Sometimes, I hear a lot of people complain about the “mediocrity” and relative lack of importance of the numerous tasks our characters are assigned in Middle Earth. Sometimes, it seems a waste to spend our talents far away from where they seem to be the most needed.
(And, let us face it - sometimes the endless fetch quests common of any and all MMORPGs gets a bit tedious.)
However, this message Elrond gives your character after the Fellowship of the Ring departs from Rivendell always stuck with me. Specifically, this part:
“We must stand tall against the Shadow and keep its attention focused upon us, far away from those who can do it the greatest harm.”
He’s right, you know. We are not Frodo. We’re not even a part of the Fellowship - but we are strong, good hearted people who want to see Sauron defeated and the Free People prevail.
We are dealt a similar reminder in Edoras, when we are tasked with cheering up (and schooling) a snarky, irritable minstrel who has been spewing negativity everywhere. He mocks your character for collecting supplies for an old, arthritis-riddled woman on a cart to ease her pain and provide materials for her to sew. However, when he sees her response - moved to tears by the kindness of someone going out of their way to help someone so small and insignificant - he gets it.
Atwald: “I am heartily ashamed of myself! I will write a new song, one of hope, of survival, of kind deeds and the goodness inherent in people, and I will sing it to all. Thank you, for showing me the meaning of heroism.”
Being a hero doesn’t always mean you have to be on the front lines basking in glory. Nor does it mean that you need or deserve constant recognition and praise. It means that you do what you can to help people in need, even if it seems small.
Even when I mock the often sour and ungrateful attitude NPCs have towards my characters in LOTRO, I always remember this. On Turbine’s part, it is well written, and a good reminder of the overall spirit of Lord of the Rings.
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