Tower of Cirith Ungol and Shelob's Lair
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INTRODUCTION
Minas Ithil rests beneath the rising moon¸ serenely unaware of the terrors stirring in the nearby Mountains of Shadow. Travellers entering the Ithil Vale in 1640 of the Third Age behold the luminous marble walls and slender tower of this famed metropolis¸ the spire reflecting moonbeams that illuminate the vale with a haunting ethereal glow. Here¸ across the white bridge of the Ithilduin and between the flowering meadows on either bank¸ evening splendors beckon: thousands of flickering lanterns promise safety and rest for the weary wayfarer. In Minas Ithil men are immersed in the memories of their former glory¸ for now - since the Great Plague of four years ago - many of the citys mansions are tenanted by none save ghosts. Yet none foresee that this place of beauty is fated to become Minas Morgul¸ dread city of the undead and the fearsome domain of the Nazgûl.
The dangers are growing daily. Turning from the white bridge over the Ithilduin¸ one ascends a path on the northern side of the vale. Soon he reaches a series of stairs climbing into the Mountains of Shadow¸ and beyond that comes to a pass whose very name connotes an age-old evil: Cirith Ungol¸ the Spiders Cleft. Within a reeking¸ dark tunnel at the summit of the pass lurks a primeval monstrosity¸ the devourer of Men and Elves - Shelob¸ the Greatest of the Great Spiders. Beyond Shelobs lair the weird and desolate landscape of Mordor¸ Saurons ancient domain¸ stands stark and ugly as a vast scar. Once the troops of Gondor warded this land against evil¸ but since the Plague the watch has been abandoned. Now only a skeletal Gondorian garrison remains to hold the formidable Tower of Cirith Ungol¸ which commands the westward passes from Mordor. In these days of Gondors decline¸ Orcs¸ Trolls¸ and other creatures of Darkness dare to roam within sight of the Towers walls.
On one side of the bridge Minas Ithil stands tall and proud¸ offering refuge and pleasures. On the other side lie the perils of Cirith Ungol and Mordor¸ where the valiant and skillful may win renown - or lose their lives trying! Here civilization and wilderness converge¸ and adventures are but a stones throw away.