firing at the lead members – note that these
arrows will not be poisoned. The Ujak will let out a
yell as he does so, at which the trailing spear-orc,
assuming that he hasn’t been already taken out, will
charge forward as quietly as he can with his spear
low, and try to take the trailing party member in the
lower back or abdomen. His aim is to bring the
person down, so that he can then thrust down at the
person from above.
At the same time, the other spear-orc lying in wait
will rise up and thrust at Maha, who should be in the
middle of the party, stabbing her in the lower
abdomen – feel free to roll dice for this, but again, it
is a plot device. Maha will scream and go down. At

this point, stop the scene and return to the rescue
party.
Figure 1: Ambush Location
6.5 SCENE V – REINFORCEMENTS
As the rescue party is searching around, inform them
that they can hear a loud screeching sound to the
west. Given that they will have been listening to the
previous scene, no doubt they will realise what it is.
Most likely they will make all haste westwards down
a trail.
Briefly describe the sounds getting closer as they
travel westwards. As it gets close, state that they see
a small rise ahead, and the suddenly describe the
sounds that occurred at the end of last scene (the
Ujak yelling, any sounds made by the party, Maha
screaming) as occurring just over the rise, about 10
yards away. The rescue party can then charge over
the rise, and join in the combat described in the
previous scene. Most likely they will surprise the
orcs, particularly given that the Ujak will only be
about 15’ from the reinforcements as they come over
the ridge.
35
Run the combat as you see fit, but with the sudden
appearance of the reinforcements, the good guys
should win the day. Once the fight is over, proceed
to the next scene.
6.6 SCENE VI – A SOMBER RETURN
Now all that remains is for the expanded party to
return to the ship with the wounded. Anyone
looking at Maha will discover that the spear entered
from the front and side just around the top of her left
hip. It is not a directly life-threatening injury – her
kidneys and liver are unaffected, and with
appropriate care, she should recover, but as a female,
there may very well be some permanent
consequences of the injury. After any emergency
care on site, her father will carry her back and she
will be laid on the couch in the main cabin on the
other side to Iliten. Her family will obviously be
distraught.
Obviously, anyone else injured in the fight will also
need to be taken care of at this point as well.

36
Given that they have returned with the contents of
the reed, someone – Mornen if no else thinks of it, as
she has been ministering to Iliten all this time, will
take the reed and start boiling it. Iliten will have got
worse since the others left, but he is not critical yet.
As all this is happening, the PCs will notice Albeth
standing alone, looking at all of those who returned.
He will approach a PC and ask quietly, “Helegorn?”
Allow the PCs to explain what happened. Albeth
will take the news without speaking, but will look
absolutely stunned and devastated. He will then
wander up to the bow of the boat, and stand staring
out into space.
6.7 SCENE VII – ON THE MOVE
One final scene should take place almost
immediately after the preceding scene, basically a
foreshadowing of the next act.
After checking that his son is being looked after,
Uolgen will immediately move to get the ship
moving. He will call on one or more of the PCs to
help him get the anchor in – note that he will have a
couple of the lads already set with poles for pushing
off. The perceptive PCs will notice that he keeps
looking at the eastern ridge across the river, and
looks rather concerned, as indeed do the three lads.
Hopefully the PCs should ask if he is worried about
anything. If they don’t, then he will just say the
following as he gets the boat underway.
Uolgen points across the river, “There’s a path that
runs down the eastern side of the river, about 50 or
so yards in. Heads down to the North Undeeps.
There’s no path on the western side ‘cos of the
wetlands.”
“Those five came from the eastern shore, so we could
assume that the other 20 or so were with them.
Problem is that I haven’t seen any of them during
the time you were gone. They must have kept going
– heading for the Undeeps.”
[Assuming that none of the PCs ask…] Tanas,
leaning on a pole, asks, “We can outpace them, can’t
we?”
“Sure, and once we are on the river, they won’t be
able to get us – the river’s too wide. Problem is that
the Tirith Limlaith dock is located three miles up the
Limlaith – we have to turn off the Grýtíegstréam and
then pole our way upstream. From the docks, it’s
about a two-mile hike up the hill to the fortress, and
then the troops there would have to arm up and ride
the three miles south to the crossings and then come
up.”
Uolgen sighs, “We will be safe, no problems. But
there are settlers on the east side of the crossing.
And if these orcs are on the warpath…” he trails off.
If any of the PCs are passing the stern doorway to
the cabin at this time, the perceptive may notice
Makrad standing at the inside doorway to the cabin,
and it looks as if he has been listening. His face is
rather grim and set.
End the scene and the act on this note.
6.8 INTERMISSION
This little vignette is optional – it describes a scene
that the PCs would never actually have seen. As
such it can be left out if you feel that it would not be
appropriate for the type of game that you play.
The two of these (including the one at the end of the
next act) describe the actions of the last remaining
orc from the ambushing Lurg, the screeching archer
who killed Helegorn – it feeds in nicely to the final
scene, and helps provide some sense of closure. It
should be read verbatim, however some changes
could be made if the players left the orc bodies
differently.
The reeds at the side of the path part, and very
carefully an orc archer steps out and surveys the
scene. He takes careful note of the two orcs lying
near his feet. He notices the blood on the tip of the
spear of one of them, and bends down and places a
finger in it. He brings it back to his mouth, and
carefully licks his finger, savouring the taste of the
blood.
He glances up the rise to the east, and spots the
bodies of two more orcs, and carefully makes his way
up to them. Again, he carefully inspects their
corpses. He stands up straight and looks to the east.
After a moment, he grimaces, and tuns back down
the rise. After he gets to the bottom, he turns left off
the path back into the reeds, and begins to move
quickly southwards.
7.0 ACT FOUR – THE
STAND
This act contains the big extended fight scene. This
is where firstly a decision is made to stand and fight,

and then the actual fight scene. A lot of the second
scene is with verbatim passages, but the fight scene
will need to be run by ear.
7.1 SCENE I – A LOT TO THINK
ABOUT
This scene is optional, and whether or not it should
be run depends on whether or not you feel the
players can accept the abrupt change of heart of
Makram. As a side result of this, it may however
lessen the impact of the following scene – you will
have to make a judgement call. It acts to enforce
the comments of Loniathiel back in Act One – Scene
IV, and requires that that scene have been played
with a PC for this to work. Personally, I don’t feel
that it is required, as it may make Makrad’s decision
too transparent.
This scene should start after Maha has been
speaking to her family quietly for at least about
quarter of an hour, which would mean probably
about an hour after the events of the last scene. She
will obviously be in pain, and will be talking to her
family in Apsiac.
If anyone is listening, it will apparent that her
parents have been asking some questions, and in her
responses, the name of Loniathiel has been
mentioned.
After a while, Makrad will come out and find the PC
who is Maha's friend, and will ask to speak to them
in private. He will ask about what occurred in
Lorien, and will quietly listen to the response,
without commenting. After the PC has finished, he
will thank them, and will take his leave, seemingly
deep in thought.
7.2 SCENE II – A DECISION
This scene starts on the river a short while after the
boat has pulled up anchor and departed from the
swamp. Albeth will still be sitting on the bow, lost in
his own thoughts. Conversation in the cabin will be
quiet and stilted. Run the morbid atmosphere for a
while as the boat continues down the river, before
starting the following passages.
Note that whilst they are listed as being verbatim,
and the first few should be read that way, allow the
players to shape the conversation if they so wish.
There are gaps in the dialog in which the players
may put in. The intent of this scene is to establish
that all of the people on the boat are now united in
their desire to stop the Uruk Gashna.
37
The scene is very much cliché, very Magnificent
Seven-esque. By about the second paragraph in,
most of the players should have worked out what is
going to happen, and be groaning, but still, a good
cliché occasionally never hurt.
At some point, as the cabin is quiet, read the
following verbatim.
Uolgen has entered the cabin to check on his son
again, now sleeping relatively peacefully after
drinking the stewed Dogmallow, leaving Gulas on
the steering oar.
Makram suddenly speaks, breaking the silence,
“Uolgen, would you be able to drop me ashore on the
eastern bank?”
This comment will surprise most people, and there
will be quite a few comments from people, including
Makrad’s wife and daughter. He will wait patiently
till all is quiet, before continuing.
He takes a deep breath, and speaks slowly and
clearly, “It seems clear that the Gashna will not give
up. They have their orders, and will carry them out
to the letter. I was foolish to believe that they would
not follow after we lost them initially, but I suppose
that I was not thinking straight.
“It seems that the main force will be travelling
inland down the western path to the North Undeeps,
with the intent to cross at the fords and attack at the
Tirith Limlaith docks. Now this would possibly not
be very smart on their part, but they are determined,
and even if the Garrison at Tirith Limlaith defeats
them, they will be attacking with surprise, and they
will no doubt be able to kill a great many civilians.
“Now as it seems that it is my presence here that will
cause this, even though it was not intentional, I
cannot allow this to happen unimpeded. If you could
drop me ashore somewhere downstream, then I will
endeavour to at least delay them somewhat such that
a message can be given to the Garrison so that they
can be prepared, can and send forces across the river.
After this speech, there is a very short silence, before
Debitha stirs, “You could do that Sir, but will not do
it alone. I didn’t come all this way, and go through
all the crap that I went through, simply to let you
wander off alone. The two of us will do this.”
Almost before he has finished, Nashita speaks up,
“Three.” She glares at her father and fiancé, “Don’t
even think of saying no. I’m twenty-seven years old,
I’m not a child anymore, and I’m not going to let

38
both of you go off on a suicide mission alone, not
now after all this.”
As Makrad and Debitha look at Nashita, a voice
comes from the forward doorway – Albeth has
reentered from the bow. “Four. If Tirith Limlaith is
under threat, then it is my job to prevent it, and I
would be remiss in my duties if I allowed others to
do my job.”
Allow a small break here, in case the PCs wish to
speak. Then continue with the following:
The rough voice of Trangul suddenly speaks from
the corner. “Five [or whatever number it is up to].”
Tama exclaims, “Are you mad? Trangul, this has
got nothing to do with us!”
Almost in reply to him, Raban comes out with “Six
[or whatever number it is now up to].”
You could allow a small break here, in case the PCs
wish to speak. Then continue with the following:
Tanas stands up and looks back down the passage to
his friend on the oar. He then looks back at his
brother, still seated, who gives an almost
imperceptible nod. “You can count us in too. We
might not be able to do much, but we can hold
spears, and those very same civilians that you are
talking about are our people.
Tama, almost grudgingly speaks, “Alright, I’m in
too.”
Again, another spot for a break.
Uolgen finally speaks, and answers the original
question. “I can drop you off, but I won’t be leaving
you there. We’ll wait for you.”
At this, Hlothran pipes up, looking at Albeth, “Hang
on, you’re supposed to be protecting me. You’re
supposed to be getting me safely to Tirith Limlaith.”
Albeth answers, “I don’t know if you have been
keeping up with current events, but we were to
protect you from Randa so you could testify against
him, and given that he is no longer with us, I don’t
really feel that that particular task is still valid.”
Uolgen continues in the same vein, “If you would
prefer to disembark and seek alternative travel
arrangements to your destination, I would be quite
willing to provide a full reimbursement of you ticket
price.”
He looks at Mornen, “I hope you don’t mind,
Ma’am?”
Mornen replies, “We would be perfectly happy with
the delay, thank you.”
Edron looks at Makrad, “Well you better make sure
you kill all of those orcs then:”
Makrad looks slowly around the cabin.
Final break for PC input.
Debitha looks up, and says, “General Gamailyon,
Sir, I believe that you have a commission again.”
Makram nods, and turning to Albeth, asks,
“Sergeant Albeth, given your knowledge of the area,
where would you suggest that we make our stand?”
Albeth looks down the full length of the cabin to
Uolgen, and asks him, “Would you have a map that I
could borrow?”
At this point, you could end the scene, and move
straight to setting up the ambush. There’s not much
point in playing the landing of the boat and other
sorts of stuff once the decision is made, as it will
only slow things down. Move straight to the action
sequence.
7.3 SCENE III – TURNING THE
TABLES
This scene is the penultimate – the big fight scene
that brings the adventure to a climax. It should be a
reasonably long affair, with plenty of heroism. It
will need to be played by ear, but suggestions are
given as to how it can be run, and what should befall
the NPCs.
The assumption will be made that, following the
previous scene, the boat will have landed and the
party disembarked and moved northwards to prepare
the ambush. This can simply be stated as having
been done.
PREPARATION OF AN AMBUSH
The easiest and best way to design the combat area is
to allow the players to draw it out, with some
guidelines. This will enable them to set up the area
to maximise their capabilities, which is what their
characters would do if they were able to select the
ground on which to fight, much as what the orcs did
back in Act Three. Note that the characters will
have time to pick the best location for them, so this
will signify that.
Assuming that the bottom of the map is south, and
will be the edge “defended” by the players, the map
should cover an area of at least 100’ height by 150’

width, to allow for a running combat. The left 20’
should be the river, with a shore varying between 5’
to 15’, mainly of mud, stone and dirt.
From the right edge of the shore, a bank should rise
steeply up to a height of about 20’, before flattening
out. Somewhere between 30’ and 60’ of the ridge
should run the path, which should be roughly
straight, but may certainly curve around obstacles.
The path should be roughly 5’ wide, and of dirt.
The rest of the area can be covered by the players
with rocks, trees, shrubs, ridges, gullies etc, as they
seem fit.
The players may make simple snares and traps, but
not anything complicated. There may be time to
sharpen some stakes and tie them to a branch pulled
back, but there will not be enough time to dig a large
pit trap. Effectively, whatever they could reasonably
manage in a couple of hours should be acceptable.
Ropes tied down low between trees to trip running
orcs are good, as are sharpened stakes set in the
ground and hidden under leaves. Using them
together is even better – there is nothing like
tripping and falling flat onto a bed of sharpened
stakes to dampen one’s enthusiasm. Just remember
that the PCs need to avoid their own traps too.
The players should set up in the southern third of the
map, probably in initially concealed positions. The
orcs can then enter from the north.
If they need assistance, then you could assist them in
the guise of Makram or Debitha. Makram is very
skilled in combat, so he should be able to pick any
flaws. He will be of the opinion that the general
plan should be as follows, which may be read
verbatim at some point in the process.
After you have all surveyed the area, Makram calls
you all in to a circle. He folds his arms across his
chest, and looks around at all of you clustered
around.
“What we need to do is first and foremost, is to hold
a line. The Gashna are tough. They are strong,
skilled and intelligent, and there are more of them
than of us. They are not the Shurkúmph – they
won’t just blindly charge. They are wily, and they
will be lead well. They will look for openings, for
cover, for blind spots. They will withdraw and
regroup if they are stopped, and then they will come
again. They will not give up.
“They are not your common garden-variety orc –
these guys are direct from Mordor – they live on the
39
eastern slopes of Mount Doom, and they pride
themselves on their record. They will not want to be
defeated. They may very well be the toughest
opponents that you will ever face. Some of you saw
how they organised their ambush back in the
wetlands. These guys can and will use their brains.
“Individually, they will be tough. We all need to
support each other. Anyone cut off will be cut down.
They will take no prisoners and show no mercy –
neither must we. They fight dirty – so should we.
They will use all means at their disposal – so must
we.
“If they retreat, let them go. Do not run after them,
even if it looks as if they are easy meat. For a start,
if you do that, you will be separating yourselves from
your support, and secondly they are quite capable of
pulling a ‘wounded lamb’ routine. Don’t trust them.
“We cannot allow them to break the line. If we do,
first and foremost, that will put the boat and its
occupants at risk, and we cannot allow that, but
more importantly, if they break through, we can be
surrounded, and that would be disastrous. If they do
break through the line at some point, then we all
need to withdraw and form a new line. That means
we all need to be on our toes, and be aware of what is
happening down the line.
“We have a very wide area to cover, and we need to
support each other in covering it. That means that
we cannot just find a hiding hole and stay there. We
need to know where they are attacking, and move to
cover that point, but at the same time, we should not
leave other points open. We need to be quick and
aware.
“This will be a long and tiring fight, and some of us
may not survive it, but we must remain true to each
of us. We have the element of surprise – we must
use it. We all have something to fight for – let us all
remember that. Let this be a day that we will all
remember, and that the Gashna never will.
At the end of his speech, feel free to have a cheer go
up. He does speak very well, and his speech should
definitely impress the PCs. They will notice that all
of the NPCs are geed up for the fight.
Have everyone take their starting positions, and then
introduce the orcs.
HOLDING THE LINE
The orcs need to be played as being intelligent – play
them as if they are real. Makram’s speech is very
accurate concerning them – he knows how they

40
operate – and they should be played very much as he
described.
There are now only 21 orcs left in the company –
four Lurgs and the Dratul. This obviously
outnumbers the good guys, but the good guys should
have quite a few advantages.
§ Firstly, they have the advantage of knowing the
area. The players drew the map, and can see the
entire area. The orcs will not know of any
sneaky ambush sites until they reach them.
They will have to use trial and error to find a
terrain advantage.
§ The orcs will be uncertain of the number that
they will be facing. Until they determine that,
and their rough locations, they will be
conservative. The PCs can add to this by
shouting or waving out orders to non-existent
troops – one of the NPCs such as Albeth can
demonstrate this if the players don’t think of it.
§ The PCs may have trapped the area. The very
first time that an orc goes down in a trap will
cause all of the others to drop down a gear.
§ Range of weapons. Whilst over half the orcs
have bows, they are only short bows. The PCs
will probably have long bows, and don’t forget
both the light crossbow and the Super Heavy
Crossbow. The SHC, whilst slow and heavy to
move, makes an excellent sniper rifle for
propping behind the line and picking off orcs.
Also note that the spears that the orcs have are
short – the pole-arms that the good guys have
are all long. They should take advantage of this.
§ Lastly and possibly most importantly, they have
Makrad and his sword. Makrad is pretty much
the Deux ex Machina of this combat. You
should refrain from over-using him – allow the
players to make most of the decisions – but he
can always be used to get people out of trouble.
Also, remember that the sword has the power to
assist his hearing, and he does speak orcish.
Providing he concentrates, he will be able to
hear and understand the orders that the Dratul
gives out, and this prior knowledge will be a
huge advantage to the PCs.
If the players aren’t this tactically minded, then you
could have an NPC point the first four out to them.
The first conflict in the battle will be the ambush of
the Lurg on point. If this is done properly, then all
five should go down quickly and easily – the good
guys have all the advantages on their side. They
should then quickly move back and prepare their line
– the orcs will not immediately charge, preferring to
initially take stock of the situation.
You should probably control the Gamailyons and the
Bandits, but you could allow the players to control
the three young lads and Albeth. An easy way to set
this up is to have the PCs, the three lads and Albeth
given the western area, from say 20’ east of the path
back to the river, to hold. Makrad and the bandits
will take the centre, and Debitha and Nashita will
patrol the eastern areas.
The orcs will then move up cautiously in a rough
line, trying to determine where their opponents are.
There will most likely be an exchange of missile fire,
which will drive the orcs back to cover. After that,
they will start working on tactics. These may
include: -
§ Sending a small group to the far east on an end
run. This would be a good excuse to take
Debitha and Nashita out of the picture, by
having them quickly run eastwards to cut them
off. Have them take a single quick-moving PC
with them, if you would like to play this out for
the players.
§ Having three small groups simultaneously
attack three different points on the line.
§ Having a charge at one point, whilst a few orcs
sneak up under cover at a different point.
§ Having one orc – probably an archer – divest
himself of his armour and move back and out to
the river to try to float down past the line.
Play them as you see fit, but they will be continually
probing and pushing. The good guys will need to
whittle them down as they hold the line. Once the
number is reduced substantially, you can then move
to the end game.
END GAME
There are three ways that I can see to have a
climactic fight to kill the Dratul and end this scene.
They are: -
§ The orcs make a final charge through the lines.
They manage to penetrate and push through to
the top of the path that leads to the boat, where
they are caught and surrounded by the good
guys. There is then a big all-in fight in view of
those on the boat.
§ After winnowing down the orcs, the good guys
decide to change tactics and go on the offensive.

They assault the Dratul’s position, and he calls
all his orcs back. We then have the all-in brawl.
§ The arrival of the cavalry. Literally. Malion
has been expecting Hlothran and companions,
and has been sending out squads northwards to
scout, given that the ship has not arrived when it
should have. One of these squads notices the
combat, and arrives in the nick of time to assist.
Note that they could either be cavalry coming up
the path, or a squad coming by boat up the river.
The actual method is up to you, and will probably
depend on both how you and the players would
prefer, and how the fight scene is actually going.
This scene should end with the victors regrouping
and surveying the scene of battle, and working out
the cost.
TO THE VICTORS…
In other words, what the end result should be for the
good guys, particularly the NPCs. Note that if you
are intending to continue into Appearances II – The
Pride of Calenardhon, then all characters except for
Raban reappear in that adventure. That pretty much
limits who can be killed off – as such, any comments
as to killing NPCs off only apply if you are not
planning to continue the series.
The Gamailyon’s: - They should all survive
relatively intact. For a start, they are all competent,
but more importantly, after what has happened to
Maha, they do not need any more heartache. Some
minor wounds are fine, such as Nashita breaking a
forearm or Makrad being hit in the shoulder by an
arrow near the end, but no serious injuries.
Obviously, Safiya will be on the boat, along with
Uolgen, Edron, Mornen and the two patients, so they
should all be fine.
Note that if the cavalry do arrive, the perceptive PCs
should notice that Debitha makes himself scarce
when they turn up, and reappears when the party
leave on the boat – you could arrange this as you see
fit.
Albeth: - Also needs to survive. Again, minor
injuries are fine. One possible plot line is for him to
suffer a leg injury in the early middle of the combat,
thus impairing his movement. You could then have
the PCs be required to provide some level of
protection for him, whilst still allowing him to
operate the SHC from behind the lines. It would also
push the PCs into leadership positions – have Albeth
tell the PC that he “deputised” that “You will need to
41
take charge here now”, and having them now
responsible for the three young lads.
Trangul: - Should almost certainly survive relatively
intact, particularly given his steadfast behaviour. If
he does die, it needs to be heroically, and with some
meaning, otherwise it will cheapen the character.
Generally, you should let him live, he deserves it
after his life.
Raban: - In the final analysis, his survival is
optional. If he does die, then it should be heroic –
something such as he jumps in to drag a PC out of
harms way and takes a spear that was meant for the
PC. Personally, I think that he has an interesting
back-story, and offers future potential – he could
even be a prospective new member of the PCs party.
It would depend on whether the PCs have spoken
and become aquatinted with him.
Tama: - This guy is definitely optional, and it
wouldn’t be a problem if he bought it. There are two
ways you could play it – either he actually goes
against his nature and does something selfsacrificing
and dies heroically, or he goes with his
nature, does something cowardly and buys it like a
miserable weed. His future is entirely up to you.
Tanas, Talc and Gulas: - These three should almost
certainly survive intact – Talc especially given that
Maha is sweet on him, and Tanas, given that he is
his older brother. Gulas is the one most likely to be
given the bullet, but I would suggest that if you need
more casualties, having him receive a serious wound
that requires him to be transported back to the ship
would be sufficient. The PCs should be protecting
these guys anyway.
Hlothran: - This guy is the interesting one. He
would obviously prefer to be hiding on the boat, but
given that he can hold a spear, the PCs may want to
press-gang him anyway. If they don’t think of it,
one of the three labourers will – he has annoyed
them as well. As such, there are pretty much two
ways that you can go with him. You could have him
die like a miserable little weasel – no one will really
miss him, or you could have him be the born
survivor, the one who always manages to come out
alive. You could have something along the lines of
when the line is pushed back, he drops and hides
instead of withdrawing – the orcs push forward, and
the PCs give him up for dead, assuming that the orcs
got him. Then after it is all over and the ground is
being surveyed, he is found still alive curled up and
hidden somewhere – the orcs didn’t find him. You
can decide.

42
7.4 BANDITS? WHAT BANDITS?
The point at which this scene occurs depends on
whether or not the cavalry arrived to end the
previous scene. If they did, then the Ohtarini will
come over to talk to Albeth, within earshot of
everyone, to ask him what happened. Albeth will
respond as follows: -
“We found Randa’s band up at the northern bend –
they had all been slain by orcs. We killed quite a lot
there, but this lot escaped. We managed to chase
them down to here, and ambushed them, and you
can see the result.”
The Ohtarini looks slightly suspicious, “They killed
all the bandits?”
“Yep, all of them. We buried them back at the bend.
No idea why these orcs were on the warpath”, he
shrugs, “Maybe Randa upset them?”
The Ohtarini glances around the party, pausing to
look at Trangul.
Edron, comments, “It was kind of lucky that I hired
these lads up in Læferceaster – they came in handy
on the voyage.”
“You hired them?”
“We’ve been having some security issues at the
estate. I’m sure that your Governor would be able to
tell you about it.”
The Ohtarini, after a pause, nods.
If the cavalry did not arrive, then the scene is run as
the party prepares to return to the boat to travel
down to Tirith Limlaith. As everyone starts to
board, the three bandits will look noticeably hesitant.
Assuming that someone asks them why, Trangul will
reply slowly, “Perhaps we should find our own way
from here.”
Then, pretty much the same scene unfolds…
Albeth pauses, then turns around and comments, “I
don’t see why? We found Randa’s entire band up at
the northern bend slain by orcs. We killed quite a lot
there, but this lot escaped. We managed to chase
them down to here, and ambushed them. You, being
passengers on the boat with us, help us accomplish
that. You are probably going to be thanked by the
Governor for this.”
Trangul comments, “We just happened to be on the
boat?”
Edron replies, “No, you didn’t just happen to be on
the boat. It was kind of lucky that I hired you lads up
in Læferceaster – we’ve been having some security
issues at the estate, and you certainly came in handy
on the voyage. The Governor is aware of us – there
won’t be any issues.”
The three bandits, after a pause, make their way onto
the boat.
7.5 INTERMISSION
The second of the vignettes featuring the last
surviving orc from the Uruk Gashna – the same
rules apply here as previously.
On the west side of the river, the bushes part and an
orc archer carefully pushes through, breathing
heavily from exertion. He watches the back of a
boat, as it slowly drifts off from where it was moored
on the other side of the river, and moves
downstream.
He turns and pushes his way backwards through the
bushes and sets off on his path southwards again.
8.0 ACT FIVE –
HOMECOMING
This final act is to wrap up all loose ends, and to
provide a resolution to all matters. It is relatively
short, and should be run that way.
8.1 SCENE I – FUTURE PLANS
This scene is set on the boat as it is travelling to
Tirith Limlaith after the big battle. Start it off on the
boat about halfway between the previous site and the
landing.
It consists of a series of conversations designed to set
the adventure up for a nice conclusion, and to
directly set up the next adventure in the Appearances
trilogy. Below are a series of short snippets – each
relates to a group, and each should naturally lead on
to another. They are set up to be played in order, but
you could easily divert or expand on these if the
players wish to lead.
You could assume and just tell the players that there
was much celebration, but people have now become
tired and muted, and most are just sitting or lying
around, exhausted and slightly inebriated (Uolgen
had some alcohol on board). If you wish, you could

play by ear any conversations leading up to this
point.
THE PCS
At some point, Albeth will inquire of the PCs as to
whether they have any immediate plans as to what
they intend to do now. Run whatever the players
say, but once they ask why, continue with the
following.
“I know that Malion is always looking for good,
dependable people – there is a lot of things that need
to be done in the area, things that I think you would
find would be to your tastes. Would you be
interested in meeting him? I can arrange an
introduction and put in a good word if you like?”
Again, let the PCs run with the conversation – play
the rest of Albeth’s conversation by ear. After the
conversation has ended, continue with the following.
THE THREE LADS
Tanas conversationally asks of Albeth, “You don’t
know of any labouring work at Tirith Limlaith, do
you?”
Albeth grimaces and replies, “Not really. You can
sometimes get some seasonal work at the docks, but
its mostly a farming community – very family
oriented.”
Edron glances over at the three lads, and says,
“Would you be interested in work further afield, such
as at Dunlostir?”
He continues, “My son-in-law, owns a wool sorting
business in Dunlostir. He’s always looking for good
strong lads who can shift bales of wool. Now its
hard work, but he does pay well, and he’s a good
man. If you would be interested, I can put in a word
for you?”
Either run by ear, the three lads agreeing, and
discussions on the positions, or just state that that is
what happens.
THE GAMAILYONS
This should start sometime shortly after the previous
conversation – play it by ear.
Mornen suddenly looks at Makram and Safiya, who
are sitting near Maha. “If you don’t have any other
plans, would you be interested in staying with us
whilst Maha recovers. Our farm is out of the way,
and we would love to have you stay for as long as
you like.”
43
Makrad, smiles tiredly, and replies, “Thank you, but
I think the authorities might have something to say
about us entering Gondor. And certain people may
still be looking for us. I think that we will probably
just have to keep moving on.”
Albeth pipes up from the front of the cabin, “But
who’s going to tell them anything?”
Mornen continues, “Our farm is out in the
countryside, not close to major cities, and all of our
neighbours are very good people, very understanding
folk. And besides, Maha can’t really travel as she is.
At least stay until she is better. We would like you
to stay.”
Makrad smiles, and looks at his wife. Safiya nods to
Mornen, and says, “Thank you. We would indeed be
honoured to stay with you.”
You can run any other conversations that the PCs
wish to have, but then just shift it to the landing at
Tirith Limlaith – no point delaying anything now.
8.2 SCENE II – THE LANDING
This scene is obviously set at the Tirith Limlaith
landing – maps and descriptions of both Tirith
Limlaith and the landing are in the ICE Ents of
Fangorn Campaign Module, and reference should be
made to that module. Copies of both of these maps
are on the last page.
Note that at least part of this scene requires that the
two Intermissions have been read.
Describe the approach to Tirith Limlaith, how the
boat turns off the Anduin at the Limlight and is then
poled up the river to the docks – Tanas will assist
with the poling. Give a description of what can be
seen of the town and the castle, and then the docks
as they approach.
The boat will tie up at the southern docks – it will
probably be late in the afternoon or early evening by
now. Albeth will call out to a couple of guardsmen
he sees near the Riverman’s Inn [8 on the map],
who will come over. There will be hurried
conversations, and people will be sent off to get
stretchers for the wounded. There will be a brief
flurry of action as the ill and wounded are off-loaded
and transported up to the town, along with their
families.
Uolgen will want to go with his son up to the town,
and Albeth will offer to remain on the boat until he
returns. Hopefully at least some of the PCs will too.

44
After the initial flurry dies down, and the other
passengers are making their way up the track from
the dock, the PCs should notice Albeth sitting on the
cabin roof staring out into the distance. Hopefully
they should go up to him to see how he is.
He will comment something along the lines of, “I
was just wondering how to tell my Aunt and Uncle
that their son won’t be coming home.”
Let the PCs say something to cheer him up slightly.
Then run the conversation with Albeth talking about
the area – pointing out various features, that sort of
thing. Finish up with…
He looks around the area, and comments, “I know it
may not seem like much, but…” he pauses and looks
intently down the river, “… hang on a minute.”
If the PCs look to where he was looking, they should
notice a small wet orc archer crawling out of the
river down underneath one of the large trees [Note –
this is the large tree closest to building number
seven on the “Tir Limlight Docks” map]. He will
draw himself up against the trunk, look up the track
at the departing backs of the other passengers, and
begin to restring his bow.
Allow the PCs and Albeth to take whatever actions
are necessary. Note that Super Heavy Crossbow is
still resting on the cabin roof, and Albeth will start
to reach for that, if no one else does.
Try to end it dramatically, such as with the orc
archer being impaled onto the tree. Note that if the
players want to do something else, feel free to let
them.
Once the last orc has been killed, the adventure is
effectively over. Allow one more smart comment to
be made – adventures should always end on a wise
crack. If the players don’t come out with any, let
Albeth finish it with the following (unless you can
think of something better).
Albeth comments towards the orc, still held upright
against the trunk by the bolt, “Stay!” He looks over
towards you and says, “Sorry about the interruption,
where were we?”
Thus ends the adventure – I hope it was worth it.
9.0 ITEMS OF NOTE
SAIF ALIM
Note that this description is not a complete
description – it only encompasses what would be
known or could be established in this module.
Further expanded descriptions of the weapon will be
given in the following two Appearances modules.
The Saif Alim, or Sword of Shadows, is a sword that
has been in the House of Gamail since very early
days. A gift from Sauron through Adunaphel, it is
an extremely powerful device that binds itself to its
owner, and is almost self-aware.
Its full powers are not known, and given that a
member of the House of Gamail would never allow it
to be taken by another, the chances of anyone
actually determining those powers is remote, but the
following may be surmised.
It is a long-sword, with blade of black meteoric iron
fashioned in a curious leaf style, where the blade
comes out of the hilt and then widens slightly before
narrowing to a sharp point. The blade will always
feel cold to the touch, even if heated. It tends to
absorb light, and does not reflect any light shone on
it.
The hilt is relatively simple, being bound in black
leather, and having silvered steel cross-hilts and
pommel. The pommel is designed like the head of a
very short-muzzled drake, and merely contains two
small bluey-black gemstones as eyes as its only
ornamentation.
The sword bonds with its user, in that it both feels
and performs differently depending on whether its
user is its lawful owner. Given that it has always
been in the House, that has always been a Gamailyon
– no one knows whether the blade will bond with
someone not from the house.
For an unlawful user, the sword will feel heavy,
awkward and unbalanced, and will be dull and
difficult to use. It will exhibit no special powers, and
will give the impression that it is more of a display
only sword – certainly no use in combat.
For its lawful user, it will feel light and easy to use,
almost like a rapier. It will be extremely sharp, able
to cut through limbs and even torsos with some
effort. Its other powers are responsive to the user’s
own powers – the owner will need some affinity with
the area in order for those powers to manifest, and

the extent of the power increases with the intrinsic
ability or power of the user.
When the hilt is grasped and the user concentrates, it
will allow the user to hear and discern very faint
sounds. Note that it does not allow filtering of
sounds, a very loud sound will still drown out all
other, but sounds indiscernible by others may be
heard and then “cycled” through.
When the hilt is grasped and the user concentrates, it
will allow vision into the Shadow Realm. The user
will be able to see and interact with all creatures that
live either partially or fully on that realm, and will
see them as they are. The drawback to this is that
the Shadow Realm dwellers will be aware of the
exercise of this power, as the user will become more
“real” to them. The user will remain visible to those
in the real world.
When the hilt is grasped and the user concentrates, it
will allow the user to effectively “blur” in his
movement – to step into another dimension where
travel is a lot quicker due to distance being a lot
smaller, and then coming back out at the end of the
journey. This other dimension is akin to the shadow
world, in that it is extremely cold, grey and empty.
This is not instantaneous, 10 feet in the real world
may equate to a single step in the “blur” world, and
20 yards may equate to 10 steps. It does have the
added bonus in that real world obstacles such as
rivers can be avoided as they don’t exist in the
shadow world, but long constant journeys should be
avoided, simply because the “blur” world is so cold
that any extended period of time spent could cause
hypothermia.
They can also be hazardous in that the walker needs
to be pretty confident of his destination so that he or
she doesn’t “pop out” off the edge of a cliff in mid
air – the drop doesn’t exist in the blur world.
Generally speaking, if the user would be going to
45
pop out in an obstruction, they will be pushed into an
open area, possibly causing a noise.
The user, if skilled enough, can even pull in others
who are touching him, although if the passengers let
go halfway, they will immediately pop out. The
entire experience can be extremely disconcerting to
those who aren’t expecting this.
The sword has one (known) drawback, in that it will
encourage recklessness in its owner – almost like a
small voice is whispering, “Go on, give it a go. It’ll
be fine, you can do it.” This tends to come and go,
and is not constant.
There exists one last (known) power of the sword,
which was not initially known of by the current
owner, and which may be surmised by the text of the
adventure. With a long-term owner, it can “secret
away” part of the person, such that it can then bring
them back if they pass on. This return is not perfect,
causing some amnesia and confusion and taking
some time to work, and the adventure summarises
the effects of this.
SUPER-HEAVY CROSSBOW
The Super-Heavy Crossbow is not a magical item as
such, merely a weapon built by the bandits, under the
guidance of Sava, that is simply a larger more
powerful crossbow. It has a bow span of around four
and a half feet, and sits on a frame that keeps it
about four inches off the ground. It is designed to be
fired prone from the ground, and is far too heavy to
be fired without being on its stand.
The bolts need to be either steel or thick hardwood,
are the throw is powerful enough to pierce ship
hulls. Damage to victims should be commensurate,
however for lightly armoured foes, it would most
likely put a bolt straight through them without much
slowing down.
It can also be used for line casting, by attaching a
line to a bolt fitted with a ring.

46
10.0 MASTER NPC TABLE
Name Lvl Hits AT DB Sh Gr Melee
OB
The Crew of the Steorm’
Uolgen 3 55 SL/5 0 N N 55pa 60da 40da 0 Urban Northman Warrior/Fighter (Barge
Operator)
2 nd ry
OB
Missile
OB
Ag55, Co94, SD78, Me66, Re75, St82, Qu44, Pr72, Em68, In66, Swim55, Sailing140, Percept15
Iliten 2 35 SL/5 0 N N 20ss 30pa 60ja 0 Urban Northman Warrior/Fighter (Barge First
Mate)
Mov
M
Notes
Ag68, Co78, SD66, Me60, Re65, St76, Qu68, Pr70, Em74, In68, Swim60, Sailing55, Percept20, Fish40, Cook30
Primary Targets
Albeth 5 72 Ch/16 30 Y A/L 70bs 65pa 50cb 5 Dúnedain Warrior/Fighter (Sergeant)
Ag78, Co88, SD92, Me78, Re81, St78, Qu65, Pr80, Em77, In73, Climb20, Ride40, Swim20, Percept30, PblcSpeaking5, +5 Equipment
Helegorn 3 60 Ch/16 35 Y A/L 65bs 60pa 55cb 5 Dúnedain Warrior/Ranger
Ag77, Co65, SD88, Me66, Re58, St72, Qu76, Pr55, Em77, In65, Climb20Ride40, Swim20, Percept25, Tracking15, +5 Equipment
Hlothran 2 25 No/1 0 N N 30da - - 0 Urban Northman Scout/Thief
Ag45, Co67, SD48, Me82, Re56, St64, Qu58, Pr67, Em31, In88, Percept20
The Gamailyons
Makrad 25 165 No/1 5 N N 210bs - 20lb 10 Dúnedain/Haruzan Warrior/Fighter
Ag92, Co94, SD98, Me93, Re94, St83, Qu88, Pr96, Em77, In82, Climb75, Ride80, Swim45, Percept60, Tracking20, PblcSpeaking50, Amb40,
AdrQuickdraw 40, +30 broadsword Saif Alim (See Items of Note)
Safiya 2 28 Ch/13 10 N N 35bs 20da 10lb 5 Dúnedain/Haruzan Bard
Ag82, Co64, SD93, Me88, Re92, St58, Qu63, Pr98, Em82, In88, Percept20, Ride50, Swim40, Sing 40, Music60 +10 Fine Chain Shirt, +10 Fine
Broadsword, Necklace adds +10 to DB, Detections, Controlling Songs*, Lores to 5 th Level (* Currently has no musical instrument with her), 4PP
Nashita 5 68 Ch/16 20 N N 80bs 70ss 65lb 15 Dúnedain/Haruzan Warrior/Fighter
Ag95, Co82, SD76, Me79, Re65, St78, Qu98, Pr92, Em58, In62, Climb60, Ride60, Swim40, Percept50, Tracking10, Amb10, +5 Chain Hauberk, +10
Broadsword, +10 Smallsword, +10 Longbow
Maha 3 22 Ch/13 0 N N 20da - - 5 Dúnedain/Haruzan Animist/Healer
Ag78, Co70, SD78, Me86, Re88, St54, Qu68, Pr78, Em87, In90, Percept15, Ride50, Swim25, Sing 55, Herblore 10, +5 Fine Chain Shirt, +5 Dagger,
Nature’s Lore, Concussion’s Ways, Blood Law and Bone Law to 5 th Level, 3PP
Debitha Uto 10 90 SL/8 30 N A/L 110bs 70da 90cb 20 Variag Ranger
Ag99, Co92, SD90, Me82, Re73, St75, Qu101, Pr68, Em84, In88, Climb90, Ride110, Swim30, Percept65, Tracking80, Amb40, S/H40, AdrSpeed 20,
+5 Brigandine, +10 Longsword, +20 Composite Bow of Speed (2/rnd), Earring – allows Long Ear 2/day, Nature’s Ways, Path Mastery to 10 th Level, 10PP

Name Lvl Hits AT DB Sh Gr Melee
OB
Other Passengers
2 nd ry
OB
Missile
OB
Edron 6 30 No/1 -5* N N 50bs 15pa 30lb 0 Dúnedain Warrior/Fighter
Ag28*, Co72, SD86, Me84**, Re72, St67, Qu22*, Pr77, Em84, In92, Ride25, Percept40, PblcSpeaking10, *Agility and Quickness reduced due to hip
infirmity – Non-leg movement related maneuvers should be considered as being 40 points higher, **short-term memory is 44
Mornen 3 28 No/1 0 N N 10bs 10da 30xb 0 Dúnedain Bard
Ag67, Co68, SD93, Me88, Re96, St43, Qu56, Pr82, Em99, In96, Percept60, Rid20, Swim10
Tanas 2 30 No/1 0 N N 25ss 10pa - 5 Northman Warrior/Fighter
Ag77, Co76, SD68, Me58, Re63, St88, Qu73, Pr64, Em61, In55, Climb40, Swim30, Percept40.
Talc 1 25 No/1 5 N N 15ss 10pa - 5 Northman Warrior/Fighter
Ag79, Co67, SD64, Me62, Re61, St74, Qu75, Pr56, Em67, In58, Climb30, Swim30, Percept20.
Gulas 2 28 No/1 5 N N 25ss 10pa - 5 Northman Warrior/Fighter
Ag82, Co70, SD67, Me62, Re74, St84, Qu77, Pr68, Em57, In60, Ride10, Climb40, Swim30, Percept40.
The Bandits
Trangul 5 80 SL/8 25 Y A/L 55bs - 30sb 5 Northman/Orc Warrior/Fighter
Ag76, Co86, SD88, Me78, Re82, St94, Qu72, Pr58, Em88, In75, Climb70, Swim20, Percept45, Tracking20, Amb35, S/H30
Raban 3 28 SL/6 30 Y L 40ss - 40sb 10 Asdriag Animist
Ag93, Co62, SD67, Me73, Re72, St62, Qu91, Pr64, Em81, In98, Climb35, Ride50, Swim20, Percept35, Tracking10, Amb15, S/H25, Weather Ways,
Light’s Way, Concussion’s Ways, Muscle Law to 10 th Level, 6PP
Tama 4 30 SL/6 25 Y L 40bs - 30sb 5 Northman Warrior/Rogue
Ag82, Co75, SD53, Me61, Re55, St88, Qu77, Pr69, Em46, In64, Climb20, Swim40, Percept35.
11.0 MASTER MILITARY TABLE
Name/# Lvl Hits AT DB Sh Gr Melee
OB
Uruk Shurkúmph
2 nd ry
OB
Missile
OB
Shaman/1 6 55 Ch/16 0 N N 40fa - - 0
Weather Ways, Locating Ways, Communal Ways, Dark Channels, Dark Lore to 10 th Level, 12PP
Warriors/24 5 90 PL/19 30 Y A/L 90fa - - 0 +5 Equipment
Uruk Gashna
Dratul/1 8 120 PL/18 35 Y A/L 120fa 55sp 60sb 5 +10 Equipment
Ujak/5 6 80 Ch/14 30 Y A/L 80fa 50sp 50sb 5 +5 Equipment
SpearOrcs/10 5 70 Ch/13 30 Y A/L 70sp - - 0
Archers/10 5 55 SL/7 10 N N 65ss - 55sb 10
Mov
M
Mov
M
Notes
Notes
47