The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting

Deed Lore

The first four pages of this book can be found on enemies scattered across Angmar, Eregion, and Moria. The last four pages of this book can be found on enemies scattered across Forochel, Moria, and the Misty Mountains.

The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting was written about a rather notorious hobbit-burglar mid Third Age, when the Shire was not so secure as it is today. Having found himself drafted into the Shire-muster during a particularly difficult season and pitted against Golfimbul's goblins in a number of pitched battles, he learned to fight in a most ungentlehobbitly fashion that served him well against foes considerably larger and stronger than himself.

Alas, it has been many years since its writing, and all copies of this interesting text were thought lost, until now. Perhaps the famous hobbit-burglar Bilbo Baggins will have some further insights or thoughts on the book.

To complete this deed perform the following objective(s)

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 4

  This page outlines a bit of the subject's background -- one Adelbert Took, a close relative of the legendary Bandobras 'Bullroarer' Took. He was apparently something of a trouble-maker without much appreciation of other people's property rights as a young lad, and as such found himself in more than his share of bouts.
  The text suggests that this is where the foundation was laid for his eventual accomplishments later in life.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 5

  This page describes the sequence of events that led to Adelbert being pressed into service in the Shire-muster.
  It seems that Bandobras Took had become so exasperated with his nephew's behaviour that he personally arranged for the lad to be sent off to the fighting. The text provides a quote from Bullroarer to the effect that the experience would either 'Make him a better Hobbit or kill the young fool off, and either way the rest of us'll be better for it!'

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 7

  This page sums up a sequence of letters sent home by Adelbert during the course of his duty in the strife with Gofimbul. To the surprise of all, the lad seemed to have taken to the course of battles and war like a fish to water -- as much as any hobbit could, at any rate. However, he seemed dismissive of the regimentation and orderly nature of the Muster, referring to them as a band of 'useless fops and dandies what hadn't a notion which end of a pike they ought to be on'.
  It seems that he then went about forming his own little band of ruffians and skirmishers from among those hobbits of the more aggressive sort that he could convince to join him -- an act of insubordination that surely would have seen him in irons if they had not quickly proven themselves to be among the most proficient scouts and ambushers in the entire force.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 12

  This page recounts the experiences of one of Adelbert's fellow hobbits, wherein he goes into the tactics of traps and ambush that they frequently employed against their goblin adversaries, often striking at the break of day as the goblins would be attempting to find shadowy refuge against the painful light of dawn.
  Often they would find the entrance to a cave near a battlefield and wait there concealed, knowing it would be likely that the goblins would attempt to return there as light came back upon the land.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 15

  This page is particularly interesting as it describes the terrible difficulties the diminutive band of hobbit-skirmishers would face when they came upon particularly deadly foes, such as goblin champions during their battles.
  It seems that Adelbert himself was the foremost among them in finding the weaknesses of such dangerous adversaries, with a keen understanding of the need to expose them so that his fellows could employ their numbers to overwhelm.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 19

  This page relates some of Adelbert's personal quotes and observations from the field of battle. Of particular note is the degree to which the foes he often faced relied upon intimidation.
  He then describes the advantage he often found that he gained when he was able to deal a painful blow against such an enemy -- even if the injury itself was of little consequence, the opponent often became confused as it seemed that the tables had turned in the favour of its opponent, thus providing the opening Adelbert and his fellows needed to fell the creature.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 24

  This page describes Adelbert's fighting style as he taught it to his companions during the campaign. It emphasizes a quick and savage assault, often aimed at the strongest leader or beast among the enemy forces in a bid to both eliminate the most dangerous threat and demoralize the enemy at a single stroke.
  The most telling drawback of the method is that the battle will quickly turn against the small assailants if a powerful enemy manages to withstand the attack for more than a few moments, so it entails considerable risk and a readiness to flee swiftly if things do not go their way.

• The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, Page 28

  This final page speaks of the Battle of Greenfields wherein Brandobras Took himself struck off the head of Golfimbul in a single blow. It seems that Adelbert was also involved in this battle, fighting some ways distant from his uncle during the fray and acquitting himself admirably. Adelbert was sorely injured in the battle and was some months recovering in the comfort of the Shire afterwards.
  Alas, it seems that all the trials faced and lessons learned did surprisingly little to cure the notable character flaws of the miscreant, but he nevertheless became one of Brandobras' favourites in the years that followed and was generally put up with as an errant but likable fellow.

Rewards

10 LOTRO Points

Additional Information

• This deed is available for Burglars at level 39.

This deed starts by acquiring the legendary book The Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting, then pages need to be collected, see the Legendary Book Pages for more information on page locations.