Rhudaur: The Lost Kingdom

Easternmost of the three sections of Arnor, Rhudaur (S.“Troll-shaw”; Hi.“Red Sky”) was the wildest, most rugged, and least populated region in the North Kingdom. When Arnor was sundered in T.A. 861, Rhudaur became an independent realm. It was a culturally diverse and politically volatile territory with a relatively small Dúnadan population. Hillmen (Hi. “Noi Trevan”) and later, migrating Dunmen, formed the majority of its populace. In the traditional Arnorian society, the Ereter (S. "Aratar") and Requain (S. "Roquen")—the hereditary lords and knights of the Lesser Houses—swear a loyalty oath to the King or one of the autonomous lords, called Tiri in Rhudaur. The bones of this ancient structure are still strewn about the land in T.A. 1643, but the tides have little prestige and less power. There were never more than five Tiri in Rhudaur. They were subject to the Lord Protector, based in Cameth Brin, and were of a social rank somewhat less than that of the Ereter of Arthedain and the Hiri of Cardolan. The five lords were responsible for the governance of a Tirdor (S. "Watched land"), a vaguely defined area around their villages, but as Rhudauran society declined, their actual authority rarely extended beyond the sight of the castle tower. Although sworn to the service of the King of Arnor (and later Rhudaur), a Tiri had almost unlimited power over his lands and subordinates. Even for the early Kings, the exercise of central authority was difficult, and almost unheard of without the aid or threat of overwhelming force of aims.

Structure

APPEARANCE At the peak of their power, about T.A. 900, there were never more than a few hundred pure-blooded Dúnedain in Rhudaur, resembling, by and large, the High Men of Cardolan. Those few remaining in the 17th century are generally mixed-blooded "Lesser Dúnedain," called Haëranedain (S. "Far-wandering Men") by their kin in western lands for their need to be far from the centers of civilization. They still resemble their brethren to some degree, particularly when their family lines are crossed with Northmen. Rhudaur's Dúnedain dress in a variety of styles; wool pants and a long fur jacket are typical, although Hillmen hide kilts and vests have also been popular over the years. Those of pure blood (or the pretension of it) wear Númenórean robes on ceremonial occasions. Deep blues and blacks are the colors favored, and silver and white are common choices for trim. SOCIETY The Dúnedain settled Rhudaur in a manner quite unlike their kin to the west and south. Here the land did not reward half-hearted attempts at agriculture, and the open villas favored by the settlers in Cardolan stood as invitations to raiders. Thus, the Rhudauran Dúnedain built stone halls clustered about a small tower or erected fortified walls around their manors. When first founded, these villages had an average population of about 100, but this changed after T.A.300—it was then that Dunnish tribes were allowed to settle in the Lowlands. Many Dunmen were eventually forced seek homes in and around the villages and to farm. Some lived as virtual slaves, for the Dúnedain did not disrupt the ancient Dunlending practice of debt-servitude. Over time, these communities accommodated various mixings of Haëranedain, Northmen, Hillmen, and Dunlendings—all under the rule of a small lot of purer Dúnedain.

Culture

Before the coming of the Dúnedain, the Hillmen lived a basic hunter-gatherer existence, supplemented by some limited trade in metals with the Dwarves and regular raids on the Eriadorans to the west and southwest for exotic goods and a few slaves, usually female. Cardolani shepherds The expansion of the Númenóreans changed this equation. They were invincible in direct combat, and wealthy and organized enough to send war parties deep into the Trollshaws and deal severe punishment to anyone who severely harmed their people. Raiding became a much less profitable affair for the Hillmen, and the land soon was peaceful enough for foreign explorers and hunters to move in. The economy of the Second Age Dúnadan settlers of Rhudaur was largely based on hunting. In summer, the vast flocks of migratory birds that rested along the Mitheithel and Bruinen were their prey, and in winter, they stalked the losrandir moving down from the Trollshaws. Far more game was often taken than could be used, so the surplus was traded to more western lands for finished goods and luxury items. A considerable fur trade with the Hillmen arose; river mink and beaver were hunted to extinction. Gradually, towers and keeps were built, and Dunnish peasants were put to work; the economy grew more mixed, and farming and fishing became its mainstays. This Dúnadan-centered economy slumped badly after the decay of Rhudauran political institutions and the early Dunnish peasant rebellions. The constant large and small-scale wars since then have done much to destroy both the trade and regular harvests in all the areas not under the direct occupation of Angmar. In the time after the Great Plague, a subsistence economy is all that remains in central and southern Rhudaur.

Assets

Rhudaur is by no means a vast land, but for its size it offers a great deal of geographic diversity. Landforms range from huge hills edging the Misty Mountains to flat expanses of plains and deep forests as tall and ancient as any in Middle-earth. Rhudaur can be divided into three zones: the Highlands, the Trollshaws, and the Lowlands. The Highlands are composed of the foothills of the snowcapped Misty Mountains and the crests of the Famera- Grish(Hi. "Giant's Steps) or the Great Spur, which form the northern border of Rhudaur. The northern Highlands are divided into the Ettenmoors, at the foot of the mountain spur, the Ettendales, along the River Mitheithel, and Cold or Pinefells, south and eastward towards the Misty Passes. The Trollshaws form the central part of Rhudaur, between the Rivers Mitheithel and Bruinen. This area is primarily woodlands, scattered over rugged hill country. The largest continuous stretch of woodland, and the only one distinct enough to carry a separate name, is in the south, the Yfelwyd, or Evil Woods. The Lowlands form the southern and eastern borders of Rhudaur. South of the Yfelwyd and between the Rivers lies the broken but still arable region known as the Angle (S. "En Egladil"). To the west of the River Mitheithel stretches the Oiolad, the flat "Endless Plain" of the En Eredoriath, over which the Rhudaurim and Hillmen have raided more favored regions time and time again. THE HIGHLANDS The Highlands of Rhudaur comprise an area of large hills, some rising to over fifteen-hundred feet above their bases. The hills, which run in irregular curved lines from the southwest to the northeast, are classic fells; that is, they are relatively "young" hills, created by the violent uplifting of the Misty Mountains in the deeps of time. They are jagged and little-weathered, holding very little topsoil. These features are particularly true of the northernmost hills, the Ettenmoors, also known by the translation of their Hillmen name, the "Granite Sea." The name does not derive from the many hills, but from the landscape itself, which is strewn with boulders and outcrops of granite. The rocks range in size from that of a child's ball to that of a large villa, and they are often grouped in crazy jumbles through which passage is impossible for anything larger than a rabbit. To the south of the Ettenmoors, the hills are smaller and the granite less profuse, forming the region called the Ettendales. The Ettendales hold many springs that feed the River Mitheithel; however, the region suffers from poor drainage, especially during the spring melt. In the vales between the hills lie many stagnant bogs. The Highland's immediately to the south and east are much like the Ettendales, except that they are well drained and heavily wooded. Most of the trees in this area are evergreens; thus, the region is called the Pinefells. Some call them "Coldfells," for the cool winds and waters of this locale are legend. THE TROLLSHAWS The Trollshaws region takes it name from the creatures who favor and inhabit it, the Hill Trolls. This is rugged country, but aside from Cameth Brin, few hills rise more than 800 feet over their adjoining vales. The Trollshaws are wooded, but for the most part the trees are gathered in small dense patches with extensive open ground between them. Heavy brush grows along the edges of these groves, extending well into the woods wherever the trees are thin enough; this terrain is quite popular with wolves. Despite these dangers, the Trollshaws are the winter ground for Rhudaur's vast herds of Losrandir (S. "Snow-wanderers"). This is also the only region in Rhudaur where the soil can be called rich, although even here it pales beside that found in the rest of Eriador. The most significant forest in Rhudaur, the Yfelwyd, grows on the southern side of the Trollshaws just above the path of the Great East Road. It is an ancient and dense pair of wooded stands which have stood beyond the memory of all thinking creatures. The Yfelwyd is not a wholesome place; a feeling of unease and latent evil creeps out even to its eaves. It is known to be the home of the Forest Trolls, who are small as Trolls go, but numerous. Huge wolves roam its fringes, and some say that the trees themselves have become infested with evil and are capable of active malice. Little light penetrates through the leafy canopy of the great trees, so the Yfelwyd is always dim and gloomy. Stories speak of places within the forest never touched by the light of sun or moon, and here even Elves and Hillmen fear to go. THE LOWLANDS AND THE RIVERS The Angle consists of rolling, grassy hillsides broken here and there by jagged fells and occasional stands of trees. For the most part, the constant wind from the northeast and the rain cascading off the fells carries away the topsoil, so agriculture is difficult except in the relatively protected and fertile areas along the riverbanks. The swift and sparkling Mitheithel (Hoarwell) is born tn the snows of the Ettenmoors and the springs of the Ettendales. In spring, when the snows melt, it becomes a raging torrent, but even in the early fall it cannot be forded between the Last Bridge (S. "Iant Methed") and the Ettendales. The Mitheithel does freeze over in the worst cold of winter, but the force of the current under the ice makes any crossing dangerous, and few will try that trick except in desperation. The Bruinen (S. "Loudwater"), rising in the snows of the Misty Mountains, is far more sedate than her sister, whom she joins at the very apex of the Angle. The Hillmen consider this river to be under the magical influence of the Elves of Rivendell and so try to avoid it. CLIMATE The climate in Rhudaur is markedly colder than that of southern and western Eriador. By far the most noticeable feature of the weather is the extremely heavy winter snowfall. There are lands in western Middle-earth that are colder than the Trollshaws, but one must travel far north to find even half as much snow. In the Highlands, the white carpet begins to form in mid-autumn and does not recede until late spring. Those learned in the lore of weather say that the heavy snows are caused by the convergence in Rhudaur of warm wet winds that come up from the sea along the Gwathló-Mitheithel river valley and frigid air from the Ice Bay of Forochel that sweeps down unchecked between the Blue Mountains (S. "Ered Luin") and the Misty Mountains. This cooling of moist sea air is aided by the altitude: even the valleys of the Ettenmoors and Coldfells are 1500 or more feet above sea level. Falling snow is usually dry and flaky, except for late winter, but these qualities serve only to increase the accumulation. Although the snows and cold effect Rhudaur as a whole, it is appropriate to discuss the climate in terms of the three geographic zones: the Highlands, the Woodlands, and the Lowlands. As noted above, the Highlands see the heaviest and longest snowfalls; even when it does not snow, the land is afflicted with chilling rains. These lands are always cold, except for a brief period beginning in late spring called the Maelmoigh, or the "Great Melting." At this time, the steady cold wind from the north abates, and warm air rushes up from the south. The warm air reacts with the snow-covered ground, and soon a dank and impenetrable fog settles over the hills. The fog is called the Snaghag, or "Snow-eater." During the Maelmoigh all creatures that walk or fly stay close to their homes. Soon the ground is mostly uncovered, and the melted snow turns tiny rivulets and dry gullies into frightening deluges. Adding to the threat of floods are cold and heavy rains brought by the north wind. These rains last but a month as summer comes to the rest of Eriador. Summer days in the Highlands are sunny and almost warm, but the nights remain very chilly. In the early days of fall, the brief warmth fades and dies. The hilly Woodlands of Rhudaur share the snows and cold of the Highlands, but here the severity is lessened by the presence of the forest. The warm winds of spring come sooner to the Woodlands, and the melt-off of winter snows is far less dramatic. In late spring, some flooding occurs, but the chief problem is that rivers become almost impassable. There is a genuine summer here, although the nights remain cool. lt may even get hot when warm air masses from the southern plains creep northwards. The corning of fall is swift, but far more gradual than in the Highlands. Once winter arrives, it is severe and unyielding. Weather in the two Lowland regions, the Oiolad and the Angle, is quite different from the test of Rhudaur. Here, spring is warm and pleasant, and summer is hot and humid. Snowfall is found only in mid-winter, and much more precipitation falls in the form of rain. Bogs appear in mid-spring, and the melting snows of the north cause considerable flooding along the river banks. Fortunately, the plains of the Oiolad also see much less snow than elsewhere in the region, as the storms blow through very quickly. What does fall presents a problem because of the heavy drifting caused by the constant north wind; yet these same winds tend to keep the plains cool in the summer.

Military

Noble Host of Rhudaur (Degerim-en-Rhudaurim) 8,500 Rangers (Feryth) 26,500 Noble Armies (Degerim Ereter) 10,000 Hillman Militia Levies (Ethiron Ereter Ohtari) 45,000 Approximate Combined Host