For my first iterations of blogs about possible Woodland factions I will be focussing on such a faction seen through the eyes of the concept artists and designers from the Hobbit Trilogy. I have combed through the currently available documentation of their vision (both in the Appendices and the books) and have come to the following version.
[Note: these suggestions will also be largely in line with the Tolkien books.]
Units:
- Scouts [light armour, heavy stealth]
- Hunters [medium armour, medium stealth]
- Soldiers [heavy armour, light stealth]
- Palace Guards [heavy armour, medium stealth]
- Thranduil’s Guard [heavy armour, light stealth]
Of The Scouts:
The Scouts are seen in The Battle of the Five Armies briefly (theatrical release, as that's all we have for now) and can be found in the "Chronicles of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: Art & Design"-book. In the film (and in said book) they’re glimpsed behind Thranduil in the ruined city of Dale, when he decides to leave with his people to avoid further losses. Of the Scouts is said (in The Chronicles of the Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Art & Design) “they would be agile and rely on their speed and stealth rather than armour. They’d be moving quickly and unseen, so lighter clothing was essential.” [paraphrased].
The Scouts, like the Hunters, carry shortbows and quite possibly daggers.
They can be seen doing so (carrying that shortbow) in The Battle of the Five Armies. The best idea'd be to have these units simply carry bows - no melee weapons - as their armour is light and their attacks would be ranged anyway. Giving them a power which involves speed and/or stealth power-ups'd be good I'd think.
Of The Hunters:
Known as the Woodland Guard(s), the Hunters are seen in The Desolation of Smaug capturing the Company of Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield, and later chasing them down the Forest River while ridding the banks of Orcs. Of the Hunters is said (in The Chronicles of the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Art & Design) “the once-beautiful Greenwood has become Mirkwood, a dangerous and unpleasant place. While they hold the evil at bay in the Woodland Realm, their garments reflect the spiky and perilous nature of the forest. The distinction between armour, clothing and camouflage is blurred, outlines unclear, similar to the dappled sunlight seen in a dark wood. These Elves are shadowy figures – swift, invisible and deadly: far wilder and more dangerous than the stately immortals of Rivendell. Rather than aloof and serene they are edgy and almost predatory. Nonetheless their garments are incredibly detailed and elegant – a tight-fitting melange of metal, cloth and leather in patterns.
Their knives have reverse grips, held back against the wrists. They sport barbed arrows. These forms exist to develop a fighting style that is both flowing and jagged – like a deadly dance.”
The Hunters carry shortbows and wear daggers on their quiver which sits on their lower back. As far as I'm concerned it would be a very good idea to consider having these units have a power in which they switch to their blades for 30 seconds (or something like that) akin to Legolas' Knife Fighter - no boost in attack or speed, they'd make up for it in numbers.
Of The Soldiers:
The Soldiers are seen in The Battle of the Five Armies in various scenes and various forms. Uniform for these warriors is their armour – which is golden – and clothing – which is red. They carry a variety of armaments in various combinations – split by battalion – among them:
- longbows
- pole-arms
- shields
- swords
I think the best idea for these warriors is to have them wield only one weapon - split by battalion - so there'd be multiple recruitment options wherefore they wouldn't be overpowered or overpriced.
Of The Palace Guards:
The Palace Guards are seen in The Desolation of Smaug generally guarding Thranduil’s Halls – “they conducted their business with all the regal pageantry of a proud imperial society”: their costumes and weapons sporting a level of ornamentation befitting of their palace fortress – incorporating shapes, textures and patterns of the fungi, leaves and tangled roots of their forest. A balance between an organic, earthy quality and very considered and thoughtful graphic lines, casting a powerful, statuesque silhouette, the designs settled into a gradually desaturated green colour scheme evocative of the environment within which these Elves found themselves – a striking fan shape in the helmet and a veil under their eyes makes them imposing and shows off their indifferent superiority, making them unreadable and intimidating to outsiders. The Palace Guards carry a variety of armaments, in various combinations, among them:
- bows
- pole-arms
- shields
- swords
I'd think it'd be good to have two or three options for this unit. Have them wield only one weapon but make the different versions available. Two would have shields - one wielding a pole-arm and one wielding a sword - and a possible third would wield a bow. This version was shown in both the teaser and main trailer for The Desolation of Smaug (see below), but later omitted from the eventual theatrical and extended versions. The concept is there, however, and is not a large stretch by any means: we didn't see them in the film but we did see them in the trailers and it's very possible the Palace Guards picked up a both now and again, especially when they can see what's coming from a mile away. I'd include them on that basis.
Of Thranduil’s Guard:
The existence of such a unit is only hinted at but one might expect the Elvenking of the Woodland Realm to have his own guard / unit when he rides out to deal with regal business – whether it be hostile or friendly would determine the form this guard would take but let us say that here we’re focussing on the version of this guard that accompanies him on hostile matters – and that this unit would be somehow set apart from the others in this faction. It is possible that Thranduil’s Guard is made up out of (at least some of) the same soldiers that guard his halls, however they do not necessarily take on the same form outside his palace fortress – this is certain at least of the Hobbit films and its accompanying background information (that is available right now) – so it does not make any difference to this explanatory statement: I’ll be assuming they look different to the Palace Guards and move on utilizing that assumption. How they would look is an interesting matter, but not one that is difficult to answer (in my opinion): I would imagine that they take on a similar form to the regular soldiers described above, but that their armour and weapons would match Thranduil’s in colours – a combination of black and silver – identifying them as his Guard and thus setting them apart. They might also serve as his Captains, as this is conceivable of a king's circle.
Update: I’ve now got proof for this theory. While watching The Battle of the Five Armies again I noticed four warriors behind Thranduil in his first scene in the film: the scene where his army is first seen and he rides into Dale on his elk – behind him are a few warriors clad in the same armour (the same design) as the battalions of soldiers seen stationed all around Dale, except their armour is silver and their capes/cloaks/robes black, like their king lord Thranduil. This theme is later on seen again outside Thranduil's tent, and when Feren (the horn-blower) is ordered to recall his company - a moment that confirms the theory (also confirmed in image 3 under Of The Soldiers - "We had officers' and standard soldiers' versions as well, which included some variation in colour" [of the helmets]) that Thranduil's Guard double as his officers and vice versa. ["Update" because I wrote the first part before I had any proof.]
The actual function of these units matches that of the Galadhrim and the Noldor Warriors. They carry two weapons - bows and swords - and can switch between them. They are the absolute elite - their armour and attack are both faster and tougher. They are the most expensive, and come in fewer numbers per purchased/trained unit.
[Note: I'm going to continue to update this blog bit by bit - this is the initial draft I will expand upon at various later dates: keep an eye on this blog.]
