Tag: angband

Angband Model V2 – RivkaZ 2015

As you can see, I’ve worked on this model pretty extensively since my last post. This is really my first big Sketchup project, so I’ll admit that half of my time was spent fixing my own beginner’s blunders. >_>; However– I’m happy with the way it turned out, and I probably quadrupled my modeling skills whilst trying to hammer this colossal beast into shape, so hopefully my next project will go a little smoother. XD

On the third row up from the bottom you can see Hurin’s Chair, and the view from the point on the battlements where if you were standing around, say, playing a harp, you could see Maedhros’s shackle. 

Mr. and Mrs. Helpful Orc have agreed to pose outside on the draw bridge to give us an idea of scale. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Orc! You may return to your posts now. 

Ash:  Are the spikes so that Melkor doesn’t get pigeons on his fortress?

Wesley: Yes. Spies of Manwë. 

Ash: No pigeon poop on Angband.

Wesley: Not pigeons, tho. Eagles. We don’t want Eagles pooping on Angband.

Ash: No eagles or pigeons.

Wesley: Only bats. 

Ash: Yes.

Wesley: Spikes on top, treats on the bottom. 

Ash: Little handlebars. Batty swings. 

Wesley: Blood-feeders. 

Ash: Yes

Wesley: Yes

Palette Meme: The Iron Hell– RivkaZ 2015

 *wheeeeze* DONE.  _(:p 」∠)_

This is what I picture Angband looking like from the top-down. Most of the fortress is subterranean, making this not even the upper most third of the map. Near the top of the center spire is where you will find Hurin’s chair. (Other above-ground structures that didn’t make it into the picture:  Dragon hatchery and stable, Maethros’s shackle, and secret passage ways.)

I want my Angband to look like it was a solid, fugly square brick of a fortress that has been retrofitted with spare Utumno-parts and upgraded to suit all Melkor’s Beleriand-Conquering needs. 

 It’s a mix of designs: impossibly grand scaled pseudo-gothic architecture (to let you know that a Vala lives there), with battlements that are still the old no-frills anti-Oromë defense system left over from the Utumno days, all stuck in a blender with a bunch of lopsided spikes and melty Giger-esque doom. 

Sauron provided the architecture and floor plan (complete with indoor plumming and practical considerations like “where do we put all the orcs”), and Melkor provided the asymmetry, the underground caverns, and the carelessly assembled volcanic hellscape.

Angband Rough Model V2 –RivkaZ 2015

Okay, so my first model was looking a bit bland and symmetrical for Melkor’s tastes, and too sparse in defenses for Sauron’s. XD

From the front we have a draw bridge defended by two sealable mountain tunnels, a lava moat, three struts for archers and ballistae to defend the pass, spouts for pouring molten lead or hot oil, and plenty of spooky statues and gargoyles.

Up one side of the left peak of Thangorodrim, we have the dragon nursery, which extends inside the mountain. 

Around the back of the third peak, we have the main secret back exit. 

And of course, the central fortress spire is where Hurin’s Chair is located, with a nice view of both the dragon hatchery and the front gate. 

Of course, this is just the tip of the Angband Iceberg, as most of the fortress is actually underground. There we’d have the forges, the orc quarters, the extensive thrall pits, the mines, the storehouses, the mushroom farms, the five-star thermal hot springs and lava baths, and finally, the throne room for the Mighty Arising.

Bonus round: Maedhros’s shackle! 🙂  

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((This is really just a model for my own drawing reference, it’s not meant to be a final product. My 3D rendering skills are too derptastic XD ) 

Congratulations,  aulendil-mairon! You win the MisbehavingMaiar 666 Giveaway Prize: Angband Hallpass! 

Limited time only! No sharing! Non-transferrable! Does not apply to Silmaril-Thieves, Sons of Fëanor, or pets! 

Instructions: 1) Download, print, and cut out the pendant. 2) Glue or tape the two halves together (but leave the folded tab separated!) 3) String pendant on the chain or cord of your choice! 4) Show amulet to guardsman at gate, with proof of identity. 5) Enjoy your visit to the Iron Hells! 

Ancalagon the Black – RivkaZ 2014

Part kite, part vulture, part gliding snake, part colugo, part dirigible, all nightmare. 

Waah, I wish I had more creature design practice! x_x With many more hours of skeleton and musculature studies I might have been able to make this guy look more convincing… but in the meantime hey, it’s a dragon! 

So keeping in mind that aerodynamics and biology are not exactly my areas of expertise, here are my headcanons for Ancalagon:

  • He’s the largest of Melkor’s dragons, whose body is large enough that when it falls on the peaks of Thangorodrim, it breaks them, and he also flies. My guess is that this is not a critter built for anything else other than flying.
  • He is mostly membrane; lots of wing and sail fins. His bones are porous like a bird’s. His ribs flatten out when he flies (like those gliding snakes).
  • HYDROGEN SACKS. In addition to huge-ass wings, Ancalagon is buoyed up by several large sacks of flammable, lighter-than-air gas. He also jets and ignites it from glands in his mouth, making  lovely blue fireballs. 
  • Despite all the wingspan, he is a glider. He does not have much musculature to flap with. Or crawl with, for that matter. He is a one-way-flight dragon; he launches himself off the highest peak of the Iron Mountains, uses volcanic thermals and fire to get lift, and then just steers. If he lands or falls somewhere he can’t jump off, he’s about as useless as a fruit bat on the ground. 
  • Ancalagon has iridescent black hide, but he is so lightly built that you can see his blood vessels and organs through his skin. This gives him a reddish glow when he’s in daylight. 
  • Big googly lemur eyes, filled with spooky, soul-stealing malice; the better to see you with.
  • Like the fell beasts used by the Nazgul, he’s got some sonic weaponry that’s inadvisable to be in close range of. 
  • There are many flaws in his design. He’s not Melkor’s most adaptable babu; he probably wouldn’t survive on his own for very long. Basically, he’s a big creepy fire-bomber and intimidation tool. When he’s killed by unexpected-flying-Valar-ship-canonfire or whatever, he falls right on top of Angband like 100 tons of wet tissue paper, and it is no fun for anybody. 
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