Quest:The Terrible Secret of the Salamanders

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The Terrible Secret of the Salamanders
Level	33
Type	Solo
Starts with	Humfrey Rumming
Starts at	Tyl Ruinen
Start Region	Evendim
Map Ref	[11.7S, 72.0W]
Ends with	Calatherdir
Ends at	Tinnudir (Keep)
End Region	Evendim
Map Ref	[12.2S, 68.0W]
Quest Group	Evendim
Quest Chain	The Burning Island

Quest Chain
The Burning Island [33] The Burning Island [33] Rumming's Ridiculous Request [33] Culling the Flame [33] Rumming's Resolute Resolve [33] Eggs Over Easy [33] Rumming's Remaining Riddle [33] Walking on Water [33] The Terrible Secret of the Salamanders

Walkthrough & Notes
Enter the Cellar Door in Tollobel. ^{[11.5S, 72.0W]} Defeat the salamanders in the basement.

Rewards
30 24 Increased Reputation with The Wardens of Annúminas ( 1,200 ) 3 Silver Arnorian Coins

Quest Text

Bestowal Dialogue

'It happened like this: as one of the world's greatest lore-masters, I happened to be doing some research on the ruins of Tollobel. It seems the last owner was a great warrior, and he took a number of trophies from the Angmarim at the Battle of Fornost. These trophies included a pair of eggs....

'Such little eggs, too! Well, naturally, it was a challenge to see if they could be quickened after all these generations. You can imagine my pride when they hatched! Cute little salamanders, tiny little efts, they seemed. Truly learned lore-masters call them "efts," you know, and I encourage you to do the same! But these little efts just would not stop growing! And soon they began to grow hostile, and after that came the fire....

'The things breed so fast! I managed to pen the original dam and sire in a cellar in the ruins here. Since then, well, I've been trapped...I mean, I've been studying them. Yes! But now you've come. You can kill them! You're a hero, aren't you? Right! Here, take this key! Slay the dam and sire -- the other salamanders breed much more slowly. Now that you know the terrible secret of the salamanders, it's up to you to stop them!'

Background

Now that you have defeated Humfrey Rumming in his riddle-contest, he may at last be willing to tell you the terrible secret of the salamanders.

Objective 1

Defeat the Salamander-dam
Defeat the Salamander-sire

The two original salamanders can be found in the cellar of Tollobel, on Tyl Ruinen.

Humfrey Rumming confided in you that he was the one responsible for the plague of salamanders on Tyl Ruinen and gave you the key to the cellar where he trapped the two original creatures. He asked you to slay the two originals to help reduce their numbers.

Defeated the Salamander-dam

Defeated the Salamander-sire

Objective 2

Bring Cellar Key to Humfrey Rumming

Humfrey Rumming is by the ruins of Tollobel on Tyl Ruinen.

Humfrey Rumming is waiting to hear of your victory over the two original salamanders he brought to Tyl Ruinen.

Humfrey Rumming: 'Oh! You killed them! Poor things! I mean, well done! Well done, indeed. At last, I can leave this accursed place. I mean, well, perhaps there is a bit more to study here after all.

'Anyways, you've done a great deed here and helped the pursuit of knowledge immensely. Immensely, I say! Of course, it was nothing I couldn't have handled myself. I was just letting you learn a little yourself.

'Go talk to the Rangers on the island far to the east and tell them that I am very displeased with their handling of the salamander problem. A great lore-master can only do so much, and at some point, the Rangers should have stopped in! Now give me back my key.'

Objective 3

Talk to Calatherdir at Tinnudir

Calatherdir is at the Ranger-camp on the island of Tinnudir, east of Tyl Ruinen.

Having learned the origin of the salamanders and helped to slow their proliferation, you should return to Calatherdir to tell him the tale of your deeds.

Humfrey Rumming: 'You return to the Rangers and tell them that Humfrey Rumming is very displeased with their treatment of the salamander problem! They should have done something earlier and not left it all to Humfrey Rumming, great lore-master though he is!'

Calatherdir: 'Welcome back, <name>! I had begun to fear for your safety What have you learned?

'Indeed? An amazing story. That mad old man. It is a pity we are unable to patrol these lands better, or we should never have permitted him to go near those ruins.

'It may be that these salamanders will never be fully driven from the area now, but at least we know their origin. If what Rumming said is true, it also may be that your actions have slowed their spread. I thank you too for that.'