The Green Fields - Middle-earth Hexcrawl

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

We previously visited the Northfarthing near Long Cleeve, but have not toured the entire region. Today, let's follow the Northway road up past Oatbarton to Greenfields, chief town of the Green Fields region. We'll beat the northernmost bounds of the Shire. Much is quiet here, but there's often more to hobbits than meets the eye. There are several site-based adventures to be found here, as well as a burgling mystery.

 

by Alan Lee

46.58

NORTHWAY ROAD. A road branches off from the East Road north towards Oatbarton (44.58). To the west of the road lie pasturelands. To the east, a hilly country.

(1) - AN ANNOYING GENTLEHOBBIT: Aloisius Biggerwaiste (hobbit - sneering, annoying, goodman) is looking for a suitable partner. If a hobbit lady exists in the fellowship, he'll begin following them around. He attempts to prove his gallantry by "helping": roll twice and take the worst result.
(6) - RIVER FLOUTIST: Hermeto Astron (hobbit - albino, playful, tramp) is sitting in the middle of the Water playing a flute. Unbothered, moisturized, in his lane. Listening to his music restores 1 Endurance.

FEATHERSTONE. Featherstone is a wayside inn atop a hill where the Northway forks towards Brockenborings (45.59).

! - FEATHERSTONE MYSTERY. It has recently been discovered that a shipment of Fool's Water (an ardent spirit) has disappeared. Use the "Foul play at Feathertop" scenario in the Under Hill, By Water supplement Feathertop to run this quest.

45.58

NORTHWAY ROAD. The road to Oatbarton (44.58). Farmland of cereal crops lies on either side of the road.

(1) - PAINTER: From the road, Hob Painter of Oatbarton is painting the Dimple (see below). He asks for critique. He hasn't quite gotten landscapes down, yet.
(6) - BAKER: Fatty Bakewell, son of the baker of Oatbarton, is on delivery to Featherstone Inn (46.58). He has an ample helping of hand pies to keep his strength up on the journey; offers the company one.

THE DIMPLE. Local landmark—a hill with a bowl at the top.

Resting here for a few moments prompts Skill Δ4 tests or the burglar falls asleep (Δ6 for hobbits). Sleepers here receive dwimor-dreams: the dreamers seem to be transported to a new place and time. They awaken when they would take damage. There is a 50% chance that they actually grasp what they were holding in the dream.

Roll 1d3 for a dwimor-dream.

1. A she-dragon, resplendent in necklaces and rings, broods over an egg warming in the sun. She offers passers-by tea in her cave, where she plans on eating them.
2. The dreamers find themselves in a guard tower. It is surrounded by their own countrymen, calling for their heads for dereliction of duty, having let the spies of Angmar into the city.
3. A beautiful garden is burning. Giant women, like tall trees, mourn at the edges of the flames. They lament that none can brave the fire to rescue the seeds of Amalion.

45.57

NORTHFARTHING STONE. Point of interest. Although smaller than the Three-Farthing Stone (47.57), a boundary stone stands where the Northfarthing and Eastfarthing meet. The stone sits in a country lane, surrounded by farmland on all sides.

44.58

OATBARTON. A village of hardworking and humble hobbits. Some of the townsfolk are farmers: oats and barley are the predominant crop, which are stored in "the Grange" in the village square during the winter months. Some townsfolk work in the coal mine or the clay mine, both on the western edge of town. The local inn is called The Mushroom; its beer is famously black and bitter.

✦ - OFTEN HERE: 1. Hob Painter (hobbit - bright-eyed, bashful, draughtshob) earns a living (barely) by painting tavern signs but has a passion for art, 2. Noggin Oatly (hobbit - sandy haired, quiet, pot boy at The Mushroom) stares in awe at any non-hobbits—he's powerfully curious about faraway lands, 3. Wil Tubb (hobbit - slicked back hair, cocksure, musician) thinks that the "Oatbarton sound" is the best school of music to come out of the Shire in years.

! - HEDGE MAZE: Mr. Cuthbert Burrows (hobbit - pointed nose and big ears, eccentric, goodman) of Borrowstones House has spent years perfecting his hedge maze, hiding several of his antique finds within. He's eager to test it out on real "professional treasure hunters."

Find the Hedge Maze of Mr. Cuthbert Burrows, here.

44.57

COAL MINE. Small scale bell pit mine, with coal being winched up from a central shaft. Miners are rustic folk from Oatbarton (44.58).

CLAY MINE and BRICKYARD. An open air pit where laborers from Oatbarton (44.58) quarry clay. A brickyard abuts the clay mine, where the majority of the clay is fired and made into bricks, then transported to Oatbarton for sale. Surplus clay is sold raw for pottery and other uses.

43.57

OLD FARMSTEAD. The rolling meadowlands of this region are colored only by the inclusion of an abandoned farmstead, unkept for a generation. The smial is dilapidated. The barns are useful only as temporary shelter from bad weather.

(1) - WILD ENCOUNTER: An owl hoots (even in day), seeming to say something to the company. (Those who understand owl speech understand that she's warning them about a snake that she wants to eat.) The burglar in the front of the marching order must test Understanding Δ6 or accidentally tread upon an adder (Wilds or Beast Lore adds +2). On a failure, they're struck on their heel for 2d6 damage.
(6) - FAR FETCHED: The company comes upon a patch of delicious mushrooms near a nest of unguarded wild chicken eggs. Breakfast would be easy!

42.57

NORTH MOORS. The border of the moorlands. To the west, a hilly shrubland covered in cottongrass and lichen. To the east, it greens into pasturelands. Grouse are common.

(1) - 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) - LOST ARROW: A Hobbit hunter's spent arrow fletched with an owl's feather is found in a tussock of grass.

MENHIR. Hidden. A tall, upright stone raised by the Men of the Northern Kingdom, long ago. There are strange runes and etchings on it. Those with Ranger Lore can read an accurate almanac of the days: the solstices, equinoxes, and midyear days. Those with Sorcery Lore can learn a spell from it.

41.57

FOOTHILLS OF EVENDIM. A wild country of fir trees on conical hills, the ground covered in moss. At dusk, the land takes on a rich blue glow. An abandoned sleigh can be found here; the reigns have bells. Under its seat is a leather sack that contains a toy sword, a toy bow and arrow, and a vial of healing cordial (restores 2 Endurance per sip, 6 uses). If the bells are shaken, a tame reindeer emerges from the woods.

WARM SPRINGS. A spring in this region emits warm (but not quite hot) water. It has a sulfurous smell.

43.58

COUNTRY ROAD. The overgrown road between Greenfield (42.58) and Oatbarton (44.58). Green fields lie on either side of the road.

(1) - A DROWNING: Off the road, a young hobbit, Willy Chubb, has fallen into a pond that he was fishing. He splashes, trying to call for help. He can't swim!
(6) - MYSTERIOUS BOX: Farmer Toebuck has dug up a strange lockbox with no keyhole. It's proved resistant to both axes and fire. It has a queer markings on it: Two feathers framing a laughing face (the box will only open when tickled). Will sell it for 10 pennies. 1-in-6 chance it has nothing in it. Otherwise, it contains a random treasure. Empty or full, the company now has a special lockbox.

42.58

GREENFIELD. A small Hobbit village. This district of the Northfarthing is called "Green Fields" but the village is "Greenfield"; appropriate punctuation is a shibboleth for the locals. The village hosts a mathom-house; the majority of its space is dedicated to small personal effects of Bandobras Took but it also contains a series of maps and charts. The local public house is named the Goblin's Head.

✦ - OFTEN HERE: 1. Boddin Todmingle (hobbit - mouth full of tobacco, aggressive, bounder) credits his golf prowess to his lucky rabbit's foot, 2. Killian the Trapper (man - brown and bearded, standoffish, fur trader) thinks he's seen goblin sign passing through Bullroarer's Gap (41.58), 3. Pete Puddlefoot (hobbit - acne-scarred, pushy, medicine peddler) walks between the towns of the Northfarthing selling tinctures and oils for arthritis, rheumatism, tooth aches, and snake bites.

GREENFIELD MARKET. On the first and third Saturday of each month, Greenfield holds the largest regular market day of the Northfarthing. It is a confluence of craft from different kith and kin: "Moorish" sweaters from Greenfield, Oatbarton beer and baked goods, Dwarvish handicrafts, and furs and hides from Mannish trappers.

! - MISSING CHILD: The village is deadly worried—Taffy Proudfoot has gone missing. They've formed search parties, but haven't been able to find her. Wolves have been heard in the ruins north of the hills (42.59), which has worried the Proudfoots terribly—they're eager to contract a professional.

Taffy is lost in the ruins in 42.59. See that entry for details.

STATUE. Point of interest. This region is the site of a battle in T.A. 2747 (193 years ago) between the Hobbitry-in-Arms and goblins from Mount Gram led by the orc king Golfimbul. A bronze statue of Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took is placed at the memorial of the battle in a coppice outside the village.

41.58

FOOTHILLS OF EVENDIM. A wild country of fir trees on conical hills, the ground covered in moss. At dusk, mist like bluish smoke fills the region.

BULLROARER'S GAP. A pass through the hills is called Bullroar's Gap by the local hobbits (carved by the Bullroarer in a single blow!). Traveling north to south is as if on a plain.

RELIC-SEEKING GOBLINS. At night, 2d6+1 goblins are in this region, sniffing down holes, tunneling into hills, and skulking in gulleys. They are searching for the skull of King Golfimbul, who was slain by Bullroarer Took in Battle of Greenfields (see 43.58). They know his skull is around here in a hole, somewhere.

41.59

NORTHERN GREEN FIELDS. Pasturelands. Large tracts of fields with small, shaggy cattle, bordered by sporadic fencing and the occasional farmer on a pony. A few ruins, low stone walls or building foundations, are used as sources of hewn stones by the Greenfielders (42.58).

ANCIENT SMIAL. Hidden. In a hillock, a large oblong stone (6' tall, 800 lbs.) blocks the entrance to a round door. This was once the smial of Bandobras "the Bullroarer" Took. Inside, a thick layer of dust: obviously undisturbed for centuries. Over the fireplace, a shillelagh with a loaded iron head (the Cudgel of Bullroarer, +1 to hit, +3 morale in hobbits).
[Inspiration from TOR2E - Starter Set - Shire.]

42.59

GREEN FIELDS. Pasturelands. A ruined watchtower is visible as a landmark. Those with Wilderness Lore can see the spoor of recent wolves.

(1-3) - WOLVES: 3d4 wolves in the area; will attack at night.

RUINED WATCHTOWER. One ruined watchtower marks the boundary of an ancient kingdom.

! - MISSING CHILD: Exploring the ruins triggers a site-based adventure.

1. Ruined wall: A sketch of a wall; each stone larger than a hobbit's pony, but no more than three stacked on each other at any point. 3d4 wolves patrol here, will let no one in or out unchallenged.
2. Ruined watchtower: The rough shape of the round tower remains, but is empty inside. A sinkhole in the earth leads down into darkness (to area 3); once a secret passage, revealed by erosion and time.
3. Cavern: A natural cavern, carved by ancient hands into a secret redoubt. Taffy Proudfoot is here. She is a brave little girl, chased into the cavern by the wolves. She is terribly hungry. If given food, she remembers that she found an old star-shaped key. The cavern continues deeper to area 4.
4. Tomb: An ancient Arnorian tomb in a natural cavern with worked stone. A stone sarcophagus sits in the grotto. A carven statue of a knight seems as if it watches over the tomb.
   1. Sarcophagus: The stone coffin holds the dust of the body of an Arthedain warrior queen. Around the lip of the heavy lid is Sindarin text: "The star beam lights the way for the elf-stone." On the lid is a large green beryl (Treasure). Elf Lore reveals that beryl is called an elf-stone.
      1. If the sarcophagus is tampered with, the knight statue animates and attacks the would-be tomb robbers. Stats as a stone troll.
   2. Knight statue: The statue of an old knight. On its chest is a star-shaped hole.
      1. If the star-shaped key is inserted into the statue, it animates, removes the beryl from the sarcophagus, and offers it to the fellowship.

43.59

SOUTHERN GREEN FIELDS. Pasturelands. Large tracts of land with occasional herds of shaggy cattle and cowherds with their dogs.

DOVECOTE. The farm that once tended the birds is gone, but the stone dovecote with its flock of brown pigeons remains. They coo melodiously. Those who understand their speech can hear a rumor.

Inside the dovecote are treasures hoarded by the pigeons. Searching reveals the result and all lower results:
1. A scrap of paper that reads: "Dragon-spell, dwarf-spell, roll away stone. Elf-gold wants for sun, no claim from old bones." (A piece of the map to the treasure of Otto Boffin—see "Matter of Inheritance," 51.54).
2. Leather wallet, empty
3. Hat pin with diamond stud
4. Sheaf of pages of musical notation; strangely haunting
5. Map of the Evendim region
6. Scroll in a scrollcase. No obvious writing. A prophecy concerning the discovering character appears in the light of the crescent moon.

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