The DCI: Last Alliance team is proud to present to you the
Official preview of the roster of Lothlórien
A host crafted by Earl of Memory
All units are new, except for the Smiths of Eregion.
The people of Lothlórien are in origin Nandor Elves of the Teleri Clan, who turned aside from the Great Journey to Valinor early in the First Age. They settled on both sides of the River Anduin, mingled with Avari of the East and became the valiant Silvan Elves. In their own tongue the original name for their land was Lindórinand, nowadays Lórinand, better known as Lothlórien in the Sindarin speech.
In the early Second Age they welcomed lords of Sindarin descent, who are their kinsfolk, and made Amdir their king. After the year 1697 of the Second Age, they mingled also with the Noldor, when Galadriel led refugees out of the land of Eregion, that Sauron had destroyed. Under the rule of Amdír and his son Amroth the threat of Mordor has been kept at bay by means of arms and valour, and the sudden return of Sauron to Middle-earth after the the Downfall of Númenor saddened them but put no dent to their convictions.
Of old the Elves of Lórien have been close to their Silvan and Sindar kinsmen in Eryn Galen but they harbour no ill feelings towards either Dwarves or Noldor. Thus their armies are better equipped than those of their kinsmen, although not as heavy as Lindon's or as numerous as Eryn Galen's hosts. Amdír can be expected to heed summons from Gil-galad and to bring as large a force as he can muster to the Alliance of Elves and Men, because he is a wise lord, and his axe is restless in his hands.
For larger image resolution, see the gallery.
Border Archers
The Silvan Elves of Lothlórien derive from Teleri Elves who settled along the Anduin in the early the First Age, thus being kinsmen of the Nandor and Sindar, they also mingled with Avari Elves of the East. They have warded their independence fiercely since, and do not flinch from the duty to protect their land whenever the need arises. In each dwelling they keep bow and arrows at hand, so when the call is risen they pick up their arms and set out. Invaders will find many Elves hidden on the border before a second night falls, to rain deadly arrows at them.
Wearing no protection the Border Archers are in their element when they may attack from the cover of lush trees or from a safe distance. While they should avoid melee whenever possible, they are proficient with daggers and knives.
March-wardens
No Orc or other foe, will ever return from Lothlórien once they entered it, that these Silvan rangers make sure of. In the tradition of the March-wardens of Doriath, who were led by Beleg Cúthalion himself, they guard the outskirts of the realm. They also scout abroad for the gathering of news and the watching of enemies, and they speak the languages of other lands, which is unusual among the Silvan people.
Masters of stealth the wardens are clad in shadowy-grey cloaks that mortals envy. Excellent marksmen but lightly armoured the March-wardens prefer ambushes and should avoid hand-to-hand combat, even if they carry axes as a side arm.
Lórinand Archers
The best archers in the realm of Lothlórien are hand-picked to form these disciplined and deadly companies that never hesitate to follow their leader against the enemy, no matter how outnumbered, since that means simply more targets for their arrrows. Not only are their senses so keen they can shoot someone breathing in the dark, they are also equipped with bows longer and stouter than the bows of their Mirkwood equivalents, strung with strings of elf-hair.
They lack the ability to hide in full sight of a viewer, as a March-warden might, but make up for it with a stout armour that allows them to handle both enemy fire and physical blows. Armed with piercing axes they will prove a hard target for whomever assaults them.
Border Spearmen
Some of the Teleri Elves on the Great Journey westward from Cuiviénen, where the Elves awoke before the Sun or Moon had risen, did not move beyond the Vale of Anduin in long gone days. Close kindred of the Sindar and Nandor Elves, as well as mingled with the Avari Elves of the East, they became known as the Silvan Elves.
Already on the Great Journey Elves possessed weapons of the chase, spears and bows and arrows, and in each of their dwellings either of these weapons are still found. A basic weapon, spears wielded with aptitude have kept their enemies at bay for countless years. The Border Spearmen who wear no armour but a shield are not professional soldiers, but the valour of their Nandor inheritance, and fierceness of their Avari inheritance, is obvious to all who face them.
Silvan Mariners
Sindar from the Falas, the west havens of Beleriand then ruled by Círdan, established the port of Edhellond in the late First Age. Throughout the Second Age they have been joined by Elves of Lothlórien, who came down the Anduin, Silvans who had never been wholly free of feeling unsettled and having a deep rooted yearning for the Sea which at times drove some of them to wander from their homes.
In Edhellond the mingled people uphold the seafaring tradition and the Silvan Mariners protect the haven and are ready to patrol the waves in their ships. Being lightly armoured swordsmen they cunningly harass the enemy with javelins and avoid melee until the odds are in their favour.
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Border Swordsmen
The Silvans have always been fierce defenders of their lands along the Anduin, but it was first when they welcomed Sindarin lords that they got the knowledge to craft gear for proper warfare. In defending Lothlórien and in the wars in Eriador great skill with the sword has already been acquired, with sweat and blood, by these Silvan Swordsmen who often operate together with the March-wardens.
They wear a short mail, under cloaks and hoods that seem grey with the hue of twilight under the trees, but at other times green as shadowed leaves, or brown as fallow fields by night. Wearing those they can not be seen among tree-stems even by the wary, unless they move suddenly, but if spotted they are probably already to close.
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Lórinande Spearmen
The most ancient weapon, the spear may seem simple, but in the hand of the able it promises swift death. It is a weapon of the Tauron, the Lord of Forests, the Valar who Noldor name Oromë, a mighty hunter who came with spear and bow, pursuing to the death the monsters and fell creatures of Melkor in Ages before the Sun had risen. The companies of Lórinand Spearmen wield tall spears of ash that can skewer a wild boar and when a thicket of sharp points are pointed towards foes behind a line of shields that is their way of saying "These are Lothlórien's walls".
Well protected with armour and shield the spearmen are capable to hold the line. They often are positioned at the flanks, since their arms are excellent against hostile cavalry or dread beasts.
Lórinand Cleavers
Orcs are shod with iron and iron-shielded and bear great spears and curved blades. The Elves east of Beleriand for long had to oppose such enemies with stealth and ambushes, but with the Sindar came the tools to crack the hardest armour. Axes are the chief weapons of the Dwarves and of the Sindar alike, so that they in ages past became known as the Axe-Elves.
This tradition they now share with their Silvan countrymen, and honouring memories such as Beleg Cúthalion's victory against a legion of Orcs in the First Age they now stand ready to fall upon any foe. Clad in heavy armour and with a broad shield the Lórinand Cleavers are equally able to hold a line as to break up one.
Noldor Warriors
After the War of Wrath, and as the Second Age began, some Noldor chose to stay in Middle-earth that they loved. Many went and founded Eregion, west of the Misty Mountains, but it was destroyed by Sauron in 1697. Some of the survivors went north with Elrond to establish Imladris, others followed Galadriel through Khazad-dûm to Lothlórien where Amdir welcomed them, and they mingled with the Silvans and Sindar.
Those who yet remain are among the most hardy of defenders of the West, and they and their line march out to war as companies of Noldor Warriors. Clad in heavy armour, enhanced by Noldor craftsmanship, and broad shields these swordsmen are willing to engage any enemy.
Smiths of Eregion (AoR)
The Noldor realm of Eregion was established in the Second Age, west of the friendly domain of Khazad-dûm. Noldor's greatest smiths formed there into a guild, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, People of the Jewel-smiths.
They were later deceived by Sauron when he, in disguise, offered them tutelage and helped them to craft the Rings of Power. But Sauron revealed his true intent when he created the One Ring. Eregion fell to invasion in 1697 and Celebrimbor, creator of the Three Rings, fought Sauron himself but was defeated. The survivors either fled to Galadriel and Celeborn in Lothlórien or went north with Elrond to found the refuge and stronghold at Imladris.
Of these survivors some were of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. No guild masters of prime lore and craft survived, but even the least in Gwaith-i-Mírdain is honoured as an authority, and they have not forgot, nor forgiven, what wrongs were done to them and their realm. Clad in armour few in Middle-earth can rival and armed with enchanted warhammers the members of the guild bring fierce and destructive vengeance.
[For credits to teh Smiths of Eregion, see the Kingdom of Lindon preview]
Silvan Rochbin
The Silvans who always preferred to wander the vast forests of Middle-earth did not held horses, but the Sindar lords made sure there are always experienced riders available for errands and swift operations. The Rochbin, Riders, are used to and trained for skirmishes in the forests of Lothlórien, and therefore do not utilise the lance in difference to most other cavalry, but act as light cavalry armed with sword and shield.
As such the Rochbin excel, they are capable to encircle hostile formations to break morale, and any intruder who survived the fledging arrows or spearwalls of Lothlórien will find themselves hunted down and finished off by these stout defenders.
Sindar Bodyguard
The Sindar lords who rule and command Lothlórien each field a sworn guard to protect them. In the ancient tradition of their folk both lord and guards wield great two-handed axes that can cut enemies in half with one mighty swing. Each one holds great warriors of old, as Mablung of the Heavy Hand, chief captain of Thingol of Doriath, as paragons, and all have earned their position on the battlefields of Beleriand, during the War of the Elves and Sauron, and in defence of old Lórinand.
The Sindar Bodyguard wear the best armour the smiths of the realm provide and is a force on the battlefield to be reckoned with. And while they rather die than dishonour their pledge, they do not try to hold their leader back in battle, but rather pave him a road of bodies.
Galadriel's Guard
Lady Galadriel is the daughter of Finarfin, son of Noldor's first king Finwë, and daughter of Eärwen, princess of the Teleri. She is the last remaining of the Noldor leaders who brought the High Elves out of Valinor into Exile, back to Middle-earth, where they fought the long war against Morgoth and his servants. Likewise she was the only woman of her people to stand tall and valiant among the contending princes when the rebellion started, eager to leave Aman. When the First Age ended, she and her husband Celeborn, a Sindar prince of Doriath, remained in Middle-earth. They lived in the Grey Havens, Eriador and Eregion periodically, but also took interest in Lothlórien since it was close to the threat of Mordor, and they have done so till this day.
A Noldo royal, one the Wise, Ringbearer and a chief inspirator behind the opposition against Sauron, a sworn guard is attached by the ruler of Lothlórien to protect her, as Galadriel is perhaps the one Elven lady known to fight to protect her folk in dire times. Armed with a sword from Beleriand and songs of power she encourages her fellow warriors, and puts terror in the hearts of the enemy.
Her guard consists of grim veteran archers, provided with armour by Noldo smiths, who prefer to take out enemies before they can reach the Lady, yet would that come to pass, they slay them with heavy axes.
CREDITS:
Earl of Memory - units creator
Roster concepts together with Ngugi, texts by Ngugi and Veteraan, screenshots by Veteraan
Resources:
SHREDDER for certain textures and models
Paleologos for some models
GeMiNi][SaNDy for face models, some shields and some textures
* Rusichi: Total War for body models
