Last Hope: A Darker AU of the Lord of the Rings

About the adventure

"The Wilderland has fallen. I can feel it in the water. I can smell it, in the air. Much that once was, is lost. I am the last of the Istari, the wizards sent to aid Middle-Earth against the evils of the Dark Lord, Sauron, first lieutenant of banished Morgoth. Alatar, was I called in the West, which is forgotten. Amongst the Noldor, I was Morinehtar. The Sindar call me Mordagnir. In the East, where I sojourned long, alone, I was Tamahan. I am the Blue Wizard, the Last Wizard. Mithrandir fell, in the darkness below Moria. Curunir fell to his own ambition and the lure of power. Radegast fell fighting the wraiths in the South of Mirkwood. Pallando, my best friend, died giving hope to the resistance in the utter East. It is his efforts that have kept the West from falling under the deluge of limitless numbers from the vast Eastern Lands . . . which instead, indeed, are free, and may well be key to turning the tide of darkness. I hunt the things of darkness, and now, with those tasked to tend this region gone, and my own efforts in the East and South having born fruit, I have come bearing , perhaps, some little hope back to the beleaguered West." performed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1JEEJxyleo Come and experience the intensity and drama of the War of the Rng with your PCs as the main heroes! We all know how it started. Gandalf visited Bilbo at Bag End, and coerced him into an adventure, the effects of which would change the course of history. But in this world, the day after he met with the dwarves, Bilbo sat down to breakfast and just didn't go. The dwarves, of course, went without him as they said they would. The changes mount up quickly. When the dwarves encounter the trolls, they are all captured, and without Bilbo to keep the trolls busy, Bombur is eaten before Gandalf arrives to save them. It does not get better from there. See the whole divergence explained here: https://www.ofgodsandgamemasters.com/blog/last-hope-a-darker-au-of-lotr A dark world, but a world in dire need of heroes. The themes are hope in the darkest of times, the heroism of the small, help from unexpected quarters, and desperate struggles against evil. The setting is tuned to be completely lore friendly *and* to allow and encourage players to take the roles of heroic people of color in this classic setting. Key facets: Focus on PCs as the heroes, their story as the main one. Deep roleplaying and engaging narrative. Well done voices and compelling NPCs. Rule of cool.