The North Moors - Middle-earth Hexmap Project

An installment of my hexmap for Middle-earth project. Follow the "Middle-earth Hexmap" tag for all entries in this series.

The North Moors are lonesome places in the Shire, and the only places where snow falls frequently in the winter. The farmers of the Northfarthing mostly keep near the villages, but wanderers in these lands can find the odd hunter or goat herder, and signs of the Shire's past habitation. 

This entry includes another site-based adventure: a tight squeeze to a big treasure!

Map credit: Idraluna Archive. Click for the full map.

42.53

NORTH MOORS. A lonely heath, except for occasional shepherds and their flocks of goats. A few ancient ruins are found sporadically over the region; foundation stones, partial walls, or henges.

(6) - SHEPHERD: Heather Boffin (hobbit - lovely, independent, shepherdess) works to cajole a goat down from a tall, dead tree. Resents help offered.

43.54

NORTH MOORS. Windswept highlands of cottongrass and lichen dotted with ancient glacial boulders. Hills topped with cup-and-ring circles are common in this region.

(1-3) - MOANING WIND: The wind that groans over the hilltops is chill, even in summer. All travelers lose Endurance based on the season: summer - 1d4, spring/autumn - 1d6, winter - 2d6. One companion may describe a scene of warmth from their memory that comforts them to reduce everyone's Endurance loss by 1d6.
(6) - RANGER: Mindon (elf-friend - unshaven, quiet, ranger) is maintaining a small campfire and will share a supper of grouse. If the company stays with him, he'll speak of a hopeful spark that could kindle into a star that is kept in Rivendell, and recommend the players visit Elrond Half-elven (45.101).

44.54

RABBIT WARRENS. The west side of this region is marked by the rushing Water, cold and impassable as it comes out of the North Moors. On the east banks, uncultivated green fields. Rabbits of unusual size are common here; their holes are everywhere.

45.54

RIVER FARMS. The west side of the region is bounded by the Water. On the east banks, farms north of Needlehole (46.54) make use of the rich soil from the flooding river: cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, caraway. The farmers are rural folk, suspicious of outsiders, but also generous. They keep mean geese as watch-dogs.

43.55

GYPSUM MINE. A working gypsum mine in a hilly country. A mining village is populated part of the year by workers from Long Cleeve (43.53). Gypsum is put to many purposes in the Shire: plaster to set broken bones, fertilizer, sculptures (alabaster), and more. In the north of the region, the hills grow higher and rockier.

! - GIANT SKELETON: Mining operations have slowed down since Nob Appledore claims to have seen a giant skeleton in a new cavern discovered in the mine. Norbourn and Shuster Incorporated (who operate the mine) look for dwarven burglars to dispel these rumors.

1. Tunnel's End: An offshoot of the hobbit's exploratory tunneling comes to an end where it meets natural caverns. Mining gear (mattocks, shovels, lamps) can be found here.
2. Chasm: A cavern of shiny, damp speleothems. A chasm, reminiscent of a waterfall of white and pink limestone, drops down 30'. Nob's old rope can be found here, tied around a stalagmite.
   1. Chasm: Descending the chasm is a Strength Δ6 test.
   2. Rope: Cut off about 10' down. (Nob hurriedly cut it after he climbed back up, afraid he was being followed).
3. Crossroads: At the bottom of the chasm, a confluence of three tunnels. To the west, the sound of dripping water and a soft glow (to area 4). To the north, a quickly narrowing tunnel (to area 5). To the northeast, a guano-stained tunnel (to area 6).
4. Lake: An underground lake, shallow but broad. The stalactites are beautifully reflected in the water. On the far shore, a soft light glows.
   1. Water: Icy cold. Swimming costs 1d6 Endurance.
   2. Light: Zulsendra mushrooms glowing in the darkness. Herb Lore allows an Understanding Δ6 test to brew into a potion that doubles movement and allows two attacks in combat for three turns; afterwards Strength Δ6 or collapse from exhaustion in 1d6 turns.
5. Squeeze: A squeeze. Push your candle in front of you; kiss the ceiling above you. Strength Δ10 test (Δ6 for hobbits) to crawl through, losing 1d3 Endurance. On a failure, lose 1d6 Endurance and become stuck. Leads to area 7.
6. Bats: A barbell-shaped tunnel, covered in guano. 2d6 bats attack (stats as rats). Leads to area 7.
7. Giant Skeleton: Nob wasn't lying, but the skeleton has long ceased to be a threat to anyone. The skeleton of a deceased giant lies here. Nearby, the skeleton of the Man who slew him. The names of these combatants are forgotten. Dead end; ancient exits to this grotto have collapsed.
   1. Giant: Near the giant is his hammer—made of a henge-stone (missing from 41.55) and an uprooted tree, tied together. If skeleton was removed, would be a worthy contribution to a mathom-house or roadside attraction.
   2. Man: His gear is covered in salt deposits and rotted away, save for his sword, Glend.
      1. Glend is a +3 greatsword once wielded by the giant Nan. While carried, the wielder's Strength can never be weakened. Spend 5 Endurance to sunder or smash the environment as if struck by a giant's blow: tear down gates, split doors in two, or topple columns.

44.55

OVERGROWN ORCHARD. Uninhabited fields of the Northfarthing, covered in purple moor-grass, thistle, and clover. An overgrown orchard is in this region, fruit trees still producing (seasonally) in a tangle of brambles: apples, plums, and cherries. An exaltation of larks nest here.

45.55

HALF-FELLED TREE. Uninhabited fields of the Northfarthing, covered in purple moor-grass, with occasional copses of elm, juniper, and spruce. A thick-trunked hawthorn tree has a rusted saw sticking out of it; the logger evidently gave up. Two burglars need to succeed in a Strength Δ9 test to get it out: if they do, a honeycomb dripping with honey is found in the hollow of the tree.

43.56

NORTH MOORS. Windswept highlands of gorse, broom, and lichen. Ancient linear earthworks (of unknown purpose) stretch throughout the region, often topped with whitethorn trees. Cairns dot the horizon.

(6) - ANTIQUES: The traveler with the highest Understanding can make a Δ7 test (Ranger Lore grants a +2 bonus to the roll). On a success, they find an antique; useless but possibly valuable to a collector.

1. Ploughshare
2. Rusted blade
3. Arrow head
4. Ivory comb
5. Arthedainian silver coin
6. Bronze arm torc