Adventuring in Eriador
Welcome, adventurers, to Eriador, a land of ancient forests, rolling hills, bitter cold, and ruins of a civilization lost to memory. The Free Peoples are weak and scattered here, for the Lone Lands are not a welcoming place. But things are looking up lately.
It is the year 2965 of the Third Age. Twenty years ago, a party of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield reclaimed the dwarf-hold of Erabor, with help from a wizard and a curious little creature called a hobbit. Once more wealth flows from the mountain, enriching all the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. The Great East road carries travelers once more, bound between the dwarf holds of the Blue Mountains and Erebor. Elves and dwarves have cleared out the orc strongholds which once dominated the High Pass through the Misty Mountains, freeing Wilderland from the terror of the orcs' frequent raids.
But all is not well. The Wise whisper of a new Shadow in the South. It may not leave the North alone for long. For the grip of the Shadow is long. You may soon find yourselves in deeper than you can imagine. Safe travels, adventurers.
The Story So Far…
From the far-flung corners of Eriador and over the Edge of the Wild, you all have felt the pull of the West. Striking westwards across the Great East Road from three different places for three different reasons, each of you has chosen the same time to stop in Bree and spend the night at the Prancing Pony inn. In the morning, you step back onto the road, going westwards, together…