Forest Gate Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

It was a four-day ride by horse from Beorn's house directly north to the Forest Gate, which was also to the northeast of the confluence of the Rhimdath and Anduin Rivers. The entrance to the Elf-path at the western edge of northern Mirkwood Forest. On the map, "Wilderland", the Forest Gate is at about the same latitude as Thranduil's Caverns (on the eastern edge of Mirkwood). It lies about halfway between the point where the Grey Mountains abut Mirkwood in the north, and where the Carrock lies in the Anduin/Langflood to the south. The path itself leads almost straight towards the Lonely Mountain.

When Thorin and company came to the gate, they camped there overnight before entering the forest. It was at this point that they released Beorn's ponies, and Gandalf left the party, to the consternation of the dwarves and Bilbo Baggins.

The Forest Gate was the western entrance to the Elf-path that led across Mirkwood to the Elvenking's Halls. It was formed as a sort of arch made by two great trees leaning together that were old, ivy-strangled, hung with lichen, and bearing but a few blackened leaves. Beyond the gate the path became a gloomy tunnel, such that from within the forest the gate appeared as a small bright hole.

The Forest Gate has a small statue of Thranduil's wife, which is covered by the woods. There is also as a symbol of the Eye of Sauron.

Thorin and Company passed through the Forest Gate on the twenty-fifth of July 2941 after Gandalf departed with the ponies. The Forest Gate can be found in the northern Mirkwood region of "Eryn Lasgalen", allowing travel between the forest and the neighboring Beorning-lands.

Advantage & Disadvantage Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Sometimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17.

If multiple situations affect a roll and each one grants advantage or imposes disadvantage on it, you don't roll more than one additional d20. If two favorable situations grant advantage, for example, you still roll only one additional d20.

If circumstances cause a roll to have both advantage and disadvantage, you are considered to have neither of them, and you roll one d20. This is true even if multiple circumstances impose disadvantage and only one grants advantage or vice versa. In such a situation, you have neither advantage nor disadvantage.

When you have advantage or disadvantage and something in the game, such as the halfling's Lucky trait, lets you reroll the d20, you can reroll only one of the dice. You choose which one. For example, if a halfling has advantage or disadvantage on an ability check and rolls a 1 and a 13, the halfling could use the Lucky trait to reroll the 1.

You usually gain advantage or disadvantage through the use of special abilities, actions, or spells. Inspiration can also give a character advantage. The GM can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result.

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

News Section Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Date Posted	News Title
8/28/2025	The One Ring or Adventures in Middle-earth
11/2/2024	Let's Talk About It

Our Gaming Schedule Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Radagast Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Radagast (Adûnaic; IPA: ['radagast] - "Tender Of Beasts") the Brown, also called Aiwendil (Quenya; IPA: [ai'wendil] - "Bird-Friend") was one of the Wizards, or Istari, sent to Middle-earth to contest the will of Sauron. Originally a Maia of Yavanna, Radagast was mainly concerned with the well-being of the plant and animal worlds, and thus did not participate heavily in the War of the Ring.

Originally called Aiwendil, Radagst was a Maia created from before Time who descended to Arda in order to serve the Valar. Aiwendil was a servant of the Valië Yavanna, the Queen of earth.

After the Undying Lands were separated from Arda during the Downfall of Númenor, Manwë was still concerned for the fate of the peoples of Middle-earth, because despite Sauron was overthrown, it would later turn out that he had not been effectively vanquished and his shadow began to fall a second time.

A council of the Valar was summoned and it was decided that they would send emissaries to Middle-earth, these should be "mighty peers of Sauron, yet forgo might, and clothe themselves in flesh," as they were intended to help Men and Elves unite against Sauron, but the wizards were forbidden from matching the Dark Lord in power and fear ... Aulë chose Curumo, Oromë chose Alatar and Pallando, and Manwë chose Olórin. Yavanna subsequently begged Curumo to take Aiwendil with him.

Around the year 1000, the Maiar arrived at the Grey Havens in the west of Eriador upon the shores of Middle-earth, having the form of old Men, whom the peoples called Wizards. Curumo arrived first and alone, and Aiwendil arrived at the same time as Olórin. When the Wizards took their mission they roamed Middle-earth, in this period, Aiwendil had been renamed Radagast by the Ñoldors and was known for both his protection of the great Forests and his zeal for the animals, worrying little concerned with the affairs of Men and Elves but was far more knowledgeable in plants, birds and beasts in the forest. He also turned away from Saruman during this period, unaware that he despised him and considered him a fool.

In general, Radagast was never much of a traveller. There is not much to be told about his early journeys, but by the late Third Age he eventually settled down and dwelt, for a time at least, at Rhosgobel somewhere between the Carrock and the Old Forest Road. Situated on the western borders of Mirkwood, it can be assumed that the Wizard held watch against the Shadow of Dol Guldur that slowly engulfed the forest. It is likely that he became acquainted with the inhabitants of that region. Close to animals and birds, he was friends with the Great Eagles. Although the neighboring Beorn was unsociable, he used to see him from time to time, and he considered Radagast "not bad" for a Wizard.

Tyrant's Hill Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

This location has a fortress that stands upon a wooded rise on the edge of Mirkwood, some 50 miles north of Dol Guldur. The Elves named this rise Amon Bauglir, the Tyrant’s Hill, many years ago, for this was the keep from which many raiding parties issued forth. The tower was built by Orcs, who hacked the stone out of the hillside and wood from the forest to make it. By night, the howling of Wargs could be heard for miles around.

The keep was seized shortly after the Battle of Five Armies by Mogdred and his followers, who slew the existing garrison and claimed it for their own. The Tyrant’s Hill is but a fraction of the size of Dol Guldur, but it is a greater fortification than any the Woodmen command. From here, Mogdred could cause terrible injury to the Woodmen. He has contented himself to now with demanding tribute from the communities of the Nether Vales, putting him in conflict with Vidugalum of The Toft, but it is said his cold heart turns ever north toward Rhosgobel.

Notable Locations
• Fenbridge Castle

The One Ring or Adventures in Middle-earth Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

I am such a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and his work with Middle-earth, I am currently reading the novels and have watched the extended versions of all six films more times that I can count. It's such a wonderful world, the people, the ambience, the lore, the history—all of which had me hooked from day one.

What really brought me in all the way was watching the films. I understand the films don't do the novels justice, I get that but the films are such works of art, especially the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit trilogy was also great but I'll admit, Peter Jackson went overboard on the amount of CGI that he used. So, I decided to sit down and start trying to read the TTRPG books from The One Ring and Adventures in Middle-earth "this is well before the new additions of each system were released by Free League".

As hard as I tried, I never could get a grasp of the One Ring Rules, maybe this is because all of my life (40+ years of playing Dungeons & Dragons) maybe my brained was just hard wired for traditional D&D rule systems. So, I gave up on trying to learn the One Ring system, but I did get all the books for it simply because they are still really good "reads".

After taking an extended break from TTRPG's "real life stuff and medical stuff", I returned to the TTRPG world in early 2024, I've jumped back on looking at the Middle-earth systems again, finding that The One Ring system is still above my paygrade haha, I decided to look at Adventures in Middle-earth "I know a newer edition hgas released but I prefer the classic". Mind you, I've never ran any 5th edition D&D games or even played the system, I have a strong hatred for Hasbro/Wotc, "that's a discussion for another day" but I do like how AiMe has taken that ssystem and made its own. I do think the 5e system for AiMe kinda takes away from the Middle-earth feel so I've decided to start looking into adding my own house rules to my AiMe system to see if I can bring it back to what Middle-earth should be.

I want to transform my own AiMe 5th edition system into something that will not feel like a standard 5th edition game/campaign for my players. Like I said, I refuse to touch anything from Wizards of the WOKE, but Cubicle 7 & Freeleague seem to have made the system their own so it gives me hope that I can mold it to suit my own needs. It's worth giving a try because Middle-earth has a special place in my heart.

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Fenbridge Castle Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fenbridge is the long bridge that crosses the marshes surrounding Dol Guldur. Fenbridge Castle is the name of the fortification that guards the entrance to this bridge, and therefore the entrance to Dol Guldur itself. The castle was abandoned after the fall of the Necromancer, but has since been reoccupied by his minions.

Foul marshes surround Dol Guldur on three sides. The easiest way to cross these swamps is via the Fenbridge, a snaking line of orc-built crossings that run from hillock to hillock, and the only way onto the Fenbridge is through Fenbridge Castle. Fenbridge Castle is a sprawling, unplanned fortress; it started as a mere gatehouse, but has had innumerable other towers and bastions added on over the years. Fenbridge once supplied food and manpower to Dol Guldur.

The general word of the region has it that Orcs also dwell within this dark fortress but these rumors have not been confirmed as of yet. Radagast has been keeping a close eye on Fenbridge Keep as well as Dol Guldur and the other outlying fortresses.

The lord of Tyrant's Hill is a man named Mogdred, who is known as the so-called Lord of Tyrant's Hill. According to rumour, he commands many well-equipped warriors, and claims part of Southern Mirkwood and the Narrows as his domain. Some of the settlements in the southern vales pay him tribute. No one among his followers knows where Mogdred comes from, but his tower was once inhabited by Orcs and Men who bore the sigil of the Necromancer.

Mirkwood Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Mirkwood is a great forest in Middle-Earth located in the eastern region of Rhovanion between the Grey Mountains and Gondor.

It was also known as Greenwood the Great, Eryn Galen or Taur-e-Ndaedelos, and was later re-named Eryn Lasgalen, the Wood of Greenleaves.

Description
Mirkwood is a dense and heavy woodland that makes up much of the eastern portion of Rhovanion or the Wilderland, that maintained its borders and relative shape for many ages.

Its natural land features included (in the northern part of the forest) the Mountains of Mirkwood, a sizable river referred to in Tolkien's map as the Forest River, that ran from the Grey Mountains down to Long Lake, and a smaller river that ran from the Mountains of Mirkwood to join with the Forest River west of the Elven-king's Halls. This smaller river was enchanted (or polluted) to such an extent that it caused slumber and forgetfulness to anyone who fell into it.

Mirkwood's climate was relatively mild. Except for ways through the thickets of the forest, there were very few commonly used routes through Mirkwood save the Old Forest Road and the Forest Path. Mirkwood was approximately 600 miles long from north to south and 250 miles across from west to east at its width. During the events of The Hobbit it was home to giant spiders, and the kingdom of King Thranduil and his woodland elves; The Woodmen of Mirkwood also inhabited a small part of the forest.

History
Mirkwood dates back to the earliest days of Middle-earth. The Elves passed through it on their Great Journey from Cuiviénen into the Far West - it was where they made their first long stop before continuing onward.

Thereafter, Mirkwood was the dwelling of the Wood-elves (the Nandor, elves descending from the wandering Teleri elf Lenwë) for many thousands of years. The Sindarin Elf Oropher, one of the Grey-elves, who was the grandfather of Legolas, established the Woodland Realm proper, and it become the primary settlement of the elves from the Second Age onward.

It was around this time that Men, possibly ancestors of the Northmen, began making permanent settlements in and around the forest. When Oropher was killed in the War of the Last Alliance, the kingship passed to his son Thranduil.

Mirkwood had been called Greenwood the Great until around the year TA 1050, when the shadow of the Dark Lord Sauron fell upon it, and men began to call it Mirkwood, or Taur-nu-Fuin and Taur-e-Ndaedelos in the Sindarin tongue. From then on, Mirkwood became a haunted place inhabited by many dark and savage things. Sauron established himself at the hill-fortress of Dol Guldur, an old Elven fortress that Oropher had control of, on Amon Lanc within its southern region, and drove Thranduil and his people ever northward, so that by the end of the Third Age they were a diminished and wary people, who had entrenched themselves within the Mountains of Mirkwood. The Old Forest Road (also called the Dwarf Road or Men-i-Maugrim) crossed the forest east to west, but because it was so close to Dol Guldur the road was mostly unusable. The elves then made a path farther to the north, which ended somewhere in the marshes south of the Long Lake of Lake-town.

Quest to Erebor
Bilbo Baggins, along with Thorin Oakenshield and his band of Dwarves, ventured into Mirkwood during their quest to regain the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.

There, the dwarf Bombur fell into the Enchanted river. Later, they came across many great Giant Spiders also known as the Spawn of Ungoliant. Shortly after the Dwarves' escape, they were captured by the elves. After or during these events the White Council attacked Dol Guldur, and Sauron fled to Mordor, his influence in Mirkwood diminished for a while.

Years later Gollum, after his release from Mordor, was captured by Aragorn and brought as prisoner to Thranduil's halls. He escaped during an Orc raid, and fled south to Moria.

After Sauron was vanquished at the conclusion of the Third Age, the darkness was lifted from Mirkwood, and Thranduil gave it the name Eryn Lasgalen (Sindarin for wood of green leaves), similar to its old name Eryn Galen, or Greenwood.

Notes
- Despite being called Mirkwood ever since Third Age 1050, Mirkwood is referred to by Radagast and Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as the Greenwood, with Gandalf mentioning to the White Council that the woodsmen there only recently started calling it Mirkwood because of the sickness that had fallen over it.

- Mirkwood also appears in The Fall of Arthur, as well as in one of Eriol's poems as Myrcwudu (Old English: 'Mirkwood'), which was an ancient Germanic legendary name for a great dark boundary-forest found in various different applications. Elfwine's reference was to near the Eastern Alps, while the reference in the Fall of Arthur was somewhere east of the Rhine.

- In Middle-earth, Mirkwood refers to two forests, one which was later renamed Taur-nu-Fuin of Beleriand, and the other west of the Lonely Mountain in Rhovanion.

Notable Locations
• Forest Gate
• Woodmen-town
• Tyrant's Hill
• Fenbridge Castle
• Rhosgobel
• Dol Guldor
• Elvenking's Halls

Forests & Woodlands Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Fangorn Forest

Mirkwood

Rhosgobel Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Rhosgobel is the home of the wizard Radagast the Brown. It is said to be located between the Carrock and the Old Forest Road on Mirkwood's western borders near the confluence of the Woodman Trail and the Râd Angálaladh, though Gandalf once mentioned Radagast as living near the southern borders of the forest.

The term Rhosgobel originates from the Sindarin words rhosg ("brown") and gobel ("enclosed dwelling, walled house or village"). Nothing in the home had been created by the human hand, save the hundreds of bird houses that Radagast himself had made. Everything else in the house was just as nature made it, with perhaps a touch of human ingenuity, down to the massive furry oak tree th at twisted its way up through the middle of Radagast's home.

Rhosgobel is a ramshackle cottage, with various walls and roofs from other cabins being pieced together haphazardly around the base of an old tree. It has several holes in the roof, through which spiders could be seen. The entire location seems to be in complete disarray. Rhosgobel is a u-shaped wooden house nestled in the woods surrounding a small blue pool of water or pond.

Rhosgobel is a dwelling place of Radagast the Brown the Maia of Yavanna. The Lord of Rhosgobel was, of course, Radagast the Brown. He was the Wizard who helped Gandalf and the White Council to drive Sauron out of Mirkwood. Then, of course, as you know he went back to Rhosgobel to find it was ever more lonely.

Rhosgobel was not abandoned for Radagast did not return to Valinor where the Valar and Maiar live under the care of Illuvator. He stayed in Rhosgobel and plans to stay there until the world fades away.

Rhosgobel
The inner dimensions of Rhosgobel measure 30 feet by 20 feet, and the ceiling hangs rises 12 feet above the floor. The south and west facing windows are hung with gossamer curtains woven by well-meaning spiders, now all but extinct among the trees of Mirkwood. A step-ladder winds around the gnarled trunk of the furry oak tree at the center of Rhosgobel. By climbing the ladder one ascends up into the lookout, a room that looks uncannily like a wasp's nest (it was built for Radagast by paper wasps) and sits atop the highest bough of the massive furry oak tree, 50 feet above ground level. From that lookout one can glimpse the glimmer of the over the River Anduin to the west, and the long, dark expanse of dense forest to the north and east.

Ever-present and always merciless, the gleaming jet black spire of Dol Guldur lies within the hills to the south. There, amidst the wretched gloom, it carves a haunting scar in the sky above southern Wilderland. Radagast keeps watch on the Hill of Sorcery. The barren hillsides of the Necromancer's lair are usually shrouded in dark clouds, but the Istar's gaze is subtle and penetrating. He monitors any strange movements, and provides the forest with whatever aid he can offer. The Brown Wizard works to stay the Evil, despite the impression that other matters have taken his mind off the neighboring threat. After all, there are always things to tend to at Rhosgobel.

Great Hawks brought river-rocks with which to create a lovely fireplace hearth. Chipmunks brought scraps of bark and smooth stone and installed shelves on which Radagast could store his extensive collection of roots and herbs. Bears brought a large hollow log, thinking that Radagast needed a pot to brew in. The concern of the animals over the years of renovation has been for Radagast's convenience. But all the while Radagast had his mind on renovations other than those for the sake of his own ease. For Radagast's passion was building houses for his birds. He spent the first century of his life at Rhosgobel wandering the forest, learning every method of construction and suspension, every kind of material used naturally by birds to build nests.

Then he saw to it that he put into action every trick he had learned from the birds about how to build and hang a birdnest at his home of Rhosgobel. The outer walls of his sylvan home, over the years, had become an intricate collection of bird houses and bird feeders of every sort of description. And once Radagast had built every bird nest he had seen in the forest of Mirkwood, he began using his Wizardly powers to devise bird houses on his own. Needless to say, none of these bird houses wento uninhab- ited. For Rhosgobel was a haven for birds throughout all Middle-earth.

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Odo Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Odo is a shepherd who sells dried mutton as well as fresh meat. He grumbles that the recent ‘business up north’ – by which he means the strange events happening across the region and the death of Smaug years ago – has caused all sorts of bother across Wilderland. Folk are travelling again, and there is more friendship and trade between the various Free Folk. Odo doesn’t like it – strange folk bring trouble, he grumbles. They don’t know the ways of the wood. He believes that trouble is brewing in the north and the people will soon see it.

Amalina Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Amalina, a merchant from Mountain Hall selling axe heads and iron pegs, laughs at Odo’s dour complaints. She praises the Beornings, who now watch over the Old Ford across the Great River and keep travellers safe. She believes that everything is fine "as it should be".

Old Ingund Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Old Ingund, a charcoal burner trading bundles of charcoal in a variety of sizes. He’s spent far too long wandering Mirkwood on his own, and mutters to himself about Spiders and eyes and Goblins. With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Riddle) check, someone may learn that many Goblins fled into Mirkwood after their defeat at the Battle of Five Armies, and are only now finding their way to the western eaves of the wood after these many years.

Barald Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Barald, a rotund, wood carver sits on a patterned blanket, carving wooden talismans. He will make any reasonable trade with a polite person for a lucky carved talisman of a heartwood wolf’s head, which he swears will keep them safe. Carried by a Guide this talisman gives a +1 result to any Embarkation Roll made on a journey beginning in the Eaves of Mirkwood. Beyond this place it has no power to protect its owner.

Mountains Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ruins & Dungeons Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ready For Content Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien