Tyrn Gorthad
Tyrn Gorthad is the Sindarin name for the Barrow downs,
as well as the name of the Cardolani baron who has
had the rule of them through the Second and Third Ages.
The baron's chief town and capital was Fealond, on the
northern end of the Gap of Andrath. Fealond evolved as
a spiritual haven for those Dúnedain who wished to build
tombs in the downs or simply to study or meditate there.
After the division of Arnor, the Cardolani fortified the
northern reaches of the downs along the Great East Road
and erected a wall and hedge to ward off incursions from
Arthedain. Minas Mal loth, the Tyrn Gorthad's chief
fortress, was east of the Men Formen on a high ridge of
the South Downs. It became the heart of the Cardolani
border defense.
In T.A. 1409, the Witch-king attacked Amon Sûl and drove King Argeleb westward through the downs towards Fealond. The King built a fortified camp on the downs just above the town, expecting that the Angmarim would not readily approach such an ancient holy site. He was wrong. The Troll Warlord Rogrog led a night attack that destroyed Ostoher's army and leveled Fealond. The Hir Tyrn Gorthad died in the battle; his son abandoned Minas Malloth and fled north through Bree. An Arthadan force recaptured the fortress a year later, but Fealond was never rebuilt. The downs to the east, traditionally ruled by the Hir Tyrn Gorthad, were depopulated and continually drew Orc and Warg raiders from Angmar and Rhudaur. Andrath, a town ruled by the Princes of Dol Tinarë, became the sole focus of spiritual life in the region, and the Hirdor of Tyrn Gorthad was impoverished.
The Hirdor of Tyrn Gorthad once consisted of a strip of territory fifty miles deep running south of the East Road from the Baranduin to the Nen-i-Sûl, The Baron now only controls a fraction of that territory in the eastern and southern Barrow-downs. The Baron once ruled from the beautiful town of Feagil, on the Men Formen south of Bree, but Feagil was sacked in the Battle on Tyrn Gorthad in 1409, and it has not been rebuilt. The Baron now holds court in his fortress of Minas Malloth further to the northeast. Because of the religious significance of these lands, the Hirdor once had a relatively large Dúnadan population. The barony was almost as exposed as the En Eredoriath in the wars among the Dúnedain and with Angmar, and has suffered accordingly. The great recent peril has been the invasion of the undead spirits known as wights, which have been seeking, successfully, to take possession of the royal dead in the sacred barrows. Since the wight invasion during the Plague Years, the Baron has been a very loyal vassal of the King of Arthedain. The subsidy from Fornost Erain supports the military efforts of the Hirdor, so the few subjects who dare to reside in this haunted land are little molested. There is still a fairly large Hobbit population here, most of whom live near the southern eaves of the Old Forest.
In T.A. 1409, the Witch-king attacked Amon Sûl and drove King Argeleb westward through the downs towards Fealond. The King built a fortified camp on the downs just above the town, expecting that the Angmarim would not readily approach such an ancient holy site. He was wrong. The Troll Warlord Rogrog led a night attack that destroyed Ostoher's army and leveled Fealond. The Hir Tyrn Gorthad died in the battle; his son abandoned Minas Malloth and fled north through Bree. An Arthadan force recaptured the fortress a year later, but Fealond was never rebuilt. The downs to the east, traditionally ruled by the Hir Tyrn Gorthad, were depopulated and continually drew Orc and Warg raiders from Angmar and Rhudaur. Andrath, a town ruled by the Princes of Dol Tinarë, became the sole focus of spiritual life in the region, and the Hirdor of Tyrn Gorthad was impoverished.
The Hirdor of Tyrn Gorthad once consisted of a strip of territory fifty miles deep running south of the East Road from the Baranduin to the Nen-i-Sûl, The Baron now only controls a fraction of that territory in the eastern and southern Barrow-downs. The Baron once ruled from the beautiful town of Feagil, on the Men Formen south of Bree, but Feagil was sacked in the Battle on Tyrn Gorthad in 1409, and it has not been rebuilt. The Baron now holds court in his fortress of Minas Malloth further to the northeast. Because of the religious significance of these lands, the Hirdor once had a relatively large Dúnadan population. The barony was almost as exposed as the En Eredoriath in the wars among the Dúnedain and with Angmar, and has suffered accordingly. The great recent peril has been the invasion of the undead spirits known as wights, which have been seeking, successfully, to take possession of the royal dead in the sacred barrows. Since the wight invasion during the Plague Years, the Baron has been a very loyal vassal of the King of Arthedain. The subsidy from Fornost Erain supports the military efforts of the Hirdor, so the few subjects who dare to reside in this haunted land are little molested. There is still a fairly large Hobbit population here, most of whom live near the southern eaves of the Old Forest.
Type
Citadel
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments