Rhovanion (ICE)

[Falconer]

Character types in Northern Mirkwood (1983) in its own terms:

Wood-elf (Thranduil’s Folk of Mirkwood)
- Silvan Elf
- Sindarin Elf

Dwarf of the Iron Hills
- Balli’s Folk — part of an eastern Dwarven group

Northman
- Gramuz Plains-man
- Lake-man
- Dale-man
- Éothraim
- Wood-man
- Beijabar

Common Man
- Sagath horseman of the Iron Hills [Easterlings - NPCs]


COMMENTS:

It also at one point refers to the Dale-men as High Northmen, though this is unexplained. I know Rolemaster has the concept of High Men and Common Men baked into the ruleset; perhaps they wanted to provide an opportunity to play this “race” within this package. So it’s just a question of, are Dalemen “High enough” to qualify for this type in game terms, not a claim to being Dúnedain in Tolkien’s world. There is some justification, though, as we see Girion is a Sindarin name, and Bard is tall and kingly and can understand animal speech—very much an Aragorn type storywise if not in fact intended to be Númenórean. This would also tie in with Tolkien’s concept of higher peoples ruling lesser peoples (see the Sindar/Silvan Elves).

It also mentions in several places the Northman group it calls the Éothraim - this is the Men of Vidugavia’s kingdom, the proto-Éothéod (proto-proto-Rohirrim). These are based in Southern Rhovanion (to the east of Mirkwood), so presumably they are covered more in the Southern Mirkwood supplement. Same with Woodmen and Beijabar (proto-Beornings).

The Gramuz inhabit Northern Rhovanion (east of Mirkwood), i.e., the future kingdom of Dale. It’s not clear to me whether they include the Dalemen and Lakemen, or if they are related neighbors; I guess it doesn’t matter much. Together they comprise the “Northmen” of this module. I think the characters are implied to all meet and begin their adventures in Lake-town, and so it’s just a matter of which village in the region you might be from.


Finally, a neat section called Player Backgrounds, instructive and helpful because they integrate right away into the plots included in the book:

- Camthalion’s young son or daughter, a Silvan Elf who longs for his/her sister Namirë.

- A Wood-elf, child of Ohtar of Celebannon. He/she seeks the lost jewel Miramarth, and has a clue that it may be among the ancient ruins of Caras Amarth. The jewel is probably evil and may be an aid to the power of Dol Guldur.

- A Wood-elf, younger brother or sister of Heladil the warrior. This young Elf seeks knowledge of the nature of the Gulduin, and why it is enchanted.

- A mannish traveler, perhaps from Gondor proper, who seeks adventure along the Kingdom’s old frontier. He is staying in the Vodagarazun and has (1) learned of the rich booty to be found in the Ered Mithrin, and (2) become infatuated with one of Odavacer’s daughters.

- A young, adventurous resident of Londaroth by Lindal [Lake-man, Londaroth being another Long Lake village like Esgaroth] whose family was abused by the miller Viloric. (No proof exists, but Viloric may have murdered the PC’s sister in an act of passion.) Strange encounters between Viloric and some shady folk from Esgaroth have given rise to suspicion, and rumors persist concerning the cruel Woedwyn’s mysterious trips to the east.

- A child of a Gramuz family which was murdered by the mounted raiders of Dieraglir. The entire village (Rh. “Maedwe-dukas”) was burned to the ground, but the young PC had beene away with his old uncle, fishing in the Celduin.

- Young brother or sister of Jirfelien [Dale-man]. Attacks by the Thyn’s wife Sulwyn, and her overbearing Daletheod clan, have long irritated the Aldurlingas. In addition, Jirfelien herslef appears in danger.

- Child of Beawyn the Seer [Dale-man]. This PC seeks proof of Beawyn’s claim of evil in the Lonely Mountain, and hopes to restore the old woman’s reputation. Suspicious activities by the Daletheod have long made Beawyn believe that her credibility was a danger to some. In addition, the remains of Thealaf have never been found.

- A young Dwarf seeking knowledge of the “strange lights” he saw in a valley northwest of Barak-shathur. Tales of a foul curse which has claimed the lives of three other young Dwarves in recent years are unsettling, but will not stay the curiosity.

- Any character wishing recovery of one of the items described above in Section 8.33.

[Falconer]

Player Character Possibilities from Southern Mirkwood (1983):

- A young Wood-man who wishes to purge the Western Elves of any invaders, for refugees from the Plague have fled into the Forest. He wants to develop a partnership with the Beijabar just north of the Tree-city.

- An Elf from Lórien who, learning of the waning of the Northmen’s Kingdom in the Eastern Eaves, brings a troop of Elves back into Mirkwood Forest hoping to find the ancient Elven Ring of Angalaladh.

- A direct descendant of Vidugavia who summons the help of scattered Northmen and attempts to push the men from Gondor back across the River, returning the lands east of the Anduin to his kind.

- A direct descendant of Vidugavia who calls upon the Northmen tribes to unite and drive the Easterlings out of the hills of eastern Rhovanion.

- A Dwarf from the Iron Hills who comes to Dol Guldur, following a dream-vision in which he learned that a wise and ancient Dwarf was still entrapped by orcs in the mountain.

- A bird-master, attendant to Radagast, who stays behind at Rhosgobel when the wizard begins his yearly wandering; she hopes to fend off an orc group which was waiting in the shadows and has laid siege to his home.

- Leader of a band of Northmen from the Plains who wish to explore Dol Guldur and determine the nature of its inhabitant(s).

- A Hobbit from across the River Anduin who wanders into Mirkwood seeking to learn which forest herbs have magical powers and whether any might be made to grow in riverside Stoorharbor.

- A leader of the Northmen who, in concert with rulers from Gondor, musters Northmen forces against invasions from the East but eventually believes that the minions of the Necromancer are the more serious common enemies and begins plotting against their destruction.

[Falconer]

There are two later compilations/revisions of the two Mirkwood modules, plus some expansions mentioned in those later editions:


“See ICE’s Supplements entitled The Riders of Rohan and Goblin-gate and Eagle’s Eyrie for more information regarding the northern part of the Nan Anduin.”

“See ICE’s Halls of the Elven-king for more detail regarding Thranduil’s capital.”

“For more information on the Aradhrynd, see ICE’s Halls of the Elven-king.”

“Please see ICE’s Dol Guldur from the Citadels of Middle-earth series for complete information on the fortress, including detailed layouts.”

“If the PCs wish to enter Dol Guldur, the GM should see ICE’s Dol Guldur from the Citadels of Middle-earth series for complete information on the fortress, including detailed layouts. The following is merely a summary to aid GMs whose players wisely avoid the citadel itself while roaming the surrounding lands.”

“The following information should be regarded as supplemental; the events described take place after T.A. 1640. GMs wishing to run a detailed adventure in this region should see ICE’s Laketown. For more information regarding items and stats associated with the Lords of Dale, see the Master NPC Table in section 23.2.”

“For more on the Dwarf-lords of Rhovanion, see ICE’s Lords of Middle-earth, Volume III.”

[Falconer]

The biggest surprise to me was ICE’s concept of an “eastern group” of Dwarves inhabiting the Iron Hills. This contradicts multiple in The Peoples of Middle-earth (which, to be fair, was published much later in 1996), for example:

…the Longbeards had spread southward down the Vales of Anduin and had made their chief ‘mansion’ and stronghold at Moria; and also eastward to the Iron Hills, where the mines were their chief source of iron-ore. They regarded the Iron Hills, the Ered Mithrin, and the east dales of the Misty Mountains as their own land…

However, Northern Mirkwood’s idea is a cool conceit and totally legitimate for its day (1983), and since they based a bunch of RPG material on this idea, it seems a pity to throw it out. Here’s what it says:

p. 3: The two kindreds discussed here are those of Durin the Deathless and Balli (I) Stonehand. The former, “Durin’s Folk,” is the oldest and most revered of the Seven Houses. They are identified by their unusually long, forked beards which are often braided and worn tucked into their belts; hence the label “Longbeards.” Balli’s Folk is an “eastern group,” and its kin sport each wear a ring of dark, glassy stone on the small finger of their left hand.… The ancestral home of Durin’s Folk is at Khazad-dûm (“Moria” or “Hadhodrond” among the Elves). Balli’s House is centered at Akhuzdah (“Ahulë”).

p. 18: All the while in the Iron Hills small numbers of Dwarves continue in the great Dwarvish tradition of mining for gold and silver, and hiding out. Small, broad, and bearded folk with the night vision of a great-owl, Dwarves in the Iron Hills dress sensibly in heavy, sturdy boots (to protect their feet from sharp rocks)…

p. 39: Since T.A. 927 the Dwarves of the tribe of Balli Stonehand have mined portions of the valleys which are the source of the Carnen.… Balli’s Folk are part of an eastern Dwarven group. Their leader, Fulla the Second (the 14th level “Demonslayer”), led them into the Iron Hills after a great journey which took over a century and carrid them across the northern part of Endor. His son, Fulla III (the 18th level “Hammer of Fire”), presides over seven hundred hearty Dwarves who now work the land. The main site and capital at Azanulinbar-dûm (Kh. “Red Valley Mansion”), called “Azan” by most knowledgeable folk in Rhovanion, houses three quarters of the population. The rest live at Barak-shathûr (Kh. “Axe Mountain”) and are led by young Azaghal, the (11th level) great-grandson of Fulla’s brother Zigli (Ryk). It was Azaghal who acted as an envoy to Durin’s Folk and made the pilgrimage to Khazad-dûm (Kh. “Dwarf Mansion”) in T.A. 1580, thus establishing a trade link and bond of friendship which was to last over a thousand years.

p. 47: Until T.A. 2590, the small group of Balli’s Folk dominates the highlands of the Emyn Engrin. In that year, a number of Dwarves arrives from the Ered Mithrin. The latter group, members of Durin’s Folk, seek a haven from the increasingly-active dragons. This band is part of the same tribe which occupies Erebor from T.A. 1999 through 2770. From this point on, the Dwarves of the line of Durin the Deathless are predominate.

There’s also a fun mention in the combined Mirkwood module and in LoMeIII of the fact that Fulla III has a +30 Hammer of Returning — obviously the iconic OD&D +3 War Hammer!

I also noticed in the combined Mirkwood module and in LoMeIII that Dain Ironfoot has “Boots of Iron, enabling wearer to kick a foe as if wielding a mace.” This seems to tie in with what is said on the p. 18 quote above, about how the heavy boots worn by the Dwarves of the Iron Hills. Of course it’s a reference to Dain’s nickname, but my point is that ICE decided to make it an Iron Hills tradition. By delightful coincidence, we learn in PoMe that Tolkien named the seventh house the Stonefoots.

[Falconer]

Rhovanion (T.A. 1640) Background Packages - a list I’ve compiled, for the Decipher LotRRPG:

[Falconer]

Here are, as it seems to me, the substantial adventure possibilities offered in Northern Mirkwood (1983). Anyone wishing to run these would use anything he can get from any and all the various editions, I should think. It has been interesting to track down all the equivalent passages and non-equivalent passages.


Key:
NMW - Northern Mirkwood, the Wood-Elves Realm (1983)
MW - Mirkwood, the Wilds of Rhovanion (1988)
LT - Lake-town (1995)
MW2 - Mirkwood (1995)


Other towns and benign sites that you will want to visit but which are hardly adventures include: the Carrock, Celebannon (Huts of the Raft-elves), Esgaroth, Dale, and Azanulinbar-dûm in the Iron Hills.



1. Caras Amarth

Four maps of a large cave complex. NMW uses these maps for Thranduil’s present capital, but MW uses them for the former capital of Thranduil and his father Oropher before him, now abandoned and spider-infested, but in which is rumored to rest an ancient magic jewel. The key is quite threadbare, and this dungeon will need to be stocked. But it would be a shame not to.

The Elven-king’s Halls (NMW 22-6) / Caras Amarth (MW 62-6) (MW2 74,7)
Miramarth (NMW 46) / Mîramarth (MW 117) (MW2 121)
Suggested PC Backgrounds (NMW 48) / PC Possibilities (MW 114) (MW2 118) [many of these PC backgrounds tie in with many of these adventure sites]
The Elf-road (Northwest Middle-earth Gazetteer 124)


2. Sarn Goriwing

Legit wicked sorcerer’s tower crawl in Mirkwood.

Sarn Goriwing (NMW 27) / Sarn Goriwing (MW 94-6) (MW2 90-3)
Action in the Mountains of Mirkwood (NMW 36) / Adventures in Mirkwood (MW 113) (MW2 116)


3. Amon Thranduil

NMW suggests that, as happened in the novel, the PCs can be captured and imprisoned in Thranduil’s dungeon, and would surely mount an escape. The maps and key from the standalone Halls of the Elven-king module can be used for this scenario rather than the maps provided in NMW itself, which are better suited to Caras Amarth (see above).

Settlement Patterns (NMW 20-1)
The Elven-king’s Halls (NMW 25) / Elven Sites, The Elven-king’s Halls (MW 60) (MW2 71-2)
Action in Wood-elf Territory (NMW 36) / The Woodland Realm (MW 46-7) (MW2 53)
Halls of the Elven-king (entire standalone product)


4. Erebor

The maps are all for post-1999 Erebor (inhabited by Dwarves), but the intent in the text is clearly that you will explore it in the presumed 1640 timeframe. So that would need a bit of adaptation, but shouldn’t be too hard, with all the info they give you, and would be a shame to skip.

Settlement Patterns (NMW 21)
Erebor (“The Lonely Mountain”) – Post T.A. 1999 (NMW 28-30) / The Lonely Mountain (MW 67,69-71) (MW2 80-3)
The Lonely Mountain (NMW 39) / The Nearby Lonely Mountain, Béawyn the Seer (MW 52) (MW2 61-2)
Erebor (NMW 47)
Into the Depths of Erebor (LT 186-7)


5. Londaroth

Actually a benign town and not really an adventure location, but it has a few substantial hooks, so I was glad to find more info about it in Lake-town module (which, somewhat more obviously, also expands Esgaroth and Dale).

Action Elsewhere in the Nan Annen (NMW 38) / Action in the Nan Annen (MW 114) (MW2 117)
Londaroth-by-Lindal (LT 27-31)
Trade (LT 49)
Residents of Londaroth (LT 102)
Londaroth-by-Lindal (map on insert)


6. Dieraglir’s Bandit Hold

Really not very substantial, but a decent vignette if you’re going that way.

Raiding (NMW 38) / Raiding (MW 113) (MW2 117)
Assisting the Gramuz (LT 188)


7. Nan Morsereg

A major plotline of the module, this cult in league with Dol Guldur is based in the Iron Hills, but you can come across its agents in the various towns.

Nahald Kûdan (Rh. “Secret Holes”) in the Nan Morsereg (NMW 32) / Nahald Kûdan (MW 96-7) (MW2 93-4)
The Cult of the Long Night (NMW 39) / The Cult of the Long Night (MW 50) (MW2 58)


8. Surgax-Ukog

First of three Orc-infested treasure-holes in the Grey Mountains.

Action in the Eastern and Southern Foothills of the Ered Mithrin (NMW 35) / Asharag (MW 110) (MW2 113)
Cirith Auris (MW 112) (MW2 115)


9. Thyrn Sûl

The Wind Thrones in the Grey Mountains — an insanely evocative site that maybe does not reveal all its secrets at once.

Action in the High Reaches of the Ered Mithrin (NMW 34) / The Uthrael Beoac (MW 112) (MW2 115-6)


10. Tuwurdrog

Second of three Orc-infested treasure-holes in the Grey Mountains.

Tuwurdrog: an Orcish citadel (NMW 26) / Tuwurdrog (MW 110) (MW2 113-4)
Action North of the Grey Peaks (NMW 33) / Lor-uruk-shab (MW 111) (MW2 112)


11. Udrabax

Third of three Orc-infested treasure-holes in the Grey Mountains.

Action North of the Grey Peaks (NMW 33) / Uruk-erag (MW 110) (MW2 112)
Udrabax (MW 111) (MW2 114)


12. Lair of Itangast

There are lots of cool dragons named, but only one given a substantial hook, and helpfully expanded on in other products.

Action in the Withered Heath (NMW 35) / Dragons (MW 27-8) (MW2 29-30)
Dragons of the Ered Mithrin (NMW 42) / Dragons of Wilderland (MW 128) (MW2 139) / Itangast (The Grey Mountains 25)
Sulthol (NMW 46) (Treasures of Middle-earth 40) (Treasures 2e 63) / Sûlthol (MW 117) (MW2 121)
Sojourn for the Claim of Itangast (Riders of Rohan 26-7)

[Falconer]

Revised the above post. I think the most obvious shape of the campaign is as I’ve listed it, overall a clockwise circle.

Generally following the trail of Thorin & Co.:

The Carrock
Eastward through Mirkwood
1. Caras Amarth
2. Sarn Goriwing
3. Amon Thranduil
Celebannon
Esgaroth
Dale
4. Erebor

Journeying further east:

5. Londaroth
6. Dieraglir’s Bandit Hold
Azanulinbar-dûm
7. Nan Morsereg

Turning north:

8. Surgax-Ukog

And back west (mostly traveling along the “gap” south of the mountains, but mostly these sites are up in the mountains):

9. Thyrn Sûl
10. Tuwurdrog
11. Udrabax
12. Lair of Itangast

With the lair of the dragon giving you a nice climax. This allows you to swing south again through the Anduin Vale to tackle Southern Mirkwood.

Another option: if they skip Dale/Erebor at the point where I have listed it, they could swing back south for it after Surgax-Ukog on their way to the Thyrn Sûl.

Another option: completely reverse the order so it’s counterclockwise.

Another option: start in Esgaroth and strike out in any direction players see fit.

Another option: more fully integrate with Southern Mirkwood, and move back and forth between the two modules more.

[Falconer]

Sagath and Logath = Wainriders
Asdriags = Balchoth

It was annoyingly difficult to dig up this info!
Some sources state Asdriags = Balchoth but others contradict this. Aargh!

[tkdco2]

Did you get that from this website? I hadn't thought about turning the Sagath and Asdriags into Wainriders and Balchoth respectively, but it works. ICE seems to have created those tribes, among others.

[Falconer]

No, I am basing my info directly on published ICE materials, in this case Mirkwood 2e. That website is great but they are a canon unto themselves; a lot of their stuff is based on MERP but a great deal of it is majorly changed.

[Falconer]

ICE Modules Set in Rhovanion

1. Northern Mirkwood: The Wood-Elves Realm (1983)
2. Southern Mirkwood: Haunt of the Necromancer (1983)
3. Riders of Rohan (1985)
4. Goblin-gate and Eagle’s Eyrie (1985)
5. Brigands of Mirkwood (1987)
6. Halls of the Elven-king (1988)
   Mirkwood: The Wilds of Rhovanion (1988 remake of the 1983 modules)
7. Mount Gundabad (1989)
8. Denizens of the Dark Wood (1989)
9. The Necromancer’s Lieutenant (1990)
10. The Grey Mountains (1992)
11. Dol Guldur (1995)
12. Lake-town (1995)
    Mirkwood (1995 remake of the 1988 module)

N.B.: In the ICE materials, Moria is mostly tied to Eriador, and Lórien is mostly tied to Gondor.

[tkdco2]

I have most of the modules, although I haven't used all of them. I used The Necromancer's Lieutenant in my online MERP game last year. I would have incorporated Brigands of Mirkwood if the campaign had continued.

Strange that Lorien would be tied to Gondor, as the two realms had few, if any, ties. It's possibly because Galadriel and Celeborn lived near Belfalas at one point, and Nimrodel's handmaiden married a Prince of Dol Amroth. The only Lorien module I know about is tied to Eregion. I can see Moria being tied to Eregion, as the Elves and Dwarves were trading partners in the Second Age.

[Falconer]

Here is my breakdown of the adventures in Lórien and the Halls of the Elven Smiths:



The colors represent the region from which the adventurers are explicitly or implicitly assumed to originate:

Amber - Eriador
Blue - Gondor
Green - Rhovanion

Basically, I treat this as two modules, with The Halls of the Elven Smiths being classed as an Eriador module and Lórien being classed as a Gondor module. The one adventure with Rhovanion connections is set in the time of the War of the Ring, which means it’s the odd duck out in the usual ICE campaign. Note, too, that historically Gondor extended as far north as the Limlight, which was the southern boundary of Lórien. Hence the connection.

[Falconer]

Maethelburg

In the Upper Anduin Valley, at the western terminus of the Elf-path out of Mirkwood, there lies a town.



This town is detailed in Goblin-gate and Eagles Eyrie. A full-page, keyed map can be found on p. 31.



It’s a bustling hub of trade, multi-ethnic, lots of taverns and intrigue, very D&Dish, a perfect base for raiding Goblin-town. I don’t know if I would want to begin a Northern Mirkwood campaign there—it’s a little at odds with the “vast empty” feel of Northern Mirkwood—but it could be useful and might be unavoidable. Maybe it could be passed through briefly on the way from the Carrock to Caras Amarth (very little detail given), and returned to after the end, at which point it could be explored more.

Complete references in Goblin-gate and Eagles Eyrie.

The Northmen, pp. 7-8
The Northmen, p. 10
Maethelburg: Market of the Upper Anduin, pp. 12-13
Maethelburg, pp. 29-33


Stoorharbor

Southern Mirkwood mentions only briefly that the area inhabited by the Stoor Hobbits is called Stoorharbor. (Shouldn’t it be Stoorharbour?) I thought Stoors were long gone from Rhovanion into Dunland by 1640, but it appears they came back to Rhovanion for a time through fear of the Witch-king.

[Falconer]

“Taurëfantô,” from White Dwarf #87, is a scenario about the Entwives which ties in with Southern Mirkwood.

[tkdco2]

I didn't know about that one! I'll have to see if I can find out more about it.

[Falconer]

Thomas Morwinsky published a revision in Other Hands Issue #27. I haven’t compared it to the original.

[tkdco2]

My laptop doesn't recognize the file in that link. It's listed as a PDF file, but it isn't.

[Falconer]

Hm, the first time you get to what appears to be a PDF link, it is actually a link to a webpage where you can get the actual PDF link.

If that doesn’t work, here is the direct link: www.otherminds.net/downloads/other-hands/other-hands-issue-27.pdf

[tkdco2]

Thanks.

[bobjester0e]

Apr 10, 2021 2:20:34 GMT -6 tkdco2 said:

My laptop doesn't recognize the file in that link. It's listed as a PDF file, but it isn't.

I downloaded it, and had to choose Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. 

I renamed the file, adding ".pdf" and now my laptop opens it as such now. 

I don't know much about open files like this, but since (Other Hands magazine) is multi-national, I assumed that the creator wanted as much access with it with whatever was most prominent in their own region of the world. 

[Falconer]

There is another scenario called “The Healing Tree: An Adventure in Southern Mirkwood” by Terry K. Amthor. It was published in Iron Crown Quarterly #2 (Halloween 1988).

[machfront]

I’m just gonna go ahead and gush…
Flaconer, it’s clear you could do so much more…but, I honestly think you both could and should do at least a ‘simple’ guide to ME play with OD&D….breaking down your understanding to the ‘brass tacks’.

I sure do appreciate your insight and consolidation of materials, and such. Thanks.
As a more-than-casual fan who enjoys to know more, but is not a ‘student’ of the material…it’s fun and enjoyable to read stuff from you and others here.
I appreciate it, guys. 🙂

[Falconer]

Dec 18, 2022 6:22:18 GMT -6 machfront said:

Flaconer, it’s clear you could do so much more…but, I honestly think you both could and should do at least a ‘simple’ guide to ME play with OD&D….breaking down your understanding to the ‘brass tacks’.

Hey, thanks for the encouragement, man! I’ll get there fore sure.