Welcome back to ‘The Road Goes Ever On and On’, the monthly blog covering all things Middle-earth. Once again we’ll be diving into the details of last month’s teaser – and there’s another to ponder over, to boot.
June’s Middle-earth Teaser
In last month’s article, we offered a sneak peak of an upcoming miniature for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game.
The teaser shows a scabbard, part of a cloak, and what seems to be the bottom of a shield with a snippet of an emblem. As some fans deduced, that emblem is actually the White Tree of Gondor, and belongs to none other than the king himself – Eärnur, the Last King of Gondor!
At the time of Arnor’s fall, Eärnur is the heir to the throne of Gondor, and it is he who leads the armies of Gondor north to wage war against the Witch-king of Angmar at the Battle of Fornost. A skilled if somewhat hot-headed warrior, Eärnur had the Witch-king beaten, until the Nazgûl used his malign powers to cause the prince’s horse to bolt and flee, allowing the Witch-king to escape. Though the battle was won, Eärnur was left humiliated, and swore he would never be made a fool of again – which would ultimately lead to his downfall years later…
Eärnur’s profile is one fit for a king, with an impressive Fight value of 6, as well as 3 Attacks, 3 Wounds, and 3 all-important Might points. Armed with a sword, shield and heavy armour, and with the option to take an armoured horse and a lance, Eärnur is a warrior of exceptional martial prowess.
He also possesses two special rules. A Fool’s Challenge encapsulates his pride and refusal to back down: he must always accept a Heroic Challenge, and must always Charge an enemy Hero if able to do so.
Master Duelist highlights Eärnur’s skill in single combat, allowing him to match the Fight Value of his opponent should it be higher than his, so long as they are not a Monster – as they rarely duel and are more likely to just tear their foes apart! This comes into effect after any other rules that alter an enemy model’s Fight Value – with the exception of Heroic Strike.
What’s Next?
Eärnur will be available later in the year, but what about this month’s teaser? Well, take a look below…
That’s certainly an interesting helmet – who, or what, could it belong to? You’ll just have to check back in next month’s blog to find out!