Mattugard

 Maergrind, the Noble Gate

Make a Plan: There are two ways to go about this area. (1) You can follow the main road around the entire place and discover all the stables while collecting all the quests that cross-connect with each other, or (2) follow each site as they slowly reveal Gundabad and eventually reach to the heart at Halls of Zidir-nesad, the Steepset. Either way, there are 45 quests to complete for the deed. This means you will pretty much need to complete every quest with the exception of "Raiders in Máttugard" as it is designated a fellowship quest. Make sure you collect both bounties - Barzglûk & Gurkug. Although many of your needs can be met at Steepset, it is important to note that Maegrind has the only task board. These tasks are set at level 140 and will give you an incredible amount of experience. The task items also net you 300 reputation a set of 10 with the main faction.

"Who among you has not known the fear of a bat's shriek in the darkness? It is a warning to quickly seek the safety of light and fire. But this is Gundabad, where the bats have owned these halls for a very long time!" - Bounty Board

Chapter 5: Each of Gundabad's chapters cater to a separate region. The fifth chapter specifically has you checking out what the dwarves are up to. You'll encounter a dwarf trying to repay his debt by checking out various troll hoards and stealing coins from goblins. You'll check-in with the scared apprentice you encountered right before venturing into the depths of Gundabad. There's also a few dwarves who are cleaning up mirrors so things can operate again in an orderly fashion.

"Bring him my first lesson: 'Get away from Deepscrave! You are not ready for such a place as that!'" - Trausti to Eskil Bloodthumb

Quests: There are many different ups-and-downs of this area. You'll encounter fascinating goblin bat-riders, cave-claw beasts that made a hole up in a corner, plenty of trolls that turned to stone by mirror traps, and lot's of creeping bugs to squish. Many of these foes you might have already encountered in The War of Three Peaks. There is also a wide-range of interesting dwarves to investigate with as you check in the activities of three different factions of interest: Angmarim, Frost-Horde, and Orcs. While the orcs are more wild in nature and camp within the ruins of old, those who side with Angmar are more mischievous in their actions. You'll find little bread crumbs of their influence with the obelisks impacting the wildlife, using their abilities in an attempt to control strong beasts, and persuade the nearby hob-goblins for their own agenda. Because of the vastness of the area, it will always be a good idea to take a moment looking up and beyond. The zone is very well-made with certain areas shining in the distance. Oh, and some dwarves have some narly mustaches.

"Have you come to bargain?" - Iron Crown Emissary from "Frost and Iron"

Restoring the Throne: At the top of the stairs of Steepset is a barren throne. You will gain the task to restore it with some miscellaneous items. However, it is very important to know that there are seven gem quests that you can obtain by completing the region's meta deed. I know this might be tough since this includes the slayer deeds as well. None of the instances (private, resource, public) or missions count towards these. Once you complete all of them, you will obtain a gem portrait frame. I will have an entirely separate blog post covering all of these gems. For the time being, know that they exist. The other thing you can do is restore the Plaque of the Moon. Each part of the riddle will reveal a location where a plaque will be located on a structure that looks like it has four legs. If you are having issues with the second riddle, know that it is located a hair south of Steepset before going down to the bottom level.

Plaque of the Moon
The words will strengthen all under the Three Peaks:
By night, the moon reflects in my waters.
The nobles walk by at all hours.
Each day, you converse around me.

2021-11-23