Chapter 01: Unravelling the Thread

Epic - Book I: Stirrings in the Dark

NOTE: You do not have to have completed your Epic - Prologue quest series in order to take this series, but you do need to be a sufficient level to be given the quest. If you have not finished your racial Epic - Prologue and Foreward quests, then you may need to speak with Barliman Butterbur, inside The Prancing Pony (29.5s, 51.3w), before you speak with Strider.

If you do not know how to get to Strider, here are some Wren-friendly directions (Even better, a Brasse map): Stand just at the door, and face south. Walk south until you see some bags of flour (or something) to your right. There will be a hallway to the east, follow that to a room with a fireplace, and a hallway to the south. Go down that hallway, and then when you're at the foot of the stairs, turn right (facing north), and open the door to find Strider's room.

Strider has men watching a Blackwold camp, and based on their reports he feels this is where Amdir (what is left of him) has gone, as well as Skorgrim. Strider is ready to take you and your fellows to "make our move against the Blackwolds."

You will need help with this quest, but how much depends on your level and class. I believe this is do-able as a Guardian/Hunter level 16 duo, and it was a cake-walk with a 16 Guardian, 16 Hunter, 15 Hunter and a 14 Champion. Your mileage may vary.

STEPS:

1) Talk to Strider. When you speak with him, if you are ready to begin your journey, select "Travel Now". This brings you to an instance.

2) Talk to Strider. He wants to split up your group to look for Amdir; Torthann will go with your party.



3) Help Torthann enter the Blackwold camp. Lenglinn and Strider head off in one direction to look for another entrance, while you watch. Speak with Torthann to start the next step.

4) Defend Torthann as he searches for Amdir. You will follow Torthann (and believe me, he charges ahead like he's drunken several Red Bulls) and ensure he stays alive into the next area, called Ost Baranor. You will encounter several level 11 brigands, some solo, some in small groups. Many brigands that you see will not attack you, they appear to be filled with dread. Once you get to a gate, Torthann will stop for a rest break, and your quest will automatically update.

5) Discover what is causing the brigand's fear. Speak with Torthann to advance the quest, and defend Torthann as he searches for the evil in the brigands' camp. You will fight a few more brigands, and then watch a brief cinematic sequence where Skorgrim kills one of his minions and then flees. Then a Barrow-Wight, a level 11 Signature mob, comes up from the ground and attacks you, along with two level 10 Thrashing Barrow-Rats. Kill all of these, and Torthann stops for a rest at the next gate, though he fears "that foul dwarf is not the end of the evil here. The greatest evils may be behind this gate."

6) Speak with Torthann.

7) Defend Torthann as he searches for Amdir. You will head up many stairs, and at the top you will witness (during a cinematic sequence) a group of Nazgul in the midst of doing their evil work on Amdir. They finish transforming Amdir, and he calls himself "Cargul, servant of The Great Eye." The Nazgul leave, and they set Eogan, a level 12 Signature mob, on your party. After you slay Eogan, Amdir will rise (as a Cargul), and you'll need to kill him. Amdir has 1,188 morale, and is a level 12 Signature mob. After he is dead, your quest will update.



8) Speak with Torthann and select "Finish Now", then speak with him again and select "Travel Now". You will watch a cinematic intro, then be zoned to Torthann's Camp, southeast of Bree (34.7s, 45.9w).



9) Talk to Torthann. He tells you that Lenglinn has gone to the Shire, and Strider is back in Bree. You are to report back to Strider.

10) Talk to Strider, back in The Prancing Pony in Bree-town. He grieves for what happened to Amdir, and is concerned about the Nazgul heading into Bree-land.



11) After you speak with them and select "Finish Now", you get your coin reward, XP, either Hengaim, Menedgaim, or Cloak of Cardolan, and you will now be able to take the next quest, Chapter 2: To a Constable's Aid.



Special thanks go out to Wren for providing this quest writeup!
Wren has entered 612 LOTRO quests.