Now that you have defeated Humfrey Rumming in his riddle-contest, he may at last be willing to tell you the terrible secret of the salamanders.
'It happened like this: as one of the world's greatest lore-masters, I happened to be doing some research on the ruins of Tollobel. It seems the last owner was a great warrior, and he took a number of trophies from the Angmarim at the Battle of Fornost. These trophies included a pair of eggs....
'Such little eggs, too! Well, naturally, it was a challenge to see if they could be quickened after all these generations. You can imagine my pride when they hatched! Cute little salamanders, tiny little efts, they seemed. Truly learned lore-masters call them \qefts,\q you know, and I encourage you to do the same! But these little efts just would not stop growing! And soon they began to grow hostile, and after that came the fire....
'The things breed so fast! I managed to pen the original dam and sire in a cellar in the ruins here. Since then, well, I've been trapped... I mean, I've been studying them. Yes! But now you've come. You can kill them! You're a hero, aren't you? Right! Here, take this key! Slay the dam and sire -- the other salamanders breed much more slowly. Now that you know the terrible secret of the salamanders, it's up to you to stop them!'
The two original salamanders can be found in the cellar of Tollobel, on Tyl Ruinen.
Humfrey Rumming confided in you that he was the one responsible for the plague of salamanders on Tyl Ruinen and gave you the key to the cellar where he trapped the two original creatures. He asked you to slay the two originals to help reduce their numbers.
Humfrey Rumming is by the ruins of Tollobel on Tyl Ruinen.
Humfrey Rumming is waiting to hear of your victory over the two original salamanders he brought to Tyl Ruinen.
Calatherdir is at the Ranger-camp on the island of Tinnudir, east of Tyl Ruinen.
Having learned the origin of the salamanders and helped to slow their proliferation, you should return to Calatherdir to tell him the tale of your deeds.