Saturday, December 31, 2022
Friday, December 30, 2022
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Woodmen-town is a small but thriving settlement under the gloomy eaves of Mirkwood, about 100 miles South of The Old Forest Road and 50 miles South of Woodland Hall on the Dusky River. It is home to the oldest of the Woodmen families and inside its ancient great house, the Hall of Balthi , is the Fabled Lamp of Balthi, a great healing artifact.
The hall is surrounded by the Market Green and a smattering of houses and shops. The village strives to live in harmony with nature in accordance with their laws. They live a simple existence in the frozen north of Solstheim, subsisting on hunting and minor agriculture, but are also familiar with the secrets of forging stalhrim.
On the Market Green the occasional travelling merchant lays out their goods, pig and sheep-herders drive their animals into pens, tradesmen meet to buy materials and sell their wares, and the local gossips gather to trade tales. The palisade has a mixture of very ancient, moss covered sections, and much newer freshly cut and erected logs.A Dusky River that runs to the east of the town flowing down from the mountains of Mirkwood. On the couple of jetties that poke out into the river, fisher-folk mend their nets, carve out new log boats, and tar their coracles in readiness for the fishing season. The walls of Woodmen-town are built from a palisade of stout logs, sharpened at the top. Bunches of fragrant herbs can be seen hanging from the walls to ward off evil influences.
The houses in Woodmen-town are all rectangular long houses, with sloping shingled roofs. An inner palisade runs around the waist of the hill which is home to the Great Hall and elder council’s halls. Only those with business on the hill are allowed into this inner palisade. Well-trained working dogs can be seen all around Woodmen town, the Woodmen being masters of hounds that are kennelled at the north of the settlement and watch for any threat from the forest. Occasional excited barks can be heard. The sound of timber being chopped is a constant refrain in Woodman-town.
Woodmen-town is governed by a Council of Elders consisting of a body of five elders. All council meetings are held within the richly decorated Great Hall located atop the central hill of Woodmen-town. Inside this great hall, the legendary Lamp of Balthi is kept safe, the greatest treasure of the Woodmen.
The settlement has a standing population of around 125-150. They are distantly related to the Edain who inhabit the western portion of Mirkwood forest along with a mysterious race of men called the Beornings, who are said to be skin-changers. This settlement was partially built upon great platforms amongst the trees in the Elvish manner, for the Woodmen are on friendly terms with the Elves of the Forest. Woodmen-town mostly consists of locals but does have a few that are not native to the region. The Woodmen and the Beornings have close ties since, they lived near to one another amid many dangers of the region.The woodsmen of the region consist of a hearty folk with many strong warriors. The settlements community is made up of friendly folk but they always seem to have theie guard up during these troubling times. These people understand the Shadow is once again moving and they might be forced to defend themselves or others whom they are allied with but regardless, life goes on and even though they stand ready to fight, these people still live a normal life.
The climate tends to be cool during the summer but winters are usually very cold with much snowfall in this region . . . typical northmen weather, just how they like it. Fishing and hunting are the common trades of the region, along with trade coming into Woodmen-town. Exports mostly consist of furs and pelts along with fish and meat from hunting within the surrounding area.
Points of Interest
• Great Hall
• Market Green
• Nightgate Inn
• Blacksmith Shop
• Chissa's Patisserie Shoppe
• Baliver's House of Horses
• General Store
Notable People
• Odo
• Amalina
• Old Ingund
• Barald
Thursday, October 27, 2022
The Easterly Inn is a small tavern just south west of the Forest Gate at the western edge of the Elf Path. The inn is run by Dody Brandybuck "short for Dodinas Brandybuck", his wife Agatha, and his brother Dindy. Dody refers to the inn as the eastern-most outpost of the Shire in the wild. Dodinas was the fourth son of Gorbadoc Brandybuck and Mirabella Took. His siblings were Rorimac (who was the grandfather of Merry), Amaranth, Saradas, Asphodel, Dinodas, and Primula (who was the mother of Frodo Baggins).
The Easterly Inn is situated near a little brook that flows out of Mirkwood towards the Great River. This Inn is a popular stopping point for travelers and trade merchants and is usually rather busy. This medium sized Inn is very well maintained and is always clean. The Inn was built less than a year before and still has a rather new feel to it.The building has a second floor which contains six guest rooms "sized for big folk as well as little folk" with a communal washroom at the very end of the hall. The rooms are always clean and comfortable. Although the hall does not contain windows with curtains, each of the rooms has its own window. Each room has a comfortable single sized bed, several covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, a couple of towels, pegs for garments, and a comfortable sitting chair. All of the guest rooms are identical in appearance, all stocked with the same exact items. Each room is the same price and they each sleep a single person.
The establishment is in every way a Hobbit built construction. Dody tells his customers that when the Inn was built that he wanted it built in such a way as to bring just a little bit of Hobbiton to the Wilderlands. The main floor in the inn consists mostly of an open area filled with small tables of different sizes with chairs and a small bar located along the wall just as you enter the establishment. Four bar stools have been placed at the bar. The western end on the Inn is used as a small storage shelter that remains locked. This is where most of the wines and ales are stored . . . this chamber is more of an over stock room that casks are pulled from when inventory runs low in the Inn itself. The kitchen is a large area filled with cooks of several different races (with a menu such is the Esterly Inn has, you need plenty of cooks).Several tables have been set up outside the front of the inn for those wishing to have meals and enjoy the outdoors. Along the southern wall of the main floor dining area is a large hearth which is large enough to heat the entire main floor during the winter months. When sitting within the dining area one will see two, possibly three female "Hobbits" waiting tables in a joyful manner. Prices at the The Easterly Inn are priced a "little" higher than most Inns across Middle-Earth but the isolated location it is in allows for the prices to be a little inflated. The meals that are prepared here bring home memories of the Green Dragon Inn in the Shire. The ales are important from all across the region and are always top quality ales and beers.
(All full meals are served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach along with whatever meat and drink the customer orders with it)
BREAKFAST - 7am
Pork Sausages and Cheese: 10sp
Poached Pears (stuffed with Frumenty): 6cp
Beef and Mushroom Stuffed Hand Pies: 11sp
Shire Seed Cake: 11cp
Biscuits (topped with black pudding, eggs, and a smothering of gravy): 5cp
Mini Quiche: 11cp
Honey Nut Cake & Marmalade: 6cp
Hobbit Hash (potatoes, leeks, spinach, and cheese): 7cp
Ham Omelet (made with curry spices, onions, and tomatoes): 15cp
Stuffed Poached Pears: 3cp
Peppered Bread: 4cp
Oatmeal & Fried Potato Wedges: 3cp
Beef Steak: 15cp
Breakfast pie (made with salmon, leeks, eggs, and cream): 5cp
SECOND BREAKFAST - 9am
Strawberry Toast (with a side of sausage): 4cp
Rice pudding (paired with a side of bacon): 6cp
Scones and Clotted Cream: 5cp
Chicken Eggs (pre-boiled): 6cp
Fruit & Cheese: 3 Copper Pieces
Bread topped (with butter and honey served with a side of fruit and bacon): 4cp
Beef and Mushroom Stuffed Hand Pies: 5cp
Mushroom, Beef & Onion Hand Pies: 8cp
Hand Apple Pies: 9cp
Garlic Hand Pie: 5cp
Mincemeat Pie: 5cp
ELEVENSES - 11am
Green Tea: 5cp
Black Tea: 5cp
Herbal Tea: 6cp
White Tea: 9cp
Bread Pudding (with cinnamon): 11cp
Lavender and Lemon Muffins: 5cp
Strawberry Shortcake (with cream): 6cp
Caraway Seed Cake: 3cp
Lemon Tea Cake; 4cp
Shire Porter Cake: 9cp
Plum Heavies (cookies): 4cp
Stewed Hare (with root vegetables and dumplings): 4sp
LUNCHEON - 1pm
Beef Stew (with potatoes, carrots, onions): 8sp
Salted Pork (Made with cheese, bacon, or vegetables): 1gp
Roasted Vegetables (for those that don't eat meat): 3sp
Rabbit Stew: 3sp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 4sp
Shepherd’s Pie: 1sp
Stuffed Potatoes (cheese, butter and peppers): 1sp
Roast Mutton: 2sp
Scotch Eggs: 1sp
AFTERNOON TEA - 3pm
Green Tea: 5cp
Black Tea: 5cp
Herbal Tea: 6cp
White Tea: 9cp
Shortbread Biscuits
Ring Cookies: 4cp
Berry Pie: 3cp
Mixed Berry Cobbler: 4cp
Bakewell Tarts: 2cp
Fruit Tarts: 2cp
Honey Cakes: 4cp
Apple Pie: 3cp
Porter Cake: 3cp
Roasted Apples: 5cp
Apple Pie and Cream: 7cp
DINNER - 6pm
Stuffed Roasted Mushrooms: 11sp
Vegetable Soup & Fried Tater Cakes: 17cp
Mushroom, Beef and Onion Hand Pies: 11sp
Bread Pudding (with cinnamon): 4sp
Roasted Chicken (with a cherry tomatoe sauce): 15sp
Spiced Beef and Roasted Vegetables: 11sp
Savory Porridge: 1sp
Chicken Pie (with wine and mushrooms): 15sp
Cheddar Soup: 4sp
SUPPER - 9pm
Pork Pie: 2sp
Mushroom Soup: 1sp
Salad (served with fresh herbs and hard-boiled eggs): 4sp
Roasted Chicken: 7sp
Rabbit Stew: 2sp
Strawberry Shortcake with Cream: 10cp
Lemon Tea Cake: 5cp
Honey Shortbread: 6cp
Rabbit and Potato Plate: 5sp
DRINKS
Coffee: 4cp
Fruit Juice: 5cp
Mile (local variety): 2cp
Beer: 7cp
Beer (Bag End Brew): 1sp
Dark Ale: 8cp
Wheat Ale (or called Wandering Wizard): 11cp
Ale: 4cp
Malt Beer: 6cp
White Ale (Minas Tirith brewed): 1sp
Breeland Wine: 1sp
Red Wine: 1sp
Emerald Palet Wine: 1sp
Fireamber Wine: 1sp
Spiced Ale: 10cp
The upper rooms are very clean, and all rooms are heated. Each room has a fine bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools. The larger, more expensive rooms, have arm chairs, tables, footstools, bed warmers, curtained beds, and good rugs on the floor and wall hangings as well.
ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
(4) Private Suites: 16 Silver Pieces
(6) Standard Rooms: 8 Silver Pieces
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
The Nightgate Inn is owned and operated by the Halan family and serves as the main gathering place for the people of Woodmen-town. Formerly residents of Dale, the Halan family relocated to Woodmen-town to stake their claim and open an Inn. It is a large, comfortable establishment that serves good food and ale.
The Barkeep, Garek, is a middle-aged crotchety man with a penchant for long winded tales. It is not uncommon to see Garek tending bar on a regular basis.The Nightgate Inn is a rustic inn found close to the center of the settlement. The Inn is rather ordinary looking but has a warm, comfortable feel to it.
The taproom in the cellar offers drinks to those who enter while the chambers above are available to rent. The prices of the food and drink served here are of reasonable prices but this establishments services are well worth the coin.
The Nightgate Inn may be common in appearance but the food and drink served here is known across the region, even if the inn is of more common build, the food and drink are excellent. Respectable customers are always welcome as long as they have the money for their drinks and meals. Meals are served on pottery, pewter or copper services according to the customers order. Various leather jacks, pottery mugs, wooden tankards, pewter steins, glass flagons, crystal goblets, or silver chalices are used for the beverages.
The establishments employees are for the most part family members but a few employees have been hired since the inn opened its doors. The furnishings in the dining area such as the tables and chairs are worn and smooth from years of use. Many candles are scattered through the main floor for maintaining a comfortable ambience for its customers.
The main floor of this establishment is for the most part an open area with a large hearth set into the southernmost brick wall. Despite the rustic appearance of the inn, this structure appears to have been kept remarkably clean and organized. The locals take great pride in calling this the settlements only Inn and tavern . . . one would be wise to not insult this establisment around the locals. The second floor of the build is where all of the guest rooms are located, a total of six rooms are available. Usually most of them are vacant due to this towns remote location. Each room has a comfortable single sized bed, several covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, a couple of towels, pegs for garments, and a comfortable sitting chair. All of the guest rooms are identical in appearance, all stocked with the same exact items. Each room is the same price and they each sleep a single person.
BREAKFAST MEALS
Peppered Bread: 12cp
Oatmeal: 8cp
Boiled Goose Eggs: 1sp
Chicken Eggs: 1sp
Fruit and Cheese: 10cp
Fried Potato Wedges: 5cp
Pork Sausages: 1sp
AFTERNOON MEALS
Beef Stew: 1sp
Spiced Sausages: 1sp
Roast Duck with Apples: 1sp
Cheese rolls with a Filling of Nuts, Honey and Vegetables: 8cp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 1sp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 9cp
Kidney Pie: 2sp
Roast Goose: 1sp
Venison Steak: 2sp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 1sp
Cornish Hens with Olives: 1sp
BEVERAGES
Local Wine: 11cp
Whiskey: 9cp
Rum: 11cp
Beer: 6cp
Heavy Beer: 6cp
Ale: 7cp
Spiced Ale: 10cp
Mead: 4cp
The upper rooms are very clean, and all except the common rooms are heated. Each room has a fine bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools. The larger, more expensive rooms, have arm chairs, tables, footstools, bed warmers, curtained beds, and good rugs on the floor and wall hangings as well.
ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
Guest Room: 7sp
Monday, October 24, 2022
This massive sized building is the Great Hall of Woodmen-town. Woodmen-town is governed by a Council of Elders consisting of a body of five elders. All council meetings are held within the richly decorated Great Hall located atop the central hill of Woodmen-town. Inside this great hall, the legendary Lamp of Balthi is kept safe, the greatest treasure of the Woodmen.
The hall is a massive four story building made of good quality stone and wood. The roof was made of wood with a bell tower rising from the back. A noticeboard near the front door displays bulletins and information for residents and newcomers to town, some offering rewards for certain tasks. The bottom floor of this building is used for multiple purposes.
The right half of the floor is used for council and town meetings and such with two large oak tables with chairs seated around them. A large hearth in the back of the room warms this side of the floor during the colder months of the year.The left half of the bottom floor is used as a large dining area for when meetings are held, the guests can eat afterwords. in the back section is a large sized kitchen for preparing the food for these meetings.
The second floor is mainly used as a large lounge area for the not so formal meetings the council might have. A large hearth is in the back of the room which is connected to the one downstairs. This floor of the Great Hall is build for comfort and relaxation foe the council members. Most private council meetings are held in this room where as the bottom floor is where most of the public meetings are held with townsfold or new arrivals to Woodmen-town. Multiple plush chairs and couches are spread out across this room in a circular fashion.
The third floor is the official residence of each of the five elders of Woodsmen-town. Five medium sized bed chambers are located on this floor , one for each Elder of the council. Large designer rugs lay across the floors of each chamber with expensive furniture and such furnishing each room. Chairs, counches and such are arranged through the common room of the floor. It also contains a large hearth that is connected to the lower two floors hearths.
The top floor of this building is used as an open study room for any council member who wishes to use it. Standard furnishings of a room occupy this room. A hearth "not attached to the lower floors hearths" also is along the back wall.
Sunday, October 23, 2022
A dwarf named Nornan Bonefoot owns this smithy. People can purchase a variety of mundane wares here, including spikes, weapons, heavy armor, and so on. Simple weapons are readily available, but military weapons require one day to complete, and superior weapons require a week of work.
Saturday, October 22, 2022
The Chissa Patisserie Shoppe is a bakery and home of the Chissa family in Woodmen-town. It is owned and run by a talented bakers known as Jemma and her husband Jameson. This couple has lived in Woodmen-town for the last two years but are natives of the region.
The shop stands next to the Nightgate Inn which gives this establishment a lot of business. The building is a small bakery, but well stocked for a settlement of this size, with the front of the shop facing the main street that goes through the center of Woodmen-town. It has a small cellar for storing supplies, with the ground floor given over to the business and upper floor used as the family home.The ground floor has two main sections. The front of the building is the store and is open to the public. Here, a counter rings the room with large cabinets displaying the day's wares; there is also a bread bin. A corridor leads to the back of the the building. The cellar of the building is used for storage, holding ingredients. At the rear was the kitchen and preparation area, with a large oven, cooling racks, and work bench. The oven is a larger sized over that takes up most of the kitchen.
The bakery has a small dining room at the front of the shop. Upstairs is a small living area, furnished with two couches, rug, and bookcase with a small bedroon in the back. Off of it is a bathroom with a bathtub and wash basin. The shop as a whole is very cosy and confortable and it very popular with the residents of Woodmen-town. At times the shop has been known to have customers from outside Woodmen-town ... the bakery name has a long reach across the region.
Friday, October 21, 2022
Baliver's House of Horses is a stable in Woodmen-town.
The stables consists of a series of walled paddocks and sheds located at the south end of the town. Baliver himself along with his son watches over the stables, who charg 1 gold piece a night for each horse. They are rather expensive but you won't find a better location in the surrounding region that will take better care of a persons mount than Baliver's House of Horses. All horses are well groomed and fed during the time they are being taken care of.
As of this time, it is the only rental stable in Woodmen-town.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Every other day or so, carts and wagons gather in the Market Green and offer goods to the people of Woodsmen-town. Once each week, the official Market Day acts as a siren’s song, calling most of the townsfolk to shop and socialize in the square. Farmers sell produce, hunters hawk smoked meats, villagers sell crafts, and sometimes a trader from distant locations sells implements or costly goods.
"On any given day, there is a 25% chance that items from the adventuring gear list in the Player’s Handbook are available for sale here." Adventurers will almost never find armor, weapons, implements, or magic items in the market square, however.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
This establishment is the towns main source for supplies and merchandise, owned and operated by Anston Halan, a male human. Anston is a well respect shopkeeper within the town.
Anston Halan settled in Woodmen-town a little over two years ago. He has a variety of items available for sale, including anything off the list of adventuring gear shown in the Player’s Handbook. He "occasionally" has a few rare and hard to get items for sale "but this is such a rare thing, for game purposes he is usually out of stock", and sometimes has a couple of potions of healing available in the shop but this is also a very rare thing.
For the most part, this establishment is generally looked at as one of the better stocked general goods stores in the region, selling anything from clothing, to dried foods and such. He also sells general utility items found in the Players Handbook and sells such items at twice the mark up value.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Friday, August 26, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Interested in Being a Player or Special Guest? |
Our Core Game Rules |
Mirkwood |
Woodmen-town |
The Fellowship |
Adventure Introduction |
Session One: Strange Meetings |
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Saturday, August 20, 2022
Friday, August 19, 2022
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Monday, August 15, 2022
Welcome to Middle-earth. The year is 2946 of the Third Age, and the lands east of the Misty Mountains are astir. From the cloud-shrouded peaks above the High Pass to the spider-infested gloom of the forest of Mirkwood, paths long-deserted are trodden once again.
Five years has passed since the events of the Battle of Five Armies outside of Erebor. We find ourselves in Wilderland, or as it officially know as Rhovanion, the region of Middle-earth east of the Misty Mountains and north of Gondor and Rohan. It includes Lake-town, Erebor (The Lonely Mountain), the newly rebuilt Dale, Rhosgobel, Woodmentown, Thranduil’s Hall, and the dark vastness of Mirkwood itself. Wilderland has a huge amount of territory and places familiar and strange to explore.
The dragon Smaug is dead, slain by Bard the Bowman, now King Bard of Dale. People all across Wilderland are finding new hope for the future. Trade routes are reopening, and the free folk of Wilderland are beginning to get to know one another again. Busy merchants carry their wares to new markets, messengers bring tidings from foreign realms, and kings send forth armed men to extend their influence and the rule of law. Some say that a new age of freedom has begun, a time for adventure and great deeds to reclaim glories lost in long centuries of oppression and decline.But adventures are not really things that people go out and look for. They are dangerous and rarely end well. While it is true that a handful of valiant individuals set out to make their mark on the world, for others it seems that adventure chooses them, as though it is the path they are fated to tread. They are restless warriors, curious elves and rangers of the wild, always eager to seek what was lost or explore what was forgotten. Ordinary people call them adventurers, and when they return successful, they call them heroes. But if they fail, no one will even remember their names.
Our story, however, begins much smaller. Here in the western regions of Mirkwood Forest lies the sleepy settlement of Woodmen-town. It is spring, and the town is waking from Winter. Men and women drag rugs and blankets outside, and beat the winter’s dust out of them. Knee-deep ashes from fires kept burning all season long are cleared from the hearths, and the collection of firewood for next year begins. Here in this isolated settlement nestled within the tall pines of Mirkwood, a small collection of wandering destinies begin to intersect.
We begin in the early hours of the morning, a storm currently rages outside . . . in a messy room on the second floor of the Nightgate Inn. A bleary-eyed, rugged Dwarf slowly wakens from his lengthy slumber . . .
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Encumbrance is a measure of both the weight and bulk a character is carrying.
• Carrying Coins: Our games will use a common sense ruling for most things dealing with encumbrance. I personally do not want to get bogged down by trying to keep track of each characters total encumbrance so here is what we will do. From what I've seen online it pretty much says fifty coins weigh a pound. That means a single coin weighs 0.02 pounds, or 9.1 grams.
• Carrying Capacity: A characters carrying capacity is the characters Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that the character can carry. To makes things easier we will use this chart, to keep track of encumbrance and movement speeds.
How many coins can a specific container carry before tearing or are to heavy to carry? Below is our table with a "rough" estimate of what we use as a guideline.Backpack 400gp |
Large Belt Pouch 200gp |
Small Belt Pouch 75gp |
Large Box 200gp |
Small Box 50gp |
Wooden Chest 15gp/gp of Encumberence |
Iron Chest 3gp/gp of Encumberence |
Large Sack 400gp |
Small Sack 100gp |
Large Saddlebag 1000gp |
Small Saddlebag 250gp |
Friday, August 12, 2022
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Monday, August 8, 2022
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Monday, July 4, 2022
Sunday, July 3, 2022
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Sunday, February 20, 2022
1. Stats Rolling: This isn't a so called House Rule as one might know it, but every group has there own ways of rolling character stats. Some roll 3 six sided and keep whats rolled, some roll 4 six sided and reroll all ones. Our rule we use is we roll 4 six sided (6 times), reroll all 1's, and drop the lowest roll, keeping the 3 highest 6 sided dice for that stats. Yea it kills sucky stats, but we believe that players will play better (and enjoy the characters more) if the character does not "suck" and we have not had problems with characters getting a set of "GOD STATS". Sure every now and then someone gets a higher than normal set of stats but this is not happening often with us.
2. Level One Hit Points: We give all level 1 characters max hitpoints. This is done "only" for level One. This gives the characters a fighting chance, especially the Wizard who could easily have 1-2 hit points. Yea I know, it is babying them at level 1. We try to make sure our players have a good time and not worry about tripping and taking lethal damage from a pebble. From level Two and higher, hit points are rolled normal.
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Friday, February 18, 2022
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Monday, February 14, 2022