Tribal Camp

"‘More Men going to Mordor,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Dark faces. We have not seen Men like these before, no, Sméagol has not....Not nice; very cruel wicked Men they look. Almost as bad as Orcs, and much bigger."
—The Two Towers, The Black Gate Is Closed

Though traveling in small, nomadic groups, many Haradrim did consider themselves part of a tribe. Meeting in various shared spaces throughout the year, this tribal bond was strengthened. News was exchanged, goods were traded, and marriages were arranged. In addition, warriors were gathered, and if necessary, a course of war would be decided upon. As the Third Age drew to a close though, the messengers of Sauron and the Golden King sought to take control of these tribes and drive them north to war against the Free Peoples.

In Age of the Ring, the Tribal Camp is a summonable structure for Haradwaith that can be obtained through the 10PP Tribes of Harad spellbook power. It is limited to 2.

## Function

The Tribal Camp is protected by a single javelin thrower. It can summon permanent battalions of units with the following abilities. Only one summon can be used at once.

**Summon Tribal Axemen (W)** - Summons two battalions of Tribal Axemen. Strong vs. Pikemen. Wielding light axes, these warriors are known for appearing out of nowhere, flanking an enemy to inflict as much as damage as possible before retreating.

**Summon Tribal Bowmen (E)** - Summons two battalions of Tribal Bowmen. Strong vs. Archers and Swordsmen. These archers carry tough bows of bone that require great strength and discipline to shoot.

**Summon Tribal Spearmen (R)** - Summons two battalions of Tribal Spearmen. Strong vs. Cavalry and Heroes. All tribal warriors are proficient with the spear, for it is a primary weapon used for hunting and defending their camps from the various beasts of the Southern deserts.

**Summon Harondor Spearmen (T)** - Requires the Subjugation: Near Harad fortress upgrade. Summons a battalion of Harondor Spearmen. Strong vs. Cavalry and Heroes. The brunt of Sûladan's forces was made up of spear-warriors capable of marching across vast distances at great speed.

**Summon Harondor Archers (S)** - Requires the Subjugation: Near Harad fortress upgrade. Summons a battalion of Harondor Archers. Strong vs. Infantry. The archers in Sûladan's ranks were known for their use of poison-tipped arrows, which they extracted themselves at great risk from Haradwaith's many venomous species such as snakes and scorpions.

**Summon Harondor Raiders (D)** - Requires the Subjugation: Near Harad fortress upgrade. Summons a battalion of Harondor Raiders. Strong vs. Archers and Swordsmen. These raiders were known in Gondor for striking hard and fast, then retreating ere any retaliation could be organised.

## Strategy

The Tribal Camp is a defensive structure for Haradwaith. Its primary use is to summon battalions of tribal units around it for the defence of an area, with the choice of unit depending on what the player deems most valuable at that time. These tribal units are not led by a Warlord and so they do not have that as a weakness for enemies to target to bring the battalion down. Once Subjugation: Near Harad has been researched at the Haradwaith Fortress, the Tribal Camp is able to summon single battalions of Harondor units. Though fewer in number, they are stronger in combat, and also includes the option to summon cavalry which is not an option for the tribal units. The building is defensive in nature but, with the other summoned structures of the faction and the mobile caravans, it can be used to quickly construct a forward base on the front lines. The units are permanent too, so they can contribute to the wider army.