East Nether Vales

Some lands are blessed by those who dwell in them, like the lands of the Elves, and some are made wonderful by long toil, like the cities of the Dwarves. Others, though, are naturally blessed with fertility and temperate weather and beauty. The Shire of the Hobbits is one such place. So too are the East Nether Vales — of all the lands of the river north of Rauros, these regions are perhaps the most beautiful and the richest.
Many wars were fought for their possession; these Vales were part of the Kingdom of Rhovanion, and were then conquered by the Wainriders out of the East. Later, the attacks of the Balchoth were so vicious that the Nether Vales were wholly depopulated and abandoned, but in the centuries that followed the victory at the Fields of Celebrant, they were re-colonised. Unfortunately, these new settlers soon fell under the shadow of Dol Guldur. The dread fortress of the Necromancer lies only a few miles within the forest, and its darkness leeches into the surrounding territory. Those who stayed here were forced to choose — swear fealty and pay tribute to Dol Guldur, or leave. Today, people still dwell in the East Nether Vale; in fact, this might be the most densely populated part of the Vales of Anduin, although that says little in these empty times.
All those who live here, however, chose to bow to the Shadow. The beauty and bounty of the land seems unnatural, and all that they achieve is somehow empty. Most of the inhabitants live in a village called the Toft, in a land of wooded hills and fertile plains. The Toft supplied many of the needs of those who dwelt in the fortress of Dol Guldur when the Necromancer was there. Now that the Hill of Sorcery is empty, the folk of the Toft look to the future with trepidation, for they have become used to servitude and dread.
The northern region, near Rhosgobel, is called the Run, and it is an empty land. It looks welcoming at first glance, but bands of Orcs often emerged from the Narrows of the Forest to despoil it. Now, the land is claimed by the men of the Tyrant’s Hill, a fortress that lies just inside the forest eave.
West of the Run is the Neck. A ridge of steep-sided hills dominates this land, running between the Forest and the River. Marshes pool at the feet of these hills. It was here that Isildur fell in battle, and the Ring was lost in the waters of the Great River.
The southern toe of the land, closest to Lórien, is called the Strifelands. No men dwell here. Huge flocks of crows circle endlessly over the broken, rocky landscape, save only when a storm blows down from the north. On stormy days, it is as though two giants made of lightning and thunder strive against each other, one on the west side of the river and one — darker and more terrible — reaching out of the east.

Wildlife

The western Vales are home to cattle and horses, as well as thousands of swans in the marshy Neck running along the east bank opposite the Gladden Fields. That region is also home to alarming Swarms of blood-sucking or stinging Insects that rise up in huge clouds to beset travellers. The wandering Erringmen carry fire-pots full of stinking incense when they must pass through this region.
The southern Vales show something of the taint of Mirkwood. Many animals in that region have jet-black fur or feathers. Huge black cats prowl the grasslands and prey on the sheep and cattle of the folk who dwell here. (Sometimes, they also prey on children and lone travellers, but it is well known that a man who pays proper tribute to the Necromancer is safe from animal attack, for all the wild beasts in this land are in his thrall).
The eastern edge of the Vales are even more dangerous, as creatures from Mirkwood prowl here. Boars, bears and even some spiders can be seen in this land; all of them black as night, except for the spiders that glow with an unnatural luminescence like rotten moonlight.

Location under

Vales of Anduin