Woodland Realm Fortress

* Normal
* Silvan Heraldry
* Feast of Starlight
* Enchanted Stream
* Silvan Garrison
* Tribute to Oromë
* Expansions

### Upgrades

Silvan Heraldry, Feast of Starlight, Enchanted River, Emperor's Protection, Silvan Garrison, Tribute to Oromë

### Bonus

n/a

"In fact the subjects of the king mostly lived and hunted in the open woods, and had houses or huts on the ground and in the branches. The beeches were their favourite trees. The king's cave was his palace, and the strong place of his treasure, and the fortress of his people against their enemies."
—Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit

The Elvenking's Halls were a system of caves in the Northern Mirkwood where King Thranduil and his people lived during the Third Age of Middle-earth. The walls and pillars were carved from the surrounding rock and the great gates of this fortress could be closed by magic. As well as the Silvan Elves of the Greenwood, this great stronghold was also the home to the Elvenking's prisoners who were kept in the dungeons on the lowest level. The Elvenking himself could often be found in a great hall, sat upon a throne of carven wood.

The Woodland Realm Fortress is the central building of the faction, enabling the recruitment of builders, heroes and the Gilded Guard of Lasgalen, as well as providing various defensive upgrades.

## Upgrades

The Woodland Realm Fortress can be improved with the following upgrades:

**Silvan Heraldry (W)** - Allies near the fortress gain +33% damage, +33% armour and earn experience twice as fast. Stacks with buffs and spells. Reduces hero cost by 10%. Reduces hero recruit time by 10%. Reduces builder cost by 20%. (cost: 500)

**Feast of Starlight (E)** - Heals nearby allies (cost: 800)

**Emperor's Protection (R)** - Unlocks the Emperor's Protection ability which, when activated causes structures in a wide radius around the fortress to temporarily gain +150% armour against siege, fire and magic damage. (cost: 1000)

**Enchanted River (T)** - Decreases the melee vulnerability of the fortress (cost: 1500)

**Silvan Garrison (S)** - Prerequisite to the Tribute to Oromë. Stations archers on the parapets. (cost: 1500)

**Tribute to Oromë (D)** - Requires the Silvan Garrison upgrade. Nearby units gain +33% attack damage. Passive ability. Unlocks recruitment of the Gilded Guard. Unlocks the Horn of Tauron ability which, when activated causes enemies near the fortress to lose -50% armour and flee in terror. (cost: 1500)

## Expansions

The Fortress can also have the following expansions on the surroundings build plots:

**Watchtower (R)** - Defensive tower that fires at nearby enemy units (cost: 400)

**Ballista Expansion (E)** - Long range defensive weapon (cost: 500)

## Function

The fortress will shoot at nearby enemies and will periodically earn the player +25 resources.

### Recruitment

 Builder | Special
 Gilded Guard of Lasgalen | Heroic

All of Woodland Realm's permanent heroes can be recruited here.

### Abilities

**Emperor's Protection (S)** - Requires the Emperor's Protection upgrade. Structures in a wide radius around the fortress temporarily gain +150% armour against siege, fire and magic damage. Left click to activate.

**Horn of Tauron (D)** - Requires Tribute to Oromë upgrade. Causes enemies near the fortress to lose -50% armour and flee in terror. Left click to activate.

## Strategy

Like all fortresses, the Woodland Realm Fortress is a key structure for the player. Without it, the player is unable to recruit heroes and builders, or use spellbook powers. The fortress has a variety of upgrades for protection however. **Enchanted River** makes it harder for melee units to attack the fortress, forcing the enemy to use ranged siege. This can then be countered with **Emperor's Protection** which also protects nearby buildings. **Silvan Garrison** allows the fortress to deal increased damage to foes and, as a last resort, the Horn of Tauron can be used to heavily weaken and delay enemy forces while reinforcements can arrive. The fortress can also support allies with **Silvan Heraldry** and **Feast of Starlight** being used to both buff and heal respectively. The Gilded Guard are a powerful but expensive heroic cavalry unit. While limited to 1, they can be paired up with Silvan Nobles and Thranduil to create a devastating cavalry force capable of trampling over enemy armies and dealing heavy damage to enemy structures. The Gilded Guard can also support allies further, allowing them to temporary gain resources per kill.