Ready-to-Run Adventures

Expedition to the Haunted Vale

The Vale of Brethil

Copyright ©2000 Phillip Gladney

Edited for The Guild Companion by Joe Mandala, October 2000

Vale of Brethil encounters

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1. Mitheithel This swift-flowing river, known as the Hoarwell in

Westron, comprises the western border of the ancient holdings of the
Melosse family. It has a diameter of about one hundred feet and crests
white in many places. It is altogether incapable of being crossed
between the Iant Methed and Fennas Drunin, where it widens and
deepens. During the spring months the waters are especially violent
as ice from the mountains of Angmar melts and flows south. Jagged
rocks sticking up through the rivers surface make any travel by boat
suicidal.
2. Vale of Brethil What was once the most fertile and cultivated region
of the En Egladil is now barren and empty, the residents having fled
as the Witch-king's army approached over two hundred years ago.
 Rumors of ghosts and the still-vivid memories of what transpired in
the old castle on the hill are enough to keep any resettlement from
occurring so far. Decaying farmsteads and overgrown fields now dot
the landscape and wild animals run free. The sound of wolf cries can
often be heard if anyone dares to spend a night in this haunted vale.
3. Minas Brethil The most prominent feature in the whole valley
stands on the highest hill and looks down over the landscape. The old
castle of the Melosse family, Minas Brethil, is now a ruin, but the
remains still show how grand and beautiful it once was. Broken walls,
ivy and stands of wild bushes now hide much of the old stonework,
and to all but the most perceptive the aged castle looks uninhabited
and deserted.
4. Cave The Hillmen who accompanied the Angmarean expedition are
based out of a small cave situated close to a rotting farmstead. There
is also a small lake nearby which provides water to the superstitious
rangers.
5. Camp A group of Hillmen use this primitive camp as a refuge when
not out hunting or on patrol. It has limited defenses and cannot hold
off any serious attack. It remains hidden on top of an adjoining hill to
the one upon which Minas Brethil sits.
6. Camp This is another of the Hillmen camps. It operates similarly to
the camp at #5, but is located on the northern end of the very same
hill that Minas Brethil is on.
7. Secret exit Hidden in a rock wall behind a large amount of thorny
bushes (grown by the Melosse family hundreds of years ago) is the
secret exit of Minas Brethil. A Sheer Folly maneuver (-50) to find
from the outside, this passage takes one down to the cellars of the old
fortress. No one has traveled through this door since anyone (except
an Elf or an old Dwarf) can remember.
8. Orcish entrance Close to the Hoarwell River sits a meager cave.
This was once used as a temporary refuge for fishermen who got
caught in the rain. Little did they know that the small crack in the
back of the cave widened and led down into a limestone cavern
complex. The orcs of the expedition explored the complex and found
the crack and the daylight beyond. They widened the slit and turned it
into their main entrance. Now two orcs guard the cave at all times.