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. 1432, 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
Maps
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Cameth-Brin Regional
Founding Date
S.A. 3320
Type
Geopolitical, Vicekingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
(S.“Troll-shaw”; Hi.“Red Sky”)
Predecessor Organization
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Gold, gems, silver, and precious metals
Legislative Body
Council of Carras Bennas
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments