Is Earth-kin (Jorkyn) qualified as a playable race?

[danquanngaytho]

Firstly, like High Elf is an additional race of Elf and Beorning is a branch of Rohirrim, Wose or Drúedain is counted amongst the Edain. They are a potential playable race for us in the future for the following reasons:
- Size: Their sizes are as same as Dwarves so the scaling issue is not a problem.
- Free people: They aided Rohirrim in the Battle of Pelenor Field by guiding them through the safe path and fighting with orcs in Book III: Return of the King.
- Lore-friendly: Elves love them and other races of Men respect or fear them since First Age through Third Age. SSG also added them in game as NPCs in Far Anorien
Because they are Wild Men of the Woods and they use poison arrows, Woses can be played as a Hunter and Lore Masters.



Secondly, Ents and Huorns are definitely lore friendly because they are mentioned directly in the books. However, the stubborn problem for this race may be their sizes.
Obviously, Ents could not be the same size with human, but Huorns can be. From the books, the Ents cared and tended for the Huorns in the Second and Third Age, so Huorns may be younger and smaller. Moreover, in the Battle of Hornburg, under the direction of the Ents, Huorns wiped out legions of orcs swiftly and effectively. With a smaller size, they can move a little bit faster than the Ents. In addition, the Ents are looking for their Entwives, so this is the best reason to sent out the Huorns into Middle Earth to adventure and gather information about the Entwives.
From their nature, Huorns can be Minstrel and Burglar (because they are quiet and watchful in shadow).



Thirdly, Earth-kin race is a branch of giants in the Misty Mountains who live peacefully as hunters and shepherds. Although they are not mentioned directly in the lore of LOTR but in the Hobbit, Gandalf said that he hoped some decent giants could block the entrance of the goblin town so their company could travel safely.
Moreover, in LOTRO, some of Earth-kin are considered as Free People of Middle-Earth, especially in North Down, Lone Lands, and Angmar.
Based on their origins and habits, Earth-kin or Half-giant race can play as a Hunter, Champion, and Minstrel.


In conclusion, a Wose, Huorn, or Earth-kin playable race may give some fresh air for LOTRO in the future. It is worth to give Woses, Huorns, and Earth-kin a try in LOTRO for the next 5-10 years.


Thank you for your time.

[tuor66]

I expect they can't fit inside a Hobbit building without their heads going through the roof. Also standard horses would be too small and all the items we equip will need a new XXXL size. More importantly, why do this? If it doesn't bring something unique, but not OP to the game, I expect the novelty would wear off quickly.

[djheydt]

Earth-kin race is a branch of giants in the Misty Mountains who live peacefully as hunters and shepherds.

Well, it depends on which Earth-kin you're talking about. In Kingsfell, the Suuri-lehma are peaceful hunters; but their close cousins the Rauta-lehma are working for Angmar.
Those living in the Tornstones in the Lone-lands are labeled Earth-kin, but they call themselves Jorthkin ... and they are labeled "Giant-kind", but one of them lets drop the hint that they may be related to Dwarves. (I don't know where Turbine got that idea ... out of thin air, perhaps.) And they have names that are reminiscent of those used by the Lossoth of Forochel (which is to say, they resemble Finnish.)

I haven't seen any Earth-kin in Angmar; where did you find them?

All that having been said, I can't see them as a playable race. We know nothing about them, except that they seem to be living on the verge of extinction. And they don't resemble the Giants in the Misty Mountains at all. Men and Gorillas look more similar to one another.

[Urwendil]

I haven't seen any Earth-kin in Angmar; where did you find them?

The very first settlement and quest hub as you enter from Ram Dúath.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

I haven't seen any Earth-kin in Angmar; where did you find them?

Theres deed Vilages of the Earth-Kin https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/The..._the_Earth-kin and one of the villages is Lehmä-koti in Angmar at Ram Dúath

[Wolfhelm]

If we're going to play as giants, don't mess around, I want to be one of those real giants in Giant Valley in the Trollshaws. Seeing as how regular mounts will be too small for us we should be able to ride those mountain-drakes which inhabit that valley.

If you're gonna dream, dream big I always say

[Radhruin_EU]

Earth-kin race is a branch of giants in the Misty Mountains who live peacefully as hunters and shepherds. Although they are not mentioned directly in the lore of LOTR but in the Hobbit, Gandalf said that he hoped some decent giants could block the entrance of the goblin town so their company could travel safely.
Moreover, in LOTRO, some of Earth-kin are considered as Free People of Middle-Earth, especially in North Down, Lone Lands, and Angmar.
A Earth-kin or Half-giant playable race may give some fresh air for LOTRO in the future. Based on their origins and habits, Earth-kin or Half-giant race can play as a Hunter or Champion.

They're not in LOTR because Tolkien quietly left them out (which is why they're not mentioned in the rhyme Treebeard quotes listing the free peoples). Same as you won't find any mention of giants in the Silmarillion, either. Basically the Ents are the 'giants' in LOTR. As well as that, when the Fellowship are trying to cross the Misty Mountains there's some sort of malign presence about Caradhras which is implied to be the malice of the mountain itself towards 'those who go on two legs', and which could easily have given rise to tales of evil giants without any need for real ones. Of course that's too subtle for the game as it needs every mob it can either get or invent, so we get literal giants.

The Hobbit was originally written as a stand-alone story for kids so it's got some fairy-tale elements to it, which are nowhere to be seen in LOTR because that was Tolkien switching to being serious and writing for an adult audience. Giants are a bit too "Fee-fi-fo-fum" (quaintly folkloric) for a serious story.

As regards playability, the Earth-kin are not only too damn big but it'd be really 'off' to have a completely invented race being fully playable rather than only existing here and there as NPCs.

[Nymphonic]

Would not work gameplay wise because of their height, like clipping the images of ceilings inside buildings and such.

[Milii]

As far as I know, no game has playable giants. EQ had Barbarians which were large, but no where near the point of being a giant. The entire issue would cause all kinds of problems from a technical/graphic view, as well. It would not just be Hobbit Holes that would have head-in-ceiling problems but many caves and even human buildings, as well.
I just do not see how this is a doable idea, like flying mounts, in this game (or any game that was not designed for the race from day one).

[Fealhach]

There are a number of practicality issues here that would prevent the Earth-kin or other Giant-kind from being a viable and realistic option for a playable race option. Coupled with the fact that the Earth-kin in game are basically an invented race I do not see these being introduced ahead of other more suitable race options. That said, I would like to see more Earth-kin content in game and expand on what little we already know about these peoples in the context of the game world.

Good luck with your suggestion.

Cheers

[djheydt]

As far as I know, no game has playable giants. EQ had Barbarians which were large, but no where near the point of being a giant. The entire issue would cause all kinds of problems from a technical/graphic view, as well. It would not just be Hobbit Holes that would have head-in-ceiling problems but many caves and even human buildings, as well.

Good point! Note that both the Jorthkyn and the Giants live *outdoors.*

[Nymphonic]

There are a number of practicality issues here that would prevent the Earth-kin or other Giant-kind from being a viable and realistic option for a playable race option. Coupled with the fact that the Earth-kin in game are basically an invented race I do not see these being introduced ahead of other more suitable race options. That said, I would like to see more Earth-kin content in game and expand on what little we already know about these peoples in the context of the game world.

Good luck with your suggestion.

Cheers

This I would not mind at all, seeing more content with a more in-depth history of the Earth-kin. In fact, I would enjoy it.

[OldMadeOfLions]

seeing more content with a more in-depth history of the Earth-kin. In fact, I would enjoy it.

You might have seen this already, but if you play the opening chapters of the Black Book of Mordor as a Lore-master, you get some additional information about the Earth-kin.

MoL

[djheydt]

You might have seen this already, but if you play the opening chapters of the Black Book of Mordor as a Lore-master, you get some additional information about the Earth-kin.

MoL

Ooooh. I don't remember that, but ... my LM has the first volume sitting in her housing chest. I'll haul it out and listen to it again.

I wish we could read those books as text. I did see each page's text as it dropped, but since they're out of sequence they don't really register. And I can read so much faster than anybody can talk, unless you count those guys who recite, ultra-fast, the words at the end of the commercial that are the equivalent of the fine print they're legally required to include but don't really want you to read.

... too late to fix that now, I suppose.

[Aedfrith]

A Jorthkyn is one of my favourite NPCs. Eetu, just grooving with his drum.

[OldMadeOfLions]

Ooooh. I don't remember that, but ... my LM has the first volume sitting in her housing chest. I'll haul it out and listen to it again.

Nope, not those! The Black Book of Mordor quests (involving a Corrupted Heirloom).

MoL

[Altair6]

Ooooh. I don't remember that, but ... my LM has the first volume sitting in her housing chest. I'll haul it out and listen to it again.

I wish we could read those books as text.

You do get them as text. When you collect them all in an area you get the audio version for your house and a text version with them all in order. The first one is called "Copy of the lost lore of Talath Urui".

[djheydt]

You do get them as text. When you collect them all in an area you get the audio version for your house and a text version with them all in order. The first one is called "Copy of the lost lore of Talath Urui".

I don't think I got that. I have three books now, only in audio. I have to slot them in a space in my house and click on them, and then I hear the narrator. How do I get the readable versions?

[djheydt]

Nope, not those! The Black Book of Mordor quests (involving a Corrupted Heirloom).

MoL

Ah. When do I get to that? (Keeping in mind that I haven't figured out how to get through Talath Urui yet.)

[Valamar]

I wish we could read those books as text. I did see each page's text as it dropped, but since they're out of sequence they don't really register. And I can read so much faster than anybody can talk,

Check out the WIKI -- for the Lore Master version: Heirloom of the Earth-Kin
https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Quest:Chapter_2.1:_Heirloom_of _the_Earth-Kin

https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/The_Black_Book_of_Mordor


The "History of Gorgoroth" is a deed which serves as an index to the individual "Lost Lore" quests.

Read the Walkthrough and Notes section of each quest for details and https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Audio_Journals for the complete texts.

[Altair6]

I don't think I got that. I have three books now, only in audio. I have to slot them in a space in my house and click on them, and then I hear the narrator. How do I get the readable versions?

Mine just came with the audio version - I got both items in my bag when I collected the last page for the area.

[djheydt]

Mine just came with the audio version - I got both items in my bag when I collected the last page for the area.

For which area? For Udun (locus of the first book), or all of Mordor?

I've now got the Udun, Dol Amarth, and Lhingris books, all in audio form. I never got any readable text. Should I /bug this, or do I have to finish all five regions of Mordor (which will take Quite Some Time)?

Valamar, I just saw your post; I'll look up your link, and thanks.

Edit: Oh. I've done that quest, actually. It was long enough ago that I'd forgotten it (whh and I have been going through Mordor very slowly.) It was nice to read the readthrough, and remember it.

And yes, it sort-of-kind-of explains the relationship between Jorthkyn and Dwarves.

Thanks again.

[Altair6]

For which area? For Udun (locus of the first book), or all of Mordor?

I've now got the Udun, Dol Amarth, and Lhingris books, all in audio form. I never got any readable text. Should I /bug this, or do I have to finish all five regions of Mordor (which will take Quite Some Time)?

One for each area. They are quest rewards same as the audio version. Check your quest log if you have one in progress (or a finished one if not) and you will see the rewards are, for example, Copy of Lost Lore:Udun (the text version) and Lost Lore:Udun (the audio version) along with some other stuff.

[djheydt]

One for each area. They are quest rewards same as the audio version. Check your quest log if you have one in progress (or a finished one if not) and you will see the rewards are, for example, Copy of Lost Lore:Udun (the text version) and Lost Lore:Udun (the audio version) along with some other stuff.

Yes; the (finished) quest log says I receive increased rep, LI experience, steed experience, Silver Signets, Copy of Lost Lore: Udun (the icon looks like a piece of parchment), Lost Lore: Udun (the audiobook), and a Well-preserved Relic of the Last Alliance. That's what the quest log SAYS. And I got all those items *except* the Copy of Lost Lore: Udun. I don't have it, I never got it.

Similarly, I got all the other items for Gorgoroth and Lhingris. But no text item. Not in my packs, not in my Vault, not even in the chest in my house. I don't have them; I never got them.

So should I /bug this? Or what?

Edit: I just asked my husband, whheydt, if he ever got a document. He says his main never did. But one of his alts just completed Udun and *he* got a document. "Perhaps it's something they've added recently."

Can anybody comment on that? Have others been getting readable texts on completing a book since Mordor launched in August (I know there are super-players who went through Udun in twenty-four hours, because they always consume content that fast)? or only recently?

(I want readable text, dammit. Listening to people read text aloud is too [adverb] slow.)

[danquanngaytho]

I'm ecstatic that everyone is interested in my idea with different perspectives.

Although a playable giant race may be impossible until now, I guess SST will cheer us up with new class/race in the future.

Thank you.