Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-28316232-20160501042320

Nope, not Mirkwood, sorry. This is for Eryn Vorn, the wooded peninsula on the western shore of Minhiriath. Although not much was said about it in lore, the following suggestions are all logical based on canon lore. So, without further ado, here we go.

A Brief History of Eryn Vorn

Prior to the arrival of the Numenoreans in Middle-Earth, a vast forest covered Minhiriath and Enedwaith. This changed when Tar-Aldarion, the "Mariner King" began extensive chopping of these woods. The natives there, fearing the Numenoreans, fled into other regions. Those in Enedwaith fled south east into Dunland. Those in Minhiriath fled into Eryn Vorn. They dared not cross the Baranduin (Brandywine), for fear of the Elves.

These men, already hostile to the Numenoreans, welcomed Sauron, who used them as guides in his raids on Lond Daer. This backfired on the natives, however, for Sauron's forces burnt many of the remaining forests, in an effort to diminish the Numenoreans' wood supply. Although the native population presumably dwindled, it is recorded that "a few secretive hunter-folk lived in the woods [of Minhiriath]" following the Great Plague. This almost certainly refers to the men of Eryn Vorn.

The source for this info (including the quote) is Appendix D from "The Tale of Galadriel and Celeborn" in The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth. I have a link, but sadly it doesn't want to work for me.



The Faction

The men of Eryn Vorn, as described above, would be a secretive hunter-folk. Thus, they would be rather primitive, like their Dunlending cousins. They would also be very isolationist.

NPCs:

- Eryn Vorn Hunter: The standard Eryn Vorn NPC. They would spawn with a faction appropriate armor set and spear, although they will switch to a dagger if thrown (more on equipment/armor later). Like most other NPCs, they will attack enemies on sight, and will fight back if provoked. They will spawn throughout Eryn Vorn, in addition to certain structures. Bones would be their most common drops, with a weapon/armor piece being much rarer.

- Eryn Vorn Bowman: Similar to the Hunter, the main difference is that these carry a faction-appropriate bow (duh). Behavior and spawning would be the same, with arrows as an additional drop.

- Eryn Vorn Chieftan: The unit-hiring NPC of the faction. They would spawn only in the appropriate structure (to be discussed later). Although their weapons would be the same as the Hunter, they would wear faction-specific Chieftan armor. Suggested hiring prices would be: 20 coins, 200+ alignment for Hunter; 40 coins, 250+ alignment for Bowman; and 50 coins, 350+ alignment for Banner Bearer. Like other unit traders, they will not attack unless provoked.

   - Eryn Vorn Gatherer (blanking on a name): The only item-trader for the men of Eryn Vorn. Similar to the Moredain Huntsmen, they will sell you the raw materials they have gathered (e.g. flint, leather, meat), and will buy "finished products" from you (e.g. equipment/armor, cooked meat, etc.). They will spawn only in their appropriate structure, and will not attack unless provoked.

Armor/Equipment/Blocks:

- Eryn Vorn Crafting Table: These would be used to craft other faction specific items, including more crafting tables. Standard recipe (four planks). Would generate naturally in most structures.

- Eryn Vorn Armor: Being stealthy huntsmen, the armor would be made of leather, since it is light and quiet. Made using standard recipes on the faction's crafting table. 13 protection points seems about right, although that's just my opinion.

- Eryn Vorn Chieftan Armor: This armor would be reserved for the chieftans alone. Made similarly to Rohirric Marshal Armor, it would use undamaged bone armor instead of Rohirric armor, and would replace the gold nuggets with dyes. The result would be a fearsome-looking (but colorful) armor set.

- Eryn Vorn Dagger: Made with the standard recipe, using flint as the ingot. 4.5 damage points.

- Eryn Vorn Spear: Also made with flint, again using the standard recipe. 5.5 damage points.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">- Eryn Vorn Bow: Having long used this weapon, the men of Eryn Vorn have improved on the vanilla bow substantially. Suggestions would be: 7-11 damage points; 16 ticks drawback; and +40% range (compared to a vanilla bow). Made using standard recipe.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Structures:

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">There are multiple ideas concerning what kinds of dwellings the men of Eryn Vorn had. Tolkien stated that there were no permanent settlements near the Shire during the War of the Ring, so villages are out of the question. Here are two different ideas for their structures:

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">- #1: Michael Martinez, a well-respected authority on Tolkien, speculated that the men of Eryn Vorn lived in single-family homesteads, as did their ancesters, the House of Haleth. (More on this can be found here, at paragraph 24). Thus, the main settlements of these men could be small huts (or perhaps even caves). In them would be a small chest (containing faction equipment/armor, meat, leather, etc.), two crafting tables (one Eryn Vorn, one regular), and a straw bed. The Chieftans would be found in similar huts, albeit larger and more elaborate, including banners. Likewise, the Gatherer would spawn in a unique hut. These structures could be made of wood, although I believe that dried reed blocks would suit them better.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">- #2: The LOTR wiki article on Eryn Vorn (here) speculates that these men lived a nomadic lifestyle, similar to certain fisher-folk to the south. In this case, the main structures of the Eryn Vorn men would be camps, like those of the Orcs and Rangers, but with brown wool, and an Eryn Vorn Crafting Table. A Chieftan would be found here, along with Hunters and/or Bowmen. The Gatherer would still spawn in his own hut, as described above.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Factional Relations/Extra stuff:

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">The men of Eryn Vorn would be enemies of the Rangers and Gondorians, since they are descended from the hated Numenoreans. However, they would also dislike orcish factions, since these servants of Sauron burned down their forests. Alignment with Eryn Vorn could be gained by killing Rangers and Gundabad orcs, as these are their closest enemies. Their only allies would be the Dunlendings, their relatives. All other factions would be neutral. Due to their isolationism, the men of Eryn Vorn may attack a player with less that 50+ alignment with them, just like the Wood-Elves. They may also occasionally invade Minhiriath.

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<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">The Biome

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Whether or not the above faction is added, the Eryn Vorn could use some changes. Right now, it is a sub-biome of Eriador (the "Eriador Woodlands"). Its lone waypoint, however, is unlocked by entering Minhiriath. IMO, it would make much more sense to make it a separate biome, or at least a sub-biome of Minhiriath.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Tolkien described Eryn Vorn as "a forest region of dark pine trees" (see here ). Thus, the trees of this biome should be primarily spruce, pine, and fir. Apple and Pear trees could also be found rarely.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Given the nature of the biome, and the fact that the men were hunters, there was likely much animal life here. Deer, Boars, Aurochs, and Birds should all be quite common.

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<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">Conclusion

<p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:26.6667px;">I hope that this suggestion may be handy in some way. My apologies for any lack of organization or information. Questions/comments/concerns/changes are more than welcome! Thanks! :) <ac_metadata title="Of the Blackwood"> </ac_metadata>