Frustrated in Ost Guruth

Ost Guruth will give you hope as to the existence of actual civilization in the Lone Lands. Here the Eglain have established a Ruin-hold near the Great East Road in the remains of the fortress. They and others have gathered to defend the surrounding area, scavenge local ruins, ply their trades, and simply to seek the security of numbers. This is also the home of the odd fellow Radagast The Brown.

I found dire tasks here where the risks were grave. The residents needed assistance with extreme dangers, vital tasks, and of course the assorted wild life population issues and miscellaneous errands.

This area is overrun with all sorts of dangerous creatures. Wargs, Spiders and vicious birds plague travelers and locals alike. Worse still are the hordes of foul undead in the swamps near the Ruin-hold, the massive trolls of Harloeg to the south and the grave robbing Dour Dwarves to the west.

Dealing with the various animal populations was as simple and time consuming as always. However, reducing there number helped secure the security of locals and wanderers alike which made the monotony worth wile.

The Dour Dwarves were another matter. These moraless traitors were difficult, but manageable in small numbers. They'd taken over the former Ruin-hold of the Eglain who never violate the sanctity of the dead. A code the Dour do not share. I fear that their dishonorable actions might be a contributing case of the strength and aggression of the ghastly horrors that wander Haragmar.

I made a number of forays into the death plagued swamps close to Ost Guruth. While I had some success at thinning their numbers the more powerful Wights in the ruins were nearly my undoing. I tried several approaches but in the end, I could not engage them in small enough numbers to be successful. I'll need to recruit others before I can hope to take them on successfully.

I ran into a similar problem in the South. The swamp was overrun by Bog Flys, Muck Crawlers and a host of other creatures. I found a small friendly encampment in some ruins. The folk here had not even begun to establish themselves when marauding trolls attacked, scattering their supplies to the wind. After tracking down the losts good for them I set out to take on these Trolls. The creatures were powerful and deadly. I managed to engage a single Troll which nearly cost me my life. After some rest I scouted around the outskirts of their encampment only to discover they were many, and mostly in groups of three or more. Much as I hated to do it I retreated, I'd need help if I was to engage these terrors.

Searching for Aric the Stone-speaker to the south I camp across another area of ruins over-run by the Undead. As with the swamp to the north the creatures on the edge of the ruins were manageable, but the deeper one goes, the stronger they become. I had to fall back, I could go no deeper on my own. Once again, I the Lone Lands had frustrated me.

I headed back to Ost Guruth in disgust. How would I manage these larger threats on my own? I'd made it my mission to protect townsfolk and secure their homes yet I continue to be thwarted by organized groups of dangers that cannot be eliminated alone. Much as I hate to admit it, I fear I need more than help, I need to find fellows whom I can count on. I have no desire to return to the Militia, but I see little choice at this point.

Once my repairs were complete and I'd gotten a meal and some rest in the Ruin-hold I learned of trouble in Trestlebridge in North Downs. Though there were still many hazards to be addressed here I decided to accept this request. I'd expected to travel through Bree on the way, allowing me to seek the council of Daisy Appledore. Yet in the blink of an eye I found myself in the village of Trestlebridge. Whatever strange power did this it appears to have had no ill effect. Perhaps once I've assisted in whatever issues plague the folk here I'll be able to visit Daisy in Bree to discuss my options.

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Forsaken Inn secure

Its been a hard road here at the Forsaken Inn. The locals had a host of needs and concerns to address and I had to deal with a great number of these minor concerns to gain their trust. I ran a number of errands back to Bree, cut down the populations of dangerous creatures and gathered materials for the locals as requested. I even ran a number of messages for them. Ultimately, the greatest threats I faced where those that put not just the Forsaken Inn, but Bree-land at risk, the large numbers of Goblins and the Orcs in the area, most of which bore the White Hand mark of Saruman.

There were a number of Goblin camps to the north of the Inn. Being scattered with low numbers of the creatures at each encampment dealing with them was a simple matter. The locals eventually told me of a larger encampment south of the Inn in the ruins of Ost Laden. This encampment required much more care and strategy to address.

Ost Laden was completely over-run with goblins. Additionally, there was a large number of wargs and spiders in the southern section. Stealth was key in order to deal with small numbers of White-Hand Goblins at a time without alerting the others. It took several forays into this area to clear the way to the main camp where Nishruk had his command post.

Nishruk had wisely surrounded himself with the elite of his Goblin warriors. Shock troops guarded the rope bridge that led to the camp and the skill of these beyond only increased. I penetrated the lower camp multiple times so that I might surveil Nishruk in the hopes of finding a path to him. If he could be eliminated the Goblins would be thrown in disarray and their progress against the surrounding townsfolk would be halted. But there was no safe avenue to reach him, he had covered every approach.

Knowing I could not reach him alone, I called on others for assistance. F orming a small fellowship we were able to overcome the defenses and put Nishruk down. He was a tough opponent and a solid strategist. With him and his elite core eliminated it will likely take months before Saruman will be able to find a suitable replacement and get them reorganized.

I took advantage of the turmoil and put down hundreds of Goblins over the next few days. This radical reduction in their numbers should elimate them as a threat for some time. Now it was time to turn my attention to the Orcs.

I found Orc encampments to the north of Weathertop. Using stealth and gile I was able to take down small pockets of Orcs without issue. Eventually I found the main camp. It had been wisely built so that there was only one way to approach it. The Orcs guarding the camp were spread between rope bridges allowing me to deal with small groups one at a time. I eventually penetrated deep enough to find War-Master Uzorr, the leader of the White-Hand Orcs in the Lone Lands. He was surprisingly easy to reach and dispatch. Uzorr was no Nishruk.

As with the Goblins I devoted several days following Uzorr's demise to thining the Orc population. Hundreds fell to my spear and the locals began to refer to me as "Champion of the Lone Lands".

With the end of the immediate Orc and Goblin threats, the folk at the Forsaken Inn were safe and had surprisingly little left for me to assist with. I decided it was time to move on and took the road east to Ost Guruth. I'd heard there were many threats facing the folk of Ost Guruth and that they were virtually surrounded by danger. I will see what, if anything I can do to assist them.

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