East Anduin Vales

A visitor to this part of the Vales of Anduin would be forgiven for thinking that this land is empty. The land rolls on for hundreds of miles beside the river, endless green valleys running down to the Great River. To the east is the ever-present shadow of the forest like a black stain on the horizon.
While few people live here, the land remembers them. There were kingdoms here, long ago, and armies watered the soil with their blood. The visitor must clamber over ruined stone walls, or perhaps make camp amid the barely-visible foundations of some old village. The tumbledown remains of ringforts crown every large hill from the Old Ford to the Undeeps and Elven paths run along the border of Mirkwood for many miles.
The Woodmen of Mirkwood live in this region — or at least their herds do. Their villages lie deep in the forest, but they keep herds of cattle and sheep in the open dales. Young men and women tend to the herds with the help of dogs, and run back to the shelter of the forest when threatened.

Wildlife

Some of the denizens of Mirkwood, like the black boars and stags, emerge from the darkness of the forest and cross the vales here, but they are a rare sight. More commonly encountered are the usual wildlife of the Anduin valley, like foxes, badgers, otters, wild ponies and sheep. Hunting Eagles from the Eyrie often cross the river in search of prey. The Woodmen of Mirkwood let their animals graze in the valleys of this region. They maintain pens and herder’s cabins close to the edge of the forest.

Location under

Vales of Anduin

Included Locations

• Stonyford