Fordirith

The first division you will enter from Eregion is named Fordirith, the Northern Watch. This division marks the border of Eregion and Enedwaith and is named in Sindarin to represent the influence of the Men of Númenór and the Elves upon the region. The terrain quickly transitions across the river to a rough mass of bluffs and cliffs, leading down to the windswept valley of the Windfells. Fordirith is the northernmost tip of northern Dunland, a virtually uninhabited land according to The Lord of the Rings. So why then are there Dunlendings in Fordirith?

Themes and Threats of Fordirith

The primary theme of Fordirith is the passage of the Grey Company into the South, scouting the most secret route possible (a theme which continues throughout the region). One thing veteran players will immediately notice is that nearly every named Ranger in Enedwaith has appeared elsewhere in The Lord of the Rings Online^TM . For instance, the main camp of the Grey Company in Fordirith is manned by Dagoras and Amarion – both former denizens of the North Downs – and Braigiar, who appeared in East Angmar.

Fordirith at Twilight

Something that fans of J.R.R. Tolkien will also notice is that there are significantly more than thirty Rangers in the Grey Company. This was not done unwittingly. For game purposes, thirty simply was not enough; however, rest assured, by the time the Grey Company reaches Aragorn, they will be down to thirty Rangers and the Sons of Elrond, as they appear in the books.

In Fordirith, the Grey Company faces two primary threats which bleed over from Eregion: deserters from the Dunlending force in the North and the evil Shadow-wolves which had been sent to hunt down the Company of the Ring and were driven back by Gandalf at Caradhras.

Dunlending Deserters

Not every Dunlending blindly follows Saruman the White. Many of the White Hand invasion force realized they were throwing their lives and the lives of their kinsfolk away for a war which did not benefit them. These warriors broke from the main force and returned south, but now dwell as little more than brigands in the wild, outcast from their clans.

Dunlending Scout

One prominent feature of these Dunlendings is that they have received completely new art, setting them apart from the brigands which appear in Eriador. These Dunlendings (and those in Eregion, who have been retrofitted with the new art) represent the Draig-lûth, the Dragon Clan, who have already fallen almost wholly under the sway of Saruman.

Shadow-wolves

Hidden away in the hills of Fordirith is a dark lair where these supernatural creatures are called forth. The Shadow-wolves which dwell here are more powerful even than those which crossed into Eregion, seeking the One Ring. Their chief and strongest power lies in fear, not unlike the Nazgûl, who are also denizens of the shadow world.

The Shadow-wolves of Enedwaith also received love from the Art department by way of appearances and FX:

Shadow-wolf at Night

Besides the standard landscape quest fare, Fordirith boasts two instance quests featuring the Dunlendings and Shadow-wolves.