Mordor

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume."
—Boromir

**Mordor**, otherwise known as the **Land of Shadow**, was a largely barren land surrounded by treacherous mountain ranges on its north, west, and southern borders. It was here that Sauron chose to make his fortress of Barad-dûr and forge the One Ring of Power in the volcano Orodruin.

After the sinking of Númenor, the spirit of Sauron returned to Barad-dûr, fashioning himself a new shape, one to instill terror into the hearts of his adversaries. Following the Dark Lord's defeat, Gondor placed a watch to guard the borders of Mordor. By the time Sauron was driven out of Dol Guldur, his servants had reclaimed the Land of Shadow, allowing him to use it as his main stronghold. Led by the Dark Lord's lieutenant, the Witch-king, the forces of Darkness come forth once more from beyond the Black Gates of Mordor, spreading over the lands of Gondor like a plague.

The Dark Lord used Mordor as a place of power, fortifying it and returning to it several times in its history. Mordor was populated by Orcs and other fell creatures, as well as a population of slaves to work its southern fields known as the Fields of Nurn.

In the Age of the Ring, Mordor is a sprawling faction. It relies on a solid roster of Orc troops that through various means can be strengthened and supported. They also have access to various Monster units, such as Trolls and Great Beasts of Gorgoroth. They are good at spam strategies, though not as good as Misty Mountains. They make up for this by having access to various tiers of stronger units such as the Black Uruk Marauders and a full roster of Easterling warriors. During the late game Mordor can become a very difficult opponent to face due to the many buffs and leaderships they will have available.

## Heroes

### Gorbag

Gorbag is the leader of the Mordor Orcs stationed at Cirith Ungol. Unlike most Orcs, Gorbag is both wily and cunning, quite the opposite to the dimwitted warriors under his command. He is fiercely loyal to the Great Eye.

### Nazgûl

In the Second Age, Sauron gave Rings of Power to nine kings of Men. They willingly accepted these gifts and were gradually ensnared by the Dark Lord, losing their wills and fading into the world of the Unseen. Now known as Ringwraiths, or Nazgûl, the Nine now served Sauron eternally - bound to the power of the One.

### Shagrat

Across his many years in the service of the Dark Lord, Shagrat has proven himself to be a fearsome warrior, having emerged victorious from countless battles through sheer brute force.

### Gothmog

The misshapen Lieutenant of Morgul. Despite his crippled leg, Gothmog was an intimidating presence amongst his troops. He commanded the great battering Grond be brought forth, which resulted in the great gate of Minas Tirith being broken down.

### Mouth of Sauron

The Mouth of Sauron was the emissary of Sauron, having entered his service when Barad-dûr first rose again. Through long years, likely extended by dark sorcery, he had forgotten his own name, though he was of Black Númenorean descent.

### Mollok

Sauron bred trolls of great strength and cunning in the years leading up to the War of the Ring. Mollok was the most capable of all, and became known on the plains of Gorgoroth as the Troll-king. During the Battle of the Black Gate he fought in a duel against Aragorn himself.

### Witch-king

The Witch-king of Angmar was the greatest of all the Nine. A great sorcerer with mastery over fell spirits, he waged many wars against the Dúnedain, and was inevitably responsible for breaking their power in the north by ruining the Arnorian kingdoms. During the War of the Ring, he relentlessly pursued the Ringbearer.

### Sauron

One of the most powerful - if not the most powerful - Maiar, Sauron was a student of Aulë the Smith, before he joined with Morgoth the Oppressor. But where his predecessor fell, Sauron spent the following millenia building his power and troubling the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. With the help of Celebrimbor he forged the Rings of Power, to be ruled over by the One Ring - but he was found out and eventually defeated during the War of the Last Alliance. Over time he regained his strength and began looking for the One Ring, which had been taken from him. He launched an assault upon Middle-earth that would become known as the War of the Ring, which ultimately led to his final downfall.

## Spellbook

* Trackers of Cirith Ungol
* Orc Horn
* Cracks of Doom
* He Is Gathering All Evil To Him
* Barricade
* Call the Horde
* Slaves of Nurn
* Terror of Cirith Ungol
* Darkness
* Wraiths on Wings
* Eye of Sauron
* Fires of Orodruin

**Cost**:5PP

**Description**:
Summons a small horde of Ungol Trackers.
Ungol Trackers are fast moving units that clear shroud and reveal stealth
Nearby enemy units suffer -15% damage and -15% armor. Left click icon then left click on pathable location.

**Cost**:5PP

**Description**:
Modifier Type: Buff.
Target allies gain +25% damage, +25% armour.
Stacks with buffs and spells
Left click icon then left click on target units.

**Cost**:5PP

**Description**:
Summons a patch of cracked, volcanic earth for 15 seconds.
Enemy units inside take damage over time and are slowed by -33%
Left click icon then left click on target area

**Cost**:10PP

**Description**:
Summons two battalions of Haradrim Raiders to the battlefield for a time.
Once used, passively unlocks Golden Cataphracts and Golden Axemen.
Left click icon then left click on target area

**Cost**:10PP

**Description**:
Summons a defensive tower garrisoned with archers.
Benefits from fire arrows upgrade
All nearby allied units gain +25% armour
Left click icon then left click on pathable location

**Cost**:10PP

**Description**:
Temporarily increases Orc and Uruk production speed.
Left click to activate.

**Cost**:10PP

**Description**:
Selected structure's resource output is temporarily raised to 275%
Can only be used on the Slaughterhouse.
Left click icon then left click on target building.

**Cost**:15PP

**Description**:
Summons Shelob and three hordes of Brood of Shelob. Enemy units within the radius are slowed. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Cost**:15PP

**Description**:
Temporarily covers the entire map in darkness.
Cancels Freezing Rain, White Winter, Blessing of Ulmo, Darkness or Lights Go Out.
Modifier Type: Spell
Allied units gain +33% damage and armour.
Stacks with leaderships, buffs and other spells
 Left click to activate.

**Cost**:15PP

**Description**:
Summons two Wraiths on Wings to the battlefield
 Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Cost**:25PP

**Description**:
Summons the Eye of Sauron
 Reveals stealthed enemies.
 Paralyzes all enemies on the map for 10 seconds upon summoning
All units caught in its gaze suffer constant damage and are slowed by 33%.
Modifier Type: Leadership
Allies gain +33% damage, +50% armour, gain immunity to fear and terror, and gain experience +50% faster.
 Stacks with buffs and spell.
Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Cost**:25PP

**Description**:
Casts down a hail of molten rock on the target area.
Left click icon then left click on target area.
## Strategy

Mordor is one of the most versatile factions in the Age of the Ring mod. Similarly to Misty Mountains, their core in the early game consists of high numbers of expendable, cheap orcs that can swarm over the map. These can be assisted by Mordor's early heroes. Gothmog can provide support to your orcs while the Nazgûl can trample and disrupt enemy forces. As the player progresses in the mid-game, they have a choice of how to expand. One possible option is to continue with the orc spam, adding in upgrades for your archers as well as stronger Legions of Morgul and Black Uruk Marauders. Another option is to go for more elite infantry with the Evil Men units from the Easterling Garrison. Another option is to use Mordor's various monsters to even the odds, such as the trolls or Great Beast of Gorgoroth. Mordor's hero roster expands similarly in the late game with Mouth of Sauron acting as a disruptive support hero, Mollok acting as a powerful slayer that can support your trolls and the Witch King of Angmar who can attack from above with his fell beast or deal devastating AOE attacks from the ground. Mordor's main weakness is their difficulty in transitioning from early to mid game. The player must always have a large number of basic units on the field at once to make up for their low stats. Mordor also has very little cavalry. The Nazgûl can be used in the same way but are not as skilled at harassing buildings. Both the Morgul Vanguard and Golden Cataphracts can only be used in the late game due to their high costs and requirements. The player must use some of their other tools, such as the trolls, to make up for this.