Welcome to LOTRO Epic A Day, where I guide you on an epic journey through Middle-Earth, one day at a time. Each Book of the Epic quest is separated into its own Day, with Side-Days for leveling up to the next book. Any plot spoilers are contained within the story overview in “Turning the Pages”. Gather up your belongings and hit the road, a new Day awaits!
The Grey Company rides south through Enedwaith, only to be stopped by strange occurrences. What fate awaits these brave Rangers?
Chapter 1: Wrought in Secret
The Rangers are ready to depart for Enedwaith, but Elrond tells us to speak with his daughter first. Talk to Arwen at the top of a hill between Rivendell and the Misty Mountains (26.7 S, 5.3 W). She is glad to see us, because she is able to give us a gift to take to Aragorn. Take the standard to Rivendell’s stables and hand them over to Halbarad, who will carry them on the journey.
Chapter 2: The Grey Company in Rivendell
Halbarad asks us to speak to several members of the company while he finishes the final preperations. All four characters are a short distance from the stables. Lothrandir stands by the horses, having made sure that his horse is in a fit condition for the long journey, and also tells us that most of the Dunlending tribes in Enedwaith are hostile to outsiders. Golodir is in a tiny gazebo nearby; the ranger has been through trying times indeed but the ride here has already begun to lift his spirits. Elrohir waits by the pine trees, pondering his father’s strange advice; the Elf has been told that the time will come when mere defense is not enough, that the company will need to put forth its entire strength in a final wager. Radanir is found near the water, ready for the journey but thinking about unsaid goodbyes. Finally, speak to Candaith outside of the gate near the stables. The Ranger decides to use these last few moments before we venture south to tell us some of the history of the Dúnedain, so listen closely.
Chapter 3: The House of Isildur
Spoilers
Candaith tells us a story of the struggles of the Dúnedain during the Third Age. When Isildur died his line was not yet ended. The youngest son remained alive in Rivendell, and ruled the North Kingdom. The Witch-King seized Fornost, and the ruler Arvedui fled and was lost along with the heirlooms of his house. Candaith begins an instance that takes us back in time, taking part of a Dúnedain quest to recover the king.
We play as the Ranger Laegened, venturing into Forochel in search of Arvedui’s missing ship. Examine your skills before exploring further; there are melee, ranged, stealth, and crowd control skills at our disposal. Defeat 6 worms on the path ahead and then return to Haerdor so that the Rangers can press forward. The Rangers found the missing ship, but Arvedui had been lost to the power of the Witch-King. We now know how the shipwreck came to rest in the icy bay in northern Forochel, where we met a spirit in the first Volume, and where the Ring of Barahir was recovered so long ago.
The story continues many years later in the Troll-height of the Ettenmoors. The Rangers are pursing another lost chieftain, this time Corugúr, who was captured by the Hill-trolls. The chieftain could not be saved, but his son Arathorn lived and maintained the Isildur’s family line. Arathorn, like the Dúnedain chiefs before him, met an untimely end and was survived by Aragorn, the current Dúnedain leader. We watch as Aragorn meets Gandalf for the first time, and learns that he always has a sense of warmth about him even when speaking about serious matters. The Man and Wizard walk off as Candaith’s tale concludes. He tells us that it is the task of the Dúnedain as well as any of Aragorn’s friends to ensure that Aragorn takes his place as king. We ride with the Rangers into the pages of history yet unwritten.
End of Spoilers
Chapter 4: Riding South
Candaith sends us to Halbarad to see if there are any last pieces of advice to gleam before we ride south. There is actually nothing else to do at this time other than begin the long journey, so we finally turn south. We ride in multiple legs, meeting Saeradan at Gwingris in Eregion (both manual travel as well as Stable-master use are acceptable methods of travel, though the latter is much faster). Before we can continue onward we must help Saeradan repair his horse’s broken shoe. Go to a campsite in the east to find Londan. We must defend him from wandering uruks before he can repair the shoe, so prepare for enemies to appear when the conversation ends. Return to Gwingris to speak with Londan again, followed by a trip back to Saeradan. His horse is ready, and the Company is ready to move on. Before we go, Saeradan offers a choice of rewards that includes the mysterious used horseshoe. Accept Erebrandir’s Horseshoe if you want to receive a gift of no apparent value. Or does it have a powerful benefit hidden beneath the dull exterior? Or does it not? We may never know…
Chapter 5: Forces at Work in Eregion
Saeradan tells us that the rest of the Dúnedain have already left; we follow them and catch up to Radanir at Echad Eregion. The Rangers have halted momentarily to assist a Dwarf calling for aid. Speak to Fúsi Gem-cutter to learn that he and his father were attacked by an uruk. We find a lost backpack at the site of the attack, only to search it at the same time as two uruk scouts. Following their tracks east leads us to an adventurer standing outside ruins. He is too afraid to go in, and advises us against pursuing the matter further.
Chapter 6: Fúni Gem-Cutter
The adventurer describes the scarred and haunted ruins in fear and will not enter them himself. We are left to enter the ruins and search for Fúni, Fúsi’s father, somewhere within Minas Elendúr. Follow the bloodstains to find Fúni, who is being held at the base of the statue in the first room we enter.
Chapter 7: Bewildering Ruins
The Ninkoth uruks have been giving Fúni gold to craft into valuable items, which the dwarf refuses to do. He does want to collect some of the treasure though, to keep it out of their hands, and asks us to collect treasure from coffers found throughout the ruins before we make our escape. We are also to defeat several uruks along the way – 8 Berserkers and 6 Despoilers. The whole place is a maze, featuring two separate mapped sections and many hidden rooms, but MMORSEL has it all mapped out, including marked treasure coffer. After we have gathered the treasure and defeated the uruks, Fúni sends us back to his son in Echad Eregion, who then sends us to Radanir. The Ranger explains why Fúni was needed in the first place – Halbarad wants the dwarf to make an imitation of the Ring of Barahir.
Chapter 8: As Near As May Be
Radanir agrees with Halbarad’s assessment that it is “happy chance that puts a wandering jewel-crafter in our path”. Speak to Halbarad to learn more about this strange task. Halbarad does not mean to have a ring of power (even a lessened one) forged, but rather intends to forge a set that looks like the heirloom of the line of Isildur. If a Ranger is slain during the expedition (of which there is a good chance on the difficult journey) then the enemy might be slowed by the notion that it is the heir who was killed, giving Aragorn some advantage. Speak to Halbarad again to journey to the forges in a solo instance. Help Company forge the rings and fight off uruks with the entire might of the Grey Company. After the instance Halbarad tells us the rings have been made, but hopes that there will not be an opportunity to use them.
Chapter 9: The Plains of Enedwaith
The Rangers are ready to ride again; journey south into Enedwaith and speak to Lothrandir at Echad Dagoras. Follow the path south of Mirobel and cross the river along the southern bank anywhere past Tham Mírdain to reach Enedwaith. Echad Dagoras is at the northern end of Enedwaith, past some new level 65 wolves and Dunlendings. The Grey Company has established this camp to scout the region and hostile tribes. Lothrandir greets us and tells us about the Dunlendings – hostile tribesmen that view outsiders with suspicion and trust Rohirrim even less. They have warred with Rohan for many years over these lands and hold on to them with a fierce pride. They do not share a collective identity however, instead seeing themselves as members of distinct tribes and cultures. A member of the Uch-lûth clan is willing to talk with us, so approach Wadu and hear what he might say. Wadu warns us that they will allow us to pass through this region, but we may not stay in these lands. Strength is the only quality his people respect, and we have not proven ours.
Chapter 10: Blood-Marks
While the Uch-lûth are not openly hostile, other clans are more liable to fight us. Some have even been turned on the Uch-lûth and other Dunlendings, lured by gifts of gold from their new master. Help Wadu defeating deserters and collecting blood-marks from their loot and recovering weapons from fallen Uch-lûth. Wadu thanks us for our efforts and regards us as a friend. Lothrandir is glad we have made progress, for it might help us in our dealings with the Uch-lûth.
Chapter 11: The Blockade
Saeradan has established another camp along the road leading from Enedwaith to Dunland. Speak to him at Echad Saeradan. The ranger is worried that the plans of Saruman are greater than Elrond feared; hostile clans have blockaded the road at his command. Investigate the road to find a report and strange sword inside a strongbox – there is no need to deal with the deserter captain at this time. Saeradan reads the report and examines the sword with concern – the Dunlendings do have orders to establish this blockade, but the sword is of Rohirrim make.
Chapter 12: The Bearer of the Sword
There is a chance that the original owner of the sword is still alive. We must find him in the hope that he can tell us any tidings of Rohan or Aragorn. We find the man where the deserters left him, dead alongside the road. It was not a Rohirrim that held the blade, but was in fact Wadu of the Uch-lûth. Saeradan is sorry to hear of Wadu’s death and wonders why he would have used a Rohirrim blade given the hostilities between Rohan and Dunland.
Chapter 13: The Sword Returned
It is a perplexing question indeed, but there is no use pondering it without the chance for an answer. Saeradan sends us to Lhanuch, to inform Wadu’s family of his fate. This might soften the clan’s attitudes towards the Dúnedain, a grim but necessary reasoning.
Suvulch (Wadu’s father) spits to the ground at Wadu’s name and calling him a coward. Suvulch tells us to speak to his daughter Nona instead. Nona is more sorrowful, wishing that she and her father had not been so harsh with her brother.
Chapter 14: The Distant Dwarf
Nona tells us that her brother visited halls occupied by dwarves in Thrór’s Coomb. He may have found the sword there, but he did not speak of what he saw to his sister. A fallen tree at 66.7 S, 8.8 W serves as a bridge to a path leading up the mountain. At the top of Nár’s Peak is Zudrugund, the home of a very strange dwarf. Nár seems confused by his surroundings, so speak to Frithgeir next to ask about Wadu. Apparently, Wadu spoke to Nár during one of his rare moments of near-clarity and the two ventured into the mine below Zudrugund. A special brew will make Nár more aware, so fetch ingredients for Frithgeir so that we can learn more about Wadu’s visit. The plants are found in Thrór’s Coomb below the mountain; we will have to return to this remote location so it might be worthwhile to set your milestone (or camp site if you are a hunter) here for convenience. Najâm-mujdu are found along the shore near 71.1 S, 12.6 W, Hulwul-harâz are found on Dunlendings in Gwâl Draig (66.5 S, 11.9 W), and Kibil-lawâz are found on Draig-lûth in Thrór’s Coomb. Give the ingredients to Frithgeir so he can brew the mixture.
Chapter 15: An Echo of Days Past
We tell Frithgeir that we don’t mind waiting for him to make the brew, which takes us into a solo instance.
Talk to Corunir, Elladan, and Calenglad while he prepares the brew. Elladan puzzles over the books left by the dwarves who once lived here, Corunir wonders why his mind is so far gone, and Calenglad wonders if there is even anything to be learned from the dwarf. Talk to Halbarad, but before the discussion continues Nona bursts in. She wants answers as well, and demands to know what happened to her brother in this strange place. Nár is more coherent after drinking Frithgeir’s brew and offers to lead us down into the mine – speak with him again to travel there. Elladan is concerned about how long Nár’s condition will last as well as the possibility of someone watching us, but there is nothing we can do besides following Nár deeper into the mine.
Bats attack, forcing us to defend ourselves while Nár watches. Shortly afterwards we are stopped by a locked gate. Search a side passage for a lever that unlocks it, but when returning to the group be careful not to fall down any ledges (one platform looks like part of the path, but there is no way off of it other than jumping and restarting the instance). Return to Elladan, Nár, and Nona to hear the rest of the dwarf’s story. While the story is somewhat convoluted and nonsensical, the dwarf also says some startling comments in between his ravings. Elladan returns the group to Zudrugund with haste and we hurry to speak with Frithgeir. Frithgeir doesn’t know where Nár’s comments come from, other than that he has always said peculiar things, and so we are asked to calm the Rangers down and prevent them from making any kind of rash action. Corunir is troubled by Nár’s knowledge of our company, a mystery that cannot go without investigation. It is time to rest and ponder over these events to get at the root of the troubles in Enedwaith.
Turning the Pages
The Grey Company confidently rides into Enedwaith, but has been stopped here to deal with unexpected problems. Hostile tribesmen and dangerous beasts turn out to be the least of our concerns; a strange dwarf living in seclusion at the top of a mountain seems to know more about our journey than he should. What exactly this means is left to be uncovered in later parts of the story.
Many pieces of the story are established here along with the introduction of Nár. We get an up-close look at the history of the Dúnedain, seeing firsthand the troubles faced by the heirs of Isildur. We also encounter the hostile Dunlending tribes for the first time and though our time with them is short we can see how much we are disliked in these lands, even by those who do not attack us at first sight. There are reasons for their distrust of outsiders, of course, both from bribes paid by the enemy but also because of how our presence seems to coincide with trouble. The rising tide of aggression from hostile deserters and the circumstances surrounding Wadu’s death are foreboding signs of the fate our journey brings. Much of this book is focused on establishing both backstory and the new region, but even though not a lot actually happens it is apparent that there are major events to come. And it doesn’t look like these events will favor the Grey Company.
December 7, 2011
LOTRO Epic a Day