The Forest of Fear

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The Forest of Fear
◄Eamon adventure #109►
Author Sam Ruby
Released August 1985
Revised 29 July 1989
EAG number 109
EDX number 09-02
EDX set The Sam Ruby Adventures
Native format Apple DOS 3.3
File Eamon 109 - The Forest of Fear.dsk

The Forest of Fear is an Eamon adventure written by Sam Ruby based on characters and settings from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and is the second story in Ruby's three-part Lord of the Rings series. The story is set after the events of The Mines of Moria and was released with in it August 1985.

Background

Forest of Fear continues the story that Ruby began in The Mines of Moria, which saw the wizard Gandalf and his ranger companion fail in their first attempt to pass through the underground kingdom of Moria. Though the adventurer can find and rescue Gandalf from his cell in Moria, the ranger is absent and his fate is left unclear. Ruby's second story reveals that the ranger was brought to the fortress of Dol Guldur where he was imprisoned by the captain of the Nazgul.

Premise

The captain of the Nazgûl has imprisoned an important ranger in Sauron's fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. You must penetrate the fortress, drive off the monsters inhabiting it, rescue the ranger, and — if possible — destroy the chief of the Nazgul.

Full introduction

Ages ago, in times few remember, the Dark Lord, Sauron, fashioned Rings of Power in the land of Mordor. One he made for himself, the mightiest ring of all, which ruled the others. Three were given to the elves, but being the wisest of the races they were not tricked by Sauron's fake friendship. Seven were given to the dwarves, and nine to mortal men. These men received great power, but they became slaves to the Dark Lord because of the rings. The men became immortal, but as time passed they lost their physical bodies and became shadows, dark and terrible. They serve Sauron as his trusted lieutenants and messengers. They are the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths, the Black Riders... the Nine.

The chief of the Nazgul, the Witch-king of Angmar, has recently re-occupied one of Sauron's old haunts, the fortress of Dol Guldur (Elvish for "hill of dark sorcery"). Dol Guldur lies at the head of some foothills in Mirkwood Forest. The forest was once a bright place, but Sauron and his evil poisoned it. The wood-elves of the north renamed the forest "Mirkwood"... The "Forest of Great Fear." Worst of all, the Black Captain of the Nine has captured and locked away in his prison a wise and mighty ranger, who is much needed in the fight against the Dark Lord.

Your mission is three-fold: one, to secure southern Mirkwood (where the trouble is) and drive off or kill all the foul creatures you find there. Two, to rescue the ranger and bring him out alive. Three — if possible — destroy the chief of the Nazgul!

Beware!!! There are reports that an orc platoon has been stationed in and around Dol Guldur. They probably have and are riding wargs — huge, evil wolves. It is known that spiders make their homes in the trees of southern Mirkwood, and rumor has it that an ancient evil and even a dragon have joined the black captain. You may find help. Look to the trees that talk and those that taught them.

May the Valar be with you!

Walkthrough

Map by Huw Williams, 2021

Since one of your three goals in the game is to eliminate all the enemies in Mirkwood and Dol Guldur, this walkthrough lets you encounter every enemy as well as find every ally and piece of treasure, but does not pass through every possible room in the adventure. Most of the fights shouldn't be too difficult for a seasoned adventurer with a couple of companions, but be sure to heal yourself and injured party members whenever necessary.

The forest

  1. From the entrance, go south and east through the redwoods to reach your first enemy: a very lost Star Wars trooper on his speeder bike.
  2. Next collect a couple of allies: go east and south and you'll find yourself among the oaks by a river where you can meet the friendly Treebeard the ent. Take his bowl of healing ent-draught.
  3. Go east twice into an area of fir trees, then north twice and climb up to find a party of elves in the treetops. The skilled Elven archer Legolas will join you.
  4. Now that you have companions, climb down and go west twice to battle a pair of orcs mounted on wargs.
  5. Go east once, then south four times to enter a small lake. Dispatch the lurking kraken.
  6. Go east into the firs to fight a couple of large grey spiders, then east again to fight three more black ones.
  7. Go south to tangle with three giant spiders and the spider chief, then gather up their pilfered treasure.
  8. South once more will take you to a riverbank where you'll fight a black bear. Once it's defeated, search the area to find a hidden ring.
  9. Go north, then start making your way west. You'll first encounter the final remaining spider, then amid the eucalyptus trees you'll run into two Uruk-hai soldiers and a warg.
  10. Where the west-bound trail ends (in the birch trees), go north and fight the wild boar.
  11. Head south, cross the bridge over the river, and continue south into a box canyon. Kill the pack of wargs living there.
  12. Go back north into the pine forest, then head east. When you reach the area of the cliff wall, fight the three orcs, then climb up and fight the two fell beasts in their eyrie.
  13. Continue on the trail as it bends south through a valley. Slay the powerful green dragon that blocks your way.
  14. Go south twice more and you'll be at the gates of Dol Guldur, guarded by the were-wolf Draugluin. Once it's defeated, enter the fortress.

The fortress

The fortress doors lock behind you as you enter so you're trapped until you can find the key to open them.

  1. Search the entry area for a torch and light it.
  2. Take the south exit and follow the hallway west, collecting a small gold key along the way.
  3. Where the hallway ends, examine the room to reveal a secret stairway. Climb down.
  4. Follow the winding tunnel to a second stairway and climb down again to reach the fortress's dungeons.
  5. Go west to a four-way intersection and slay the Uruk-hai and three orcs waiting there. The passage north is locked, so head follow the one leading south.
  6. At the south end of the passage are three prison cells: two are empty, but the third (to the west) is occupied by a guard and a friendly slave. Kill the guard and collect his iron key.
  7. Return to the intersection and use the guard's key to unlock the gate.
  8. At the north end of the passage are three more cells and in the north one is the object of your quest: the ranger Aragorn! Free him and kill the guard.
  9. Return to the four-way intersection and take the tunnel leading west.
  10. The tunnel leads to a large round room where the Black Captain of the Nazgul awaits. Defeat him and take his key and the magic food.
  11. Return up the stairways and passages to the entrance area. All that remains now is to clear out the few remaining monsters and collect some treasure.
  12. Take the west hallway and climb the stairs which lead to a pair of towers. Each one is guarded by a wight and contains a locked wooden chest you can open with the golden key. Both hold treasure, and the south one also holds the Elven sword Orcrist. Return to the entryway.
  13. Take the north exit and follow the hallway west to a warg kennel guarded by three Uruk-hai. Slay them and the bound wargs, then return to the entryway.
  14. With the Black Captain's key you can open the fortress doors, return to the path, and head south toward the exit.
  15. Before leaving, check the cave to the east: it's the lair of the dragon you dispatched earlier and holds his pile of treasure.
  16. Exit south. Having recovered Aragorn, slain the Captain of the Nazgul, and killed every monster in Mirkwood and Dol Guldur, your mission is complete!

Another walkthrough for this adventure was written by Jared Davis in 2005.

Location

The adventure begins somewhere along the western edge of the southern portion of Mirkwood, a great forest that stretches hundreds of miles across the Middle-earth region of Rhovanion from the Grey Mountains in the north to the Brown Lands in the south. Given its proximity to the Necromancer's fortress, the entrance is presumably near the Narrows of the Forest. The small lake and the river that flows from it are creations of Ruby's and do not appear on Tolkien's maps.

The fortress of Dol Guldur stands in a hilly area on the southwestern fringes of the forest and was originally the capital of the Silvan Elves before falling under the control of evil forces in the distant past. A separate, smaller outpost in the same general area is the setting for the Eamon adventure Assault on Dolni Keep by Tom Zuchowski.

Trivia

  • The "biker scout" near the western entrance is a reference to the scout troopers shown in the 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi who used flying speeder bikes to patrol the dense forests of the moon of Endor. The biker's statement that "Lucas is gonna owe me overtime for this screw-up" is a reference to Star Wars creator George Lucas.

External links

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