... my friend, I wish I could persuade you to come here and see for yourselfthat what we accomplished together was not wasted in idleness. We have
done much good since the slaying of the Dragon and the liberation of the
Lonely Mountain. The splendour of our works far surpasses Thorin's
grandest dreams of what we would accomplish, back when we were
planning our little adventure.
To think that almost five years have passed! You might say that we
didn't think much of you at the time. Now I miss very much our days
together, and I would readily forfeit my peaceful life for one of dangerous
adventure. Quite astonishing, I know, but I feel that sleeping under the
stars with a sword at my side would ease my troubled mind.
I do not know precisely what troubles me, but disquiet weighs heavily upon
my heart. The scourge of Smaug has been vanquished, the Necromancer
has been driven out of his forest stronghold and, after the Battle of the
Five Armies, the Goblins are afraid to leave their mountain holds. We have
every reason to look forward to a new age of prosperity!
But something is wrong. I am not the only one to perceive it. A shadow,
felt but unseen. The presence of a nameless threat that forbids people to
rejoice fully in the hope and confidence that should follow the return of the
light.
Nonsense? Possibly. I am an old Dwarf after all, and those who hearken
to me are but a few. For every voice that dares to whisper words of
warning, far too many answer that our recent victories have earned us a
respite. Despite my nagging sense of unease, complacency is rife.
Dearest Bilbo, deep inside of me I feel that we should remain vigilant and
warn others against the risks of self-congratulation. Everyone around us
seems to look inwards instead, to their own concerns and the goings-on
right in front of their noses. Soon I will confer with Gandalf upon these
matters, and possibly come to visit you in the kindly West.
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
It is the year 2946 of the Third Age, and the lands east of the Misty Mountains are astir. From the cloud-shrouded peaks above the High Pass to the spider-infested gloom of the forest of Mirkwood, paths long-deserted are trodden once again. Busy merchants carry their wares to new markets, messengers bring tidings from foreign realms, and kings send forth armed men to extend their influence and the rule of law. Some say that a new age of freedom has begun, a time for adventure and great deeds to reclaim glories lost in long centuries of oppression and decline.
But adventures are not really things that people go out and look for. They are dangerous and rarely end well. While it is true that a handful of valiant individuals set out to make their mark on the world, for others it seems that adventure chooses them, as though it is the path they are fated to tread. They are restless warriors, curious scholars and wanderers, always eager to seek what was lost or explore what was forgotten. Ordinary people call them adventurers, and when they return successful, they call them heroes. But if they fail, no one will even remember their names...
In The One Ring roleplaying game, you take the part of the heroes of Middle-earth. You will travel the land, uncover its secrets, take part in its unfolding history and encounter its inhabitants and legends. As the Shadow creeps back across the lands of the Free Peoples, you will uncover hints of what is happening, and have the chance to play a part in the struggle against the Enemy.
