Player name(s): Neverlegendary, MrBanana
Player rank: Builder+, Overseer
Private or Public: Public (sub-projects listed below)
Location name: Lothlórien
Lore:
Lothlórien was a realm of Silvan Elves on the eastern side of the Hithaeglir. It was considered one of the most beautiful and “elvish” places in Middle-earth during the Third Age, and had the only mallorn-trees east of the sea.
“Now these folk aren’t wanderers or homeless, and seem a bit nearer to the likes of us: they seem to belong here, more even than Hobbits do in the Shire. Whether they’ve made the land, or the land’s made them, it’s hard to say, if you take my meaning. It’s wonderfully quiet here.” - Sam
Specific locations:
Nimrodel:
“They had gone little more than a mile into the forest when they came upon another stream flowing down swiftly from the tree-clad slopes that climbed back westward towards the mountains. They heard it splashing over a fall away among the shadows on their right. Its dark hurrying waters ran across the path before them, and joined the Silverlode in a swirl of dim pools among the roots of trees.”
“Not far from the falls of Nimrodel they found a cluster of trees, some of which overhung the stream. Their great grey trunks were of mighty girth, but their height could not be guessed.” (This is the location of Haldir’s guard flet)
Silverlode crossing:
“He gave a call like the low whistle of a bird, and out of a thicket of young trees an Elf stepped, clad in grey, but with his hood thrown back; his hair glinted like gold in the morning sun. Haldir skilfully cast over the stream a coil of grey rope, and he caught it and bound the end about a tree near the bank.”
The forest:
“He could smell the trees and the trodden grass. He could hear many different notes in the rustle of the leaves overhead, the river murmuring away on his right, and the thin clear voices of birds in the sky. He felt the sun upon his face and hands when they passed through an open glade… Frodo was aware that they had passed out under the shining Sun.” (From this description, we can see that the forest must be dense enough to cast shade on the ground most of the time, but also has grassy glades – this will be the aim in the terrain build day).
Cerin Amroth:
“They were standing in an open space. To the left stood a great mound, covered with a sward of grass as green as Spring-time in the Elder Days. Upon it, as a double crown, grew two circles of trees: the outer had bark of snowy white, and were leafless but beautiful in their shapely nakedness; the inner were mallorn-trees of great height, still arrayed in pale gold. High amid the branches of a towering tree that stood in the centre of all there gleamed a white flet. At the feet of the trees, and all about the green hillsides the grass was studded with small golden flowers shaped like stars. Among them, nodding on slender stalks, were other flowers, white and palest green: they glimmered as a mist amid the rich hue of the grass.”
“the great mound or hill of Cerin Amroth, piled by the labour of many hands”
Caras Galadhon:
“Frodo looked and saw, still at some distance, a hill of many mighty trees, or a city of green towers: which it was he could not tell.”
“There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any they had yet seen in all the land. Their height could not be guessed, but they stood up in the twilight like living towers. In their, many-tiered branches and amid their ever-moving leaves countless lights were gleaming, green and gold and silver.” (The ‘green wall’ will be done with mossy blocks and natural blocks. The ‘green and gold’ lamps may need a new texture’)
“There was a road paved with white stone running on the outer brink of the fosse. Along this they went westward, with the city ever climbing up like a green cloud upon their left; and as the night deepened more lights sprang forth, until all the hill seemed afire with stars. They came at last to a white bridge, and crossing found the great gates of the city: they faced south-west, set between the ends of the encircling wall that here overlapped, and they were tall and strong, and hung with many lamps.
Haldir knocked and spoke, and the gates opened soundlessly; but of guards Frodo could see no sign. The travellers passed within, and the gates shut behind them. They were in a deep lane between the ends of the wall, and passing quickly through it they entered the City of the Trees. No folk could they see, nor hear any feet upon the paths; but there were many voices, about them, and in the air above. Far away up on the hill they could hear the sound of singing falling from on high like soft rain upon leaves.
They went along many paths and climbed many stairs, until they came to the high places and saw before them amid a wide lawn a fountain shimmering. It was lit by silver lamps that swung from the boughs of trees, and it fell into a basin of silver, from which a white stream spilled. Upon the south side of the lawn there stood the mightiest of all the trees; its great smooth bole gleamed like grey silk, and up it towered, until its first branches, far above, opened their huge limbs under shadowy clouds of leaves. Beside it a broad white ladder stood, and at its foot three Elves were seated.”
“As he climbed slowly up Frodo passed many flets: some on one side, some on another, and some set about the bole of the tree, so that the ladder passed through them. At a great height above the ground he came to a wide talan, like the deck of a great ship. On it was built a house, so large that almost it would have served for a hall of Men upon the earth. He entered behind Haldir, and found that he was in a chamber of oval shape, in the midst of which grew the trunk of the great mallorn, now tapering towards its crown, and yet making still a pillar of wide girth.
The chamber was filled with a soft light; its walls were green and silver and its roof of gold. Many Elves were seated there. On two chairs beneath the bole of the tree and canopied by a living bough there sat, side by side, Celeborn and Galadriel.”
Mirror of Galadriel:
“Turning aside, she led them toward the southern slopes of the hill of Caras Galadhon, and passing through a high green hedge they came into an enclosed garden. No trees grew there, and it lay open to the sky. The evening star had risen and was shining with white fire above the western woods. Down a long flight of steps the Lady went into a deep green hollow, through which ran murmuring the silver stream that issued from the fountain on the hill. At the bottom, upon a low pedestal carved like a branching tree, stood a basin of silver. wide and shallow, and beside it stood a silver ewer.”
Haven/harbour in Egladil:
“Then they turned away from the paved road [around Caras Galadhon] and took a path that went off into a deep thicket of mallorn-trees, and passed on, winding through rolling woodlands of silver shadow, leading them ever down, southwards and eastwards, towards the shores of the River.
They had gone some ten miles and noon was at hand when they came on a high green wall. Passing through an opening they came suddenly out of the trees. Before them lay a long lawn of shining grass, studded with golden elanor that glinted in the sun. The lawn ran out into a narrow tongue between bright margins: on the right and west the Silverlode flowed glittering; on the left and east the Great River rolled its broad waters, deep and dark. On the further shores the woodlands still marched on southwards as far as the eye could see, but all the banks were bleak and bare. No mallorn lifted its gold-hung boughs beyond the Land of Lórien.
On the bank of the Silverlode, at some distance up from the meeting of the streams, there was a hythe of white stones and white wood. By it were moored many boats and barges. Some were brightly painted, and shone with silver and gold and green, but most were either white or grey.”
They later meet Galadriel’s swan boat coming from further upriver, meaning that there must have been moorings closer to Caras Galadhon. This has been reflected in the plan.
Dwellings of the Galadhrim:
“Out of the shadows a ladder was let down: it was made of rope, silver-grey and glimmering in the dark, and though it looked slender it proved strong enough to bear many men… a wooden platform, or flet as such things were called in those days: the Elves called it a talan. It was reached by a round hole in the centre through which the ladder passed.”
The design seems to be universal, the larger flets are similar:
“Frodo passed many flets: some on one side, some on another, and some set about the bole of the tree, so that the ladder passed through them.”
The typical assumption is that all the Galadhrim lived in flets, which the text of The Lord of the Rings does little to contradict. However, Unfinished Tales states:
“But the dwelling in trees was not universal even in Lórien and the telain or flets were in origin either refuges to be used in the event of attack, or most often (especially those high up in great trees) outlook posts from which the land and its borders could be surveyed by Elvish eyes…”
“The conversion of these telain into permanent dwellings was a later development, and only in Caras Galadhon were such dwellings numerous. But Caras Galadhon was itself a fortress, and only a small part of the Galadhrim dwelt within its walls.”
As a result, the planned villages and hamlets will have houses on the ground, similar to those in the Nandor settlements in Harlindon.
Overhead plan:
Please note that Village 2 has been moved to the east of Caras Galadhon.
Sequence of jobs:
Terrain:
[spoiler]- Dig streams and make waterfalls [private][/spoiler]
[spoiler]- Make roads and paths [private][/spoiler]
[spoiler]- Add in trees to the Naith and make grassy clearings in a build day [public][/spoiler]
Builds
[spoiler]- Start with guard flets since they’re simple. Make an example one privately first. [public][/spoiler]
- Villages + hamlets. Make an example village privately first. [public]
[spoiler]- Cerin Amroth [private][/spoiler] - Caras Galadhon [public]
- Check villages for realism (especially sources of raw materials for professions)
In-game guide:
Lórien Village1 will be led personally by Neverlegendary and I, with signs on glowstone placed around it to highlight important features of the build. This will serve as the example build and in-game guide for the other villages and hamlets.
Terrain:
Tree density: The first public job will be a build day aiming to fix the tree density, which is a problem located primarily in the Naith. The area we will be working in has been highlighted in green on the project plan.
The aim here will be to make the forest dense enough that it provides shade most of the time, and to have more open areas be grassy glades.
Silverlode: @wheellee has plans to improve the Silverlode. It needs to be deeper, its biome needs to be changed to make it look glacial, and it needs details along its banks.
Reference Imagery:
