Hall of Fire

"Aragorn had been singing a part of the Lay of Lúthien which tells of the meeting of Lúthien and Beren in the forest of Neldoreth. And behold! there Lúthien walked before his eyes in Rivendell, clad in a mantle of silver and blue, fair as the twilight in Elven-home; her dark hair strayed in a sudden wind, and her brows were bound with gems like stars..."
—Many Meetings, The Fellowship of the Ring

In the sanctuary of Rivendell, there were many accounts of past stories and songs. These were often told in the Hall of Fire, a great room that was given over to tales of the past in the night. Those who listened to these tales could almost see them in their mind's eye as a vision of the past.

The Hall of Fire is a structure summoned through the Hall of Fire spell in Rivendell's spellbook. There can only be a maximum of three Halls of Fire on the field at any one time. It buffs nearby allies, and through Elven storytelling it can summon 4 Vivid Retellings that will damage nearby enemy units.

## Upgrades

The Hall of Fire has no upgrades that can be bought. However, it gains leadership from the Rivendell Reveler's Story-teller ability, which passively decreases the cooldown of Vivid Retellings by a stackable 10%, up to a maximum of 50%. In turn, the Hall of Fire decreases the cooldown of Rivendell Reveler's abilities.

## Function

Allies near the Hall of Fire regenerate health and gain +33 armor, earn experience 33% faster, and become immune to fear and terror. It decreases the cooldown of Rivendell Reveler's abilities. Its core function is the summoning of Vivid Retellings. These stories-come-to-life deal large amounts of area-of-effect damage. While they only last a short time, they are able to scatter enemy forces and help defend the Hall of Fire and its position. There are 4 different Retellings - each with the same stats and damage - only their visual identity is changed depending on which story is being told:

**The Son of Doom**

The tale of Túrin Turambar is one of heroism, sorrow, and tragedy. Túrin did great service to both Doriath and Nargothrond, and is famed for slaying Glaurung, Father of Dragons, but the curse of Morgoth was on him, and evil followed him always. In the Forest of Brethil he came upon his own sister, but through the spells of Glaurung they did not know each other, and wed. After Niënor discovered the truth, she threw herself to her death, and in despair Túrin fell upon his own sword.

**The Challenger of Morgoth**

After Morgoth laid waste to the Elves of Beleriand during the Dagor Bragollach, Fingolfin rode to the gates of Angband and challenged the Dark Lord to single combat. Morgoth tried to smite him down, but the High King dodged his blows and wounded him seven times before fatigue caused him to stumble. Morgoth killed him, but not before Fingolfin cut through his heel, resulting in a scar that Morgoth would always bear.

**The Last High King**

Gil-galad was an Elven-king,
Of him the harpers sadly sing,
the last whose realm was fair and free
between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen.
His shining helm afar was seen,
the countless stars of heaven's field
were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,
and where he dwelleth none can say,
for into darkness fell his star
in Mordor where the shadows are.

**The Smith of Eregion**

Celebrimbor, the great Elven smith, forged many artifacts of beauty and power. When Sauron arrived in Eregion - disguised as Annatar the Fair - he taught Celebrimbor to make magic Rings of Power, which resulted in Celebrimbor creating the Three Elven Rings. Then Sauron went away to Orodruin, where he crafted the One Ring, to rule over the others. Celebrimbor, realizing this betrayal, sent the Three away for safekeeping and waged war against Sauron, ultimately losing his life.

**The Faithful King**

When the isle of Númenor was drowned after Ar-Pharazôn's betrayal of the Valar, Elendil remained faithful and escaped the destruction along with his sons and people, sailing nine ships towards Middle-earth. There, he would reign as High King of the newly founded kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, and fought valiantly in the War of the Last Alliance, opposing Sauron alongside Gil-galad. In the final assault upon the Barad-dûr, both kings fought the Dark Lord hand to hand, and were slain. It was then that Isildur, eldest son of Elendil, took up his father's sword and cut the Ring from Sauron's hand.

**The Drowned Lord**

Great was the love that Amroth Amdírion, the Sinda King of Lórien, bore for Nimrodel, who had dwelled in the forest long before the Noldor and Sindar brought their warlike ways from over the mountains. Nimrodel desired peace, and knowing she would no longer find it in Middle-earth, said to Amroth that they could marry if he took her to a tranquil land. Amroth agreed, and they traveled south to find passage towards the Undying Lands. However, they became separated, and Amroth reached the havens of Edhellond before Nimrodel. Long he waited, until one fateful night his ship was born away in a storm as far as Tol Eressëa. In despair, Amroth leapt over the bow, wishing to swim back to shore and his fair Nimrodel, but sadly drowned in the attempt.

## Strategy

The Hall of Fire can be used as both an offensive and defensive spell. The structure is well-suited to helping the defense of a Rivendell base, but its passive bonuses to nearby friendly units and the destructive power of the Vivid Retellings can also be used to great effect as part of a forward base strategy. By assisting the Rivendell Revelers, the building can be useful both to improve the faction's economy and to assist in a siege.