
Neldol's cave and surroundings
- "The place you have entered is a dishevelled mess. The cave smells of rotten meat Broken pottery lies in a corner. A figure huddled in rags suddenly pulls out a dagger, then stops short "You are not orcs!" he hisses in a dialect of the elven tongue that is not easy to understand. "Who are you?" The figure is an elven man, but one who has long been bereft of the pride and dignity of his race. He listens to what you have to say, and he questions you about what is happening. He shudders at the mention of Sauron's return. "Long have I known the Enemy was abroad. But I did not think that the Lord of the Dark Tower had returned. That is grave tidings indeed, that such evil should be reborn." He snorts derisively. "And Gil-Galad was so proud, boasting that Sauron would be struck down forever. But that is the way of the Noldor, to boast and to die, and to drag their elven brethren with them. "I am Nendol, a simple elf of the Forest of Greenleaves. My lord was Oropher, the King of the Great Forest I fought at the battle before the Black Gate, after the fall of Númenor. One of the Númenoreans, a brave warrior named Vorondur, saved my life. In return, I swore an oath not to leave him, while he stayed on the Earth . Such a foolish boast! I should have been more careful, but he was a great man, and high deeds require an equal response, otherwise gratitude is meaningless. "Sauron's sorcery ensnared many of the high Lords of the Numenoreans and turned them into shades, who wander the Dead Marshes. As long as Vorondur cannot leave, my oath holds me, and I must stay in this wretched place until his shade finds its long home. I would ask thee, if you would prove your worth as a foe of the Dark Tower, to find him, and release him. I have tried for so long, and I have been able to do nothing."

A dry small cave beneath a sinkhole in the northwestern Dead Marshes was home to Nendol, an old elf who lived in the area since the war of the last alliance.He had been a warrior of Oropher's who had befriend a númenórean Soldier named Vorondur.As Vorondur's undead spirit became cursed to stalk the meres of the marshes at night, Nendol felt bound to stay and try to free his old comrade's soul.