About Our Game Rules 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

I wanted to write up an article describing the game rules we will be using. We are using a "modified" Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy system but I guess you can say that we lean way more towards AD&D 1st edition than Old-School Essentials. Basically we are using Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy with "some" house rules and some "slight" adjustments to the classes to bring them up to scale with 1st edition since most of the adventures I plan to run are from 1st edition anyways.

The new Old-School Essentials books have released but, I feel the original Advanced Fantasy is just fine, I'll just import a few house rules in from the new books. We are going with the race/class system, basically the way from 1st edition does & we will not be using the racial classes "like Elf, Dwarf, Halfling to name a few", basically we will be going with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons system of race/class but with a lot more choices to choose from since races/classes were pulled from other sources like the Carcass Crawler zine and the Adventures Dark & Deep system.

All magical items that are used in our games will come directly from the Old-School Essentials core books. All playable classes will have levels caps kept in place as they are listed in the books. All spells used in our campaigns will come straight out of the Old-School Essentials core books. I just found it exhausting to keep up with all the rules in 1st edition and you don't realize just how unorganized those rules are until you read the Old-School Essentials books. The reasoning behind me using this modified version of B/X classes is because for some reason, I seriously love the old style gameplay & I also wanted to expand on the core playable classes.

Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy classes are not anywhere near as powerful as new edition classes, even AD&D classes so players can't simply have characters charge in and run through all the enemies that they face. It's a mix and match of materials that we use, but it is very easy to understand and gives players a classic feel to the type of gameplay they will experience.

The goal is to keep the core of our system Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy but with a few 1st edition house rules and some slight adjustments to the class sheets. As I said earlier, the bulk of our rules will be straight from the Old-School Essentials books but we do have a few minor adjustments that we made. I am sure we will encounter bugs that will need to be ironed out and fixed but overall I think I have it pretty well hammered out. I want to run my games as classic as I can but give my players a little more expansive style of play at the same time.

Dol Guldor 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

Dol Guldur, also known as the Hill of Dark Sorcery, was Sauron's stronghold and base of operations while secretly regaining his power as "The Necromancer". It was located in the south of Mirkwood for over two thousand years in the Third Age.

Dol Guldur was established by Sauron after his return to Middle-earth sometime after TA 1000. Sauron became known as "The Necromancer", and his true identity was long kept secret. Dol Guldur was built on the hill known as Amon Lanc (meaning "bald hill"), and had been the capital of Oropher's Silvan realm.

The Silvan Elves had fled north to the Black Mountains (later the Mountains of Mirkwood) after Sauron's return from the Downfall of Númenor. Later, after Sauron captured Amon Lanc, Thranduil, son of Oropher, led his people over the Forest River, where they remained. Sauron later remained there for hundreds of years.

The White Council long feared the power in Dol Guldur might be Sauron, but Saruman opposed assaulting it. However, Gandalf later went to Dol Guldur himself and discovered that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. He then informed the White Council, and Saruman was unable to protest. The White Council attacked Dol Guldur, and Sauron, not yet powerful enough to challenge them, fled to Mordor. Sauron continued to increase in power over the next 100 years in his search for the One Ring.

In TA 2845, Thráin II (holder of the last of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves) was imprisoned in Dol Guldur's dungeons. 5 years later in TA 2850, Gandalf once again returned to Dol Guldur and found Thráin, dying. Thráin had no recollection of his own name nor the name of his son (Thorin II Oakenshield). Moments later Thráin died of his wounds. Gandalf then confirmed that Sauron was indeed the master of Dol Guldur.

Gandalf returned to the White Council and urged an attack on Dol Guldur, but was overruled by Saruman. In TA 2941, nearly a century later, Saruman finally agreed to an attack, which occurred at the same time as The Quest of Erebor. This was carefully planned on Gandalf's part, so that Sauron and Smaug could not assist each other, as, otherwise, they surely would have done. The White Council attacked Dol Guldur and drove out Sauron. Sauron fled to Mordor, with his plans nearly ready. In TA 2951, Sauron declared himself openly and sent three Nazgûl led by Khamûl to reoccupy Dol Guldur.

During the War of the Ring, the forces of Dol Guldur (led by Khamûl, the Ringwraith second in command to the Witch-king of Angmar) led three assaults upon Lórien and Thranduil's realm in Mirkwood, causing grievous damage to the outlying woodlands. However, they were driven back each time by the power of Nenya, Galadriel's Ring of Power, which only Sauron himself could have overcome.

On March 28, TA 3019 the elves (led by Thranduil of Mirkwood and Galadriel of Lórien) led an assault on Dol Guldur and Galadriel herself threw down its walls and laid its pits bare. Absolutely nothing of the fortress that had stood for 2,019 years was left. Dol Guldur was then renamed Amon Lanc, as it was previously known. Amon Lanc later became the capital of Celeborn's realm of East Lórien in the Fourth Age, while he remained in Middle-earth.

Portrayal In Adaptations
The Hobbit Film Trilogy

Dol Guldur is briefly seen in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, depicted as a huge, decaying castle set on top of a hill. In a scene unique to the film, Radagast the Brown enters the fortress to investigate the evil force within. He briefly battles the Witch-king of Angmar who is shown unclothed and in full spirit form, before glimpsing the Necromancer. He flees to tell Gandalf of what he saw.

In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, after leaving Bilbo and the party of Dwarves, Gandalf seeks the tombs of nine servants of Sauron (who were the bearers of the nine rings of power gifted to the race of men) located in the High Fells of Rhudaur. The tombs of the Nine Ringwraiths were open, showing that they had been summoned from the dead. After this discovery, Gandalf convenes with Radagast in the High Fells, learning that the Nine have departed to Dol Guldur, answering the call of the Necromancer. He and Radagast then travel to Dol Guldur to investigate further and confront the evil which dwelt there. Gandalf performs revealing spells that remove the illusion displaying the castle as abandoned and ruined.

In the extended edition, Gandalf finds Thrain there and helps him escape. Gandalf and Thrain are then attacked by Azog (and a few of his servants) who reveals his hordes of Orcs and Wargs inside the castle preparing for war. Gandalf then uses his magic to escape Azogs grasp, but the Necromancer manifests at Dol Guldur's exit. The Necromancer sucks Thrain in and kills him. The two then start a battle of light and shadow until The Necromancer defeats Gandalf, destroys his staff, and then reveals himself as the Dark Lord Sauron. Gandalf is later seen trapped in one of the cages of the castle watching the vast hordes of Sauron's armies leaving Dol Guldur.

In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman are seen gathering at Dol Guldur to face Sauron and The Nine Ringwraith's.

Galadriel keeps her promise made to Gandalf in the first Hobbit film and comes to his aid in Dol Guldur. In the extended edition, a large orc is seen throwing Gandalf around. Gandalf then attempts to defend himself grasping a loose chain and striking the orc with it. The orc, unfazed once again grabs Gandalf. The Ring of Fire, Narya is then seen by the said orc. The orc without hesitation gets ready to cut off Gandalf's arm. Momentarily Galadriel reveals herself and states "I come for Mithrandir, and I will leave with him. If you try to stop me, I will destroy you". The orc in defiance shrieks at her. With the power of her Ring of Power, she with ease blasts him to pieces, causing light to "ride" the clouds for miles.

She then carries the unconscious Gandalf to safety, but as she does such, Sauron summons the Nazgûl. Galadriel is horrified by the sight of them. Sauron proceeds to taunt her for being alone, Galadriel proceeds to state clearly that she indeed isn't alone. Elrond arrives on the scene, drawing his sword. Saruman, appearing shortly after Elrond, witnesses the Nazgûl with his own eyes, realizing he was wrong to doubt Gandalf's claims. Shortly thereafter Elrond strikes defeating a few of them, Saruman then entering the fray. While the two of them are locked in a fierce battle with the Nazgûl, Galadriel heals Gandalf with a kiss. Gandalf also insists Galadriel should come with them, but Galadriel suddenly enters a trance and forcefully commands Radagast to leave with Gandalf.

Radagast, terrified does as such. When he comes back from the dead, he and Galadriel acknowledge that Sauron has once again, returned. Radagast then arrives in Dol Guldur to take Gandalf to safety, but he is hesitant to leave Galadriel's side.

When Sauron manifests before them, Saruman cowers in fear as Galadriel takes on a terrifying and corrupted image, challenging Sauron, and banishing the Nine almost instantly. Sauron attempts to sway her to his side, but she denies him. Galadriel's power eventually overrules Sauron, and by her efforts, Sauron is banished from Dol Guldur, his spirit fleeing back to Mordor. Elrond escorts Galadriel to safety after her struggle with Sauron on orders from Saruman, while Saruman himself is tasked to deal with Sauron. This was later revealed as an excuse for him to search for the One.

Chetwood North 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

Chetwood North occupies the northeastern reaches of Bree-land, where the familiar lands around Combe gradually give way to a harsher and more untamed wilderness. Stretching toward the distant Weather Hills, this region serves as a natural frontier between civilization and the wild lands beyond. Dense stands of maple, oak, and beech trees dominate the landscape, their branches forming a thick canopy overhead.

The terrain slopes gently eastward, descending toward the damp lowlands that eventually merge with the treacherous Midgewater Marshes. Unlike the more traveled forests closer to Bree and Archet, Chetwood North feels isolated and forgotten. Few paths cut through its depths, and those that do are often little more than narrow game trails winding between ancient trees and tangled undergrowth.

The forest possesses a rugged beauty, particularly during autumn when the leaves blaze with shades of gold and crimson, but there is little here to welcome travelers. No villages stand among the trees, and signs of habitation are rare beyond the occasional woodcutter's camp or abandoned shelter.

The remoteness of Chetwood North has long attracted those who prefer to remain hidden from the laws of Bree-land. Bands of Blackwold brigands are known to operate within the forest, establishing concealed camps from which they launch raids against travelers and nearby settlements. Scattered throughout the woodland are the crumbling remnants of older ages, including forgotten ruins such as Ost Baranor and the shattered remains known as the Crumbled Court. These silent relics serve as reminders that other peoples once dwelt here before the wilderness reclaimed the land.

The dangers of Chetwood North extend far beyond brigands and ruins. Wolves roam the deeper woods in unusually large numbers, while colonies of giant spiders lurk among the darkest groves. Local hunters and Rangers speak of strange sightings and unsettling shadows moving beneath the trees, and some whisper that dark servants from the fallen realm of Angmar have been seen wandering the forest's hidden reaches. Whether such tales are true or merely campfire stories, the region's reputation is well deserved, and even seasoned travelers tread carefully beneath the shadowed canopy of Chetwood North.