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Home , Isengard, Weta Workshop

Credits

Authors: Scott Bennie, Jason Durall, Sam Johnson, Aaron Rosenberg, and George Strayton Line Development: Jeff Tidball Editing: Jim Johnson, Carlos Paradinha, Chris Seeman, Janice M. Sellers and Jeff Tidball. Creative Direction: Christian Moore and Owen Seyler Product Development, Tolkien Enterprises: Laurie Battle Product Development, New Line Cinema: John Mayo Asset Coordination, : Glen Sharah RPG Assistant and Middle-Earth Campaign Developement: Timothy Creese

Visual Creative Direction: Dan Burns Art Direction: Jesse Cassem Graphic Design: Jesse Cassem and Kieran Yanner Production Design: Owen Seyler and Kieran Yanner Illustration, : Warren Mahy and Ben Wotten Illustration: Kieran Yanner Cartography: Rob Lazzaretti Endpapers: Daniel Reeve

Special Thanks: Jeff Tidball and Scott Gaeta

For additional material and to learn about The Middle-Earth Campaign Setting. Visit us on-line at http://lotrrpg.decipher.com

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© MMV New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. Decipher, Inc. Authorized User. TM, ®, & © 2005 Decipher Inc., P.O. Box 56, Norfolk VA, USA 23501. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents

Introduction: The Road to 4 Chapter One: The History and Life of Isengard 8 Chapter Two: The Fortress of Iron 22 Chapter Three: Nan Curunír 58 Chapter Four: The White Hand 70 Introduction

The Road to Isengard

oftiest of all the peaks in Middle-earth are the Misty Mountains, a ‘[B]ut mighty works the men of chain raised in the early days of the world. So impressive are these Westernesse had wrought there of L summits that anyone who looks upon them cannot imagine a mortal old, and had dwelt there work to rival them. However, south of the Last Peak the race of Men dared to try. Carving four great slabs of rock from the centre of a long and had not been idle.’ vast stone Ring, the clever children of Númenor hewed, shaped, and erected a — conjoined spike of black granite, the greatest tower of its day. This tower was called Angrenost (‘The Fortress of Iron’). Due to its proximity to the river Isen, the fortress as a whole came to be known as Isengard. This huge spike, thrusted upward from the valley floor, dominating its surroundings as a symbol of the might of its builders and a warning to their enemies.

This tower was built to shield the citadel of darkness, the perfect stag- kingdom of from and ing ground to embark on a campaign Hill-men, but time can corrupt even of conquest. the noblest of motives—and places. Secure within the great stronghold The fate of Isengard became linked of Nan Curunír, the Wizard’s Vale with that of the wizard Saruman, where the river Isen was born from who persuaded the stewards of the southern glaciers of the Misty Gondor to pass custody of the Mountains, Saruman laboured in tower into his White Hand. When deep caverns. Fuelled by wood from Saruman became an agent of evil, so nearby Fangorn Forest, baleful fur- too was Isengard transformed into a naces belched smoke day and night.

  ISENGARD

the Great West Road at the Fords of Isen, located approximately thirty miles south of the Circle of Isengard. Before Saruman was corrupted, this vale—Nan Curunír, the Valley of the Wizard—was a green and pleasant place whose light woods were nur- tured by mountain rains. Prior to the War of the Ring, these forests were razed and the valley became a more desolate place. A mile from the steep southern face of Methedras stands the Ring of Isengard. Even if Orthanc did not exist, this would itself be a marvel; a defensive ring nearly six and a half These furnaces powered factories that who finally rose against the Circle miles in circumference, whose eighty constructed engines of destruction, of Isengard and tore it apart, slay- foot high walls are nearly sixty feet and assisted the Wizard in even dark- ing all upon which they laid their thick. A single tunnel was drilled into er designs. Saruman proudly called it hands. Simultaneously, the armies the southern face of the wall, provid- ‘progress.’ of won a great, unexpected ing one (heavily guarded) route of Such thirst for power led Saruman victory at Helm’s Deep, slaughtering access for visitors, which was secured to commit his greatest blasphemy: Saruman’s Half-orcs and putting the by a network of guardrooms and cross-breeding Men with Orcs and Hill-men to flight. Lastly, storehouses. perfecting ’s Uruk-hai. These the White came forth, and with From the edge of the Ring, eight monstrous hybrids became the van- the Power of the West he ended pillar-lined avenues converge on the guard of his armies, which at the Saruman’s authority and broke his central tower of Orthanc. The tower, end of the Third Age were bent on staff. Thus Saruman’s ambitions overthrowing the kingdom of Rohan. came to nought. At the end of the Agents of his White Hand travelled Third Age, Isengard was nothing Further throughout western Middle-earth, but a flooded ruin. Adventures in from Gondor to , spying on their defences, establishing them- Isengard selves (by coercion or bullying) in G u i de to t h e positions of authority as Saruman In the course of produc- vied to become sovereign over all of G eo gr a p h y ing this Isengard sourcebook, Western Middle-earth. of t h e V a l e more material was written Saruman’s army was bolstered by and developed than could the Hill-men of the neighbouring sengard rests in the shadow of be fit within this book’s cov- region of Dunland, who, besotted IMethedras, the Last Peak of the ers! An adventure entitled by the words of the Wizard, had Misty Mountain chain, which lies ‘The Eagles are Missing,’ rekindled their ancestral hatred of due north of the fortress. On its along with a number of Rohan and unthinkingly marched west, it is bordered by the foothills of other adventure and chron- side-by-side with the Uruk-hai on Dol Baran, while on the east by the icle seeds, were omitted due a crusade into glory. This alliance foothills of Fangorn, which form the to space constraints. These nearly toppled the Rohirrim and Isen Vale. Beyond the eastern hills is materials, however, are plunged the world into an age of Fangorn Forest, home to the , the available in PDF format on Shadow, but thanks to the efforts Shepherds of the Trees. To the south Decipher’s The Lord of the of many heroes—some celebrated, are the grassy plains of Calenardhon, Rings Roleplaying Game web some unheralded—it failed and ulti- now called Rohan. site. Just point your browser mately took them into darkness. The River Isen, which is formed at www.decipher.com and The -wrought destruction of by melting snows from the Last Peak, download these supplemen- Isengard’s nearby forests angered his flows from the western hills of the val- tal materials for free. neighbours, the Ents of Fangorn, ley, south from Orthanc, and crosses

 The Road to Isengard

made from polished black granite and tions in this book details Isengard including the great stone Circle of sandstone, rose over five hundred feet and the Wizard’s Vale as they were Isengard, the tunnels beneath it, and tall, crowned with four great stone near the end of the Third Age, just the proud fortress of Orthanc itself, horns at its peak. At the bottom, a before Gandalf ’s imprisonment in including its magical treasures such long stair lead up to a heavy stone the first half of TA 3018. Of course, as the palantír. door, the only visible entrance into the historical information is also plenti- Chapter Three: Nan Curunír tower. Saruman addressed his people ful and some suggestions about the describes the Valley of Saruman from a balcony high above door level, state of Isengard after the War of beyond the Ring of Isengard includ- and well above the balcony was the the Ring are also provided. ing the Fords of Isen; Dol Baran the chamber of the palantír, the ancient Chapter One: The History and last hill; the work camps of Saruman’s Gondorian seeing-stone that was the Life of Isengard recounts the tale of Orcs, Half-orcs, and Uruk-hai; and tower’s greatest treasure. At the sum- Isengard’s creation and development, more. Isengard entails much more mit of the tower was a flat rooftop of and tells the story of its people at the than the tower Orthanc, and the polished stone, on which Saruman end of the Third Age and beginning magic of Saruman is both subtle and inscribed magical runes. It was here of the Fourth. Isengard has stood as a far-reaching. that he imprisoned Gandalf the Grey. great monument since the early Third Chapter Four: The White Age, and has weathered many battles; Hand describes Saruman’s minions. its historical importance needs to be Saruman’s evil is not composed only H ow to U se understood by those who roleplay of vast armies and fell creatures: his characters from the region, as well as agents and spies are numerous, and T h i s B o ok any who are interested in the ancient they spread Saruman’s corruption lore of Middle-earth. through a diverse host of faces. sengard is a complete guide to Chapter Two: The Fortress Ione of the greatest fortresses of of Iron details the chambers and Middle-earth. Most of the descrip- passages of this great fortress,