What are Bugans really?

[Brethwyn_EU]

I remember playing through the quests when Enedwaith first was released, and I remember my eyes went 'WHAT!?' when I read some of the quests concerning the Bugans... but I don't remember what caused my reaction.. so.. can you help me? not with remembering my thoughts, but explaining to me.. as best you can, what they really are, as I think there's some confusion to that, lore-wise...

Are they

* Hobbits corrupted into "half-goblins"
* Simply hobbit brigands
* Some other creature?

And..where do they come from?

[SixFootDwarf]

They look like Hobbits to me. I suppose if Smeagol could be corrupted they figured they could justify it.

[Roberto_the_First]

I thought they were goblin-things trying to imitate hobbits.

could be wrong.

[Salahn]

Bugan is Old Welsh for Hobgoblin, If I remeber the quests we found out they were goblin kin and not a forgoten race of Hobbits as 1st thought. Long time since I did the quests though, but pretty positive they are hobgoblins in game.

[ArtemisNoir]

Bugan is Old Welsh for Hobgoblin, If I remeber the quests we found out they were goblin kin and not a forgoten race of Hobbits as 1st thought. Long time since I did the quests though, but pretty positive they are hobgoblins in game.

I'm pretty sure this is true.
And given how closely the Enedwaith landscape resembles Wales in some places, that would also make a lot of sense.

[Brethwyn_EU]

Bugan is Old Welsh for Hobgoblin, If I remeber the quests we found out they were goblin kin and not a forgoten race of Hobbits as 1st thought. Long time since I did the quests though, but pretty positive they are hobgoblins in game.

Yeah.. that might be it. I think it's weird that they're goblin-kin because they live so close to the hobbits, and therefore would more naturally be hobbit brigands, breaking off from the others.

Maybe they are hobbits 'corrupting' into goblins? like elves were 'corrupted' into orcs..? because.. these bugans look more like hobbits than the other goblins we find in Middle-Earth!

[Hoppa_Joel]

Yeah.. that might be it. I think it's weird that they're goblin-kin because they live so close to the hobbits, and therefore would more naturally be hobbit brigands, breaking off from the others.

Maybe they are hobbits 'corrupting' into goblins? like elves were 'corrupted' into orcs..? because.. these bugans look more like hobbits than the other goblins we find in Middle-Earth!

Just the Underhillbillies a fuedin' with one another!

:P

I always wondered, if they were supposed to be corrupted Stoors, or if they were just goblins mimmicking them too.

[JRonnie]

Yeah.. that might be it. I think it's weird that they're goblin-kin because they live so close to the hobbits, and therefore would more naturally be hobbit brigands, breaking off from the others.

Maybe they are hobbits 'corrupting' into goblins? like elves were 'corrupted' into orcs..? because.. these bugans look more like hobbits than the other goblins we find in Middle-Earth!

Goblins are orcs in the actual lore. Tolkien quite often interchanged the words in his writings. In the game, goblin is used to describe the smaller breed of orcs. So no, goblins aren't 'corrrupted' hobbits. If you want an example of what a corrupted hobbit-like creature is, take a look at Gollum

As to the Bugans themselves, if I recall correctly, they are an isolated tribe of goblins who have taken on some of the characteristics of the local stoors such as the way they dress.

[Brethwyn_EU]

Goblins are orcs in the actual lore. Tolkien quite often interchanged the words in his writings. In the game, goblin is used to describe the smaller breed of orcs. So no, goblins aren't 'corrrupted' hobbits. If you want an example of what a corrupted hobbit-like creature is, take a look at Gollum

As to the Bugans themselves, if I recall correctly, they are an isolated tribe of goblins who have taken on some of the characteristics of the local stoors such as the way they dress.

So they are orcs with a sense of fashion.. hehe just gets weirder.. I know about Tolkien interchanging the terms, but I'm talking about the goblins in the game, not the orcs..

[ppinkham]

It's Turbine's way of making evil hobbits without actually making evil hobbits. We have evil elves (orcs), evil men, and evil dwarves. It was inevitable.

Personally, I want to know what the "pale folk" are.

[Hoppa_Joel]

Personally, I want to know what the "pale folk" are.

gnomes from WoW!
( sorry )

[tomcat211]

Hover your mouse over them and ther are identified as Orc-kind. Your orc slayers will glow around them. Finding out what they are and why they look that way is answered by doing the epic quest line. I won't give it away, but if you'll find someone is behind their existance and the reason they are there.

[Sarathaela]

It's Turbine's way of making evil hobbits without actually making evil hobbits. We have evil elves (orcs), evil men, and evil dwarves. It was inevitable.

Personally, I want to know what the "pale folk" are.

My first thought about the Pale-folk was "skinny men with dwarfism" >.<

[Deaphret]

Personally, I want to know what the "pale folk" are.

me going to the beach

[Oblique]

In my mind, Bugans are a mutant hybrid originally derived from an unfortunate merger that just "happened one night" after an annoyingly persistent hobbit telemarketer and an early morning door-to-door bible-thumping dwarf had a bit too much drink at the Inn League and/or Ale Association.

One thing lead to another and next thing ya know?...................Bugans !
Eeeeek!

(Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? )

[Herukhuti]

You're all wrong.

The ninja-Aussie on Turbine's staff, responsible for a number of Australian references and in-jokes in LotRO, simply substituted a "u" for the "o", rendering Bogans as Bugans.

Bogans are native to the outer suburbs of Melbourne. They traditionally wear an un-buttoned flanelette red- or blue-chequered shirt over a singlet, style their hair into mullets, smoke Winfield Blue (or Red), drink Victoria Bitter and get into brawls over whether or not holdens are better than Fords.

[Sarathaela]

You're all wrong.

The ninja-Aussie on Turbine's staff, responsible for a number of Australian references and in-jokes in LotRO, simply substituted a "u" for the "o", rendering Bogans as Bugans.

Bogans are native to the outer suburbs of Melbourne. They traditionally wear an un-buttoned flanelette red- or blue-chequered shirt over a singlet, style their hair into mullets, smoke Winfield Blue (or Red), drink Victoria Bitter and get into brawls over whether or not holdens are better than Fords.

I wonder who that could be....

[Berephon]

Bugan is Old Welsh for Hobgoblin, If I remeber the quests we found out they were goblin kin and not a forgoten race of Hobbits as 1st thought. Long time since I did the quests though, but pretty positive they are hobgoblins in game.

This. They are an outcast goblin-folk.

[Arachnella]

I have to say, I was somewhat shocked by the mayor's attitude to these "other hobbits".

At first he was all friendly and enlisted our help to establish a connection between the villages... but as soon as he heard that they were in fact goblins, his immediate reaction was "Kill them!!" even without any provocation from their side...

[Sarathaela]

The goblins were responsible for kidnapping a local hobbit from Maur Tulhau. They probably also killed (not too sure on this) a hobbit by crushing it to death with a boulder.

I'm not so sure if the kidnapping happened after the chief said "get friendly", and well, the theory about the hobbit-crushed-under-boulder thing is pure speculation.

Here's my theories:

• The mayor might've started to suspect the nearby Bugan village kidnapped the hobbit if he heard of a missing hobbit after he said that stuff, but, knowing hobbits, they might just blame the boars or the forest
• Hobbits have a natural enmity with goblins.
• The mayor is too reckless.
• The Mayor sent you as a spy and wouldn't tell you his true purposes.
• The mayor is paranoid.

Hobbits also have it in their blood to hate goblins, I'm sure

[Reillan]

Am I the only person who wants to meet some friendly Bugans?

[LordVoronturEU]

me going to the beach

Excellent!! 10 out of 10! /rep given

[Brethwyn_EU]

This. They are an outcast goblin-folk.

Thanks for answering, but cast out from where? And from who? I never seen goblins dress like hobbits before....

[brasswire12]

Am I the only person who wants to meet some friendly Bugans?

There is no such thing. in Middle Earth all Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Uruks, etc. are evil, twisted beings by their very nature. Humans can choose to do good or evil, they can fall and they can be redeemed. But the orcish races are evil at their core and are not capable of "good" nor of redemption. At best, they might do something that seems "nice" or that serves the greater good out of fear or selfishness.

[Radhruin_EU]

Thanks for answering, but cast out from where? And from who? I never seen goblins dress like hobbits before....

Cast out from some realm of fairy-tale, unaccountably landing in the middle of an epic fantasy. If Tolkien had gone with Plan A and written a straight sequel to The Hobbit, stuff like that would have fit right in. Except then we wouldn't be here discussing it...