The wights of the Great Barrows are the bodies of ancient soldiers, risen from the grave and controlled by evil spirits residing within. In the far reaches of Angmar, in deep places long-since forgotten, lies a form of wight known only to that dark realm. These bodies, the victims of dark rituals in centuries past, show the effects of their brutal demise, bereft of their head and one arm, their death having come as part of a long-since-forgotten ceremony. Driven by malice toward all that is good in Middle-earth, these shambling wights will pursue and attack relentlessly.
The crypt-wight is unique to the world of LOTRO, designed to be reminiscent of the wights of the great Barrow-downs in Eriador to the east of the Shire. The grievous wounds to their bodies belie the ancient ritual that was performed as a means of punishment in Angmar long ago. Those who betrayed, failed, or otherwise displeased the Witch-king were slain with a single blow of his dark blade, cleaving their head and arm from their body. Then, by means of dark sorcery, evil spirits rose up within the headless bodies, driven now to spend an eternity as servants in the dark places of the realm, their rotting flesh a reminder to all of the price paid for betraying the ruler of Angmar.
