THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

prisoner to be missing from his cell: an extremely violent

– KING ON TOP – criminal believed to be the suspect. A meeting of the
townsfolk is called and the company joins a gathering crowd
in Town-hall's quarter where they hear an emotional appeal
OF THE MOUNTAIN by the Master of the Lake. He speaks with a grieving Frida
by his side.

• When: This adventure takes place anytime after 2950, “The man we are looking for is a nameless madman from the
when the Wayward Elves ensorcel Barding trespassers north,” the Master says. “When he was arrested just a week
into the Woodland Realm (The Darkening of Mirkwood, ago in the marketplace, after slaying a young farmer and his
pages 13 and 19). With conflict looming between the son, he began yelling ‘Let me go! I am king on top of the
Bardings and the Elves of Mirkwood, the adventure fits mountain!’ It was senseless babble from a lunatic, a
very well into 2951 or later after Sauron unveils his simpleton. We now regret not taking more seriously the
presence in Mordor. potential of this monster.”

• Where: The adventure begins in Lake-town and moves The Master then offers a reward to any brave adventurers
through the Northern Dalelands, into the East Gap of the willing to hunt down and recapture the murderer and bring
Grey Mountains Narrows, and all the way to the him back to Lake-town.
Gamolberg, the hoary mountain.
The Sorrow of Frida
• What: A dangerous man has escaped the town gaol in Frida barely speaks to her fellow residents between tears.
Lake-town and is believed to have murdered everyone She has been completely devastated by the events of the
aboard the longboat of a prominent town councillor, morning, yet manages to offer a reward to anyone who will
including the councillor and his wife, before fleeing to the help find the killer. The companions may address her
north. The company is hired to track down the criminal directly, to console her and assure her that they will
and recapture him. recapture the killer no matter how difficult.

• Why: The suspect is a violent stranger who must be

Evaluating the Outcome of the Encounter
stopped before he kills again.
0-4: Frida warmly thanks the companions for their courage.
• Who: The company meets Frida, a lady of the Lake who's
She offers them 2 gold pieces each from the dragon's hoard
relatives have been murdered, Magoldir, a wayward Elf of
Mirkwood, Farmann, the March-warden of the East Gap to capture or kill the person responsible for the murders.
(The Heart of the Wild, pages 21 and 22), and finally “Just bring back the body as proof” she says.
Skarf Hammerstroke, a wild mountain-man with a dark
secret. 5-6: As above; and she quickly summons one of her
personal aides to retrieve a collection of special herbs. “The
Forest River banks are ripe with sweet-smelling herbs and
ADVENTURING PHASE shrubs.” She presents each companion with a different gift
from among Reedmace, Kingcup, Hagweed, White Water-
This adventure is divided into five parts and an epilogue. lilies, and Red Water-lilies; the effects are to be used during
this Adventuring phase (Lake-town, pages 21-22).
— PART ONE — 7+: As above; and Frida also gives them use of her prized
BLOODBATH ON THE LAKE racing horses: thoroughbreds imported from Rohan (Horse-
lords of Rohan, page 133). These rouncies are not as
One fateful morning, the residents of Lake-town are exceptional as the Mearas, but they can carry a man 60 miles
awakened by the news of a slaughter on the north side of the per day across the plains when pushed!
lake. The victims are the wealthy aunt and uncle of Frida,
daughter of Finnulf, along with all of their boatmen. Her — PART TWO —
uncle was Valbrand, a town councillor with extensive trade
experience with the Elves of the Woodland Realm. They TRACKING A KILLER
were on their way back from recent negotiations with
Thranduil when they were attacked and killed. Some of the Frida bids the company good fortune as they race to find the
bodies are found hanging by their necks in the family killer. By foot, horse, or boat, they should arrive at the scene
longboat, while others are cut to pieces or missing, probably of the crime within a few hours. Guards are waiting there for
tossed overboard. officials from Lake-town to come and gather the remains of
the deceased and recover their belongings. They are slightly
Soon after the news is spread, the town guards report a on edge when the companions show up without a town

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 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

official. At the top of each battle-round, player-heroes choose a battle

stance. This determines the base TN for a player-hero attack
Blood trails and muddy footprints suggest the killer fled into roll, and, the TN for an attack roll made against a player-
the Northern Dalelands. Heroes may soon figure out that the hero. Moving from one stance to another is allowed.
murderer is not alone. Anyone passing a Hunting roll can However, a player-hero must always move through and fight
easily discern three to four sets of tracks moving together. one round in the Centre before going to another battlefield
location.
Following the trail gets increasingly difficult the further
north the company goes, however, and they will soon need
to rely on witnesses who may have seen the group. It is Battle stance table:
possible that additional crimes have been committed, or the
killer has taken a hostage with him who is leaving behind BATTLE ATTACK ORDER OF
signs and messages along the way in hopes of being rescued. STANCE TN ACTION
Charge 12 *
— PART THREE —
STRIFE IN THE DALELANDS Vanguard 6 1

“But the Elvenking said: ‘Long will I tarry, ere I Flank 9 2

begin this war for gold. The dwarves cannot pass
us, unless we will, or do anything that we cannot Centre 12 3
mark. Let us hope still for something that will
bring reconciliation. Our advantage in numbers **Rearguard 12 4
will be enough, if in the end it must come to
unhappy blows.’”
*Only heroes on horseback can use the Charge battle stance.
After traveling about 70 miles into the Northern Dalelands, See Fighting from Horseback below on the rules for Charge
the companions stumble into the middle of a border skirmish and player-heroes on horseback.
on the eastern eaves of Mirkwood. It is a fight between the **Only heroes in Rearguard can use ranged weapons.
Elves of the wood and Barding villagers from the Dalelands.
For example, Eoric, our Woodman player-hero from the
The player-heroes must choose whether to take a side and Western-eaves, chooses Vanguard as his starting stance.
join the battle, to avoid the battle altogether by taking an After a round of battle, he decides to fall back and support
alternate route around, or to try and stop the fighting those Bardings fighting on the Flank. First, he moves to the
somehow. If they choose to avoid the battle, skip to the next Centre of the battle and fights one round there. In the
part. following battle-round, he can move to the Flank, engaging
now with the Bardings fighting the Elves there.
Joining the Battle After the players choose a battle stance, the Loremaster rolls
The strength of numbers and resilience of each side is the Feat die and checks the results on the Assault table. The
represented using a value known as Fighting Strength. table shows the damage done to both the side of the player-
Currently, the Bardings have a Fighting Strength of 15 and heroes and their opposition. Reduce their Fighting Strength
the Wayward Elves have 18. When the companions enter for that round by the number given. The assault roll also
battle, they do not modify the strength of whichever side gives the amount of Fatigue each player-hero gains at the
they choose, but they will have an impact on the battle. end of the battle-round. This Fatigue represents the weight of
battle and the onset of exhaustion due to fighting for long
The battle may be played out in a series of battle-rounds periods of time.
until one side’s Fighting Strength falls below 4, in which
case that side is routed. If by chance a side is reduced to 0
strength, it has been vanquished, leaving the player-heroes to
Attack Rolls
surrender or escape, if they have survived! Unless the Loremaster rolled a Will of the West on the
Assault table, each player-hero makes an attack roll to
Just as in regular combat, players may make a preliminary increase the Fighting Strength loss of the opposing side. Do
Battle roll to determine combat advantages. One player-hero this using an appropriate weapon skill.
may give up a bonus die each round to force the Loremaster
to reroll on the Assault table and keep the best result (see the An attack roll represents the combat effectiveness of a
Assault table below). This represents the companions’ player-hero over the course of an entire battle-round. The
tactical influence on the battle. Attack TN for this test is determined by adding the base
Attack TN from a player-hero’s chosen stance plus the Parry
rating of his opponents.

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 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Assault table:
BATTLE-ROUND RESULTS
REDUCE FIGHTING STRENGTH OF… TN TO HALT
FEAT PLAYER-HEROES THE HOSTILITIES
DIE DESCRIPTION ALLIES BY… OPPOSITION BY… FATIGUE GAINED FOR COUNCIL

A Will of the West Both Sides Unscathed, No Attack Rolls — *

9-10 Success die −3 0 + Attacks 1 14

Night is Ending
7-8 Success die −2 0 + Attacks 1 14

5-6 The Line is Held Success die −1 0 + Attacks 2 16

3-4 Success die 1 + Attacks 2 18

Shattered Shields
1-2 Success die +1 2 + Attacks 3 18

C Drums of Doom Success die +2 3 + Attacks 3 20

*When a Will of the West is rolled, both sides end hostilities, but council is not had without the influence of the player-
heroes. The Wayward Elves simply withdraw and go home. The Loremaster should set the TN to obtain council based
upon losses and length of the battle. More grievous and drawn out losses should require a higher TN. If the Will of the
West was obtained on a reroll, perhaps no roll is needed for a council as the player-heroes have already had influence.

• The Elves have a Parry rating of 6 Damage caused by these weapons is doubled on a great
• The Bardings have a Parry rating of 4 success and tripled on an extraordinary success.

Players combine the number of successes they get from their Fighting from Horseback
attack rolls (great successes count as 2 successes and Player-heroes that enter the battle on horseback may choose
extraordinary successes count as 3) to determine how much the Charge stance and attempt a charge attack instead of a
damage they cause. This amount will be added to any regular attack. To do this, they first need to make a Riding
damage inflicted by charges (see below) before being test using Athletics in the usual way that charges are done
applied to the Fighting Strength of the opposition. (found on page 136 of Horse-lords of Rohan). If the Riding
test is successful, the rider may make a charge attack, again
To represent the combat effectiveness of the opposing forces following the rules for fighting from horseback. If they fail
during the battle-round, the Loremaster will make one attack their Riding test, they cannot attack that battle-round and
roll against each player-hero, unless the Assault table result cannot charge again in future rounds as they are considered
was ‘Unscathed,’ in which case no attack rolls will be made to have ridden into close quarters.
against the player-heroes.
A charge attack is made using TN 12 modified by the Parry
The Loremaster uses a number of Success dice according to rating of the target. Therefore…
the overall weapon skill ratings of the opposition:
• Charging the Elves uses TN 18
• The Elves have good weapon skills ♦♦♦. • Charging the Bardings uses TN 16
• The Bardings have average weapon skills ♦♦.
Each rider adds a charge bonus to the number of successes
If a player-hero is hit by an attack, use the following weapon he rolls based on the size of his mount: Medium +1, Large
stats to resolve Endurance loss and possible Piercing blows. +2, or Great +3. The prized rouncies given by Frida are
medium sized.
• The Elves use mostly spears: Damage 5, Edge 9, Injury
14 If all charging player-heroes succeed, they may wheel and
• The Bardings use mostly swords: Damage 5, Edge 10, immediately attempt an additional charge following the rules
Injury 16 for Wheeling and Charging on page 137 of Horse-lords of

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 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Rohan. This tactic will add to their successes from the first Consider every battle-round that inflicts loss a potential
charge, but will also incur an additional attack roll to be Misdeed that requires a Corruption Test. If failed, a player-
made against them this battle-round for each additional
hero gains four (4) Shadow points in addition to the Fatigue
charge attack.
gained from the Assault table. Unprovoked aggression,
If mounted player-heroes are fighting in close combat, they regardless of the ends they sought to achieve, counts as a
must remain in the Vanguard or Flank stances. However, all grave Misdeed.
attacks against riders in this battle are aimed at their mounts
instead, until they are eliminated. This means that the shields
of riders do not apply to their Parry rating and height As the player-heroes come upon this scene, only an attempt
advantage is not considered. Follow the rules for Horse to broker peace between the two sides is the just course.
Injury and Horse Wounds on pages 137-138 of Horse-lords Should that fail and the battle continue, what counsel there
of Rohan. is, only the Wise and chief Powers of the North can say. Let
For dramatic narrative effect, the Loremaster may require the Loremaster decide what degree this remains a source of
charges to be resolved first, before regular attacks. corruption, or whether this battlefield becomes a blighted
place.
Apply Losses to Fighting Strength
Before applying losses to the opposition, first combine the
number of successes from charge attacks and non-charge Extended Example of Battle
attacks. Then, add the base amount shown on the Assault Five companions choose the side of the Bardings. They
table and reduce the opposition's Fighting Strength by the make preliminary rolls of Battle to determine advantages
total. and score 3 bonus dice between them.

Now, reduce the Fighting Strength of the allies according to To begin the first battle-round, they each choose a battle
the result on the Assault table. This requires the roll of a stance to set the base TN for all attack rolls. Since three
Success die. player-heroes are riding into battle on rouncies, they choose
the Charge stance, while the other two choose the Vanguard
As stated above, if either side is reduced to 4 or less Fighting stance and run headlong into battle carrying swords and
Strength, they have been routed. If they are reduced to 0, shields.
they have been decimated with very few survivors to be
taken prisoner or allowed to escape. The Loremaster makes a roll on the Assault table getting a
result of 4—Shattered Shields. The table calls for the allies
to lose a Success die of Fighting Strength. However, the
Apply Fatigue Gains player-heroes interject their counsel and spend one bonus die
One of the last details of every battle-round is to apply to force the Loremaster to reroll on the Assault table and
Fatigue gains to each player-hero according to the roll on the keep the better result. He rolls a 10 this time—Night is
Assault table. Ending, reversing the tide of battle so that the allies will only
take damage equal to a Success die −3.
Gain Shadow Points
Deeds and actions significantly define the player-heroes, Before calculating losses, however, the player-heroes in the
especially as a bulwark against the encroaching Shadow and Charge stance complete a Riding test of Athletics to see if
the Eye of Sauron. The heroes choices are difficult indeed they can make an attack. They all pass their test and make a
charge attack roll using a weapon skill of their choice,
when it comes to choosing sides for or against one of the limited by their Athletics rating. One rider fails the attack
Free Folk of the North. Not only does the Shadow spread roll, but the others score a normal success (1 success) and an
through the violent strategies and treacherous dealings of the extraordinary success (3 successes), plus a charge bonus for
Enemy, it also looms over every hero, potentially corrupting each of their rouncies (+1 success each), for a total of 6
successes! They choose not to wheel and charge this battle
them with Shadow. At certain times, the player-heroes’ round as they do not want to be personally attacked twice.
actions challenge and strain the very foundation of their
character. The strife between the Bardings and Elves of The other two player-heroes make attack rolls using their
Mirkwood is one of those. What side to take? What rede sword skill against TN 12 (6 for Vanguard plus 6 Parry for
the Elves), and score a total of 2 successes. This brings their
would Gandalf or Radagast give? No matter whose side they total combined successes of charges and non-charges to 8,
choose, a Loremaster should consider fighting as opposed to lowering the Fighting Strength of the Wayward Elves from
brokering peace a source of corruption in this situation. 18 to 10.

Finally, the Loremaster makes one attack roll against each of

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 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

the three charging horses and one attack roll against each of and Men back to their promises of friendship and aid hard
the two player-heroes in the Vanguard. The attacks against won at the Battle of Five Armies resets the fellowship’s Eye
the horses are made using TN 12 + the Parry rating of each Awareness score (see Rivendell, page 113).
rider minus their shields, while the attacks against the
player-heroes in the Vanguard are made using TN 6 + their Brokering Peace
Parry rating. Due to the good weapon skill ♦♦♦ rating of the With strife already turned to bloodshed, brokering peace
Elves, the Loremaster rolls extremely well. He scores great presents the greatest challenge, and the greatest rewards for
successes on the first two attacks, and the third attack results the Free Peoples of Wilderland. If the companions can think
in a Piercing blow with an extraordinary success! The last of a way to halt the hostilities between sides, and go to
two attacks are ordinary successes. council, this may be handled with a prolonged action
requiring 7 successes and allowing cooperation and the use
The first two player-heroes must make Riding tests at TN 20 of different skills.
(TN 10 + 10 for the damage they would have taken) to keep
from being thrown off their horses and they both fail and The Loremaster sets the TN based on the result of the
lose 4 Endurance each. The third player-hero is forced to Assault table roll each battle-round until the action is
make a Riding test at TN 25 (TN 10 + 15) to keep from completed. If an C is rolled at any time, all chances for
being crushed under his horse as it falls to the ground peace are lost. While attempting stop the fighting, player-
Wounded. The rider fails the roll and loses 8 Endurance in heroes may not make attack rolls, of course.
the fall. The last two player-heroes suffer 5 Endurance loss
each. Skills that are appropriate for making peace may include
Persuade, Awe, or Courtesy.
The Loremaster rolls a Success die −3 to calculate the
Fighting Strength reduction of the allies, resulting in 2, If the companions are successful, the council begins and
leaving the Bardings at 13. Magoldir reports seeing an old man with two younger men
travelling north towards the East Gap just a day ago. Other
At the end of the battle-round, all the player-heroes are now decisions may affect future events in the Tale of Years
horseless, but they have struck a great blow to their Elven dealing with Elves and Men. However, it will be difficult to
foes. As required by the Assault table result, each player- convince Magoldir, the leader of this band of Wayward
hero raises his Fatigue score by 1 before beginning a new Elves, that the Bardings should get away with cutting down
round. the silver beeches. And the Bardings won't easily stop their
foresting either, nor their trespassing for that matter.
It appears the Elves are in trouble with a Fighting Strength
of 10 to the Bardings 13. Magoldir is likely to retreat into the
forest, rather than risk any more lives, but that is up to the — PART FOUR —
Loremaster. THE MARCH-WARDEN
Winning the Battle If the companions head north, avoiding the forest, they have
If the player-heroes win on the side of the Wayward Elves, an excellent chance to pick up tracks using Hunting, and
they will have gained friends among them and earned a great they notice that their quarry has run into some trouble
feast of deer and vegetables. Also, in the next part of the avoiding Wild Wolves. There are signs of blood and struggle
adventure, the Wayward Elves will come to their aid if in several areas of the barren hills where it appears a large
needed. However, they will be outcasts among the Men of pack of wolves has pressed an attack only to be driven off by
Dale and should not expect to be welcomed in that city with fire and sharp weapons. The tracks can be followed for the
open arms for as long as they can be remembered. length of the journey by making successful Hunting or
Explore rolls each day.
If they choose to fight with the Bardings, however, whether
they win or lose, they automatically gain Dale as a sanctuary On top of several hills in the East Gap can be seen ruined
and all Barding companions increase their Standing by 1. watchtowers from long ago. Empty farmsteads stand intact
between the hills, abandoned shortly after the death of
Regardless of the side that won, a battle without brokering Smaug, as their inhabitants returned to Dale and Lake-town
peace adds to the likelihood of triggering The Hunt by to rebuild. Now, the barns and crumbled towers make perfect
servants of Mordor (see Rivendell for rules on The Eye of hiding locations or stops before reaching and travelling the
Mordor, pages 111ff). For every battle-round fought, road of the Narrows into the west.
consider the outcome of that round to have produced an Eye
result for the sake of increasing the awareness of the Eye of Any companion making a successful Explore roll will
Mordor to the activities of the player-heroes. eventually find a suitable tower that will provide an
advantage against night raids launched by the Wolves of the
The best possible outcome is to broker peace. Calling Elves Narrows.

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THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

The History of Skarf Hammerstroke

The “madman's” name is Jokell the Swift. He is slow in mind and speech—a result of childhood malnourishment. His
birth mother left him on the shores of the Long-lake to die when he was only a year old. Skarf Hammerstroke found
him and raised him as his own kin. But it was not completely out of the kindness of his heart that he took pity on the
child, for he also planned on using him for his own cruel purposes.

Skarf Hammerstroke is a man of the Lake who, after the death of the Dragon, left Lake-town as an outcast and
headed north into the Grey Mountains Narrows in search of abandon Dwarf-holds and dragon's treasure. He took
with him a wife and four sons, including Jokell, and they settled on the Hoary Mountain.

But life in the mountains was harsh and Skarf's hopes of finding gold or dragons diminished with the passing of years.
He failed many expeditions and suffered interference from the pockets of Dwarves returning to claim their halls. He
had always envied them for their wealth and this caused him to be dark of mind and his heart turned as cold as the long
icy winter. He loathed everyone.

Because of his hardness, he trained his sons to be murderers and thugs, who now prey mostly on the Dwarves. However,
any caravan of travellers coming too close to their homestead in the foothills is also in danger of being ambushed and
killed by them, as they see most outsiders as nothing more than wild animals to be hunted and killed for their
possessions.

Skarf's sons are rugged mountain-men, capable of climbing to the high terrace of the sheer southern face of the
Gamolberg, which many courageous men have tried and failed, falling hopelessly to their deaths. They often race to
the top to claim the throne and title of “King on Top of the Mountain.” Of all the boys, Jokell is the youngest and the
fastest and he is very proud of his title.

In recent days, Skarf packed up his two oldest sons, along with Jokell, and returned to the area of the Long Lake. It
was to be a short trip to check on a sister he had left behind, for she had been afraid to go with Skarf into the
wilderness. But when he arrived in town, he soon uncovered sorrowful news: he learned from some of the residents that
his sister had died of fever a year ago. Her body was burned and her ashes were released into the wind over the lake.
She hadn't been able to afford the herbs of a healer and no one would help with the expenses. Hearing the sad tale put
Skarf into a deeper, fouler mood, and he sat for hours in a dark corner, allowing his hatred for the elitists of Lake-
town to slowly brew and boil his blood.

Unfortunately, this allowed Jokell to escape his father's sight for awhile, and in the marketplace he was caught trying
to steal some fruit. Out of fear and self preservation, Jokell grabbed a nearby metal fork and killed a farmer and his
son to avoid capture. However, witnesses called the town guards immediately and they beat him severely with clubs and
hauled him off to the town gaol.

When Skarf and his sons heard commotion in the streets, they suddenly realised Jokell was missing and followed a
crowd of curious townsfolk to the marketplace, all the while staying in the shadows to avoid detection. At the murder
scene, a town councillor walked by and said, “We will hang that monster; but not until I return. I want to witness it
myself. He's no doubt the bastard son of a peddler or an uneducated louse. Crazier than a rogue elf!”

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The History of Skarf Hammerstroke continued…

Skarf took a hard look at the councillor and shadowed him to the docks where he met his wife and boarded a longboat
bound for the Woodland Realm. Listening carefully to when the councillor would return, Skarf devised a scheme to
break Jokell free and murder that wealthy snob. Then, he and his boys quietly slipped out of town and waited for the
moment.

It was the Hammerstrokes that freed Jokell from prison and killed the councillor and his entire crew after making them
row to the north side of the lake. It was a massacre unforeseen. Bloody and wet, Skarf and his sons fled into the north
with as much goods as they could carry, stolen out of the Longboat. They are now on the run, headed home to the
Hoary Mountain where their traps of death await anyone who dares to track them.

— PART FIVE —
A Visit from Formann
One night, the Loremaster may play out an encounter with KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
Formann, the March-warden, as described on page 21 of The
Heart of the Wild. The warning he gives concerns the Wild Approaching the homestead of Skarf Hammerstroke is not
Man called Hammerstroke (see The History of Skarf easily done without giving away the approach. The
Hammerstroke above). He says that Hammerstroke lives in a Hammerstroke boys are waiting in ambush on high ledges
glen at the foot of the Gamolberg—the tallest peak among set with traps and Skarf is hiding deep within his home,
the southern facing cliffs of the Grey Mountains. He warns having prepared a nasty surprise.
them that surrounding Hammerstroke’s abode is a graveyard
of bodies, containing mostly slain Dwarves which he killed As the companions near the area, Jokell comes clearly into
for their gold. Yet, no traveller is safe on the road while view, peeking around a tree and yelling “Come this way!”
Hammerstroke’s kin are hunting. And the cruel Hobgoblin before quickly disappearing, scurrying off into the foliage of
tribes that live in dark caves under the mountains come out the mountain on some obscure trail.
at night accompanied by Wolves and Bats to hunt for flesh.
It would be best if the company keeps their distance from the • If they choose to follow the boy, use ‘Chasing Jokell’
mountains for as long as they can while traveling to avoid below to see if they can catch up to him.
trouble. Formann disappears by morning without a trace.
• If they decide to ignore Jokell or give up the chase, go to
From the East Gap to the Gamolberg ‘Finding the Homestead.’
The journey from the East Gap to the Gamolberg is about
160 miles over hard ground. This will take 16 days by foot CHASING JOKELL
or horse as the land is too rough to ride with any speed. This By choosing to follow Jokell, the companions are
will require 3 Fatigue tests in Spring or Summer at TN 16 unwittingly running into serious danger. The boy is acting as
for Wild Lands. Any day the Scouts fail to make a Hunting a lure, leading them into a series of traps in range of his
or Explore roll to keep the trail adds one more day to the brothers’ bows, and ultimately to the summit of the
journey. Player-heroes should make 1 additional Fatigue test Gamolberg where they will see a massive stone chair. He
for every 5-6 days added to the journey in this way. will climb onto the chair declaring, “I am king on top of the
mountain!” before a final showdown.
If any Hazard episodes are triggered, those tailored for Wild
Lands on pages 5-6 of Journeys and Maps are very suitable. Catching up to Jokell requires an opposed action of
Athletics versus Movement 3 for Jokell. The player-hero
Elven Allies with the highest result over the boy chases him up the cliff
face to the height and the others follow a few rounds behind
If the player-heroes brokered a truce between the Bardings
(go to ‘Showdown on the Summit’ below). If there is a tie or
and the Wayward Elves in Part Three, Magoldir shows up
Jokell gets a result higher than the companion with the best
with a band of allies to fight alongside the company should
roll, they must keep chasing him. Before making another
they encounter any trouble on the journey.
chase roll, however, choose one event below (or roll a
Success die).

After completing any event, whether successful or not, the

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 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

companions must exchange one ranged volley with the the rope nets that are thrown down upon them from above. If
Hammerstroke brothers, who stand across a deep chasm, or they are caught in the nets, it will take two rounds to cut
an unreachable hiding place 20-30 yards from where they themselves free while each Hammerstroke brother fires two
find themselves. After the volley, the brothers escape from unanswered ranged volleys. Otherwise, the player-heroes
sight momentarily. Each brother should fire his bow except may exchange one ranged volley as usual.
for Jokell who is being chased. Use the stats below.
6. Swiftly, Jokell climbs the cliff-face using the natural
JOAR, SANDARR, GUATARR AND JOKELL handholds and familiar paths established from many
previous races with his brothers. The player-heroes must
HAMMERSTROKE make a roll of Athletics or be put into a terrible
Attribute level: 4 disadvantage. When exchanging a ranged volley with the
Relevant Skills: Movement 3 Hammerstroke brothers this round, they are considered to be
Endurance: 15, 19, 24, and 12; Hate: 2 each severely hindered, modifying their TN by +4 when attacking
Parry: 4; Armour: 2d and −4 when defending.
Weapon Skills:
• Bow ♦♦♦, Damage 5, Edge 10, Injury 14, Called Shot: Abandoning the Chase
Pierce If the companions decide not to follow Jokell at any point,
• Axe ♦♦, Damage 5, Edge A, Injury 18, Called Shot: any remaining Hammerstroke boys will continue to make
Shield ranged attacks against them every round until they either
hide, abandon the quest, or find Skarf’s hidden residence.
Events
Hiding requires a hard Stealth roll, as the brothers know
1. Jokell disappears around a sheer wall of stone, high upon these mountains extremely well and have hunted many
a mountain trail. Following him requires an Athletics test to travellers on them. While hidden, the player-heroes cannot
avoid slipping and falling down a sudden drop around the make attacks, but they are able to wait a short while and lose
bend. Failure inflicts 4 plus a Success die worth of the Hammerstrokes, leaving them free to exit the mountains
Endurance loss, and a Wound on the roll of an C. without further incident or to search for the homestead.

2. After scurrying up the trunk of a pine, Jokell leaps onto Showdown on the Summit
some higher branches and then catapults himself through the Once the companions catch up to Jokell, battle moves to
air to land on the side of the mountain. Companions who close quarters on top of the mountain and will end in either
race after him should make rolls of Awareness to notice the death or the capture of some or all of the Hammerstroke
snares of rope and splintered spikes set to spring and capture brothers. If any of them drop to 0 Endurance without being
anyone nearing the tree. A single failure triggers the trap on slain, they can be tied up and brought to justice back in
everyone, but rolling a great success covers a failure and an Lake-town. However, to completely solve the case, the
extraordinary success covers two. The spikes do 5 points of companions need to locate Skarf Hammerstroke. His sons, if
puncture damage and the ropes tighten around limbs and captured, will make this part easier, as they will lead the
torsos, preventing escape before Jokell and his remaining heroes directly to the homestead, albeit into a trap…
brothers return to collect their prize. They will take the
player-heroes directly to the homestead and throw them into FINDING THE HOMESTEAD
the Hobgoblin slave pit (see below). The companions are required to finish a prolonged action
using Explore and needing 7 successes before they can
3. Jokell always stays in view, but with the quickness of a locate a well concealed entrance made of knotted wood
deer, he leaps and darts about, keeping out of reach. Player- covered in vines. These tests should be made more difficult
heroes that make an Insight roll can gain a bonus die to add if the player-heroes are being shot at by the Hammerstroke
to their next opposed roll as they accurately predict Jokell’s boys. As soon as the action is completed, any surviving,
movement and use shortcuts to close the gap. uncaptured brothers arrive on the scene for a final
showdown using their freshly sharpened axes. They fiercely
4. The companions blindly follow Jokell up a twisting defend their home and will fight to the death to stop the
mountain trail, losing their sense of direction and finding companions from entering.
themselves guessing which turns to take and what paths lead
closer to their quarry. Each player-hero should make an After the battle, the companions enter the home to find a
Explore test to orient themselves and continue the chase. If large main room lit by torches. There are benches and tables
anyone fails the test, they gain 1 point of Fatigue, or 2 points holding tools, plates, cups, and the skins of small animals
on an C. They should repeat this test until they regain pushed against the walls. Across the room is a narrow dark
their sense of direction. passage leading deeper in. A foul odour fills the place.
Anyone with Enemy-lore (Hobgoblins) is instantly familiar.
5. Without a roll of Awareness, the companions do not see Others will suspect it smells like Orc in general.

8
 THE ONE RING™ KING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

The Slave Pit travellers. Roll a few times on the charts found on pages 143
In the centre of the room, a large piece of thick cloth is and 146 of The Adventurer’s Companion for ideas of what
spread out like a giant rug. A small vial of green liquid sits in travelling gear and trinkets there might be. It is also highly
the middle for the taking. However, it is only a lure. Under likely there are some valuable Dwarven musical instruments
the rug is a set of trap doors that will fall when stepped on. among the items.
Any player who proposes a Riddle task to figure out what’s
going on, can make one using TN 16 to discover the trap Skarf does not put up a fight, but surrenders to the heroes
doors. Otherwise, if anyone says they are taking the vial or immediately, saying that he hopes his life will be spared.
stepping on the rug, the trap is sprung. However, while being transported back to Lake-town for
trial, there is a chance that something goes awry. Roll a Feat
Down below is a large pit filled with sharp wooden spikes die. On a 4 or lower, he vanishes without a trace. If you roll
and littered about are the bones of previous victims. But this an C, he is found cold and stiff one morning, having died
is no ordinary pit. A pair of gruesome Hobgoblins are being of natural causes during the night.
kept here as pets, chained to the walls, hungry for the flesh
of adventurers. Skarf Hammerstroke has been feeding them — EPILOGUE —
Dwarf especially, and right now they are very hungry for a
snack! THE TRIAL IN LAKE-TOWN
If the trap door is sprung, anyone on the rug goes plunging If Skarf Hammerstroke is brought back to Esgaroth alive, he
down into the pit on top of the spikes and suffers a Success is convicted of murder and hung publicly the next day. Frida
die worth of damage. In addition, he must make a Protection is very grateful to the companions and gives them their
test to keep from taking a Wound using Injury rating 20. The reward, plus a bonus gold piece each. If just the body is
same fate befalls the player-heroes if they were captured brought in, along with some of the personal effects of her
during Event 2 and thrown into the pit. uncle and aunt, she rewards them as promised. The
companions have done well and have earned the respect of
OBESE HOBGOBLIN SLAVES the Lake-men.

Attribute level: 5
Relevant Skills: Perception 3
Endurance: 40 and 42; Hate: 5 each
Parry: 3; Armour: 2d
— credits —
Weapon Skills:
Written by James R. Brown and Scott W. Hodgman
• Bite ♦♦♦, Damage 4, Edge C, Injury 14, Called
Shot: — The One Ring designed by
• Chain Choke ♦♦, Damage 4, Edge C, Injury 18, Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi
Called Shot: Dropped weapon
Special Abilities:
• Denizen of the Dark
• Hate Sunlight
• Horrible Strength
• No Quarter
The One Ring, Middle-earth, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the characters,
This hobgoblin pair is chained to the walls, but have enough items, events and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Saul
slack to reach anywhere inside the pit. After a successful bite Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises and are used under license by
Sophisticated Games Ltd and their respective licensees.
attack, they often follow up with a chain choke, but feel free
to alternate attack types as you wish. This work was not authorised by Sophisticated Games nor Cubicle 7 Entertainment nor
Free League Games nor The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises and
makes no challenge to their intellectual property. All terms in this document are the
Escaping the Pit property of their respective owners and are used without permission.
The only way out is up and it is a steep climb. Heroes need This work is offered free of charge to all interested parties and is not to be sold in any
to be creative to escape and the Loremaster shouldn’t make form. This document may be printed and/or reproduced for personal use only, and this
this easy. copyright notice must be left intact.

If you have any questions or comments please contact James R. Brown at

CAPTURING SKARF HAMMERSTROKE pastorjamesrbrown@gmail.com.
If the companions avoid the trapdoors and search beyond the
main room, they easily find Skarf hiding behind a bed of
fabric and feathers in an inner chamber. The room also
contains stolen goods from the longboat belonging to Frida’s
uncle Valbrand among many items and treasures taken from