#blackroot vale

ooh, so much to say!

First of all, Dol Amroth obviously! I love an ancient city by the sea and the history it has with both elves and men makes it perfect. The mingled influence of the Faithful of Númenor and the Elves is just so compelling to me, I just know that place would be fascinating as a locus of cultural exchange and history. I just know the architecture is banging and to have that, Imrahil and family and the sea all in the same place makes it pretty much perfect. My no. 1 choice for a summer holiday, swiftly followed by ...

Lossarnach! I need to go there so badly, I need to see everything that Gondor's most popular tourist destination has to offer. I feel like going through the flowery vales and orchards of Lossarnach would have a decent shot at fixing me, actually. Also Forlong! My guy!

Thirdly, the Blackroot Vale and the Stone of Erech. Duinhir's back yard being haunted is just fascinating to me, that man has a dormant army of dead men waiting to be activated out back and that fascinates me. And the Stone of Erech as a constant spooky reminder is just so cool. And the overall history of the Men of the Mountains in the White Mountains and their relationship with the Númenórean inhabitants of Gondor fascinates me.

(I am realising that all my favourite regions of Gondor are also where my favourite lords of Gondor are. I swear Imrahil, Forlong and Duinhir are not sponsoring me.)

As previously noted, I had finished up in Helm’s Deep, at least to the extent I could.  I saw the great battle and the caves and all the stuff, including having to play an orc to get that perspective on how things played out.  It was quite epic. I swear, it was like that when I got here… I never could get that last epic quest back to complete it.  But my goal is to get to Mordor, not to finish…