Adventuring in West-Rohan

OK, finally I have decided to give West Rohan a go. I already did it with a runekeeper, but this time I will level a Lore-master from level 85 to 95. I will keep a blog about my travels and quests. So, this is the first part of my voyage to level 95.

Traveling fast in West Rohan

Starting in West Rohan
When you enter West Rohan, the first thing you will notice, is the absence of quest rings. Besides killing animals, wargs and orcs, it is a bit frustrating to pick up some descent quests. Where to begin? Also, the lands of West Rohan seems totally depleted of people, where are all the players? This is a dull world at first glance.

After talking to the first player I met in one hour, it was told to me that most of the quests in West Rohan are "sequenced", so you have to complete a certain quest before you can start another one. Mmm, it seems a bit of a 'seek and hide area', so to hear... Another complication of the West Rohan quests, is that the local quests are mixed with the Epic questline (Volume III.). Which means that the local questline will open only if you have completed Volume III Book 11.

Again, I asked myself, hopelessly lost in West Rohan, where to start?

Entering West Rohan at Eaworth
I entered West Rohan by crossing the river east of Eaworth. The first village I encountered was Oserley in a zone called the Broadacres. No quests where there. A little bird told me, that some quests may be offered in Edoras, the Capital of West Rohan. Sigh, that is a hell of a ride southwards... And no guarantee for quests, it's only hearsay of course.

OK, up to Stoke, maybe someone there will tell me more. Luckily, I have a light Warhorse with the dash skill, So I can ride quickly to my destination.

Stoke
I entered Stoke, but besides some npc's, there seems nothing to do here. Only some tasks to be picked up, but these are so boring that I declined for them. The meadhall seemed promising, and there were even a lot of people inside. Alas, the bosses, miss Frithild and mister Grimmar, did have a vow of silence, and they only stared blankly to me. What is this place? What is going on in West Rohan? Is the world going totally quiet here? Luckily, someone burped, so at least I got some response (but the only one I got).

OK, I get the message. Nothing here for me. So strange. I never encountered such a dull kind of people in Middle Earth. No quests, no talkies, nothing. Only lifeless 'puppets', acting like Rohan inhabitants. Well, let's go to the village of Middlemead in the zone of Kingstead. The name is not promising, it sounds like mediocre. But who knows, maybe someone is in dire need and I can get an exciting quest.

Entering Middlemead

Middlemead

The Stable-master told me that these are desperate times for the Rohirrim. He didn't even know if they will survive the oncoming onslaught of the orcs. Wow, these people are hopeless! Maybe I can help?
I entered the Mead Hall, and asked Mágle, the Thane of Middlemead, if he had some quests for me. But, like the rest of the other villages, he stared only "ins blaue hinein". Maybe a spell? Or a vow of silence? Or am I cursed in this land and nobody sees me? Aaargh. OK, to the west them, to Entwade. Who knows if there is somebody in dire need. Although....

A small orc camp with one Adorned Chest

To Entwade
Before entering Entwade I found a little orc camp, at 56.7S and 68.0W. There was one Adorned Chest in this camp, which is interesting for a scholar like me. It contained 2 tattered Rohirric Parchments, a nice reward in this godforsaken land. I marked the chest location on one of my artifacts maps.
After I left the camp, I decided to take a shortcut to Entwade. I saw 2 Uruk-Hai Ambushers on horse and a strange wooden crate, some 100 meters north of the camp (56.3S, 67.6 W). Let's investigate!

Travelling to Entwade

I seems to be a Crate of Kingstead Crops and that one started the "Demanding Supply" quest. These crates have survived the Uruk onslaught  and there seems to be 7 more crates with crops. Okay, finally something to do in empty West-Rohan! The other crates I found at 56.0S, 67.5W, 55.8S, 67.4W,  55.7S, 67.3W, 55.7S, 67.0W and 4 near a destroyed cart at 55.7S, 66.9W.
There are many Uruk-Hai Ambushers at this spot, but when you 'trait' the Loremaster's  Keeper of Animals Class Trait, it is a simple job. Just summon your Bog-guardian, set your pet on aggressive and let him do all the work.

Entwade itself is a simple settlement with a big barn and a Mead Hall. You can enter it from Garsfeld in East Rohan by travel east and crossing a floating bridge along the river. Again, there was no quest to be found here, so I have still to follow the little bird trail to Edoras.

Bosa's farm is burned to the ground!

Before I rode to Edoras, a burned farm and cornfield draw my attention. It was a sad sight, the charred houses and field which were once the proud  property of Bosa's farm. At 54.7S 68.3W there was another Adorned Chest. This implied that at burned sites in West Rohan, there is a chance that scholar artifacts can be found here. And indeed! Some 50 meters north I found 2 other Adorned chests, which I marked on my artifacts map.

Edoras

I finally made it to Edoras, but the Mead Hall was closed for people who didn't have the appropriate quest. What?! Did I traveled all these forsaken fields to find only a closed door at Edoras? Yep... it seems so.

What now?? I asked a lonely traveler at Edoras: "Where to start in West Rohan?". I got the answer that I either have to start at the Entwash, just a little north of Snowborn, or I can start in the Wildermore region and doing the Wildermore epic questline.

Ehhh ... epic quests? In the Wildermore region? Oh nooo! Why Wildermore? That's east Rohan, not west!
Mmm. Well, I don't have any other options, since I already visited Entwash and there was nothing there. Sigh .... OK I checked my quest log and it seems that i have an active quest there: Wildermore introduction: speak with Harding... 

(to be continued)

Dumbass of the First Grade
Ahhhh .... I finally got it! I had already started the questline for West Rohan, but I stopped after I got the first quest to play on another server. After that, I logged off for 3 months and completely forgot that I had ever started the West-Rohan questline on my Eldar Elannah character (I have another one at another server...).

Its very simple to start the questline for West-Rohan. Just ride to the ford of Entwade, at 55.9S, 64.4W. You will see a guy in a wachtcabin, called Hunbald. He will give you a quest called "Too Great a Need". You can find it under the Epic Quests, Vol. III Book 11, Chapter 1. That quest will direct you to Nona's Cave in the High Knolls of Wildermore. With that, you can start the whole West-Rohan questline experience! And yes, you have to travel from Entwade to Wildermore and back to West Rohan ... (TIP: look in your baggage for a one and only travel back map you got...)

Starting the West-Rohan questline at the ford of Entwade

Stupid to forget this and a bit hard to find it some weeks later, especially if you forgot that you have already received it... On your quest log you will find only Wildermore, Vol.III.Bk11.Ch1. And absolutely no clue that you have started the quest line series of West-Rohan. Puzzling indeed if you don't remember it. Well, maybe I deserve a medal now ... for the greatest noob on Eldar!
Btw the other guys near Hunbald, called Horn - a man - and Corudan - an elf - will give you the start of the epic quests of Book 10, chapter 1.

OK. Time to log to Elannah and follow the Wildermore quest to Nona's Cave.