Factions

Factions represent the empires and races of Middle-Earth, each of varying cultures hailing from regions high and low. Each faction fits a theme of warfare, with their own strengths and weaknesses, although there are some defining traits that many of them share. The good factions are from the heroic empires and kingdoms of Middle Earth, and they represent the forces of the free peoples. The evil factions are the forces and allies of Sauron who seek to destroy and enslave the free peoples of Middle-Earth and reign in an era of domination. The heroic factions are primarily defensive and have good defenses, while the villainous factions are primarily aggressive and lack fortifications in exchange for being much more effective at attacking enemies.

## Gondor

"Believe not that in the land of Gondor the blood of Númenor is spent, nor all its pride and dignity forgotten. By our valour the wild folk of the East are still restrained, and the terror of Morgul kept at bay"
—Boromir

**Gondor** was the greatest kingdom of Men in Middle-earth, bordered by Rohan to the north, Harad to the south, the cape of Andrast and the Sea to the west, and Mordor to the east. Its first capital was Osgiliath, moved to Minas Tirith in TA 1640. The city of Minas Tirith remained the capital of Gondor for the rest of the Third Age and into years of the Fourth Age; other major fortresses include Dol Amroth in Belfalas and Osgiliath, which was a city on the Anduin.

This page encompasses all the buildings, powers, units and heroes of the faction Gondor, which has been divided from Rohan; previously in ROTWK, these two factions had been combined into one, the Men of the West faction.

### Arnor

**Arnor**, i.e. the **Northern Kingdom**, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin **Ara-** (high, kingly) + **(n)dor** (land).

Arnor is only playable on the following maps:

* Amon Sûl Fortress
* Amon Sûl
* Angmar
* Arnor
* Barrow-downs
* Cardolan
* Carn Dûm
* East-West Road
* Forochel
* Fornost
* Forodwaith
* Minhiriath
* Mitheitel spring
* Mountains of Angmar
* Mount Gram
* North Downs
* Rhudaur
* River Lhun
* Wasteland of Forochel

On these maps the players will play as Arnor if they have selected the Gondor faction in the skirmish menu. This page encompasses all the buildings, powers, units and heroes of the faction Arnor, a new faction created by the Edain Mod to expand LOTR lore and Gondor gameplay.

## Rohan

"They are proud and wilful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel; wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs, after the manner of the children of Men before the Dark Years."
—Aragorn

**Rohan**was a kingdom of Men, located in the land once called **Calenardhon**, situated in the great vale between the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains to the south. The land of Rohan extended from the fords of the river Isen in the west, up to the shores of Anduin the great in the east. The forest of Fangorn lay within the borders of Rohan, and Lorien lay to the north of the river Limlight. The land was known as Rohan to the Men of Gondor and its people, the Rohirrim (meaning 'the Horse-lords'), but the people of Rohan called themselves the Eorlingas, sons of Eorl the Young, first King of Rohan. This was because the land of Calenardhon was given in gift to Eorl and his people by Cirion, Steward of Gondor, in thanks for their service to Gondor in battle against the Balchoth (a tribe of Easterlings). Eorl, the first king, swore an oath of friendship and protection to the Lords of Gondor, and thus the Rohirrim became the greatest allies of the Men of Gondor throughout the Third Age and beyond. They were known for their cavalry and horse training, which proved decisive countless times in battles such as the Hornburg and on the Pelennor Fields.

Rohan was also separated from the common faction Men of the West and greatly expanded upon by the Edain Team. This page encompasses all the buildings, powers, units and heroes of the faction.

## Lothlórien

"In Rivendell there was memory of ancient things; in Lórien the ancient things still lived on in the waking world. Evil had been seen and heard there, sorrow had been known; the Elves feared and distrusted the world outside: wolves were howling on the wood's borders: but on the land of Lórien no shadow lay."
—The Fellowship of the Ring

**Lothlórien** was a forest located next to the lower Misty Mountains. It was first settled by Nandorin elves, but later enriched by the Noldor and Sindar under Celeborn of Doriath and Galadriel, daughter of Finarfin. It was located on the River Celebrant, southeast of Khazad-dûm, and it was the only place where the golden Mallorn trees grew.

Lorien was separated from the common Elves faction and expanded upon, adding a Mirkwood sub-faction and greatly adding on to the role of Galadriel as a Ring hero. This page encompasses all the buildings, units, powers and heroes of the faction.

## Dwarves

"Since they were to come in the days of the power of Melkor, Aulë made the Dwarves strong to endure. Therefore they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity, and they suffer toil and hunger and hurt of body more hardily than all other speaking peoples; and they live long, far beyond the span of Men, yet not forever."
—The Silmarillion

The Dwarves have been split into three different realms due both to the lore problems a single dwarven kingdom would have caused and to be able to include as much of the faction as possible. At the beginning of each game the player is able to choose one of the three factions below. These pages encompass all the buildings, units, powers and heroes of the factions.

### Erebor

The **Lonely Mountain**, also known as Erebor, was the greatest dwarf kingdom in Middle-earth. Sindarin is a mountain northeast of Rhovanion. It was also the source of the River Running. The time period of the faction is situated after the death of Thorin Oakenshield when Dain is king. Erebor had a strong, well-armored and equipped Dwarven army able to defeat even the toughest foes. The army consisted of over 10,000 Dwarves. They had only infantry and artillery machinery. It was possibly the strongest artillery in Middle-earth as it is stated that a huge army of orcs tried to attack Erebor, "but they were no match for Dwarven machinery."

### Iron Hills

The **Iron Hills** was a range of mountains in Middle-earth and a realm of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. The Dwarves of the Iron Hills were the clan of Longbeards or Durin's Folk and so were the most noble Dwarves. They had friendly relations with the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain because Grór and Thrór shared the same blood. The three kingdoms were very linked and relied upon each other for trade and support, and of course the royal family of the Dwarves was all related. An example is the close friendship between Thorin and his cousin Dain Ironfoot.

### Ered Luin

The **Blue Mountains** (**Ered Luin**), also known as **Ered Lindon**, was the mountain range at the far west of Eriador. The Blue Mountains, the Iron Hills, and Lonely Mountain were the main areas of Dwarf colonization by the late Third Age. During the 4000+ years following the cataclysmic sundering and catastrophic downfall of Beleriand, when the mighty Dwarf fortress-cities of Nogrod and Belegost were inundated by the sea, it is possible that the Dwarves rebuilt those cities to their former splendor.

## Rivendell

"He spoke lightly, but his heart was moved suddenly with a desire to see the house of Elrond Halfelven, and breathe the air of that deep valley where many of the Fair Folk still dwelt in peace."
—The Fellowship of the Ring

**Rivendell**, also known as **Imladris**, was an Elven outpost in Middle-earth. It is also referred to as "The Last Homely House East of the Sea", a reference to Valinor, which is west of the Great Sea in Aman. Rivendell was protected from attack (mainly by the River Bruinen, Elrond, and Elven magic), but Elrond himself said that Rivendell is a place of peace and learning, not a stronghold of battle. There were a few assaults on Rivendell in various video games, and they were either failures or successes depending on whether Sauron had found the Ring.

Rivendell was separated from the common faction of the Elves and expanded upon in the 3.8.1 version of Edain Mod, and it became playable in the 4.4 update.

## 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. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume."
—Boromir

**Mordor** was a black volcanic plain in the southeast of Middle-earth to the East of Gondor, Ithilien and the great river Anduin. Mordor was chosen to be Sauron's fortress because of the mountain ranges surrounding it on three sides, creating a natural barrier against his enemies.

Mordor was added onto by the Edain team, expanding on every aspect to extremes, especially when it comes to Sauron, the centerpiece of Mordor's power. This page encompasses all the buildings, units, powers and heroes of the faction.

## Isengard

"" The old world will burn in the fires of industry. Forests will fall. A new order will rise. We will drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the orc. ""
—Saruman

**Isengard**, also known as "**Angrenost**" (Iron Fortress) in Sindarin, was one of the three Fortresses of Gondor and held within it one of the realm's Palantiri. However, in the latter half of the Third Age, it came into the possession of Saruman and had become his personal realm until his defeat during the War of the Ring. Isengard was built in the Second Age around the tower of Orthanc by the Númenoreans-in-exile in the days of their power in Nan Curunír (valley at the end of the Misty Mountains). Its location was at the northwestern corner of the Southern Kingdom of Gondor, guarding the Fords of Isen from enemy incursions into Calenardhon, and together with the fortress of Helm's Deep to its south protected the Gap of Rohan.

This page encompasses all the buildings, units, powers and heroes of the faction.

## Angmar

"The East will fall. So shall the kingdom of Angmar rise."
—Sauron

**Angmar** was the realm founded by the evil Nazgûl leader who became known as the Witch-king of Angmar in TA 1300.  The kingdom was located in the far north of the Misty Mountains with the sole purpose of weakening the northern realm of Arnor. The land was known in part for its cold weather, mostly snowing.

Angmar was expanded upon in the 3.8.1 version of Edain Mod. It has been released with patch 4.3. This page encompasses all the buildings, units, powers and heroes of the faction.

## Misty Mountains

"We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums... drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We can not get out... they are coming."
—Gandalf the Grey

The **Misty Mountains**, or ***Hithaeglir*** [Sindarin; *hîth* (mist) + *aeglir* (range of mountain peaks)], was a mountain range that ran 1280 kilometres (795.35 miles) from north to south between Eriador and the valley of the Great River, Anduin, and from Mount Gundabad in the far north to Methedras in the south. An early version of its name was ***Ered Hithui*** [Sindarin; *ered* (mountains) + *hithui* (misty)].

## Mystery Faction #1

The Edain Team has said that once Misty Mountains has been released there are still 2 faction slots before they run out of AI slots. These two factions have not yet been revealed but this page will be updated as soon as they are.

## Mystery Faction #2

The Edain Team has said that once Misty Mountains has been released there are still 2 faction slots before they run out of AI slots. These two factions have not yet been revealed but this page will be updated as soon as they are.