4
by Valkrist
I think the scratches and wear-like marks on the helm are meant to acentuate the crude and rough craftsmanship of the item itself. As a matter of following Prof. Tolkien's theme of all evil things being ugly and unseemly, the helm (and in fact all of the Witchking's armor,) is not meant to convery a sense of shiny perfection like we see in the Gondor soldiers, but rather an unpolished, jagged, and worn look. Also, I highly doubt the Witchking is worried about looks and the scratched up look of his headgear, and thus the helm would naturally be a little beat up after centuries of use in warfare... you gotta remember, this guy has been kicking around for a long time.