The White Council has sent you by ship to Gondor to help fight the threat of Mordor. Upon arrival in the port city of Pelargir, you are greeted by Lord Alcaron who takes you to The Leaping Fish where you can speak privately.
Setup: Search the encounter deck for The Leaping Fish and Alcaron鈥檚 Scroll. Make The Leaping Fish the active location and attach Alcaron's Scroll to a hero.
Inside the tavern, Lord Alcaron looks nervously toward the door as he hands you a scroll bearing the seal of Gondor. He asks that you deliver it to Faramir in Ithilen, but the brigands who just entered look intent on taking it from you
Battle. (Characters use their 
instead of 
when questing.)
When Revealed: Each player must search the encounter deck for a copy of Harbor Thug and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
During the fight in the tavern, one of your adversaries managed to grab Alcaron's Scroll and flee outside. You chase the thief into the street where you are surrounded by a gang of his fellow brigands. You must fight your way through the mob and recover the scroll!
Battle. (Characters use their instead of when questing.)
The players cannot advance to the next stage unless Alcaron's Scroll is attached to a hero.
When Revealed: Attach Alcaron's Scroll to the highest engagement cost enemy in play, if able. Otherwise, add Alcaron's Scroll to the staging area.
You've arrived in Ithilien with a sealed message for Faramir, only to learn that he has gone north to defend Cair Andros from massing enemy forces.
Setup: Add Celador to the staging area. Search the encounter deck for a copy of Ithilien Road and make it the active location. Each player must search the encounter deck for a copy of Southron Company and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Battle. (Characters quest using instead of .)
If the players complete this stage with Celador in the staging area, advance to stage 3A (bypassing stage 2).
Faramir has left a company of rangers in Ithilien, tasked on ambushing Southrons as the march toward Cair Andros. Their captain, Celador, offers to lead you to Cair Andros after the approaching enemy is destroyed...
With a crashing boom the eastern gate shatters. A ram has broken through, and the pressing host of Orcs pour into the courtyard beyond. Engage them in hand–to–hand combat and secure the gate!
When Revealed: Place Faramir and Lord Alcaron under Captured! (they are in play but players cannot gain control of them). Each player turns each of his hudden cards faceup.
Faramir and Lord Alcaron have been captured! Through the throng of warriors, you see their bloodied torn forms rushed eastward by a band of Uruks. You must move quickly to prevent the unthinkable! If there is to be any hope of rescuing your friends, you must fight your way out of the ambush.
At the beginning of the quest phase, each player takes 1 hidden card.
If a player has 5 hidden cards, he must turn them faceup.
If the players defeat this stage, they have won the game.
Setup: The first player takes control of Chief Turch. Set Raven Chief and Raven Chief鈥檚 Camp aside, out of play. Reveal 1 copy of Dunland Battlefield and make it the active location. Reveal 1 copy of Raven War-camp and add it to the staging area. Create the Raven deck (see insert) and set it next to the quest deck. Each player chooses 1 different enemy from the Raven deck and adds it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck and Raven deck.
On your return journey to Isengard, you find war in Dunland. The Raven Clan has refused the Boar's claim to The Antlered Crown, and chief Turch asks you to join his Clan as they march to battle. Seeing an opportunity to earn Saruman the friendship of a unified Dunland, you agree to join forces and fight...
Forced: After the last time counter is removed from this stage, remove 1 time counter from each location in play. Place 3 time counters on this stage.
Your company has made its way swiftly north, and finally the fortress of Carn D没m looms before you. Unsure if you have arrived in time, you can only hope beyond hope that I芒rion is still alive.
Setup: Add Thaurdir to the staging area, Captain side faceup. Add 1 copy of Carn D没m Garrison per player to the staging area. Search the encounter deck for 1 copy of Accursed Battlefield and make it the active location. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Thaurdir has mustered the defense of Carn D没m. There is no turning back now. "For I芒rion!" the Rangers begin to shout, unsheathing their swords.
Thaurdir cannot leave the staging area and cannot take damage. At the end of the round, if Thaurdir is Champion side faceup, flip him.
Do not discard unresolved shadow cards at the end of the combat phase.
Forced: If there are 3 shadow cards dealt to Thaurdir, flip him.
As soon as the host of their enemies was dense in the valley, they sent against it a shower of arrows, and each flickered as it fled as if with stinging fire. Behind the arrows a thousand of their spearmen leapt down and charged. The yells were deafening. The rocks were stained black with goblin blood. –The Hobbit
Battle. (Characters may use instead of when questing here.)
Players cannot advance from this stage unless stage 2 and stage 4 are complete.
Forced: If there is no progress on this stage at the end of the round, the first player adds the topmost enemy in the discard pile to the staging area, if able.