Instance: Garth Agarwen Cluster

Garth Agarwen is the "Fortress of the Blood-maid" in the north-eastern part of The Lone-lands. The story of the Red Maid is told in Volume 1, Book 2 of the epic quest. Radagast the Brown finds that nature has been twisted and the undead have risen around the Red Swamp. Originally the Red Swamp was a pure spring, protected by a river-maid, but war stained the spring with blood and the river-maid was lost. Ivar the Blood-hand is a powerful necromancer and gaunt-lord from Angmar who serves Sauron. He is responsible for raising the dead warriors of Rhudaur as wights, and raising the river-maid as the Red Maid, turning her from a nurturing life-force into a corrupting force of death and decay. 

The Outer Gates of Garth Agarwen

At the Outer Gates of Garth Agarwen, there is a campfire, a travelling vendor, an Eglain barterer and a quest-giver.

These instances are scaled to level 32.

Garth Agarwen: Barrows - 3 person instance

From the entrance of Garth Agarwen, the Barrows is located to the left and up a hill (to the northeast).

Once a burial ground for the Men of Rhudaur, Ivar the Blood-hand, a servant of Angmar, now inhabits the barrows raising an army of wights and Créoth fanatics loyal to the Red Maid.

Ivar's Crypt in The Barrows

You find Sara Oakheart cowering in the Barrows and begging for someone to save her and escort her to safety. After defeating Blogkritar (who heals himself 3 times and summons a wight to aid him each time, and spreads an aura of disease), the gate to Ivar's Crypt opens. He has banners which buff him and he summons minions throughout the fight. There is a challenge to defeat him without killing his banner-wights.

Ivar's Banner is an item obtained after defeating Ivar that can be taken to a taxidermist and turned into a housing decoration.

Temair the Devoted

Southeast of the entrance, within Garth Agarwen, Temair the Devoted (a Créoth priestess in service to the Red Maid) patrols around a bonfire on a raised platform. She heals herself and any Créoth near her. She respawns within 5 minutes after being defeated but has no special loot.

Temair the Devoted

Behind Temair's platform, The Arboretum is accessed through an archway, while to the left of her platform and up some stairs lies the heart of The Fortress.

Garth Agarwen: The Aboretum - 3 person instance

The Aboretum was once a lush garden, but the Red Maid's corruption has tainted it and its caretaker. Gloom-waters paddle in stagnant red pools, bog-prowlers doze and twisted tree trunks bend away at your approach to reveal hidden paths that lead around the edge of the garden and finally into the center where Grimdark, a corrupted tree covered in beehives, stands guard near some ruined stairs to nowhere. The challenge is to defeat Grimdark without destroying the beehives.

Grimdark

Garth Agarwen: The Fortress - 6 person instance

Near the entrance, Créoth soldiers train while the wight brothers Edan and Esyld guard the Garth Agarwen Gate which leads deeper into the Fortress. Esyld is a ranged healer while Edan is melee and they give each other a damage buff when close together.

Stairs leading to the Garth Agarwen Gate

To the right of the gate (south), stairs lead down to some ruins where Dúnlang has mind-controlled several Eglain into serving the Red Maid. The challenge is to defeat him without killing the Eglain who will attack the players to defend their new master. This may be done by holding threat on the Eglain and healing as needed until Dúnlang enters the fight, then burn him down with single target attacks. The Eglain are then freed of his control and wish to return to their families and homes.

Dunlang and his enslaved Eglain

Through the Garth Agarwen Gate, wights patrol around a large pool with stairs leading to an antechamber guarded by Vatar. He shows you a vision of how previous heroes who tried to free the Red Maid failed and then attacks. Once he is defeated, crawlers spawn and once they are killed the door opens to the Spring of the Red Maid. Taking the engraved stone from the Old Chest towards the altar will summon the boss. The challenge is to let her followers sacrifice themselves to make her stronger, then defeat her. Once defeated, she is cleansed of corruption and remembers that she was once Naruhel, a river-maid and sister to Goldberry of the Old Forest in Bree-land. She vows to restore Garth Agarwen.

The Red Maid (before)

Naruhel (after)

Naruhel's dress may be obtained after defeating the Red Maid and taken to a taxidermist to turn into a housing decoration.