Kingdom of Nargothrond
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"But the realm of Nargothrond extended also west of Narog to the River Nenning, that reached the sea at Eglarest; and Finrod became the overlord of all the Elves of Beleriand between Sirion and the sea, save only in the Falas. There dwelt those Sindar who still loved ships, and Círdan the shipbuilder was their lord; but between Círdan and Finrod there was friendship and alliance; and with the aid of the Noldor the havens of Brithombar and Eglarest were built anew. Behind their great walls they became fair towns and harbours with quays and piers of stone. Upon the cape west of Eglarest Finrod raised the tower of Barad Nimras to watch the western sea, though needlessely, as it proved; for at no time ever did Morgoth essay to build ships or to make war by sea..."
The Silmarillion, Chapter 14 - of Beleriand and its Realms, p. 137.
" 'Ill you have done to me, kinsman, to conceal so great matters from me. For now I have learned of all the evil deeds of the Noldor.' But Finrod answered: 'What ill have I done you, lord? Or what evil deed have the Noldor done in all your realm to grieve you? Neither against your kingship nor against any of your people have they thought evil or done evil.'
' I marvel at you, son of Eärwen,' said Thingol,' that you would come to the board of your kinsman thus red-handed from the slaying of your mother's kin, and yet say naught in defence, nor yet seek any pardon!' Then Finrod was greatly troubled, but he was silent, for he could not defend himself, save by bringing charges against the other princes of the Noldor; and that he was loath to do before Thingol."
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 15, of the Noldor in Beleriand, p. 148-149
"It came to pass that Nargothrond was full-wrought (and yet Turgon still dwelt in the halls of Vinyamar), and the sons of Finarfin were gathered there to a feast; and Galadriel came from Doriath and dwelt a while in Nargothrond. Now King Finrod Felagund had no wife, and Galadriel asked him why this should be, but foresight came upon Felagund as she spoke and he said; 'An oath I too shall swear, and must be free to fulfil it, and go into darkness. Nor shall anything of my realm endure that a son should inherit'. But it is said that not until that hour had such cold thoughts ruled him; for indeed she whom he had loved was Amarië of the Vanyar, and she went not with him into exile."
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 15, of the Noldor in Beleriand, p. 150.
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The by far largest kingdom of the Noldor, Finrod's dwelling in Nargothrond was long hidden from the enemies of the Eldar. Built by Noldor and the dwarves, Finrod paid the dwarves with pearls and gemstones from Valinor which solidified friendship between the races. Not only did the dwarves build Nargothrond into the fortress that it became, they also sent many weapons of their fine craft to Finrod, and he was given the cognomen Felagund by the dwarves which meant 'Hewer of Caves'. Finrod's realm stretched for many miles from the western coasts of Beleriand, north to Nevrast, east towards the Andram and the great river Sirion.
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Royal Dynasty of Nargothrond
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The Armies of Nargothrond and their Regiments
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Nargothrond militia
Military service and structure in the lands of Finrod Felagund mirrored much that of other Noldo nations. The Militia were either raw recruits of watchmen assigned to guard the forest roads or city streets, serving mostly as a police force. While neither very well protected by heavier armor nor equipped with mighty weapons, these raw recruits of the people of Felagund will do what they can to defend their homes.
These men are armed with an axe and leather armour. While they cannot be relied upon to hold the line for a prolonged period of time on the battlefield, these militiamen can hold off enemy forces at least long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
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Scouts of Nargothrond
In the realm of Finrod, not all were Noldor. In fact many of his subjects were Sindar who lived outside of Melian's Girdle in Doriath and some were Círdan's people from Falas. All who fell under Finrod's rule faithfully swore their allegiances to him and loved their benevolent ruler. Many of them mastered the art of mounted combat, others served as swift riders and messengers as the Scouts of Nargothrond. Charged with bringing swift messages across the vast realms of Nargothrond, hunting wayward orc hunting parties and other bandits, these elven warriors were clad in chainmail and hooded cloaks.
Mastering a form of combat few others have, these scouts have learned how to shoot their deadly arrows from horseback and it is a tactic that has proven time and time again to be incredibly effective.
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Sindar Archer
With the coming of the Noldor and the uncovering of the crimes of Fëanor and his sons in Alqualondë many Sindar grew distrustful of the Noldor. Others felt that not all Noldor were to be blamed for the actions of a few and remained in their lands. Many fell under the rule of Finrod of Nargothrond and offered their loyalty and services to his realm. These skilled archers were known widely in the Kingdom for their accuracy and the range of their deadly arrows. Wearing heavier armour than the average archer, these elves were also given a helmet and cloak and a short blade to defend themselves in melee combat should the need arise.
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Noldor Archer
The exiles' return to Middle Earth came at the eleventh hour for the Sindar of Beleriand. With Morgoth assailing them on all fronts and all hope nearly gone, the Noldor arrived to the northern coasts of Middle Earth. Here they stumbled upon their long lost brethren who did not follow them to Valinor - but shortly thereafter Morgoth learned of their arrival and decided to assail the newly arrived people. The First battle known as Dagor-nuin-Giliath, the battle of the stars, was won to a great deal by the deadly archers of the Noldor. These soldiers, armed with strong longbows, chainmail and helmets of fine elven making - have always been a thorn in Morgoth's side. Many of these archers have trained for the most part of their lives at archery and their skill is unparallelled when comparing themselves to other races.
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Nargothrond Swordsman
The warriors of the Eldar have shown both skill and courage on countless occasions throughout the ages. But few could match the craftsmanship of forging blades and wielding them like the Noldor could. Many of the blacksmiths of the Noldor were trained by Aulë himself and his servants and from his lessons took great wisdom and many secrets that would be only theirs until the end of time. These blacksmiths would put their knowledge to use by forging great stockpiles of armor and weapons for their brethren.
Arming these brethren with swords, helmets, chainmail and shields - the Swordsmen of the Noldor would line up like a sea of blades before the armies of Morgoth. Some of these warriors would live on for many years to come after the War of Wrath. They would later come to the aid of Elendil at the battle of Dagorlad and Barad-Dûr.
Many of them perished at the end of the Second Age and many more sailed back to Valinor and few remain in Middle Earth to this day.
The elves would forever remember the armies of ages past with great reverence and pride, and many songs they would sing in honour to their fallen. And in their beautiful songs, the swordsmen of the Noldor would always have a place, for their valour shone bright as Varda's stars when the world was young.
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Coastal Warrior
Amongst Felagund's people, the Falathrim would mingle and seek shelter in dark times when Círdan's people in Falas were assailed. These men gladly gave their skill and allegiance to Finrod who in return gave them the tools they needed to defend their homeland. Some of these coastal elves decided to rather serve Finrod than their own lord, Círdan - and a great portion of them came from the fortress of Barad Nimras which Finrod himself built after his arrival to Beleriand.
Finrod armed these men with chainmail, shields, swords and spear alike and they would serve as both scouting regiments as well as front line infantry in the armies of Nargothrond. Although it would take many years after Nargothrond's founding that the forces of Felagund and his brother Orodreth would show themselves - the coastal warriors would keep a strong vigil in the western reaches of the Kingdom - where no orc dared tread fearless.
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Nargorthrond Riders
Unlike the legions of Gondolin, Nargothrond's armies had several cavalry regiments whom they always put to great use in warfare. The Riders of Nargothrond would serve primarily as light cavalry. Whereas the Nargothrond Lancers would be used to break enemy formations - the Riders would be used to pick up any fleeing survivors who fled across the fields of battle. Experience however taught the commanders of Nargothrond that light cavalry can be useful, however they must be protected more than their original regiments were, so they had their own blacksmiths craft fine armors of chain and scales, strong helmets and shields to protect their riders.
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Mounted Archers
A few of the many regiments of Nargothrond's cavalry regiments specialized in firing arrows from horseback. These would often ride up in front of the enemy, harass them, cut off their supply lines and incite them to a premature attack. Many times have Morgoth's warbands been broken up long before they became a significant threat thanks to these skilled riders. Armed very lightly, these riders always knew that staying out of the fray of battle was crucial to their usefulness on the battlefield. The commanders and generals of the King's armies knew that Nargothrond would not long stand without the aid and skill of these mounted warriors who wielded beautiful bows.
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Heavy Mounted Archers
Unlike their lightly armored brethren, the heavily armed cavalry archers of Nargothrond had longbows instead of shortbows at their disposal. Often the orcs of Thangorodrim would see a smoke approach them at distance which would be closing incredibly fast. They would launch volleys of arrows against their attackers in order to stop them and in time the elves learned to equip their mounted archers with heavier armor to counteract the orcs' arrows.
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Nargothrond Knights
The nobles of Nargothrond were few in number but proud of their heritage. To aid their king they provided horses, heavy armor and sharp blades. These knights would charge with their full might into the lines of the enemy, often shattering entire lines or even batallions of orcs. Few could match them in skill of arms on horseback, but their heavy armor would also make them unsuitable for pursuits across the battlefield.
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Noldor Guard
These kinslayers are among the best warriors of the world. These guardsmen serve as bodyguards, shock troops and even advisors to the Royal Court. The Noldor Guard were first established by Fëanor when the exiles landed on the shores of Beleriand. These men excel at melee combat and are taken from the nobility of the Noldo society. Blessed by the strength of their youth that was spent in the Blessed Lands, these men charge at their enemies with fire in their eyes which shines like the Trees of Ages past.
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Noldor Guard Lancer
One of the many functions of the Noldor Guard is to provide support to the main army as heavy cavalry. These men are skilled mounted warriors and wield long lances and spears used to pierce the enemy lines. It happens every now and then that their onslaught has broken entire enemy lines just by their sheer force of will and determination at which they ride. The fire in their eyes is said to put fear even into dragons and balrogs.
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Vicious Ones
Despite the benevolent appearance of the kings of Nargothrond, their Royal Guard are known as the Vicious Ones. These elves are armed in black burnished steel. Their arms and armor were forged by the Naugrim -the Dwarves - whom Finrod Felagund had befriended. They are armed after the fashion of dwarven warriors, wielding great battleaxes in combat. These men are the most skilled warriors in the Realm - handpicked by the King himself - their great axes are known to cleave several orcs in one blow and when they draw their axes together they truly become a force to be feared. These men have an unwavering morale, able to resist anyone and anything on the battlefield save perhaps Morgoth himself.
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CREDITS
Concept:
antkamidiv
Models:
VIR
Textures:
Antkamidiv and
Aruthiel
We would like to thank our fans who have for a long time awaited this preview, at long last it is released and we are a step closer to release.