LotR: Realms in Exile

Hello and welcome to the Realms in Exile mod for Crusader Kings III, Paradox’s great grand strategy game. I am part of an incredible team that has heeded the call for adventure into Middle-earth! Together we are bringing the immersive world of Middle-earth to CK3, full of the diverse characters in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
– Jamie-san

Realms v3.0 is our most recent major release, expanding North East into the lands of Rhovanion, Near Rhûn and Khand, and finally releasing our first pass at the implementation of Elves and colonisation mechanics.

The current version (v3.3) offers compatibility with the Legacy of Persia DLC and v1.11.X of CK3.

Now, with v3.3 behind us, we’ll be delving back into the coding mines to work on Realms v4.0 which will focus on the Dwarves and Orcs of the mountainous realms of Middle-earth. Let’s just hope we don’t delve too greedily and too deep…

For a guide on all of the new features included in LotR: Realms in Exile 3.0 please consult our release notes[drive.google.com].

“I wisely started with a map, and made the story fit
(generally with meticulous care for distances).”

– J.R.R. Tolkien.

Realms in Exile refers to the kingdoms that formed after the destruction of the isle of Númenor. These are Arnor, Gondor, Umbar, Bellakar and Thôn an-Khârlôkh. Gondor features in the third book of The Lord of the Rings. It is ruled by the stewards of Minas Tirith, as their king was lost in a duel with the Witch King of Minas Morgul. Arnor is the lost realm of the north, Aragorn is chieftain of its few survivors. Umbar was once a city of the Númenóreans at the height of their power in Middle-earth, now it is a mighty haven of corsairs. Bellakar and Thôn an-Khârlôkh are former colonies, far to the south, and the books do not mention their names.

While there are many great starts that you’re likely already familiar with added in previous versions (Denethor, Sauron, the Tedjin, and the Golden King just to name a few!), we thought we’d highlight just a few of the many interesting options to explore as you venture into the latest version.

• Expand your realm after a long period of seclusion and secrecy.
• Colonise the dense forests of Greenwood the Great, reclaiming long abandoned parts of your realm.
• Challenge the darkness rising in the South of the woods and beyond, becoming a bastion of hope for your kinfolk and the free peoples of Middle-earth.
• Experience new elven mechanics. Characters matter. New courtship, childbirth, and life cycle mechanics.
• Unique holding type, government, buildings, casus belli selection, men at arms and more.

• Expand Isengard’s industry and raise your own breed of orc, the Uruk-hai.
• Sway and influence local Dunlending lords to support your ambitions.
• Deal with the realm of Rohan, either by direct confrontation in the field, or with knives and whispers from the shadows.
• Challenge the very authority of Sauron himself, or work together the oversee the downfall of Middle-earth.

• Unite the Variag peoples, reforging the great Variag empire for only the 10th time in history.
• Trample your enemies underfoot as you lay waste to their lands with your great cavalry host.
• The Variags swear their oaths of loyalty to individuals and not to dynasties. Choose your heir carefully as and raise their opinion among your vassals, or risk your realm being shattered as it has so many times in the past.
• Hold onto power for long enough and permanently cement your family’s position and authority as the true overlords of Khand.

LotR: Realms in Exile has been given permission to add The Silmarillion part 1 and The Silmarillion part 2 Legends of Númenor complete soundtracks by composer Stan Lockfield.

The Realms in Exile team is scouting for modders, artists and writers. If you are enthusiastic about LotR and Paradox Interactive’s Crusader Kings III, then we would love for you to join our team. Your contribution may be large or small, every single character decision or sprawling event tree will help to fill in the spaces between the words.

If you are interested then we have a role for you. You can contribute by showcasing your works on our Realms in Exile Discord[discord.gg] community.

[discord.gg]
Our Discord[discord.gg] is the place to be, you’ll be able to join the developers of Realms and receive our latest news.

If you’re interested in CK3 modding be sure to check out the CK3 Modding Coop[discord.gg].

Thank you for subscribing to Realms in Exile.