December 11th 2009 - We have moved to a new server! While the domain name changes we need you to all point your connections at 88.208.245.108 please!
NEW TO SOI? Check out our Player Guide filled with useful information!
Greetings, Friend!
Online and serving the community since early 2002, Shadows of Isildur is a roleplay-intensive,
completely free and non-commercial Tolkien-based MUD. Our world has been lovingly crafted,
and our playerbase is active and of extremely high
calibre. Come join us today!
We are reached only at 88.208.245.108, ports 23 or 4500. For more information, click here.
Latest Game News in December 2009:
- NEW! New Server upgrade complete and fully functioning.
- Character Applications with a new web-based application.
- Power attribute is now live.
- Massive new storylines spanning all areas of the game promising politics, intrigue, war and danger.
About Us
We have created a vast, breathtakingly beautiful and stunningly
detailed rendition of Tolkien's masterpiece. Originally opening
in the year 2460 of the Third Age, four hundred years before the War of the Rings, Shadows of Isildur features
the epic conflict between Minas Tirith, the bastion of the remnants
of the fabled Numenorean Empire, and the outposts of Mordor, a dark and
twisted nightmare under the iron-fisted rule of the dreaded Witchking of Angmar. With
players living out the lives of those on both sides, our intense storylines are rife with
conflict, strife, and heart-pounding rushes of adrenaline.
We are a Role-Play Intensive MUD, which means the death of your character is permanent, and
in-character behavior is required in-game at all times -- roleplay is
absolutely mandatory, and strictly enforced. Finally, characters here are by application
only - sometimes it may take a few runs to get a character
approved, but we promise you that it will be worth the wait. Heroes and legends were born before the War of the Rings began. Play a crafter, a shopkeeper, a warrior, a thief, a husband or a wife, child or old man, noble or beggar. Together we write the story of the years before the War of the Rings.
The war with the Enemy began many years before the War of the Ring. In the waning years of the Third Age, the Free Peoples of Middle-earth stand divided from each other, beset on all sides by the Shadow...
In the Black Land of Mordor the Witch-king has ascended and taken up the cause of the former Dark Lord. Driving his subjects with an iron fist, his reign of horror has spilled over the peaks of the Ephel Duath and washed into Ithilien for decades.
To the West stands Gondor, a kingdom without a king, whose valiant men are the first and, for themselves, the only line of defense against the might of Mordor. Osgiliath, once the fair and regal city of the eastern border, lies in ruins, shattered by the armies of Mordor ere they could be repelled. In the war-ravaged fief of Ithilien, a quiet falls across the land for the time, but the Watchful Peace has ended.
To the South, pale-skinned barbarians of Gondor have been admitted into Haradwaith for the first time in living memory, even as people of the far deserts walk among the white streets of Minas Tirith. Long-held enmities give way grudgingly, and this peace is a tenuous thing, fueled by hidden ambitions, dangerous politics...and is ripe for the machinations of the Shadow.
To the distant North in the untrodden paths of Mirkwood, a new terror rises, and its shadow grows long across the lands of Eregion. From the darkest corners of the forest pour forth spies, orcs, and a host of other horrors. The purpose of this power is not yet known, but all who hear of it know it to be a herald of darkness.
First in its path of destruction is Halburg, a small community of rugged northmen standing at the foot of the Misty Mountains. The homestead carries an ill fate: to bear the weight of the Enemy's next assault on the West. With few warriors of their own and no allies to call on, the men of Halburg look only to themselves for protection, but more fates than their own hang in the balance.
Only a day's march away there is a decrepit stair of stone, once a noble sight to be sure, that leads up into the face of the mountain. Beyond the broken doors lie the dark and silent halls of Moria. Answering the dread summons of both Mordor and Dol Guldur, the orc tribes of Middle-earth have migrated here and threaten to sever the weakening ties between the Free Peoples.
And in the lowest caverns of the mines there lurks a monstrosity from a forgotten Age, and it has no loyalties of any kind nor mercy for intruders in its lair...
Welcome to Shadows of Isildur.
At Shadows of Isildur we strive to replicate the works written by Tolkien into a three-dimensional game world for you - canonicity is key but not so much as to stifle the part you will play in this epic story.
Your story can begin in one of four places, each of which have tantalising connections to some of the most pivotal and exciting parts of the Lord of the Rings:
Gondor:
You will have the opportunity to experience the great citadel of Minas Tirith and its hinterlands for yourself, the setting for the most climactic battle of Tolkien's work decades later. Whether you want to live as a hunter in the Druadan forest and provide food for a community or aspire to great wealth and power, working your way up in one of the merchant houses based in the city itself, there are endless options for players to choose here. The Citadel of Stars (Osgiliath) has only recently been destroyed and the armies of Gondor are still locked in battle with the enemy in Ithilien which has such a rich history, woven by the tales of hundreds of characters that have come before...will yours become part of that?
The Mines of Moria:
Experience the dark vaults and shadowy chasms of Khazad-Dum for yourself, playing in one of the Orkin factions that hold dominance there now. Internal strife or raids into human villages and towns - the choice is yours.
Halburg and the Northlands:
Where the Celebrant and Nimrodel rivers flow from the Misty Mountains to feed the great Anduin your story will begin. Set between the Mines of Moria and Lothlorien, home of the Elves, this place has no lack of epic history and potential. You will begin your story in a small Northman mining outpost called Halburg where almost any option is possible. Hunters, miners, woodworkers, weapon smiths, soldiers, bards, tavern keeps are all available options - the choice is entirely yours. With harsh winters and an ever growing threat of darkness within the Misty Mountains, this place has no lack of excitement and you can be a part of it.
Haradwaith:
The place which gave way to the Haradrim and Corsair factions which play such pivotal roles in Tolkien's epic now comes to life in the city of Fahad'Jafari where Southron politics, economy and culture collide for your enjoyment. A hub of many Mordorian races, this sets the platform for some of the most exciting social interactions the game has to offer: join the Silvermoon Cobra and learn first-hand how a Southron military operates or earn a name for yourself in the ranks of the mercenary faction the Abdul-Matin.
Some of Our Features
For the latest updates, you should head on over to the
staff announcements forum,
or check out the archived issues of our newsletter, the Palantir Weekly.
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