Forochel
From Lotro-Wiki.com
Forochel is a region that was introduced with Book 13 - Doom of the Last-king. It is a massive expanse of snow and ice found north of Evendim, and is inhabited by the Lossoth. It is aimed at providing a "mostly solo experience" for players between level 44 and 50.
Contents |
Locations
Regions
Villages/Towns/Camps
- Kauppa-kohta (3.2N, 58.0W)
- Pynti-peldot (11.4N, 69.7W)
- Zigilgund (9.5N, 81.1W)
- Kuru-leiri (19.5N, 83.8W)
- Jänis-leiri (7.5N, 75.5W)
- Sûri-kylä (19.6N, 71.4W) (main Lossoth settlement)
More Points of Interest
- Hylje-leiri (18.2N, 81.3W)
- Karhu-leiri (12.9N, 66.3W)
- Korkea-järvi (2.9N, 58.9W)
- Tûli-mäit (0.7S, 59.8W)
- Jä-reitti (8.0N, 66.4W)
- Norsu-hauta (8.0N, 80.8W)
- Icereave Mines (8.9N, 81.9W)
- Barad Gaurhoth (12.0N, 82.8W)
- Jotunstath (15.0N, 87.0W)
- Kibilzahar (20.2N, 85.0W)
Map
Lore
Forochel — the bleak and long-unreachable land of the Ice Bay, where Arvedui the Last King of Arthedain, fled and later perished after the fall of his noble capital of Fornost.
Forochel — realm of the mysterious and reclusive Snow-men called the Lossoth, who have survived thousands of years of isolation and peril so near to the ancient realm of the Dark Lord’s greatest captain, the Witch-king of Angmar.
Forochel — the uttermost edge of civilized Middle-earth, a smothering white wasteland at the shore of a sea blocked by floating ice, unseen by the folk of the South for generations.
Forochel is a new frontier for the Free Peoples in the war against the Shadow in the North, accessible via the road north from Ost Forod in Evendim. Its harsh environment and fierce creatures can thrash characters leveled into the middle and late 40s. Even the elk and the water here can be a threat to experienced travelers. But this is also where the epic quests of Book XIII in Volume I: Shadows of Angmar — a tale of sea-monsters, ghostly kings, and desperate survival—finally unfold.
Thus your journey here is not just a test of your mettle or survival skills, but a mission to secure the survival of all Eriador against the looming Shadow out of Angmar.
Travelers from the south may find the wooded marches of Taur Orthon harsh but not so peculiar. Once across the glacier field of Jä-kuru, however, the lay of Forochel is dominated by frozen hills and the impassable Ice Bay, terrain altogether unlike that found in any other region of Middle-earth.
Even here, on the edge of Middle-earth, where the waters of the Great Sea are cold enough to kill and the memory of ancient evil lingers like a chill in the bones, the race of Man endures. Since the days of the First Age, a rare breed of Men has eked out a separate survival against the elements and without the influence of the nearby Enemy in Angmar. Once, they were the many tribes of the Forodwaith (literally, “North-people”). Now it seems that only the Lossoth remain.
The history of the Lossoth is both long and short. Though their ancestors have dwelled in Middle-earth through the three ages of the world, the quest for daily survival in this hostile land dominates the tale of this people.
It says something about the Lossoth that they’ve built their greatest settlement, Sûri-kylä, as far from the rest of Middle-earth as they could reach, backed up against impassable mountains on the shore of a deadly sea. The Lossoth live far apart from southern Men in not only distance but custom. They skate across the ice on bone-bladed shoes and go about on carts without wheels. They wear bone and ivory jewellery, weave hardy and luxurious fabrics, and craft powerful weapons—yet they build no castles or cities of stone. They dwell in houses of shaped ice held up by rare and precious timbers or enormous cut tusks.
Now that the Gate of the North has been reopened at Cirith Rhîw, on the border of Evendim and Forochel, and the road to Taur Orthon is open again, adventurers and ambassadors from Eriador can forge new alliances with the Lossoth. They are shy and wary folk, to be sure, and while they’re slow to share the secrets of the crafts that keep them alive, they are merciful and welcoming to respectful travelers who are often unprepared for life near the Ice Bay. Forochel is too harsh a land for its people to refuse honest help and able swords. Aid the Lossoth, and they’ll aid you.
The stoic Lossoth have a deep understanding of the wilds where they dwell. It’s their plight to tread the narrow path between predator and prey, every day.
Many Lossoth speak the common tongue, Westron, which they have passed down from ancient times when the folk of Arnor and Arthedain traded with them along the road from Evendim. But the Lossoth often mix in words from their own language, especially when referring to the beasts of Forochel, which they consider distinct from their southern cousins.
Here is a short primer on the beasts of Forochel, so you’ll know what the Lossoth may ask you to hunt: • a Norsu is a Mammoth • a Kilpa-kita is a sabre-toothed lion • a Peikko is a white-furred Snow-beast • a Susi is a white wolf
Earn the friendship of the Lossoth, and they may reward you with precious cold-weather gear made using the ancient techniques of their revered craftspeople.
Adventurers from the south gather in Forochel’s settlements to plan their strikes against the invading forces of Angmar and the plundering turncoats of the Dourhand family. Amidst the Lossoth icehouses, aglow from fires within, thoughts turn to the pressing quests and noble deeds that will decide the fate of the region.
But between the warm fires of friendly settlements and the cold steel of hostile blades stretches a grim and dangerous wilderness of blinding blizzards and brittle cold. Before you can storm the enemy keeps and strike a blow against the Angmarim, you must learn to navigate the land and survive the wilds.
Forochel is a brutal and merciless land, hostile to Free Folk and the agents of the Enemy alike. Fierce creatures rule beneath a sky both dark and bright.
Forochel can be bright and brutal by day, gleaming with sunlit ice and stalked by tusked lions determined to catch whatever prey the winter land affords. Beneath an evening sky, with the snow shining and falling like stars against the eerie aurora, Forochel reveals a beauty unlike anything else in Middle-earth—but it is no less dangerous. The northern lights do not dissuade the Shadow from Angmar.
It’s easy to get turned around on the icy fields of Forochel and wander into the territory of fearsome bears and strange, furry frost-worms. When not on the hunt, stick to the Lossoth trails which run in a horseshoe-shape around the Ice Bay from Zigilgund in the west all the way to the city of Sûri-kylä in the north. Watch for arches of crossed tusks and banner-walls of bone and flapping hides. The Lossoth leave these to mark the road in even the deepest snow. Numerous small camps stand along the roadside and offer respite from the cold.
Do not test the waters of the Ice Bay. The fish it gives up to the anglers on the ice sheets north of Itä-mâ are the limit of its mercy to the living. The bay itself is cold enough to rout the bravest explorer.
The creatures that dwell in Forochel year-round claim and defend every edge they have for survival. Even the Ice-giants, who now seem to be as much ice as giant, must dwell near steaming fissures to withstand the relentless cold on the tundra of Talvi-mûri. [1]
Trivia
Forochel is referral for country called Finland, one of the countries of northern Europe. Many of the names are actually Finnish. For example Jänis-leiri means Rabbit-camp, Korkea-järvi means High-lake and Talvi-múri means Winter-wall, though there is no letter "ú" in Finnish language, but the letter means that "u", actually "u" two times. So Talvi-múri should be in real Finnish Talvi-muuri.
Also some NPC names are in Finnish.
| Settlements, Areas and Landmarks of Forochel | |
|---|---|
| Settlements: | Jänis-leiri • Kauppa-kohta • Kuru-leiri • Pynti-peldot • Sûri-kylä • Zigilgund |
| Areas: | 4th Dwarf Channel • 10th Dwarf Channel • Itä-mâ • Jä-kuru • Jä-rannit • Länsi-mâ • Talvi-mûri • Taur Orthon |
| Landmarks: | Barad Gaurhoth • Bregmor's Den • Hylje-leiri • Icereave Mines • Jä-reitti • Jänis-leiri • Jotunstath • Karhu-leiri • Kibilzahar • Kolo-hampât • Korkea-järvi • Leijona-kotin • Näky-kolo • Norsu-hauta • Peikko Cave • Tûli-mäit |
| Regions of Eriador |
|---|
| Angmar • Bree-land • Ered Luin • Eregion • Ettenmoors • Evendim • Forochel • Lone-lands • Misty Mountains • North Downs • The Shire • The Trollshaws |
