Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-70.65.188.97-20170811203633/@comment-32497263-20170813151720

Gen. Grievous1138 wrote: "Thou shalt not suggest Snow-Elves, or Goblins, unless in a detailed suggestion of how to add them. Forochel Dwarves are right out!"

Forochel dwarves have no lore basis, make no sense, and would be a waste of space that has its own faction coming. Why are people so adamantly against this? As the FAQ says: "The West of Middle-Earth is fully fleshed out in the lore, so do not suggest non-canon factions for it." Fur-integrated armor is a good idea; but this is not TOS, and factions on it have no effect on the mod; there will be never be anything related to the Astrasi Empire, Forochel Dwarves, Moria Dwarves, "Gondorian Umbar", etc present.

But let's dispel this Forochel Dwarves crap once and for all, shall we? Firstly, there's nothing mentioned of them in lore; but that means nothing. It does, however, mean quite a bit when combined with reasoning concerning Forochel in general. The Lossoth inhabited the Cape and southern shores, probably in significant numbers, and were slightly xenophobic, as Tolkien noted. They were wary and untrusting of other Men; why, then, would they allow dwarves to dwell in their lands? The answer is, they probably wouldn't. Second: The Forodwaith Mountains have no appeal to the dwarves. Sure, the ore content isn't known, but one thing is: they were full of hidden tunnels dug by Melkor in years long past, and likely still inhabited by his creatures. A dwarven colony there both isn't worth the risk and also isn't something the dwarves would consider or even be able to reach. The Longbeards absolutely never came to Forochel: the wastes north of their former lands were infested with dragons and the trip would be a long one. And the Blue Dwarves? "But Dwarves dwelt, and still dwell, in the east side of the Blue Mountains, especially those parts south of the Gulf of Lune, where they have mines that are still in use." -Appendix A. The northern parts were abandoned even during Arvedui's time, in which the only power in Forodwaith other than the Lossoth was Angmar. If they came later, it makes no sense: what dwarf-colony in its right mind would make an extremely long trip to frozen lands home to hostile Men to make cities in mountains infested by the spawn of Melkor?

Gen. Grievous1138 (LOTR Mod Wiki Admin) comlink 13:07, August 13, 2017 (UTC) Exactly! Though I think fur coated armor is a good suggestion, now I'm opposed to the Forochel Dwarves, for thr reasons you listed. One, they're non-canon; two, there are already inhabitants known as the Snow-men of Forochel that were listed in lore; and three, a band of dwarves would likely freeze to death within a week of coming to Forochel.