The Final Word

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.

This book is of Elvish origin, having been written so long ago that few of the Elves today were alive at the time of its writing. You cannot even guess at how old it actually is, as it seems to show few signs of age or decay. You cannot recognize the type of parchment it was written upon, nor what kind of ink could withstand the passage of so much time without fading. The main indication of its age and origin is the writing style which is in an extremely old form using ancient letters called Tengwar, which were created by the Noldor many ages ago. The main focus of the book is difficult to translate, but seems to centre around an ancient oath of battle that Elf-guardians might make in the midst of a desperate melee, in essence binding themselves and their enemies in a pact of battle and death that neither the oath-taker nor their sworn-enemies dared break.

It is clear from the text that these oaths carried power beyond that of any simple cry to infuriate or trick one's enemies -- but the secret of the technique seems lost as several key pages have been carefully cut from the book, presumably by someone hoping to safeguard its secrets in an age long past. Perhaps someone in Rivendell will be able to help decipher the book.

To complete this deed perform the following objective(s)

• The Final Word, Page 6

  Like several others, this section is written mainly in Elven prose of an ancient form, making it devilishly difficult to comprehend. You manage to make out several passages that refer to the Oaths of service or fealty that the Elf-guardians of old would make to their charges and lords before embarking into danger.
  It seems that they believed such Oaths formed an important foundation for their strength in battle, and they would never enter into them lightly.

• The Final Word, Page 7

  Another page of nearly indecipherable and ancient prose, it describes battle between two enemies as something other than a simple melee.
  Instead, the text describes battles between powerful foes as a form of ritual or dance (your translation here is uncertain) -- one that forms the basis for a bond between the two combatants that transcends the physical.
  You begin to suspect that the author was of a decidedly mystical outlook.

• The Final Word, Page 13

  Sticking to indescipherable prose, the author speaks of the greater tide of battle, wherein many foes stand across from each other hurling insult and threat before inevitably breaking upon each other. This aspect, too, he considers the foundation of a greater bond, both between the fellow warriors of each army, and between the two forces themselves as they steel themselves for battle.
  You remain unclear on the nature of this bond the author keeps referring to, but it is clearly the central theme of the work.

• The Final Word, Page 14

  This page is one of the few written in plain language, though the ancient tongue makes it difficult nevertheless.
  It speaks of more mundane subjects than some of the others, such as the crucial role of the guardian in maintaining control over the pace of battle, never allowing it to run away from them and become that portrait of meaningless chaos and noise that presages defeat.

• The Final Word, Page 19

  Another of the few pages that forego prose for plain language, this speaks to the strength of the guardian's defence, and the manner in which it permits them to find their way to the pulsing heart of the battle, a vantage from which one may express the greatest degree of control over the ebb and flow of the enemy's motion and morale.

• The Final Word, Page 21

  This page is written in prose so flowery and intricate that after the toils of translating the ancient text you are left with no idea what point the author was trying to make.
  Hopefully it is not crucial to the book's secrets or the author would have spoken more plainly?

• The Final Word, Page 24

  This poem describes that moment in which a great warrior finds himself standing at the heart of the maelstrom -- that place in time and space where the course of the battle almost seems to be suspended like a great thunderhead, moments before the storm breaks. A sense of dread fate falls upon the warrior's shoulders, knowing that the next decision made will resonate with the fate of the world and describe much that is to come.

• The Final Word, Page 27

  The final page tells of a word -- or perhaps a will made manifest by the heart of the warrior as they stand among their foes and allies alike. Both Oath and Challenge, the form of the word itself is second to its purpose and moment, which the warrior may use to bind all those who face him to his own fate irrevocably.
  The author's point is clear. You find yourself wondering whether he purposes to say that there is truly a spiritual force to this word, or whether it is simply a call to the burning hatred of your enemies that in such a time and place they cannot refuse it.

Rewards

10 LOTRO Points

Additional Information

• This deed is available for Guardians at level 39.

This deed starts by acquiring the legendary book The Final Word, then pages need to be collected, see the Legendary Book Pages for more information on page locations.