
C H R O N I C L E S    O F    M I D D L E  E A R T H


A HoMM3 map by Raolin the Heretic (Joshua Dyal), raolin1@hotmail.com

2HC, 3C
Large, Cooperative Expert story map.  Player positions are Blue Tower (allied 
with computer controlled Teal Rampart) or Green Necropolis, allied with Tan 
Stronghold.

Special Victory Condition:  Defeat the Red Castle town, Minas Anor.
Special Loss Condition: None

Map Testor:  my unfailing devoted brother Joseph, j-dyal@tamu.edu

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It is said that this name was given to him at his birth by Malbeth the Seer, 
who said to his father:  Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in 
Arthedain.  Though a choice will come to the Dunedain, and if they take the one 
that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a 
great realm.  If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until 
the Dunedain arise and are united again.

On the death of King Ondoher and his sons, Arvedui of the North-kingdom claimed 
the crown of Gondor, as the direct descendant of Isildur, and as the husband of 
Firiel, only surviving child of Ondoher.  The claim was rejected.  In this 
Pelendur, the Steward of King Ondoher, played the chief part.

The crown was claimed by Earnil, the victorious captain; and it was granted to 
him with the approval of all the Dunedain in Gondor, since he was of the royal 
house.  He was the son of Siriondil, son of Calimmacil, son of Arciryas, brother 
of Narmacil II.  Arvedui did not press his claim; for he had neither the power 
nor the will to oppose the choice of the Dunedain of Gondor; yet the claim was 
never forgotten by his descendants even when their kingship had passed away.

At last in the autumn of 1973 messages came to Gondor that Arthedain was in 
great straits, and that the Witch-King was preparing a last stroke against it.  
Then Earnil sent his son Earnur north with a fleet, as swifty as he could, and 
with as great strength as he could spare.  Too late.  Before Earnur reached the 
havens of Lindon, the Witch-King had conquered Arthedain and Arvedui had 
perished.

But when Earnur came to the Grey Havens there was joy and great wonder among 
both Elves and Men.  So great in draught and so many were his ships that they 
could scarcely find harbourage, though both the Harlond and the Forlond also 
were fillled; and from them descended an army of power, with munition and 
provision for a war of great kings.  Or so it seemed to the people of the north, 
though this was but a small sending-force of the whole might of Gondor.

The Host of the West came down upon him out of the Hills of Evendim, and there 
was a great battle on the plain btween Nenuial and the North Downs.  The forces 
of Angmar were already giving way and retreating towards Fornost when the main 
body of the horsemen that had passed round the hills came down from the north 
and scattered them in a great rout.  Then the Witch-King, with all that he could 
gather from the wreck, fled northwards, seeking his own land of Angmar.  Before 
he could gain the shelter of Carn Dum the cavalry of Gondor overtook him with 
Earnur riding at their head.  At the same time a force under Glorfindel the Elf-
Lord came up out of Rivendell.  Then so utterly was Angmar defeated that not a 
man nor an orc of that realm remained west of the Misty Mountains.

So ended the evil realm of Angmar; and so did Earnur, Captain of Gondor, earn 
the chief hatred of the Witch-King; but many years were still to pass before 
that was revealed. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These quotes from the Appendix A of the Lord of the Rings set up the map 
Chronicles of Middle-Earth.  The intrigue and power struggles of dynastic 
succession in Gondor, the play by the related kings of Arthedain to claim the 
crown and save the entire race of the Dunedain, and power of Angmar and the 
Witch-King who brought Arthedain to naught (and even destroyed the kingship of 
Gondor in just one more generation, even though he was handily defeated in the 
north) create an aura of tension and battle.

What if Arvedui had the will to press his claim?  Did not Malbeth the Seer 
prophesy great suffering and peregrinations for the Dunedain if he didnt?  What 
if Gondor had gone to war against the north?  What if Arvedui had been able to 
rally his ailing kingdom against the tide of Angmar?  This is the setting for 
Chronicles of Middle-Earth.

In this map, you must take the command of Arvedui and his kingdom centered at 
Annuminas, or the place of the Witch-King and his center at Carn Dum.  


Hints: contains very mild spoilers.

Arthedain is allied with the elves of Eriador, specifically the few who lived on 
the coastal areas of Lindon, and the elves of Rivendell.  In the last great 
battle against Angmar, Glorfindel of Rivendell proved to be an important 
lynch-pin in the victory of the Dunedain.  This side has a large area that it 
controls; nearly all of Eriador between the Blue and Misty Mountains, but much 
of the land is devoid of friendly troops to recruit into the army.  If you 
choose to play this side, you must move quickly to build up your forces, 
eliminate Angmar and its allies and be prepared for the march against Gondor 
before Gondor moves against you.

Angmar is allied with the wild orc-tribes of the Misty Mountains.  The area they 
control is much more wild, and it is smaller, but they have access to a 
veritable horde of warriors to fight in their ranks.  Explore your area quickly 
and move against Arthedain and Rivendell while they are still moving around 
picking up resources.  When Gondor moves up north, they might come against you, 
but more likely they will land on Arthedains soil first, either by boat or by 
spell, so be prepared for that eventuality as well.

Gondor is centered at the great city Minas Anor (renamed Minas Tirith about 50 
years after these events) at the far Eastern end of the White Mountains.  They 
control a vast territory, including all the lands west to the sea, and some of 
the lands to the north as well.  Be careful, because if Gondor moves against 
either Isengard or Lothlorien, they will have access to either the Fly or 
Dimension Door spell.  If they move far enough west to claim the resources they 
nominally control on the coast, they will also find the Fly spell, as well as a 
boat free for their taking.  This means they will probably soon be swarming over 
you, although they are not able to move against you until they either get to the 
boat, or to the spells.  This gives you some time to build your forces, 
consolidate your power and eliminate your rival team in the north before Gondor 
comes crashing down on your party, but not much.  With luck, you may actually 
have accumulated an army capable of defeating King Earnil, his son Earnur and 
the Steward Pelendur, as well as whatever other captains they may have hired.

Beware as well of the Gondorian spies that lurk about in the north just a few 
days journey from your own capital.  If you don't eliminate them soon, they will 
steal valuable resources and artifacts right out from under your nose, as well 
as alerting Minas Anor of your war-like intentions.  Taking them out should be 
your first priority.

The Mines of Moria, while deadly and hostile, are probably your best bet when 
moving against Gondor, unless you can somehow steal Gondors boat. When you 
enter the mines, do so knowing that they are full of traps, and the horror of 
Durins Bane, the Balrog, still awaits you before you can leave! You might want 
to consider sending an expendable scout hero to clear the way first.

Finally, the game isnt over until Minas Anor falls, either to Arvedui and his 
kingdom, or to the Witch-King and his horde.  If Gondor does overcome Lothlorien 
and Isengard, that may paves the way for a divide and conquer strategy.  If 
Gondor does concentrate all of its might in Minas Anor, you will be hard-
pressed to overcome it very quickly, and will need the 7th level creatures of a 
several castles to take it out.  If you can isolate him in Minas Anor, you can 
eventually win a war of attrition.  He will always be able to buy all of his 
troops in his castle, but if you have all the other castles, youll be ahead of 
him.  However, this is the really slow way to win, and it assumes that you have 
already been able to get rid of all his heroes and leave him with nothing but 
his castle.  Dont count on that!

Good luck!  The main premise was to allow you to have a huge computer controlled 
opponent come rolling out of the south at you.  If played as a multiplayer, 
almost certainly one of the players will be eliminated long before the game is 
actually over.  Although it can be a multiplayer, the real reason I created two 
HC positions was to give you the option of playing either the good or the 
bad side, not so you would actually use it as such.


MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!

When I playtested the map, I put a cartographer right next to my castle so I 
could see what all the AI opponents, as well as the AI ally, were doing.  It 
only took about two and a half months for Earnur to come storming my area with 
the Fly spell, 14 angels, 8 archangels, 5 Ancient Behemoths, and about 35 each 
of mages and archmages (Im not sure where he got those, really; they must have 
joined him for greater glory.)  Dont waste any time consolidating your power, 
because you dont have any time to waste!  Also, get through the mines of Moria 
as quickly as possible to rescue Frumgar the Easterling from the prison, even if 
you have to sacrifice your main army to the Balrog in order to do so.  He has a 
powerful army geared towards a specific strategy; the Dragageddon.  In my 
first game, the flying Earnur freed him, but then he couldnt move out of his 
little area, so he just sat there forever waiting for me to come open up the 
garrison or the barriers. Having him in your arsenal may be all you need to take 
out Minas Anor.  Finally, dont try to hunt down the red heroes; you only need 
to capture Minas Anor to win.  Avoid all the red battles you can, and head 
straight for the castle, and hope you have enough to take it!

Raolin the Heretic
