“ | The wind was on the withered heath, but in the forest stirred no leaf: |
” |
–Thorin's Company, The Hobbit |
Erebor is a small biome situated around The Lonely Mountain, beneath which lies the Kingdom Under the Mountain, the greatest remaining city of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. Though it still bears the scars of war and dragon-fire, this sparsely-forested region is home to many Dwarves, who mine deep under the Lonely Mountain for gems, silver, and gold. Once covered by a thick forest of pine and fir, the six rocky, boulder-strewn spurs of Erebor are now much more open than they once were, which the Dwarves have taken advantage of to build a great many structures.
Erebor was first settled by the Dwarves more than a thousand years before the time of the mod, when Thráin I led Durin's Folk from Moria into Wilderland in search of a new home. After the fall of the Dwarf-cities in the Grey Mountains, the Kingdom Under the Mountain became the greatest realm of Durin's Folk, tremendously wealthy and the envy of all Rhovanion. But the vast splendour of Erebor attracted the dragon Smaug the Golden, who sacked and occupied Erebor in the time of King Thrór, driving out the Dwarves. Decades later, Thrór's grandson Thorin led a company of Dwarves and a Hobbit to reclaim the Kingdom Under the Mountain. The great fire-drake was slain at Lake-town, and the treasure of Erebor was fought over in the Battle of the Five Armies between the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, the Wood-Elves of Mirkwood, the Dalishmen of Lake-town, and vast hordes of Orcs and Wargs from Mount Gundabad. In the end, Dwarves, Men, and Elves united against the Orcs and Wargs and were triumphant, leading to the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Erebor.
The Kingdom Under the Mountain is now ruled by Dáin Ironfoot, whose subjects have spent decades cleansing Erebor of Smaug's taint.
Upon entering this biome, the player will receive the achievement "The Lonely Mountain."
Structures[]
At the heart of the Erebor biome is the Lonely Mountain, which towers over the lowlands of Dale and Northern Wilderland. On its slopes, several structures can generate.
- Dwarven Smithy - These are the workshops of the dwarves, where Dwarven Smiths forge their weapons and armour. These small, one-room structures each contain two chests with assorted Dwarven loot, three Dwarven forges, three anvils, two vanilla crafting tables, and two unsmelteries. They are the only places where Dwarven Smiths may be found.
- Dwarven Mines - Large and complex mineshafts, accessed by ladder from the surface. Their entrance-shafts contain three Dwarven forgeseach. The rambling mineshafts contain ores, as well as chests of items and vanilla crafting tables. Dwarves, Dwarf Warriors, and Dwarven Miners can all be found here; these structures are the best places to find the latter.
- Dwarven Towers - Large towers of Dwarven brick. These eight-leveled towers are swarming with Dwarf warriors and Dwarf Axe-thowers, and they can contain barrels of Dwarven ale or tonic, plates loaded with food, double chests of standard Dwarven loot, Dwarven crafting tables, and/or Dwarven forges. The top of each tower features a Table of Command and a Dwarf commander.
Fixed Structures[]
The Lonely Mountain[]
The Erebor biome represents the six spurs of the Lonely Mountain, the peak of which is a fixed structure located close to the center of the biome, north of the Erebor waypoint. The mountain itself is grassy and sparsely forested at its base but becomes a bare stone peak above a certain y-level. Most trees on the peak itself are dead, growing only on the sparse patches of dirt that dot the mountainside. The very peak of the Lonely Mountain is snowcapped.
Mobs[]
The Dwarves of Durin's Folk have returned to these lands only recently and have started to reclaim their mines and strongholds.
- Dwarves - Civilians of the Longbeard clan, accustomed to mountains and underground spaces. Dwarf men and women alike are bearded and will attack hostile NPCs and players on sight with dwarven daggers. As there are no dwarf houses in Erebor, only male dwarves can be found in this biome.
- Dwarf Warriors - The stout and sturdy warriors of the Dwarves, especially common in and around Dwarven Towers. Dwarven Warriors wear Dwarven armour and carry Dwarven weapons, a mix of mattocks, swords, spears, pikes, warhammers, and their iconic battleaxes.
- Dwarf Axe-thrower - Specialized Dwarven Warriors that act as medium-ranged units. They wear Dwarven armour and use Dwarven throwing-axes in combat, which can deal considerable damage.
- Dwarf Commander - These are the leaders of the armies of the Longbeards, found at the tops of Dwarven Towers. They wear gold-trimmed Dwarven armor, minus the helmet, along with reddish-brown cloaks and pauldrons; they always carry Dwarven warhammers. Players with sufficient alignment can hire all of the above from them.
- Dwarf Miners - Dwarves who have taken up work in the Dwarven mines. They carry Dwarf pickaxes, and you can buy ores and sell food and drink to them.
- Dwarf Smith - The skilled blacksmiths of Durin's Folk, found in Dwarven Smithies. They sell Dwarven armour and equipment and purchase food and raw materials. They can also reforge your gear, and are some of the only blacksmiths in Middle-earth capable of reforging mithril weapons and armour.
Conquest[]
The Lonely Mountain can be conquered by Durin's Folk, Gundabad, Dol Guldur, Mordor and Rhúdel. The conquest rate is 0.2.
Mining[]
Erebor is one of the richest biomes in terms of mineral wealth in Middle-earth, though not quite on the level of the Red Mountains. Like many mountain biomes, Erebor generates gemstones at twice the rate of your average biome, and the mountain is full of other ores as well. Iron is more common here, and can be found in smaller veins up to Y=96 instead of Y=64, much like in the Iron Hills. Gold and silver are also more plentiful, and generate up to Y=48 instead of Y=32. In addition, this biome is one of only a few where glowstone ore can be found, generating fairly frequently up to Y=48 in small veins. All told, much like the Iron Hills, Erebor is a rich source of iron, silver, gold, and gems - making it a perfect place for Dwarves to settle.
Vegetation[]
This biome contains a large amount of coniferous, boreal vegetation. The dominant living trees are fir and pine, though occasional spruce and oak trees grow here as well. Dead oaks are also very common, especially on the Lonely Mountain itself - no doubt as a result of Smaug's depredations. Boulders frequent the mountainous landscape, and there often appear large patches of bare rock. Once, these hills were full of life, covered in thick forests of fir and pine, before the ravages of Smaug deforested the Lonely Mountain. In the sixty years since Smaug's demise, the forest has begun to regenerate, but living trees are still quite thin here; despite this, small patches of podzol can be found throughout the biome, attesting to the much denser forests that once existed in this biome. The grass on the Lonely Mountain is scrubby and pale aqua-green, and global flowers, along with the rare and valuable dwarfwort plant, grow here uncommonly.
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The Dwarves of Durin's Folk |
Dwarf (Axe Thrower, Banner Bearer, Warrior)
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