Vale of Dorwinion feature - Divide and Conquer mod for Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms

Welcome to Third Age Total War: Divide and Conquer submod! As the current writer on the DaC Council, I am proud to present you with some long anticipated information on the new factions of DaC and the major changes to the vanilla factions. This bio is of the Vale of Dorwinion and the men and Elves of the secret land. All campaigns start in the Third Age 2980, 39 years before the events of The War of the Ring.

Gameplay Bio: Little is known of the mysterious land of Dorwinion save for its wealth and its excellent wine. The land is a mixed bag of men from Rhûn and Dale and Elves of the Avari; those who forsook the call of the Valar and remained in the east until slowly spreading out and settling in Dorwinion. For years Dorwinion has remained a secret land shrouded in gold and mystery but no longer! Now war knocks on its very door, the Easterlings, eager to earn Sauron's favour, push towards Dale through Dorwinion and the forces of Mordor may even arrive to cripple the very memory of the Elves from the land. Unless of course, Dorwinion sees greater prosperity through service to the Dark lord.

Dorwinion is faced with a choice, a choice that no other realm of Middle-earth must make; do they pursue the interests of the Elves or do they push forward as a human nation? Secondly and perhaps more importantly, should Dorwinion turn its wealth to amassing more wealth by trading further and wider or should they now leave the gold aside and vie for a more military society? This choice will ultimately lie with their King but both paths have rewards. If the Elves are embraced then the Avari will come to the fore, bringing with them their skill and excellent craftsmanship and should Dorwinion choose war over trade then these Elves will march onto the field in armour not seen in the east for many years, wielding bows and pikes that can cut down any foe! However, if the Elves choose to expand their trade then the Elves will outfit for speed and cunning in order to spread their influence wide. It is the nature of Dorwinion to be reclusive and to defend her borders to the last man. As such, the recruits of Dorwinion can be counted on as some of the finest militia in Middle_earth, serving long into the War of the Ring and rivalling some realms's medium strength battalions and these men can be strengthened further should the King choose to side with the Edain of his court. If then the call to war is made then the Ruling Council of Dorwinion, known as the 'Vintner-Court' will arm themselves with the finest soldiers they can muster. Riding onto the battlefield as the Paladins of the Vintner-Court and marching at the head of the army as the Knights of the Vintner-Court. They are Dorwinions true elites and the men of Rhûn fear their very name! However if the call of gold is too much then the battalions of the Thorn will prepare to defend the trade routes in and out of the garden realm with all that they can; including perhaps Dorwinion's most fearsome battalion, the Thorn Crossbowman. Legend tells of a unit of these Crossbowmen bringing down the elite Cataphracts of the Easterling lords and marching from the battle with trumpets blazing! Whatever the Dorwinion King chooses to do, his options are plentiful and his Edain and Elves are willing and ready to spread the influence of their beloved land far and wide.

Gameplay Tips: As Dorwinion it is very advisable to hunker down and defend, defend to the last man! Hold on the bridges into the Dorwinion heartland and hold firm as Rhûn will come at your borders hard and fast. Once you have the men, strike at key locations and make every victory count! You may well find that having a wise admiral can easily turn the tide of war in your favour...

The french translation is alvailable on Mundus Bellicus