Petrus de Crescentiis Opus Ruralium Commodorum
Speier, c. 1493
From Medieval Woodcuts - see Picture Credits

In the harsh Ash wastelands of Mordor, one plant flourishes so vigorously that it has taken over any other species' vain attempts at growth. I am of course talking about the Mordorian Thorn.

Many believe these thorns are just some myth, made up by orc children who have heard stories of plants. What they don’t realize is that the orcish scimitar is based on these thorns. Sharp enough to puncture the foot of the toughest cave troll, Mordorian thorns are classed with rocks in the hardness scale. Some kinds are believed to contain a substantial amount of poison in them, enough to kill the average person (or thing).

Found in large quantities in certain parts of Mordor, these thorns are known as the "Second line of protection against invasion". These thorns guarantee that no one can enter Mordor and, more importantly, that no one can leave it. Being the only substantial form of olvar, in the Mordor games the Mordorian Thorn is used to make crowns for the race-winners. This practice is believed to date from about the 20th century BC.

In a side note, the use of thorns as training swords of sorts is becoming a not uncommon practice in the training grounds. The spokesminion says they are strong enough to use for swords, and painful enough to root out the weak.

Written by Aiwendil Khamul