Archives Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Campaign Setting Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

In the year 3011 of the Third Age, Middle-earth stands upon a precipice, though few living beneath the shadow of the great mountains truly grasp the depth of the coming twilight. For generations, the lands have known a fragile, weary peace. The shadow that fell with the defeat of the Dark Lord Sauron long ago has been a mere memory, a whisper in old tales.

The world the Free Peoples have inherited is one of fading light and lengthening nights, a time imperiled by a rising darkness that few can yet name. The great powers are distracted: the Elves are dwindling, looking ever westward; the Dwarves are secure within their mountains but few in number; and the Men of the West are a diminished race whose kingdom of Gondor holds a long, lonely vigil.

The North remains a sparsely populated, wild expanse where ancient evils and forgotten ruins lie dormant. The Shire remains blissful in its isolation, and the quiet folk of Bree go about their business with little thought for the world beyond their borders. The Northmen, the Beornings, and the scattered Rangers are the thin line of defense that keeps the remnants of civilization safe. It is into this world that a new age of heroes must emerge, for the established orders are weary, and the old alliances are strained. The map of Middle-earth is vast, a patchwork of kingdoms and wildernesses where destiny awaits those brave enough to step away from the firelight of their homes. Far to the south and east, in the land of Mordor, the enemy is stirring again. The Dark Lord Sauron has been quietly gathering his strength, recovering lost power, and breeding armies in the shadows. He has rebuilt his tower, Barad-dûr, and the air around Mount Doom is thick with ash and evil purpose.

Though his influence is subtle at first, it bleeds outward, corrupting the minds of men in the South and East and gathering fell creatures to his banner. The Nazgûl, his most terrible servants, ride forth in secret, searching for a lost object of power that holds the key to his final victory. This resurgent threat is the true context of the age, the storm on the horizon that will soon break over all the lands.

The signs of the turning tide are everywhere, if one knows where to look. The roads are becoming unsafe, haunted by desperate men and darker things. Whispers of a "Shadow" in Mirkwood are growing louder, a malign influence deep within the forest that drives all light from the canopy.

These are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a singular, growing cancer upon the world. The time for peaceful ignorance is ending, and the time for action is fast approaching. The great War of the Ring, though yet unnamed, is an inevitability. It will be a series of conflicts across the entire continent, from Minas Tirith in the West to the distant realms of the North.

Your path, should you choose to walk it, will lead you out of the quiet security of the North Downs and across the vast, untamed expanses of Wilderland. Fate may push you through the shadowed paths of Mirkwood, over the Misty Mountains, and into the sun-drenched vales of the River Running. You will find yourselves drawn inexorably towards Dale and the Lonely Mountain, a beacon of Dwarf and Man resilience in the East. There, the forces of Sauron, having subdued the East, will march to conquer the only free kingdoms left in the region. While the armies of Gondor and Rohan fight for the fate of Men in the South, the North will fight a desperate battle against a powerful Eastern army of Sauron's allies. This is a campaign about the twilight of an age, where hope is a small but persistent flame in the darkness.

It's a story of ordinary people caught in extraordinary times, called to defend their homes and the memory of a free Middle-earth. The road is long, the dangers are great, but the need for heroes has never been more dire. Welcome to the Third Age, adventurers. May your swords stay sharp, and your hearts stay true.

Over Hill and Under Hill Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Interested in Being a Player?

Our Middle-earth Campaign

Our Core Game Rules

Playable Races & Classes

Bree-land

Region Map

Bree

The Fellowship

Adventure Introduction

Session One: Suspicious Beginnings

The Herald Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Independent Towns & Villages Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Esgaroth

Independent Cities Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Dale

Rivendell

Kingdoms & Nations Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Locations Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Bree-land

Lone-Lands

North Moors

Trollshaws

The Shire

Forests & Woodlands

Mountains

Structures

Tables, Charts & Links Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Fellowship Phase

Journey Rules

Patrons

Resting

Sanctuaries

The Shadow

Advantage & Disadvantage

Coin Weight

Difficulty Checks

Exhaustion

Old-School Essentials Initiative

Starting Money

Mayor's Residence Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

This small building is the Mayor's residence in Bree, the center of government in the settlement which is where one might find Mayor Zakarias Ormond during the day time hours when he is not out and about the settlement. This location is also the public meeting place for any important meeting that requires the mayor's attention. The mayor's office is located in the center of Bree.

This house is set well back from the road, and is partially screened by a pair of medium-sized elms. This is by far the most imposing house in the village. The walls have been regularly whitewashed and the roof gleams with new wooden shingles. A wide porch crosses the entire front of the house, and columns of wood support the overhanging roof. The columns have been carved into leafy patterns by a skilled craftsman.

The office is used for multiple purposes but is mainly used for meetings and such with a sturdy oak table with chairs seated around it. A large hearth warms the entire office during the colder months of the year. The mayor will meet here monthly with most of the prominent business owners in town to discuss matters of importance. A large designer rug lay across most of the center of the room with well-made furniture and such spread across the room.

All rewards for completed jobs from the job board located just outside the entrance are paid out of the mayor's office by the mayor himself. Outsiders will never gain access without first getting permission. The second floor is mainly used as the lord mayor's home. A small hearth is in the back of the room which is independent from the one downstairs. The upstairs room is a simple room, with only the basic necessities. Zakarias Ormond spends very little time here except for getting needed sleep.

The Fellowship Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Hordus, son of Farín, was born in Erebor and endured the long years of exile after Smaug drove Durin's Folk from the Lonely Mountain. Forced to survive as a caravan guard and laborer, he never lost faith that his people would one day reclaim their homeland. When Dáin Ironfoot marched to aid Thorin Oakenshield, Hordus eagerly joined the host and fought in the Battle of Five Armies, standing alongside both Dwarves and Elves against the Orc hordes. Though Erebor was restored, Thorin's death left a mark on him, and while he still bears some lingering resentment toward the Elves of Mirkwood, he strives to move beyond old grudges. Despite being born into a wealthy noble family descended from the line of Durin, Hordus has little interest in status or inheritance. Believing that a fortune earned is worth more than one inherited, he abandoned the comforts of Erebor to seek adventure, glory, and purpose in the wider world. Proud, fearless, and convinced that evil still stirs in Middle-earth, he now travels in search of threats to his homeland, recently finding an unlikely companion in an Elf-maiden of Thranduil's Woodland Realm, whose growing friendship may yet challenge many of his long-held beliefs.

Elanthe, Lady of the Woodland Realm, carries herself with the grace and refinement of an Elven noble, leading many to mistake her for a sheltered daughter of Mirkwood's high houses. In truth, she is a seasoned veteran who spent much of her adult life commanding the elite Northern Mirkwood Border Guard, defending the realm's frontiers and coordinating with the peoples of Dale and the Iron Hills in the years following the Battle of Five Armies. With peace granting her a rare respite from duty, she has chosen to leave the safety of her homeland and pursue her own path. Cheerful, perceptive, and driven by a desire to master the healing arts, Elanthe seeks lost knowledge, adventure, and renown throughout Middle-earth. Recently arriving in Bree and traveling with newfound companions, she has embraced the wider world with enthusiasm, determined to leave her mark through both her deeds and her healing gifts.

Over Hill and Under Hill Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

The lands north of Bree are seldom discussed in the common rooms of inns, and when they are, the tales are usually told in hushed voices by travelers who have spent too many nights beneath the open sky. Beyond the settled country lie the North Downs, a region of rolling hills, forgotten roads, and lonely ruins where the remnants of ancient kingdoms still linger beneath the grass. Though no great evil openly rules these lands, there is an unease about them that many find difficult to explain. The wind seems to carry old memories across the hills, and silence often settles where birds and beasts should be heard.

In ages long past, these lands formed part of the Kingdom of Arnor, and many traces of that lost realm still endure. Weathered watchtowers stand atop distant ridges. Crumbling walls emerge from the earth where villages once prospered. Ancient roads, broken by time and neglect, disappear into the wilderness before reaching destinations long forgotten. Most folk of Bree pay little attention to such things, content to leave the ruins to history. Yet the North has never fully surrendered its secrets.

From time to time, strange reports drift southward from hunters, woodsmen, and wandering travelers. Some speak of standing stones upon remote hills where none are marked on any map. Others tell of odd lights seen after sunset or of dreams that linger with unusual clarity after waking. Such tales rarely agree in their details, but they often point toward the same lonely regions beyond the bounds of ordinary travel. Whether these stories contain truth or merely the imaginings of weary wanderers is difficult to say.

The North Downs conceal many mysteries. Forgotten burial places lie hidden beneath grassy mounds. Ancient landmarks survive whose original purpose has long been lost. Here and there, relics from the days of Arnor still wait to be discovered by those willing to brave the wild. Some ruins offer only glimpses into the past, while others may conceal secrets that wiser folk would prefer remain undisturbed.

Beyond the Downs, the wilderness grows increasingly untamed. The remnants of Rhudaur linger among the eastern hills, where old feuds, dark legends, and abandoned strongholds have faded into myth. Few travelers willingly venture so far from the safety of settled lands, and fewer still return with clear accounts of what they have seen. The roads are broken, landmarks are scarce, and many places seem untouched by the passing centuries.

For those with courage enough to seek adventure, the northern wilds offer endless possibilities. Lost treasures, forgotten histories, ancient dangers, and long-buried mysteries all lie waiting beyond the borders of civilization. What begins as a simple rumor shared beside a warm hearth could lead to discoveries that shed light upon the hidden past of Eriador—or awaken forces that have slept undisturbed for generations.

Session One: Suspicious Beginnings Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Coin Weight Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

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

Lockhouse Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

In the quiet, rustic village of Bree—where the lands of the Shire-folk meet the lands of Men—the notion of a formal jail or "Lockhouse" is a practical necessity for any functioning settlement. Imagine a structure that fits the simple, self-governing style of this isolated community, a place where locals handle their own affairs.

Bree operates as a pragmatic, self-sufficient place, having maintained its peace for centuries through the common sense of its residents and the quiet watch of external protectors. This communal governance suggests that any holding facility wouldn't be a grand institution.

Rather, it would be a simple, sturdy building dedicated to short-term custody, perhaps used more for sobering up a drunk farmer or holding a transient while their story was verified, than for long-term incarceration. The architecture would blend seamlessly with the rest of the village, which sits comfortably on the slopes of Bree-hill. Picture a structure made of rough, durable stone or heavy timber, practical and unadorned. It might be a small, fortified room attached to a main watch-post near the town gates, or a solid, single-story building with a thick, iron-banded door and narrow, barred windows set high up. The design would emphasize function over fear—a necessary corner of a busy, cautious town. This building's importance would spike during periods of local strife, such as when ruffians and unsettling Southern folk moved into the area during times of war and lawlessness. During such chaotic periods, this lockhouse would become a crucial, if humble, center of local order. It would serve as the place where newly deputized townsfolk might secure a captured ruffian or a suspicious stranger found lurking near the gate after dark, highlighting its purely utilitarian role in maintaining the peace for both the Shire-folk and the Big Folk alike.

The name "Lockhouse" itself speaks to the plain, functional language of the common folk of Bree. It’s a term that fits the rugged, self-reliant nature of a community that handles its own problems. This imaginary lockhouse is a vital, albeit humble, part of the infrastructure of Bree, a place for practical people who believe in simple justice and security behind locked gates.

Staddle Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

The founding of Staddle predates the mass migration of Hobbits across the Brandywine River. Long before the Shire was a cohesive political entity, small, adventurous bands of Stoors had settled the eastern dales of the region known as Eriador. They found the eastern slopes of the isolated Bree-hill appealing. The existing Men of Bree, accustomed to having quiet neighbors, allowed the little folk to dig their burrows into the soft, sun-drenched hillsides, establishing a peaceful co-existence that would endure for centuries. Staddle was thus a community of two peoples from its very beginning.

Life in Staddle was dictated by the land itself. The men built sturdy stone cottages along the lanes, while the hobbits carved out comfortable smials that dotted the southern face of the hill. Unlike the bustling, central crossroads of Bree town, where travelers from across Middle-earth mingled, Staddle remained a quieter, more agriculturally inclined place. Its people were farmers who preferred to stay close to home, focusing their efforts on the fertile fields that stretched out towards the brooding Midgewater Marshes to the east.

A defining feature of Staddle’s existence was its unique relationship with agriculture, specifically the cultivation of pipe-weed. The warm, well-drained slopes of the Bree-hill proved ideal for the plant, producing a superior leaf highly prized across the region. The Hobbits of Staddle took particular pride in their green thumb, perfecting curing methods that became a local secret. While Bree had the famous Prancing Pony inn, Staddle had The Lamplighter, a smaller, homelier establishment where locals gathered to smoke their home-grown weed, swap gossip, and enjoy a quiet pint away from the noise of the Great East Road.

The settlement maintained a strong sense of independence from its larger neighbor, Bree. While all the settlements of the Bree-land looked to the town for matters of defense and trade organization, the people of Staddle cherished their village identity. They were not "Bree-folk" in the same way the townsfolk were; they were "Staddlers." As the centuries rolled on and the world outside grew darker and wilder with the waxing of the Shadow, Staddle hunkered down. Trade routes became dangerous, and the communities of Bree-land became increasingly isolated islands of civilization.

Staddle remained fundamentally unchanged right up to the defining events of the War of the Ring. Its history was not written in the deeds of kings, but in the soil it tilled and the simple peace its inhabitants maintained. It stands in the lore of Middle-earth as a symbol of the enduring power of community and the quiet importance of home, a small, warm light in the vast wilderness of Eriador that persisted long after the great kingdoms of Men had fallen to ruin.

Combe Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

The settlement of Combe nestled in the shelter of the Bree-hill, hidden away from the main thoroughfares that carved across Middle-earth. Unlike its bustling neighbor, Bree, which straddled the crossroads of the North-South and East Roads, Combe was a quieter, more secluded place. Its origins were lost to common memory, rooted deep in the early history of the Second Age when the Men of Bree first began to clear the thick, ancient forest that choked the land. These early settlers were a hardy folk who eschewed the grandiose kingdoms of Númenor and Gondor, preferring instead to till the land and live simple, self-sufficient lives. They built their homes not of grand stone, but of sturdy timber and wattle-and-daub, carving out a peaceful existence in the shadow of the great northern ranges.

The initial settlement was a arduous task. The land around Combe was wild and unforgiving, requiring constant vigilance against the lingering shadow of the North and the natural predations of the untamed wilderness. The first families worked together, felling mighty oaks and birches not only for timber but to push back the forest that seemed determined to reclaim the soil. They were a community built on cooperation, where the prosperity of one farm was intrinsically linked to the defense of the village. The geographical isolation that made Combe peaceful also made it vulnerable; there were no grand armies to call upon. Their protection came from their own strong arms and the unity of their small village council.

Over the long centuries of the Third Age, Combe developed its unique character. While Bree town became a melting pot of travellers, news, and commerce, Combe remained firmly agricultural and introspective. The inhabitants primarily worked as farmers, woodmen, and charcoal-burners. The air here often smelled of woodsmoke and damp earth, a comforting, familiar scent to generations of Combemen. Their relationship with the inhabitants of the other three Bree-land villages—Bree, Staddle, and Archet—was cooperative but distinct. They traded their produce with the innkeepers in Bree, shared news, and attended markets, but their village life retained its own quiet rhythm, influenced less by the comings and goings of strangers and more by the turning of the seasons.

Combe's population remained small and close-knit. Family names like Ferny and Rushlight became synonymous with the area, their lineages tied to the very foundations of the original settlement. These families weathered the great plagues, the shifting tides of war in the North, and the gradual abandonment of the North Kingdom of Arnor around them. As the wider world grew more dangerous and empty, the Bree-land became a small, stubborn island of civilization. Combe's people relied heavily on their own traditions and the wisdom passed down from elders, who remembered the stories of a time when kings still walked the North Downs.

Ultimately, the settlement of Combe endured because of its quiet simplicity and the resilience of its people. It was never a place of great heroes or epic battles, but a place where ordinary folk simply lived on, generation after generation. It represented the enduring strength of Middle-earth’s common peoples, who, despite the looming shadow of Sauron and the decline of the great races, clung steadfastly to their homes and their way of life. The story of Combe is the story of quiet perseverance, a small, humble village nestled in the protective curve of a hill, surviving the ages through sheer, quiet refusal to be forgotten.

Archet Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

The village of Archet was the most remote and isolated of the four settlements that comprised the Bree-land region. Nestled deep within the Chetwood, it lay on the eastern fringes of the cultivated lands, tucked away on the lower slopes of the Bree-hill. Its very location implied a difference in character from the rest of the land; while the other villages were close to roads or open country, Archet was perpetually bordered by thick, wild forest. The inhabitants were primarily Men, a hardy and watchful folk who relied more heavily on woodcraft and hunting than their neighbors in Bree or Combe. Their isolation made them insular, a community tied closely to the rhythms of the woods surrounding them, and less concerned with the constant flow of news that passed through the Prancing Pony in Bree-town.

Life in Archet was one of constant vigilance. The proximity to the Chetwood, which in turn bordered the much larger and more perilous Old Forest and the empty expanses of the former kingdom of Cardolan, meant that the wilderness was always at their doorstep. There were no great stone walls here, only the close-knit proximity of homes built primarily of wood. The villagers developed a keen awareness of their surroundings, becoming skilled trackers, rangers, and charcoal burners. They knew the forest paths better than anyone else in the region, using this knowledge to sustainably harvest timber while also defending their homes from various threats, whether they were wolves, occasional wayward creatures from the Trollshaws, or lurking unsavory characters who preferred the cover of trees to the open roads.

Archet played a minor, yet critical role in the wider history of Middle-earth, largely due to its geography. It was a place that offered shelter and anonymity for those who needed to vanish from the world. In The Lord of the Rings, the village is noted as a place where the darker elements of the world might hide. For example, Bill Ferny’s accomplice, a squint-eyed Southerner, was found lurking around the area. This demonstrates Archet’s position as a frontier outpost, a place where the Shire-folk and the Men of the West often intersected with the servants of the Shadow, making it perhaps the most vulnerable settlement in the peaceful Bree-land area.

The relationship between Archet and its neighboring villages was a practical one. While distinct in character, they formed a loose confederation for mutual defense and trade. Archet supplied significant amounts of firewood, charcoal, and game to Bree, which was a bustling trade hub. However, a slight social divide persisted; the Men of Archet were seen by some in Bree as a little rougher around the edges, perhaps less civilized due to their constant battle with the wilderness. This dynamic provided a subtle tension that underpinned the social fabric of the Bree-land area, a common theme in Tolkien’s intricate world-building where geography dictates culture.

In enduring the long centuries of the Third Age, Archet represents the enduring resilience of the Free Peoples in the face of dwindling populations and rising darkness. It was never a rich or powerful place, but a stubborn outpost of humanity clinging to the edge of the known, safe world. Its history is not one of kings and battles, but of quiet survival and grit. Archet remained a small, vital beacon of normal life, a testament to the fact that even in the most dangerous corners of Middle-earth, life, community, and the simple desire for peace persisted, protected by watchful eyes from within the shadows of the Chetwood.

Notable Regions
• Archet Dale