“ | ‘Bless me, Mr. Frodo, but I didn't know as anything grew in Mordor! But if I had a'known, this is just what I'd have looked for. These thorns must be a foot long by the feel of them; they've stuck through everything I've got on. Wish I'd a'put that mailshirt on!’
‘Orc-mail doesn't keep these thorns out,' said Frodo. ‘Not even a leather jerkin is any good.’ |
” |
–The Land of Shadow, The Return of the King |
Stabbing Thorns are brown plants found throughout Mordor. They are visually similar to dead marsh plants, but they are a lighter shade of brown, and when walked through, they cause 2 () damage to all players and non-Mordor creatures (hence their name). Only Mordor creatures are immune to their effects. They grow in small patches on Mordor Rock, Dirt, and Gravel in all biomes where those blocks occur naturally. In the renewed version only, they can also grow on ordinary grass and dirt, and on basalt.
In the renewed version only, they are renewable as they can be grown by using bone meal on Mordor rock, dirt or gravel. When grown in this way, they can also spread to nearby grass, dirt, and basalt. They cannot be grown directly on basalt.
Uses
Stabbing thorns can be picked up with shears, but otherwise, they'll break without dropping anything when hit. Like withered moss, they can only be placed on Mordor rock, dirt, gravel, or (renewed only) basalt; in the renewed version only, they can also be planted on ordinary grass and dirt. Stabbing thorns can also be planted in a flower pot. Their use is primarily for decoration, but crafty players can use them for defensive purposes as well, using them to chip away at the health of home invaders.
Trivia
The anglo-saxon thorn-rune ᚦ (= letters TH) means "thorn" (what else?). Tolkien used those ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ for some texts in the initial drafts of "The Lord of the Rings", later on, he replaced them by cirth runes.
“ | ᚦ The thorn is exceedingly sharp, an evil thing for any knight to touch, uncommonly severe on all who sit among them. |
” |
The Hosts of Mordor |
Black Uruk (Archer) •
Olog-hai •
Orc (Archer, Banner Bearer, Bombardier) |