The Treason of Isengard: A Sneak Peek at LotM

Ok, let's try something completely different....

Lord of the Mods beta v1.10
Large map, Middle-earth (Pangaea), 70% Water, Roaming Barbs, Normal, Temperate, Second Age (4 BY)
Steward (Regent), 11 random opponents, Normal AI agression, Accelerated Production
Lord Saruman of Isengard (Mil, Com, Sci)



10 YS: Saruman the White appears in Middle-earth, leading a small band of nomadic followers. After some time of wandering, they find themselves in a wide fertile valley, near the banks of the river Isen. Fearing the windswept desert to the southwest, they cross the Angren in hopes of finding a more suitable place to settle.

25 YS: Saruman and his people found the village of Isengard at the foot of Amon Isen, from which the Isen flowed. Saruman devotes all hie resources to studying Mining in hopes of increasing production.


130 YS: Saruman, a master of lore, uncovers Arcane Knowledge allowing him to expand his dominion. Using these secrets, Saruman begins sending his people abroad to found new settlements. Isengard turns its attention to its own defense, gathering its resources to upgrade the wizard's tower in the center of the city. As the power of Saruman grows, Isengard's sphere of influence expands outwards, revealing more of the surrounding lands. The Angren flows southeast alongside the Hithlaegir. To the southwest lies a vast desert, where salt deposits can be found.



175 YS: Saruman, having mastered the art of mining, begins the study of Aule's Lore. The citizens of Isengard become discontent with the ever-increasing population, forcing Saruman to allocate a small part of his wealth to luxuries.

190 YS: The Upgrade Orthanc Tower project is now underway, and construction of a massive stone tower begins. A group of men prepare to leave Isengard to explore the land and find a suitable location for the first settlers to colonize.

235 YS: The first men to leave Isengard set out to the west, crossing the Isen. Another group prepares to leave.

250 YS: The first group of men reach the foothills of another mountain chain to the west. Abandoned structures can be seen high in the mountains, out of reach. The second group of men leave Isengard, heading north. Saruman decrees that the next band of men will be workers instead of warriors. He intends to mine the surrounding countryside, increasing Isengard's production capacity.

280 YS: With laborers sent out to mine the land, Saruman orders that a well be built in Isengard to relieve the effects of overcrowding.


325 YS: The borders of Isengard expand again, thanks to the great accumulation of culture in the city. The first men explore a deep desert vale between the mountains, which they call Ered Mithrin.

340 YS: The second men come upon a Balchoth village in the foothills of the Hithlaegir, disturbing Outlaw Warriors.

interesting. I'll be reading

WEASEL OP!!! WHAT ABOUT THE THEATRE!!!!

Otherwise, an interesting idea. I'll be present.

So, when is LOTM's going to be released?

Last, I heard it was right after Spring Break?

I forgot to explain the unique wonders. Isengard is intended to be played something like a 5CC game. It can't build settlers, but Arcane Knowledge spawns them until Writing is researched. Upgrade Orthanc Tower spawns an Orthanc unit, an extremely strong imobile defensive unit, until Bronze Working. And now back to the narrative...



340 YS: The second company of men come upon a Balchoth village in the northern foothills of the Hithlaegir. They enter, expecting a warm welcome from the primitive hill-dwellers, but they meet with hostility. The villagers quickly prepare to battle our men, and before they can react, they are surrounded.

355 YS: The Balchoth warriors attack and slay the Isengarders, leaving the city with no defense from the north. We fear that the Balchoths will attack the city, but Saruman assures us that the warriors did not know from where our people came.
The remaining company presses northward out of the vale and into a wide grassland. To their east, an open-mouthed mountain rises ominously above the jagged mountain peaks. We have heard legends of montains that belched fire and ash in the days of old. Our men fear to come too close to the mountain.
Here in the city, the well is now complete. The people, encouraged by the new fresh water supply, have begun construction of a Dunlending Settlement.

370 YS: The first settlers are ready to set out from Isengard. Armed with Saruman's arcane knowledge, our settlers can traverse mountains, and move more quickly than anyone else on foot. Their speed ruggedness gives them the courage to travel north into the Balchoth valley, despite the possibilty that the warriors could be heading this way.

400 YS: The men arrive at the edge of a dark forest far to the north.
Our settlers cross the river, which they name the Adorn, into the Balchoth valley, wary of the warriors waiting in the hills to the north.



415 YS: Inexpicably, the Balchoth warriors withdraw further to the north. Our settlers found the village of Adorn on the northern banks of the river.
The men, fearful of the strange forest, venture northeast to a pass in the mountains.



430 YS: With the Dunlending Settlement now completed and inhabited, we prepare more men to leave the city.
The company of explorers, finding more of the dark forest on the other side of the pass, reluctantly venture into it. They discover the same Balchoth warriors that slayed their kin lying in wait for them.



445 YS: Blood is shed as our courageous men meet the Balchoths in battle. This time, our men are prepared and emerge victorious. Invigorated by the fury of battle, the men press eastward in search of the remaining Balchoths.



475 YS: The victorious men are assailed again. Though they have the advantage of defending the river, the Balchoths are too strong. Once again the blood of our men stains the earth. Adorn is preparing men to defend the village from this threat in the north.

505 YS: Men of Adorn defend the village, while 2 new companies of veteran men from Isengard set out to find and destroy the remaining Balchoths. Too long have these barbaric raiders threatened our expansion. They must be dealt with quickly and permanently.

520 YS: Men journeying south cross the desert into a flat plain. To the southeast, they report evidence of a Dwarven city. This is the first time that we have come across an advanced civilzation since the elder days when we settled on the banks of the Isen. This will surely be the beginning of a new era for Isengard. Whether it will be for good or ill we cannot say, but change will surely come.



535 YS: Saruman announced that he has mastered the secrets of Aule's Lore, allowing him to oversee the construction of a Great Tower. Such a wonder would double the defenses of the city.
Now that our leader has 2 cities under his control, he has decided to study Road Building next.
The men exploring in the south turn west, hoping to come close enough to the borders of Dwarven territory to make contact with these newfound neighbors.

550 YS: Orthanc Tower has just been completed in Isengard. The result of our fortification project, the tower provides virtually impenetrable defenses (20 D, 12 HP) for the city. Isengard shall surely remain safe from any threat that dares stand against us, be it Balchoths, Dwarves, or the Powers of the West!

Wow, Orthanc (or similar buildings) is such a great idea. I will have to use something similar if I ever do mod.

For the longest time I was a big LOTR fan, so this is really interesting to me. Great idea.

Ah, you'll get 4 salt, should encourage trade.

@everyone: Salt is a luxury.

another great story by Weasel... and hopefully this one wont be closed.

Keep it up, the mod looks very cool. BTW, why does Isengard look different in the second update?

Ansar the King said:

...Keep it up, the mod looks very cool. BTW, why does Isengard look different in the second update?

Click to expand...

That's an immobile unit.
See the hit point stack?

thats a unit? it takes up the whole city...

Jesus Christ! Thats friggin huge!

You can always click the "My Units" link in my sig if you want to take a closer look.

WeaselOP said:

Orthanc Tower has just been completed in Isengard. The result of our fortification project, the tower provides virtually impenetrable defenses (20 D, 12 HP) for the city. Isengard shall surely remain safe from any threat that dares stand against us, be it Balchoths, Dwarves, or the Powers of the West!

Click to expand...

Dadgummit!! You guys done stoled my idea! The Makou Cannon (a.k.a Sister Ray) in the FF mod works in almost EXACTLY the same way as this Isengard unit, but it has 30 def, and 150 bombard, and only +2 or so HP

Good story, tough... I finally get to see what the alleged LoTR mod looks and plays like.

Hikaro Takayama said:

Dadgummit!! You guys done stoled my idea! The Makou Cannon (a.k.a Sister Ray) in the FF mod works in almost EXACTLY the same way as this Isengard unit, but it has 30 def, and 150 bombard, and only +2 or so HP

Good story, tough... I finally get to see what the alleged LoTR mod looks and plays like.

Click to expand...

Hikaro Takayama, I'm not so sure if it's _exactly_ the same idea . As you can see, Isengard is an anomaly among the other civs in LotM. They get settlers spawned from a small wonder for a short time, and thus only have 7 or so cities unless they take one. Because they are so limited in cities, they receive was equates to roughly an impenetrable capital. It's a pain in regicide games; you always have to put up with Saruman's diplomacy whining. Your best bet is to just take or raise his other cities and starve him out, then attack with numerous armies in the later eras. Or a Balrog, of course.

And OMTT got closed because of spam.

Hikaro Takayama said:

Dadgummit!! You guys done stoled my idea! ...

Click to expand...

I made the unit 3 years ago.

@Weasel: Get back to testing, you loafer!

@Weasel: Get back to testing, you loafer!

Click to expand...

And who found the fatal bug in 1.10c?


I just realized I've been using Angren and Isen interchangeably as the name of the river. Tolkien fans will understand that it's the same river.



565 YS: Exciting news has come from the south. Our men have made contact with the dwarves. These strange folk are stout, hardy, and industrious. Durin's realm is larger and more advanced than Isengard, but the Dwarven military has no advantage over our own. All Dwarves, being natives of the mountains, can cross the highest peaks with ease, a feat which only our specially trained settlers can match. Ironically, Saruman shared Aule's Lore with the Dwarves, in exchange for Double Bit Axes and 9 gold. Most of Isengard is happy with our newly discovered neighbors, but there are those who whisper in dark corners about these strange foreigners. Dwarven folk are not to be trusted, they say.



580 YS: A band of men, traversing the hills southeast of Isengard, have discovered a small settlement. The friendly villagers shared their knowledge of farming, which they have used in the nearby floodplain for generations. Saruman is pleased with this discovery, for we can now found villages in less fertile areas and irrigate the surrounding land. With such techniques, we will be able to support huge populations in a single city.

610 YS: Saruman's Loremasters have uncovered the secrets of Road Building. We now have the skills needed to build large permanent roads between Isengard and Adorn, and beyond. Expanding upon this new knowledge, the wise begin to reseach Survival. Such knowledge would allow us to equip scouts with the training needed to traverse the land more quickly that ever before.

625 YS: The next group of settlers are ready to set out from Isengard. Wanting to keep the fortress of Isengard between the new potential threat of the Dwarves and the bulk of his domain, Saruman sent the settlers northwest to the grassland beyond the mountain vale.

655 YS: A company of men attacked and pillaged an outlaw village on the plain to the southwest. This was our first major victory over the perilous native tribes.
Meanwhile, the two companies sent out to deal with the Balchoth threat in the north have found a Variag village high in the mountains, but no trace of the Balchoths. Continuing east through a high mountain pass, they can see the borders of an unknown kingdom in the forest below.
Far to the east and south, 2 companies of men have met the Sea.



Coming up next: The Two Towers

Nice update.

BTW, awesome leaderhead for the dwarves...though the king looks a bit tall...

Will be following. BTW, friggen sweet unit! If only you could have like more than 1 in each city.