“In the Dwarvish traditions of the Third Age the names of the places where each of the Seven Ancestors had ‘awakened’ were remembered … that of the ancestor of the Longbeards [Durin’s Folk] … had been Mount Gundabad (in origin a Khuzdul name), which was therefore revered by the Dwarves, and its occupation in the Third Age by the Orcs of Sauron was one of the chief reasons for their great hatred of the Orcs. … Though these [places of awakening] were far sundered the Dwarves of different kindreds were in communication, and in the early ages often held assemblies of delegates at Mount Gundabad.” - Description of Mount Gundabad
Campaign Features
Orc Enslavement
Recruit other factions orc units from other factions upon capturing their core settlements
Just as Mount Gundabad is defended by the finest Snow-Orcs of the north, so then are the Chieftains, Warlords and Marauder-captains of the peak guarded by the finest of the finest. These are those most rare; long-lived orcs. They have fought on countless battlefields, tackled numerous foes and survived long enough to be deemed elite. Accordingly, they are drafted into the venerable protectors of the leaders of the north. Outfitted in their old garb but given great two-handed scimitars, these warriors will take down all that their enemies can offer up.
The Snow-Orcs generally do not wear armour, their society has shunned heavy armour for the most part owing to its slow movement and impairing nature. However, as a renewed war with the dwarves seems inescapable, Warlord Muzûl has recognised the benefit of having heavy warriors to hold back any foe. From his tireless attempts to change his nations' perception of armour, the Blackshields were born. This warrior-cult takes only the finest orcs into its ranks and many applicants die in their attempt of acceptance. Whilst the Blackshields are not in full plate mail they wear enough to offer them excellent protection from archer fire and weaker foes and their iconic shields are the best that the smithies of Gundabad can provide.
These Archers proudly fight in the knowledge that no other orc or Uruk archer can surpass them in ranged skill. Practising archery in near permanent winter has drilled them into being the best of the best. Their eye is keen and their arm is strong and it is a foolhardy child of Ilúvatar who disregards them at range.
The Snow-Orcs generally do not wear armour, their society has shunned heavy armour for the most part owing to its slow movement and impairing nature. However, as a renewed war with the dwarves seems inescapable, Warlord Muzûl has recognised the benefit of having heavy warriors to hold back any foe. From his tireless attempts to change his nations' perception of armour, the Blackshields were born. This warrior-cult takes only the finest orcs into its ranks and many applicants die in their attempt of acceptance. Whilst the Blackshields are not in full plate mail they wear enough to offer them excellent protection from archer fire and weaker foes and their iconic shields are the best that the smithies of Gundabad can provide.
When marching to war, the Blackshields often fight with spears owing to the weapons flexibility. Coupled with their shields, they are a formidable wall for any rider to try to overcome.
The Snow-Orcs generally do not wear armour, their society has shunned heavy armour for the most part owing to its slow movement and impairing nature. However, as a renewed war with the dwarves seems inescapable, Warlord Muzûl has recognised the benefit of having heavy warriors to hold back any foe. From his tireless attempts to change his nations' perception of armour, the Blackshields were born. This warrior-cult takes only the finest orcs into its ranks and many applicants die in their attempt of acceptance. Whilst the Blackshields are not in full plate mail they wear enough to offer them excellent protection from archer fire and weaker foes and their iconic shields are the best that the smithies of Gundabad can provide.
When marching to war, these Warriors fight with simple axes to ensure swift death to any who foolishly challenge them. Coupled with their shields, they pack quite a punch when charging into the enemy.
Gundabad is a venerable location in the eyes and hearts of the Dwarves and they have sought to regain it in the name of their eternal father time and time again. However only once have they succeed and since the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, the Orcs of the Mountain have come to realise that by holding on to the peak, they have some small measure of power of the Dwarves. To that end they have outfitted their finest warriors in the best armour they could scavenge and carry fearsome halberds. These mighty Snow-orcs are unrelenting and will hold the great mountain with all that they have. In honour of their forefathers who fought in the great battle of Five Armies, they venerate Bolg with his name.
In the First Age, Melkor did all he could to try and match the creations of his fellow Valar. He was never truly successful but hordes of twisted experiments now fight on in his stead thousands of years after he fell. Perhaps the most mind-bending of these are the Half-Trolls. Their origin remains a mystery, are they the unnatural union of orc and troll or are they a breed separate in of themselves? In any event, the union of orcish intelligence and troll-ish strength has created outstanding warriors. The Half-Trolls are very few in number and prefer to live amongst their full troll brothers: acting almost as shepherds. Fortunately for the free-peoples, this means they are rarely seen. When they do take to the field they like to impale their enemies on monumental javelins before hitting them with the full force of their charge. Their large two handed axes can cut through even dwarven plate with ease. Being unable to effectively wear armour does leave them with a weakness to arrows but this may just be their only weakness. They swear fealty to the Warlord of Gundabad and proudly march to war in service to the Mountain.
The War of the Dwarves and Orcs left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who survived. Ragged and broken some made their way back to Gundabad to find their home destroyed by the dwarves. The Snow-Orcs shortly thereafter came down from the north and swiftly claimed the mountain for their own. The survivors' tales of horror awakened a hatred in the Snow-Orcs and those most longing for vengeance banded together to from a group of elites determined to avenge the fallen. Training rigorously through harsh winters in mock heavy plate they gained an understanding of how to effectively fight in real dwarven plate. In skirmishes with dwarven miners and scouts they scavenged the foes armour and now wear it as a morbid reminder of their aim: to rid the world of Aulë's children. They have personally smithed their axes to ensure maximum armour cutting capability and their reputation grows: dwarves returning to Erebor from labouring in the Grey Mountains speak of giant dwarven phantoms that descend upon their camps and leave all but the weakest alive, disappearing as fast as they came.
Snow-Orcs are perhaps best recognised by their oddly light skin and whether this is some twisted vision of Melkor or the product of a life spent in the depths of winter, none can say. Whatever the cause, to outsiders they are commonly referred to as Pale Orcs. However, amongst their number that name is almost sacred and reserved for a secretive and small group of Uruks. The Pale Uruks keep to themselves and rarely leave their separate camps to interact with the Snow-Orcs. They carry a great secret from the depths of time and seem to be almost repentant: spending much of their time in silence. On the battlefield however they are unleashed as a great wildfire and there are few who can stand before them and hope to live. They are mighty of stature and equipped with full plate from Morgoth's own now abandoned smithies. The Warlord of Gundabad has few of these light skinned warriors but a handful of them is worth innumerable Snaga.
The name refers to the trolls who dwell in the mountains far north in Middle-earth, tamed by the Orcs there and well-adapted to the cold and hostile environment within. While not as physically robust as their specially-bred kindred from the land of Mordor, these creatures make deadly foes on the battlefield, and cause frightening amounts of damage at close range. Despite the fact that they bear no armour, their incredibly tough troll-skin is able to withstand tremendous punishment in a fight. This, combined with the devastating axes that they so effortlessly wield, serves to make Snow Trolls some of the most deadly troops in Middle-earth, capable of smashing apart anything or killing anyone with ease.
When comparing the races of Middle-earth, orcs, as a rule, are smaller and weaker than humans. They succeed in combat through sheer numbers and the driving will of a powerful leader such as Morgoth or Sauron behind them and left alone they break and flee. However, in the far frozen north a warrior society has been left alone to flourish and stand proud where other orcs would fall: the Snow-Orcs. Hailing from the lands north of Gundabad, they descended upon the mountain after its fall in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. In the years since, they have carved out a reputation as being the fiercest and most skilled orcish warriors on the face of all Arda! The bitter cold and biting wind tempered their resolve and constant skirmishes with the dwarves of the Grey Mountains and Erebor have honed their fighting skill. However, what they have in skill and aggression they lack in armour and numbers.
On the field, these raiders wield an axe in each hand to ensure maximum lethality.
When comparing the races of Middle-earth, orcs, as a rule, are smaller and weaker than humans. They succeed in combat through sheer numbers and the driving will of a powerful leader such as Morgoth or Sauron behind them and left alone they break and flee. However, in the far frozen north a warrior society has been left alone to flourish and stand proud where other orcs would fall: the Snow-Orcs. Hailing from the lands north of Gundabad, they descended upon the mountain after its fall in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. In the years since, they have carved out a reputation as being the fiercest and most skilled orcish warriors on the face of all Arda! The bitter cold and biting wind tempered their resolve and constant skirmishes with the dwarves of the Grey Mountains and Erebor have honed their fighting skill. However, what they have in skill and aggression they lack in armour and numbers.
On the field, the Scouts are formidable archers with a much keener eye than their southern brethren and more draw strength than most orcs.
When comparing the races of Middle-earth, orcs, as a rule, are smaller and weaker than humans. They succeed in combat through sheer numbers and the driving will of a powerful leader such as Morgoth or Sauron behind them and left alone they break and flee. However, in the far frozen north a warrior society has been left alone to flourish and stand proud where other orcs would fall: the Snow-Orcs. Hailing from the lands north of Gundabad, they descended upon the mountain after its fall in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. In the years since, they have carved out a reputation as being the fiercest and most skilled orcish warriors on the face of all Arda! The bitter cold and biting wind tempered their resolve and constant skirmishes with the dwarves of the Grey Mountains and Erebor have honed their fighting skill. However, what they have in skill and aggression they lack in armour and numbers.
On the field, these warriors are armed with a spear and shield to put down any foes cavalry.
