As they came out again into the open country at sundown they overtook an old man leaning on a staff, and he was clothed in rags of grey or dirty white, and at his heels went another beggar, slouching and whining.
—The Return of the King

Setup: Create the Sharkey deck (see insert). Set Saruman, Brandywine Gate, Three-Farthing Stone, and each encounter side quest aside, out of play. Shuffle the encounter deck.

“You don’t care what a beggar lacks, do you? For you have all you want, food and fine clothes, and the best weed for your pipes. Oh yes, I know! I know where it comes from. You would not give a pipeful to a beggar, would you?”
—Saruman, The Return of the King

Action: Exhaust a non-[fellowship] hero and discard a resource token from its pool. Then, add 2 resources to the set-aside Saruman.

At the end of the planning phase, advance to the next quest stage.