Although this is my first post on this forum, I've played Medieval 2 for a long long time and with various mods, especially Third Age along with MOS.
In my first playthrough I figured Mordor to be a fairly easy faction so here are some houserules:
Only one Nazgūl allowed outside of Mordor at the same time (except for Khamūl)
This Ringwraith is only allowed to engage in fights against important characters (faction leaders, heirs etc.) or in sieges of important cities (capitals etc.), otherwise he has to hold his horses. This doesn't apply when he's the target of a siege because the game mechanic would have him killed on a loss.
No attack on Minis Tirith until all of Ithilien is mine
No adoptions
Scripts:
Tol Archāns
Earlier invasions
Resurrect Allied Factions
Diplomacy Script
Corsair Invasions
Please note:
This is going to be a very dark style of RP writing so don't expect any funny things or comments. This is about a gruesome power killing everything in its way and showing no mercy.
I also like to switch perspectives a lot, sometimes focussing on things that randomly happened during a battle or units that caught my attention .
Chapter I - Shadows in the East
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
January 30th 2980 TA, the secret refuge of Henneth Annūn:
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The flames crackled quietly as the man rubbed his hands in attempt to warm them. He took a glance down at the little pond whose frozen surface was covered by a thin layer of snow. His grey eyes instantly recognized the group of men appearing out of nowhere, cloaked and hooded like himself, heading for the secret entrance below. "My Lord Faramir", one of the Rangers said once the group had reached the fireplace on top of the obervation platform, his breath plumed up, thick and steamlike, in front of his face. "A great host of the Enemy was spotted crossing the fields towards Osgiliath last night. Far too many for a quick ambush. And a Nazgūl was among them. Faramir eyes widened. "How many?" "Two thousand or more, my Lord." "We sally forth. Immediately", Faramir said and looked into the eyes of the other men sitting at the fire. They were hardy soldiers and nodded silently in response. Orders were passed to the other rangers deeper within the caves of Henneth Annūn before Faramir second son of Denethor and Captain of Gondor - left the secret refuge with three companies of highly skilled rangers.
February 9th 2980 TA, Fields of Ithilien, near the Anduin Riverbank
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Boron groaned as he tried to raise his head to look across the battlefield. The ground was scattered with corpses of Orcs and Men alike. They had walked into a trap, unwary and hasty. The ranger himself was badly hurt, blood pouring from the wound on his chest, turning the snow below scarlet red. His eyes focussed on the malicious guise clad in a black robe and with a iron crown on top of his hood.
He was wielding a sword made of black steel which sang a song of darkness as it cut through the frozen air to pierce flesh and muscles. Boron saw the eyes of his Captain opened in fear as the morgul blade digged deep into his chest, leaving his body on the back before finding a halt in the frozen ground below, ending his life in the blink of an eye.
Boron felt impotent anger boiling in his heart but he barely managed to snarl. The Nazgūl, no-one less than the Witch-king of Angmar, just took a brief glimpse at the wounded ranger before he stepped away from the fresh corpse of Gondor's second-born, leaving the rest of the defeated men at the mercy of his Orc servants.
Merely two weeks after the massacre Osgiliath passed to the Enemy completely. The garrison under the command of Seargent Arathorn wasn't able to hold its ground without the aid of their ranger comrades. Reinforcements from Minas Tirith couldn't make it in time. Orcs poured into the city like an endless sea of ants.
Although many Orcs had been slain near the Anduin riverbank by Faramir's men and within the former capital of Gondor, Sauron had succesfully gained a foothold west of the Great River.
Spring 2980 TA, various places
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Encouraged by this important victory over Gondor the Dark Lord sent forth other minions to conquer more tracts of land - especially east of the Anduin - which he considered to be His own by rightful claim. Sauron had bred a large amount of Orcs in the past years which required a lot of food and supplies to prove effective. Several Orc captains were set on missions to subdue and enslave the tribes and clans living in Mordor's sphere of influcence.
Unorganized and scattered those people were no match for the spears and axes of the ruthless Orcs. Whether it were the poor and ill-equipped woodland people dwelling north of the great fortress or Dol Guldur or last surviving remnants of the former kingdom of Rhovanion; all fell to the Dark Lord at last.
And some paid dearly for their mistake to oppose the Great Eye...
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Survivors were either brought to Dol Guldor to chop wood for their new Master's machinery of war or were abducted to the vast plain of Nūrn were they spent the rest of their lives as farmers to feed the same armies that had killed their beloved.
July 8th 2980, Attack on Henneth Annūn, Ithilien
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A growl of pain escaped Nagzag's lips as the spear hit his left arm and sent him to the ground. It should have been easy to storm the refuge after the death of the nasty Ranger-captain months ago but Nagzag's troops were exhausted from the long march and the steep climb. "Kill them you maggots!", he screamed at the mass of Orcs trying to push their enemies deeper into the large cave to eventually be able flank them. But the frontline didn't seem to break. Sudden fear of failure struck his mind. The Screecher would have his head if he was to return with bad news. Nagzag stumbled away from the heat of the battle towards the relative safety of his archers. Only about a dozen Orcs followed him, about 3/4 of his bodyguard had already been slain. "Riddle them! Riddle their weak flesh!", he sputtered with rage and watched with satisfaction how the following salvo killed several men.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Still it took more about half an hour until the enemy flanks finally broke apart. Orcs stormed the cave, sorrounded the remaining fighters and slew them to the last man. Nagzag was the first to bend over a fallen archer to claim his spoils of war. Pumped up by the intense battle other Orcs followed his lead and soon the cave was turned into a wicked feasting hall.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
July 20th 2980 TA, The battle for West Osgiliath
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The company of Tower Guards marched through the breached gate of Osgiliath, a total of 152 steady and well-disciplined men representing the elite of Gondorian soldiership. Even the horrible voice of the cursed Nazgūl wasn't able to struck fear in their hearts. Hundreds of dead bodies were lying all around on the road towards the town centre. Most of them were filthy Orcs but Anarion also recognized the faces of men who had left Minas Tirith with him two days ago.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
When his unit reached the fighting scene he saw General Istdor of Ethring, Lord of the Ringló Valley and his faithful bodyguards sorrounded by enemies, struggling to repel them. "Charge!", Anarion heard his Tower Guard Captain shouting and like one single man the bulk of soldiers engaged in combat. But before the men were able to reach their struggling General, a large group of Orcs appeared behind one of the badly damaged buildings and attacked their flank. Reinforcements had arrived. The soldiers turned to the right immidiately to extend a warm welcome to their enemies by piercing 20 or 30 Orc bodies with their long deadly pikes in one fell swoop.
With the arrival of the Tower Guards in their shiny armor the tide of battle changed dramatically and countless Orcs were slain by Anarion and his comrades. But still it took them too long to cut through the mass of Orcs to reach General Istdor. He fought bravely but finally his death cry echoed across the battlefield which broke the spirit of most of the Gondorian army.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Only the unfaltering company of Tower Guards remained
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But having slain so many Orcs and even some of the Witch-king's armed retinue of Black Nśmenóreans eventually exhausted the men. And since the rest of the army was retreating, they wouldn't be able to hold the city for much long. Still it was an ordered retreat and the Tower Guards proudly marched away from the remaining Orcs who didn't dare to pursue them.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The hosts of Mordor were victorious once again, although they paid a high price for it. After that battle, Sauron ordered his greatest servant back to Minas Morgul to regain strength. Only the Witch-king's enormous powers had prevented Gondor from reclaiming West Osgiliath.
No dawn for Men - A Mordor AAR - MOS v. 1.62
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+ rep for great start
