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power however, he dammed the Isen
near Orthanc, diverting much of its
flow, reducing the current at the fords
to a mere trickle and eliminating the
river as a viable defence against invasions
from the west.
t h e p i l l a r o f t h e
w h i t e h a n d
‘It was black; and set upon it was a
great stone, carved and painted in the
likeness of a long White Hand.
Its finger pointed north.’
— The Two Towers
After his renunciation of the
White Council in TA 2953, Saruman
adopted the heraldic emblem of a
white hand on a field of black. His
armies carry banners bearing the
symbol, which is also emblazoned on
their shields and helmets. The most
prominent and permanent display
of this device takes the form of a
great pillar of black stone carved in
the likeness of a hand and painted
white. Its finger angles northward,
toward the gates of Isengard, some
five leagues beyond.
Some have speculated that
Saruman has a subtle connection
with the pillar, enabling him to sense
the presence of any who pass within
some distance—ten miles, many
guess—of the structure, thereby
alerting him to unwanted visitors
in his land. This belief is true in a
certain respect. Whenever any being
of power comes within four leagues
of the Pillar of the White Hand,
Saruman may automatically make
a free Observe (Sense Power) test
to detect the being’s presence. In
essence, the Pillar acts as the
emanation point of a powerful
form of the Sense Power spell,
with a range of four leagues. The
difficulty of the Observe test varies
based on the target’s power as listed
on Table 7.4: Sense Power Difficulty
on page 186 of the core rulebook.
e a st e r n o u t p o st
o f t h e w h i t e h a n d
Along the eastern edge of the
Wizard’s Vale, near the point where the
south-eastern spur of Methedras comes
to an end, Saruman has established a
small garrison. The outpost consists
of a barracks, a training ground, and a
short and hastily constructed tower.
3
Nan Curunír
At any given time, nearly 100 Orcs,
Uruks, Half-orcs, and Dunlending
Hill-men work and train at the eastern
outpost, which is commanded
by three especially cruel Uruk-hai
Captains who report directly to Móg,
Saruman’s General of Arms. As each
group becomes more skilled in the
ways of hand-to-hand combat and
more disciplined in the ways of waging
war, they are rotated out and replaced
by a new group from Isengard. If ever
the Men of Rohan pass close to the
Eastern Outpost, however, those of
Orc-ancestry are sent into their barracks,
for Saruman does not yet wish
for any outside Nan Curunír to discover
his alliance with dark forces.
In addition to the soldiers stationed
here, about a dozen slaves reside
at the outpost, preparing rank food,
fetching water from streams, washing
down the hillsides, and cleaning the
barracks. The slaves feed the soldiers
by cooking meals over large pits of
fiery embers. While the Uruk captains
are served their meals directly,
the Orcs and Half-orcs must line
up for their ration, a situation that
results in constant shoving matches
and, occasionally, outright brawls.
The main structure of the outpost,
the three-storied watchtower, provides
a good view of the surrounding
area, allowing the Isengarders to spot
travellers up to ten miles away on clear
days. The three-story tower is always
manned, as the lands of Rohan must
ever be watched, for the Horse-lords
are swift upon their steeds and deadly
with their blades. The three interior
levels of the tower house various
supplies, including blankets, torches,
half-rotten grains, Orc-draughts,
rope, weapons (including clubs, Orcdaggers,
spears, Orc-longswords, and
whips), armour (mostly leather with
a few suits of Orc-chainmail and a
dozen large shields) and the like.
The barracks is a fifty by twenty
foot building composed of a single
room crammed with uncomfortable
pallets used as beds. The Uruks
and their trainees sleep here during
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