ROTN Chapter 1. Moors and Shadows

Following Attacks for Bog Warriors in Round 4 and 5.

Incredibly these foes prove to be unable to overcome any of the skill of the defenders. There are no further slips or errors made, and when first one Warrior keels over, followed a little while later by the others, the Company will see the strange semi-cannibalistic nature of these beasts in action.

The unmoving "corpses" are set upon by those behind them and dragged off into the background.

The Mists swirl back in a little, and clouds sometimes scud across the light of the Moon, reducing the conditions of observation somewhat.

However, Ahmo and Aeglief can still report that the bodies were seemingly pulled under by clutching hands rising from the thicker, blacker places that are undoubtedly mud pools.

The Company march off, northwards generally, and a little to the east. It is soon apparent they are rising in height, and the ground gets somewhat firmer.

They do not need Jot to state that the route they had been following must have led straight through a bog-swamp; but a little casual conversation - made on the march really - finishes with the ranger and the High Elf concluding that the bog below would have been one place where the Rearguard of Angmar were driven into and then perished: a thousand years ago. And that it was likely to have been a significant number of corpses that once were Men from Rhudaur.

After three hours the Company are almost seven miles away from the site of the conflict. They come across some bare flat rocks projecting up from the ground. More solid terrain cannot be imagined!

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Those PCs who suffered some Endurance loss can reclaim (Heart) value back soon after they make camp for the rest of the night.
And that resolves the Travel Hazard!

The Company have left the trail they were attempting to follow, that led them into the bog in the previous night.
But it is agreed that the original line of march was directly towards Mount Gram. It is instantly proposed that they amend their direction slightly and head back towards Mt Gram again.


Unless anyone can persuade the Company that in their opinion they need not go to Mount Gram, this still seems the best place to locate the group that helped to construct a path that ascends the escarpment and would soon enable quite an army to pass that way and head much closer to the edge of the maze that forms a great part of the northern defences of Imladris.

Ahead of them they can clearly see Mount Gram. A bit of a peak coming at the end of a low range, itself sticking out directly westwards from the Misty Mountains to their right.

Ahmo and Jot will know that this was once a staging post for Angmar's armies to rest and gather before striking southwestwards into Arnor of old.

Since then it has been known that goblins have favoured the old hill with its tunnels and caves. Larsi can remember the Blue Mountains dwarves telling stories of the spite of these goblins - always applied to any "visitors" and often applied to their own kind too. Oddly these goblins loathe bats (but not the taste!) and are said to encourage darker feathered birds to the peak instead. Carrion crows, magpies, and cave owls.
Larsi also tells of the belief that the legbones of several hobbits dangle from the roof of one of their important meeting caverns. Mount Gram goblins have a strange reverence for one of their old captains, Golfimbul the Wolf Rider. In the hobbit mathom house, and in some of Bilbo's tales, Golfimbul is described as a Goblin King: slain by the head Took at Greenfields. Larsi shakes his beard and laughs quietly at the memory of how earnestly Bilbo said this.