Erebor Assembly

* Level 1
* Level 2
* Level 3

"Though these four points were far sundered the Dwarves of different kindreds were in communication, and in the early ages often held assemblies of delegates at Mount Gundabad. In times of great need even the most distant would send help to any of their people; as was the case in the great War of the Dwarves and Orcs"
—The Peoples of Middle-earth, History of Middle-earth

The Kingdom of Erebor had allies across Middle-earth they were able to call upon in times of strife. The Dwarves of the Ered Luin were traders, often travelling across Middle-earth to sell their goods. The warriors of the Iron Hills were elite soldiers, trained in battle against the forces of the east. However, Erebor's closest allies were the men of Dale and Lake-town. These realms were partners in trade with Erebor and fought alongside them in multiple wars against the Forces of Darkness.

The Erebor Assembly is a unit production building for Erebor that allows recruitment of Erebor's allies from across Middle-earth. It is also available to the Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction, in which it allows for the production of Ered Luin and Iron Hills units.

## Upgrades

**Upgrade Assembly to Level 2 (A)** - +10% faster build speed. Allows recruitment of Guards of the Master (Reign of Oakenshield)/Barding Longbowmen (Reign of Ironfoot) and Huruz-Khagal-zirak. Cost: 500

*In the Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction, it instead allows for the recruitment of Ered Luin Rangers only.*

**Upgrade Assembly to Level 3 (A)** - +25% faster build speed. Allows recruitment of Baruk-sharâhul and Azaghâr-sharâhul. Cost: 500

*In the Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction, it also allows for the recruitment of the Iron Hills Riders.*

## Function

The Erebor Assembly can recruit different units depending on the faction era.

#### Reign of Ironfoot

In the Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction, it allows for the recruitment of the following units instead in both eras:

## Strategy

The Assembly is a unit production building with a lot of versatility for the faction. The Ered Luin Traders are a support unit, capable of improving the faction's economy and supporting allied siege weapons. On the other hand, Ered Luin Rangers are a faster swordsman unit that can be used to counter enemy archers and harass structures. The Iron Hills units are the faction's elite forces. The Warriors are a mixed horde, capable of dealing with both cavalry and infantry. They can reduce enemy armour and can be used to counter enemy elite and upgraded units. The Crossbowmen are a powerful archer unit. While they have lower range than most elite archers, they can deal high damage and ignore enemy armour. The main differences for the building in each era are related to the Mannish units. Laketown Bowmen and Watchman are cheap units that can be used to outnumber the enemy. They can be supported with the Master of Lake-town and Bard the Bowman, as well as the Guards of the Master who are elite swordsmen capable of weakening foes and disrupting structures. On the other hand, the Barding units are stronger in combat but more expensive. Barding Phalanx and Swordsmen are not as powerful as dwarven units, but are faster. Barding Longbowmen are the most powerful archer units in the faction with higher range and speed than the Iron Hills Crossbowmen. These Barding units can be supported by King Brand.

The Erebor Assembly fulfills a similar role in the Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction, albeit with slightly different units. The Barding and Laketown units are absent, and instead the Ered Luin and Iron Hills unit rosters are expanded to include the Ered Luin Guards and the Iron Hills Riders. The former have been adjusted to deal increased damage to marked targets with both Guards and Rangers, while the latter are an elite, heavily armored cavalry unit that can unleash powerful charges on the enemy with a skill that significantly decreases trample deceleration and increases their resistance to pikes temporarily.