Developer Diary: Volume III: Book 1 Skill Upgrades
By: Jonathan “Berephon” Rudder
The Grey Company has begun their journey southwards to rendezvous with their chieftain, Aragorn son of Arathorn. They pass quickly through the forgotten lands of Eregion, soon crossing into the region of Enedwaith and the northern tip of Dunland. The first thing that veteran players of The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM should notice is that Enedwaith has received all new biome textures and assets. In fact, each division within Enedwaith has its own unique biome and atmosphere. In this diary, however, I am going to focus on the themes and content found with the region of Eregion and touch upon the lore, both Tolkien and folklore, that inspired the content within it.
Eregion, the region due north of Enedwaith, had a heavily Elvish influence, being an ancient abandoned Elf-home. However, along the southern border Dunlending influences were beginning to be seen, especially in the way of small fortifications of an invading force in service to Saruman the White. For those conscious of the differences in naming convention, the names of these fortifications were based on Welsh (and modified to actually be readable to folks who do not count w or y as common vowels).
And this is where we enter Enedwaith and northern Dunland. The flavour and language conventions for the region and the Dunlendings were strongly influenced by Medieval Welsh and Briton (Old Welsh) language and folklore, in keeping with our practice of mimicking Tolkien’s use of real-world languages and cultures.
So let’s take a look at the divisions within Enedwaith…...
Fordirith
The first division you will enter from Eregion is named Fordirith, the Northern Watch. This division marks the border of Eregion and Enedwaith and is named in Sindarin to represent the influence of the Men of Númenór and the Elves upon the region. The terrain quickly transitions across the river to a rough mass of bluffs and cliffs, leading down to the windswept valley of the Windfells. Fordirith is the northernmost tip of northern Dunland, a virtually uninhabited land according to The Lord of the Rings. So why then are there Dunlendings in Fordirith?
Themes and Threats of Fordirith
The primary theme of Fordirith is the passage of the Grey Company into the South, scouting the most secret route possible (a theme which continues throughout the region). One thing veteran players will immediately notice is that nearly every named Ranger in Enedwaith has appeared elsewhere in The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM . For instance, the main camp of the Grey Company in Fordirith is manned by Dagoras and Amarion – both former denizens of the North Downs – and Braigiar, who appeared in East Angmar.
Fordirith at Twilight
Something that fans of J.R.R. Tolkien will also notice is that there are significantly more than thirty Rangers in the Grey Company. This was not done unwittingly. For game purposes, thirty simply was not enough; however, rest assured, by the time the Grey Company reaches Aragorn, they will be down to thirty Rangers and the Sons of Elrond, as they appear in the books.
In Fordirith, the Grey Company faces two primary threats which bleed over from Eregion: deserters from the Dunlending force in the North and the evil Shadow-wolves which had been sent to hunt down the Company of the Ring and were driven back by Gandalf at Caradhras.
Dunlending Deserters
Not every Dunlending blindly follows Saruman the White. Many of the White Hand invasion force realized they were throwing their lives and the lives of their kinsfolk away for a war which did not benefit them. These warriors broke from the main force and returned south, but now dwell as little more than brigands in the wild, outcast from their clans.
Dunlending Scout
One prominent feature of these Dunlendings is that they have received completely new art, setting them apart from the brigands which appear in Eriador. These Dunlendings (and those in Eregion, who have been retrofitted with the new art) represent the Draig-lûth, the Dragon Clan, who have already fallen almost wholly under the sway of Saruman.
Shadow-wolves
Hidden away in the hills of Fordirith is a dark lair where these supernatural creatures are called forth. The Shadow-wolves which dwell here are more powerful even than those which crossed into Eregion, seeking the One Ring. Their chief and strongest power lies in fear, not unlike the Nazgûl, who are also denizens of the shadow world.
The Shadow-wolves of Enedwaith also received love from the Art department by way of appearances and FX:
Shadow-wolf at Night
Besides the standard landscape quest fare, Fordirith boasts two instance quests featuring the Dunlendings and Shadow-wolves.
The Windfells
As players come down from the hills of Fordirith, they will find themselves in a windswept valley, replete with new flowers and trees. On the eastern side of the valley rise the foothills of the Misty Mountains, and on the western side, bluffs leading towards the distant lands of Minhiriath. The North-South Road, which becomes the Greenway in Bree-land, passes through this land, leading north and west into the bluffs. The Windfells serve as grazing lands for the Uch-lûth, one of two clans of Dunlendings derogatorily known as the Algraig – or Outliers – to the inhabitants of southern Dunland.
Themes and Threats of the Windfells
Players will eventually find themselves at the encampment of a well-familiar Ranger, Saeradan of Bree-land, and his companions Andreg and Amlan, hidden in the shadow of Amon Mîn, the ruins of a great Gondorian watchtower now claimed by the Draig-lûth to watch the North-South Road.
Amon Mîn
The goal of Saeradan and his companions is not only to maintain the secrecy of the Grey Company – at the very least of their identity, if not their passage – but also to seek provisions for the continuing southward journey. This seemingly menial task quickly uncovers a terrible mystery involving creatures of Dunlending legend and folklore. The ox and goatherds of the Uch-lûth live in fear of these creatures, looking to the mysterious crone known as the Old Woman of the Mountain for wisdom and protection.
Besides the Draig-lûth, ordinary wolves, and crebain, players will encounter several new creatures in the Windfells, complete with new art and abilities. These creatures are all derived from Welsh folklore to mix in with the overall atmosphere of Enedwaith.
Cuthraul
The Cuthraul (derived from the Welsh Cythraul) are fell spirits which appear at night, spreading terror among the hunters and herdsmen of the Uch-lûth. Unlike other fell spirits in The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM, these creatures fall into the category of Ancient Evil, rather than Dead . . . a theme which will quickly become apparent in Enedwaith. However, never fear: the Reputation vendors of the Grey Company will offer you special Westernesse damage scrolls for your Legendary Items which will improve your capabilities against them!
Cuthraul
Druggavar
The Druggavar, derived from the Gwyllion of Welsh myth, are perhaps one of the strangest monsters to arrive in Middle-earth. Taking the physical form of demonic goats, these fell spirits haunt the herds of the Uch-lûth at night, bringing terror to the superstitious Men of Enedwaith. Like the Cuthraul, the Druggavar are Ancient Evil masters of terror, complete with new and terrifying (for goats) art and skills.
Druggavar
Cun Annun
The fabled hounds of the underworld complete the triumvirate of Ancient Evil in the Windfells. The Cun Annun nightly attack the ox-herds of the Uch-lûth, slaughtering the livestock and livelihood of the Algraig clansmen. These creatures are very close in appearance to the Cwn Annwn of Welsh legend, stark white with glowing red eyes. The Cun Annun have both fear and wounding skills.
The Old Woman of the Mountain
In the mountains above Gavar Cadlus dwells the Old Woman of the Mountain, a mysterious goirach, witch-woman of the Dunlendings. The Algraig folk fear and revere her, for she has knowledge of the evil beasts which haunt the night. Where her allegiances lie or what knowledge she may impart to those who seek her remains to be seen….
The Old Woman of the Mountain
There are rumours as well that a great boar of the lineage of the Boar of Everholt dwells in this valley, though it has never been seen.
The entire story of the Windfells leads up to a capstone instance quest beyond Gwyllion’s Gate.
The Gloomglens
The North-South Roads runs north from Dunland through Enedwaith and into the Windfells, where it turns somewhat westward into the Gloomglens, passing through the King’s Way Gate (currently watched by the Draig-lûth). South-west of the road lies the bulk of the Gloomglens, a stony canyon of bluffs, plateaus, and craggy valleys.
King’s Way Gate
Themes and Threats of the Gloomglens
The Ranger Idhrenfair and his companions Himeinor and Prestadir, until recently companions of the Malledhrim in Southern Mirkwood, seek for a more secret way through Enedwaith into Dunland. Rumour has it that long ago a tribe of hobbits of the Stoor family settled in this area, but when the Great Plague swept through the lands, they were wiped out. Nevertheless, the Rangers report seeing strange things in that land, including glimpses from a distance of a strange people. . . .
The Gloomglens are inhabited mainly by wolves and boars – watch where you step, for signs of them are everywhere – but the Rangers have also seen majestic stags, shining white in the forest gloom. There is something unnatural about these creatures, and they hesitate to hunt them.
White Stag of the Gloomglens
There is also rumour of a great monster known as the Grey King.
The Gloomglens features two instance quests, including a new boss monster.
The Mournshaws
The Mournshaws are a vale of strange and gloomy trees and marshy lands, fraught with mystery. The Derudh (a term derived from the Welsh word for druid) make frequent pilgrimages to this region dotted with great stone rings to commune with the spirits of the forest.
Themes and Threats of the Mournshaws
The Ranger Daervunn, a former inhabitant of Esteldin, has come to the Mournshaws from Idhrenfair’s camp in the Gloomglens to scout the way ahead. What he has found there has befuddled him. From a lost hunter of the Uch-lûth, he has learned of the Derudh and of the Lords of the Forest – powerful spirits ruled by the Wild Huntsman. If the Grey Company desires to pass that way, they will have to seek the good will of this Huntsman ... or perish in the attempt.
Elhudan
The Mournshaws are a forest haunted by the savage Cun Annun and great Wood-trolls, but also by the ghostly Elhudan. These wild fell spirits seem outwardly not unlike the limrafn of Evendim, but they are far more dangerous. The Elhudan are drawn from the Ellylldan of Welsh folklore, the Welsh version of the Will o’ the Wisp. Even this simple model has received new appearances and FX.
Elhudan in the Mournshaws
Few mortals have ever seen the Lords of the Forest in their natural forms, and even fewer have laid eyes upon the Wild Huntsman and survived . . . what these high beings are remains somewhat of a mystery, though the Rangers believe that they may have once been servants of Oromë the Hunter.
The Mournshaws feature several instance quests revolving around the Wild Huntsman and the Lords of the Forest.
Nan Laeglin
The rolling hills of Nan Laeglin are home to the Uch-lûth (the Ox-clan) and the now extinct Turch-lûth (Boar-clan). The Uch-lûth village of Lhanuch sits upon a hill at the center of the region, and not far to the south-west is the great ruin of Harndirion, a massive tower from the elder days when Gondor stretched from its current realm all the way to Arnor in the north.
Harndirion
Themes and Threats of Nan Laeglin
An emissary of Isengard has come to Lhanuch, attempting to sway the Uch-lûth to join the Dunlending campaign against the Rohirrim in the South, prompting the Rangers of the Grey Company to send an ambassador of their own to the surviving Algraig clan in order to circumvent Saruman’s plans. The Uch-lûth are under siege by Wargs and half-orcs in the service of the brigand-lord Sharkey, though the Uch-lûth do not yet understand that Sharkey is, in fact, the wizard Saruman.
The Uch-lûth
Though for the moment, the Uch-lûth remain neutral in the strife between Dunland and Rohan, outcast to their brethren in the South, they have no love for the Horse-lords and might be swayed to join the ranks of Dunland if the Grey Company fail to dissuade them.
Uch-lûth Clansman
Nan Laeglin features a story-based instance which culminates in the success or failure of the Grey Company’s efforts in Lhanuch.
The Lich Bluffs
This grim place is a great burial ground, not unlike the Barrow-downs of Bree-land, where many Dunlending and Algraig clansmen were interred long ago. It is even rumoured that some men out of the White Mountains found their way into Enedwaith after the wars between Sauron and the Last Alliance of Men and Elves, though they died off long ago. Monuments and barrows of Dunlending origin dot the landscape, a great field of the Dead awaiting the hand of a necromancer.
The Lich Bluffs
Themes and Threats of the Lich Bluffs
The Lich Bluffs were once a place of great reverence to the Dunlending peoples, but recently a shadow has fallen upon the barrows. Cun Annun haunt the landscape, and wights rise from their barrows. It is even rumoured that a great evil has entered one of the deepest barrows and is raising an army of wights to the service of the Enemy. In one part of the dark ruins, Oathbreakers dwell. The Ranger Mincham, having long dwelt in the shadow of Oathbreaker-haunted ruins, makes his camp here, seeking to learn the truth behind the supernatural events of the Lich Bluffs.
There are three instance quests in the Lich Bluffs, two of which deal with the tragic story of the Oathbreakers who dwell here, and a third that brings forth a previously unrevealed member of an ancient order intent upon raising his terrible army.
Thrór’s Coomb
In the eastern reaches of Enedwaith, nestled in the snowy arms of the Misty Mountains, lies Thrór’s Coomb, where the people of Thrór, King under the Mountain, temporarily settled after their escape from the Lonely Mountain and the wrath of Smaug the Golden. Abandoned by Thráin and Thorin after the death of Thrór, this vale has become the abode of fell things out of the mountains.
Nár’s Peak
Themes and Threats of Thrór’s Coomb
The Uch-lûth of Lhanuch tell of dwarves that have returned to the halls of Thrór over the long years, though none have seen them in years uncounted. The Draig-lûth have established many encampments here, from which they harry the Algraig peoples, taking captives to sacrifice to the gwiber, the drake-breed which inhabits the harsher steppes of Thrór’s Coomb.
Gwiber
From deep within the Misty Mountains, a fearsome breed of drake known as the gwiber have come forth to nest among the crags of Thrór’s Coomb. This drake was inspired by the gwiber of Welsh folklore (though the Welsh gwiber is actually white).
Gwiber
Giants also have taken up residence within the old dwarf-ruins, threatening to damage or destroy the last relics of Thrór’s reign and much lost knowledge of the craftsmen of Erebor.
Thrór’s Coomb features both solo and small fellowship content, including an instance which pits players against the Draig-lûth in an effort to free the captive Algraig people.
In Parting
For those who have been wondering (and worrying) about the amount of content being released with Enedwaith, here are a few highlights:
New contiguous landscape moving south from Eregion.
More quests than the North Downs (previously holding the record for most quest content outside of Moria), many heavily influenced by Old Welsh folklore and Tolkien-lore.
More deeds than the North Downs.
Twelve almost completely revised instance dungeons/raids from Shadows of Angmar™, level-scaled and added to Instance Join with new rewards available at higher levels (effectively making these completely new experiences).
More new and unique art per square meter than Moria (relative to the space, mind you!).
Two new Reputation factions.
Small Fellowship quests.
A large Epic Book, including some very special instance quests.
We hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the region of Enedwaith and the new creatures and peoples contained within. We look forward to sharing this release with you soon!
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