Outer Gondor
Outer Gondor
Melgobas:
The region of Anfalas was originally blocked off during the war. Now,
there is a simple wooden bridge that connects to the region. The level
143 & 144 regions of Corsairs of Umbar expansion had a lot of
miscellaneous stories scattered about in easily-missed locations. One
of the first camps is just south of the road as you enter the area with a
daughter caring for her mother. They ask you to get some meat from the
nearby oxes oxen, check some crab traps, and take on a
camp of corsairs by yourself... the usual. Night fell as I entered the
first town at the shore. I curiously found a child who wanted to play
hide-and-seek with me. After a quick game, he told me his sister grabbed
their father's knife and hasn't come back yet. Frantic, I searched and
found the woman frozen in fear standing just out of reach of a corsair's
camp. She told me her story of how they took their father away. A few
stabbings later, I found him chained up at the heart of the encampment
and reunited the family once again. I also fixed up some fishing nets,
dried some fish, and shooed away some hungry birds.
"She made me promise not to tell anyone. That sounds bad... right?" - Anoch
Anfalas: My goal was to reach Lond Cirion, but there must have been a full moon out with the number of crazy things happening on the way there. I chased down a madman who murdered someone in broad daylight the middle of the road. A woman said her cart was stolen and a trail of foul odor with the occasional viles on the ground helped me - with the assistance of my pet crab - to track down the man responsible. There was also a crazy man in a robe telling me that I needed to investigate a cursed child. When I found the woman in question, I had to chase off a weird bounty hunter. I had no choice but to stop Gerech the Addled from harming the lady. I found a replacement wheel for a broken wagon, helped clear the way for a lumber camp, and helped some elves get some supplies.
"Corsairs are harrying the shores. Animals are pestering our foragers!" - Anxious Woman
Lond Cirion: Thankfully, the nearby settlement provided me with a much more enjoyable experience. I got to ride the lift, make a picnic in a secret alleyway, and help get some bowls at The Brew and Bounty. Raephion even gave me some fish to feed the cats! We did manage to save a man from corsairs by the shore, and I got to watch Fred take on a giant crab. Things ended well.
"I'm tired Fred. You take over." - Resolina
Iaphel: Whether you do the quests before or after the events during the Epic doesn't really matter. Miruhir will still be there asking you take care of matters around the vineyard. He will want you to repair the fence so another sheep doesn't get drunk off the grapes again (as amusing as it was to watch the shepherd try and retrieve it), shoo off some pesky crows showing off their attitude as they fly away to come back another day, carry some planks, get rid of some pests, and deliver wine to his friend only to return with some garlic. Though, my route took a bit of detour when I got distracted by a man pushing a mine cart across the way and Derva asked me to take care of some wood trolls to the north. Eventually, I do make it back to Iaphel and as the quest states: he looks so happy after you complete his errands that he could hug you but doesn't because you are sweaty, he is sweaty, and despite his gratitude he doesn't know you that well.
The bird seems to say 'Curse you! I wasn't done eating!'
Ost Arndir: Lúmar, scout commander for the Knights of the Green Hills, informs you of Igerna hasn't reported in from her investigation of the goblin activity in the area. Let me tell you - there are plenty of goblins who decided to put up camp in a number of the farms. As you venture up the road, you meet an old woman who states that the scout went north near the caves. Resolina finds her knapsack up there shredded but still in one piece. When you report back to Ost Arndir, you lay out her contents on the table and find a written note mentioning how the goblins are going after "four legged, spotted dinners walking around." When you check in with Varbris, he tells you to slap the rumps of his cows to get them moving away from the goblins. I don't know which is worse - the attitude the cows give you after you motivate them to get going or the way the goblins shout out insults like how they like the smell of burnt woman. Igerna, wounded and stuck in a cage, has you find the key and use the nearby black powder to cover the tunnels they built through the mountain. After making a run for it back to town, Lumar sends knights to deal with the remaining goblins and a horse for Igerna.
"'Freedom! Thank you, my new friend. I have been trapped in there for days." - Igerna
Pinnath Gelin: Unfortunately, each farm has their own problems that aren't necessarily goblin-related. I stumbled across a brave man standing on top of a post trying to take on a dozen beetles, a half-drunk lady who wanted me to distract some bees away from the barrel of grape yeast with a pot of honey, and a couple who seemed really interested in obtaining some boar meat. One worried mother had me track down her brave daughter as she chased down turtles with her sword on an island in Nen Eilen lake.
"The first time I drew it I cut my thumb right badly on its edge and my sister named it Thumb-cleaver." - Dorach
Of course, we can't forget the crazy lady who hosted a fishing contest on the western bank of the lake. Madern went out of her way to put up banners, set up a point system, and even hosted a bonus round where you attempt to catch a legendary fish over by the scarecrow (since she ran out of banners). Instead of a competition, she turned it into a timed event.
"It's not the legendary fish, but it's big enough and funny to look at. That's worth a prize I think." - Madern