Fall of Arnor Campaign

The Curse of War (Week 2)

The warband camps in the wilds east of the ruin. The land feels hollowed: streams run brown, the air smells of ash, and the wind carries the faint clang of arms where no soldiers march.
They find a good campsite, easing their burdens.
They live off the land, sparing their coin.
A hunting expedition succeeds, bringing pelts worth a little silver.
They meet Hatholdir’s envoy, who repeats rhetoric of sacrifice. His “profound advice": “Guard memory, and men will follow—even into ruin." His eyes linger on their packs.
The warband confronts a band of deserters, hollowed by years of fighting, who have in their meager gear both Arthedain and Angmar badges. The deserters were near a looted caravan carrying mixed goods: fine wine, bolts of cloth, and a cloak of elven make. Some crates bore markings that might have been Hatholdir’s crest, though weathered and half‑scraped. Whether the caravan was truly his, or merely passing under his protection, is uncertain. The caravan food has been eating by the starving deserters.
Ambiguity:
- To Beregond, this is proof they are fulfilling Hatholdir’s duty—recovering what was his.
- To Thirwen, it is manipulation: they were sent to bleed for a noble’s pride.
- To Calmion, it is coin and survival, no more.
- To Halros, it is a sign of the land’s sickness: war consuming men until they are neither loyal nor faithless, only hollow.
- Mardoc notes the goods are too fine to be chance spoils—someone important will want them back.
- Lareth insists they should return the goods to Hatholdir, echoing Beregond’s sense of duty.
Resolution: The warband prevails, though bloodied. They realize Hatholdir’s “contract" may have been less about defense and more about recovering wealth and prestige—but the truth is veiled, and each interprets it differently.
News: Word spreads that Rangers still walk these lands. To Beregond, this is veiled warfare without honor; to Thirwen, a ghost of a past that cannot be restored.

* Step: Local Events - Camp Event Table: 13 -> Camped in a good location.
* Step: Hard Times:  Upkeep is d3 = 2g.
* Step: Campaign Activities
    * *Live off the Land* - no Upkeep this turn
    * *Hunting Expedition* success - because of that good camping location! Retrieved pelts worth 3g.
* Step: Trade - not in a town.
* Step: Research
    * Conneections: ...
* Step: Decide Your Adventure
    * Complete Contract or Fight the Curse of War?   I think We'll go after the Curse of War - maybe styled as Angmar.
* Travel Roll: 49, meet someone.  A sociable noble who offers profound life advice.

We encounter the Curse of War this turn. I chose the first entry rather than rolling—best to start cautiously. The roll for enemy number came up 6, with the +3 from the stat line giving us nine **Craven Deserters**, no leader (11). My six-strong warband faced them.

The battle went better than expected—we survived. Five deserters fell, and four routed. Their lower morale rolls helped offset their numbers. My two ranged fighters accomplished little; too much cover, not enough line-of-sight. At one point the fight hung in the balance: a strong initiative roll suggested victory, but several poor melee exchanges stalled the momentum. On the enemy's turn, things could have gone badly—so I spent a Story Point to re-roll, scored a kill, and tipped the morale. We scraped out a win. Half the warband was wounded, but none permanently lost.

#### Resolution Stage

We earned 4 Adventure Points. The Loot Table (94) yielded an Enchanted Item (74)—specifically Evasive Silver (17), which grants defense against ranged attacks. In Tolkien terms, one might imagine it as an elven cloak.

An *Unusual Find* roll produced a *Strange Sack* (69) containing Consumables (81)—revealed as Fine Wine (29). Deserters carrying **Evasive Silver** and **Fine Wine**? Likely Angmarim soldiers gone rogue, plundering a caravan or patrol.

All heroes gained +1 XP for surviving and another +1 XP for victory. Two of the heroes reached Level 2.  Rolling a 37, I chose +1 Toughness. My Mystic rolled 84, improving a spell (which I forgot to use — note to self). One Follower gained the **[Battlewise]** skill.

At day's end, we made camp. News (63) reached us that Rangers are active in the region—+2 Adventure Points added.  We're in Tolkien's world, so what are rangers?  Could they be the Rangers of the North?   They don't seem to have been formed until the Fall of Arnor (1974-1976) some 500 years from now.   Maybe the building blocks for forces to wage asymmetric war in the borders of Arnor already being formed.

> [!CAUTION]
> Forgot about Threat-specific special rules - "The Slow Grind of War" or "Tattered Banners, Bloody Flags".  The latter would have made a pretty material differnce, making the **Craven Deserters** into *Fearless* quite quickly.

> [!CAUTION]
> What about the Combat Bonus for having an ally within 1"?   Should they be not engaged yet this turn?   A *Wounded* warrior who's already fought this turn may not be as effective.