Along the Paths of Middle-earth

[jeffm]

A view from the Orc Watch into Redhorn Lodes.

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One of several Emissaries Saruman has sent into the Mines to try to organize the goblins and orcs there. They hope to expel this new incursion of dwarves, and prepare for attacks on Lothlorien and even Rohan. Note the crude white hand symbol on his chest and forehead.

[jeffm]

This is a pic of the Bank or Vault at 21st Hall. Yes, those are gold pieces in stacks to either side of the vault-keeper in the back, but we can't pick them up. heh

[jeffm]

This is what the blade-beak diggers you've seen in Erid Luin, Trollshaws, Ram Duath and elsewhere turn into. Bigger and tougher with an earthquake that shakes your screen after they dig into dirt and solid rock. They are all over the Mines. And, the Second Hall has many that drop Extraordinary hides.

[jeffm]

Here is a shot of the Auction Hall at 21st Hall.

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One of the bosses in Eregion that you need to kill. He is on the trail of the Fellowship, and we just can't let him track them down.

[jeffm]

This is a side view of the Bridge of Khazad-dum taken from a south east vantage point.

[jeffm]

Another bridge pic. This time it's near the east arch, looking up towards the East Arch.

And, did you know there is a deed called In the Footsteps of the Fellowship? Among other locations, both arches of the destroyed bridge are needed. When the deed is completed, you get a nice title: Friend of the Fellowship. Well, I think it's nice as I'm a Tolkien fan.

[Gordrach]

I clicked on the link for your website in your signature and received the following error message:

CGI Error
The specified CGI application misbehaved by not returning a complete set of HTTP headers.

I received this error using both IE and FF.

Cheers!

[Hallatur]

I clicked on the link for your website in your signature and received the following error message:

CGI Error
The specified CGI application misbehaved by not returning a complete set of HTTP headers.

I received this error using both IE and FF.

Cheers!

We were performing maintenance today. The website is up and running as usual.

I believe for the best visual quality you should use FF, since it was built for that particular browser.

If you have any problems please feel free to send me a PM here.

[jeffm]

Gordrach, thanks for taking a look at us. I just check the website and it's up as per normal now.

And, going up on the East Arch and looking to the West towards Second Hall.

[jeffm]

This screenshot is from the East Arch, this time looking east towards the First Hall and the eastern exit from the mines.

[jeffm]

The 16th Hall is a fairly scary place, I think. I've only gone inside the entrance, as you see below.

[jeffm]

Orc: "In your face!"

Me: "Same to you, fella!"

[jeffm]

Here is another kind of orc. If you've gone through all my screenshots of Moria, you may have noticed how many different kinds of orcs and goblins the artists have created for Moria.

[jeffm]

Giant fungus of the Shadowed Refuge.

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The entry to the new Tumun-ghar Mining area in the Redhorn Lodes. This one definitely looks like the interior of a mine. Ore node spawns are nice. Good job devs, although I could wish for the monsters to not aggro through the walls. Also, if you are used to having your camera out a ways, you'll have to get used to moving the camera in. It's a bit tight in there. I have to add, though, that my pet never got stuck in there inspite of the tight quarters and stuff sitting around.

[jeffm]

These two orcs actually defeated my character while I was snapping screenshots. Oops

[jeffm]

One of the bosses that needs killing in Eregion on the Burnt Tor.

[jeffm]

I decided to share a second screenshot for today. Why? Because, my main character just got access to Lothlorien and then Caras Galadhon. And, since I'm an elf at heart, I've been looking forward to this since alpha test when I knew I was going to play this game. It's been 2 1/2 years since then, and I'm just really happy about how the devs have done Lothlorien.

Now, I'm not done with Moria and Eregion screenshots, but I really want to get started sharing my Lothlorien screenshots. I mean, after all the gloom in Moria, I'm happy to be in the sunshine again.

This one is of a Galadhrim Warden on Haldir's flet. If you don't know what a flet is go to The Encyclopedia of Arda at glyphweb.com, or other places. Talan Haldir is it's name and it's in Nimrodel and accessible while you are trying to do the two rep quests for arrows and filth. And, if you didn't pick up my implication that there are Galadhrim rep quests up there, I'll just say it bluntly.

So, here you go. I really liked the mask he is wearing. Devs, when are we going to get those?

[jeffm]

Just good-looking scenery on the road to Egladil.

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This is what you first see of Egladil, a small quest hub.

[jeffm]

Waterfront scene at Egladil: boat houses and boats on Nan Celebrant, near the confluence of the Celebrant and great Anduin. For some reason I really like this scene. Perhaps it's because...

There are two swan objects I've found so far in Caras Galadhon, this boat and a statue I'll be showing later. The Teleri, one of the three great families of elves which made the Great Journey, and from whom the Sindar and Silven elves descend, seem to have had a real love of swans. They settled in Valinor and named their city Alqualonde, meaning The Haven of the Swans or Swanhaven. Galadriel, of course, knew them. Thanks devs, for tying the stories together so subtly.

[jeffm]

In the previous pic, the Celebrant flows from the left of the picture to the right. In the far distance to the right, behind the boat houses there, you'll see a horizontal arch. That's a bridge that, in today's picture, my character is standing on.

Just above the plants on the edge of the bridge is grey color, that color is rough water in a turmoil, right where the Celebrant flows into the Anduin. My character is looking east, to the far bank of the Anduin. Beyond the trees you can barely see is the western edge of Greenwood the Great, also known as Mirkwood thanks to Sauron. Sauron's fortress of Dol Guldur is somewhere east of there, and Legolas' home of the Woodland Realm is a long way further to the northeast and across the river from where my character is standing.

[jeffm]

This shot is of the entry gate, lower right, into Caras Galadhon at night. For scale, notice the small figure just to the left of the gate in front of a planter wall. The mellyrn in the city are really huge.

You will need Friend standing with the Galadhrim to get into the city. In my experience so far, there are plenty of quests in Lothlorien so that there isn't the repeating of a couple of quests for reputation needed as there was in Nimrodel to get into Lothlorien itself.

There is also a milestone in there for mapping back. And a stable master. Crafting workstations are all Superior. There are no Forgemasters or Relicmasters in Caras Galadhon, perhaps this is an oversight by the devs?