Return to Moria
| Return to Moria | |
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| ◄Eamon adventure #129► | |
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| Author | Sam Ruby |
| Released | January 1987 |
| Revised | 1 December 1991 |
| EAG number | 129 |
| EDX number | 09-08 |
| EDX set | The Sam Ruby Adventures |
| Native format | Apple DOS 3.3 |
| Files |
Eamon 129 - Return to Moria, Disk 1.dsk Eamon 129 - Return to Moria, Disk 2.dsk Eamon 129 - Return to Moria, Disk 1 (ProDOS).dsk Eamon 129 - Return to Moria, Disk 2 (ProDOS).dsk |
Return to Moria (subtitled The Mines of Moria Part II) is an Eamon adventure written by Sam Ruby, released in January 1987 as the third installment of his four-part series The War of the Ring.
Premise
The war against the great enemy Sauron is going badly: his forces have captured the city of Osgiliath, and during an assault on Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor, the enemy damaged the mithril lock on the city's great gates, leaving them unable to withstand the next assault.
Resistance leaders Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas meet in the high tower of Minas Tirith and agree that the lock must be repaired, but without mithril the task is impossible, and the only source of the metal is the dangerous underground realm of Moria. Further, the dwarves protecting Gondor's northern flank are leaderless and dispirited, and may soon surrender to Sauron.
The group decides that the only solution to both problems is to send an immediate expedition to Moria with two goals: to retrieve the precious mithril needed to repair the gates of Minas Tirith, and to summon the legendary dwarf leader Durin the Deathless who supposedly sleeps somewhere in the caverns.
You, Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas agree to undertake the mission and Gandalf summons Great Eagles to carry you swiftly to the entrance.
| Full introduction |
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Since your visit to the ruined halls of Khazad-Dum five years ago, things have gone from bad to worse. When the Elves received your information, they acted quickly, sending messengers to the men of Gondor in the South. The Dark Lord, Sauron, attacked a bridge that crosses the river Anduin. The bridge, at the fort of Osgiliath, is of great importance. It is wide and strong. To the east of it lies Mordor, the land of the Enemy. To the west is Minas Tirith, the Tower of the Watch, Citadel of Gondor, stronghold of Man. He who controls Osgiliath has a highway to his enemy, an attack route, and a retreat route. Minas Tirith knew of the attack, so it deployed several thousand of the Guard to repel the invasion. Led by Boromir, heir to the steward of Gondor, the forces fought bravely. But then, from the gates of Minas Tirith's dark counterpart, Minas Morgul, there came the Dark Lord's greatest weapon: the dreaded Nazgul, the Nine Black Riders. Despite Boromir's rallying, the men fled in terror. Osgiliath is now in the hands of the enemy. Sauron has declared himself and begun the War of the Ring. The Free People's only hope lies in a desperate mission known only to a few, Operation Ringbearer. But that is another tale, best told elsewhere. The armies of Sauron won easily, and he hasn't even shown his full strength yet. Armies of Easterlings, ancient foes of Gondor, and the Southrons — the tanned, desert-trained Haradrim, Black Numenoreans, and Corsairs — will soon arrive in a huge fleet. Now that Osgiliath is taken, the Anduin will serve as a waterway for the Southrons. And yet, even without these masses Sauron has a devastating numerical superiority. Legions upon legions of Orcs, supported by whole platoons of Trolls, are out from the gates of Mordor. The men of Minas Tirith are superior warriors, but they are overwhelmingly outnumbered. There is hope that their cousins, Prince Imrahil and the men of Dol Amroth in the west, will come soon. The forces in Southern Gondor are also mobilizing. But it could be weeks before they arrive. Then it may be too late. From Osgiliath, the Dark Lord will soon launch a major offensive into Gondor. It will meet with little resistance; Gondor has withdrawn most of its force into Minas Tirith. The men could withstand a siege there for some time, but the question before the leaders is, "To what end?" They cannot hold out forever. Minas Tirith is a city built into a mountain. It consists of seven levels, each ringed in a semicircle by a wall. Outside the first wall lies the Pelennor (a great grassy plain) where the battle against Sauron's second wave will most likely take place. The men inside the Citadel would normally be safe there for sometime, protected by the great Gate on the rim of the Pelennor Wall. However, the Gate cannot resist an attack in its present state. When the men retreated from Osgiliath, they were pursued by the Chief of the Ringwraiths and a small force of Orcs. The Witch King of Angmar, as he was called before his magic Ring consumed his physical body, had come to demand that Gondor cease hostilities towards the "Rightful Ruler of Middle Earth." Just as the men closed the Gate behind them, the Enemy launched itself against it with all its might. The Gate barely held, and the Enemy went back to Osgiliath. But later it was discovered that the two mithril bars which formed the key lock in the Gate, had been broken. The Gate can still be locked, but even the smallest ram will be able to break it open. Once inside the first wall, Sauron's forces will have a large advantage. The more upsetting news is that the Dwarves are considering surrender. They have sustained heavy losses, especially in the north in the Iron Hills and Erebor. Sauron has sent many Easterlings there, and while the Dwarves are strong, they are few. If the Dwarves surrender, Gondor's northern flank will be largely unprotected, and the precious metals and products the Dwarves supply will be lost. The Dwarves are without a hero or leader; rivalries between bloodlines have prevented them from uniting. And the heavy losses have been a severe blow to morale." Now, a great meeting is being held in the high tower at Minas Tirith. Present are Gandalf the White Wizard; the orchestrator of the resistance and now the leader of the fight: Aragorn, a Dunedain Ranger and, unknown to most, heir to the throne of Gondor; Boromir, co-captain of the Guard; Gimli Gloin's son, the Dwarves' representative; and Legolas Greenleaf, an Elven prince and master bowman. "Sauron waits," say Gandalf, "He is uncertain; that is good. His Eye is reaching out to us, trying to find the one thing that will destroy him..." "His Ring," Aragorn replied. "Yes, the Ring; he expects us to use it, as Boromir counseled; he will never expect that we have sent it into Mordor, the seat of his Power, to be destroyed. We cannot win the war through battle; only the Ringbearer can cause Sauron's downfall. He is beyond our help now, so we must concentrate on other things. Chief of which is time." "I have deployed our forces thus:" said Boromir, "a few hundred in southern Ithilien, five hundred to aid in the civilian evacuation of the South, one thousand on patrol, and the rest, inside the Gate." "And how long could we withstand a siege?" asked Aragorn. "That depends. We have three weeks of rations, and we can take water from the snow above the mountains. If the Gate was intact, we could hold out for about a week, before Sauron's army could destroy the wall." "If the Gate was intact..." repeated Aragorn. "Ah, but it is not!" said Gandalf. "So therefore, something must be done. You say you need mithril to fix the key lock; but we have none." "The Dwarves do not have it," said Gimli. "There is only one place in Middle Earth where it can be found; and we all know where that is." You knew, too. And the faces of all present grew dark; except for one. "Well, I do not!" said Boromir. "But wherever it is, we must go there! Right away!" "You speak of something you do not know, nor would you wish to know," said Aragorn, his face solemn. "For I have been there, Gandalf and Gimli have been there, and so has our guest. I would not wish to go there again, nor would they." "Aye," said Gimli, "dark are the halls of Khazad-Dum. 'Tis not for the Dwarves or any others to go back there, yet." "You speak to me in riddles, with names you pull out of old songs! But I am a warrior; I cannot keep up with Wizards, or Rangers, or even you Dwarves; tell me, what is this place you speak of with such fearful reverence?" The room was silent. Then, in a low whisper, you answered. "Moria!" "Moria! Khazad-Dum! Hall of my ancestors!" cried Gimli. "The grandest place in all Middle Earth; the ground eagerly gave us gold, silver, iron, gems..." "And mithril!" said Gandalf. "Yes, mithril; truesilver, in the common tongue; it could be molded like iron; light as leather; but stronger than stone and steel put together! Valuable above gold! But rare." "But alas, the Dwarves delved too deep, and awoke the demon spirit, the —" "Do not name It!" shouted Gandalf. "No, I shall not," continued Gimli. "It was not long after that; the death, the terror — finally the Orcs and Trolls. And now Khazad-Dum is Moria, the Black Chasm." "Much as that tale is interesting, we have another thing to think about now," said Gandalf. "Ah yes," said Boromir, "what news do you bring from the Dwarves? Will they fight?" "My dear sirs, I fear my news is not good," said Gimli. "Though I would have it otherwise, I am only a messenger. My message is this: We cannot hold out much longer; Erebor is besieged. Dain Ironfoot, leader of the Dwarves of the north, has fallen on the steps of the gate. Sauron has promised mercy, and says he will give us a Ring of Power to heighten our glory and bring us riches beyond imagination. All we must do is lay down our arms and acknowledge him as Sovereign Ruler of the West." "Is that all?" scoffed Aragron. "A Dwarven Ring will cause greed amongst you the likes of which you have never seen; and Sauron will use this to exploit you and keep you weak and obedient." "And mercy is something the Dark Lord is not capable of." "Aye, this is what I counselled," said Gimli, "but to no avail. They are too demoralized; the mention of gold sparks their hearts. I will fight; so will many of my brethren; but I fear the freedom of Erebor will soon be a thing of the past." "So, the Elves are weak, and the Dwarves grow weaker. Sauron gathers his legions," said Gandalf, "and we will fall with the first attack. The Ringbearer, even if he succeeds, will have won in vain. There will be nothing left." "Gandalf," said Legolas, "what shall we do? If only the Dwarves had a hero, a leader, someone to raise them up to their former pride and strength..." "The time has come," said Gimli. "What?" asked Boromir. "The time has come. Durin must awake." "Gimli Gloin's son," said Gandalf, "your words ring true. How strange this is, the threads of the story intertwine. It seems we cannot avoid speaking of Moria even if we try." "Moria! Here we go again!" said Boromir. "Now, you must finish your tale! Or else, so help me, with frustration I shall attack the Dark Lord by myself this moment!" A low voice began to sing. It was Gimli. The world was young, the mountains green, There was a moment of silence. Then Gimli spoke. "It is time for Durin to wake. It is our hour of need." "Your words stir my thoughts," said Gandalf. "Yes; now let me tell you a tale. Durin the Deathless was the father of the Dwarven race. He lived for many centuries. It was he who founded Khazad-Dum, and lived to see it to its height of glory. Eventually, however, he passed. But I have know of something not even the Dwarves know, and this knowledge has been brought to my memory by Gimli's song. Perhaps it is time that Durin shall awaken." "I once came upon an old Dwarf who carried an ancient text, dating back to the days when Durin the Deathless ruled Moria. The text had passed from generation to generation, but was unreadable. I realized it was written in a rare Elven alphabet, and together we translated it. It seems that Durin, nearing his end, gained a glimpse of the future. Seeing he would be needed at some later time, he went away, into the deep dungeons, to sleep. The other Dwarves were not told where he went, but through their legends and songs, they await his return." "Say no more, Gandalf!" you interrupted. "I have been to Moria; I found Durin's tomb! There was no sleeper there!" "You saw no body?" said Gandalf. "Precisely!" "Precisely my point," continued Gandalf, "although, doubtless, had you dared to open the sarcophagus, you would have found the bones of some Dwarf. You believe you found his tomb; the Dwarves did their work well. That is what they wanted any intruder to think. I believe Durin sleeps somewhere that will not so easily be found, if he sleeps at all." "I should like to see this text some day, Gandalf," said Gimli, "if there is a some day. But Moria has been on my mind for some time. Four years ago, a group of Dwarves lead by Balin son of Fundin left for Moria, to retake it. I do not know if they reached it, but no one has heard from them since." "This is all very well, this Dwarven legend," said Boromir, "but please understand; I am still responsible for my people, and my concern lies with them. The Gate is weakened." "I do not judge you, Boromir," said Gandalf, "I understand: your priorities are justified completely. But do you all see? Everything has been explained. The answers to our problems are all connected with Moria!" "And woe that they should be," replied Aragorn. "And yet, it is so," said Gandalf. "This is what I see we must do: for the line between what we would not wish to do and what we must do has been crossed. We must send an expedition to Moria. First, to find mithril to repair the Gate; second, if possible, find the Dwarves' hope. Gimli, you may also wish to find tidings of Balin, to give your heart some rest. I cannot go. I am needed here; the Witch-King will soon return, and I am to fight the battle that I have been purposed to. Aragorn, too, must stay. He is the throne's heir, and the people will need their king." "And what of me, Gandalf?" said Boromir. "All my life I have been groomed to succeed the steward, but now that the King has returned, I am without purpose. But I love my people. Let me do this. I must — I must do my part for Gondor. I do not bear malice towards Aragorn; my heart is glad that Gondor will have its King. But first there must be a Gondor. And through this mission I can achieve my destiny, though I live or die." "Boromir, bravest of the knights!" cried Aragorn. "Brave, yes; the only one who did not flee in the face of the Nazgul. Such courage would be needed to willingly enter Moria. You shall go, Boromir; for though the odds are you shall not live, I know that in your heart that is what you desire. But you cannot go alone..." "I shall go," said Gimli, "even if you tell me not to. I cringe at the thought of entering Moria again, but for Balin's sake, and for my people's sake, I shall go. Durin must awaken." "Then I shall go, too," said Legolas. "I cannot leave my dear Dwarf-friend to wander in his dark holes! An Elf is not easily frightened by the dark. My people are fading; but I am with life." "Life that you may lose, my Elven friend!" said Gandalf. "But, as I said, though I wish that none of you would have to do this, we are dealing with musts now rather than wishes. Legolas shall go; and may his unerring bow pierce many black Orcish hearts. Gimli, you are needed, being a Dwarf; and though in a better world your skills would be put to testing the cleavage of jewels, now they shall cleave Orc-necks instead!" "And I shall go," you said. "I know of Moria; I refuse to sit idle here. Boromir is strong; Gimli has stamina; Legolas is swift, and I — I" "You have wisdom," said Gandalf. "Very well. Boromir, Gimli, Legolas, and you shall set out for Moria. I will call the Great Eagles to take you there; they can make the flight in a few days. Time is running out. The Dark Lord is unsure; he waits to see if we will reveal the Ring. I expect we have a week until he attacks, and then we will fall. A week. Giving the Eagles five days to make the round trip, you will have two days in Moria. It is more dangerous now; the Orcs have stirred. You will have to go through a different part, where you have not been before. You will need mighty weapons, heavy armour, and magical prowess. It may be too difficult, even for you. Yet, I will not make you pledge to carry out this mission." "Faithless is he who says farewell when the road darkens," said Gimli. "Maybe," said Gandalf, "but do not let him vow to walk in the dark, he who does not know the nightfall." "Yet sworn word may strengthen the quaking heart," replied Gimli. "Or break it. But very well. You three will go no matter what I say... but our guest, will he accept the mission?" [Yes] "Fare well, then! May the Valar protect you!" |
Walkthrough
EAG president Tom Zuchowski wrote a walkthrough for Return to Moria that was published in the June 1999 issue of the Eamon Adventurer's Guild Newsletter. Zuchowski notes that the adventure is very difficult and includes a couple of "cheats" players can use to get through some particularly difficult spots.
Author's notes
Ruby includes the following notes:
First of all, this adventure is for those people who have completed 'The Mines of Moria' (Part One). If you have not, you will not understand what is going on and therefore, for continuity if not for survival's sake, you should wait until you play the first adventure.
'Return to Moria' has a different map than 'Mines of Moria,' but the structure, monsters, and overall atmosphere are similar. I have included many more places described in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and 'The Two Towers.' The adventure continues the basic idea of the first one, and that is why it is (for most purposes) neccessary to be familiar with the first.
Sometimes, there will be no list of exits in the room description. That is because it is too dark to see ahead. You'll have to do what the did sometimes — feel your way around.
I figure that anyone who can get through 'The Mines of Moria' has got something going for him, so naturally this adventure will be difficult, if not in problem solving, in monster strength. Of course, if it weren't, it would be a letdown from the first adventure and there would be no challenge to make it interesting. The range of weapon needed is from 4D5 (difficult) to 5D5 (recommended) to 4D8 (easy). If you have something better than 4D8, be a man and don't use it!
This adventure is part of the unofficial 'War of the Ring' series. It occurs simultaneously with 'Haradwaith' and 'The Ring of Doom' (part three of the Lord of the Rings series).
There's an unusual feature in the game that you'll want to use. You'll find it if you make an ATTEMPT (hint, hint!) One further thing: don't mess with the monsters you kill. They ain't artifacts, just markers. The only thing you could find is a virus that creeps into your computer and dissolves the silicon chips. You have been warned.
Remember, be careful when switching disks so you don't terminate your character and bring the adventure to an abrupt 'ERROR!' ending. Please send me any comments or questions (concerning solutions or anything else) you may have. I will promptly respond to any mail.
I hope you enjoy the adventure.
Trivia
- An unrelated crafting and survival video game titled Return to Moria was released in October 2023. It was developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games.
External links
- Eamon Adventurer's Guild Library Master List
- The Interactive Fiction Database: Return to Moria
- Interactive Fiction Reviews: Return to Moria
- The Unofficial Home Page of Eamon Games: Return to Moria
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