Ready-To-Run Adventures

The Scourge of Smallforge

Phillip Gladney 1999
Background
For close to three decades the Dwarven
community of Smallforge has lived in close
proximity and harmony with the nearby
hobbit settlement Reedhaven. Each village
has between 75-100 inhabitants and a strong
friendship has arisen between the two.
Smallforge is led by Beleg, sometimes called
the Twilight Hammer, and consists of an iron
mine and large smithy. Reedhaven is led by
Dallo Point and is one of the last remaining
hobbit settlements in the Angle. Beleg and
Dallo are old friends, and have even
adventured together in the past, acquiring
renown in addition to a sizable quantity of
gold and items of worth during their many
years of wandering. Dallo can still be seen
occasionally in his complete set of Dwarven
Go to the Reedhaven map and village description
arms and armor, while Beleg's greatest pride
is his war hammer inlaid with ithildin. It is called the Twilight Hammer and hence Beleg's nickname.
Years ago, Beleg came to pay a visit to his friend in Reedhaven. Dallo had already settled down and bought
an inn in the village where he was spending his retirement. One day, while exploring a nearby cave, Beleg
saw the unmistakable signs of iron ore. Deciding to create a colony to mine the ore, he went back to his home
in Khazad-dm, convinced many of his friends and family to join him and spent his fortune hiring guards and
miners to work the vein and enlarge the cave that led under the hill. It took many years of construction, but
the colony was eventually ready for use. It now produces a steady supply of exemplary weaponry for the
forces of the Free Peoples in the Angle. Reedhaven has profited itself from the presence of the Dwarven
colony and is glad to have the dwarves living nearby.
The ties that bind these two colonies are economical as well as political. Both groups are far from any other
settlements of their own kind and consequently are dependent upon one another for various commodities. The
dwarves need fish, game, grain, and other foodstuffs and the hobbits need finished metal products such as
arrows, spearheads and farm implements as well as hard currency. In addition, both settlements band together
for the common good when threatened with outside intervention. In the past, the two groups held off a minor
incursion of Dunlendings during the Stonearm Wars. Nothing much else of significance has happened since
then, but that is all about to change.
The Tale
Part of the Witch-king's plot to subdue the
Angle and use it as a jumping off point for an

Go to the Smallforge map and village description

invasion of Cardolan hinges on keeping the

dwarves and hobbits from being able to send
any help to their neighbors. The assistance a
small army of Dwarves and Hobbit scouts
could render might tip the scales in favor of
the Feotari. Also, if it were known that a
major invasion was in the future, and that
Cardolan and Tharbad were in danger, then
most assuredly the dwarves of Khazad-dm
would move to help their business partners.
Tharbad is essential to the Dwarven
economic machine and the Dwarves would
not like to see it fall. They could even send
an army there to help in its defense and this is
something that the Witch-king does not want
to happen. Therefore, the two villages located
on the Bruinin River must be isolated and
forced to concentrate on their own well being
instead of that of the people of Fennas

Drunin.
Since the whole plan revolves around keeping the Angmarim out of the action till the very end, the Witchking has decided to use some of his wolves. A large pack has been dispatched to the eastern part of the Angle
with orders to disrupt life there as much as possible. These thirty-odd wolves are under the leadership of a
true Warg. This "wolf" is Undead and has the intelligence to make sustained strategic decisions. He can
coordinate the wolves to split into two or more groups for extra effectiveness and to create more confusion.
Already the wolves have been responsible for three deaths and the killings of five sheep, two cows and a
mule. The three deaths have all come recently and the leaders of Smallforge and Reedhaven are at a loss as
how to deal with the intruders. With the first death, that of a small hobbit child whose body was found a mile
away, the inhabitants were unsure as to what happened and it seemed that it was merely a random and
unfortunate incident. However, two days later the bodies of an adult dwarf and hobbit, two friends who had
gone fishing, were found. Their bodies had been rent apart just like the child's had been, but the dwarf's axe
had blood and course dark fur matted onto it. This was obviously not the result of an unfortunate incident as
the dwarf was a warrior of some skill and there were no bodies of any animals that had been hit. The village
leaders believe that wolves are to blame and have sent out hunting parties to no avail. Once a small group of
wolves was spotted, but they escaped and the pursuers were unable to keep up with them.
Now the dwarves and hobbits have sent a representative down river to Fennas Drunin asking for assistance.
The town guard cannot help due to the fact that recent raids by Hillmen have created chaos in the region and
they have no troops to spare. The leaders of the two settlements have posted a bounty of 5 pieces of silver on
wolves for any individual who will come to their village and help. They specifically need men who can ride
horses since they are the only ones who will be able to capture or kill the marauding wolves. To this end
Dallo's friend, Feagwin, has offered to supply up to seven horses for this expedition should reliable parties
accept the assignment and not have their own mounts.
The Task
After hearing rumors of trouble in the region of Rhudaur known as the Angle, the party decides to travel there
to see if they can be of help. After only one day in Fennas Drunin they hear talk of a Rhudaurim army seen in
the north and frequent raids by marauding Hillmen all over the region. Isolated farmsteads have been found
burned out and people are missing. The people of Fennas Drunin are getting ready for war and making

preparations all over town. A caravan is being prepared to send supplies to the border forts in anticipation of
a prolonged siege. One of the many rumors floating around the town is that a band of roving wolves has beset
two settlements on the river Bruinen to the east. Upon asking someone about this they are directed to a
wooden post in the main square. It holds a variety of notices, however one well written notice holds the
information they are looking for. It says:
REWARD
Adventurous spirits needed for removal of wolf
menace.
Must be mounted and have own weapons. 5 pieces of
silver for each fresh wolf pelt delivered. Interested
parties may contact Folgrin at the Oak Grove
Tavern every day at noon.
If the party goes to the Oak Grove at noon they will see a Dwarf sitting alone at one of the tables. This is
none other than Folgrin, the Dwarven envoy. He is an older dwarf and has streaks of gray in his otherwise
black beard. If the party approaches and inquires about the reward, Folgrin will look them over thoroughly as
if appraising whether or not to even respond. After a moment or two of awkward silence he will invite the
party members to sit and orders a round of drinks for the group. Over the mugs of ale he will ask the party
members several questions about their background, any references they might have and what skills they may
have that will help in the completion of the task set before them. He is attempting to assess whether these
strangers are trustworthy and not agents of Angmar or common scoundrels. During this questioning session
he barely attempts to hide his obvious skepticism. Folgrin will also ignore any questions directed by the party
members until he is satisfied they are worthy of the responsibility. After deciding to offer the party the job, he
will tell them that since they do not have the necessary skills to ensure success in the mission they will have
to accept less than the 5 pieces of silver per pelt. He will offer them 4 silver instead. This is merely a ploy to
see if the party will accept less than the official reward. If the party refuses this, he will think for a moment
and then smile, saying that he respects a person who has the guts to stand up for his own worth. If the party
accepts, he won't say anything, however he will lose respect for them for not having the strength or
wherewithal to barter with him.
After the reward has been discussed and the party has accepted the mission, Folgrin will relate the story about
the hobbit child and the two adults who were killed. He tells them that they are sure that it was the work of a
roving band of wolves since a pack has been seen in the area. They do not have the ability to chase the
wolves and this is what they need the party members for. If they don't have horses, Folgrin tells them that he
will have some on loan for them by tomorrow morning and they should meet here at the Oak Grove then.
The next morning the party members greet Folgrin at the inn. He is accompanied by two younger Dwarves in
chain mail armor and has a wagon pulled by two mules for transportation. If the party needed to be supplied
with horses, then an elderly Northman is also present. He tells the party to treat the horses well and there will
be no problems. He also says that if they run off with his horses, he will track them down and then reminds
the party that the penalty for horse rustling is death. The group then leaves Fennas Drunin and travels
northeast following a path consisting of two ruts in the ground. Folgrin calls it the River Way and tells the
party that it shadows the Bruinen river all the way to the twin settlements. Nothing of interest occurs during
the trip, which takes most of the day, and the three dwarves escorting the group make for boring travel
companions. Once in Reedhaven they will be directed to the Frothy Tankard, Dallo's establishment. There
they will be introduced to the community and meet their employers. They are given rooms to stay in and
asked to join a meeting later that night. During this meeting they will be given greater detail as to the
whereabouts of the wolves and requested by Dallo and Beleg to give their input on how to eliminate the wolf
menace.

GM Notes
An intelligent Warg leads the wolves that have assailed the two communities. Their plan is to harass the
villagers as much as possible without allowing a direct confrontation to result. In a true melee the wolves
would not stand much of a chance against the well-armored Dwarves. Thus, they have adopted a hit-and-run
strategy, using their mobility as an advantage. Isolated villagers and small parties will be attacked by the
pack, however any group of over five persons will be left alone. Their sense of smell is incredible and it will
warn them of most any ambush so the party is confronted with a challenging objective. If during the course of
the adventure the wolves somehow are confronted and a good number of them killed, then the leaders will
determine that an all-out assault on the village at night is their only recourse. The Warg is unconcerned about
his own well being and will sacrifice as many of the normal wolves as necessary to complete the assignment.
He knows that their effectiveness as a marauding force is lost without the strength of the entire pack and will
do what damage they can to the Hobbit village instead.
The party's first obstacle is to come up with a plan. If they cannot come up with anything, the leaders of the
two settlements will interject with some of their own; it is better, however, if the party thinks for itself. Allow
the party time to confer and if nothing is accomplished or the idea is not a good one, have Beleg or Dallo
reject it and insist they use one of their own ideas. One idea is to send out many small groups on foot with
horns and hope to encounter the wolves. The group facing the wolves would blow the horns and hold off the
wolves until the mobile force, consisting of the hired party, can come and give aid. This is a dangerous plan
of action, since the group on foot, mostly dwarves with a few hobbits, would be in dire jeopardy for an
unknown amount of time. The dwarves favor a hammer and anvil type attack. One group, probably the
horsed party, would charge through the woods loudly trying to roust the wolves from their hiding place. They
would then try to herd the wolves into an ambush by the Hobbit archers and Dwarven crossbowmen at some
ideal location. Another idea is to use the Hobbits' outdoors skills to find and attack the wolves in large
numbers. To do this, the party, in addition to a group of dwarves and hobbits, would need to search for the
wolves from a point that is going into the wind. Otherwise, the wolves would smell the attackers and move
away. The wolves normally sleep during the day and hunt at night, however this group has been sleeping at
night so that it can operate during normal active hours.
This scenario gives the GM a great deal of leeway as to dealing with the wolves and their actions. The
number of wolves involved and the ability of the wolves to split into lesser groups allows the GM to tailor the
difficulty of the adventure to the groups' strength. Higher level groups might encounter larger packs and vice
versa. In the end, the party will have to eliminate the leader or the entire pack. If the leader is killed then there
will be no leadership or unifying force to hold the pack together and the group will dissolve into smaller
packs. They would then have no inclination to attack the settlements and would leave the area. This would be
a victory for the party; GMs should be hesitant to have the Warg slain early on, however, as this will make
the adventure too short.
The Rewards
After the party dispatches the wolf menace, they will be invited to a feast in the Great Hall of Smallforge.
They will be treated as honored guests and will sit to either side of Beleg and Dallo. Songs, succulent racks of
lamb and venison, games of strength and kegs of ale will be in abundance. The majority of both settlements
will be in attendance and desire to speak with the party members. Hobbit children will ask questions about
the "outside world", while Dwarven warriors will inquire as to their opinions on the recent developments in
the region. Other than the satisfaction of helping out someone in need, the feast, and the bounty, however, the
rewards in this scenario are hidden. The party will have to use their trust in goodness and diplomacy to find
them. The most significant thing the party can leave with is the goodwill of the Dwarves. To do this the party
must refuse the reward from the two settlements when it is offered them during the high point of the feast. If
they do this with the reasoning of goodwill towards the Dwarves and Hobbits, then Beleg will consider their
request for a moment, proclaim something loud in the Dwarven language to his companions and come shake
the hands of the party. Meanwhile the Dwarves in the hall will nod their heads in general agreement with the

decision Beleg has just made and begin moving towards where the party is seated. Beleg then tells the party
he has named them Dwarf-friends and the Dwarves in the hall all come to congratulate them. This is no small
honor and since Beleg is a minor Durinic lord he has the right and ability to name the party so. He also tells
them that tomorrow he will give each of them an amulet that will let other Dwarves know of their new stature
and insists that each of them choose a weapon or piece of armor of their choice from the armory. They have
an assortment of weapons and armor to choose from and everything in the armory is +10 due to its excellent
make.
The next day, while recuperating from the hangover, a Hobbit messenger from Harnalda arrives in
Reedhaven. He tells the two leaders of the settlements that a Rhudaurim army composed of Dunlendings,
Easterling horsemen and various mercenaries is only two weeks away from the border fort. The leaders call a
council to confer on this news. This bit of information leads into the second adventure of the serial. Now the
party must get back to Fennas Drunin soon so that they can offer their services to the town council!
'
The Scourge of Smallforge character stats
Name
Beleg

#
1

Level Hits
11

143

AT

DB

Sh

Gr 1st OB 2nd OB 3rd OB MM

19

70

A/L 137wh 110ha 100hcb

(thr)

10

Notes
Dwarven
Warrior

+25 warhammer, "Twilight Hammer", Of Slaying Orcs & Undead, wielded one-handed, +50
RR vrs. Fear, continuous Prayer; +15 shield, Stun Relief x3/day; +15 half-plate armor; +5
helm, Sudden Light x2/day; +15 throwing axes (2); +15 heavy crossbow w/ +10 bolts (25).
Dallo

Nildin

Khauzag

Folgrin

Exp
Guard

70

70

Y10

70ss

114

16

60

126

19

30

106

16

50

A/L 119bs

20

95

16

45

A/L

108lcb

---

30

Stoor
Scout/Rogue
Public Speaking and Diplomacy bonuses of +40. Uses fine Dwarven weaponry, earned "the
hard way." His crossbow has an intricate cable arrangement that allows it to be fired each
round and at normal double range.
A/L 109ha

97ha 94hcb
5
Dwarven
(thr)
Warrior
+15 hand axe; +15 full chain armor; +15 shield; +15 throwing axes (2); +15 heavy crossbow
w/ +10 bolts (25).
A/L 124ba 112ha 106hcb 10
Dwarven
(thr)
Warrior
+15 battle axe; +10 half-plate armor; +10 full helm; +15 throwing axes (2); +15 heavy
crossbow w/ +10 bolts (25).
95ha 98hcb
5
(thr)
+10 broadsword; +10 full chain armor; +10 shield; amulet Detect Evil 3x/day.
85ha

Dwarven
Warrior

75ha
(thr)

65hcb

10

Dwarven
Warriors

65ha
(thr)

60hcb

Dwarven
Warriors

+ 5 equip; uses an assortment of one-handed weapons.

Young
Guard

20

85

15

40

A/L

75ha

+5 equip; uses an assortment of one-handed weapons.

Miners

25

80

13

35

70ha

60lcb

---

Dwarven
Rogues

50sb

---

15

Scout/Rangers

+5 equip; uses an assortment of one-handed weapons.

Hobbits

40
3
+5 equip.

60

45

---

55sp

Master Military Table Forces of Angmar

Level Hits AT DB Sh Gr 1st OB
Warg 1
8
180 4 60 N N 75LBi
Wolf 27
3
110 3 30 N N 55LBi

Name

2nd OB
60LCl
30MCl

3rd OB
50Both
-

MM
40
35

Notes
Undead Wolf
Normal Wolf