Fourth Age Hero

[Eosin]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

This article was written by Clark Peterson of Necromancer Games - I have kept it on my hard drive and thought that you might find some value in it. It is a great read full of ideas, even if you never use any of them.

 

 

A Middle Earth Timeline: Exciting Periods In Which To Set Middle Earth Campaigns

 

 

by Clark Peterson

 

Long ago I cooked up a GURPS supplement for LotR. Here is my section on when to set adventures, which is one of the most difficult things when playing in Middle Earth:

 

Settings

 

This Supplement presumes that adventures within Middle Earth are set in the late Third Age or early Fourth Age, and it provides only those racial and cultural packages which exist in that time period. Several time periods seem to be appropriate settings for adventure, some more difficult than others, being more removed from Middle Earth as described in the Lord of the Rings. For example, in any of the settings below before the Great Plague much would have to be changed from the world as described in the Lord of the Rings: Fornost and Annuminais are still whole, as is Osgiliath (though burnt in 1430), and the Northern kingdom is still intact. There is still a king in Gondor. The Rohirrim have not yet aided Gondor and been granted the lands of the Mark. Moria is still full of dwarves, since Durin’s Bane had not yet been awakened. Hobbits have just begun to settle Bree, and the Shire has not yet been founded.

 

However, any of the time periods below more than adequately provide the necessary thematic backdrop against which epic adventures may be set in Middle Earth. The only restriction on using a setting before the events of the Lord of the Rings, of course, is that the necessary story components must not be altered.

 

1. TA 1300-1389: The Rise of Angmar: The Witch-king has established Angmar and makes war against the Dunedain of the North. Orcs and other evil creatures increase in the world. There is much intrigue between the three sundered Arnorian realms of Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur, backed by the Witch-king. A campaign set in this time would stress the vigor of Gondor and the growing strife with the Witch-king as well as the internal struggle in Arnor.

 

2. TA 1409: The Invasion of Arnor: The Witch-king of Angmar invades Arnor. King Arvaleg I is slain. Though Fornost and Tyrn Gorthad are defended, the Tower of Amon Sul (Weathertop) is destroyed. A campaign set in this time would be against a backdrop of constant and open military hostility. The threat of Angmar, hinted at above, now is poised to overthrow the Northern kingdom.

 

3. TA 1430-1450: The Kin Strife: A fertile time for adventure, King Valdacar of Gondor dies and the civil war of the kin-strife begins. Soon, Osgiliath is burned and the palantir lost. Eldacar of Gondor flees to Rhovanion and his son, Ornedil is murdered. Castamir the Usurper seizes the throne of Gondor. Ten years later, Eldacar returns and drives out the Usurper. Pelargir is beseiged and the rebels escape and seize Umbar. A highly political setting, the players could be cast as loyal supporters of Eldacar.

 

4. TA 1634-1640--The Years of the Great Plague: Starting in 1634, the Corsairs ravage Pelargir and slay King Minardil. Then, two years later in 1636, the Great Plague devastates Gondor. New King Telemnar and his children are slain. The white tree dies in Minas Anor (later to be named Minas Tirith). The plague spreads and there is great loss, with parts of Eriador becoming desolate. The Hobbits in the Shire survive but also at great loss. A campaign set at this time would stress the great theme of decline and decay, as Osgiliath is in ruin, Pelargir is destroyed, the white tree dies, and Tharbad begins to fall into decay.

 

5. TA 1851-1944: The Wainriders and the Battle of Dagorlad: Fourty one years after King Telumehtar retakes Umbar and drives out the Corsairs, the Wainriders begin their attack on Gondor. Gondor loses its eastern territories and Narmicil II falls in battle. King Calimehtar defeats the Wainriders on Dagorlad and builds the White Tower in Minas Anor. A campaing set in this time would end on a happy note with the building of the White Tower and with a defeat of the Wainriders. It would also allow the characters to take part in the famed Battle of Dagorlad.

 

6. TA 1940-1945--The Reunification: Gondor and Arnor renew communications and form an alliance. Arvedui, the last king of the North, weds Firiel, the daughter of Ondoher of Gondor. Ondoher falls in battle. Earnil defeats the enemy in South Ithilien and then drives the last of the Wainriders into the Dead Marshes after the Battle of the Camp. Arvedui claims the crown of Gondor, but his claim is not yet accepted and Earnil II receives the crown. Peace and reunification seem to be at hand. A campaign set here would include much intrigue, requiring the characters to involve themselves willing or not in the claims to the throne of Gondor.

 

7. TA 1974-1976--The Destruction of Arnor and the Fall of the Witch-King: In a final assault on the North kingdom, the Witch-king overruns Arthedain and Fornost is taken. Fleeing from the destruction, Arvedui, the last king, drowns in the Bay of Forochel. The palantiri of Annuminas and Amon Sul are supposedly lost. The Witch-king of Angmar in the end is defeated at the Battle of Fornost when Earnur brings a fleet to Lindon. The Witch-king vanishes from the North and comes to Mordor where he gathers the other Nazgul to him. Aranarth takes the title of Cheiftain of the Dunedain, and the heirlooms of Arnor are given into the keeping of Elrond. A campaign set in this time is very near in feel to the Lord of the Rings itself. There is great loss and sacrifice, but final victory over evil. The characters could take part in helping to deliver the heirlooms to Elrond in Rivendell, which Aragorn will later use, giving an ending of hope to an otherwise dark campaign.

 

8. TA 1980-2050--The Fall of Minas Ithil and the End of Gondor: Evil grows. The Witch-king, driven from Angmar, has called the other Nazgul to Mordor. The Balrog appears in Moria and slays Durin VI. The dwarves flee Moria and many of the elves of Lorien flee South. Amroth and Nimrodel are lost. Thrain I founds the "Kingdom Under the Mountain" at Erebor. The Nazgul beseige and capture Minas Ithil, which is ever after known as Minas Morgul. The Ithil stone is captured by the Nazgul. Earnur, the final king of Gondor, is twice challenged by the Witch-king. The second challenge is accepted and Earnur is slain in treachery at Minas Morgul, thus ending the line of kings of Gondor. Mardil becomes the first ruling steward. As with the fall of Arnor above, this time is similarly ripe for adventure. Arnor is in ruin, Gondor is besieged now by the Witch-king, Moria is deserted. Sauron as of yet has not been unmasked as the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, and his power is growing. The loss of the kingship of Gondor is an epic tragedy, and embodies the theme of decline. The ceremonial appointment of the steward foreshadows the Return of the King: Aragorn II.

 

9. TA 2060-2460: The Watchful Peace: The wise fear that the Necromancer in Dol Guldur is Sauron, and Gandalf confronts him. Sauron flees and hides in the East. The Watchful Peace begins. The Nazgul are quiet in Minas Morgul as Sauron builds his power now in Mordor for many years. Finally, in 2460, Sauron returns in strength to Dol Guldur. This setting would be appropriate for running a campaign where the players do not want to meddle in the larger affairs of Middle Earth, as Sauron and the Nazgul are in hiding. The dwarves return to the Grey Mountains and Hobbits settle Buckland. The One Ring has not yet been found by Smeagol. A GM would be given much leeway in developing and allowing the characters to overcome some lesser evil. A campaign could be run at this time with one of the characters finding the ring, as long as it ends back up in the river for Smeagol to find.

 

10. TA 2509-2515: The Sons of Elrond and the Victory of the Rohirrim: With an increase in Orcs and evil creatures in Moria and the Misty Mountains, Celebrian is waylaid on her journey from Rivendel to Lorien and recieves a poisoned wound. Eladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, ride errant seeking to exact revenge on all evil creatures for the passage of their mother. Orcs and Easterlings overrun Calenardhon. Eorl and the Eothraim win the day at the Field of Celebrant and are rewarded by Gondor with the land of Calenardhon. The Rohirrim now settle the lands of the Mark they occupy throughout the Lord of the Rings. A campaign set in this time would certainly include the players in the activities of the sons of Elrond and in the relocation of the Rohirrim to the lands of the Mark.

 

11. TA 2740-2759: Rohan Besieged and the Long Winter: Prior to the Long Winter, Orcs renew their invasion of Eriador. Rohan is attacked from the west and east and overrun. Gondor is attacked by fleets of the Corsairs. Helm of Rohan takes refuge in Helm’s Deep. Wulf seizes Edoras. In 2758-59, the Long Winter brings great suffering into Eriador and Rohan. Gandalf takes interest in the Shire, and comes to its aid. Helm is slain. Frealaf drives out Wulf and begins the second line of Kings of the Mark. Sauruman is given the keys to Isengard. A campaign set in this time would allow the players to partake in the original battle at Helm’s Deep, prefiguring the story in the Lord of the Rings. A skilled GM would place his or her players in situations similar to those faced by the Grey Company. Also, as the history of the Mark is not fully fleshed out by Tolkien, a GM would have quite a bit of "breathing room" to set adventures in this time period.

 

 

12. TA 2790-2799: The War of Dwarves and Orcs: Thror is slain in Moria by Azog. The dwarves gather for a war of vengeance and the War of Dwarves and Orcs begins, culminating in the Battle of Azanulbizar (Nanduhirion) before the East-gate of Moria where Azog is slain by Dain Ironfoot after killing his father, Nain. At the conclusion of the war, Dain Ironfoot returns to the Iron Hills and Thrain II and his son Thorin wander westward, settling in the South of Ered Luin beyond the Shire. This campaign setting is perfect for those groups of players who just don’t ever want to play any character other than a dwarf. It’s a dwarf-orc melee-fest.

 

13. TA 2911-2912: The Fell Winter: The Baranduin and other rivers are frozen and White Wolves invade Eriador from the North. In its thaw, great floods devastate Enedwaith and Minhiriath. Tharbad is ruined and deserted. This setting is a favorite of mine, because it has unity of time and location--a very short time period with action focused in the North. I ascribe the Fell Winter to an agent of Sauron (possibly the Witch-king or some other evil lieutenant) who has returned to Angmar with an item of power over the weather. The players aid the Rangers of the North in uncovering and defeating Sauron’s servant. I personally love Angmar and this setting allows me to use it in a time frame closer to the War of the Ring. Additionally, setting a campaign during this time allows for a heroic explanation to what would otherwise be a strange though natural occurrence.

 

14. TA 2941-2944: The Hobbit: Just for reference, this is when Thorin arrives in the Shire, Bilbo finds the Great Ring, the White Council drives Sauron from Dol Guldur, Smaug is slain, the Battle of the Five Armies occurs, Thorin II dies, Dain reestablishes the Kingdom Under the Mountain and Bard rebuilds Dale and becomes king. In my mind, this is not a good time to set a campaign; so much is going on that there is little "breathing room" for a game master to set a story. Though adventurous and skilled game masters may succeed.

 

15. TA 2951-2980: The Journeys of Aragorn: Sauron decalres himself openly, gathers power in Mordor and begins to rebuild the Barad-dur. Sauron sends the Nazgul to occupy Dol Guldur. Elrond reveals to Aragorn his true heritage and delivers to him the shards of Narsil. Arwen meets Aragorn. Aragorn goes into the Wild. The Last meeting of the White Council, Sauraman fortifies Orthanc. Mount Doom bursts into flames. Aragorn meets Gandalf and their friendship begins. From TA 2957-2980, Aragorn begins his great journeys and errantries, serving Gondor and Rohan under the name of Thorongil. In TA 2980, Aragorn and Arwen plight their troth upon the hill of Cerin Amroth where he gives her the Ring of Barahir. Gollum makes his way to Mordor. This setting has quite a bit of "breathing room." Characters could be part of Thorongil’s company in the service of Rohan and Gondor. Either here or later in the hunt for Gollum, Aragorn goes to Moria, and possibly the characters can go with him. The characters would certainly also meet Gandalf. This is an outstanding setting for a first Middle Earth campaign because it is near in time to the Lord of the Rings and thus many of the characters and places are as described in the trilogy. Additionally, it allows for player contact with Aragorn (in disguise as Thorongil) and Gandalf.

 

16. TA 3000-3017---The Hunt for Gollum: Sauraman uses the Orthanc stone and is ensnared by Sauron. Gandalf suspects that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring. The guard on the Shire is doubled. Gandalf seeks out Aragorn’s aid in finding Gollum. Starting in TA 3009, Gandalf and Aragorn start their search for Gollum in earnest, searching the vales of Anduin, Mirkwood, and Rhovanion to the confines of Mordor. At some point during this time, Gollum ventures into Mordor and is captured by Sauron. In TA 3017, Gollum is released from Mordor and is captured by Aragorn in the Dead Marshes and brought to Thranduil in Mirkwood for keeping. A campaign set in this time would have similar advantages as the Journeys of Aragorn, above, though it has a little less "breathing room," since the driving force is the location of Gollum. However, it does allow for some good gentle moments where the characters can aid in keeping secret the love of Aragorn and Arwen. Also, the GM may decide that it was during the search for Gollum that Aragorn entered Moria, so the characters could go with him.

 

17. TA 3018: The War of the Ring: The events of the trilogy are in motion: Gollum has escaped Thranduil’s realm, Boromir’s dream disturbs Gondor and he is sent to Rivendell, Denethor is snared by Sauron, Sauron’s emissaries wait at the Gate of Erebor hoping for information on hobbits and the Black Riders are abroad with the name "Baggins" on their lips. A campaign set during the time of the trilogy has several advantages and disadvantages. It would require no historical modification; things would be exactly as they are in the trilogy.

 

18. TA 3019-3021/FA 1: The Return of the Shadow: As Gandalf explains after the War of the Ring, the downfall of Sauron is not the end of evil, for he is but a servant of Morgoth, whose evil persists though he has been cast out. In fact, a fragmentary story started by Professor Tolkien exists which takes place after the War of the Ring. See History of Middle Earth XII. Also, if a campaign is to be set after the War of the Ring, consult the timeline regarding the End of the Third Age in Appendix B of The Return of the King. While this setting certainly has the greatest "breathing room," as there are no subsequent events to be concerned about disrupting, this setting also lacks some of the thematic force of pre-War of the Ring settings. The Age of Men has arrived and the Eldar are passing and all their works are fading or have faded from the earth. Though even in this the great theme of decay can still be played out, as Aragorn’s reunited kingdom, no matter how glorious, is but a pale shadow even of Gondor of old or of Isildur’s Northern Kingdom.

 

Final Notes:

 

In my experience, there are four major things that persons playing in Middle Earth want to do, all of which can be accommodated in any of the above settings (except possibly the last):

 

1. Meet and interact with their favorite character from the Lord of the Rings;

2. Go to a famous place described in the Lord of the Rings;

3. Be the cause of, the explanation for or participate in a famous event;

4. Assist in the success of the War of the Ring in some way, usually without notoriety, so that they may smugly claim that the Fellowship’s quest, or the War of the Ring, or Aragorn’s return could not have been accomplished without their small but significant contribution.

[Eosin]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Another article from Jeff Black

 

Middle Earth in the Fourth Age

by Jeff Black

 

Some thoughts on the running of a Fourth Age Middle Earth campaign

 

A Fourth Age Middle Earth campaign is a great way to use Tolkien's world as a game setting without having to worry about, or change, canon. Tolkien himself provides a lot of interesting detail about his world after the time of the Lord of the Rings, detail that provides a wealth of campaign hooks and ideas. I'll quote some of this material to show how relevant it is to a DM wanting to run a campaign in Middle Earth.

 

"For though Sauron had passed, the hatreds and evils that he bred had not died, and the King of the West had many enemies to subdue before the White Tree could grow in peace. And wherever King Elessar went with war King Eomer went with him; and beyond the Sea of Rhun and on the far fields of the South the thunder of the cavalry of the Mark was heard, and the White Horse upon Green flew in many winds until Eomer grew old."

 

- The Return of the King, Apendix A, part II, The House of Eorl

 

This paragraph sets the premise for decades of Fourth Age adventure. It doesn't involve just Men, either. Even though Tolkien makes much of how the Fourth Age is a time of fading for all the peoples of Middle Earth except Men, it is apparent that many of the other races are actually becoming much more gregarious in the Fourth Age. Here are some examples:

 

"After the fall of Sauron, Gimli brought south a part of the Dwarf-folk of Erebor, and he became Lord of the Glittering Caves. He and his people did great works in Gondor and Rohan. For Minas Tirith they forged gates of mithril and steel to replace those broken by the Witch-king. Legolas his friend brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien,

and it became once again the fairest country in all the westlands."

 

- The Return of the King, Appendix A, part III, Durin's Folk

 

"Three times Lorien had been assailed from Dol Guldur, but besides the valour of the elven people of that land, the power that dwelt there was too great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there himself. Though grievous harm was done to the fair woods on the borders, the assaults were driven back; and when the Shadow had passed, Celeborn came forth and led the host of Lorien over Anduin in many boats. They took Dol Guldur, and Galadriel threw down its walls and laid bare its pits, and the forest was cleansed.

 

In the North also there had been war and evil. The realm of Thranduil was invaded, and there was long battle under the trees and great ruin of fire; but in the end Thranduil had the victory. And on the day of the New Year of the Elves, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the forest; and they renamed Mirkwood Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of Greenleaves. Thranduil took all the northern region as far as the mountains that rise in the forest for his realm; and Celeborn took all the southern wood below the Narrows, and named it East Lorien; all the wide forest between was given to the Beornings and the Woodmen. But after the passing of Galadriel in a few years Celeborn grew weary of his realm and went to Imladris to dwell with the sons of Elrond. In the Greenwood the Silvan Elves remained untroubled, but in Lorien there lingered sadly only a few of its former people, and there was no longer light or song in Caras Galadon."

 

- The Return of the King, Appendix B, The Tale of Years

 

In addition, it seems that the Fourth Age is a time of renewal and rebuilding. A few brief but significant passages suggest that Elessar seeks to reinvigorate the entire northwestern part of Middle Earth, something which will take a number of hardy individuals performing countless heroic deeds. Here are some examples:

 

"King Elessar rides north, and dwells for a while by Lake Evendim."

[Fourth Age 14]

 

- The Return of the King, Appendix B, The Tale of Years

 

"And Aragorn gave to Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, and bade him dwell in the hills of Emyn Arnen within sight of the City.'For,' said he, 'Minas Ithil in Morgul Vale shall be utterly destroyed, and though it may in time to come be made clean, no man may dwell there for many long years.'"

 

- The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter V: The Steward and the King

 

As simple as these passages seem, the actual doing of the deeds required to accomplish them is rather difficult. Elessar not only travels to, but actually lives at Annuminas for a while. Seeing that the city was a ruin at the end of the Third Age, abandoned for centuries, and surrounded by wilderness, this implies an enormous effort was made by Gondor. It seems clear that Annuminas is restored, and becomes the chief city of the northern kingdom. It is not difficult to picture that King Elessar also rebuilt Fornost Erain and Tharbad. It is also highly likely, even though unmentioned, that Osgiliath was cleared and rebuilt; given Elessar's desire to rebuild the Dunedain kingdoms, this seems a natural assumption to make.

 

In addition, the destruction of Minas Ithil, an entire fortress-city the size of Minas Tirith (at least), held by the chief of the Nazgul for centuries and used as a base for a large part of the strength of Mordor, is a task which would have to involve thousands of troops. This is especially true if the city was used as a rallying point and base for some of the remnants of Sauron's armies. It is not hard to imagine that the interior of the city is filled with all manner of evil things - Men, beasts, traps, and a generally unwholesome atmosphere. Very much like a D&D adventure. And speaking of D&D adventures...

 

"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day."

 

- The Two Towers, Book III, Chapter V: The White Rider

 

With the Balrog defeated, Sauron gone, and a huge part of the strength of the orcs in the region destroyed, it is quite likely that the Dwarves would at least begin to explore and clean out Moria. This would provide the archetypal dungeon adventure. Especially given that tantalizing glimpse Gandalf gives into a world of darkness and horror far beneath even where the Kings of the Dwarves once dwelled.

 

Here are a few random, and final, thoughts about possibilities for Fourth Age campaigns:

 

Mirkwood (renamed Eryn Lasgalen) and Ithilien would likely also remain havens for a time for evil creatures, such as spiders and orcs, until the Elves, woodmen, and Beornings finally rid the forest of them. Shelob still dwells near Cirth Ungol, and the Watcher in the Water still haunts the lake near the west gate of Moria.

 

Veterans of Celeborn's taking of Dol Guldur would be good candidates for duty in Mordor itself, or any place wherein darkness still holds sway.

 

There are at least two great Elves still unaccounted for in the 4th Age: Daeron and Maglor. Perhaps one or the other is encountered in the East, or perhaps one or the other returns to western Middle Earth, finally weary of wandering, their pain and sorrow driving them towards the west at last. Perhaps one of them could take up residence in fading Lorien, or even in Rivendell for a time, or take up the kingship of East Lorien once Celeborn leaves.

 

I hope some of this has helped generate ideas for a Fourth Age campaign in Middle Earth.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Iron Crown Enterprises used to make (may still make for all I know) all sorts of sourcebooks for Middle Earth locations, and as I recall, they were mostly intended for play in the Fourth Age, although they do have 3rd Age notes. Now, to me, they were very D&D in tone, and not too Tolkien, but the maps were good, and there are some good ideas scattered here and there in them. If you can pick some up for cheap, they would definitely be worth looking at.

[grymlocke]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

there is a book that you might find worth looking into, the atlas of middle earth.

It can be found at amazon.com (used too), i read through it at borders, plainer english that the back of ROTHK (return of the king), maps, migration, etc....similar to living greyhawk book, but not a really a gaming resource (pretty close though...) I was toying with the idea of getting it myself to try ME write ups......

 

I think this thread should be called : 'Heroes of Middle earth' or 'ME HERO' ....

[Lezentauw]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

The Witch-King' date=' the Head of the Nazgul. But he's dead? Well, he wasn't exactly alive in the first place when Eowyn slew him. And remember, the other eight Rings of the Nine were consumed by Mount Doom, but the Witch-King's was left on the battlefield. Even Tolkein states in the books "He was never seen again in that age", which leaves the possibility open that he might return in another Age, save the Fourth.[/quote']

 

This is an interesting twist for a campaign idea MFH, but it violates what I believe is cannon for the rings of power.

 

The way I understand it, once the One Ring was destroyed. All of the rings of power, became nothing more than worthless trinkets. That includes the rings of power that the Elves bore, and they were no where near Mt Doom, when the One Ring fell into the fire. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding of the Rings of Power.

 

There may be a way that the Witch-King comes back, but as far as I understand it, it is not by a ring of power. As well, there are no rings of power left.

 

I think that if you wanted to use an antagonist, that a Balrog would be better suited. They were equal in power to Istari, both being compared as lesser Valar. I vaguely remember mention somewhere that there were more than just one Balrog, and that they came over with Morgoth to Middle Earth.

 

Perhaps a Balrog raised the Witch-King from ashes to serve him in his conquest of Middle-Earth.

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Thanks guys, this is a bundle of great information and offers a lot of options.

 

Eosin - Those articles are a great help. I especially appreciate the detail that fleshes out the little blurbs I'd found previously at other locations. Rep for you!)

 

MFH - Your theory is similar to my own. The Ages are much like our own time, we just don't stop counting the years. I'd read somewhere that we were currently in the Seventh Age (Gondor Reckoning). I have to agree with Lez concerning the Rings of Power, though.

 

With the destruction of the One Ring, all the other rings lost their power. What about a Palantir housing some of Sauron's malevolence, though? There are Palantir's that were lost and one made its way up to the Lossoth, I believe (this is from one of the ICE adventures). What it someone found it and gained power and the taint of Morgoth...? (rep for you, too!)

 

Mark Taber - I don't have either of those books, but I do have access to the Bestiary. I'll start my workings, there.

 

Fitz - Concentration is a good start. I don't know how that would fit into Limb Running and the like. Clinging would work, only on trees, for that fantabulous dex the evles may have while in Mirkwood.

 

Great stuff all, everyone! Let's keep this going!

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

If you're set on using the Witch-King, you could say that he absorbed enough power through the ring and through his own evil deeds to perpetuate his existence, even though his ring is now worthless. Or maybe his ring no longer receives power from the One Ring, but it still serves as a focus for his own power.

 

Balrogs are a good idea. There should be a good-sized handful of them still lurking around Middle-Earth here and there. Maybe rather than having one Big-Bad in the campaign, there could be several smaller ones, which spring up at more or less the same time, and while they're not actually working together, it seems that way to the good folk of Middle-Earth.

 

Maybe a Balrog becomes a god-king among the Wainriders, another begins building an army of orcs and Dunlendings in the Misty Mountains, one sets up a wizard as vizier for the king of the Haradrim and pulls the strings of the one pulling the strings, and meanwhile the Witch-King is harnessing the spirits of the Dead Marshes and rallying the orcs of Mordor.

 

This is starting to sound really cool...

[irishspy]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

So there are at least a few Elves. The only places I can remember being mentioned that Dwarves live off the top of my head are the Lonely Mountain and Dale. I can't remember where Dain comes to the Lonely Mountain from' date=' but presumably it is from another Dwarf Kingdom.[/quote']

 

There's also a Dwarf realm in the Glittering Caves at Helm's Deep, as I recall. I think Gimli talks of founding a colony there after the war.

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

There's also a Dwarf realm in the Glittering Caves at Helm's Deep' date=' as I recall. I think Gimli talks of founding a colony there after the war.[/quote']

 

Exactly right, irishspy. Eosin's articles mentioned precisely the same thing.

[irishspy]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Exactly right' date=' irishspy. Eosin's articles mentioned precisely the same thing.[/quote']

 

Ack! It was right in front of me. No wonder I missed it.

[Mutant for Hire]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

I never said that the Witch-King's ring had any power. I said it was used as a focus for sorcery, which is an entirely different matter. There's two types of "magic" in Middle Earth. There is subcreation of the sort that the Elves perform, which isn't really magic in the conventional thinking of it. Then there is the evil sorcery which taps into the essence of what Morgoth put into the creation of Middle Earth, the stuff that people like the Mouth of Sauron learned.

 

What I'm saying is that people who studied that lore, which wasn't dependent on Sauron at all, used the Ninth Ring to draw the Witch-King's spirit back from wherever it went to. Presumably to learn the lore of the Witch-King, who was tutored in the dark arts by Sauron himself.

[Lezentauw]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

I never said that the Witch-King's ring had any power. I said it was used as a focus for sorcery, which is an entirely different matter. There's two types of "magic" in Middle Earth. There is subcreation of the sort that the Elves perform, which isn't really magic in the conventional thinking of it. Then there is the evil sorcery which taps into the essence of what Morgoth put into the creation of Middle Earth, the stuff that people like the Mouth of Sauron learned.

 

What I'm saying is that people who studied that lore, which wasn't dependent on Sauron at all, used the Ninth Ring to draw the Witch-King's spirit back from wherever it went to. Presumably to learn the lore of the Witch-King, who was tutored in the dark arts by Sauron himself.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I obviously read into what you posted, and made some bad assumptions based upon not having all the information.

 

Your idea is definately more plausable then when I first read it!

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Evil and Wicked cool!

 

Though, I'm still confused. I haven't read the actual books in an age and I'm not sure who 'The Mouth of Sauron' is. I thought he was one of the Ring-wraiths.

 

I'm with the good Cap. Obvious. This is sounding pretty cool.

 

I wonder if any of my possible players are working out character ideas...

[Fitz]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Not a ringwraith, one of the so-called "Black Numenoreans". If I recall correctly, he was described as being a fairly hefty sorcerer in his own right, but utterly subservient to the will of Sauron to the extent that he no longer had a name of his own, but was just called the Mouth of Sauron.

 

He's an interesting character more for the implications of his presence than in himself; where there's one guy like him there's likely to be more. Assuming there are some pretty funky sorcerous lieutenants out and about taking care of slave-run farms and what-not when Barad Dur collapsed, and therefore not squished along with all the rest, there should be some really nasty characters available for some 4th Age gaming goodness.

[Mutant for Hire]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Another idea is that one of the Black Numenoreans got ahold of Saruman's collection of Ring lore (how they got into Orthanc when Treebeard holds the key is a tricky question, but I'm assuming that someone figured it out). Remember that Saruman made a Ring himself. My concept is that a Black Numenorean used his knowledge of sorcery and Saruman's collected Ring-lore to reenchant the Ninth Ring of Men, and didn't realize it was linked to the spirit of the Witch-King who eventually takes over the Ring-wearer.

 

Another of the concepts that I'm working on is that Radagast the Brown chose to stay behind in Middle Earth. He recognized that the Ents were doomed and the time of Men was coming, and wanted to stay behind to train an order of Men to become protectors of the woods and beasts. Essentially he goes and founds a Druidic order. This order doesn't play a big role in the Fourth Age, or any other Age. As Treebeard says, it's not so much that they're not on anyone's side is that no one else is on their side.

 

Likewise the last two of the Istari also founded orders, though I'm still working out the details there. Incidentally, I'm not feeling constrained to Tolkein's own notes on the Blue wizards. Tolkein himself quite frequently revised stuff that wasn't actually published in the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings. Galadriel's motivations for going with the Noldor to Middle Earth was something he fiddled with. All that is necessary is that the last two Istari were not present for any of the events of Lord of the Rings.

 

Another thought was the fact that while Elrond's sons both stayed behind, only one of them chose to become mortal and be counted among Men. I had the other one decide to remain an Elf and take over Rivendale after his father left. It's essentially a duplication of the Elros/Elrond choice.

[Curufea]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

The way magic seems to appear to work in the books - I strongly suspect chanelling. All the allies of Sauron seem to get their power from him. Sauron probably gets his from Melkor.

 

For the other side - wizards probably go straight to the gods, as do the elves..

[Outsider]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

I just read through, and was going to mention ol' Mouthy, among others, as an example of how magic wasnt limited to strictly Nazgul, Elves, or Maia, but it looks like I got beat to it.

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Much of Tolkein is taken from the myths of Europe.

 

Traditional Dwarfs were carved out of stone.

There were no female Dwarfs.

 

BTW - I don't ever remember reading about "Cave Trolls". In the books there are "Olog Hai" which are a breeding enhancement made to Trolls in the same manner as "Uruk Hai" are to normal orcs (called by the Elves "Yrch")

 

I've got the Hero Bestiary! Well, it isn't in my grubby little fingers, but it is out in the car, impatiently waiting for me to tear into it tonight after work. Actually, that's probably me and not it, but who's keeping score here?

 

BoT: I disagree with this. The Cave Troll is a domesticized aspect of the Trolls Bilbo and the Company of Thirteen tricked into waiting for supper during the Hobbit. An Olog Hai is something else entirely, IMO.

 

This begs another question: What is Canon? Movie, books, or a mix of both. One of the players is a geek, but not necessarily a Tolkien geek and the other is only familiar with the movie adaptation. Which is better for these purposes?

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Not a ringwraith, one of the so-called "Black Numenoreans". If I recall correctly, he was described as being a fairly hefty sorcerer in his own right, but utterly subservient to the will of Sauron to the extent that he no longer had a name of his own, but was just called the Mouth of Sauron.

 

He's an interesting character more for the implications of his presence than in himself; where there's one guy like him there's likely to be more. Assuming there are some pretty funky sorcerous lieutenants out and about taking care of slave-run farms and what-not when Barad Dur collapsed, and therefore not squished along with all the rest, there should be some really nasty characters available for some 4th Age gaming goodness.

 

I agree. This is partially the evidence that says ICE did it right by making it possible to be a spellcaster. I still stand by earlier convictions. Other spell casters existed in ME. Otherwise, the stories of the Necromancer would have been more closely inspected immediately. But, I've already decided there is a modicum of spell ability in an infintessimal minority of the population. I haven't worked out the details, but it will be there.

 

Now, where, or better, when to start?

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Another idea is that one of the Black Numenoreans got ahold of Saruman's collection of Ring lore (how they got into Orthanc when Treebeard holds the key is a tricky question, but I'm assuming that someone figured it out). Remember that Saruman made a Ring himself. My concept is that a Black Numenorean used his knowledge of sorcery and Saruman's collected Ring-lore to reenchant the Ninth Ring of Men, and didn't realize it was linked to the spirit of the Witch-King who eventually takes over the Ring-wearer.

 

Another of the concepts that I'm working on is that Radagast the Brown chose to stay behind in Middle Earth. He recognized that the Ents were doomed and the time of Men was coming, and wanted to stay behind to train an order of Men to become protectors of the woods and beasts. Essentially he goes and founds a Druidic order. This order doesn't play a big role in the Fourth Age, or any other Age. As Treebeard says, it's not so much that they're not on anyone's side is that no one else is on their side.

 

Likewise the last two of the Istari also founded orders, though I'm still working out the details there. Incidentally, I'm not feeling constrained to Tolkein's own notes on the Blue wizards. Tolkein himself quite frequently revised stuff that wasn't actually published in the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings. Galadriel's motivations for going with the Noldor to Middle Earth was something he fiddled with. All that is necessary is that the last two Istari were not present for any of the events of Lord of the Rings.

 

Another thought was the fact that while Elrond's sons both stayed behind, only one of them chose to become mortal and be counted among Men. I had the other one decide to remain an Elf and take over Rivendale after his father left. It's essentially a duplication of the Elros/Elrond choice.

 

 

I believe some of these details are expounded upon somewhere. I believe Radagast for certain disappeared into the East. There is no reason to believe he didn't found some sort of Druidic Sect. Besides, that just adds to the fodder of the Fourth Age setting.

 

I was thinking about allowing Imladris/Rivendell to fall into ruin and possibly become an area of investigative exploration. Haunted by the angry spirits of fallen Elves, the explorers deal with new inhabitants and learn the secrets of the long gone. (Or, perhaps, this would make a better 5th or 6th Age story?)

[Fitz]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

I disagree with this. The Cave Troll is a domesticized aspect of the Trolls Bilbo and the Company of Thirteen tricked into waiting for supper during the Hobbit. An Olog Hai is something else entirely' date=' IMO.[/quote']

 

"Uruk" and "Olog" are just constructions in the Black Speech, Tolkien's Bad-Guy equivalent of the Western Common Tongue. "Uruk-hai" just means "the orc-folk", "Olog-hai" means "the troll-folk". Unfortunately Tolkien didn't delineate the Black Speech nearly as clearly as he did Elvish; I guess he just wasn't as interested in the bad guys.

 

This begs another question: What is Canon? Movie, books, or a mix of both. One of the players is a geek, but not necessarily a Tolkien geek and the other is only familiar with the movie adaptation. Which is better for these purposes?

 

I would say, go for the one your players are most familiar with. The movie would probably translate better to roleplaying, being more cinematic -- it gives everyone a common visual reference which makes it easier for everyone to be on the same page, imaginatively-speaking. The books would be better used as background reference material.

[Curufea]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

This begs another question: What is Canon? Movie, books, or a mix of both. One of the players is a geek, but not necessarily a Tolkien geek and the other is only familiar with the movie adaptation. Which is better for these purposes?

 

 

Canon is whatever the GM says is canon. With all the various flavours/interpretations of Tolkein, a GM should find one to suit themselves.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

"Uruk" and "Olog" are just constructions in the Black Speech, Tolkien's Bad-Guy equivalent of the Western Common Tongue. "Uruk-hai" just means "the orc-folk", "Olog-hai" means "the troll-folk". Unfortunately Tolkien didn't delineate the Black Speech nearly as clearly as he did Elvish; I guess he just wasn't as interested in the bad guys.

 

It's been some time since I've read LOTR, but I'm pretty sure there was a pretty strict distinction between Uruk-hai and the sort of rabble bred in Mordor. It would stand to reason that Olog-hai were somewhat better than regular trolls, as well.

[Curufea]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

Definitely.

Uruk Hai were bred by Saruman - and it's implied they are a cross between Humans and Orcs. They have the advantage over regular orcs - of not being afraid of daylight.

[Savinien]

Re: Fourth Age Hero

 

As an aside, I found this link in Lord Laiden's thread of resource links. That rocks LL, thanks!

 

I'm reposting it here for its importance to the subject matter...

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/lotr/lotrchar.html