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Would love for Orcs to live in similar pulmice/rhyolitic rock cave dwellings along in Mordor, but I know that Mt. Doom being a giant cone volcano means it would probably be an Andesite structure. Thoughts?
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As you will likely be aware of, many servers build ruins by building an intact version first and then erode the structure in a way the elements would have. I have first seen this at WesterosCraft’s Harrenhall a few years ago but I wouldn’t be surprised if they got the idea from somewhere else. What do you think of applying this organic building style to Minas Morghul? As in building it as a sprawling Gondorian city first, then apply erosion for the ~400 years of decline after the Great Plague of 1636 and the 2 year siege. And then update it by repairing and extending it orc-style.
We’ll more likely build it like we did Forlond, if it’s meant to be fully ruined, we won’t bother with building it up first. Minas Morgul is probably not even that ruined, it’s just turned evil afaik.
beautiful 
I like the ornateness of this one, it matches the drawing tolkien did of parts of Barad Dur quite well, honestly i’d like Barad dur to be built in many sections and ages, one perhaps for the dwelling of men, more ornate than the rather Brutalist parts that the armouries and Orcs are housed in.
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Gate to Sauron’s hall? Drawing by Tolkien.
Two depictions of Barad Dur, very interesting
The Gate of Minas Morgul, the tower of Cirith Ungol, roof of Cirith Ungol, and Minas Morgul layout.
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Fornad the loremaster
Also, that gate picture may be a representation of evil that Tolkien has, but as far as is officially known, thats part of a series of illustrations he did separate to the series, he had one called “Afterwarmness” that showed a man walking into a valley glittered with ice and wind.
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Rano Kao
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I had no idea Tolkien drew Mt Doom
@Fornad world painter inspiration for sure
Interesting point, the top cone seems quite different from the rest of the rock
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Some more inspiration for design and style for Barad-dur: Minarets!
This one is the Minaret in Eger, Hungary.
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Might bitumen have been produced by the sea of Helcar, and thus appear naturally in Mordor?