Lord Of The Rings Online: Exploring Middle-earth: Nûrz Ghâshu

As part of the preview for Book 11, Turbine's published a little sneak peak at an interesting place in Middle-earth, steeped in history: Nûrz Ghâshu:

[quote]During the First Age, a mighty city once stood. Eventually, it fell into ruin, and was lost until the Fire-giants (or Eldgang as they call themselves) found and later inhabited this underground lair. It was known in the Black Speech as the Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu.

Ancient tales tell of a great struggle between the Elves and the Balrog Thaurlach, who was cornered at the foot of a great mountain range by a host of Elves. A great battle ensued and when it ended, Thaurlach escaped into the caverns beneath the crumbling city. In the terrible struggle, all the Elves were slain, save for a badly wounded Elf-maid named Glathlírel.

Much later, as the Dark Lord Sauron began to gather his army, it is said that Thaurlach sought to heed his call for servants to aid him. The Balrog ascended into the city's ruins and made war upon the Fire-giants, fighting a terrible battle that shook the ground and caused the earth to erupt with fire.

Though few learned of the war, it did not go completely unnoticed. Two Wizards learned of the battle and enlisted the aid of Glathlírel, who had survived into the Third Age.

Using their combined power and knowledge, the Wizards strove against Thaurlach and were finally able to subdue him. With the Balrog defeated and helpless before them, the Wizards declared that he must be imprisoned in his weakened state until the end of the world, or until a new doom could be invoked upon him. With the aid of the Eldgang, the Wizards constructed a great seal and imbued it with spells of warding, shutting the entrance to Nûrz Ghâshu. Glathlírel remained behind to guard the beast. The Wizards also bade the Eldgang remain, so long as they guarded against intruders.

Time passed, and when Angmar was reborn, its wicked rulers sought new mines to feed the forges of Carn Dûm. Two Gorthorog taskmasters, Barz and Zurm, were pleased to find an ancient cave system with a strange entrance, and they forced their way inside, breaking the crumbling seal and entering the halls of the Eldgang.

Meanwhile Sauron, knowing that many ancient and evil beings might still lurk in the deep places of the earth, sent out a great force of his Ghâshfra, or Fire-orcs, specially bred to inhabit the darkest caverns, and possessed of the cunning to find minions long lost.

One such band came to the caverns beneath Nûrz Ghâshu. There the Ghâshfra found an ancient horror whose loyalties belong to none but himself...