Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've been trying to think of good replacements for the Black Numenorean models, as not only are they expensive, but there's only about three poses, making the prospect of fielding any large number of them quite boring. Here's the picture to remind what they look like.



At the moment, I'm thinking that a kitbash of Perry pieces could make something nice, although I'd have to add shields/cloaks (see the one in the top middlefor a nice pose):-



Anyone else got any more suggestions?

Good Question.

I only have some of the Mounted figures (Morgul Knights, which are just Black Númenóreans on Horses as Knights).

But I would like a unit of Foot, as Spearmen, or Foot Knight (More similar to Normans, or Saxons with Axes than to the High Medieval or Early Renaissance stuff).

But Black Númenóreans are way down my list of stuff to produce myself.

And. . . I am currently stuck waiting to deal with a recalcitrant doctor who has been ruining my life, so haven't been able to work on anything (which would be finishing the last four Goblins, and then Mahûd/Far-Haradrim Proxies).

You might try some of the Kings of War Twilight Kin spearmen.

They are a bit too ornate for my tastes, but the lines are suggestive of GW's Black Númenóreans.

Otherwise... The Black Númenóreans are simply too distinctive to have anything match closely.

MB

These might do. You're still a bit limited by pose, and they aren't bargain basement cheap, but they're all I can think of off the top of my head.
http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=105_109&products_id=859

 Paradigm wrote:
These might do. You're still a bit limited by pose, and they aren't bargain basement cheap, but they're all I can think of off the top of my head.
http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=105_109&products_id=859

those look pretty good. Avatars of war might have some suitable alternatives as well

 Paradigm wrote:
These might do. You're still a bit limited by pose, and they aren't bargain basement cheap, but they're all I can think of off the top of my head.
http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=105_109&products_id=859

I completely forgot about those.

You can easily chop the wings off their helmets and add horns.

These look like the ticket.

Well done, Paradigm.

MB

Were there any Black Numenoreans left by the War of the Ring?

We don't really know.

Tolkien seems to have intimated that Sauron kept a population of Black Númenóreans as his elite Lords over Harad, Rhûn, and Núrnen (South Mordor, where all of the food was grown).

And, if you look at the Logistics, from 2899, when Ar-Adûnakhôr takes the throne, the political divisions within Númenóre are finally well-established, and the lands of Middle-earth, formerly allied to Númenóre officially become subjugated vassal-states.

This means that Tens of Thousands of Númenóreans, affiliated with the King's Men (rather than the Elendili) were given positions of Power within Middle-earth.

Specifically in Gondor and Harad (Umbar, which was then the seat of Númenórean power in Middle-earth - the vice-regent ruled from Umbar), where the vast majority of Númenórean settlements were established.

Then, when Ar-Pharazôn captures Sauron, he increased the subjugation of Middle-earth tremendously, leaving tens of thousands more Númenóreans in Middle-earth.

Now, there would have been a reduction of these, but remember that the Eledili, under Elendil's father, Amanda, had been working to place the Elendili in Middle-earth as a safety against the number of King's Men who were there, so that when Ar-Pharazôn's eventual heresy culminated, that as many Noble and True Númenóreans could be saved as possible.

So, even with Ar-Pharazon drawing down the manpower in Middle-earth for his assault on Valinorë, the Elf-friends would have still remained outnumbered.

After the Akkalabêth, many of these King's Men would have remained loyal to Ar-Pharazôn, and thus to Sauron, but the vast majority would likely have remained true to Númenóre itself, and thus recognized Elendil as the rightful heir to the throne of Númenóre (or, the New Kingdoms of Westernesse in Middle-earth established by Elendil), even if they personally loathed him (duty was still considered to be a quality they valued, even if their duty was to an office, rather than to the person holding that office).

Given the numbers of Black Númenóreans who would have survived The Llast Alliance, there was a sufficient population of them to have been viable, genetically (even though Tolkien would not have considered this, exactly), and with Sauron's aid, could have unnaturally extended their life-spans (so that they lived to 500 or 1000 so years of age, even if they were decrepit and infirm past 200).

It is likely this was the purpose of some of the many "Lesser Rings of Power" that Tolkien mentions via Gandalf and in Letters, and was likely a prerequisite for many of practitioners of the occult religions Tolkien mentions being popular in the East and South.

So. . .

Black Númenóreans likely existed well into the Fourth Age, not just into the Third.

MB