Total War: Wainriders is a full-conversion & fully modfoldered modification for Rome: Total War - Alexander. Inspired solely by the written works of J.R.R. Tolkien, it seeks to reflect both the spirit and lore of Middle-earth as Tolkien saw it. Total War: Wainriders is being built by the Fourth Age Total War team on the excellent foundations of the Dominion of Men mod for Barbarian Invasion, but completely reworked to take full advantage of all the features of Alexander. It will feature fully overhauled factions, an updated campaign map, and new mechanics and gameplay systems all designed to effectively transport the setting of the main campaign to T.A. 1864 and tell the story of the great conflicts of Middle-earth at that time.
The Misty Mountains were raised as a wall, some say, by the power of Melkor in the days of the world’s youth, in order to hinder the riding of Orome. The mountains are more than a physical barrier. Their sides are scored with caves and tunnel entrances, and at their roots nameless things wallow in the dark.
Orc-folk have long dwelt here, tribe vying with tribe, chief against chief in a brutal struggle for dominance. But with the rise of new powers in the North – the Witch-king in Angmar, the shadow settling upon Dol Guldur – the tribes have begun to unite and to multiply. Joining with others of their kin in the Grey Mountains, and making pacts with the realm of Angmar, they look now to spend their new strength.
For centuries now have they harried the Dwarves, who once laid claim to the eastern slopes and caverns of these mountains. Now the people of Durin hide themselves in their ancestral halls, bereft of allies. Only Moria itself remains in their possession, a city and stronghold so far impenetrable to the Orc-hordes.
Many of the tribes are eager to try their strength elsewhere, to sweep into the lowlands to loot and burn. Their warriors are swift and cunning, hardened by raids against the Dwarves and goaded by chiefs greedy for riches. But some aspire to more than plunder. The mightiest Orc chieftains, enflamed by some dark urging, aim at conquest, to bring ruin and terror to the proud Dwarf-realms and the faltering rule of Men.