Down, Down, to Goblin Town!

With the U.S. release of The Hobbit movie this weekend, how could I not focus on Hobbit-related content?  And what better place to do so than Goblin Town?  Ho, ho, my lad!

I have been re-reading The Hobbit in anticipation of the movie, and numerous times I have been struck with how well LOTRO incorporates descriptions from that book, such as Thorin's party making their way toward Rivendell.  My very first time I tried to find Rivendell, attempting a run on a much-too-small Hunter, I encountered my first real "roadless road" and got horribly lost as soon as I crossed the Bruinen.  And it took me several journeys before I finally grasped the way; the pathless, steep and wild slopes heading higher and higher into the mountains are dead on.  Sure, it seems clear enough now, but I was constantly getting lost at first!

The Black Crack

They did a fantastic job with Goblin Town, filling it with references to The Hobbit that are great fun for fans to encounter.  And of course we will get to see even more with Update 9 this Monday.

As it is now, it's a formidable place for toons in the upper 40's-50's, and can be a tedious maze even for level 85's who can otherwise pass unmolested.  It is also the perfect place to farm Rivendell reputation drops as well as pick up some interesting armour and shields with unique appearances.  Be sure to empty your bags before you go!  I have taken a few toons through to finish all of the quests and deeds now, and use a fantastic map I found on the LOTRO Vault website.

If we prepare properly for our trip to Goblin Town, we get to pick up some quests from old friends from The Hobbit before we leave.  We get to talk to Gloin and Dwalin before heading out.  Bilbo certainly has some special requests for us to take care of on his behalf.  One of his tasks starts a deed where we get to collect the buttons he lost while squeezing through a doorway to escape from Gollum and Goblin Town, which I have always thought to be one of the most charming connections to The Hobbit. "It was still ajar, but a goblin had pushed it nearly to.  Bilbo struggled but he could not move it.  He tried to squeeze through the crack.  He squeezed and squeezed, and he stuck!  It was awful.  His buttons had got wedged on the edge of the door and the door-post.... He gave a terrific squirm.  Buttons burst off in all directions.  He was through, with a torn coat and waistcoat, leaping down the steps like a goat, while bewildered goblins were still picking up his nice brass buttons on the doorstep."

Ever wonder what happened to the other surviving Dwarves from Thorin's expedition?  Wouldn't it be wonderful to encounter them at some point as well?  We were able to play as the doomed Ori during the session play "We Cannot Get Out."  We also got to encounter Dori briefly at a few points in LOTRO.  We know that Bifur, who survived the Battle of Five Armies and supposedly stayed in Erebor, is dad to our Bosi and granddad to Bori of LOTRO Moria fame.  And of course we see an ale called Bombur's Beard.  I wonder if any of the other survivors will be found in the new Erebor instances/raids that are slated to be released in the spring?  Several of them supposedly stuck around that area after the Battle of the Five Armies.

At any rate, back to Goblin Town!  Most know there are two routes in:  One through the Mountain's Throat and one through the more hidden Black Crack.  As the book states, "That, of course, is the dangerous part about caves: you don't now how far they go back, sometimes, or where a passage behind may lead to, or what is waiting for you inside."  Indeed.

Once inside we discover that Goblin Town is, naturally, again filled with Goblins.  There's a new Great Goblin in charge, with terrible posture.  And these Goblins and their friends have not forgotten how Thorin and company killed their prior Great Goblin, gave them the slip, and then trounced them during the Battle of Five Armies.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Deep inside Goblin Town can be found some wonderful cave art created by the goblins.  One picture commemorates a particularly frustrating moment for them, after the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf had escaped and climbed up trees to escape them and the local Wargs.  We see a wonderful image of the company being rescued from the burning trees by the Eagles, cheating the Goblins and Wargs out of nice crispy fried Dwarf.

Further down the long, winding passages of Goblin Town, we encounter an image that shows us what Goblin nightmares might look like.  We of course know him as Gollum, or Sméagol.  To the Goblins, it was the hideous creature who lurked in the darkness, unseen, but preyed upon them as yummy snacks now and then.  I'd have nightmares, too.

One other piece of cave art has always puzzled me, and I have studied it several times trying to figure out exactly what it represents.  It is the image of what appears to be a large number of Goblins or Orcs battling Dwarves.  A particularly large Goblin, wearing what could be a crown, is shown dual-wielding two swords or daggers and stabbing a Dwarf.  The image appears to show what could be interpreted as rock formations, or the inside of a cave, and looks as if the Goblins are streaming out toward the Dwarves, who are running outside into a wooded area.  There seems to be a bit of fire going on inside as well.  When I first saw this art, I wasn't paying close attention, and thought it represented the Great Goblin attacking Thorin's party.  But on further inspection during subsequent visits to Goblin Town, I realized there are far more than 13 Dwarves represented here, and no Wizard or Hobbit, so I'm quite certain that isn't what it is meant to represent.

So I started thinking about other Goblin/Orc vs. Dwarf conflicts in the Lore.  There is of course the Battle of Five Armies with the Goblins led by Bolg, son of Azog, but again there are things missing that would be significant:  Men, Elves, Eagles, a representation of the Lonely Mountain.

I suspect the picture is set in Moria.  Several significant things have happened there, such as Thrór, Thorin's grandpa, venturing in with Nár as his sole companion (yes, our Nár from Nár's Peak!) and getting his head whacked off by Azog.  But that just involved the two Dwarves, and Nár escaped to tell of the tale.  "When Thrór came to Moria, the Gate was open.  Nár begged him to beware, but he took no heed of him, and walked proudly in as an heir that returns.  But he did not come back. Nár stayed near by for many days in hiding.  One day he heard a loud shout and the blare of a horn, and a body was flung out on the steps.  Fearing that it was Thrór, he began to creep near, but there came a voice from within the gate:  "Come on, beardling! We can see you.  But there is no need to be afraid today.  We need you as a messenger."  Thus Nár, after seeing the body and severed hear of Thrór with "AZOG" branded on the forehead, was allowed to live and carry the tale back to Thráin.  No wonder he was a little mad ever since.

Unhappy Dwarves and One Big Orc

There is of course also the ill-fated attempt of Balin, along with Ori and Óin and many other Dwarves, to resettle Moria.  They made it five years before Balin was killed by an Orc archer in the Dimrill Dale.  We know about this and the ensuing siege thanks to Ori and the book left in the Chamber of Mazarbul.  Except, as Ori made clear, they were stuck inside and could not get out, so this too does not match the images in this last cave painting.

Going back to the death of Thrór, Thráin decided to take revenge, and began the long War of the Dwarves and Orcs, routing out and killing Orcs "from Gundabad to the Gladden" as revenge and to try to find Azog.  Finally the remaining Orcs took refuge in Moria, and the large company of Dwarves arrived at Azanulbizar, what we also know as Nanduhirion or the Dimrill Dale.  At first the Orcs had the upper hand and fought mercilessly, and the Dwarves were "driven into a wood of great trees that then still grew not far from Kheled-zaram."  Thráin's son Frerin was slain (Frerin's Court, anyone?) as well as Fundin, and both Thráin and Thorin were wounded.  The arrival of the Dwarves from the Iron Hills, led by Náin, helped turn the tide of battle in favor of the Dwarves.  This drew out Azog, "a great Orc with an iron-clad head," who slew Náin but was in turn beheaded by his son Dáin, ending the Battle of Azanulbizar.  Although this Battle ended badly for the Orcs and particularly for Azog, I think there are enough clues in the picture to make this the  most likely event represented.  They just represented the part they liked to remember most.

Gollum's Island

In the far, far reaches of Goblin Town, we of course find Gollum's Cave.  Once you get to the creepy artwork above, you know you are close.  There inside the cave is the lake, and little island littered with fishbones.  And a hut.  Now, this hut - I have no memory of this hut.  In Rivendell, Bilbo even makes mention of having forgotten about it since he had never been too close to it when he bestows the quest to go write a description of Gollum's Cave.  I cannot find a hut mentioned anywhere I've looked in The Hobbit or in the Fellowship of the Ring.  Where am I missing this hut???  It's driving me crazy!

I'm looking forward to the new instance with the Great Goblin, and seeing how his area has been revamped.  I wish everyone enjoyment of the new movie as well as Update 9!

Eregion Part I: The Ring Goes South

Entering Hollin

Eregion is one of my favorite places to quest.  Maybe it's the bright red holly trees that dot the landscape and look so cheerful.  Or the view of the famous three peaks of the Misty Mountains off in the distance.  Or the suddenly overcast skies that bring a long downpour.  Or the blinding snowstorms on the slopes of Tal Caradhras.  I admit to sometimes being a weather-mood player - sometimes I just want to go play in an area because I'm in the mood for the particular weather or landscape it provides.  Or perhaps it is as Gandalf said, "Much evil must befall a country before it wholly forgets the Elves, if once they dwelt there"  - there is a wholesome feeling in this part of Eregion (at least until you hit the wood trolls).  In fact we'll look more at the Elves who dwelt here long ago in a future post.  But most importantly, Eregion is a pivotal location in both the LOTRO game and  Middle Earth lore.

I like that Eregion permits us to so closely follow the path of the Fellowship.  Starting with that left turn at the Ford of Bruinen and heading south toward Hollin (although in the Fellowship of the Ring, it took the group about two weeks to reach Hollin!), climbing up the ridge to see the trees with their dark green leaves and berries glowing red in the sun, catching the first glimpse of the mountain peaks, just as the Fellowship did.

In fact, the deed "The Ring Goes South" (named after that chapter of the Fellowship of the Ring, of course) takes us to five important points that follow the journey of the Fellowship through Eregion.

The High Hollin Campsite

Our Deed Tracker tells us:  "This campsite marks a place where the Company of the Ring stayed during their journey through Hollin.  A careless Hobbit left his mark as well."

The High Hollin Campsite

The Fellowship of the Rings tells us:  "That morning they lit a fire in a deep hollow shrouded by great bushes of holly, and their supper-breakfast was merrier than it had been since they set out."  The company had intended to rest a day in this spot and not travel again until the following night.  They made a fire, and Sam and Aragorn sat up watching while the others rested.  It was in this spot that Aragorn noted the unusual silence - no bird calls or sounds of any other animals.  This was also the location in which the scouting flock of crebain passed overhead.

In LOTRO, a quest out of Gwingris will send you to this campsite where you can learn exactly what was left behind, and also open the location deed (+1 Honesty, 5 Tubine Points, and Rivendell rep!)

The Tal Caradhras Campsite

The Tal Caradhras Campsite

Our Deed Tracker tells us:  "The Company of the Ring rested here before continuing on to the Redhorn Gate.  Sam Gamgee clearly took the opportunity to provide a fine meal for the Company...."

In the book, the Company left the prior site in Hollin and, guided by Aragorn, came across what appeared to be the remains of an old road that lead toward the Redhorn Gate.  They travelled in this direction for a couple days, at one point feeling a shadow pass over them in the cold darkness just before dawn.  They stop for one last rest and make another camp before tackling the long cold climb up to the Pass.  It is here that Gandalf and Aragorn go aside to quietly debate the wisdom of taking this path vs. Moria, and also here that Boromir proposes they gather firewood for each to carry in case it is needed up on the mountain.

The Redhorn Gate

In LOTRO, a quest line from Echad Eregion will send you to this site - again to track something a careless Hobbit left behind, you'd think Gandalf would be smacking Hobbits with his staff by now.


The Caradhras Campfire


Our Deed Tracker tells us:  "It was here that the Company of the Ring set camp in the Redhorn Gate. Gandalf was forced to show forth his power to light the fire, revealing himself to all who had the ability to recognize it, putting the Company in jeopardy."

Everyone knows the journey up the path of Caradhras the Cruel, with the increasing snow, the fell voices on the wind, the falling rocks.  The Company rested against the side of a cliff, with some of the Hobbits falling asleep and coming close to freezing to death.  It was here that Gandalf gave everyone a sip of miruvor, a drink from Imladris, which brought a renewed sense of strength and vigour. It was also the place where they decided to risk discovery in order to light a life-saving campfire.

The Caradhras Campsite

"At last reluctantly Gandalf himself took a hand.  Picking up a faggot he held it aloft for a moment, and then with a word of command, naur an endraith ammen! He thrust the end of his staff into the midst of it.  At once a great spout of green and blue flame sprang out, and the wood flared and sputtered.


" 'If there are any to see, then I at least am revealed to them,' he said. 'I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin.' "

But the snow and wind didn't stop, while the wood burned away.  Eventually the Company retreated.  Caradhras would not yield.

This site can of course be visited as well, and is a much more challenging place to see given that it is surrounded by ice grims and blinding snow.  Nothing seems to have been left behind here, however, other than the remains of the campfire.

After this, the Company continued south and elected to let the Ring Bearer choose whether they would proceed through Moria, or south to Rohan.  In the midst of their discussion in their new location, Frodo noted, "How the wind howls!"

The Burnt Tor

Indeed.


The Burnt Tor

Our Deed Tracker tells us:  "Here it was that the Company of the Ring fended off a pack of shadow-wargs sent by Sauron to hunt down the Ring.  The wargs were at least driven off when Gandalf the Grey caused a powerful fire to blaze forth, a fire which ruined the wooded hilltop."

The wind was howling with the voices of wargs, of course.  This was the deciding factor to turn them all in favor of Moria - shut themselves off from pursuit from these or other wargs or beasts that may be sent after them.

But first they had to escape from this imminent problem.  "For their defence in the night the Company climbed to the top of the small hill under which they had been sheltering.  It was crowned with a knot of old and twisted trees, about which lay a broken circle of boulder-stones.  In the midst of this they lit a fire, for there was no hope that darkness and silence would keep their trail from discovery by the hunting packs."

After a second siege surrounded by wargs, Gandalf again takes matters into his hands, speaking some familiar words:  " 'Naur an endraith ammen!  Naur dan i ngaurhoth!' he cried.  There was a roar and a crackle, and the tree above him burst into a leaf and bloom of blinding flame.  The first leapt from tree-top to tree-top.  The whole hill was crowned with dazzling light."

I particularly like how embers are still glowing in the tree trunks, showing us that the Fellowship was here very, very recently.  The attack by the wargs occurs on January 13 in the book.  I am not aware specifically what the date is meant to be in the game at the point we are journeying through Eregion - January 14? 15? - and if anyone does know I would enjoy hearing.

The Sirannon Gate to the right.

The Sirannon Gate

Our Deed Tracker tells us:  "This gateway leads up the Sirannon to the Hollin Gate."

On this same day, the Fellowship hastens to find the entrance to Moria, going astray for a few hours that morning because they cannot find the Sirannon, the Gate-stream, that would lead them to the entrance.  Finally Gimli spots it, but it is not as they expect - instead of a flowing stream, it is a rocky, dry riverbed.

In LOTRO the transition to the Walls of Moria area is marked by an actual gate between Echad Dunann and the Sirannon, which is also the point to pick up the quests to start Volume II. Legendary Items here we come!

The discovery deed for The Ring Goes South is now complete.  However, there are still a few important points of interest that also lay on the Fellowship's trail.


The Stair Falls

The Stairs and the dry Stair Falls.

This once marked the spot where the water of the Sirannon flowed down from a small valley that lay in front of the Walls of Moria.  The Sirannon flowed out of Moria, and a road followed it.  A series of steep stairs were carved into the rock leading up to the valley.







The Black Pool

The Black Pool - NOT what the Company expected.

Of course the waters of the Sirannon have been dammed, and nothing flows now over the Falls except a small trickle.  A quick climb to the top of the Stairs shows us why - the valley in front of the Walls of Moria is filled with stagnant slimy water and...well, we know what else.

Far across the Black Pool we see the shadow that is the flung-open doors to Moria.  We'll be visiting them very soon.


I have always enjoyed that sense of being one step behind the Fellowship as I traveled across Eregion.  Sure, we actually got to see them and interact with them in Rivendell, but this is different.  It's being so close to the real action of the Fellowship.  No matter how many times I do these quests and visit these sites, that feeling never goes away.


Sources:  The Fellowship of the Ring; Lord of the Rings Appendix B

Weathertop

Sometimes the smallest touches can bring that warm fuzzy glow of recognition. 

After Strider and the Hobbits set forth from Bree, and are stuck several days in the Midgewater Marshes, one night in camp they see flashing lights far off in the eastern sky.  Eventually they come to Weathertop and the ruins of the old watchtower of Amon Sûl.  Exactly as in the chapter "A Knife in the Dark" from The Fellowship of the Ring, we see the grass inside the crumbled ring is black and scorched as if set on fire.  In the center is faithfully placed a cairn of stones.  At the foot of the stones (and not on top, as in the book), we find a lighter, flat stone with what appears to be some etchings on it.  Of course it is none other than the G Cirth, or Rune, left by Gandalf, followed by three hashes to suggest he was there on the 3rd of October, as Strider deduces.

If we wander around to the western side of Weathertop, we find the remains of a small camp with a spring nearby and, beyond some fallen rocks, stacks of firewood.  This is none other than a perfect picture of the camp Strider and the Hobbits stumbled upon, which Strider believed was recently visited by Rangers (who left the firewood) as well as Gandalf.

"They had explored the small dell and the surrounding slopes.  Not far away they found a spring of clear water in the hillside, and near it footprints not more than a day or two old.  In the dell itself they found recent traces of a fire, and other signs of a hasty camp.  There were some fallen rocks on the edge of the dell nearest to the hill.  Behind them Sam came upon a small store of firewood neatly stacked."

Weathertop and the Weather Hills were crucial ground in the millenia before the time of the War of the Ring.  It is said that Elendil stood here, watching for the Elven-king Gil-galad to come from the west, in the days of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age.  After the Kingdom of Arnor had been split into three separate kingdoms in year 861 of the Third Age, the area was highly desired by all three.  Not only did Weathertop command a wide view of the East Road and the lands around, but the tower of Amon Sûl contained one of the chief Palantir of the north.  Unfortunately, over the centuries Rhudaur was falling under the sway of Angmar, and waged war against Arthedain and Cardolan.  In the year 1409, Amon Sûl was burned and razed by a host from Angmar.

If Rhudaur sounds familiar from things you have seen in the game, there are very good reasons, particularly in this region.  Signets of Rhudaur sound familiar to anyone?  As should a series of quests in a nearby area...but that's a whole separate blog post!

Sources:  The Fellowship of the Ring and Appendix A:  The Lord of the Rings

Frostbluff Theatre

The last two Yule festivals brought an array of fun new activities to LOTRO.  A very popular and unique place to visit has been the Frostbluff Theatre.  Nowhere else can LOTRO players have the chance to formally perform (and critique!) for each other in such a manner.  The plays put on by the G.L.O.B.E. (Green Lily Orators, Bards, and Entertainers) company and the chance to act in one or be an audience member are more than enough draw in and of themselves.  But there's much more to this little theatre that we get to visit only once a year.

I have already mentioned how Turbine pays homage to one of their own characters in the Old Bloodtusk post.

The actual play we get to see and participate in, "The Curious Disappearance of Mad Baggins," carries much more subtle lore than might be seen at face value. It harks back to the strange events of several years ago, on the day of Bilbo's Eleventy-first birthday party.  This is of course the day he disappeared, and did so in a very strange and mysterious manner that caused quite a stir in and beyond The Shire for years afterward.

Remember, this play is the interpretation of local Hobbits who have stayed behind in The Shire, with virtually no idea of the events relating to the War of the Ring or the implications for their own world.   So we see the perspectives of the local Hobbits throughout the play.  Party goers expect to receive gold and jewels as party gifts, because naturally Bilbo is swimming in them after his great Adventure.

The antagonists are the Evil Dwarf and Gandalf the Villain.  Knowing all that we know, this is of course absurd.  But the Dwarves who spirited Bilbo away on their "adventure" are viewed by the other Hobbits as suspicious and up to no good.  The villainous Gandalf is their ringleader.  Gandalf is credited with having an "evil plan" up his sleeve.  The Evil Dwarf is described as "sour-looking," and their ultimate plan is to of course steal the great fortune that everyone believes Bilbo possesses.  Frodo is viewed as a bit of a dupe, and Bilbo is quite mental, though still the hero of the story.  Bilbo's disappearance is attributed to the two villains, the Dwarf and Gandalf, "doing away" with Bilbo and making off with his treasure.

The tendency for Hobbits to view outsiders with suspicion, including other Hobbits, and attribute less than noble motives to outsiders is found throughout The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Gandalf was generally held between distant respect for his skills with "fires, smokes, and lights" and some disdain for how he would lead innocent Hobbit lads and lasses "off into the Blue for mad adventures." 

The books do reflect these growing attitudes toward Gandalf - in the time after Bilbo's disappearance, Gandalf returns to Bag End to speak to Frodo and admits that his reputation is in decline:  "I find that I have become rather unpopular.  They say I am a nuisance and a disturber of the peace.  Some people are actually accusing me of spiriting Bilbo away, or worse.  If you want to know, there is supposed to be a plot between you and me to get hold of his wealth."  Although the local Hobbits believed Bilbo was mad (at the end of The Hobbit we are informed that upon his return to The Shire, he discovers he has lost his reputation) and odd, the blame for his disappearance was "mostly laid on Gandalf."  As for Dwarves, it is stated that companies of Dwarves who passed through The Shire to and from the Blue Mountains were the chief source of outside news for Hobbits, yet as a rule Dwarves would say little to the Hobbits, and the Hobbits would not go out of their way to speak to the Dwarves.  So the seemingly over-the-top play is actually quite representative of the attitudes and beliefs concerning Bilbo's disappearance and particularly Gandalf's role.

Another point of interest in the Frostbluff Theatre actually falls into my Cracked Egg category.  If you sit and watch the play, you may notice in between performances that there are a couple of Hobbit critics up in a balcony overlooking the stage.  These two sharp-witted gentleman are Waldo Tunnley and Statdor Proudfoot, who provide some entertaining commentary in between plays.  Possibly something about their exchanges - the insulting comments, the thorough enjoyment of their own humor - sounds a bit familiar?  Even the names sort of sound like...Waldorf and Statler, maybe?

By the way, if you look at the pictures hanging below Waldo and Statdor, look closely at the middle one.  If you approach it, the image just blurs out, but from a distance it looks kinda familiar now, doesn't it?  Now what would a bunch of Hobbits, who have presumably never traveled outside of The Shire, be doing with a painting of what most certainly looks to be Durin's Door, the western entrance into Moria?!  Mysterious, Turbine, very mysterious.

The painting in Frostbluff Theatre

Look a bit familiar to Turbine fans?

John Howe's conceptualization

Professor Tolkien's own rendering of Durin's Door

Sources:  The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit