'Our first destination will be the town of Herne, a village of farmers and traders that grew up at a crossing of the ways to the north-west of here, where the Greenway coming south meets with the road coming north out of Enedwaith.'1/1
1 Enter areaFind the south-east entrance of the town of Herne, along the road north-west of Tharbad1/1
npcUsedTalk to the nearby townsman1/1
timeExpiredTalk to the nearby townsman1/1
npcUsedTalk to the nearby townswoman1/1
timeExpiredTalk to the nearby townswoman1/1
6 Enter areaEnter Crossway House, the tavern of Herne, in search of answers1/1
7 Speak to(Show dialog)
'You and your friends might want to keep walking, stranger. Herne is not the place it once was, and you will not find welcome here.'
You ask the innkeeper what happened to the town, and he frowns, shaking his head.
'Four nights ago, something... evil... passed through the centre of Herne. No one knows exactly what it might have been, but every night since a terrible fear has seized the town. Old man Aberthol says he saw something that first night, but... I don't know. He was an adventurer in his younger days, but he has such a reputation for tale-spinning that it has always been hard to tell the truths from the falsehoods in his stories.
'But something happened that night, and the town has not been the same ever since. You had best be moving on, you and your friends, before the dark comes again.'1/1
8 Speak toBoromir (Show dialog)
'I have seen something like this before, Player. Well, I say \qseen,\q but I did not see it; say instead that I felt it, something dark and evil; it filled man and horse with dread. We stood in defence of the river at Osgiliath when this presence came upon us, and even the boldest among us were seized by a terrible fear. We cast down the bridge behind us, and only a few of us escaped.
'I have never felt a fear like that before, Player. Some of my men claimed they saw the figure from which the terror spread... but I do not know if I believe it. Might that evil have come north from Gondor, somehow? I did feel as if I were being watched at times as I rode through the empty lands... or were they not as empty as they appeared?
'I should speak with the old man the innkeeper mentioned. If his story matches those of my soldiers... that will tell me something of the evil that came to Herne.'1/1
9 Speak to(Show dialog)
'I hope you won't use old Aberthol too harshly. He is something of a peculiar fellow, but despite his strangeness most of Herne's folk are quite fond of him... and he has always brought his custom to Crossway House, which I appreciate.
'Let me give you a mug of his favourite spiced beer. It may loosen his tongue. To be truthful, that is not usually a problem for our Aberthol, but he might not want to speak about whatever happened to him that night. The beer may make him more willing to talk with you.'1/1
10 Speak toMeneldir (Show dialog)
'You go with Boromir and Egfrith to speak with this man, Player. I will ask around Herne to see what else I can learn about what happened here.'1/1
11 Speak toAberthol (Show dialog)
'Why have you come to bother me? I speak to no one!
'Not since...'1/1
12 Use itemSet the mug of spiced beer on Aberthol's table1/1
13 Speak toAberthol (Show dialog)
'I have not had any visitors in quite some time. What brings you to my home? You... you want to hear about... about the crawling darkness?'
Aberthol shakes in his chair, and then takes a bracing gulp from the mug of beer.
'Maybe I had better know your names. Who are these companions you bring with you?'1/1
npcUsedIntroduce Boromir to Aberthol1/1
npcUsedIntroduce Egfrith to Aberthol1/1
15 Speak toAberthol (Show dialog)
'Boromir, you say? Surely you are not the same Boromir who is the son of the Steward of Gondor? Some twenty years ago I travelled in the south-lands, adventuring, you know, and I had the privilege of meeting the Steward. I remember his sons, both of lordly mien; you do bear a resemblance to the elder of the two! But you travel now in secret, it seems. I will say no more of it. A Guard of the Citadel, if not its Captain, in my own home! I can hardly believe it.
'And Egfrith, a proud woman of Rohan! In the days of my youth, I rode across the Riddermark at joyful gallop. Is Théoden still King of Rohan? It was a beautiful land, and he was stern but strong, loved by his people and respected by his foes. It must still be so.'
The set of Egfrith's jaw tightens, but she says nothing. Aberthol continues.
'I will tell you what happened to me. With such fine protectors in my home, what have I to fear?'1/1
Iron Coin of Cardolan (2)
