Ruined Dwarven towers are the crumbling remains of Dwarven towers built in the Misty Mountains and Grey Mountains long ago. Once, they stood as symbols of Dwarven might, but now they only attest to the calamities suffered by Durin's Folk in the Third Age. Some stand empty, while others have been occupied by the Orcs of Gundabad. Both the abandoned and occupied variants feature loot and valuable utility blocks, while occupied towers also contain Gundabad Orc Chieftains.
Occurrence[]
An occupied tower in the foothills of the Misty Mountains
These towers can be found in the Misty Mountains, the Grey Mountains, and both biomes' respective foothills. They are fairly uncommon, though less so in the foothills than in the mountains themselves. All of the biomes in which ruined Dwarven towers spawn swarm with Gundabad Orcs and Uruks, though neither variant of tower spawns any.
An abandoned tower.
Ruined Dwarven towers come in two variants - the abandoned variant, which is entirely empty, and the "captured" variant, which is occupied by Gundabad Orcs and their Chieftain. The two variants are equally common.
Interior[]
The gate of a captured tower.
Both variants of ruined tower share a few commonalities. All are made of Dwarven brick and Dwarven pillars, a mix of regular and cracked varieties, and some of these blocks may be missing, having crumbled due to the harsh conditions of the mountains. Unlike non-ruined Dwarven towers, ruined towers completely lack lighting, and glowing Dwarven bricks are replaced by regular bricks. From the outside, towers appear blocky and plain, with the only real distinguishing features being their large windows, which are sometimes open holes and sometimes made with bronze, iron, Dwarven steel, or Orc steel bars (all bar variants can appear with either tower variant).
Orc forges in a captured tower.
The interior of both tower variants consists of six to eight levels, including the rooftop. Each floor is made of wooden planks, either spruce, larch, fir, pine, or charred (wood types consistent for each tower); the floors often have holes in them. Dwarven brick stairs leading down to the previous level and up to the next dominate each room; the stairs follow a switchback pattern. Each of the tower's non-rooflevels features two barred windows, pillars in the corners, and a small station to the left of the ascending staircase.
Abandoned Towers[]
The roof of an abandoned tower.
Like with non-ruined Dwarven towers, abandoned towers feature Dwarven gates (but not always Dwarven steel bars, as mentioned above - Orc Steel bars can generate for abandoned as well as captured towers). Their inner floors can feature two Dwarven crafting tables, two Dwarven forges, a double chest with assorted Dwarven loot, or an empty shelf (where barrels or plates of food might have once gone). The top floors of abandoned towers are completely empty, though they still provide a nice view of the surrounding area.
Captured Towers[]
Gundabad crafting tables in a captured tower.
Captured towers feature Orc gates, and they have three banners of Gundabad mounted above the entrance. Their inner floors can feature two Gundabad crafting tables, two Orc forges, a double chest with assorted Gundabad Orc loot, or an empty shelf. The top of the tower features two standing Gundabad banners and a Table of Command, which is absent from the abandoned variant. The top of the tower is also where the Gundabad Orc Chieftains spawn - though the holes in the floor mean that they rarely stay there.
Inhabitants[]
A Gundabad Chieftain at the top of a tower.
The captured variant of the ruined Dwarven tower contains a Gundabad Orc Chieftain, who spawns on the top floor. Players with more than +100 Gundabad alignment may hire units from them. Despite the chieftain's presence, the captured variant features no NPC respawners, meaning that the chieftain is the tower's only occupant by default (although Gundabad NPCs are common in the biomes where these towers occur).
Loot[]
Dwarven crafting tables in a ruined tower.
Ruined Dwarven towers, like their non-ruined counterparts, can contain plenty of valuable loot and utility blocks. Towers can feature double chests, the contents of which depend on the tower variant - chests in captured towers will contain Orc loot, while chests in abandoned towers will contain Dwarven loot. Abandoned towers can contain Dwarven crafting tables and/or Dwarven Forges, while captured towers can contain Gundabad crafting tables and/or Orc Forges.
Gallery[]
 The Dwarves of Durin's Folk 
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Dwarf (Axe Thrower, Banner Bearer, Warrior)
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Foothills •
Forest
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Grey Mountains Foothills
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