[BittenBuggy]

Hey guys, I need to put Angband in one of my fics, but I'm having a hard time describing it. I just want the ouside, not the caves/dungeons or anything.

Angband was primarily an underground fortress, at least after its initial destruction by the Valar in the Years of the Trees. Like its prototype, Utumno, it had many hidden underground chambers and vaults far beneath the earth. Its main features above ground were the three peaks of the Thangorodrim, mighty towers of ash and slag raised above Angband's gates.
The peaks of Thangorodrim were hollow, and from them channels and chimneys ran down to the deepest pits of Angband. So, Morgoth could produce poisonous clouds and vapours, as indeed he sent against the Noldor in Mithrim during the first days after their Return.

I have that, but I need a way to make it strike fear and be all great and terrible and stuff. Somebody give me ideas.

[inglor]

For one thing, they were VERY tall and could be seen from across Ard Galen. Fingon, Angrod, Aegnor, Meadhros, Maglor could probably look out heir front window and be reminded that there was an Evil God just across the plain. Nothing like seeing your enemy's stronghold staring at you day after day.

[Andreth]

BB - here's a John Howe picture of Angband that I've always liked but I don't know how much help it'll be to you. For me, what I've always pictured when thinking of Angband are these tall, forboding walls of dark stone with the mountains behind it and Thangorodrim towering over it. Then fiery eruptions, a constant dark cloud filled with red fire like in the picture here, and probably lots of screams and noise coming from it. I remember reading somewhere in the Silm that Angband was quiet for a while so the Elves thought everything there had calmed down, leading to the Elves not listening to Fingolfin and then getting demolished in the Dagor Bragollach. So if it quieted down and lulled them into a sense of peace, then it had to have been pretty noisy and fearsome before.

Like Inglor said, it could be seen from a good distance and the Elves, especially Aegnor and Angrod IIRC, were sitting right on Morgoth's borders so the huge fortress walls with tall fire and smoke belching mountains rising up behind it was something they had to see on a daily basis. And add to that explosions and screams and what have you echoing out of it. Morgoth definitely knew how to screw with people on a psychological level.

Too bad the Elves didn't have some Van Halen or Nancy Sinatra to play outside Morgoth's walls and drive him into surrendering.


Anna

[Panneth]

I love that picture.

That's my useful contribution