Western King's Gondor
Introduction: As stated in the other article, Corsairs of Umbar might have been released on November 8th 2023 but a lot of the content wasn't released until much later. Unlike previous expansions where you had to wait 4 months for the offer of Lotro Points released, this time the content wasn't made available until May of 2024. However, an incident caused me to be stuck in a hospital for a week and about two months walking around like Captain Jack Sparrow. I decided to wait for the next Determine Your Discount to buy the content which finally happened November 7th 2024. The Reward Track shifted to a new season a week later.
Setting: To get into the mood, Resolina needed to get some changes made. She would become the Seaside Wanderer, be sporting the Mariner outfit from The Tale of the Shipwrecked Mariners, Zelda the grabby crab from delvings, and Faltharan's Steed from the Curator. On my back is my trusty driftwood in case I get stranded out at sea. The earliest level 141 quests in the expansion starts on the western side of Linhir (King's Gondor). With my bags empty and spitting a new hairstyle, I was ready to start on this new adventure... and then it started to rain.
Dor-en-Ernil: The regions through King's Gondor haven't changed much other than people trying to pick up the pieces after the war. After that excruciating encounter at the top of the lighthouse, you never would have thought there would be workers showing up one day to repair the destruction. The scholar from the Epic showed you want the beacon looked like from one of his old drawings. Things weren't getting done because the lumber supplies weren't being delivered and people were getting distracted by the "adorable creatures" as Camaen put it.
"Keep at it, boys!" - Resolina
Ringlo Vale: After the war, Dervorin returned home from Minas Tirith only to find that Dravron had ordered the lumber camp to stop operations. The stubborn man wouldn't resupply the kingdom until they paid him much more than what was owed. We checked the old books and records, but they only supported his claim on the land. However, we found that the tax collector did not have any business transactions on record. With the man cornered, folks from town were able to get back to work. We made sure to collect herbs and mark the trees too young to be chopped down. Curiously, one young tree thinks it knows better than its elders.
"Why do I already have my own axe? What kind of woman doesn't own an axe?" - Erthadis I stopped by a fisherman, took in the view from the beacon, and stumbled across a corsair camp. While the townsfolk might not have to worry about what lived in the tunnels anymore, there was still the ever-present spiders that took up residence by the entrance.
"Now, how shall I cook them? Maybe I'll fry them with chips?" - BrachaLamedon: There were plenty of activities happening over by Calembel. We stumbled across a stabbed person to which my pet crab followed the blood stains back to the murderer. She had proof that the man was bribed to have Candur escape prison that ended up killing her husband. We brought tonics to the wounded soldiers in the barracks.
"I don't suppose you brought any wine to wash it down with, did you?" - Wounded Soldier
Word must have gotten out about the giant rats down by the shores since a number of these places have cats all over the place. Old Grathir gives you some treats to hand out to the cats in Lothgobel. You learn a little more about them has you encounter them around town. Meanwhile, there is a lady who has you collecting eggs from chickens. They too seem to sport their own attitude when you search them.
"Oh how I wish those cats liked me. Their fur looks so soft and fluffy." - Old Grathir
There were a number of people hard at work who wanted me to assist them. Aradax was someone who was taking salvaged wood that wasn't any good to the townsfolk and crafting them into something useful. Mydil wanted me to go gather some wet clay and quartz to make some pottery. I was tasked to deliver some food to the workers out in the field.
"Oh, thank you. My stomach recently growled so loud I thought Orcs were attacking."
Do you remember Gladion from when you were traveling through the area during the war? Do you remember his brother Fuirion who wanted to leave home but fell to the corsairs? Limril remembers as she is the one who asks you to set the table the same way they've done before. They share a meal with you after running some errands around the house.
"We must do what we can to keep living no matter the family and the friends we have lost." - Limril
There was a lot going on around this town. There were worms, bog-lurkers, corsairs, and even drakes. But what surprised me the most was a little boy digging through a haystack. Little Pip was told by Vexed Meldis to search for a golden needle. He asked me to help but there clearly was some mischief afoot. I went over to ask Vexed Meldis about the truth of the matter. She apparently wanted to keep them busy and quiet doing a frivolous task. After telling Pip that there was no need to keep at it, he got the idea of showing her an actual needle. The supplier so happened to have a shiny needle that wasn't effective enough to use. After showing this to the deceptive old lady, she started digging into the haystack.
"There must be more in here, there simply must!" - Vexed Meldis
After doing a quick patrol around the area, I found a lady at the very top of the hill guarding the beacon. She wasn't too concerned about an impending attack but pointed out that there was some suspicious activity coming from across the water. After fighting through some bog-lurkers, picking up some lilies, and tearing down some banners, I found a small camp with a dying corsair and his pet dog. He didn't have much life left and handed me a whistle to find Kakhat a new home. The dog was brave in battle on my way back and took comfort next to the lady after giving her my report.
"Guarding the beacon doesn't sound like such a lonely task anymore" - Halnith
Edhelond: Last time I was over visiting the elf site, there were a bunch of corsairs roaming around looting things. Now, there were some elves that were frantically trying to make it into a garden. They could use some help pulling weeds and planting seeds.
"Breniriel does not quite believe my seeds will survive, but she has not stopped me." - Cellinth
Dol Amroth: The city full of swans was rather entertaining to visit once again. Lothiriel seemed to have a secret pleasure of hearing tales from other lands. She asked me to visit the library to pick up some books about Rohan and then wanted me to toss some coins in exchange for some songs from the harpers. Though, those weren't the only tales of the battlefield expressed that day. Some of the knights who came back from the war shared their own perspectives of what happened during the war.
"You come seeking books on Rohan's lords and ladies?" - Nosseth
There were a myriad of other tasks that had to be handled like a little girl who lost her ornate way-stone out by the shore. Honestly, it looked awfully like a giant compass to me. I made sure to dispose of any crates of fish that smelled... fishy. I chased down a man by the name of Yarlag who sabotaged the pins on the ship and made sure to replace them with some in better condition.
"That way-stone belonged to my great, great, great... well, a very long ago ancestor." - Nella
Blackroot Vale: Perhaps the hardest part of the job was visiting the towns around Morlad. In addition to losing two great men, some had lost their trust in the king after what happened throughout the valley. However, I did my best to bring concessions to their grief and help out in any way I could. I helped chase down a little girl who went up on a dare to touch the stone. There was a young apprentice who became overly anxious when he accidentally tipped over a mine cart full of ore. There were a couple of bounties to take down giant beasts. The woman was shocked to find me bringing her the spider legs like the board stated. The writing did not appear to be hers. Then there was a man who wanted me to grab "blue" from one of the nearby traps. It was his dog's favorite pet toy in the shape of a man. Of course, I just had to stop by Gordir and join him in a bit of fishing.
"I call his toy 'Blue' because... it is blue, and well, you'll understand." - Dirion
