Now on to an Edain 4-version of the Woodland Realm as a faction:
The Edain team of the Edain mod have already implemented a version of the Woodland Realm by taking the interior of Thranduil’s Halls and rendering it as the exterior – I would like to see something similar being created for a full faction, if this is the direction one wants to go in (the direction of the Hobbit-film-designers' vision). For quick reference / a reminder of that look: see below once again for a look at what I mentioned before - the Edain's rendition of a Woodland citadel in line with the films' design.
I have already outlined some ideas for a Woodland Citadel in one of my earlier blogs, however I will repeat it here in the context of the Edain’s construction followed by my ideas for the Outposts and Settlements of the Woodland Realm. For the Citadel I’d like to see:
The Throne Room: This will function as the citadel. It will be raised, as it is in the film. Various extensions to it will be available, which will also be raised – at various levels (as in the film). The heroes come down from here [are recruited here], the Realm is surveyed from here: this is the position of power. Palace Guards can be stationed permanently at the bottom of this building, by getting an upgrade available from the Palace Barracks. Mobile Palace Guard units can also be recruited from this – one of the extensions: the Palace Guard Barracks – nowhere else. For a look at the film's Throne Room see below:
The Palace Guard Barracks would be below the Throne Room, where the Palace Guards are.
It would be one of the extensions of the Throne Room. As said there’d be various extensions:
1.) The Palace Barracks: this is the barracks especially equipped for the Palace Guards
2.) The Palace Chamber: this is the private room of the king, its presence is healing to heroes
3.) The Palace Outlooks: these are the ‘watchtowers’ of the Throne Room – they come with Palace Guards armed with short bows, perched atop little platforms up high / dry
4.) The Palace Parlour: this is the reception room of the king, its presence boosts resources
5.) The Palace Staffroom: this is the room especially equipped for the king’s staff, its presence is healing to units within a certain radius and it is required for the construction of the Wine Cellars [more on these down below]
To elaborate / explain: the extensions are a combination of actively functional buildings and upgrades (which are not buildings as such, but do add a layer to the look of the Throne Room - something the Edain have already implemented in their Citadel of the Woodland Realm).
The Citadel is an important part of a faction, but it is only the centre of a Camp or Castle.
Now for what structures surround it:
The Stone Walls: On the outside of most Camps and Castles you will find walls. As the Elves of the Woodland Realm (of the film) live in Thranduil’s Halls, it goes without saying that they live behind stone walls – why not bring some form of those into the game? The walls would resemble the craftsmanship of the River Gate and doorway to the later-mentioned Outlook: they’d be made of bluish / dark grey stone that would segue into the later-mentioned gate (in the wall; not the River Gate) smoothly if/when necessary. It should be partially roughly hewn, to resemble certain parts surrounding the River Gate and the aforementioned doorway as well as the areas of rock surrounding the Front Gate (of the film) but should also show off the fact that they’re Elven after and before all - a combination of their refined nature and their wild nature: striking the right balance between them to really distinguish them as Elves of the Woodland Realm. The gates in the Castle walls are modelled after aforementioned Front Gate (of the film). It would could come with guards automatically, or it could be upgraded with them. The tops of the Castle walls are reasonably flat, and are modelled after the parapets we see on the River Gate (of the film) – archers can be stationed upon them, there’ll be secret stairs to them (inherent ‘postern gate(s)’, as they’re called) so as to get up there. The Camp walls will not include the parapets, like the other factions.
Front Gate
River Gate
Woodland Walls
Feren (the Horn-Blower)
Woodland Outlook
The ‘watchtowers’ of the Castle walls will be the Woodland Outlooks – the outlook is seen briefly in the sequence in which the Dwarven Company of Thorin Oakenshield are barrelling down the Elven Sluice towards the River Gate – we see Legolas and Feren (the horn-blower) run out onto it to sound the alarm and thereby alert the Guards. My idea for the Outlooks are basically a variation upon a watchtower: this clearly is the highest point we see the Elves of the Woodland Realm (in the film) use as a form of building – there is a bridge to it that leads out from a doorway which is reached by a flight of stairs coming down/up from somewhere within Thranduil’s Halls. I think it is a no-brainer to use this as their watchtower. The form it should take is a lone mound with a tree atop it, with the connecting bridge onto it coming from the walls within which shelter can be taken and stairs can be climbed to get up onto the Outlook. The Outlook is higher than the wall it is attached to, so cannot be climbed by Siege Towers and it is virtually impregnable (as it is a huge mound of solid rock). It comes with a Hunter (Woodland Guard) atop it. The Guard can be killed, and replaced – which one can do at the structure itself. The walls will have a Woodland (and even more invisible, I should imagine) version of the ‘postern gate’. They will not, however, be able to equip their walls with siege weapons of any kind – the Woodland Elves, like their counterparts, must do without them. Their walls, like their Outlooks, are almost impregnable as they too are large mounds of solid rock.
Both the Camps and the Castles are circular in shape – they offer a third (and final) variation upon this shape, after Gondor and Imladris/Rivendell.
Within these walls we find a small variety of structures:
Woodland Dungeons
The Dungeons: the second-lowest structure in the Camps and Castles, beaten only by the Wine Cellars (see below) – these structures serve multiple purposes: resources, security and wellbeing. They would have multiple levels. Level 1 offers minimal resources. The other levels can be attained over time (quite a long time), or can be purchased separately (for a handsome fee - 2 a lot, more for 3):
2.) The building emanates security, it boosts armour by a certain percentage
3.) The building emanates wellbeing, it boosts health by a certain percentage
The Dungeons, like the Throne Room, can be equipped / upgraded with Palace Guards.
The Wine Cellars: the Wine Cellars would be an open plan building, like the others will be – the spires seen in above and below images will remain, reminding us of both the original spires in the film and the huge trees they (could/might) represent but there’ll be no walls around the Cellars: they are like general purpose storage areas and will be treated so - areas with barrels and benches. The effect that they’re lower down in the halls of the Elves of the Woodland Realm will be created by the fact that so many other buildings will be at varying but higher heights than this area/building which will be at ground-level. The purpose of this place will be creating resources, on the basis that they are also general storage cellars that store goods to be traded between the Elves and the Men of Lake-Town (in theory) as well as the Elves of Dorwinion. Also this place will be like a public house, in that the Elves can get a drink there [see all the benches and tables, that’s what they’re for – among other things]. This will show in the area/building as there will be a calm but constant coming and going of Woodland Elves there to have a bite and a drink, or a chat with their fellows, which will give off the nice sensation of the Woodland Camps and Fortresses being an actual society – something which sometimes wasn’t stressed enough in the various former mods/versions.
The Wine Cellars are / will be the primary resource structures [PRS, if you will]. Their presence is important, their opportunities immense and their addition / ambiance irreplaceable – these, together with the Dungeons, are signature structures for the Woodland Elves, instantly recognizable from both book and film, entirely unique and classic canon all-round. The Edain have already pulled off impressive feats with their current version, I'm sure they could deliver more wonderful work if they attempted the above.
The Woodland Barracks: Woodland Scouts, Woodland Guards / Hunters and Woodland Warriors / Soldiers, as well as Thranduil's Guard are recruited at the Woodland Barracks. As stated above/below/later, the Palace Guards are not. This area will depict a few storage-spaces [based on the stacked storage we see in the Wine Cellars of the film], a Woodland Elven archery range with practicing archers and will double as an Armoury (which is basically inherent). There are / would be two buttons - one to open up the menu for the Armoury and one for recruitment. The Armoury will function as a forge (which is, again, basically kind of inherent): it will offer various upgrades at various levels - the levels can be purchased or attained through purchase of units or upgrades. The upgrades would be the following:
- Armouring: Allows Woodland Guards to purchase their armour
- Banner Carriers: Allows Woodland Units to auto-heal
- Barbed Arrows: Allows Woodland Units to purchase their arrow upgrades
- Equip Shields: Allows Woodland Warriors to purchase their shields
- Forged Blades: Allows Woodland Units to purchase their blade upgrades
Thranduil's Guard has an elite status, which is reflected in their recruitment and use: every time a unit levels up to 10 they gain a Captain. If said unit is one of the Woodland Warriors, said Captain is one of Thranduil's Guards. These Captains will then become available at the Woodland Barracks. Once one has collected 5 of these Captains one can purchase one unit of Thranduil’s Guard.
The structure will be found at a higher level than the Wine Cellars, so will be a raised area of semi-carved rock with semi-hewn tree-like pillars/spires (partially mentioned before) beneath it and upon it, hanging in mid-air (as these were depicted in Thranduil’s Halls of the film). See below for an example of said areas.
The Outposts:
The Outposts give you two options:
- An Elven Gate: based on the Elven Gate we see on the edge of Mirkwood (of the film) – to me it looks like this may have functioned as something at some point, apart from simply being a point of recognition (so you know where the Elven path into / through Mirkwood begins). It could have been populated by a guard or watch at some point. See the gate below. This could be a ground-level guarding building. It could have multiple levels, which have to be purchased separately or can be attained over time (slowly):
1.) The building generates resources, it additionally boosts command points
2.) The building emanates security, it boosts armour by a certain percentage
3.) The building emanates wellbeing, it boosts health by a certain percentage
The Elven Gate can be used to recruit Woodland Scouts and Woodland Guards.
The Elven Gate is not stealthed, and so can be attacked directly. It has reasonable health.
The Elven Gate
- A Woodland Outlook: this is the same as the afore-mentioned Woodland Outlook, with the exception that it’s not attached to a wall. The form it should take is a lone mound with a tree atop it, possibly with the connecting bridge onto it coming from some form of structure within which shelter can be taken and stairs can be climbed to get up onto the Outlook. The Outlook has a large field of vision, and a passive ability called Watch over the Woods which detects stealthed enemies in the area. It comes with a Woodland Guard atop it, which can be replaced as it can in the Castle-version
The Settlements:
- Concealed Lodgings of the Hunters: call it a hunting hut, it generates resources. Consists of two parts: a lower part set beside the base of a tree’s trunk and an upper part among the tree’s canopy which can be garrisoned with Woodland Scouts / Guards
- Concealed Shelters of the Woodland Realm: call it ‘storage’ – it boosts CP (like Gondor’s Pantry) and can be used as a refuge for units under threat, once inside they cannot attack but cannot be seen and so they can’t be attacked. Inside they will heal
Both settlements can level up – the higher the level, the higher the boosts – and do so over time. Both are always completely hidden. If attacked from the Concealed Lodgings of the Hunters, the attacked enemy units will understand they’re being attacked from the tree in which the lodgings house but they will not be able to see the structures so will not be able to attack them directly – taking them down will take more time, especially as the tree is strong. The look of the Lodgings’ huts should be of a dark wood, crafted into a kind of closed and slightly cruder version of what some of the huts of Caras Galadhon looked like (in the film). The look of the Shelters would be of a large tree, simply standing there. Where the lodgings are is left up to the imagination, which I find a wonderful resolution. The tree’s trunk is very wide, with the tree having a large canopy – they could be underneath, they could be inside it.
[Like previous posts, this article will continue to be updated bit by bit - this is the initial draft.]
