Darknut Legion (Conquest)

The Darknut Legion is a playable faction in Hyrule: Total War. They must be unlocked by beating a Short Campaign as the Gorons or a Long Campaign as any faction.

Description
The Darknuts (the Gerudo word for Cliff Lords) are a canine race that originated from the mountain ranges west and south of the Gerudo desert. They are an ancient people, predated only by races of legend such as the Oocca and Fairies. In the past, their civilisation almost fell apart through civil warfare, and conflicts with border races such as the Gerudo and Moblins nearly resulted in the extinction of their race. Facing the end of their people, the warring leaders decided to put aside their differences and declared that from there on out every single Darknut would be trained to be a disciplined and unstoppable warrior at adolescence. After devising a rigorous code from which to follow, the Darknut Legion and its infamous armoured warriors were born. From an early age, Darknuts are trained to wield the best armour, the biggest swords, and maintain the highest order of discipline to preserve their creed. Darknut philosophy places focus on the individual: if one soldier cannot master himself, then it is impossible for him to function in a group. For this reason, Darknuts often prefer to fight alone in engagements, leaving their comrades to their own devices when fighting against groups. When assembled into an army, the Darknuts are without a doubt the single most powerful force to walk Hyrule. This has come at a price, however, as the Darknut Legion places focus on the sword. Their faction has no archers or cavalry at all, and is strictly infantry based. That, combined with their slow speed, makes them hard to master despite their obvious prowess in a hand-to-hand fight. Regardless, a wall of Darknuts shrugging off hundreds of arrows as they slowly advance is bound to put doubt into most armies that they face.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Abilities

 * Unmatched Armour: The Darknuts are infamous for their nearly impenetrable armour, making them pound for pound the most powerful soldiers in all of Hyrule.
 * Heavy Contenders: Darknuts are all very slow and most are unable to run because of their massive armour.
 * Honor Bound: The Darknuts have a strict code of ethics and honor that prevents them from using weapons other than swords. As such they lack cavalry, archers, and other specialised units outside of infantry.
 * Lord Race: In the campaign, the Darknuts are nearly worshiped by the Fokka and Mazura, and generally are aided by the Zuna of the Gerudo Desert. Mercenaries are also generally more willing to work for them regardless of pay.

Freeform Campaign

 * Faction Leader: Zalunbar
 * Settlements: 2
 * Ontheon (city, capital)
 * Unyus (large town)
 * Diplomacy:
 * Allies: None
 * At war: Stalfos
 * Goals:
 * Short Campaign: hold 25 regions
 * Long Campaign: hold 35 regions

History
In 4992 BG, the Darknut Legion, manipulated by Vaati, a Druthulidi in the guise of a Minish sorcerer, lead a crusade against the Wind Tribe of the far east. Their army was superior in armour and skill to any force in all of Hyrule and marched without falter.

They marched past the Hylian and Zora nations and instead invaded the mystical lands of the Wind Tribe known as Holodrum. A bloody war between the Darknut Legion and the Wind Tribe broke out, and the hidden cities in Holodrum were left in ruins.

The Darknuts were very close to obtaining the powers of the Wind Tribe, until the Hylians declared war against them and marched towards the Tarm Ruins, the last city of the Wind Tribe. The Darknuts were defeated at this last junction, allowing the Wind Tribe to escape to the skies. Their leader, the Black Knight, blamed Vaati for having lead his people astray, but was brutally murdered by Vaati.

With the Wind Tribe gone from Hyrule the Darknut Legion returned to their homeland and isolated themselves for many generations.

In 1 BG, King Ganon of the Moblins, dissatisfied with the huge pride of the five Gerudo warlords and seeking allies to attack Hyrule Castle and secure the Triforce, comes to the Darknut Legion for aid. King Zalunbar (who is actually a puppet of Vaati) tries his best to not have to help Ganon, but he eventually has to submit to Ganon when Vaati reminds him that the Triforce is the power that the Wind Tribe had left on Hyrule before they departed to the skies, the power which the Black Knight seeked five millennia past.

Thus the Darknut Legion marches alongside the Moblins and the traitorous Sheikah Dark Interlopers against the Kingdom of Hyrule. After the fall of Hyrule Prime, the Darknuts retreat to the Gerudo Cliffs, for Vaati thinks he's being manipulated to seek the Triforce at the same time as Demise and Dethl, the other surviving Druthulidi behind his Moblin and Sheikah allies.

Standard

 * Initiates
 * Adepts
 * Masters
 * Mighties
 * Legendaries
 * Deities
 * Dishonored
 * Doomknockers
 * Fokka Knights
 * Mazura

Artillery

 * Great Ballista

Command

 * Legion Head
 * Army Head

Heroes

 * Onan
 * Senturon
 * Zalunbar
 * Yaraxonal

Special
Main article: Mercenaries

Other

 * The Darknuts use a unique version of the Siege Ram, which is harder to destroy and impossible to catch fire.

Tech Tree
The Darknut Legion's techtree is very focused and based largely on settlement size with fewer, more expensive buildings but more upgrades. Many of their soldier training bases lose the ability to deploy lesser units as they are upgraded, giving the impression that they are continually fielding improved soliders.



Hamlet

 * Terraced Farms: Living on Cliffs for most of their history has made the Darknuts skilled at creating terraced farms to feed their people.
 * Initiate Training: Training Barracks for the lowest warrior of the Legion, Initiates.
 * Dishonored Arena: Living and training center for Darknut Warriors that have shamed themselves in battle. Cannot be built unless player has suffered at least one defeat in battle. More units become available as the player loses more battles.
 * Gardens: A simple plot of land devoted to flora, Gardens increase the health of their host settlement as well as the happiness of those that live there.
 * Foreign Quarters: Living area dedicated to non Darknut peoples, such as the sub servant Fokka and Mazura. The Foreign Quarters increases the Legions economy and allows them to train both foreign units and hire randomized Mercenaries.

Village

 * Hanging Terraced Farms: Allowing certain flora to dangle over the edges the Terraced Farms allows more food to be grown.
 * Adept Training: Training Barracks for the second level of warrior of the Legion, Adepts.
 * Fighting Pit: Small battlefield dedicated to Legion soldiers sparring against each other publicly. Increase the happiness of the people and the rank of trained Darknut units.

Town

 * Outcropped Terraced Farms: Building outcroppings on Terraced Farms allows for more vegetation to grow along its edges.
 * Master Training: Training Barracks for the third level of warrior of the Legion, Masters.
 * Arena: Larger fighting pit that can accommodate groups of warriors at the time. Increase the happiness of the people and the rank of trained Darknut units.
 * Large Gardens: By expanding the Gardens of a settlement both its health and the happiness of its people increase.

Large Town

 * Radial Terraced Farms: Constructing Terraced Farms radially from a central foundation allows for maximum space and growth of food for Darknut populations.
 * Mighty Training: Training Barracks for the fourth level of warrior of the Legion, Mighties.
 * Colosseum: Massive arena that can house and allow the training of small armies publicly. Increase the happiness of the people and the rank of trained Darknut units.
 * Monument of Honor: Massive statue of past Darknut Deities. Many Darknut warriors are humbled and shamed in the presence of such idols. Dramatically increases the local law and reduces unrest.
 * Glass Art Gallery: Cliff Lords are known for their detailed stained glass made from the sands of their homelands. These galleries have numerous works on display of famous artists. Increases the settlement's happiness.

City

 * Legendary Training: Training Barracks for the fifth level of warrior of the Legion, Legendaries.
 * War Theater: Darknuts are famous for their long and dramatic plays on warfare and fighting. Many Darknuts will enjoy watching recreations of famous battles in their history.
 * Ancient Library: A collection of knowledge from the dark and ancient days of the Cliff Lord people. The knowledge hidden within these collections allows the Legion to relearn lost techniques for both fighting and armor making. Allows units to train at their first Upgrade Level.

Large City

 * Deity Training: Training Barracks for the sixth and final level of warrior of the Legion, Deities.
 * Mythical Library: Secret knowledge of ancient tombs, dungeons, and lost magic of the earliest age of Cliff Lord history. Allows units to train at their second Upgrade level.