Gandalf will not approach a company that hasn’t already impressed him – though they may not know it, or have ever met him personally before. Before starting this quest characters should have already completed several of the other adventures from Ruins of the North, particularly Nightmares of Angmar, or equally harrowing Loremaster originals. Alternatively they may be adventurers from Wilderland who impressed Gandalf during the events of The Darkening of Mirkwood. Additionally, there should be at least one Ranger of the North or High Elf of Rivendell in the party, and one or more characters with either a Valour or Wisdom score of 4.
F
oReWoRdShadows over Tyrn Gorthad is structured a bit differently than other adventures for The One Ring Roleplaying Game. It is not played out over a single Adventuring phase, indeed, it will take several in-game years before the company is ready to confront the danger at the heart of this adventure; but ready or not, they will have to act before the danger grows too great for all of Eriador. After being approached by Gandalf the Grey to undertake a vitally important quest, the company will travel across Eriador, frequently into great peril, as they seek out key pieces of ancient lore that they will need to set right a terrible menace. They will learn more than even most of the Wise know about the Barrow-downs, in Sindarin “Tyrn Gorthad”; a place of sacred burial mounds, now long haunted by evil spirits. The spells that once bound the undead to their tombs are fading with the slowly waxing power of the Shadow. Gandalf needs the company’s help to gather the lore he needs and, ultimately, protect him while he attempts to enact them anew. Time, though, is not on their side. The characters will have just over two years to gather the knowledge that will help the Grey Pilgrim enact the rites. Correspondingly, there are portions of Shadows over Tyrn Gorthad that some companies may never get to, it will entirely depend on how much they learn and the choices they make along the way.
adventuRing phase
p
aRto
ne– t
hev
igilance oFM
ithRandiRThe first part of the adventure describes Gandalf’s fears and sees him asking the company if they will undertake a quest to retrieve vital information about how the Barrow- wights of Tyrn Gorthad were summoned and bound to the Barrow-downs.
p
aRtt
Wo– R
etuRn toa
ngMaRThis section deals with the long journey from Rivendell to the Grey Waste of Angmar. The company may have to deal with fierce weather and fiercer foes along the way.
p
aRtt
hRee– t
hev
alley oF thed
eadIn the easternmost reaches of the Mountains of Angmar rests the valley of Nan Gorthrim. There, a sorcerous tower
holds the secrets that the Grey Pilgrim seeks, along with a lot of Goblins and a terrible Great Orc.
p
aRtF
ouR– o
n thed
oWnsDepending on what they learn in Rivendell, the company may wish to journey to the Barrow-downs to study them and learn all that they can about them in the hopes of helping Gandalf with what needs to be done.
p
aRtF
ive– t
heh
iddenv
aultatF
oRnostThe company may decide to return to Fornost Erain, in order to find the hidden vault of the chronicler Egalmir and see what information they can learn from his family’s dedicated scholarship.
p
aRts
ix– M
iRabella’
ss
ongThe company may hear rumours of a Hobbit girl who spent a night on the Barrow-downs and despite assault by a Barrow-wight, miraculously survived. Interviewing the young lady seems to be in order.
p
aRts
even– o
ldest& F
atheRlessThe company is sent by Gandalf the Grey to meet with Tom Bombadil and receive his blessings before they confront the Barrow-wights.
p
aRte
ight– c
astingo
ut thes
hadoWGandalf the Grey must reinforce the ancient magic that binds the Barrow-downs. He can only succeed if the company manages to protect him from a horde of Barrow- wights lead by the terrible master of Tyrn Gorthad himself, the evil being known only as the Wight-king.
s
taginge
ventsWhile running adventures in an ongoing campaign of The One Ring, Loremasters are encouraged to speak of news and tidings of distant events that come to the company’s attention each year. The recent events in Eriador that will eventually lead to the opening of Shadows over Tyrn Gorthad should be introduced two years before the adventure proper begins.
Year 2973
In early autumn, dark rumours spread amidst the Dúnedain. Stories tell of how two Rangers dealt with the
a street leading to Bree. If the story is to be given credit, it relates a most unusual occurrence.
Year 2974
In the spring, several witnesses see a ghostly apparition wander into the northern reaches of Buckland. A group of Rangers investigate the matter, and reportedly destroy a Barrow-wight before it could ford the Brandywine into the Shire. The fight attracts the attention of several Hobbit Shirriffs, but the Rangers manage to conceal their deed. Word is passed through “unobtrusive” channels to the Master of Buckland that he should set a few more stout souls to watching the boundaries.
In the late winter, a Ranger named Cirion (alternatively, a friend of the company’s – see page 113) is attacked and killed by a Barrow-wight at the base of the Weather Hills. The creature then flees west before other Rangers can track it.
Year 2975 (In this year, Gandalf asks for the
company’s assistance in the early summer.)
A Hobbit girl from Bree loses her way and wanders into the Barrow-downs at night early in the autumn. She survives the experience, and upon her return she tells the tale of how she found refuge atop one of the hills, and how a Barrow-wight came for her, but did not get near until daybreak. The story swiftly became the talk of the town in Bree. The company first hear this tale told in late spring or early summer of 2976, unless their adventures took them somewhere near Bree (see Mirabella’s Song on page 131).
Year 2976
In the spring, a determined group of Rangers fights off a group of Barrow-wights wandering along the East Road. The Rangers speak with some apprehension of how close the Wights were getting to Weathertop, and how difficult it was for them to stop them.
In the summer, Rangers watching the Shire report ghostly figures spying the land of the Hobbits from a distance.