Monsters from Middle-Earth

[tp_1983]

My brother and I are having a very slow running Middle-Earth campaign using Song of Blades and Heroes. Our next battle sees the introduction of a possibly (unless she gets killed) important character, a Black Numenorean. For now she is on foot, but I'd like to convert a version of her on some kind of monstrous mount. I've been through the Tolkien bestiary but can't find anything. I'd prefer it be at least inspired by canon (books not film).

Any ideas?

[Supercollider]

Eagle, maybe?

[tp_1983]

I'd thought that but didn't seem very Black Numenorean-y

[Supercollider]

Probably a boar or warg/wolf then? 

[tp_1983]

some of my orcs are on wargs, wanted something different. A boar seems a little lowly.

[Hobgoblin]

I'm pretty sure there's nothing specific in the books, but there's mention of monsters created by Melkor through the corruption of other creatures - the things that Orome hunted.

Here's a quote from The Silmarillion (whether that book is "canonical" is another matter, of course!):

"But in the north Melkor built his strength, and he slept not, but watched and laboured; and the evil things that he had perverted walked abroad, and the dark and slumbering woods were haunted by monsters and shapes of dread. And in Utumno he gathered his demons about him, those spirits who first adhered to him in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his corruption: their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before them; they had whips of flame. Ballrooms they were named in Middle-Earth in later days. And in that dark time Melkor bred many other monsters of divers shapes and kinds that long troubled the world; and his realm spread now ever southward over Middle-earth."

Emphasis mine. I think that pretty much gives you carte blanche for any kind of one-off monster. If you're thinking of a Black Numenorean in the time of the War of the Ring (like the Mouth of Sauron), I'd be tempted to mount her on something like a wingless version of the Nazguls' flying mounts - a lindworm to their wyverns, perhaps.

[tp_1983]

Yes, something from created by melkor had crossed my mind. I was a little stuck on what though. A Lindworm is an interesting idea.

[Emir of Askaristan]

...."Ballrooms they were named in Middle-Earth in later days"

A great evil laid low by predictive text!  


Not Eagles, since they were associated with Manwe. The Winged Beasts were peculiar to the Nazgul. Horses would be a good choice, perhaps a chariot, pulled by black horses - these were taken in tribute from Rohan I seem to recall.

As the Black Numenoreans were associated with Umbar and the south, perhaps some kind of riding lizard, like an oldschool citadel dark elf cold one??

[Rob_bresnen]

I have given this some thought.

Your obvious choice would be a bad ass black horse like The Mouth of Sauron, who is in fact a Black Numenorian



Or you could go more savage and go for a warg, and still be very in keeping with the 'feel' of the films.



Now both these suggestions are OK but I am sensing you want to go a little bit more 'cool' and origninal but still keeping the feel right? OK, well Black Numenoreans tend to come from Umbar, which is in the arid southlands, so I am thinking ...giant war rhino!



or perhaps a War scorpion?



Now both these ideas are not in Tolkien's books but they could have been- after all he has giant elephants and spiders right? And spiders brings me onto anther idea. Battles of Middle Earth, the computer game features Spider riders...



and lastly, for something off the wall (and I am not sure if these feels middle earthy or not, you will have to decide) Giant Lizards!

[Hobgoblin]

...."Ballrooms they were named in Middle-Earth in later days"

A great evil laid low by predictive text!  

Ha! I'd been smiting its monstrosities left, right and centre while typing, but missed that one entirely!

Not Eagles, since they were associated with Manwe. The Winged Beasts were peculiar to the Nazgul. Horses would be a good choice, perhaps a chariot, pulled by black horses - these were taken in tribute from Rohan I seem to recall.

As the Black Numenoreans were associated with Umbar and the south, perhaps some kind of riding lizard, like an oldschool citadel dark elf cold one??

I think that would fit very well. Tolkien says somewhere that the winged beasts are not exactly pterodactyls, though they are pterodactylic (i.e. wing-fingered). So I think you could easily squeeze in some sort of prehistoric reptile or flightless bird that is not exactly a dinosaur.

As for a wolf, having a woman mounted thus would echo Tolkien's sources - specifically the troll-women who ride wolves with serpents for reins in the Edda. And "troll-women" might just mean "sorceresses" ...

[SotF]

You might want to take a few glances through the various creatures from LotRO...some of the lesser drakes and monsters could easily work rather well for being suitably intimidating

[LeadAsbestos]

Giant flightless Terror bird. Don't know why, just think it would be cool! Big head, heavy bone armour, shots of color in the feathers...

[tp_1983]

Thanks everyone. There are loads of ideas in here and I shall be going through them all for the next part of my quandary, what miniature to use for said beast. I'm using mainly oldschool miniatures for my side.

This is the miniature I am using as my Black Numenorean (I really need to give her a name, I've had to look up the spelling of Numenorean more times than I care to remember):


I found this beastie last night on Black Tree Designs. I'm not sure what it is, or what the inspiration for it is, but it does 'feel' right, as long as it is the right size and she doesn't end up looking like she's Jonah Lomu riding a donkey on blackpool beach, knees scraping the ground etc.

[Arthadan]

Some kind of Troll, maybe?



A Fell Beast as the Nazgűl themselves?

A giant bat/Vampire?


One of the unnamed beast that pulled Grond at the Pelennor?


Or some hairy creature from the Northern Wastes, as this wooly rhino?

[Scott]

A couple of those pulling a chariot would be pretty nice. Would go well with your dismounted fig, since she wouldn't have to change out of her dress to ride a mount, and it's hard to look badass riding side-saddle.

--Scott