Eriador

Woo, its been a looong time since I've made a suggestion on this page (I'm not even sure if suggestions are still being taken in, but I'm making this in the hope it'll be considered one day). Let's get into it!

In ages long gone, Arnor was split into three seperate kingdoms; Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur. These kingdoms were later destroyed (or subjugated in Rhudaur's case) by the fierce armies of Angmar. By the time the mod takes place, these kingdoms are long gone, patrolled only by scarce rangers. However, in the mod these ancient kingdoms seem to have been forgotten entirely! They have all become one under the biome of "Eriador". This suggestion seeks to change this, so that Arnor may be remembered again!

This suggestion entails the addition of three new biomes, new armour and weapons, and a few other goodies of ancient Arnor.

[New Biomes]:

Rhudaur:

"Rhudaur was a region in the North-east of Eriador, lying between the Ettenmoors, the Weather Hills, and the Misty Mountains. The land between the rivers Mitheithel and Bruinen, forming the Angel, was also considered part of Rhudaur, as were the Trollshaws.

Characterized by dreary and rising hills, dark trees with twisted roots hanging off of cliffs, and gloomy weather, Rhudaur was a sombre, threatening, and unfriendly country. Upon many heights and ridges were ancient stone walls, ruined towers, and ominous, evil-looking castles."

~ Tolkien Gateway.

The land surrounding The Angel and The Trollshaws would be replaced by the new Rhuduar biome. Rhuduar would be an empty place, with many rising hills and some spruce trees dotting the landscape. There would be a forest variant of the biome, made up of spruce trees.

All animals found in Eriador would spawn here, as would Wolves. Rangers would rarely spawn here too.

Ranger Towers and Camps would rarely spawn here, and Angmar camps would be rare. Arnor ruins would be uncommon, and ruined Rhudaur structures and villages would be common.

Cardolan:

"The southeastern border of Cardolan followed the Gwathló and the Mitheithel to the Last Bridge. From there its boundary followed the Great East Road westward to the Brandywine Bridge, and then down the Baranduin to the Sea and thence to the mouth of the Gwathló. However, Cardolan also claimed the land between Bree and the Weather Hills. Notable features within Cardolan were the Old Forest, the Barrow-downs, the South Downs, and the Greenway."

~ Tolkien Gateway.

Cardolan would replace the land surrounding The Old Forest, The Barrow Downs, and The South Downs. It would be an uninhabited land, with only the occasional Ranger spawning. Ruined Arnor structures would also appear here, as would rare empty Barrows.

The general landscape would be similar to the Barrow Downs, but slightly less dark and haunted, and without the Barrow Wights and their Barrows.

All animals found in Eriador would spawn here, but less commonly. Rangers would rarely spawn here too.

No Faction builds would spawn here, but Arnor ruins would be uncommon. Some empty, raided, and desecrated Barrows can rarely be found, empty of their treasure and guards.

Arthedain:

"Arthedain lay primarily between the Lhûn and the Brandywine in northwestern Eriador. However, it also claimed the land north of the East Road from the Brandywine Bridge to the Weather Hills. Notable features within Arthedain were the Hills of Evendim, Lake Evendim, North Downs, Tower Hills, Far Downs, White Downs, the Shire, Annúminas, and Fornost Erain."

~ Tolkien Gateway.

Arthedain would replace the lands surrounding: The Shire, The North Downs,

Arthedain's landscape would be similar to the current Eriador.

Ranger Towers and Camps would uncommonly spawn here, and Angmar camps would be similar. Gundabad camps would be rare. Arnor ruins would be more common here.

[New Armour and Weapons]:

Each of the three Arnor biomes would now have their own armour, and a unique weapon for each.

Rhudaur: Rhudaur's new armour would look like the current Arnor Armour (minus the wings on the helmet) with fur inlaid in the joints. It would give the same protection as Iron, but with slightly lower durability.

Rhudaur's weapon would be the "Rhudaur Battleaxe", which would be as strong as an Angmar Battleaxe, but with lower durability. It would have the colour scheme and style of the Arnor weapons, with some fur on the handle. It would only have one blade.

Both would be uncrafteable, and only be found rarely in ruins within the Rhudaur biome (Rhudaur Hillman Chieftain's will also wear the armour and use the axe from now on).

Cardolan: Cardolan's armour would be similar to Northern Ranger armour in all aspects, save it would be a blue-grey colour instead of green.

The Cardolan Bow would be the same as a Gondorian bow stats-wise, but would fire somewhat faster. It would be similar to the Ranger Bow in shape, but be more blue-grey.

These would both only be found rarely in ruins within the Cardolan biome, and would replace Arnor equipment in Barrows in the Barrow-downs.

Arthedain: Arthedain armour would be the current Arnor Armour. Nothing would change, save that it will only spawn in Arthedain now.

Arthedain's special weapon will be the Arthedain Pike, which would be similar to the Gondor Pike. It too would only be found in Arthedain.

All armour and weapons of Arnor can be found in the old places too, such as Troll Hoards, Dunedain Towers outside of the Arnor biomes, and Dunedain Villages. However, they would not be as common as in their namesake biomes.

[Invasions]:

Rhudaur:

- Rangers of the North (Rare).

- Rhudaur Hillmen (Common).

Cardolan:

- Rangers of the North (Rare).

- Angmar (Rare).

Arthedain:

- Rangers of the North (Uncommon).

- Angmar (Uncommon).

- Gundabad (Rare).

[Risk of Bandits]:

- Rhudaur: Common.

- Cardolan: Rare.

- Arthedain: Uncommon.

[Achievements]:

- "Where the hills rise wild": Enter Rhudaur (credit to Rise of the Witch King for this quote).

- "Kings Tombs": Enter Cardolan (needs a better name).

- "Land of the King": Enter Arthedain (not certain about the name).

- "Hillman": Equip a full suit of Rhudaur Armour.

- "Tomb Guard": Equip a full suit of Cardolan Armour.

- "Kings of Old": Equip a full suit of Arthedain Armour.

- "Reunited Kingdom": Start a Conquest while pledged to Gondor in any of the three Arnor biomes.

Map image (apologies for the terrible edit).

Arthedain is the Grey, Cardolan is Dark Green, and Rhudaur is Brown.

That's it for now. Feedback, ideas, and opinions welcome!

# Written by Pleasenotme

#title:The Dwarven Merchant - Part I

#author:{name:gondor_male} the Ranger

#types:ruins,eregion,eriador,gondor,blue_mountains

As a Ranger of the North, I have seen much adventure, and many peculiar things. I have seen Hobbits showing great bravery, Elves single-handedly fighting bands of Orcs, and I have seen the resilience of Dwarves. Not {choose:four months/two months/eight weeks/two moons} ago I met with a Dwarf, {name:dwarf_male}, {choose:on the outskirts of the Shire/in Michel Delving/in the Prancing Pony/on the banks of the Baranduin}. {choose:He was busy with some customers/He was polishing a well-crafted helmet/He was sharpening a short, sturdy sword/He was bargaining with a Man over a plain golden ring} when I saw him, but after a while I seated myself next to him.

"{choose:From where do you come?/What brings you to these lands?}", I asked, starting up a conversation.

"{choose:I am but a trader from the Blue Mountains/I come from the Iron Hills with shining gems and fine smithcraft to sell!} What about ye, lad?", said the Dwarf with the charisma of an experienced merchant.

"{choose:I wander the lands around here./These lands are where I have spent all my years.}"

"{choose:So you're one of those Ranger folk?/I'd wager my left arm you've had some unpleastantries with some Orcs!}"

"Indeed."

"{choose:Well then, you could use a good trusty dagger! Fine Dwarven smithcraft is hard to come by!/You'll be in need of a weapon then!} May I interest you in a deal?"

Before I could object, he produced a wide array of daggers from his bag. There were fancy daggers with hilts of gold, encrusted with glittering jewels, and there were simple daggers with comfortable leather handles. He had exotic daggers with curved blades and carved runes, and short sturdy blades with bluish steel unique to the Dwarves, and simple daggers with woven grips and iron blades. Of the innumerable daggers, one caught my eye. {choose:It was a cresent-shaped blade with a handle of soft leather, a guard of deep blue steel. The blade was made of fair steel, and had a certain quality to it that made it appeal to me./With a beautiful blue guard, a handle of smooth, brown leather, and a blade that almost seemed to glow, I couldn't help admiring it.}

Seeing that I had favoured the blade, the Dwarven merchant remarked, "Aye, that one's a special one. An experiment of mine, which I forged when I went to Rivendell to study their craft. It could be yours, for the small price of fifty silver coins!"

{choose:There was no doubt, I had to have that blade, so I paid the Merchant the coins, and finally the dagger was mine!/I showed no hesitation in paying him, eager to buy my Precious, the dagger, and so I became its Master.}

# Written by Pleasenotme

#title:The Dwarven Merchant - Part II

#author:{name:gondor_male} the Ranger

#types:ruins,eregion,eriador,gondor,blue_mountains

{name:dwarf_male} and I talked for a while about suspicious folks we'd seen in Bree lately. Then I asked him where he would be heading next. I learned he would be going to visit his kin near Mount Dolmed, but he seemed {choose:troubled/worried/unsettled} when he spoke about going to the Blue Mountains.

"{choose:You seem troubled./Is there something wrong?/Why do you seem worried?}", I asked him.

"Aye, {choose:I've heard sayings of Orcs near the mountains./the Men here tell of an Orc pack causing trouble near the Blue Mountains./there are Orcs on the move these days, my kin tell me.} I fear the worst if I should meet them, laddie. {choose:My sword has tasted Orc blood before, but 'twas mere luck that the Orcs didn't taste mine./It wouldn't be the first time an Orc has felt the swing of my axe, but I've grown weary from travel./I've killed Orcs before, but I fear I've grown weaker than I was.}"

"{choose:I could accompany you. It wouldn't be the first time I've put myself in harm's way to protect a traveller/It is my duty to protect the people of this land. I would be pleased to accompany you./Then let me travel with you. I am swift with a bow, and quick with a dagger.}"

"Bless ya laddie, I'd be merrier to travel with a Ranger by my side!"

The Dwarf spent some time {choose:selling daggers/selling fine blades/selling shields/selling gold-trimmed armour} to {choose:passing Men/a wealthy Hobbit/a guard of Bree}, and then we set off, bound Westwards to the Mountains Blue.

# Written by Pleasenotme

#title:The Dwarven Merchant - Part III

#author:{name:gondor_male} the Ranger

#types:ruins,eregion,eriador,gondor,blue_mountains

{name:dwarf_male} and I had been travelling for {choose:a few days/some time/a week/a few hours} by the time we reached the western border of the Shire. {choose:The lands west of here are frequented by Rangers and Orcs, and are dangerous for the unprepared traveller./Now we were in lands where Orcs roamed in packs, on the run from the relentless Rangers./Rumours had been heard of Orcs in the lands west of here.} We travelled further westward for a few hours in silence. There was something about this land, like much of Eriador, that filled my heart with a heavy sadness, a longing memory of a kingdom lost to time. Now all that remains of the kingdom of Arnor is scattered groups of Rangers, fiercely guarding the lands of our old kingdom, determined not to let the memory of our glorious past be defiled.

The sun was now getting quite low, so we stopped to make camp. By nightfall, we had set up a tent and lit a fire.

"Will the Orcs not be attracted to our fire like moths to a flame, lad?", asked the Dwarven Mechant.

"Orcs prefer to stay in the shadows. And they avoid Ranger camps. They live in fear of our arrows."

{choose:We spoke about/He recounted/He told me about} {choose:his adventures in Rivendell/his time in Rivendell/the smithcraft he learnt in Rivendell}. I found it {choose:rather odd/most unusual/queer} that the Dwarf managed to befriend the Elves.

I offered to take the first watch. After a few quiet hours, I woke him, and he took watch until dawn.

{choose:After a light breakfast/A few minutes after daybreak/An hour later}, {choose:we set out to the West/we began walking westwards/we resumed our journey to the Blue Mountains}.

# Written by Pleasenotme

#title:The Dwarven Merchant - Part IV

#author:{name:gondor_male} the Ranger

#types:ruins,eregion,eriador,gondor,blue_mountains

{choose:The day began with a clear sunrise over a field of lush green./I woke to a golden glow on the horizon, across a field of thistle.} {name:dwarf_male} was still asleep. I stepped outside the tent to enjoy the morning air. The dew on the grass looked almost like snow, but without the bitter cold or concerns of food for winter.

I was walking at some distance from the camp when I noticed an odd odour. It was very faint, but I recognised the foul smell of Orc. I searched the grass for footsteps, and to my horror, I found them, though partly hidden by the layer of dew. From my experience as a Ranger, I could tell that {choose:Orcs were here not long ago, probably the previous night/there were undoubtedly Orcs nearby}.

I woke up the Dwarf Merchant and told him of {choose:the Orcs/my findings}. We decided to make haste and travel westwards at once.

We had been walking for a few hours when we decided to stop for lunch. We ate some {choose:chicken that I had hunted./ripe meat fresh off the bone!/pancakes from the Shire./cram that the Dwarf had brought from Dale.} Just as we were finishing, we heard a howl to the east. I recognised it as a Warg.

If the Orcs were riding Wargs, there would be no outrunning them. I told the Dwarf to ready his weapons, and I unslung my bow.

By now I could see the Orc pack, coming from behind a hill. There were in all five Orcs, each riding a Warg. I began to shoot them with my bow. I managed to take down three of the Wargs before they got close. I unsheathed my dagger, now glowing a brilliant blue, while the Merchant readied his battleaxe.

Let it never be said that Dwarves are not quick to strike. Before I knew it, the Dwarven Merchant had swung his battleaxe into one Warg and thrown {choose:a throwing axe/his spear/an axe} {choose:at/in between the eyes of} another. Both Wargs were quick to succumb to their wounds. The Orcs, on the other hand, were now {choose:nervous/evidently scared}. Their mounts had been killed before they could strike, and they were now face to face with a Dwarf with an axe and a Ranger with a dagger. They seemed wary of my dagger, as it resembled Elven craft. In their moment of fear, I leapt on the nearest Orc and stuck my dagger {choose:in his leg, before driving it into his skull/deep in his torso}. The Merchant swung his axe at an Orc. The Orc dodged, but he would never be able to match the strength of the Dwarf. I fired an arrow at an Orc who was running away. By now the Dwarven Merchant had injured the Orc's {choose:leg/foot/arm} and was about to deal the final blow.

I turned to the other two Orcs, who were wielding spears and approaching fast. I noticed these Orcs were taller. Bigger. Meaner. Stronger. These were Uruks, {choose:tall and strong/not some timid Orcs}, that had ended the lives of many of my kin. I shot at them, but they blocked my arrows with their shields. One of them threw a spear at the Merchant. It merely grazed his arm, but it blinded him with pain as well. I shot the Uruk between the eyes while he was distracted by his {choose:accomplishment/triumph}. He fell over, dead. I quickly threw my dagger at the other. It impaled him in the chest, but he simply kept coming. I shot {choose:arrow after arrow/several arrows} at him, each one slowing him with pain, until he had finally been vanquished.

I looked around at the bloody battlefield. Five Orcs, three Wargs, and two Uruks lay dead {choose:in pools of blood/at my feet}. The Dwarven Merchant lay nearby in {choose:pain/agony}.

# Written by Pleasenotme

#title:The Dwarven Merchant - Part V

#author:{name:gondor_male} the Ranger

#types:ruins,eregion,eriador,gondor,blue_mountains

{name:dwarf_male} was eating some {choose:cram/more pancakes/chicken/bread} while I made a healing drink for him. The Athelas plant, also known as Kingsfoil, is commonly thought of as a weed. People tend to feed it to pigs. But any Ranger knows about its healing effects. I had the Dwarf drink some Athelas brew, and also sprinkled some crushed Athelas on his wound.

After a while, the pain had almost vanished.

At this point we were quite close to the Blue Mountains. The next few days were quite uneventful. We reached Mount Dolmed, in a few days, where we said farewell. The Merchant offered me some coins as a token of his gratitude, but I declined.

And that was the last I saw of the Dwarven Merchant.

1. Add Northern Eriador biome

Darker grass and occasional snow, similar to Northern Dale. Because now transition between Eriador and Northern Forest is too drastic.

2. Extend Minhiriath farther North.

Minhiriath is what's left of Cardolan. Back in the day Barrow Downs and South Downs were a part of Cardolan. That's why Minhitiath should stretch as far as Bree and South Downs.