"I must take new counsel for myself and my kindred. We must ride our own road, and no longer in secret. For me the time of stealth has passed. I will ride by the swiftest way, and I will take the Paths of the Dead." –Aragorn, The Return of the King

Setup: Set The Stone of Erech and Army of the Dead aside, out of play. Each player attaches a copy of Overcome by Fear to his threat dial. Remove each unattached copy of Overcome by Fear from the game.

"This is an evil door," said Halbarad, "and my death lies beyond it. I will dare to pass nonetheless..." –The Return of the King

When Revealed: Each player may add 1 resource to the resource pool of each hero he controls. Each player who does so must raise his threat by 3.

Forced: At the end of the planning phase, discard all cards in each player's hand and advance to stage 2A.