Fornost

Fornost
Region:	North Downs
Landmark(s):	Barad Eithel Barad Harn Barad Narthan Minas Erain
Levels:	Mainly 32 - 42

Fornost is an area within the North Downs in the north-western region.

This is an area and a large World Instance that is found north of the Fields of Fornost. The name is Sindarin for "Northern Fortress" and and it known as "Deadmen's Dike" among Men. Once this was a major Númenórean city, the last city of the Northern Kingdom to fall for the Witch-king of Angmar more than thousand years before the current era of Lotro. Until recently these ruins were covered with grass, but recently Fornost was overrun by all sorts of creatures from Angmar; what are they seeking and what fuels their terror?

The area north of the Fields of Fornost, outside of the instance, is unofficially called Fornost City and several quests take place there. Other quests require access into the instance. Outside its is found a Camp Site Fire. The nearest stable-masters are in Amon Raith and Trestlebridge.

Notice: Non-VIP accounts must purchase the Quest Pack:North Downs to access the instance.

Services

• Camp Site Fire - Mustering Horn ^{[6.1S, 55.3W]}

Landmarks

These landmarks (dungeons) are located inside the instance:

• Barad Eithel
• Barad Harn
• Barad Narthan
• Minas Erain

Quests

All quests are Fellowship
Starting:

• [36] Oakheart's Flight

Involving:
Most quests are given at the Free Peoples' Camp

• [6] Instance: Free Range - Session Play
• [32] Eliminating the Beasts
• [33] Pre-emptive Measures
• [33] Rock-worms
• [34] Seeking the Source
• [35] Ending the Elder
• [36] The Forgotten Company
• [37] Fell the Trolls
• [39] Stem the Invasion
• [39] A Leader Unveiled
• [40] Free the Fallen
• [41] Captain Riamul
• [41] A Collar for the King
• [41] Putting Down the Dead
• [42] The Darkness Within

NPCs

• Sara Oakheart

Mobs

The following creatures are found within this area: Fornost Mobs.

Bosses

Level	Name	Difficulty	Species	Dread	Morale	Location
36	Warchief Búrzghâsh	Elite Master	Orc-kind	0	19,000
36	Zhurmat	Elite Master	Orc-kind	0	12,500	Barad Harn
37	Gurkâmâb	Elite Master	Troll-kind	0	20,000
37	Megoriath	Elite Master	The Unseen	2	22,000	Barad Eithel
38	Rhavameldir	Elite Master	The Unseen	3	21,000	Barad Harn
38	Zanthrug	Elite Master	Orc-kind	0	23,500
39	Shiruk and Kamordî	Elite Master	Orc-kind	0	2 x 14,000
40	Brogadan	Elite Master	The Unseen	4	25,000	Barad Narthan
40	Riamul	Elite Master	The Dead	2	22,500	Minas Erain
41	Krithmog	Elite Master	Beast	1	23,500	Minas Erain
41	Einiora	Elite Master	Man	0	23,000	Minas Erain
42	Remmenaeg	Nemesis	The Unseen	6	32,500	Minas Erain

Instance Overview

The instance is 2 or 3 hours; there is a key that has a shortcut, making it about 2 hours (without any wipes it will be quicker). The key is not instance specific so if it is acquired part 3 may be done another day.

Map: Dynamic map with path and key locations: lorebook

Wraith of Water

Notice: Skeletons throughout this area count towards a quest.

The beginning is in an area of orcs. One battle is unavoidable in order to proceed, but the rest are optional.

• Climb the stairs to 4 Blogmal raiders and defeat them.
• The next area is similar.
• Then comes an area with "Pen doors".
• Zhurmat --- he will heal and summon more goblins.
• A door will open to reveal Sara Oakheart.
• Proceed in a quest to help Sarah -- if that is done she will open the pen doors mentioned earlier.
  • The first pen door contains a lot of birds.
  • The second pen door has men and dwarf prisoners, and a ranger prisoner. Orcs spawn suddenly to slaughter the prisoners.
    • The main mission is to protect Sara at all costs, not to kill off the orcs.
  • Sara opens a pen door containing monsters.
  • Sara opens another door containing elves.
  • Sara opens the final door which has more monsters.
  • Eventually Sarah runs toward the exit. The quest will complete and she will fade out just before a pair of uruk bosses.
  • Shiruk and Kamordî.

Return to Zhurmat's gate, and cross into the flooded courtyard.

• The water in this area "silences" you, i.e. disables any cry abilities, hence avoid water and walk the patches of land.
• These ghosts are green and blue: green for melee, and blue for ranged.
• Fight towards Barad Eithel, the first tower.
• Defeat ghosts and proceed to the next chamber which contains the first bosses.
  • Megoriath --- no challenge for a complete fellowship; he drops a morgul hilt.

Wraith of Earth

• Warchief Búrzghâsh --- he has some goblin and orc allies, 2 goblins will attack at a time.
  • The orc re-spawns every time killed until Burzgash is defeated, thus he is better stunned.
  • Burzgash joins the fight when only 2 goblins are left --- he should be no problem.
• Proceed to the troll and goblin area.
  • Kill the goblins in the following area for reputation points. Encounter next boss...
  • Gurkâmâb --- he should be no problem.
• Continue to the second tower.
  • The mission is to trigger the three switches.
  • Once the three levers are pulled the gate opens: kill goblins.
  • Kill more trolls and goblins.
  • At the next floor is the boss of the tower:
  • Rhavameldir --- he summons trolls gradually.
  • Go south to where the first summoned troll was blocking, find a door.
  • Leave the area through this door.

Wraith of Fire

There are three ways to choose but they all lead to the same place.

• Riamul --- stick together and try to defeat him, or cave in.
• To the left is a three door chamber:
  • Clear out the area but do not aggro both orc groups.
  • Zanthrug is summoned by putting a fallen Uruks mail shirt on a shrine.
  • He will summon adds and then attack.
• Go left and the tower is just ahead.
• At this point, to the right leads to a bunch of orcs and goblins, and then shades.
  • Eventually this is a dead end unless you have the west gate key.
• Rather, turn to the left and pass through an area of orcs.
• Next, it is possible to go left but go forward.
  • There is a camp of three orcs, also some shades, and some bone piles.
• Go into the tower (Barad Narthan) and fight through countless orcs, avoid aggroing more than one group at a time.
• Arrive to the next boss:
  • Brogadan --- he uses fire attacks body; he drops the desired west gate key.

If you wipe after defeating and looting Brogadan, just go to the hillside in part one and open the door to part two. Go up and east to the final tower of part two. At Brogadan's room open the the newly seen door and proceed to...

Wraith of Shadow

The final part is more of fighting your way through even tougher monsters. Notice that you do not have to kill off neither Riamul nor Krithmog to advance to the end, but they are a good test. Most quests are doable without touching these bosses.

• Krithmog --- he is down in the basement with a bunch of wargs and ... a secret way out.
• Proceed along to the final tower, which actually is on the second floor.
• Be careful at the third floor, it consists of an inner and an outer ring:
  • The outside ring is patrolled by monsters --- pull them outwards to avoid aggroing the others.
  • Opening the doors will unleash a trap with quite easy bats.
• The fourth floor is generic.
• At the fifth floor...
  • Einiora sends her barghests to attack.
    • One barghest is vulnerable but two are invincible until the one is defeated.
    • Then one remains invincible until the other is defeated.
    • Then kill the last barghest.
    • Now Einoria attacks and summons some adds.
    • If you manage to defeat her then you may proceed...
• Proceed to the roof of the last tower.
  • Remmenaeg --- he is the last boss.
  • The one of your fellowship who has the brazier flints from Einoria is officially important.
  • Remmenaeg is constantly healing himself until all three braziers are lit.
    • The braziers are to the left, to the right, and behind him. Tentatively...
    • First light the one behind him, it summons nothing.
    • Second, light the right brazier, it summons bats.
    • Finally, light the left brazier, it summons ghosts.
    • It is important for the brazier person to wait for the fellowship to clear out the adds before lighting more flints.
    • If the adds are cleared, and the healers are still around: Congrats, you are almost done...

Maps

Lore

Shorter version

Fornost flourished as the last capital of the fallen North Kingdom until it was destroyed by the Witch-king of Angmar. A year later Earnur, last king of Gondor, along with Glorfindel and forces from Rivendell, defeated the Witch-king and drove his forces off. However, the city soon fell into decay and ruin. For roughly a thousand years now, it has become the haunt of orcs and fell things, and men call it "Deadman's Dike".

Longer version

Located in the north-west of the North Downs, where the Greenway leads stands the city of Fornost, broken long ago by the armies of Angmar. It once served as the seat of kings. When it fell, so did the North Kingdom of the Dúnedain - Arnor.

Arnor was the northern kingdom of the noble-blooded Dúnedain, founded late in the Second Age by Elendil, who later died at the hands of Sauron. (It was Elendil’s son, Isildur, who cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand at the end of the Second Age.) In those days, the capital of Arnor sat in the city of Annúminas] on Lake Evendim, west of the North Downs.

Generations later, in a dispute over succession, Arnor was broken into three realms, and the North Downs became the dominion of a new kingdom called Arthedain. Amlaith — the first king of Arthedain, and a direct descendant of Isildur and Elendil — made Fornost his capital.

For more than eleven hundred years, the Dúnedain kings of Arthedain ruled from Fornost. It was a king of Arthedain that bestowed the lands of the Shire to Hobbits from Bree. The Hobbits called Fornost the “King’s Norbury,” a translation of the city’s formal Elvish title of Fornost Erain (literally, “northern fortress of kings”). The folk of the North Downs use all these names today. Some Men also call the lands of Fornost “the Deadman’s Dike,” for today the city and its fields are a bleak ruin.

Almost a thousand years ago, the hordes of Angmar swept across Nan Amlug and overran Fornost as part of the Witch-king’s stratagem to conquer the North Kingdom. The city fell. (Some say that traitors bewitched by Amarthiel — a champion of Angmar — betrayed the proud city from within.) Routed Dúnedain lords fled the land. The then-king of Arthedain, now called Arvedui Last-king, escaped to the frozen north but was lost at sea. So ended the kingdom of Arthedain.

The Witch-king held the city of Fornost for a year, until an army made of Men from Gondor under Earnur, the last king of Gondor, along with Elves from Lindon and Rivendell, and rallied remnants of the northern Dúnedain, arrived on the Fields of Fornost. The battle that followed ravaged the land and destroyed the army of Angmar. The Witch-king fled east to Carn Dûm, but his mark forever stained Fornost and its fields.

The ruined city of Fornost seems forever blighted by the treachery and brutality of its defeat. Once a place of kings, it is now befouled by Orcs and haunted by Oathbreakers and fell spirits. Do not venture here alone. -- [1]

Gallery

Settlements and Landmarks of Fornost
Settlements:
Landmarks:	Barad Eithel • Barad Harn • Barad Narthan • Minas Erain