Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
Our tale takes us to Middle-Earth, dear listeners. A land of beauty and wonder not seen in our realm of existence. Kingdoms of Men most noble exist in these lands, chivalrous Gondorians and the Rohirrim Horse Lords; mighty bastions of good. Within their halls of stone and under mountains old dwell the Dwarves, a proud people with whom the world watches enviously, for their mounds of wealth are plenty and theirs. In forests yonder with music, art and song have the age-old Elves made a home, a race of peace and tranquility that will do all to defend what it has. Finally, the Hobbits most fair reside in their small dwelling; the Shire. They are a peaceful folk, not willing to get involved within the diplomacy and tidings of the other peoples of Arda.
All is not well upon Middle-Earth however, for after an eon of waiting, the Dark Lord Sauron; Servant of Morgoth, has returned. He brings with him fire and malice to conquer the lands of Men, Dwarf, Elf and Hobbit and will do all in his unquestionable power to seize the territories that he believes are rightfully his, to bring forth an order of excellence and efficiency, to succeed where his master could not. To his South reside the Haradrim, or Southrons in our Western-Tongue, tribal confederations aplenty united in their hatred for the Men of the West. To his North we find the powerful and militaristic Easterlings, Men of Rhun who have themselves brought Gondor onto her knees innumerable times. Sauron's numerous legions are filled with Orcs, creatures that themselves are testimony to the defiance against Eru Ilúvatar and Sauron will unleash them upon Arda when he is ready.
Long ago, Sauron forged a mighty tool: The One Ring. He lost this weapon long ago - at the final battle of the War of the Last Alliance. Now he yearns for its return and will stop at nothing to get it to assist him in his quest for unification and conquest of Arda. Long ago it was lost, and has passed into shadow, but as the ages of the world turn what is forgotten may once more be remembered...
Now it is up to you, listener of this tale; what side do you fight for?
The Ring is still in Gollum's possession, but Thorin's Company managed to retake Erebor alongside the Men of the Lake and the Wood-Elves.
Recruitment
Every faction may recruit, by default, the equivalent of 10 Elves per month. Every faction may recruit, once per month, once per Settlement per Tier, the equivalent of 1 more Elf in their race's armies.
These are in no way set figures that will determine battle, but will merely serve as the backbone of realism. Or, y'know, the hilt of Grond when I smash your face in.
Settlements
Settlements are urban areas in regions where your folk congregate, where you must defend and from where you draw your armies. Their loss will no doubt spell doom for your people. Settlements come in Tiers, and have Fortifications. By default, colonizing a new region takes the equivalent of 1000 Elves six months to accomplish. Only after this time may more forces be raised from this region. Settlements advance one Tier every year thereafter.
Fortifications: These take manpower to construct, but can greatly enhance your chances of defending your holdings. 1 Labor = 1 Elf-equivalent working for a month
Captains are lords, generals, warmongers, and other people of note who lead your forces to battle. Every faction will begin with one, and more may be earned via quests or victory in combat. A Captain may be assigned to a formation of some hundreds of soldiers, and allows the poster controlling that formation to make an additional battle stratagem post after the initial meeting engagement - a significant tactical advantage. Captains that survive a battle and win may be promoted to Commanders, who may command thousands through two additional stratagems, and Generals may command tens of thousands or more, through up to three additional stratagems. In the case of a Command mismatch, only one additional stratagem may be used.
The Orcish Domains of the Misty Mountains - The Remnants of Exilvania
The Solitude of Labyrinths - Ralnis
Isengard - GCOCS
Dunland - The Knights of Azorea
Rhun - Liecthenbourg
Gondor - Elerian
Bree - Techkotal
Mordor - G-Tech
Imladris - Arlye Austros
Erebor - Tysklandia
Quests
Ask and ye shall receive a quest that'll grant you anything from a weapon, to more units, etc. (Credit to Dan for this)
Current Quests
Please, if you have any suggestions let me know - if others agree, I'll put a poll up.
I'm also looking for a map-maker.