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Treasury of Orthanc
The stout door of this room
is similar to those of the Council
Chamber, so well-crafted it can only
be detected when closed with a TN
25 Search test. The Men of Gondor
made this chamber to contain gold,
gems, and relics of their families,
items they desired to make secure
against prying eyes and greedy hands.
When they departed, the chamber
was emptied of its treasures. The
Dunlendings did not discover the
room. Saruman found it easily, however,
and uses it to store his most
precious valuables: rings.
The room contains a number of
small tables. On each table rests a
velvet cushion, and on each cushion
lies a single ring. These are not
ornamental jewellery, but magical
rings, each enchanted for a different
purpose. The Wizard often comes
to this chamber and paces it, admiring
his treasures. The last few tables
are empty, awaiting his next acquisitions—or
creations.
linnar’S ring: The first ring—a
heavy gold band with a square diamond—is
one of the lost Dwarfrings
of Power, which Saruman
acquired during his travels through
the Misty Mountains many long years
ago (see page 75). It is enchanted
to aid its wearer at finding, refining,
and working metals, and to increase
his skills at appraisal and crafting.
Anyone who wears it is affected as
with the Crafting-spell, and gains the
Hew Earth, Hidden Minerals, and
Mastery of Stone order abilities of
the Miner elite order for as long as it
is worn. (See pages 30–1 of Dwarves
of Middle-earth in the Moria boxed
set.) This ring is Corrupting (TN 10)
as described on pages 71–2 of Paths
of the Wise—its wearer must make a
Corruption test each time one of its
magical abilities is exercised.
ring of flame controlleD:
The second ring, of silver with a
blood-red ruby, grants its wearer
control over fire—the ability to cast
Fireshaping and Kindle Fire as often
as he will, without making Weariness
tests. It is Corrupting (TN 7), and its
origins are lost.
wilD-lore BanD: The third ring,
of gold and silver twined together,
holds power over the wilderness. One
who wears it in the wilds has the lore
of plant, and bird, and beast revealed
to him unerringly; he cannot fail a
Lore/Wilderness test as long as he
does not re-enter the world of Men.
This ring’s origins are unknown, but
it was owned by an Elf who gave it to
Saruman as a gift after an hour of his
persuasion.
iron-BlaDe: The fourth ring, an
iron band with a sword design carved
around it, is a warrior’s ring, and
makes its owner a master of the blade.
In addition to providing a +2 bonus
to all Armed Combat: Blades tests,
the wearer may cast Bladeshattering
as often as he wishes without making
Weariness tests. This ring was once
held by a great king of Men in the
East who cast it aside in favour of a
bauble offered to him by Saruman.
the falSe one: The fifth and final
ring is a simple gold band with no stone
or marking, fashioned by Saruman
himself after the One Ring. Saruman’s
version lacks the grace and simplicity
of the true One Ring, however, and
seems ostentatious despite its lack of
ornamentation. Though enchanted,
3
The Fortress of Iron
this ring possesses no magical virtues
other than being Corrupting (TN 15),
with tests made every time the ring is
slipped on or off.
the star Chamber
‘Between them was a narrow space, and
there upon a floor of polished stone, written
with strange signs, a man might stand
five hundred feet above the plain.’
— The Two Towers
Orthanc’s highest ‘chamber’ is less a
room than a platform standing at the
tip of the tower, nestled between the
four spires, and open to the air on all
sides. Some have compared Orthanc
to Barad-dûr, and if that is a fair
comparison, the Star Chamber must
resemble that peak where the Eye
of Sauron looks out upon Mordor.
Saruman would be pleased by such
a comparison, and would take it as a
great compliment for his own eyes to
be compared to that great lidless eye
of fire.
Originally a military lookout, the
Star Chamber can be reached only by
a precise spiral staircase of many hundred
steps that rises from the centre
of the Secret Level far below. Perfectly
smooth, the platform’s surface has been
etched with symbols similar to those in
the Great Hall and Council Chamber.
Though one part of their magic is
structural, binding the four pillars and
protecting the structure from harm,
they have other powers as well. First,
these enchantments increase the range
of sight for any who keep watch from
the Star Chamber; from these heights,
one can observe almost any point in
the Wizard’s Vale without a test penalty.
Second, they imbue the rightful
holder of the Key of Orthanc with the
ability to cast a number of powerful
spells from these heights without making
Weariness tests, once each between
sunrise and sunset and once each
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