“ | [...] and the valley below seems far away. [Gandalf] looked on it and saw that, whereas it had once been green and fair, it was now filled with pits and forges. Wolves and orcs were housed in Isengard [...]. Over all his works a dark smoke hung and wrapped itself about the sides of Orthanc. | ” |
–The Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring |
Nan Curunír (Sindarin: Vale of Saruman) is the biome surrounding Isengard. It is located at the southern tip of the Misty Mountains, around the Isengard waypoint, and is home to the many orcs and other creatures that Saruman has bred into his service.
It is suggested that good players do not go into this biome unless they are well prepared. The land is crawling with evil: there are lots of Uruks and their Wargs about, as well as Isengard Snagae (some atop Wargs), Dunlendings, and their warrior counterparts. Also spawning here are Ruffians, men that Saruman has brought into his service to infiltrate Bree-land. Also, orcs do not receive debuffs here.
The biome is notable as it contains one of the first fixed structures in the mod that is not a mountain, the Ring of Isengard, a wall around part of Nan Curunír with a gate at the road.
When you first enter the biome you get the achievement "Vale of the Wizard".
Variants[]
- Light Forest - A lightly forested version of the biome.
- Hills - A hillier version of the biome.
- Dead Forest Oak - A version of the biome forested with dead oak trees.
Structures[]
There are three types of structures that spawn here among the piles of stone bricks:
- Isengard Camps - Camps for Uruks, which spawn randomly throughout the camps. The camps contain tents, forge tents, Uruk crafting table, skulls, Orc Torches, and small farms. Uruk Chieftains rule.
- Warg Pits - Pits of Uruk Brick that contain several Uruks, two chests and some Isengard Wargs.
- Ruined Houses - Burnt down houses that contain chests, furnaces, and crafting tables. These come in 2 varieties: ruined and burnt.
Mobs[]
This land is full of the servants of Saruman.
- Uruks - orcs bred with men by Saruman to be stronger, smarter, and resistant to sunlight. They are powerful, well-armoured, and formidably armed with Uruk Equipment. The Uruks are a deadly force against good players.
- Uruk Crossbowers - Uruks armed with crossbows, which deal significant damage.
- Uruk Berserkers - Uruks that are larger, stronger, faster, and overall harder to kill than their counterparts. They are armed with deadly Uruk Berserker Scimitars and are considered to be the strongest orcs in the game. They also wear a distinctive helmet emblazoned with the white hand of Saruman.
- Uruk Sappers - Uruks armed with deadly Orc Bombs, which were invented by Saruman. After their bomb is used, they attack with a scimitar.
- Uruk Wargs (can be ridden) - evil wolves allied with the Uruks. They can be ridden by Snagae, attack on their own, or carry bombs (the latter is only true if a player hired the Wargs, or during an invasion).
- Uruk Chieftains - traders and leaders of the fearsome Uruks from whom all of the above can be hired.
- Uruk Traders - traders who spawn in Uruk Camps and sell items for silver coins.
- Dunlendings - wild and somewhat primitive men who hate the men of Rohan, whom they call 'Strawheads', for driving them from the plains. They carry wooden, stone, or, rarely, iron weapons, and can also wield clubs, hoes, tridents, or other tools of labour. They give easy alignment for Rohan (and others) as they are easy to kill.
- Dunlending Warriors - Warriors of the people of Dunland. They carry iron weapons and are ready to take on the filthy Strawheads.
- Dunlending Bowmen - Dunlending Warriors with bows, so that they can kill at a distance.
- Dunlending Axe-throwers - Dunlendings who hurl throwing axes at opponents. They are less common than Dunlending Warriors or bowmen.
- Dunlending Berserkers - Dunlendings equipped with Bone armour and are considerably stronger than regular Dunlendings. They are also much rarer.
- Isengard Snagae - Orc slaves who do Saruman's dirty work for him and the Uruks. They are similar to Gundabad Orcs and can ride Isengard Wargs.
- Isengard Snagae archers - Isengard Snagae with bows.
- Ruffian Spy - Sketchy looking characters that are technically unaligned but seem to be up to something...
- Ruffian Brute - Tougher ruffians that prefer strength to stealth.
Conquest[]
Nan Curunír can be conquered by Isengard, Dunland, Rohan, Gondor, and Fangorn. The conquest rate is 0.2.
Fixed Structures[]
The Ring of Isengard[]
The Ring of Isengard is a circular structure that generates around the Isengard waypoint, enclosing a large chunk of Nan Curunír. It is a large wall of stone brick, with a large portcullis and gate where the wall meets the road. It was added secretly in Beta 26 to make building Isengard easier, and is considered to be the first major structure to be added to the mod. Eventually, when major structures come into the mod, the tower of Orthanc will stand in the centre of the biome.
Vegetation[]
The valley mainly consists of patches of grass, dirt and waste. Large boulders are also found, some of which consist of waste blocks. Trees that spawn here are: oak (normal and large), spruce and an occasional willow tree. Although once a fair land, Nan Curunír is now mostly a scorched wasteland, due to the devices of Saruman and his destructive servants. The land is filled with dead, burned plants: most notably charred trees, as well as dead spruce and oak trees, which have been destroyed and uprooted by the Orcs of Saruman.
Invasions[]
There are no natural invasions in Nan Curunír of any kind despite a rare Rohan invasion. Therefore, this biome is relatively safe for those aligned with evil.
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