Arcah

* Portrait
* In Game

"But the ravens are different. There used to be great friendship between them and the people of Thrór; and they often brought us secret news, and were rewarded with such bright things as they coveted to hide in their dwellings. They live many a year, and their memories are long, and they hand on their wisdom to their children."
—Balin

For centuries, the Dwarves of Erebor have maintained a close friendship to the ravens of the Lonely Mountain, employing them as messengers and heeding their wise counsel. Arcah, lady of ravens, was the daughter of Roäc. She served Dáin, King Under the Mountain, in the years following the reclamation of Erebor as a loyal messenger and chief advisor. She proved vital during the War of the Ring, as the Dwarves became threatened by the Black Land and its allies; she flew to all of Erebor's allies to inform them of the Dwarves' plight so that when an Easterling host finally attacked the Lonely Mountain, the Dwarves were well reinforced.

In Age of the Ring, Arcah is a unique hero for Ironfoot-era Erebor and its Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction as she is one of the few who levels up via manual upgrades. She is unable to attack and gain experience in the standard method. Arcah's maximum level is level 5.

## Upgrades

**Lady of Ravens (W)** - Allows Arcah to grow in strength. Left click to activate. (cost: 500/400)

## Abilities

**Lady of Ravens** - Modifier Type: Leadership. Allied units near Arcah gain +5% speed. Stacks with buffs and spells. Passive ability.

Rank 3: Allied heroes near Arcah gain +10% experience gain.

Rank 5: Allied units near Arcah gain +10% speed.

**Subtle Ways** - Arcah is stealthed when remaining still. Arcah detects stealthed units. Passive ability.

**Level 3: Unkindness of Ravens** - Modifier Type: Passive Debuff. Enemies under Arcah lose -15% speed. Passive ability.

**Level 3: Wisdom of Yore (C)** - grants allied units moderate experience. Left click icon then left click on target units.

**Level 5: Messenger of the King (V)** - Summons a battalion of Barding Outriders. Left click icon then left click on pathable location.

## Strategy

Arcah functions identically to Reign of Oakenshield's Roäc, she is a highly mobile, stealthy hero that can scout the enemy's base to give Erebor valuable information as to what units the enemy is recruited so that Erebor can respond appropriately. Her **Lady of Ravens** and **Unkindness of Ravens** leadership serves to compensate for the slow speed of Reign of Ironfoot Erebor's Dwarven units by directly buffing friendly unit speed but also considerably slowing enemy units so that they are less likely to successfully retreat from a battle. **Wisdom of Yore** is an incredibly useful ability as it can grant experience to Dwarven units, which gain additional health per level so that they become even tankier; it also makes unlocking the Dwarves' various unit abilities such as Dwarven Tenacity, Punch Through! and Knotted Strings easier to give the Dwarves an even greater edge in combat. **Messenger of the King** serves to address Erebor's lack of early game cavalry as it temporarily summons Barding Outriders - this ability can be cast behind enemy lines and is able to decimate unprotected enemy archers.