Eriador

This feature is present in: Renewed, Legacy.

• General
• Mobs & Structures

Eriador
As thoughts wander of to times of glory past ... the land seems so empty now.
Map
Geography
Sub-biomes	Eriador Downs, White Downs, Minhiriath, Eryn Vorn
Vegetation	Oak, Birch, Spruce, Beech, Chestnut, Aspen, Willow, Apple, Pear, Athelas, Global and Temperate common vegetation
Nearby biomes	Lindon [W], Blue Mountains [W], Northlands [N], Ettenmoors [NE], Lone-Lands [E], Midgewater [E], Swanfleet [E], Enedwaith [SE], Shire and Old Forest [enclosed], Barrow-downs, Breeland and Chetwood [enclosed]
History
Added in	Public Beta 12

Eriador
As thoughts wander of to times of glory past ... the land seems so empty now.
Mobs & Structures
Factions present	Dúnedain of the North Gundabad
Mobs and Animals	Horses, Wolves (only in Woodlands) Temperate and Global common animals
Risk of Bandits	Uncommon (Rare in the White Downs)
Risk of Invasion	Dúnedain of the North [Uncommon] Gundabad [Uncommon] Gundabad Wargs [Uncommon] Rhudaur Hillmen [Uncommon] Angmar [Uncommon] Angmar Wargs [Rare]
Visiting Traders	Blue Mountains Merchant Iron Hills Merchant Galadhrim Wanderer Merchant of Harad Oddment Collector Rivendell Wanderer
Generated Structures	Gundabad Orc Camp Ranger Camp Ruined House Ruined Dúnedain Tower Ranger Watchtower Stone Ruins Orc Dungeon

“	Eriador was of old the name of all the lands between the Misty Mountains and the Blue; in the South it was bounded by the Greyflood and the Glanduin that flows into it above Tharbad.	”
–The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Eriador (Sindarin for Lonely Land/Wilderness) is a huge land of rolling grass plains. It is similar to the vanilla plains biome, other than the fact that it is even flatter and has the occasional oak, birch, spruce, or beech tree. Tall grass and flowers are widespread here, and Dúnedain of the North protect it against Gundabad Orcs. Eriador used to be mostly part of the North Kingdom of Arnor before this realm was destroyed by Angmar.

Upon entering the region of Eriador, you will get the achievement "The Kindly West".

Sub-biomes

Eriador Downs

The Eriador Downs are similar to the Eriador Biome, except they contain rock boulders and are hillier than the normal Eriador biome. The biome variants found here are only Mountains, Forested Mountains and Lightly Forested Mountains.
The Eriador Downs bear resemblance to the Lone-lands. Eriador Downs spawn in four areas and most bear witness to the fallen Arnorian kingdom of Arthedain:

• In the west, west of the Shire, the Far Downs connected Arnor with the elven lands. The most western downs, also know as the Tower Hills, or 'Emyn Beraid', support Elostirion and the other white towers and are in fact part of Lindon.
• In the center north along Lake Evendim, the Hills of Evendim or 'Emyn Uial' are located. This is where both Arnor, and later Arthedain, had its royal seat, in the now ruined city of Annúminas.
• In the northeast, the North Downs were once dominated by the now ruined stronghold city of Fornost.
• In the south-east, bordering the Lone-Lands south of the Midgewater Marshes, the South Downs are located.

White Downs

The White Downs are a sub-biome of the Downs and border the west of the Shire. These rolling hills are marked by very noticeable white boulders and barren patches of white rock on the surface, composed of Chalk stone. Neither rangers nor Orcs spawn here, and also bandits are less common.

Minhiriath

The south of Eriador between the rivers Baranduin (Brandywine) to the north and Gwathlo'(Greyflood) to the south, is a vast, heavily deforested and nearly uninhabited region called Minhiriath.

Eryn Vorn

The Eryn Vorn is a remnant of the ancient woods that covered most of Beleriand and Middle-Earth. The name is used for a peninsula south of the mouth of the river Baranduin (or 'Brandywine') in the south-west of Minhiriath.
The area consist of forests with occasional clearings and flowery and hilly variants. In the common speech it is also known as the Blackwood. This region was part of the fallen Arnorian kingdom of Cardolan, like the rest of Minhiriath. Few clans of men still live here, hunting and fishing for their living. Note that these woods are home to relatively large predators like bears and wolves.

Variants

Eriador is defined as a 'normal oak' biome with additional 'mountaineous' variants. This implies the following variants can be found there:

• Standard - Normal Eriador biome.
• Flowers - The fields and the undergrowth of tree clusters teem with flowers in this biome. Flowery vegetation from both vanilla Minecraft (poppies, dandelions) and the LOTR mod (thistles and wheat grass) is abundantly present here.
• Forest - Forest covered lands.
• Light Forest - Lightly forested lands.
• Steppe - A flat landscape of grassy plains.
• Barren Steppe - These barren plains stretch over vast area's and have even less vegetation.
• Hills - A hilly landscape with a higher average elevation.
• Forested Hills - A landscape with forest covered hills.
• Dense Oak Forest - Dense forests with many large oak trees. Also huge oaks, measuring 3 m in diameter and reaching up to 30 m, are common here. Patches of podzol cover the forest floor.
• Dead Oak Forest - Lands covered in forests whose glory is passing away. The forest density is comparable to the light forest variant, but there are many stems of dead, leafless trees. This variant is very helpful for acquiring large quantities of wood, as the dead trees provide a lot of easy accessible lumber.
• Oak Shrublands - Forest covered lands with a lower tree density than regular forests, but with a very thick undergrowth of shrubs.
• Mountain - Mountaneous rolling hills.
• Forested Mountains - Forest covered Mountaneous rolling hills.
• Lightly Forested Mountains - Lightly forested Mountaneous rolling hills.

Obviously, Eriador offers very varied landscapes.

• Scrubland - Scrublands are typically areas with very poor, sandy and/or rocky soil. This results in very little tree growth and the vegetation is dominated by low growing scrubs (stunted trees / shrubbs) and bushes.
• Scrubland Hills - The scrubland hills are a hilly type of scrubland.
• Wasteland - Wasteland is a very barren biome and can vast stretches of the terrain consist of barren rock. The soil is generally very poor and vegetation is sparse. The landscape can both consist of flat plains and rolling hills.
• Aspen Forest - A forest dominated with Aspen trees.
• Birch Forest - A forest dominated with Birch trees.
• Beech Forest - A forest dominated with Beech trees.
• Maple Forest - A forest dominated with Maple trees.

Of the living and the dead

Of flowers and mountains

Of dense forests and hills

Of the lake of twilight, Nenuial

Of the Dunedain of Arnor ... seen patrolling the Emyn Uial

Of roads fallen into disrepair.

Of lush valleys and white downs

A very old screenshot of Eriador.

An overgrown road.

The spawn of evil come out at night.

Old ruins of civilizations long forgotten.

Structures

The Eriador Biome contains five structures total, among the piles of Arnor and Stone Bricks.

• Gundabad Orc Camp - Camps for Gundabad Orcs that spawn randomly in Eriador. As with most camps, they contain tents, forge tents, crafting tables, skulls, orc torches, chests, small farms, and Gundabad Orc Chieftains.
• Ranger Camp - Camps for Rangers of the North that randomly spawn in Eriador. They contain 2-4 tents, a Ranger crafting table, Rangers, a wheat farm, and a Ranger Captain of the North.
• Ranger Watchtower - Guard towers that spawn randomly in Eriador. They contain a Ranger crafting table, a chest, Rangers of the North and Ranger Banners.
• Ruined House - Burnt down houses that contain chests, furnaces, and crafting tables.
• Ruined Dúnedain Tower - Ruined stone brick towers that contain one chest with very valuable loot at the top.

Mobs

Eriador is a barren land, but farm animals, boars, and a few other mobs spawn.

• Gundabad Orc - Orcs from Mount Gundabad in the Misty Mountains allied only with themselves.
• Gundabad Orc Archer - Deadly Gundabad Orcs with bows or crossbows.
• Gundabad Orc Chieftain - NPCs from which the forces of Gundabad can be hired - for a price.
• Ranger of the North - Rangers that protect Eriador and the surrounding lands. Rangers can use Gondor Bows at range, iron daggers in close combat, and, when needed, can use their ability to vanish from sight.
• Ranger Captain of the North - NPCs from which Rangers of the North can be hired. They spawn in Ranger camps.

Mining

Eriador features the standard ore distribution, but its White Downs sub-biome also features chalkstone below the surface. This rock has a variety of uses in crafting building materials, and can be found in large, barren patches of the surface and in boulders.

Vegetation

The vast plains of Eriador were once covered in great forests, but the lumber-hungry Númenoreans cut most of them down. This explains the vast stretches of steppe that characterize Eriador for the weary traveller. However, Eriador is in fact a very varied biome, with a rich temperate vegetation. Occasionally, one can find patches of athelas, another sign of former Númenorean occupation. Though most forests are felled, some remain. They generally consist of oak trees, but others grow quite commonly as well. The only conifer to take root in Eriador is the spruce tree, and the other broadleaf trees consist of birch, beech, apple, pear, and willow. There is average flower and grass growth here.

The Tolkien Gateway has an article on: Eriador

The Tolkien Gateway has an article on: White Downs

The Tolkien Gateway has an article on: Eryn Vorn