Other Minds 13

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Issue 13, March 2012

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T h e U n o f f i c i a l R o l e - P l a y i n g M a g a z i n e f o r J . R . R . T o l k i e n ’ s M i d d l e - e a r t h a n d b e y o n d

OTHER MINDS

Magazine

Issue 1 3

March 2012

Publ isher

Other Minds Volunteers

Co-Editors Assistant Edi tors

Thomas Morwinsky Neville Percy

Hawke Robinson Chris Seeman

Proof Readers Ar twork

Tomasz Jedruszek(SG/C7)

Ted Nasmith

Neville “Osric” Percy

Tuuliky

Product ion Staff

Thomas Morwinsky

Neville Percy Jon Hodgson (SG/C7)

Unless otherwise noted, every contribution in this magazine is published under theCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license

(b n a

)The exact license of a given contribution can be found at the beginning of each contribution.

© 1996 ‘Scouring the Mountain’ by Ted Nasmith, used with permissio

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T H E R

H E R

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Other Minds Magazine

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MAIN FEATURES38 The Dwarven Iglismêk

by Neville “Osric” Percy

42 Population and Urbanization InEriadorby Thomas Morwinsky

OTHER FEATURES104 Fine Print and Disclaimers

105 Creative Commons License

108 Appendix

MAIN FEATURES10 A Review of The One Ring—

Adventures over the Edge of theWild by Neville “Osric” Percy

20 The Art of Magic—with TOR statsby Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores

MAIN FEATURES3 Editorial: Not an unlucky number!

by Thomas Morwinsky

4 Inside Informationby Thomas Morwinsky

6 The Road Goes Ever Onby Thomas Morwinsky

“Then Ilúvatar said to them: 'Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony to-gether a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powersin adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad

that through yougreat beauty has been wakened into song.'”

- Ainulindalë (The Music of the Ainur)

The Silmarillion

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Listen to music by the many musicians around the world

inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Middle-earth Radio make available four different Internet radio streams dedicated to the audio and music inspiredby the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

You can tune in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere in the world where you have an Internet connec-tion, with your favorite streaming media player.

And when you hear a piece of music you like, be sure to support the musicians by purchasing their music(if applicable).

See the lengthy list of inspired music at the Tolkien Music website: www.tolkien-music.com

Tune in today and listen at:

www.middle-earthradio.com




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Editorial:Not an unlucky number!

News

A new year brings new things—andthis holds true for gaming in Middle-earth as well. Other Minds, Issue 13 againis long overdue—far more than antici-pated or feared. Some of the originallyplanned content had to been changed atshort notice, but in the end everythinghas worked out fine.

That we are far overdue is the effectof real life taking over and pushing otherthings aside. Everyone has been affected, but none more than our diligent assistanteditor Neville Percy, who has now alittle baby daughter, which is eating upmuch of his time. And still he spends hisprecious and limited spare time for theMiddle-earth gaming community. Kudosto him!

The most important news is that nowthe new roleplaying game for Middle-

earth is finally out (its pre-publicationinformation and announcements having been included in previous Issues): Cubi-cle 7’s (C7) The One Ring – Adventures overthe Edge of the Wild ® (TOR) has beenavailable since about last August (in thedownloadable PDF version). The C7forum has quickly developed into a verydynamic platform for discussing all as-pects of TOR itself and extending intoMiddle-earth gaming in general . I amvery eager to see further products pub-

lished. Speaking of this, one of thechanges will be a stronger TOR presencein Other Minds.

So overall this Issue also marks a wa-tershed—since it will be the last of thecurrent incarnation. This is far from badhowever, since we are sure that all theseplans will be all for the better. Moredetails of the planned changes are to befound in this Issue’s Inside Information.

ontent

As already said, we had to do some

last minute rearrangements content-wise, though that may have been fortu-nate in the end. Now, for the concretecontent, the line-up is as follows:

First comes a piece by Neville “Osric”Percy: A Review of The One Ring –

Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild

(TOR). It details the game system andgives you a good overview of its features.It is a fitting beginning of the intendedTOR presence in Other Minds.

The second contribution is fromDaniel “Vaco” Vacaflores gives us an up-date of his The Art of Magic, which waspublished in Issue #10 of Other Minds.Here he presents us with TOR gamestats to be used with that game system.So you might check it out if you’re look-ing for ideas on how to incorporate ex-tensive “real” magic (i.e. spells) intoTOR, beyond the little that the pub-lished game includes—as yet.

Neville “Osric” Percy also brings us a

second contribution with The Dwar-ven Iglishmêk, a secret communicationsystem based on gestures used by the

Dwarves. This article develops on anextensive note of Tolkien’s found in TheHistory of Middle-earth, Vol. 11: The War ofthe Jewels. It offers great possibilities forgiving dwarven PC’s a really unique abil-ity not shared with other races.

Last but not least, Population and

Urbanization in Eriador tackles thedifficult task of assigning believable numbers to the demography of Eriador

throughout the Third Age (together withdiscussion of how these were devel-oped). The many major changes in thehistory of this region make this quitechallenging, but on the other hand alsooffer tons of gaming possibilities.

As mentioned above, you can findmore on the future of Other Minds in thisIssue’s Inside Information. One thing I’dlike to say here and now, is the fact thatDavid “Issachar” D. has volunteered toassist us in making Other Minds an even better platform for all roleplayers inMiddle-earth. It’s good to have you on board!

We are also getting more wide-spread; see Inside Information for moredetails!

Ending my ramblings, I wish you ahappy reading and see you all in OtherMinds, Issue #14!

For the Other Minds team

Thomas Morwinsky




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Inside Informationthe other game systems that we’ve had todate. This does not mean to ignore all

the other approaches (e.g. MERP orLotRRPG or fan-made Indie systems),but the officially licensed game shouldalways get special attention by a fanzinethat champions the cause of roleplayingin Middle-earth.

Due to this, we will change a numberof things, effectively renovating a lot ofcurrent Other Minds conventions. First,our much-debated rating system will beoverhauled, as it currently looks quiteabstract. To emphasize the gaming focus,

the new system will have a twofold cate-gorization: First we will indicate thegeneral nature of the article (e.g. rulessupplement/suggestion, adventure,background material, Tolkien scholar-ship etc.). The second part will give arough estimate of the amount of originalTolkien content within the contribution.Here, three tiers (high, medium, low)will give you an estimate how much wasused (or available!) to inspire and createthe contribution.

The second great change is about thecontent itself. We will have clear mark-ers to show whether a contribution ismade for a specific game system (or not;e.g. being system-agnostic). Here the“other” content beside pure mechanicsplays a role as well. For example, MERPproduced a lot of modules which detailedMiddle-earth, thus establishing a“MERP-canon” with its specific interpre-tation of Middle-earth and especially thevoids beyond Tolkien’s descriptions.

Of course all of these categorizationscontain a certain degree of uncertainty orblur, where you can’t clearly specify acontribution according to the abovementioned categories. We will do ourbest however to make these ratings asobjective as possible.

Concerning game systems, we willhave a new assistant editor on board,

who will focus his activities on managingthe TOR content for Other Minds. This isDavid ‘Issachar’ D., whom you mightperhaps know as a long-time editor ofthe Hall of Fire magazine. We are hopingto get regular content for The Lord of theRings Roleplaying Game as well, unifyingall three—past and present—licensedroleplaying games for Middle-earth un-der a common roof. Gamers and con-tributors working with other game sys-tems should also not feel excluded; arti-

cles linked to any system will all beequally welcome, judged on the basis oftheir Middle-earth content.

Beyond the different gaming ap-proaches and interpretations, we firmlybelieve that roleplaying in Middle-earthis a strong common denominator. It is anold tradition for gamers and Game-/Lore-masters alike to look for inspira-tions beyond the boundaries of specificgame systems. Having a common setting,drawing such inspirations from other

Middle-earth based systems should makeit all the easier to transfer to your ownsystem and interpretation of choice. TheMiddle-earth roleplaying communitynowadays is small enough to start with,and fragmenting it even further by build-ing fences will in the end surely over-stretch the resources of those who dothese things.

The Future of

Other inds

As already hinted at in the Editorial,

this Issue of Other Minds is the last of itskind. Issue #14 will bring a number sig-nificant changes that will—hopefully— all for the better of the fan community ofgamers in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Since the publication of The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild (TOR)last autumn, new life has been broughtto the Middle-earth gaming community.This is in my opinion quite fortunate, asit brings in new ideas and approaches andprevents the old veterans from stewingtoo much in their own juice. Also it con-tinues the tradition of roleplaying gamesset in Middle-earth that was begun in1982. Every year without a game in thebest of all fantasy worlds is a loss! Apartfrom the more abstract benefits of a newand living game, there are also some verypractical beneficial sides to it. First, OtherMinds is striving to get its focus tostrongly support TOR as much as it has




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We were pleasantly surprised on February 29, 2012 when a message was posted on our Facebook group page(http://www.facebook.com/groups/othermindsmagazine/) that Other Minds has been added to the fund of the Marion E. WadeCenter (http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter), research library and book museum at the Wheaton College(http://www.wheaton.edu). If you want to learn more about this institution check out Wikipedia for a short description of Whea-ton College: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_College_%28Illinois%29). The Wade Center houses both memorabilia

(like the desk at which Tolkien wrote The Hobbit) as well as original texts from the Inklings—including J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S.Lewis—and we are humbled to be counted among such company. Check out the following link for “our” actual location at theWade Center: http://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-whe/Record/whe_615666. Thank you very much Johan for sharing with us thisinformation!

© Wheaton College

Other inds

added to Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College




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There are many paths on the internet waiting to take you somewhere for Tolkien gaming. The vast reaches of the worldwidecommunity harbour numerous roads and paths—some dangerous and some not—but it also has many havens of lore and respitewhere the weary traveller or loremaster seeking knowledge may find what he is looking for. In order to aid people on their jour-neys, this column of Other Minds (not exactly new, but with a new name) which will be a regular feature from now on offers aquick overview and pointer to potentially interesting Tolkien roleplaying-related websites.

For each site we give you a short description of its primary purpose and content to give you an overview for better judging howit might meet your needs.

The following list does not claim to be exhaustive or representative. In fact, I believe it is only a beginning. All the content ofthese pages is the responsibility of their owners. They are organised according to their primary gaming focus (e.g. TOR, MERP orwhatever else) and, within each category, in alphabetical order.

This listing is intended to be “living”, i.e. constantly evolving and updating. So, if you know any other sites that presentinformation of value for Tolkien gamers, do contact us at [email protected] so we can in-clude it here for others to enjoy as well.

The following abbreviations are used:

TOR— The One Ring by Cubicle 7 and Sophisticated Gams. The current licensed game from 2011 onwards.

LotRRPG— The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game by Decipher. The licensee from 2002 to 2007.

MERP— Middle-earth Roleplaying by Iron Crown Enterprises. The licensee from 1982 to 1999.

TOR

Common skills and cultural baseline: some light analysis on the distribution of skills within cultures from the first TOR corebook:

http://thechamberofmazarbuldnd.blogspot.com/2012/02/common-skills-cultural-baseline.html

El Anillo Unico: A spanish fan-site dedicated to The One Ring by Cubicle 7 (see below for their presence).http://elanillounico.tumblr.com/

Facebook TOR group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/222560297824158/

The One Ring – Adventures over the Edge of the Wild (TOR): Cubicle 7 published this latest instalment of games (afterMERP and LotRRPG) with The Hobbit- and The Lord of the Rings license from Middle-earth Enterprises in August 2011 (PDF version).

They have a great and very active forum as well, where you can find a lot of support and tips around the game.Publisher site for TOR:

http://www.cubicle7.co.uk/our-games/the-one-ring/

Forum:http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?trk=cubicle7&showforum=33

Resources:http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?trk=cubicle7&showtopic=2487

The Road Goes Ever OnCertainly it reminds me [Frodo] very much of Bilbo in the last years, before he went away. He used often to say there was

only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. “It’s a dan-

gerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet,there is no knowing where you might be swept off to...”

—The Lord of the Rings.A Shortcut to Mushrooms




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The One Ring RPG resources: A fan-site with RPG stuff for The One Ring.http://grimbahsoneringrpg.blogspot.com/

RPGnet: Another review of TOR can be found here.http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15457.phtml

LotR RPG

Facebook LotRRPG sites: First an interest page. Not much to see, but you can “like” it. The second one is a closed group aboutactual gaming.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-Roleplaying-Game/135039343195996 http://www.facebook.com/groups/jmezlotrrpgg/

Hall of Fire: is an excellent resource if you are looking for game-oriented material for Decipher’s Lord of the Rings RoleplayingGame (LotRRPG). They also have a forum and an extensive link section in their zines themselves. The fanzine is still published,though with much diminsihed content and the forum only rarely used. The long-persistent spam problem in the forum has beenfortunately solved by now (at least no spam bombardment like in the last year is observable now).

Main site for Hall of Fire:http://www.halloffire.org

Forum:http://forums.halloffire.org

M R P

I.C.E. product listing: Contains a listing of MERP products for reference.http://www.icewebring.com/ice-products

Facebook MERP groups: Strangely, there are two groups/sites dedicated to MERP here.

Middle-earth Roleplaying (MERP) is a simple page without much information.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Middle-Earth-Role-Playing-MERP/30841799801

The second one, Middle-earth Roleplaying, has at least a bit of more info (though still quite little).

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Middle-earth-Role-Playing/108714242486460 Lindëfirion: A campaign log and resources for a mid-Third age campaign set in the Northwest. Made with great love for detail.The artwork, especially of the maps, is awesome.

http://www.lindefirion.net

Sub-page “Project Pelargir”:http://wiki.lindefirion.net/ProjectPelargir

Loren Rosson’s Blog “The Busybody”: A relatively new blog with reviews (“retrospectives”) of a selection of old and longout-of-print MERP modules. The relevant section is named “Middle-earth Retrospectives” and can be found on the left side of thelinks section (you have to scroll down a bit).

http://lorenrosson.blogspot.com

MERP printing edition reference: A great reference for all the editorial changes and different printings of MERP 1

st

edition. Ifyou are interested in the various editions of MERP 1st ed., this one is for you!http://homepage.mac.com/guyf/MERP/PrintingEditionReference.html




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System neutral or mixed

Fan-sourcebooks: This Yahoo group (formerly fan-modules) was founded in 2001 after the demise of Other Hands. Here you canfind a great variety of fan-made material for a lot of topics. Game system and canon focus is MERP, though not exclusively.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/fan-modules

Facebook Other Minds group:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/othermindsmagazine

MERP.com: The site devoted to roleplaying in Middle-earth (not exclusively ICE’s MERP as the title may suggest). It contains avast vault of useful information and gaming material.

http://www.merp.com

Tower Hills, The: A webpage centered upon (Hârn and) Middle-earth.http://www.towerhills.me

Tolkien stuff in general

Ardalambion: One of the best sites dealing with Tolkien’s languages. You may need to get used to the colour scheme, though.

http://folk.uib.no/hnohf/

Deutsche Tolkiengesellschaft (German Tolkien Society): Similar to the Tolkien Society (see below), this site is about thefurtherance of Tolkien scholarship and analysis in general.

http://www.tolkiengesellschaft.de/

The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship: A Special Interest Group of the Mythopoetic Society, this (and its journals) is the place for

you if you’re looking for information and lore about Tolkien’s invented languages.

http://www.elvish.org/

The Encyclopedia of Arda: A good encyclopedic website about Tolkien’s world.

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda

Gernot Katzer’s History of Middle-earth site (German): A good site describing the essentials of the History of Middle-earth

series.

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/home.html Grey Havens, The: One of the oldest reference sites that is still in business.

http://tolkien.cro.net/

Tolkienforum (German): A good forum covering all aspects of Tolkien lore and fandom.

http://www.tolkienforum.de

Tolkien Forum, The (English): A good English forum on many aspects of Tolkien

http://www.thetolkienforum.com/

Tolkien Gateway: A good wiki site with an encyclopedia on many topics Tolkien

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Main_Page

Tolkien Society: The site for everyone interested in the more scholarly and academic treatment of all things Tolkien.

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/ Wikipedia Portal “Middle-earth”: Even Wikipedia has a whole section dedicated to Tolkien and his myth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Middle-earth




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Artwork

Chmiel-Gugulska, Katherine Carina (Kasiopeia): A great artist who allowed us to use several of her stunning works.

http://kasiopea.art.pl/

John Howe: The second of the great Tolkien artists that allowed the use of his artwork within our pages. Check out his great

index.

http://www.john-howe.com/

Rolozo: Among the oldest artwork-related sites aroundhttp://fan.theonering.net/~rolozo/cgi-bin/rolozo.cgi/news

Nasmith, Ted: The official site of renowned Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith, who was so kind in allowing us to use so much of his

artwork within Other Minds.

http://www.tednasmith.com/

Other stuff that might be interesting for roleplaying in Middle earth

Facebook “Fans of Mithril Miniatures” group: Lots of photos of painted minis plus some awesome dioramas.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/107518272188/

Games Workshop: If you are interested in miniatures made according to the movie design, then the Games Workshop miniature

line (for skirmish-level tabletop wargaming) is for you:

http://www.games-workshop.com

Mithril Miniatures: This company has been around in the Middle-earth figurines business since 1988; thus being one of the old-

est still in continuous business. They now have a general line (though diminished in volume compared to earlier times) and an ex-clusive fellowship one with access to expensive but well-done miniatures for this “club” only. They also have a board which ismostly miniatures-centered but some general Middle-earth related information can be found as well.

http://www.mithril.ie

Forum:

http://mithrilfigures.proboards19.com/index.cgi






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there are enough special abilities – andmodest spells for elves and dwarves – toengage everyone’s interest.

The Boxed Set

For $50.00 or the equivalent you geta lovely product. In a splendidly sturdyslipcase you get two softback rulebooks,the Adventurer’s Book (192 pp.) and the

Loremaster’s Book (144pp.); two glossyA2-size copies of the map; and a littletray of custom TOR dice: 6 six-sided“Success dice” and 1 twelve-sided “Featdie”.

The books are printed in glossy fullcolour, with good artwork throughoutfrom Jon Hodgson and Tomasz Jedruszek, and each chapter opens withlovely double-page-spread artwork by John Howe (or Jon Hodgson again in anicely compatible style). The fonts on

the page might be a bit ‘regular word-processor’, but the body text reads easilyand the titles and quotations are nicelydistinguished from it.

The Dice

Some gamers love their props andtoys whilst others may find them dis-tracting or gimmicky. TOR’s customFeat and Success dice (the game avoidsthe insiderish RPG jargon of “d12’s” or“d6’s”) are a fun and effective innovation.

You get a tangible reminder that you arein Middle-earth every time someone’sFeat die comes up as a Gandalf-rune oran Eye of Sauron.

And the Success dice have a tengwa onthe natural 6’s1 which enhance your levelof success, and also have the 1’s, 2’s and3’s just depicted in outline, as these donot count for adventurers who areWeary. These carefully devised mecha-nisms emphasise reading your result at asingle glance, avoiding the need to addup all the numbers wherever possible.

Having just one set of dice isn’tideal, and the dice aren’t (yet?) availableseparately. But for my group, I waspleasantly surprised that everyone takingturns with the same set of dice actuallyenhanced the feeling of working togetheras a Company. Only the guy at the farend of the table chose to roll a regulard12 and d6’s of his own instead of havingthe TOR dice passed down to him.

The Maps

Adventures over the Edge of the Wild concentrates solely on Wilderland –essentially the map in The Hobbit – disre-garding places known only from LotR.

The first map is a straightforwardone for the players, beautifully produced

and taking after the artistic style of themaps in the books, without inventing anyfiner geographical detail.

The second map is a copy of this forthe use of the GM or “Loremaster”, hex-gridded and colour-coded for workingout details for TOR’s Journey mechanics.

The east of Mirkwood after theBattle of the Five Armies has alwaysstood out as a point where relationshipsbetween Men, Dwarves and Elves are attheir closest and most amicable (andeven the odd Hobbit might go there,

following in Bilbo Baggins’s footsteps).So I commend TOR for serving up thebest setting the canon has to offer for agaming group wanting to have membersof all these diverse Free Peoples in onecompany. But players who want to beRangers of the North, Noldor fromRivendell, Knights of Dol Amroth etc.will have to contain their disappointmentuntil the next two TOR sets come out.

Image adapted from merp.com.

Used with permission.

Image © Neville Percy 2012

Image adapted from merp.com. Used with permission.




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Character

Cultures

In TOR the fundamental defining fea-ture of a character is not their abilityscores or their ‘class’ or profession, buttheir culture. Character creation startswith the choice of playing a Man of Dale,

a Beorning2, a Woodman, a Dwarf, anElf of Mirkwood (with little distinctionmade between Silvan and Sindarin de-scent) or a Hobbit from the Shire. Theseeach provide a “cultural blessing” specialfeature, a set of base skill ratings, and abase value in the two key scores: Endur-ance and Hope.

This approach may seem overlyprescriptive, but is great way of gettingnew gamers started, and channellingplayers into making characterful selec-tions instead of game-mechanically opti-mised ones. It also sets a good tone forany player to match if the Loremasterwere to allow them to create their own

background and make all their ownchoices.

Introductory Nature

Simplicity is usually a virtue but, withan eye to the likely influx of new gamerswhen the films of The Hobbit are re-leased, TOR is nicely accessible to playerswho aren’t already familiar with all theconventions of RPG systems.

‘What is roleplaying’ is covered inan elegantly concise way.

TOR also avoids the profusion ofabbreviations and notations common tothe hobby, and uses terminology that’sevocative of Middle-earth throughout.

So it doesn’t just avoid d6 and d12, buthas a “Company” of “player-heroes” or just “heroes” instead of PCs (or PHs), a“Loremaster” (not an LM), simplestatuses called “Wearied” and“Wounded” and so on.

The collaborative ‘narrative’ or

storytelling-oriented approach of TOR isalso easier for new players to grasp thana more technical ‘accurate simulation’ or‘competitive’ game system would be.Ironically, experienced gamers and GMswith expectations based on the certain-

ties of more detailed game systems mighthave more trouble adapting to it.

With the novice in mind, charactergeneration places the emphasis on get-ting people gaming nice and quickly.There are no dice to roll or points todistribute between things the player

doesn’t really understand till they’veplayed the game. TOR leads the playerthrough a series of choices with a rela-tively limited ranges of options at eachstep, that achieves a credible and re-spectably personalised player-hero in ashort space of time.

Each culture then offers a choice of6 potted backgrounds, which each give adescription of the character’s nature andupbringing and assign him his scores inTOR’s three attributes: Body, for allthings physical; Heart, for strength ofcharacter; and Wits, for intelligence andsharpness. (These each also have a

higher ‘Favoured’ score that may be ap-plied when the character is exercising hisspecialty skills, and which players do getto allocate for themselves.) The culturealso offers the player a choice of 2 of 6pre-selected, culturally appropriate‘Distinctive Feature’ Traits.

Image © 2011 Sophisticated Games Ltd and Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. Used with permission.




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influencing NPCs, lists the Body-ruled‘Awe’ for impressing or intimidatingthem with your physicality, the Heart-ruled ‘Inspire’ for appealing to them onan emotional level, and the Wits-ruled‘Persuade’ for arguing a case with reasonand intellect. (Add these to the culturalrow for Customs: ‘Song’, ‘Courtesy’ and‘Riddle’, and TOR commits practically afull third of the skills in the game to so-cial interactions!)

Weapon skills are in addition to this18 and, being ruled by the Body attrib-ute, are listed below that column of thematrix.

Having relatively few skills in thesystem is good for the competence of theplayer-heroes; a Company will rarely getstuck just because they lack some ob-

scure skill. But it can be a bit clumsytoo. For example all dwarves are greatat Search, to make them good at findingmechanical traps, secret doors and so on – but Search is the Wits-ruled skill in thePerception category, so dwarves wouldalso be the best at scouring a library for arare text.

A character has a dot-rating for eachskill, each dot giving him a ‘Success die’to roll and add to the ‘Feat die’. Hesucceeds in a skill attempt if he gets aGandalf-rune on his Feat die (a natural12), or if the total of all his dice meetsthe Target Number (TN). But beyondthat, each natural 6 on his ‘Success dice’also allows the improvising of added de-tail making the achievement more im-pressive. TNs are pitched high – 14 be-ing the medium difficulty default – asthough expecting most groups to pushforward a 3-dot expert to do mostthings. This may be the correct game-balance for a large Company with goodcoverage of all the skills, but is discour-aging to less-skilled characters. Rollswith fewer than 3 Success dice – as maycommonly be necessary for small Com-panies of starting characters – will onlyrarely succeed unless the player spends aprecious Hope point.

Skills Attributes and Hope

Despite the skills being organisedunder the three Attributes, these do notcontribute to the hero’s normal skillratings. They only come into play whenthe player spends a point of Hope, whichallows him to add his relevant Attribute

score to the result of a skill roll – or, inthe case of a signature “Favoured” skill,the higher “Favoured” value of the At-tribute. This is what makes it sensible toconcentrate on the skills ruled by yourstronger Attributes.

Hope

Hope points are the spendable cur-rency of the TOR game, representingspecial effort or luck on the part of thehero. Crucially, a Hope point can be

spent after seeing the throw of the dice,so you know whether it will actuallypromote a fail to a success, and there areno wasted spends.

(It’s also especially tempting to spendHope if you have a natural 6 or two, andcould buy your way to an especially im-pressive outcome!)

But you only replenish 1 or 2 pointsof Hope per session so they are likely tobe a diminishing resource, especially forsmall Companies of starting characters, if

the players don’t take pains to conservetheir Hope (watch out for unbalancedfrittering of Hope in short games!) andespecially if there’s a lot of challengingcombat.

The other function of Hope is as ameasure of the hero’s moral status.Hope is not only depleted as points arespent, it is the stat that is undermined bycorruption. Immoral behaviour or expo-sure to sources of corruption result inheroes accruing Shadow points, andwhen their Shadow rating exceeds theircurrent Hope score, any roll of an Eye ofSauron (1 in 12) will trigger a bout of‘corrupt’ rage/wretchedness/desperation/lust during which the Lore-master temporarily takes control of thecharacter, and a permanent downwardslide represented by gaining a Flaw trait(as dictated by his Calling).

Traits

The player may pick 2 ‘Specialty’Traits from the list of 6 offered for hisculture, representing talents or training,and 2 ‘Distinctive Feature’ Traits fromthe list of 6 offered for his backgroundwithin that culture, which are more de-

scriptive of personality.Traits allow casual success in minor

tasks without even rolling, allow you toresist Loremaster handwaves where theywould oppose a Trait (“No way! My char-acter is Cautious!” ) and allow you to claimAdvancement points for actions thatclearly manifest or express a Trait. (“I’m going to win them over with a Persuade rollbecause I’m Cunning.” ) Traits are there forcharacterisation, not optimisation.

CallingsEvery hero also chooses one of 5‘Callings’, which read like characterclasses: Scholar, Slayer, Treasure-hunter,Wanderer and Warden. Each bestows a‘Speciality’ Trait that you can’t get anyother way (such as the Scholar’s ‘Rhymesof Lore’), and each allows the promotionof two appropriate skills to “Favoured”status. But these Callings are written upmore as defining the hero’s motivationthan his skill set or career path, and their

greatest impact in a long game mayprove to be in defining the aspect of cor-ruption to which the hero will be suscep-tible.

I fear that with only 5 Callingsthese will soon start to be over-familiar,especially in larger groups and those withhigh turnover. I hope further choices ofCallings will be included in the subse-quent boxed sets.

Skills

TOR uses just 18 skills to cover anyfeat a character may attempt. These arestructured – fairly successfully – into amatrix with 3 columns for skills that are‘ruled’ by the 3 Attributes: Body, Heartand Wits, and 6 rows for the categoriesPersonality, Movement, Perception,Survival, Custom and Vocation. So forexample the Personality row, for skill in




14

It’s the inevitable downward slideof being exposed to too much of theShadow that will limit a hero’s adventur-ing career. Confronting the Shadow on afrequent basis – which is what heroes do! – will always take its toll, even on long-lived dwarves and elves. This is a reallyelegant way of balancing the characterraces by a principle which, if not statedexplicitly in the books, is a perfectly con-sistent interpretation. Tolkien’s elvesspend most of their immortal lives ‘inretreat’ in forests or havens, not adven-turing fast and hard in close confronta-tion with all the evil of the world.

Roleplaying through this downwardslide of the highly skilled but increasinglyflawed character,3 and managing thetransition – in the course of generation-

spanning play – to the clear-hearted butinexperienced new character who willpick up where they leave off, are featuresof TOR that offer great promise for long-running games.

Valour and Wisdom

New player-heroes have a startingrating of at least 1 in Valour (for resistingfear) and Wisdom (for resisting corrup-tion); and may choose one of these tostart with a rating of 2. Gaining any rat-ing above 1, either in character creationor on purchasing it with XP, gets thecharacter something special.

Wisdom brings virtue, in the formof a special ability appropriate to yourculture: from the bear-related aspects ofBeorn’s folk to the smattering of spellspossible for elves or dwarves that repre-sent the only player-hero magic in thegame.

Valour brings rewards, in the formof fine quality wargear gifted to you or

loaned for you to use. TOR adventuresaren’t normally motivated by the acquisi-tion of loot in the first place, and thisfeature of the game means the heroeswill acquire their best items back homebetween adventures, rather than pickingthem up by slaying their owners in dubi-ous subterranean locations!

Money Treasure and Standing

In fact treasure – and the importanceof money altogether – is heavily down-played to keep the focus of the gamefirmly on the plot itself instead of onaccumulating wealth or bookkeeping“out of pocket expenses” as Bilbo and the

dwarves referred to them. The ability tobuy a round of ales, acquire regular gearor meet travel expenses is addressed bythe general ‘Standard of Living’ of yourbackground culture. And the punitiveimpact of Fatigue very effectively en-courages characters to travel light andnot take on any more encumbrance thanthey have to.

Treasure itself is not glorified bybeing given significant detail but is justrepresented as 1 or more Treasure

Points (each of which incurs a point ofFatigue to carry it). And the main use oftreasure in the game is not to purchaseanything for your own benefit but to giveit to your community to advance yoursocial standing – and so get closer to theheart of the affairs of Middle-earth in thetimes between adventures.

Game Play

Adventuring – “Heroic Ventures” – ispresented as happening in one of three

modes: Encounter, Journey and Combatthough there’s always room for resolvingthe occasional skill attempt outside ofthis structure as well.

“Encounters”

There will often be a social interac-tion “Encounter” at the outset of an ad-venture, as well as any that may occur inthe course of the Journey etc. The Ad-venturer’s Book states that anyone otherthan the group’s designated spokesman

will need to make a good introductionwith the Courtesy skill in order to beheeded – which may be overly prescrip-tive for some groups. Beyond that, thissection merely expands a bit on the rele-vant skills.

Only the Loremaster’s Book ex-plains the crucial mechanic: that theplayer-heroes will fail in an Encounter ifthey fail more than a certain number ofrolls, determined by their collective Val-our or Wisdom, culture-specific Stand-ing, and any prejudices the audience mayhave like that between dwarves andelves. But what actual successes theymight need to achieve is left to the designof the specific Encounter. So Encountersare semi-structured, rather than a full-blown ‘social combat’ mechanic, and asidebar quite rightly tells experiencedLoremasters to go with whatever mix ofroleplaying and dice rolling works forthe play-style of their group.

Journey

The Journey system is one of the

more distinctive features of TOR. Takingits lead from the tone of the books, itseeks to breathe life and significance intothe heroes’ travels through the land-scapes of Middle-earth, up and down themap. Rather than being handwaved, ormeasured by fights with random wander-ing monsters, Journeys are an exercise inminimising the degree to which the rig-ours of the wild take their toll on theheroes. They aim to offer an opportu-nity for the Loremaster to provide detail

and for the players to point up theircharacters’ contributions within thegroup.

A route is planned, with the charac-ters’ knowledge (Lore skill) possiblyimproving it, at the risk of failed rollslengthening (i.e. worsening) it. Theplayers may state that their characters areacting in a certain role for the journey: asGuide (one of them, the journey leader),Scouts, Huntsmen or Look-out Men.

Everyone then makes a number of Travelrolls based on the length of the journey,accruing Fatigue for any failed rolls,which may well mean they are in lessthan perfect condition on arriving attheir destination.

Any Eye of Sauron on these rollswill trigger a Hazard, whereby the Lore-master will present the group with a




15

specific challenge to negotiate like be-coming lost, losing provisions, having toevade hostiles, or even coming underattack. These require the hero(es) actingin the relevant role to make rolls to miti-gate the effect of the Hazard – givingthem the chance to impress their com-panions! Sample Hazards are offered,but the Loremaster is encouraged to tai-lor the Hazards to the specific journey.This is quite free-form, and can either be

Combat

TOR offers a fast and simple combatsystem that is really honed down to theessentials, and handled as a subjective,narrative affair. Combat rounds repre-sent roughly 30 seconds and the combat-ants are all assumed to be in motion, soeveryone can typically get anywherewithin the space of a round. Position onthe ‘map’ of the combat environment hasno effect within the game mechanics(though there’s a special rule for the

don’t actually roll anything; it’s the bal-ance of surprised and unsurprised player-heroes that determines whether theCompany wins the Initiative.

At the start of combat there’s‘probably’ one exchange of ranged at-tacks from each unsurprised combatantbefore battle is joined – or archers mayget two shots in. The length of the com-bat round means everyone’s allowed toswitch weapons freely during their ownaction.

‘positioning’ to make ranged attackswithin a melee) and there’s no sugges-tion that miniatures are required.

The first thing to establish is whichside has the upper hand, the ‘Initiative’.Player-hero skill rolls are made to deter-mine whether they can stage a successfulambush, or whether they can avoid beingsurprised if an ambush is launched againstthem. Superior successes here (natural6s) allow a hero to help a companionwho failed their own roll. Enemies

rattled off with a couple of rolls, orplayed out in as much detail as the groupsees fit.

Also (though not indicated withinthe Journey chapter!) if their route takesthem through bad regions, especiallythose touched by the Shadow, there may

be Corruption rolls to make as well.Calculating Journeys can be a bitcomplex. Loremasters are encouraged

to anticipate the players’ possible choicesof route and use the colour-coded hex-gridded version of the map to calculatethe relevant journey times in advance.Travel rolls and Corruption rolls re-quired. Some groups also report thatthis system can require a great number ofrolls and might need to be streamlined.(But are those groups perhaps going toodeep into Mirkwood too soon?)

Image © 2011 Sophisticated Games Ltd and Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. Used with permission.




16

Armour and the Wounded status

Armour in TOR – body armour andhelms – adds no defence against beinghit, and nor does it reduce the Endur-ance damage suffered! Endurance lossfor general battering is the same for botharmoured and unarmoured people. Ar-

mour serves only to protect against be-coming Wounded. If the Feat die for anattack comes up as a Gandalf rune (or a10 for better weapons, or even a 9 forspears), then the victim doesn’t onlysuffer Endurance damage but also has tomake a roll based on his armour rating vsa TN dictated by the attacker’s weapon,or become Wounded.

Armour carries significant encum-brance, represented by Fatigue, so themore armoured a hero is, the sooner he

becomes Wearied in a fight, especially ifhe has a low Endurance rating to beginwith.

A neat ‘spot rule’ allows a hero tocast off his helm when a fight is gettingtough, and thereby gain back a couple ofEndurance points. (I fancy house-rulingthat casting aside a shield could have asimilar effect.)

Most enemies are defeated when theyreceive a single Wound. For player-heroes, becoming Wounded has no im-

mediate direct effect on their capabilitiesbut it places them within one step ofbeing put out of the fight, as a secondWounded result could inflict a knockout.But being Wounded has a greater impactin the mid- to long-term, as it drasticallyreduces the rate at which a characterrecovers Endurance, which otherwise

Apart from regular attacks, player-heroes may attempt a more difficultCalled Shot that will do something extra,depending on the weapon wielded, likedisarm a foe, sunder their shield or be apotentially Wounding shot. The diffi-culty probably means this will be a raretactic for starting characters. Bravely,and consistent with the books, TOR of-fers no encouragement for wielding twoweapons. (A Called Shot option wouldprobably be the most appropriate placeto insert a house rule for groups whoreally want to be more ‘film’ than‘book’.)

Each of the four stances also allowsa special action in lieu of attacking. In-timidate Foe may reduce their Hatepoints (roughly the monster equivalent

of Hope); Rally Comrades may let eve-ryone in the company gain back a pointor two of Endurance; Protect Compan-ion lets a hero throw himself in the wayof attacks directed against someone else;Prepare Shot allows the spending of around to ‘aim up’ to make the followingranged attack be a Wounding one.

Endurance

Where Hope (over Shadow) is thecharacter’s ‘expendable currency’ stat inTOR, Endurance (over Fatigue) is the‘depletable’ one. When you run out ofEndurance you fall unconscious, but be-fore that, when your current Endurancefalls below the level of your accumulatedFatigue, you become Wearied – whichmeans that any 1s 2s or 3s on your Suc-cess dice (the numbers depicted in out-line) no longer count towards success inyour skills.

A nice feature is that a hero who ishit can opt to be knocked back by the

attack instead of absorbing its full force;his Endurance damage is halved but hesacrifices his ability to act next round,and may have to rely on companionscoming to his aid.

At the Onset of combat-proper, theheroes also roll their ‘Battle’ tactics skillagainst a TN dependent on whether theyhave the Initiative or not. Meeting theTN, and each natural 6, gains a hero aSuccess die to add to an action they make(or a companion’s action which theyassist in some way) at some time in thecourse of the combat. They player isasked to narrate what feature of thescene or conditions they are exploitingwhen they choose to add this die. This issubjective, but good for involvement andteamwork, and really adds to the dramaof the conflict.

The two sides in a combat act alter-nately, beginning with the side thatgained Initiative. The order of resolvingattacks within the player-heroes’ turn,

and also the chance of hitting and of be-ing hit, are based on which of four differ-ent “Stances” the heroes adopt. Themore aggressive the disposition, the ear-lier they resolve their attack, and theeasier the basic TN will be both for theirown attack and for any attack(s) madeagainst them in the enemies’ turn.(Enemies’ attacks are also based on theplayer-heroes’ Stances; they don’tchoose Stances of their own.)

There are three close combat

stances in order of aggression: Forward,Open and Defensive. The fourth isRearward stance: dodging around toavoid contact altogether, which is onlypossible if at least two companions inclose combat stances are acting to offercover. Rearward stance allows rangedattacks during the main combat, or theoption to flee the combat altogetherwithout having to make the usual Athlet-ics roll.

The specific TN for an attack is ad- justed by the target’s Parry rating, whichfor player-heroes is basically their Witsrating plus the bonus for any shield. Hitsdon’t roll for damage but just inflict theweapon’s fixed damage rating, with eachnatural 6 adding bonus damage equal tothe hero’s Body rating. Damage is sub-tracted from the victim’s Endurance.

Image © 2011 Sophisticated Games Ltd and

Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. Used with permission.




17

Reward Structure

Good roleplaying and a good gamingexperience are their own rewards, butthe mechanics of a system’s tangible re-wards do a lot to set the tone of a game.As already noted, TOR consistentlyavoids using the gain of wealth as a pri-

mary motive for adventuring (though it’snot completely without its advantages).The replenishment of Hope is effectivelya reward that TOR uses to encourage atrue-to-Tolkien positive attitude withinthe Company (see below). But the sys-tem’s main rewards are unsurprisinglytied into character advancement.

The pace of overall character im-provement is dictated by ExperiencePoints, purchasing Valour and superiorequipment, Wisdom and new special

abilities, and/or Weapon skills. It’s in-teresting to see combat ability deliber-ately being paced this way, and not beingadvanced in the same way as other skills.

Experience Points are handled verysimply with an award of 1 per session forattendance, and another 1 for makingsufficient progress. In another nicetouch, the players have a brief discussionat the start of each session to define forthemselves the objective against whichtheir Company’s progress will be meas-ured.

The other mode of character im-provement is in the 18 (non-Weapon)skills, which are purchased with Ad-vancement Points. These are awardedwhen the Loremaster deems a skill at-tempt to have been noteworthy – for suc-ceeding when difficult, perhaps for roll-ing a natural 6 or two, or even when afailure is noteworthy. This is admirable,but perhaps too subjective for the Lore-

master.If the activity expressed a Trait, like

a player-hero attempting a climb withouta rope because they are Reckless, theAdvancement Point should almost alwaysbe awarded, this being the way TOR di-rectly rewards roleplaying.

towards him, and includes developing orbeing trained in a new ‘virtue’ specialability. Minor Experience spends canalso expand existing virtues.

Depending where they spend the‘Fellowship Phase’ (during which, ironi-cally, they might in fact split up, to be

reunited later) they may also each defineone main ‘undertaking’ for this period oftime. The players should largely de-scribe these themselves, subject to Lore-master approval. Creativity is encour-aged, but the examples given includegaining the recognition of a patron figureor acceptance in a ‘Sanctuary’ location,swapping an existing Trait for a new onecloser to how they’re actually playingtheir character, expending treasure togain Standing, or attempting to shake off

points of Shadow.Overwintering for ‘Year’s End’

Fellowship Phases should really be doneback in the character’s home culture,especially if they have Standing there. AtYear’s End the Loremaster will describethe events of the year on the larger stage,and players are invited to riff on theircharacters’ involvement with or reactionto those events.

The Fellowship Phase has good inten-tions, and creates a space for thosegroups who are comfortable with it toreally develop the story around theircharacters’ place in the unfolding historyof the end of the Third Age. Those wholike this side of Pendragon or Mouse Guard will especially welcome it. But less ex-perienced or more taciturn gamers arelikely not to make much of it, and moveswiftly on to asking the Loremaster togive them the start of the next adven-ture. Though the Fellowship Phase isdeliberately meant to be free-form, an‘example of play’ passage here mighthave be helpful.

comes back quite quickly. I should alsonote here that characters’ healing skillshave relatively little impact within thegame, even for Woodmen of Mirkwoodwho are rather specialised in that area.

Overall TOR handles the player-heroes’ state of wellbeing very elegantly

by the combination of a couple of simplesystems. Long-term Fatigue from en-cumbering gear and from attrition overthe course of Journeys, short-term En-durance loss in combat or from otherexertions, and hence the Wearied status,coupled with the Wounded status, allworks very nicely. Players may need abit of experience with the system andtheir Loremaster’s style of game in orderto identify their best strategy for ar-mour/helm/shield. In a combat-

intensive game, superior wargear will beof greater significance – acquired byspending on XP on Valour rather thanpurchased with the profits from adven-turing.

“Fellowship Phase”

TOR seeks to focus attention on thecharacters as well as on the plots placedbefore them by the Loremaster. Thedowntime between bouts of regular

Loremaster-led adventuring is termedthe ‘Fellowship Phase’, and is not drivenby the Loremaster, but by the players’choices.

The most familiar element of thisdown-time between adventures is thespending of the Advancement Pointsgained from exercising regular skills, andthe spending of Experience Points gainedfor their accomplishments on Valour,Wisdom or weapon skills. IncreasingValour not only improves a hero’s Feartests and NPCs’ disposition towards him,it also brings him a new piece of superiorwargear or an improvement to an exist-ing piece. The narration of how thiscomes about is open to whatever theplayer and Loremaster agree. IncreasingWisdom similarly improves a hero’sCorruption tests and NPCs’ disposition




18

There is deliberately no connectionbetween which skill(s) were exercisedand which may be improved by spendingAdvancement Points, so there’s no in-centive to players to do things solely toimprove their skill in that area. Addi-tionally, a character can only be awardeda maximum of 3 Advancement Points ineach skill category, so beyond a certainpoint there is no reward for repeated useof a single skill, and players are effec-tively encouraged to diversify and becreative in making use of the full range ofthe skills in the system.

The Loremaster’s Book

The ‘Role of the Loremaster’ is han-

dled nicely, obviously being of greatestbenefit to novice Loremasters, but alsosetting out various points about the atti-tude of TOR, and addressing the Middle-earth specific issues around canonicityvery nicely.

The ‘Game Mechanics’ section goesinto quite a bit of detail on things thatnot only the Loremaster might necessar-ily need to know, but which were pre-sumably not put in the Adventurer’sBook in order to keep that more simple.

Seasoned gamers might wish everythingon a given topic was all in one place;new gamers will definitely be better-served by not being exposed to moredetail than they need to know.

‘Stars and Shadow’ adds detailabout Hope and Shadow points, and ex-plains all about sources of corruption,the different downward slides that

player-heroes may suffer, and all theFlaw Traits involved. It’s a strong sec-tion. This chapter also includes every-thing about Adversaries, and bringshome how ‘asymmetrical’ or PC-centricTOR is. Adversaries are expressed withsimpler stats than player-heroes, but stillrequire a ‘monster block’ each. Theytypically have a special ability or two,fueled by their Hate points. Whilst theforces of darkness are covered wellenough (for a first book, omitting theBalrog and the Nazgûl!) there are noneof the usual ‘neutral’ entries in a besti-ary: guard dogs, horses, bears etc. Andbandits, travelling merchants, guards,soldiers etc. would all have to be createdfrom scratch following the LoremasterCharacters (i.e. NPCs) section. Thismay be simple enough, but the lack willbe felt by Loremasters coming to this astheir first RPG.

‘The Campaign’ runs to 36 pages,including a nice gazetteer of Rhovanion,a timeline and some introductory pagestowards the ‘Darkening of Mirkwood’campaign that is anticipated as the mainemphasis of the Adventures over the Edge ofthe Wild phase of the game. These are allgood stuff, but Loremasters will be re-luctant to do much work with the terri-

tory of the introductory campaign yet,knowing that there’s more to be pub-lished for it this year.

Introductory Adventure

‘The Marsh Bell’ is a really greatpiece of work that expertly weaves manystrands from The Hobbit into the directexperience of the players. Glóin thedwarf gets them to journey down theRiver Running to aid Balin and Óin. Thetwo dwarves turn out to have fallen foul

of cannibalistic monsters identified as‘marsh-dwellers’. Tolkien scholars willrecognise these as closely resembling themewlips of Tolkien’s poem, though notso-named as the poem is outside ofTOR’s license. TOR can’t say this, butthe adventure can be much enriched byfinding a way to give Tolkien’s poem tosomeone of the ‘Scholar’ calling asknowledge they have (or can track

down) through their ‘Rhymes of Lore’Trait.

Whilst all the content of this adven-ture is excellent, it could have benefitedfrom including even more. An explora-tion phase is handled entirely throughextended skill-tests, with clues all being

discovered in abstract locations; it wouldhave been stronger if an area map wereprovided for the Loremaster so he couldtell the players where things are. Thereis only one pre-generated Hazard: a fightwith a troll, which might be a bit daunt-ing as a new group’s first ever combat!And within the marsh-dwellers’ subter-ranean lair there’s really only going to beone cinematic set piece of action. Thiscould also require some tricky manage-ment as it involves an overwhelming

weight of numbers descending upon thePCs, who are required to realize thatthey must perform a fighting withdrawalwithout getting to collect the tantalisingpile of gold. This is admirably dramaticand true-to-Tolkien, but as the marsh-dwellers are individually quite weak –perhaps to avoid brutalising novice gam-ers for innocent mistakes? – they’re notquite overwhelming enough to persuadeplayers of slay ’n loot games that thisfight is not winnable. Giving the marsh-

dwellers more monster special abilitieslike Seize Victim and/or Savage Assaultfor followup bite attacks might well be agood idea here.

Narrative Play

What sets TOR apart from its prede-cessor Middle-earth game systems is itsencouragement of a narrative and col-laborative style of play. This has argua-bly always been at the heart of the RPGhobby, championed by those gamers who

prefer a system-lite approach, but mostpublished games have traditionally em-phasised rules and system. TOR, in com-mon with a groundswell of independentgames in recent years, presents a systemthat actively channels a group into char-acterisation and storytelling more thancompetitive advancement of their owncharacter’s interests.

Image adapted from merp.com.

Used with permission.




19

Roleplaying as

collaborative Storytelling

TOR makes a point by distinguishingbetween the Adventuring Phase in whichthe Loremaster sets out challenges to theplayer-heroes, and the Fellowship Phasein which the initiative is handed to the

players. But many other features of thegame emphasise storytelling over me-chanical actions, both on the part of theLoremaster as a narrator of Middle-earthand of the players as narrators of theirheroes’ relationship with it.

Though the result is not necessarilyanything new, TOR deliberately suggeststhat everyone has a share in directingevents by encouraging the group to thinkof the heroes’ actions as either Testswhich the Loremaster poses or equally as

Tasks which the players propose to un-dertake, stipulating the skill they want touse and the outcome they hope toachieve.

Player-heroes with an appropriateSpeciality trait are allowed to succeed inroutine tasks automatically, so the narra-tive isn’t disrupted and the player isn’tembarrassed by incongruous failures onthe dice.

Whenever a player rolls one or

more natural 6s, the outcome is termeda Great or Extraordinary success. Theseare cause for celebration for the player(s), but are not quantified in any way(outside of combat). Instead they aretreated as an opportunity for the Lore-master to narrate additional impressivedetail of the hero’s feat, with obviousscope for the player to make suggestionsof their own.

The Encounter and Journey sys-tems are light on details, being designedas opportunities for the Loremaster tonarrate features of the inhabitants andenvironment of Middle-earth, and forthe players to narrate details of theircharacters’ engagement with and reac-tion to them. The Journey system inparticular is only selectively appliedwhen dramatically appropriate, typicallyon the way to a destination. Despite TheHobbit’s subtitle: “There and BackAgain”, TOR sensibly acknowledges thatonce the journey to a place has been ac-complished, no one is much interested inthe journey back, so this is largely hand-waved. Other journeys, such as heroes’travels home for the winter that takeplace in downtime in the FellowshipPhase, are similarly allowed to happenwithout incident.

The Company

Three little mechanisms of TOR workwonders to establish the tone of thegame as being about a Company of de-cent, right-minded folk working to-gether against the Shadow.

Though it might sound trite, it is anice feature that the player-group decidetheir Company’s objective for a session,and therefore explicitly agree the direc-tion in which they want their progress todouble the Experience points rewardthey receive for the session.

Player-heroes’ expended Hope isnot usually replenished by achievinggood deeds. This comes instead throughtheir functioning as a Company – and ona meta-game level, by the collective de-cision of the group of players themselves.

Every character is strongly encour-aged to designate another member of theCompany as a ‘Fellowship Focus’ whomthey hold in special regard, either look-ing up to them in respect or viewingthem as a cherished person to be pro-tected. Think of everyone in the Fellow-ship of the Ring looking up to Gandalf,or of Aragorn’s pledge to preserveFrodo.

A player-hero can effectively accessfree Hope points to use on any actionthat is for the direct protection or pres-ervation of his Fellowship Focus. Also, ifhis Fellowship Focus survives a gamesession unscathed he replenishes a pointof Hope. (On the other hand, if they areWounded or die he loses points – also apotent motivator of right action.)

The Company also has a collective‘Fellowship Pool’ of points that can beused to restore a point of Hope to aplayer-hero at any stage in play, as longas a majority vote of the players is infavour. This simple expedient makeseveryone feel good about working to-gether as a team, and also indirectly en-courages everyone to spend Hope re-sponsibly, as whenever there aren’tenough points to go round, the groupchooses who gets Hope restored and

who doesn’t.In prolonged play – beyond the

introductory adventure, at least! – as thenature of Hope as a diminishing resourcestarts to bite and exposure to the Shadowstarts to drag people down, this littlefeature of the game will become increas-ingly potent.

Notes

1. Sadly not the ‘enquë’ tengwa which the Internet usually gives for ‘6’. Enquë is very intricate and wouldn’t have been legible in thespace available next to the 6 itself.

2. One of the very earliest Northmen to join Beorn’s people, if you’re starting in TA 2946. But this detail is not laboured in the rules,TOR being intended to cover the whole period up to the War of the Ring.

3. Gamers familiar with the Sanity mechanic of Call of Cthulhu and the nature of corruption in Tolkien’s writings should recognize thepotential in this facet of the game. Nepitello’s consider-able experience with Pendragon presumably informs what TOR aims toachieve in generational play.




20

The Art of Magic

over the Edge of the Wild An Alternative Magic System for TOR

“Magic” has always been a matterof much debate for roleplaying gamesset in Middle-earth. I have alreadywritten extensive articles on thistopic in Issues #8 as well as an appli-cation for it in Issue #10 of Other

Minds.The new official roleplaying game

for The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings, The One Ring – Adventures overthe Edge of the Wild (TOR for short),has made a very elegant and satisfac-tory approach to magic in Middle-earth. That is, it avoided completelythe use of a magic system and intro-duced instead the subtle magic ofElves and Dwarves as Virtues thecharacters may acquire in the courseof the game. This has been approved by the TOR community as a greatachievement in clear contrast to themagic systems of the previous li-censed games MERP and The Lord ofthe Rings Roleplaying Game.

Anyway a part of this communityplays with the thought of building afitting magic system for TOR, pro-

vided that it be subtle, in accord tothe legacy of Professor Tolkien andmaintaining the spirit of TOR.

In this article I offer as an alterna-tive the adaptation of my own afore-mentioned magic system for Middle-earth to the game mechanics of TOR.

by Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores([email protected]) © 2012

per the terms of the CC license: b n a

The publication of Cubicle 7’s new gameThe One Ring—Adventures Over theEdge of the Wild has brought many fresh

and marvellous ideas to Middle-earth gaming.The system is all the more remarkable, as itdoes not yet contain a “classic” magic system.It is interesting to see whether one will offi-cially be published, but in the meantime, fansare developing their own ideas. Long-timecontributor Vaco has had some ideas of hisown on this topic, which are presented in the

following article.

A few thoughts about magic

in Middle-earth

Many people think that there is no“magic” (in the classical RPG style) inMiddle-earth. At least not at the endof the Third Age, in the time of TheHobbit and The War of the Ring. I tack-led this point in the previous articles, but I think it necessary to briefly dis-cuss it here again.

I think Middle-earth is full ofmagic, subtle and not-so-subtle, andnot limited to Elves and Dwarves.For me magic is a fundamental part ofMiddle-earth—even at the end of theThird Age. It is not unusual, but partof reality.

But who can tap into it? I think itis not limited to Elves, Dwarves orIstari, but is possible to all. It is anaspect of the secret flame in all the

children of Eru Ilúvatar. Even if sub-tle. The way I see it is like any othermundane skill, but spiritual in nature.As the Elves would put it: it is whatmortals call “magic”.

I am painfully aware that such anidea is anathema for many Tolkien

‘They will think we had a very strongmagic to pass through all those lockeddoors and disappear. Disappear!’

—The Hobbit.Barrels Out of Bond




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fans, and as such I offer it as an alter-native, to be used or ignored asdeemed proper. I suggest revising myprevious articles on magic in Middle-earth over this theme.

But letting esoterics aside, let’sturn to concrete examples. Who usesmagic in The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings? Let’s begin with the obvious:Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast, all ofthem Wizards (or Istari to those ‘inthe know’). Elrond, Galadriel, Glor-findel, the company of Gildor Inglo-rion, the Wood Elves, the Galadhrimand the elven minstrels. TheDwarves, even if their magic seemslimited to the crafting of secretdoors, artefacts and magic toys. TomBombadil and Goldberry.

Then come Aragorn (and not justwith his healing arts and command ofthe Army of the Dead), Dírhavel,Gilraen, Ivorwen and Malbeth, all ofthem with prophetic powers. And theNúmenórean kings as intermediarieswith Eru Ilúvatar.

Then we come to the well docu-mented human magic users (not as“wizards”, but as “user of magic”):Beorn the shapechanger, the Wosesand their watchful statues, the Rang-ers of the North and Denethor.

And finally the dubious like Barli-man Butterbur, or the highly ques-tionable (but plausible): Farmer Mag-got and Tobold Hornblower.

Well, and what roles would theseusers of magic play in the TOR sce-nario? They can be Woodmen healersor hunters taught by Radagast theBrown; Beorning holy bear-warriors;

prophets and warriors for the Men ofDale; dwarven master-crafters; elvenminstrels or even down-to-earthHobbits.

The Art of Magic

And so we come to the concretemagic system for TOR.

The magic roll is made with one ofthe normal skills on the TOR charac-ter sheet. The TN depends on the

mastery level of the “magic spell”,and is noted in each case. The use ofovert and offensive magic has a diffi-culty TN of +3 (as noted in the Vir-tues descriptions, also).

Normally for the activation of amagic spell a magic roll is necessaryand the expenditure of one or moreHope points. Extraordinary successesallows the maintained effects to beused without extra Hope expenditure

(one round free for each Rune) orimproved effects.

The magician must learn thesevirtues sequentially. Thus he needsto learn the first levels before beingable to learn higher ones.

Though a skin-changer and no doubta bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man.

—Letters. #144

If you must know more, his name isBeorn. He is very strong, and he is askin-changer. […] He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin; sometimeshe is a great strong black-haired manwith huge arms and a great beard. […] At any rate he is under no enchantmentbut his own. […] he keeps cattle andhorses which are nearly as marvellous ashimself. They work for him and talk to

him. —The Hobbit. Queer Lodgings

…in the wild lands beyond Bree therewere mysterious wanderers. The Bree-

folk called them Rangers, and knewnothing of their origin. They were tallerand darker than the Men of Bree andwere believed to have strange powers ofsight and hearing, and to understandthe languages of beasts and birds.

—The Lord of the Rings. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony

“You don’t know much even aboutthem [humankind], if you think oldBarliman is stupid,” said Gandalf. “Heis wise enough on his own ground. Hethinks less than he talks, and slower; yet he can see trough a brick wall in

time (as they say in Bree)” —The Lord of the Rings.

Important Note: In the fol-lowing descriptions I use the ex-pression “level of special success”.

This pertains to the number of spe-cial “Tengwar” symbols –B – (or“6” on normal dice) achieved whenrolling the success dice—and notthe feat die.




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Option 1: Cultural Virtues

The Path of Manwë

Manwë is the patron of kingship,air and vision. He is the spouse ofVarda.

Apprentice: Inspiration

(Inspire, TN 12)

The character can spend one Hopepoint so that all his nearby allies re-cover one point of Hope.

Novice: Farsight (Awareness, TN 14)

The character can spend one Hopepoint to be able to make an awareness

roll for far away things, up to the ho-rizon. Darkness and other climaticfactors penalize the roll normally.

This spell is complemented by the“Farhearing” spell in the Path ofVarda.

Journeyman: Inspire Awe(Awe, TN 16)

With a successful magic roll andthe expenditure of one Hope pointthe character can force an opponent(or group of opponents) to stop be-fore the caster, so long as they arenot attacked. The caster can maintainthis stance by spending a new Hopepoint per round. The opponent canexpend one Hate point to force thecharacter to make a new Awe roll

(TN 10+attribute level).Magician: Weather Mastery(Song, TN 18 or 21)

The character can control theweather in his vicinity to call winds,or rains, or whatever. If the weathersummoned is extreme for the region,or if the player wishes to use it in adestructive way, use the highest TN.It may take hours to build the desired

weather pattern.This magic has a great narrative

potential, and that is why the Lore-master should take care with it. Andno mortal has complete control overthe weather.

Wizard: Awe Armor (Awe, TN 23)

In a burst of light the caster canstop all attacks in his vicinity, dis-abling the weapons directed against

him for the next round. The casterexpends one Hope point to do it.

Then Aragorn led the way [into thePaths of Dead], and such was thestrength of his will in that hour that allDúnedain and their horses followedhim. And indeed the love that the horsesof the Rangers bore for their riders wasso great that they were willing to faceeven the terror of the Door, if theirmasters’ hearts were steady as theywalked beside them.

—The Lord of the Rings.The passing of the Grey Company

The Lord of the City sat now in ahigh chamber above the Hall of theWhite Tower with Pippin at his side;and through the dim windows, north

and south and east, he bent his darkeyes, as if to pierce the shadows of doomthat ringed him round. Most to thenorth he looked, and would pause atwhiles to listen as if by some ancient arthis ears might hear the thunder of hoofson the plains far away.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Siege of Gondor

The Balrog reached the Bridge. Gan-dalf stood in the middle of the span[…] His enemy halted again, facinghim […] Gandalf stood firm. ‘Youcannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood

still and a dead silence fell. —The Lord of the Rings.The Bridge of Khazad-dum

“Halt!” cried Gandalf, who appearedsuddenly, and stood alone, with armsuplifted, between the advancingdwarves and the ranks awaiting them.“Halt!” he called in a voice like thun-der, and his staff blazed forth with a

flash like the lighting. —The Hobbit. The Clouds Burst

They could hear few words, but itseemed plain to them that the song wasa rain-song, as sweet as showers on dryhills, that told the tale of a river fromthe spring in the highlands to the Sea

far below. —The Lord of the Rings.

In the House of Tom Bombadil

His Hood and his grey rags were flung away. His white garments shone.He lifted up his staff, and Gimli’s axeleaped from his grasp and fell ringingon the ground. The sword of Aragorn,stiff in his motionless hand, blazed witha sudden fire. Legolas gave a greatshout and shot an arrow high into theair: it vanished in a flash of flame.

—The Lord of the Rings.The White Rider




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The Path of Varda

Varda is the patron of stars, holylight and hearing. She is the spouse ofManwë.

Apprentice: Starlight (Song, TN 12)

The caster can surround himself

and his company in the glow of star-light, enough to use elven vision, andto activate the elven cultural back-ground in complete darkness. Thisglow is barely visible, and will remainundetected under torch light, for ex-ample. The spell uses one Hope pointto activate, plus another one eachhour thereafter.

Novice: Farhearing (Awareness, TN 14)

The character can try to hearsounds in the distance, up to one mileper point of Wisdom. The caster

must specify the direction and dis-tance (in miles) he wants to try tohear. Each try costs one Hope point.

Journeyman: Flash (Song, TN 16)

This spell has two aspects. First,the mage can cause his staff to glowwith a faint light, enough for anybodyto be able to see. In this version eachHope point allows him to maintainthis effect for one hour.

And second, it can be used tocause an explosion of light (a flash)that stuns all creatures in the vicinity.Daylight creatures are stunned forone round, unless they make an In-sight roll to avoid it. Creatures withthe special ability “Denizens of theDark” or “Hate Sunlight” are stunnedfor one round plus one round per

number of successes in the magicroll.

Magician: Rumors of the World(Awareness, TN 18)

The character can hear far awayevents. It does not work to eaves-drop, but to get a feeling of the gen-eral activity in the region. It costs oneHope point per region.

Wizard: Holy Light (Song, TN 20)

The mage can call for a Holy lightthat sprouts out from his hand. Thislight is painful to the creatures of theShadow, and prevents them fromcoming near the character. This use

consumes one Hope point per fiveminutes.

It can be also used as an attackagainst specters and utterly corruptcreatures. To them it works like anormal ranged attack (Damage 9,Edge 10, Injury 18), using the Songskill as weapon skill. This costs oneHope point per attack.

Before long the Elves came down the

lane towards the valley. They passedslowly, and the hobbits could see thestarlight glimmering on their hair andin their eyes. They bore no lights, yet asthey walked a shimmer, like the lighton the moon above the rim of the hillsbefore it rises, seemed to fall about their

feet. —The Lord of the Rings.

Three is Company

So far there had been no sign or soundof pursuit that the hobbits could see orhear; but often Glorfindel would haltand listen for a moment, if they laggedbehind, and a look of anxiety cloudedhis face.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flight to the Ford

Faint to my ears came the gatheredrumour of all lands: the springing andthe dying, the song and the weeping,and the slow everlasting groan of over-burdened stone.


Gandalf struck a blue light on the endof his magic staff, and in its firework glare the poor little hobbit could be seenkneeling on the hearthrug…

—The Hobbit. An Unexpected Party

All of a sudden you gave one of yourblinding flashes, and we saw the goblinsrunning back yelping.

—The Hobbit. Out of theFrying-pan into the Fire

…it seemed to Pippin that he raisedhis hand, and from it a shaft of whitelight stabbed upwards. The Nazgûl gave a long wailing cry and swervedaway[.]

—The Lord of the Rings.

The Siege of Gondor

For a moment it glimmered, faint as arising star struggling in heavy earth-ward mists, and then as its powerwaxed, and hope grew in Frodo’s mind,it began to burn, and kindled to a silver

flame, a minute heart of dazzling light,as though Eärendil had himself comedown from the high sunset paths withthe last Silmaril upon his brow. Thedarkness receded from it, until it seemed

to shine in the centre of a globe of airycrystal, and the hand that held it spar-kled with white fire.

—The Lord of the Rings.Shelob’s Lair




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The Path of Ulmo

Ulmo is the patron of water, mu-sic and mists. He is alone.

Apprentice: The Voice in the Water(Insight, TN 12)

The character can hear the voiceof running water, learn its wisdomand recover hope. This is the onlyspell that uses no Hope, but restores

it (one Hope point, plus one for eachlevel of special successes on the magicroll). The Loremaster can also givehidden counsels to the Fellowshipthrough this way. But most impor-tant, it is the only active way to re-ceive a Message in the Water (see below).

Novice: Magic Song (Song, TN 14)

The character can give essence tohis songs and captivate his audience.Mostly it has a narrative effect withgreat performances. But it can also beused to calm ferocious animals or

intelligent beings, so long as these laststay to hear the words.

Journeyman: Message in the Water(Song, TN 16)

The character can talk to the wa-ter to send a message to someonealong its waters. If this one knowsThe Voice in the Water spell, therecipient can use it to hear the mes-sage in any body of running water. Ifnot the only way for him to receivethe message is if by chance he sleepson the bank of flowing water. Tosend the message costs one Hopepoint.

Magician: Obscuring Mists(Stealth, TN 18)

The character fills his surround-ings with a light mist that hides his

passing. For all normal creatures itfunctions like normal mists, but forthe servants of the Shadow it makesthe character and his fellowship unde-tectable (so long they do not activelyattack them). It costs one Hope pointper hour to maintain this magic.

Wizard: Water Mirror (Song, TN 20)

The character can look into a mir-ror of water and have far away vi-sions. As is clear in the quote, thecaster may guide the mirror or let itshow what it wants to. This spell uses

one Hope point to activate.To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell of thePath of Manwë, and one spell of thePath of Estë or of Námo if he wantsto guide his visions into the past orthe future, respectively.

The Path of Aulë

Aulë is the patron of craftsman-

ship, mountains and the treasures ofthe earth. He is the spouse ofYavanna.

Apprentice: Minor Craft(Craft, TN 12)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with one special effect ofthe general Qualities list or onemagic effect that he already masters.This spell costs one Hope point andone permanent Shadow Point.

At length a silence fell, and they

heard the music of the waterfall run-ning sweetly in the shadows. AlmostFrodo fancied that he could hear a voicesinging, mingled with the sound of thewater.

—The Lord of the Rings.Lothlórien

Almost it seemed that the words took

shape, and visions of far lands andbright things that he had never yetimagined opened out before him…

—The Lord of the Rings.Many Meetings

…they slept upon his banks beneaththe summer stars. But Ulmo coming upthe river laid a deep sleep upon themand heavy dreams; and the trouble ofthe dreams remained after they awoke,

but neither said aught to the other, fortheir memory was not clear, and eachbelieved that Ulmo had sent a messageto him alone.

—The Silmarillion.Of the Return of the Noldor

‘Many things I can command theMirror to reveal,’ she answered, ‘and tosome I can show what they desire to see.But the Mirror will also show thingsunbidden, and those are often strangerand more profitable than things which

we wish to behold. […] it shows thingsthat were, and things that are, andthings that yet may be.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Mirror of Galadriel

Whether by some virtue in thesesheaths or because of the spell that layon the mound, the blades seemed un-touched by time, unrusted, sharp, glit-tering in the sun.


Fog on the Barrow-Downs




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Novice: Mason’s Hand (Craft, TN 14)

With this magic the character maygive strength to what they build, ormake really invisible secret doors. Orthey can use it to break or open such.Each wall, structure or secret door built with this spell has a rating equalto the number of successes of themagic roll made in their creation.This rating must be overcome by a

new magic roll by anyone who wantsto break or open them.

A Dwarf adds one extra success tohis rating, and a second one if heknows the Miner’s Gift spell (see be-low).

Journeyman: Greater Craft(Craft, TN 16)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with two special effects ofthe Qualities list, a magic effect orone of the cultural Rewards of hispeople. This spell costs two Hope

points and two permanent ShadowPoints.

Magician: Miner’s Gift(Search, TN 18)

The followers of Aulë have aninnate underground sense. In a very basic way they are able to find thetreasures of the earth in their miningexpeditions, and know how to shapetheir tunnels following the forms ofthe earth. Normally a (Dwarven)character can spend part of his Fel-lowship Phase searching for gold in a(dwarven) mine: on a successfulSearch roll he gets one TreasurePoint plus one per level of specialsuccess. With this spell he gets fiveTreasure Points plus five per level ofspecial success.

This magic also helps by allowingthe caster to know where to go in anunderground scenario (like orc tun-nels), in a very general way (the wayout, the main chamber, etc.).

This magic costs one Hope pointper Fellowship Phase or per hour ofexploration.

Wizard: Masterwork (Craft, TN 20)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with three special effects ofthe Qualities list, magic effect or oneof the cultural Rewards of his people.This spell costs three Hope points andthree permanent Shadow Points, andcan only be cast in a FellowshipPhase.

‘Dwarf-doors are not made to be seenwhen shut,’ said Gimli. ‘They are in-visible, and their own masters cannot

find them or open them, if their secret is forgotten.’


A Journey in the Dark

The Sword of Elendil was forged anewby elvish smiths […] Very bright wasthat sword when it was made wholeagain; the light of the sun shone redlyin it, and the light of the moon shonecold, and its edge was hard and keen.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ring goes South

His are the gems that lie deep in theEarth and the gold that is fair in thehand… —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

…even in the gloom and despite allwindings of the road he knew whitherhe wished to go, and he did nor falter,as long as there was a path that ledtowards his goal.

—The Lord of the Rings. A Journey in the Dark

From that the talk turned to the greathoard itself and to the things thatThorin and Balin remembered. Theywondered if they were still lying thereunharmed in the hall below: the spearsthat were made for the armies of the

great King Bladorthin (long since dead)each had a thrice-forged head and theirshafts were inlaid with cunning gold,but they were never delivered or paid

for; shields made for warriors longdead; the great golden cup of Thror,two-handed, hammered and carven withbirds and flowers whose eyes and petalswere of jewels; coats of mail gilded andsilvered and impenetrable; the necklaceof Girion, Lord of Dale, made of fivehundred emeralds green as grass, whichhe gave for the arming of his eldest sonin a coat of dwarf-linked rings the likeof which had never been made before,

for it was wrought of pure silver to the power and strength of triple steel. But fairest of all was the great white gem,which the dwarves had found beneaththe roots of the Mountain, the Heart ofthe Mountain, the Arkenstone ofThrain.

—The Hobbit.Inside Information




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The Path of Yavanna

Yavanna is the patron of the earth,plants and animals. She is the spouseof Aulë.

Apprentice: Healing Herbs & Pipe-weed (Search, TN 12)

The character can use healingherbs found in the wild or in gardens,improving the healing effects of aHealing roll: one extra point of En-durance plus one per level of specialsuccess on the Magic roll. This spellcosts one Hope point and three hoursof searching.

For Hobbits, who are not knownas great healers, this magic spell isused to remove the Weary or Miser-able state while smoking a pipe. Thisuse uses no Hope but needs ten min-utes of peace. A very few other peo-ple (like Gandalf and the Rangers ofthe North) can learn this aspect also.

Novice: Plentiful Harvest(Craft, TN 14)

The character can bless crops sothat they have a plentiful harvest atthe end of the season. This magicraises the temporary standard of liv-ing of a region by one (including theplayers themselves), and even morein extraordinary successes. Each timeit is cast (each crop to be blessed)

uses up one Hope point. Journeyman: The Words in the Leaves(Insight, TN 16)

The character can understand thetrees and other plants speaking tothemselves, and so can learn of thingsthat happened or trouble the zone.His Magic roll functions as Awarenessfor such matters, but the character

can only see what happened throughthe “eyes of the trees”, and so it may be not always easy to interpret it.This spell costs one Hope point tocast.

Magician: Forest Paths (Travel, TN 18)

The fellowship can reduce theterrain difficulty of traveling throughforest by one, plus one per level of

special success on the magic roll. OneHope point lasts one full day oftravel.

Wizard: Huorns (Song, TN 23)

The character can wake theHuorns in an area (one plus one perlevel of special success), even if theyare dangerous and difficult to con-trol. In the first TOR publicationthere is no game data for Huorns, but

you could use Troll’s stats for them.This spell costs one Hope point perHuorn.

With that leaf she staunched Beren’swound, and by her arts and by her loveshe healed him…

—The Silmarillion.Of Beren and Lúthien

Bilbo Baggins was standing at hisdoor after breakfast, smoking an enor-mous long wooden pipe that reachednearly down to his woolly toes […] andblew out a beautiful grey ring of smokethat sailed up into the air without

breaking and floated away over TheHill.

—The Hobbit. An Unexpected Party

‘Though you should find all barrenand laid waste, there will be few gar-dens in Middle-earth that will bloomlike your garden, if you sprinkle thisearth there.’

—The Lord of the Rings.Farewell to Lórien

“I wish that there were leisure now towalk among them [among the trees]:they have voices, and in time I mightcome to understand their thought.”

—The Lord of the Rings.The Road to Isengard

“I do not think the wood feels evil,

whatever tales may say,” said Legolas.He stood under the eaves of the forest,stooping forward, as if he were listen-ing, and peering with wide eyes into theshadows. “No, it is not evil; or whatevil is in it is far away. I catch only the

faintest echoes of dark places where thehearts of the trees are black. There is nomalice near us; but there is watchful-ness, and anger.”


Many of the trees seemed asleep, or asunaware of him as any other creaturethat merely passed by; but some quiv-ered, and some raised up their branchesabove his head as he approached.

—The Lord of the Rings.Treebeard

There is a great power in them [theHuorns], and they seem able to wrapthemselves in shadow: it is difficult tosee them moving. But they do. They canmove very quickly, if they are angry.You stand looking at the weather,maybe, or listening to the rustling of

the wind, and then suddenly you findthat you are in the middle of a woodwith great groping trees all around you.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flotsam and Jetsam




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The Path of Námo Mandos)

Námo is the patron of death,doom and fate. He is the spouse ofVairë.

Apprentice: Chance (Song, TN 12)

The character can bend the flowof fate to his needs, as if by chance.He can use this spell to change minordetails in the flow of the story to fithis situation. This are always minorchanges with no direct gaining for thecharacter, and the Loremaster mustalways allow it. The casting of this“spell” takes no time at all, but con-sumes one Hope point anyway.

Only Humans and Hobbits can usethis magic. All other peoples in thePath of Mandos begin directly in the“novice” mastery level.

Novice: Prophecy(Riddles, TN 14 or 17)

The main use of this magic is pas-sive, calling on it to see if the charac-

ter can learn something about a spe-cific theme. The Loremaster de-scribes in broad strokes and with aview on his adventure storyline whatfate is to come. This use costs oneHope point to use.

The character can actively make aprophecy over something, which will become true. If this has nothing to dowith the direct actions of the charac-

ters it costs one Hope point to cast.But if it has to do with the charactersthe TN is higher and its costs threeHope points; in this case there is nocomplete certainty of its fulfillment(even if the Loremaster should try tomake it true), but the character in-volved will receive a number of addi-tional Hope points in the prophesiedmoment as equal to the level of spe-cial success on the Magic roll.

Such a prophecy cannot contradictMiddle-earth as presented by J.R.R.Tolkien, and the Loremaster has al-ways complete control over it. In facthe can simply inform the player thathe feels that this prophecy has not thepower of fate behind it.

Journeyman: Eyes of Truth(Insight, TN 16)

The successful use of this spell notonly shows that somebody lies(because that is what Insight as mun-dane skill does), but what is the truth behind his words. This Magic skill isopposed by the Persuade skill of the

liar. The casting costs no time, butone Hope point.

Magician: Not this hour(Healing, TN 18 or 21)

This magic gives one person oneextra wound level to prevent hisdeath. The lowest TN is for casting itin advance; the higher for casting iton the spot, as reaction. It cost oneHope point.

Wizard: Pronounce Doom

(Song, TN 20)

Even if each lord can judge, thecharacter can pronounce doom withthe voice of Mandos himself. This

Just chance brought me then, if

chance you call it. —The Lord of the Rings.

In the House of Tom Bombadil

Therefore he [Ilúvatar] willed thatthe hearts of Men should seek beyondthe world and should find no resttherein; but they should have a virtue toshape their life, amid the powers andchances of the world, beyond the Musicof the Ainur, which is as fate to allthings else.

—The Silmarillion.Of the Beginning of Days

If these two wed now, hope may beborn for our people; but if they delay, itwill not come while this age lasts.

—The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A

Thus spoke Malbeth the Seer, in thedays of Arvedui, last king at Fornost[…] the hour is come for theoathbreakers: at the Stone of Erech theyshall stand again and hear there a hornin the hills ringing.

—The Lord of the Rings.ThePassing of the Grey Company

Gandalf sat up and gripped the armsof his chair; but he said nothing, andwith a look stopped the exclamation onPippin’s lips. Denethor looked at their

faces and nodded his head, as though in

sign that he had read much there beforeit was spoke. —The Lord of the Rings.

The Siege of Gondor

‘Beregond, by your sword blood wasspilled in the Hallows, where that is

forbidden. Also you left your post with-out leave of Lord or of Captain. Forthese things, of old, death was the pen-alty. Now therefore I must pronounce your doom.

‘All penalty is remitted for your valorin battle, and still more because all that you did was for the love of the LordFaramir. Nonetheless you must leavethe Guard of the Citadel, and you must go forth from the City of Minas Tirith.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Steward and the King




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doom must follow a just and opentrial, and the doom must be in accor-dance with it. If it is so the words ofthe character bear the whole powerof Námo, and the victim is magicallyforced to abide by it. If fate wouldforce the target to break the doom,

he must spend so many Hope/Hatepoints as the number of successesplus one of the Magic roll, and thecaster will know immediately of it.

The Path of Vairë

Vairë is the patron of weaving,history and past. She is the spouse ofNámo.

Apprentice: Weaving (Craft, TN 12)

With this art the character canweave elven ropes, elven cloaks andother magical vestments. The elvenropes can be made directly, after oneday of work, a Magic roll and theinvestment of one Hope point.

To make elven cloaks the charac-ter must be initiate in the Paths ofUlmo and of Varda. This roll canonly be made in the FellowshipPhase.

As it is this spell can only be used

by the Galadhrim Elves. All otherpeoples begin this Path directly withthe Novice mastery level. If the Lore-master allows other magical vest-ments, this spell could be open toother peoples.

Novice: History (Lore, TN 14)

This spell can be cast on a place,and the character will recall the his-tory of it. The quality of the informa-tion gets better on extraordinary suc-cesses. The spell takes 15 minutes tocast and costs one Hope point.

Note that this spell does not re-veal specific personal information(see “Vision of the Past” below).

Journeyman: Interwoven Paths(Riddle, TN 16)

With this spell the caster inter-weaves the paths of two beings, en-suring that they meet again whateverthe odds. This is not, however, a

guarantee against character death.The Loremaster should work narra-tively on this spell. This spell costsone Hope point.

To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell from thePath of Námo.

Magician: Vision of the Past(Song, TN 18)

With this magic the character isable to glimpse into the past of anobject, place or person. He needs halfan hour of revision, presence or talkto peer into that particular past.

Then, with a magic roll and oneHope point, the character can seewith accuracy into the past of thesubject; extraordinary successes al-low the seer insights into veiled de-tails.

‘[These ropes] are made of hithlain,’said the Elf, ‘but there is no time nowto instruct you in the art of their mak-ing. Had we known that this craft de-lighted you, we could have taught youmuch.’

—The Lord of the Rings.Farewell to Lórien

…they could see in the wide valleyshadowed by the Mountain’s arms the grey ruins of ancient houses, towers,and walls.

‘There lies all that is left of Dale,’said Balin. ‘The mountain’s sides were

green with woods and all the shelteredvalley rich and pleasant in the dayswhen the bells rang in that town.’ —The Hobbit. On the Doorstep

‘Alas! Aragorn my friend!’ saidÉomer. ‘I had hoped that we should rideto war together; but if you seek thePaths of the Dead, then our parting iscome, and it is little likely that we shallever meet again under the Sun.’

‘That road I will take, nonetheless,’said Aragorn. ‘But I say to you, Éomer,that in battle we may yet meet again,though all the hosts of Mordor shouldstand between’


The Passing of the Grey Company

That day he [Elrond] looked at theswords they had brought from the troll’slair, and he said: ‘These are not troll-make. They are old swords, very oldswords of the High Elves of the West,

my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. […] This,Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, theGoblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue ofGondolin; it was a famous blade. This,Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammerthat the king of Gondolin once wore.Keep them well!’

—The Lord of the Rings. A Short Rest

‘You have talked long in your sleep,

Frodo,’ said Gandalf gently, ‘and it hasnot been hard for me to read your mindand memory.’





29

Wizard: The Other Side (Song, TN 20)

The Fëanturi grant access to theother side, or spirit world. With thisspell they allow the character to crossthe veil. His physical being remainsconcrete in the spirit world, withoutlosing his materiality in the here andnow, and to a normal person there isnothing out of the ordinary about thecharacter. The character can now

perceive clearly spirit beings (likespecters) and attack them normally.On the other hand he can be clearlyseen and attacked by spirits. OneHope point last for one completeencounter.

To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell of thePath of Irmo.

The Path of Irmo Lórien)

Irmo is the patron of dreams,hope and illusions. He is the spouseof Estë.

Apprentice: Gentle Sleep(Song, TN 12)

The character can cause sleep inother creatures. This cannot be usedin direct combat (since they are

watchful) or under consistent outsideinput (like somebody who talks toyou to keep you awake). And onceasleep, these creatures can be woken by physical attacks, loud sounds ordirect shaking. The victim can ex-pend one Hope or Hate point plus

one per success in the magic roll toavoid falling into this magic slumber.This spell costs one Hope point, af-fects one creature plus one per levelof special success, and lasts about halfan hour.

Novice: Restful Dreams(Insight, TN 14)

Irmo gives a restful sleep allowingone creature to recover two points ofHope plus one per level of special

success on the magic roll. This spellcosts one Hope point and can be usedon the caster or any other member ofthe Fellowship.

Journeyman: False Visions(Riddle, TN 16 or 19)

The followers of Irmo are adept atcreating mental images (or illusions)that can confuse onlookers. The illu-sions have no reality, and as such can-not harm the victims in a direct way.The viewers can make Awarenessrolls to overcome this effect, but theymust achieve more successes than theoriginal magic roll. This spell costsone Hope point to maintain for ashort scene.

This spell can also be used towork as a night of rest in respect to

the effects of the “Restful Dreams”spell (see above), and lasts half anhour.

‘I thought that saw a white figurethat shone and did not grow dim likethe others. Was that Glorfindel then?’

‘Yes, you saw him for a moment as heis upon the other side[.’]


Many Meetings

Very soon the chief guard nodded hishead, then he laid it on the table and

fell fast asleep. The butler went ontalking and laughing to himself for awhile without seeming to notice, but

soon his head too nodded to the table,and he fell asleep and snored beside his friend.

—The Lord of the Rings.Barrels Out of Bond

Strangely enough, Frodo felt refreshed. He had been dreaming. Thedark shadow had passed, and a fairvision had visited him in this land ofdisease. Nothing remained of it in hismemory, yet because of it he felt gladand lighter of heart. His burden wasless heavy on him.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Passage of the Marshes

At first the beauty of the melodies andthe interwoven words in the Elven-tongue, even though he understoodthem little, held him in a spell, as soonas he began to attend to them. Almost it

seemed that the words took shape, andvisions of far lands and bright thingsthat he had never yet imagined openedout before him… […] Swiftly he sankunder its shining weight into a deeprealm of sleep.





30

Magician: Dream Walk (Song, TN 18)

In the passive mode, Dream Walkallows the Loremaster to presentvague visions to the character as hesleeps. This mode uses no Hope, butthe player must interpret for himselfwhat he has seen.

In the active mode the caster canwalk the Paths of Dream to look for

things he needs to know. The degreeof success determines the quality ofthe visions. These visions are alwaysof a dreamy nature, since their originin the spirit world. To be able to seedirectly in the waking world (and notthrough the Veil) the character mustknow at least one spell from the Pathof Manwë. The active mode requiresa magic roll and the expenditure ofone Hope point.

Wizard: The Power of Slumber(Song, TN 20)

Now the character can force adeep and profound sleep upon hisenemies. It can affect a whole group, but the number of successes plus the

invested Hope must overcome theattribute level of the strongest adver-sary. It is possible to put to sleep onlypart of the group. No sound willwake them, but direct damage willdo. The magic slumber lasts for onehour if it is not interrupted.

The Path of Estë

Estë is the patron of resting andphysical healing. She is the spouse ofIrmo.

Apprentice: Minor Healing(Healing, TN 12)

Every character whose injuries aretreated with this magic recovers oneextra Endurance point after one night

of rest. This number improves by oneextra Endurance per level of specialsuccess on the magic roll if the char-acter to be healed is not Wounded.The spell costs one Hope point percasting, and takes five minutes tocast.

Novice: Improved Rest(Healing, TN 14)

When the characters catch their breath after an encounter, this spellallows an unwounded character torecover lost Endurance equal to 1.5times his Heart score plus one perlevel of special success on the magic

roll. This spell costs one Hope tocast, and does not count against therecovery time of the caster.

These mysterious Papers, discovered inthe early years of the twenty-first cen-tury, report the discussions of a literaryclub in Oxford in the years 1986-7, inwhich, after an account by one of themembers of the possibilities of travel in

space and time through the medium of‘true dream’, the centre of interest turnsto the legend of Atlantis… —The History of Middle-earth,

Vol. 9: Sauron Defeated.First Page

He found himself wondering at times,especially in the autumn, about thewild lands, and strange visions ofmountains that he had never seen cameinto his dreams.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Shadow of the Past

But suddenly some power, descended from of old from divine race, possessedLúthien, and casting back her foul rai-ment she stood forth, small before themight of Carcharoth, but radiant and

terrible. Lifting up her hand she com-manded him to sleep, saying: ‘O woe-begotten spirit, fall now into darkoblivion, and forget for a while thedreadful doom of life.’ And Carcharothwas felled, as though lighting had smit-ten him. […] Then Lúthien catchingup her winged robe sprang into the air,and her voice came dropping down likerain into pools, profound and dark. Shecast her cloak before his [Morgoth’s]eyes, and set upon him a dream, dark asthe Outer Void where once he walkedalone. Suddenly he fell, as a hill slidingin avalanche, and hurled like thunder

from his throne lay prone upon the floors of hell.


Next morning they set out again soonafter the sunrise. There was frost in theair, and the sky was pale clear blue.The hobbits felt refreshed, as if they hada night of unbroken sleep.

—The Lord of the Rings. A Knife in the Dark

They were too eager to be surprised at

the remarkable way in which the cutsand sores of their captivity had healedand their vigour had returned. —The Lord of the Rings. Treebeard




31

Journeyman: Weary Feet(Insight, TN 16)

This magic lets a character un-check his Weary label if his Endur-ance score is higher than his Fatiguescore, e.g. as if he had rested a wholenight. This spell costs one Hope pointto cast.

Magician: Major Healing(Healing, TN 18)

Every character whose injuries aretreated with this magic recovers twoextra Endurance points the next nightof rest. This number is increased bytwo extra Endurance per level of spe-cial success on the magic roll if thecharacter to be healed is notWounded. The spell costs one Hopepoint per casting, and takes ten min-utes to cast.

Wizard: Hands of the Healer (Healing,TN 20)

Every character whose injuries aretreated with this magic recovers di-

rectly a number of Endurance pointsequal his Heart score, plus two perlevel of special success on the magicroll. Additionally it heals theWounded state and, if the Enduranceis higher than the Fatigue score, alsothe Weary state. This spell is difficultto cast, and costs two Hope points.But its effects are immediate.

The Path of Nienna

Nienna is the patron of tears, suf-fering and spiritual healing. She isalone.

Apprentice: Soothing Tears(Insight, TN 12)

The application of this magic stopsa Bout of Madness on the part of an-other character, who will break downin tears for two rounds before beingable to act again. For this the castermust confront the character openlyand talk to him, expending one Hopepoint to cast the spell. With this spellthe bout of madness does not resultin Degeneration, but nor does it resetthe character’s Shadow rating.

Novice: Calm Spirit (Insight, TN 14)

If travelling in “Shadow” lands, theFellowship is immune to its taint forone full day, during which time theyare not required to make the usualCorruption tests. The spell cost oneHope point per day.

Enchantment healed his weary feetThat over hills were doomed to

roam… —The Lord of the Rings.

A Knife in the Dark

As the evening drew on, Frodo wokeup again, and he found that he nolonger felt in need of rest or sleep, buthad a mind for food and drink, and probably for singing and story-tellingafterwards. He got out of bed and dis-covered that his arm was already nearlyas useful again as it had ever been.

—The Lord of the Rings.Many Meeting

He searched the wound on Frodo’sshoulder with his fingers, and his face grew graver, as if what he learned dis-quieted him. But Frodo felt the chilllessen in his side and arm; a little

warmth crept down from his shoulder tohis hand, and the pain grew easier. Thedusk of evening seemed to grow lighterabout him, as if a cloud had been with-drawn. He saw his friends’ faces moreclearly again, and a measure of newhope and strength returned.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flight to the Ford

…he [Boromir] fell sprawling andlay upon his face. For a while he wasstill as if his own curse had struck himdown; then suddenly he wept.

He rose and passed his hand over hiseyes, dashing away the tears. ‘Whathave I said?’ he cried. ‘What have Idone? Frodo, Frodo!’ he called. ‘Comeback! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Breaking of the Fellowship

When he [Bilbo] could, he saw allround him a sea of dark green, ruffledhere and there by the breeze; and therewere everywhere hundreds of butterflies.[…] [Bilbo] enjoyed the feel of thebreeze in his hair and on his face […][The Dwarves] did not care tuppenceabout the butterflies, and were onlymade more angry when he told them ofthe beautiful breeze, which they were

too heavy to climb up and feel. —The Hobbit. Flies and Spiders




32

Journeyman: Vision of Hope(Awareness, TN 16)

By the vision of something pure inthe middle of taint, the Fellowshipcan overcome part of the temporaryShadow points they have accumu-lated. The Magic roll enables eachmember of the Fellowship to make an

Awareness roll (TN 16), so that eachone has a personal result. Each char-acter recovers of one temporaryShadow point in a successful roll, plusone per level of special success. Thismagic costs one Hope point to thecaster (only).

This spell is controlled by theLoremaster, who will decide if themoment (as vision of hope) works forthis magic.

Magician: Healing Tears(Insight, TN 18)

The Fellowship is able to heal alltheir temporary Shadow points dur-ing a Fellowship Phase.

Wizard: To Overcome the Shadow(Healing, TN 20)

With this spell one character canovercome his shadow. After a heroicact the degeneration path of one char-acter can be undone. A successfulmagic roll reduces the degeneration by one (eliminating the highest Flaw),plus one per level of special successachieved. This effect is almost imme-diate, but the Loremaster must agree

on what is to be considered a heroicact. The power of this spell is suchthat even a completely corruptedcharacter can overcome his shadow.The cost of this spell is five Hopepoints plus two per additional re-moved Flaw. This spell does not re-move the permanent shadow pointsof the character.

The Path of Tulkas

Tulkas is the patron of physicalstrength, unarmed combat and laugh-ter. He is the spouse of Nessa.

Apprentice: Unarmed Fury(Battle, TN 12)

After the successful use of thisspell the hands of the character func-tion like weapons: Damage 3, Edgerune, Injury 12. The spell is a freeaction, and cost one Hope per com-

bat.Novice: Break Shackles(Athletics, TN 14 or 17)

The character is capable of greatfeats of strength, being able to breakshackles, bend iron-bars, etc. If thefeat attempted is really extreme, usethe higher TN. The Loremaster canalways decree that a feat is impossi- ble, even with this magic. The char-acter must sacrifice one point ofHope to cast this spell.

Journeyman: Unarmored Might(Awe, TN 16)

So long as the character wears noarmor, he receives an armor protec-

tion of 2d. One Hope point lasts onehour; two Hope points last a day.This spell needs one minute of prepa-ration, and it cannot be cast in themiddle of combat.

They had trudged for more than anhour when they heard a sound thatbrought them to a halt. Unbelievable,but unmistakable. Water trickling.[…] Sam sprang towards it. ‘If ever I

see the Lady again, I will tell her!’ hecried. ‘Light and now water!’ —The Lord of the Rings.

The Land of Shadow

She is acquainted with grief, andmourns for every wound that Arda hassuffered in the marring of Melkor. […]But she does not weep for herself; andthose who hearken to her learn pity,and endurance in hope. […] …allthose who wait in Mandos cry to her,

for she brings strength to the spirit andturns sorrow to wisdom. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

‘Farewell, good thief,’ he said. ‘I gonow to the halls of waiting to sit besidemy fathers, until the world is renewed.Since I leave now all gold and silver,and go where it is of little worth, I wish

to part in friendship from you, and Iwould take back my words and deeds atthe Gate.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Return Journey

‘Smoke then, and think of him!’ said Aragorn. ‘For he was a gentle heart anda great king and kept his oaths; and herose out of the shadows to a last fairmorning.’


The Houses of Healing

…he smote Freca such a blow withhis fist that he fell back stunned, anddied soon after.

—The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

It was believed that if he bore noweapon no weapon would bite him.





33

Magician: Greater Unarmed Fury(Battle, TN 18)

After the successful use of thisspell the hands of the character func-tion like deadly weapons: Damage 6,Edge 10, Injury 16. The spell is a freeaction, and costs two points of Hopeper combat.

Wizard: Greater Unarmored Might(Awe, TN 20)

So long as the character wears noarmor, he receives an armor protec-tion of 5d. This spell last one day andcost three Hope points. This spellneeds at least five minutes of prepara-tion, and it cannot be cast in the mid-dle of combat.

The Path of Nessa

Nessa is the patron of dancing andfleetness. She is the spouse of Tulkas.

Apprentice: Leap of Beren(Athletics, TN 12 or 15)

A character who knows this spellcan make all normal leaps with a TN

12, without expending Hope. Forreally mythic jumps he uses one pointof Hope and has a TN of 15. Onecannot jump over the ocean with thismagic; the Loremaster judges whatkind of leaps are mythic or impossi- ble.

Novice: Deer Running(Athletics, TN 14)

For a short time the character canoutrun any creature. For this he usesone point of Hope.

Journeyman: Outward Stance(Battle, TN 16)

His quick reflexes allow a charac-

ter to attack in an outward stance butdefend as if on the defensive. This is afree action, but each time he mustmake a new magic roll, uses a Hopepoint and it lasts only one round.

Magician: Lúthien’s Dance(Courtesy/Inspire/Athletics, TN 18)

The dance of the character is ableto put all viewers into an enchant-ment. So long as the magician dancesand succeeds in his magic rolls eachround, no creature can take an actionwithout expending one Hope or Hate

point. For the character this spellcosts only one Hope point for thewhole duration.

Wizard: Blur (Athletics, TN 20)

With this spell the character cantake two actions in one round. Themagic roll is made only once, but thecharacter must expend one Hopepoint per round to maintain it.

Helm grew fierce and gaunt for fam-ine and grief; and the dread of himalone was worth many men in the de-

fence of the Burg. He would go out byhimself, clad in white, and stalk like a

snow-troll into the camps of his ene-mies, and slay many men with hishands.


One night men heard the horn blow-ing, but Helm did not return. In themorning there came a sun-gleam, the

first for long days, and they saw a white figure standing still on the Dike, alone, for none of the Dunlendings dared comenear. There stood Helm, dead as astone, but his knees were unbent.


Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

Then Beren sprang from before Cele-

gorm full upon the speeding horse ofCurufin that had passed him; and theLeap of Beren is renowned among Menand Elves. He took Curufin by thethroat from behind, and hurled himbackward, and they fell to the groundtogether.


Deer she loves, and they follow her

train whenever she goes in the wild; butshe can outrun them, swift as an arrowwith the wind in her hair. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

…he came upon Lúthien, daughter ofThingol and Melian, at a time of eve-ning under moonrise, as she dancedupon the unfading grass in the gladesbeside Esgalduin. Then all memory of

his pain departed from him, and he fellinto an enchantment… —The Silmarillion.

Of Beren and Lúthien




34

Journeyman: Mounted Speed(Travel, TN 16)

When the character rides a horsehe can travel at twice the normalspeed of his steed and overcome allnormal obstacles on his way. This usecosts one Hope point.

Magician: Helm’s Horn (Awe, TN 18)

When blowing on his horn all ser-vants of the Shadow within earshotlose one Hate point plus one per levelof special success on the magic roll. Ifany creature ends with no Hate left,he flees the combat area.

The Path of Oromë

Oromë is the patron of hunting,archery and horses. He is the spouseof Vána.

Apprentice: Horse Tongue(Insight, TN 12)

The character is able to communi-cate with horses and hounds, andthey react to his call. Its use expendsone point of Hope.

Novice: Horn of Araw (Inspire, TN 14)

Blowing with a hunt- or warhornthe character stuns his opponents forone round, and summons help fromthe vicinity. The help must arrive bynormal means, but will come. Its usecosts one Hope point.

Wizard: Oromë’s Wrath (Awe, TN 20)

With this magic the character re-ceives a bonus to his Body, Endur-ance and Hope scores of +5 plus 1per level of special success on hismagic roll, and all combat skills areconsidered favoured. This bonuseslast one combat (or half an hour in alarge scale battle), and consumes twoHope points to come into effect.

The Path of Vána

Vána is the patron of youth andspring. She is the spouse of Oromë.

Apprentice: Youthful Energy(Athletics, TN 12)

With this magic spell the charac-ter reduces his Fatigue rating by fiveplus one per level of special successon the magic roll. It uses one Hopepoint and lasts until the next dawn.

“Did you hear them, Legolas? Didthey sound to you like beasts in terror?”“No,” said Legolas. “I heard them

clearly. But for the darkness and ourown fear I should have guessed thatthey were beast wild with some sudden gladness. They spoke as horses willwhen they meet a friend that they havelong missed.”


Gandalf whistled and called aloudthe horse’s name, and far away hetossed his head and neighed, and turn-ing sped towards the host like an arrow.

—The Lord of the Rings.The King of the Golden Hall

…a great horn of the wild ox of theEast, bound with silver, and writtenwith ancient characters. That horn theeldest son of our house has borne formany generations; and it is said that ifit be blown at need anywhere within thebounds of Gondor, as the realm was ofold, its voice will not pass unheeded.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Window on the West

He spoke a word to Shadowfax, andlike an arrow from the bow the greathorse sprang away. Even as they lookedhe was gone: a flash of silver in thesunset, a wind over the grass, a shadow

that fled and passed from sight. Snow-mane snorted and reared, eager to fol-low; but only a swift bird on the wingcould have overtaken him.

—The Lord of the Rings.Helm’s Deep

Helm had a great horn, and soon itwas marked that before he sallied forthhe would blow a blast upon it thatechoed in the Deep; and then so great a

fear fell on his enemies that instead of gathering to take him or kill him they fled away down the Coomb. […] mensaid that the horn was still heard attimes in the Deep and the wraith ofHelm would walk among the foes of

Rohan and kill men with fear —The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

And then, sudden and terrible, fromthe tower above, the sound of the greathorn of Helm rang out. All that heardthat sound trembled. Many of the Orcscast themselves on their faces and cov-ered their ears with their claws. Back

from the Deep the echoes came, blastupon blast, as if on every cliff and hilla mighty herald stood.


…but Théoden could not be over-taken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-furyof his fathers ran like new fire in hisveins, and he was borne up on Snow-mane like a god of old, even as Oromëthe Great in the battle of the Valar

when the world was young. His goldenshield was uncovered, and lo! It shonelike an image of the Sun, and the grass

flamed into green about the white feetof his steed.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ride of the Rohirrim




35

Novice: Bird Friends (Courtesy, TN 14)

The character has a special affinitywith birds. He can make Insight rollsto understand their intentions, andCourtesy rolls to avoid that their be-ing panicked by his presence. Butmore important, each people hassome kind of special bird which herelates (Bardings to thrushes,Dwarves to ravens and Elves to night-ingales), with whom they can freelycommunicate and ask for services.

Journeyman: Young Beauty(Persuade, TN 16)

The character is able to charm oneperson in a romantic way. This per-son will do all he can to protect thecaster and to win his affection. Thisspell affects only one person at atime, and must be renewed each day.It uses one point of Hope per day. Ifthe character does something to make

the charmed person feel awful or be-trayed, then that person will remem- ber that and act according to it.

Magician: Spring Cometh(Song, TN 18)

The character can cast this spell atthe end of a (winter) FellowshipPhase. The Fellowship gets for thenext season as many extra FellowshipPoints as characters in it, plus one perlevel of special success on the magicroll.

Wizard: Forever Young

(Healing, TN 20)

The character seems to have aneternal youth. He gets to reroll theFeat die (and choose the best result)for all his personality and customskills. He makes his magic roll eachseason, and uses one point of Hope

for it.

The Path of Eönwë

Eönwë is the patron of weaponmastery and leadership.

Apprentice: Song of Victory(Song, TN 12)

With this magic the character andhis allies add their Heart rating totheir Parry score. The spell uses onepoint of Hope per round and lasts aslong as the character keeps singing (asa free action in combat).

Novice: Strength of Arms(Battle, TN 14)

The character receives an auto-

matic bonus to weapon damage equalto his Body score (or to his favouredBody score on an extraordinary suc-cess). The character can increase itnormally by expending Hope points.This spell consumes one point ofHope and lasts a whole combat. Itscasting is considered a free action ifthe character has a weapon in hishand.

Journeyman: Rally (Inspire, TN 16)

The character can rally his allies,giving them the benefit of “Strength

of Arms” for a combat scene. Thisspell uses one point of Hope, butneeds a whole round to be cast.

Nightingales went always with her,and she taught them their song…

—The Silmarillion.Of Thingol and Melian

…and all birds sing at her coming. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

Suddenly out of the dark something fluttered to his shoulder. He started –but it was only an old thrush. Unafraidit perched by his ear and it brought himnews. Marvelling he found he couldunderstand its tongue, for he was of therace of Dale.

—The Hobbit. Fire and Water

…and the song of Lúthien releasedthe bonds of winter, and the frozenwaters spoke, and flowers sprang fromthe cold earth where her feet had passed.


The spouse of Oromë is Vána, theEver-young… —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

A song of victory they sang with clearvoices…


The Road to Isengard

Slowly Théoden stretched forth hishand. As his fingers took the hilt, itseemed to the watchers that firmnessand strength returned to his thin arm.Suddenly he lifted the blade and swung

it shimmering and whistling in the air.The he gave a great cry. His voice rangclear as he chanted in the tongue ofRohan a call to arms. Arise now, arise, Riders of Théoden!Dire deeds awake, dark is it eastward.Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!

—The Lord of the Rings.The King of the Golden Hall

Three times Aragorn and Éomer ral-lied them, and three times Andúril

flamed in a desperate charge that drovethe enemy from the wall.





36

Novice: Fire Kindling (Lore, TN 14)

The character can magically start afire, no matter the weather condi-tions. Normally it is best to use mun-dane skills for this, but this spell canoften come in handy. The fire needsfuel to burn. The character makes hismagic roll and expends one point ofHope for it.

Journeyman: Dark Smoke and BurningSparks (Craft, TN 16)

The character can cause a bonfireto go out, releasing a cloud of darksmoke and sending burning sparksinto the air. The smoke blinds allcreatures in the area, forcing them tomake Awareness rolls to attempt any

action (TN 18 if surprised, TN 14 ifexpecting it). The burning sparks do1d6 fire damage per round to allnearby creatures. The effects last 2d6rounds and use one point of Hope.

Magician: Majesty (Awe, TN 18)

The character receives additionalarmor protection: one d6 plus one d6per level of special success on hismagic roll. This spell lasts one com-plete combat scene, costs two pointsof Hope and is cast in one wholeround.

Wizard: Might of Arms (Battle, TN 20)

The character and his immediateallies improve their Edge by one, and

their Injury range by two plus oneper level of special success on themagic roll. This spell costs one pointof Hope if cast only for himself, twoif cast for his Fellowship, or three ifcast for a greater group.

Servant of the Secret Fire

The character has learnt the se-crets of fire, as opposed to the darkmagics of the Enemy.

Apprentice: Fire Toys (Craft, TN 12)

The character has learnt to pre-pare fireworks and such. The charac-ter must prepare them beforehand(using at least one night to do it), andcan carry a maximum of two of them.Their main use is for a performance(like in Bilbo’s party), but they canalso be used in adventuring. First,they can be used to illuminate a zonefor one round plus one per level ofspecial success on the magic roll. Sec-ond, they can be used as night signal,to be seen from afar. Third, they can be used to surprise their opponents,giving the Fellowship a free successdie in their Surprise roll. And last,they can be used to force a Fear rollon animals. The character must use apoint of Hope for each firework heprepares.

Gimli and Legolas looked at theircompanion in amazement, for they hadnot seen him in this mood before. Heseemed to have grown in stature whileÉomer had shrunk; and in his living

face they caught a brief vision of the

power and majesty of the kings of stone.For a moment it seemed to the eyes ofLegolas that a white flame flickered onthe brows of Aragorn like a shiningcrown.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Riders of Rohan

At that sound the bent shape of theKing sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising inhis stirrups he cried in a loud voice,more clear than any there had everheard a mortal man achieve before:

Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!

Spear shall be shaken,shield be splintered,

A sword-day, a red day,ere the sun rises!

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ride of the Rohirrim

‘I am a servant of the Secret Fire,wielder of the flame of Anor. You can-not pass’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Bridge of Khazad-dûm

The fireworks were by Gandalf: theywere not only brought by him, but de-signed and made by him…

—The Lord of the Rings. A Long-expected Party

At last reluctantly Gandalf himselftook a hand. Picking up a faggot heheld it aloft for a moment, and thenwith a word of command, naur an ed-raith amen!, he thrust the end of hisstaff into the midst of it. At once a

great spout of green and blue flamesprang out, and the wood flared andsputtered. […] ‘I must have somethingto work on. I cannot burn snow.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ring goes South

…the great fire went off poof! Into atower of blue glowing smoke, right upto the roof, that scattered piercing whitesparks all among the goblins. […] Thesparks were burning boles in the gob-lins, and the smoke that now fell fromthe roof made the air thick for eventheir eyes to see through.

—The Hobbit.Over Hill and Under Hill




37

Option 2: Free magic

The fundamental idea of thismagic system is to allow free use ofmagic, not restricted by specific“spells descriptions”. If the Loremas-ter thinks he can handle it, he can

allow the characters to shape themagic of each path in accord to therespective mastery level. If so thecharacters must learn each masterylevel, but use their imagination togive form to their magic.

In this case the listed magic spellsare guidelines of what kind of magicpower the character can handle.

It is extremely important to re-member, if this option is used, that in

Middle-earth there exist some“impossibilities” to magic. This arecalled únati and are only partially de-scribed by Tolkien. Neville “Osric”Percy made a great article on them inOther Minds, Issue 11 (pp. 107-116),and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Cultures and Magic Paths

TOR has achieved a low magicscenario, and to maintain that it can

be useful to use the following raciallimitations for the different paths.The maximum level of ability is givenfor each race and path.

Bardings: Manwë (Apprentice),Aulë (Journeyman), Námo(Journeyman), Vána (Novice),Eönwë (Journeyman).

Beornings: Aulë (Apprentice),Námo (Apprentice), Tulkas(Journeyman), Oromë

(Journeyman), Vána (Apprentice).Dwarves: Aulë (Wizard), Eönwë

(Journeyman), Servant of the SecretFire (Apprentice).

Elves of Mirkwood: Varda(Wizard), Ulmo (Wizard) Irmo(Wizard), Vairë (Journeyman), Nessa(Wizard), Oromë (Wizard).

Magician: Fire Cones (Lore, TN 18)

The character can put magic fireinto some kind of weapon (pine conesare also useful here). Each creaturehit by it catches fire and burns for1d6 fire damage per round. It takesthree full rounds to put the fire out(or one if completely submerged in

water), or it will burn for the wholecombat scene. The fire spreads toother creatures if they come in con-tact with it. The casting costs onepoint of Hope, and works for three burning attacks plus one per level ofspecial success on the Magic roll.

Wizard: Fire Burst (Song, TN 20)

The character can summon a greatfire explosion centered on himself,

that causes 5d6 points of fire damageplus 1d6 per level of special successon the magic roll. The caster cancause the explosion to begin outside acircular area away from himself, so asnot to affect his fellowship compan-ions.

Hobbits: Yavanna (Novice),Námo (Apprentice).

Woodmen: Aulë (Apprentice),Yavanna (Magician), Námo(Apprentice), Estë (Journeyman),Oromë (Journeyman), Vána(Apprentice).

Modifications to the

Virtues and Rewards system

I suggest to use the Rewards asTreasures, and to use Virtues andMagic Paths for advancing in the Val-our and Wisdom scale. If the Lore-master prefers to make a distinction between Valour and Wisdom, he candeclare that the Mental Rewards (andMagic Paths) are to be used with

Wisdom, and the more martial ori-ented ones to be used with Valour.

Besides, it will be evident thatwith a maximum of ten Virtues a nor-mal character cannot really get muchmagic power, and it is good so. ForElves and Istari I suggest allowingfurther progression over the maxi-mum scores for Valour and Wisdom.

Final Note

I hope this magic system appealsto the TOR fan-community, and putsa few ideas of the nature of magic inMiddle-earth. I also hope that forthose who use my generic magic sys-tem for their own games, that thiscomplete presentation offers a broader view of what kind of magicsare to be associated with each of theValar.

Good gaming to all!

He gathered the huge pine-cones fromthe branches of his tree. Then he set onealight with bright blue fire, and threwit whizzing down among the circle ofthe wolves. It struck one on the back,and immediately his [the Warg’s]

shaggy coat caught fire […] —The Hobbit.

Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire

High in the air he [Gandalf] tossedthe blazing brand. It flared with asudden white radiance like lighting;and his voice rolled like thunder.

‘Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan Ingaurhoth!’ he cried.

There was a roar and a crackle, andthe tree above him burst into a leaf ofblinding flame. The fire leapt fromtreetop to tree-top.

—The Lord of the Rings. A Journey in the Dark




38

by Neville “Osric” Percy([email protected]) © 2012

per the terms of the CC license: b n a

It’s always surprising how new details canbe found that highlight Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The topic of this article is just that, aninsightful treatment of a topic that Tolkienbriefly touches—the secret communicationsystem(s) used by Dwarves.

From only a single paragraph, Osric pro-duces a system usable for roleplaying in Mid-dle-earth. We’re happy to hear your opinionson the solution he achieved!

A post-LotR1 essay of Tolkien’s titled

'Quendi and Eldar' was published in The

War of the Jewels, volume 11 of the His-tory of Middle-earth series. Mostly adiscussion of elven language, in definingthe Quenya word tengwesta (roughly ‘alanguage system’), it described a secretdwarvish tengwesta of communication bygestures.

The Dwarves of Middle-earth notonly have the shared sacred language ofKhuzdul, but all dwarves also learn theirown community's secret system of ges-ture-language called iglishmêk.

IglishmêkThe Secret Gesture-Languages of the Dwarves

It is entirely possible that iglishmêk may only offer a note of flavour to dwar-ven player-characters (PCs) that is rarelyrelevant in play – as gaming groups typi-cally seem to include a single dwarf atmost.3 But the existence of iglishmêk

may make it more attractive to a groupto include several dwarf PCs from thesame community, given this engagingnew twist to their options for interaction

with one another. And when thosedwarf PCs do use iglishmêk, it will natu-rally emphasise the tendency of dwarvesto be closer to one another than to members of other races.

Similarly NPC dwarves, as friends,

rivals or foes, may be that bit more for-midable for their use of iglishmêk, and theresulting ability to act with uncannilyperfect coordination etc.

The Dwarves [possessed a very] elaborate and organized system [...] of gestures, concur-rent with their spoken language, which they began to learn almost as soon as they beganlearning to speak. It should be said rather that they possessed a number of such gesture-codes; for unlike their spoken language, which remained astonishingly uniform and un-changed both in time and in locality, their gesture-codes varied greatly from community tocommunity. And they were differently employed. Not for communication at a distance,

2

for the Dwarves were short-sighted, but for secrecy and the exclusion of strangers.The component sign-elements of any such code were often so slight and so swift that they

could hardly be detected, still less interpreted by uninitiated onlookers. As the Eldar even-tually discovered, in their dealings with the Naugrim, they could speak with their voicesbut at the same time ‘by gesture’ convey to their own folk modifications of what was beingsaid. Or they could stand silent considering some proposition, and yet confer among them-selves meanwhile.

This ‘gesture-language’, or as they called it iglishmêk, the Dwarves were no more ea-

ger to teach than their own tongue.

—The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 11:The War of the Jewels.Quendi and Eldar




39

guage, to the point of quantifying charac-ters’ degree of command of differentlanguages, dialects and script systems. Insuch games, iglishmêks should be handledno differently, although they are notenormously sophisticated, and shouldnot be developable beyond the level of

‘everyday marketplace conversation’.The iglishmêk systems of the differ-ent tribes of the dwarves across Middle-earth are completely unrelated. Theexception to this is that, since joining theLongbeards in Khazad-dûm, the majorityof Firebeard and Broadbeam dwarvesshare the iglishmêk of the Longbeards.

Some GMs may prefer to treat eachseparate dwelling-place of the dwarves asa discreet community with its ownunique iglishmêk. But in some times and

places, where dwarves can be identifiedas having a reasonably recent sharedcommon origin, it is reasonable for theiriglishmêks to be treated as related dia-lects. For example, a dwarf knowingthe iglishmêk of Thorin's Halls in the BlueMountains could use this at half its ratingto communicate with dwarves of theIron Hills and Lonely Mountain (whoare geographically close enoughand interact frequentlyenough to share a single

system). By the sametoken, the widely-dispersed Ironfistdwarves of Rhûncan use theiriglishmêk atits full ratingonly withmembers oftheir ownimmediateclan group.

Whereiglishmêk isexpressed as a skill it need not betested every time communicationis attempted. Given time and mu-tual good will between the parties,misunderstanding should be ex-

Iglishmêk as language skills

Each Iglishmêk is a fully-formed teng-westa, and should be treated as a languageskill, though not truly as effective inmost situations as spoken language (Kh.:aglâb).

All dwarves should receive theiglishmêk of the community in which theywere raised as a starting language orskill. Those exceedingly rare dwarvesborn outside of any dwarf-hold are pre-sumed to be taught the iglishmêk used bytheir parents.

In game systems where fluency isquantified, their iglishmêk skill shouldprobably be rated at the equivalent levelof ‘everyday marketplace conversation’,to reflect iglishmêk's relative simplicity.

Well-travelled dwarves, such astraders, may acquire full fluency in sev-eral ‘dialects’, or even the iglishmêk ofmore than one tribe.

Iglishmêk is somewhat slower thanregular speech – say, half the speed atbest, and with the need to be done moreslowly still in order not to be obvious toonlookers... It is hindered if both handsare not free for use or if the audience isnot able to give their full attention towatching the signer,4 and it becomes

more difficult to read at distance, in poorlight etc. But it is flexible enough that ifa gesture normally requires two hands, aone-handed approximation is usuallyclear enough in context to be read cor-rectly. And if something absolutely mustbe expressed unambiguously it can bespelt out ‘longhand’ given sufficienttime.

But iglishmêk’s obvious advantagesare that it is silent, and can be used cov-ertly – including to comment on ormodify the meaning of the dwarf’s spo-ken words.

Some games prefer to handle lan-guages as all-or-nothing skills, which acharacter simply knows or doesn’tknow, and this can be fine for iglishmêk aswell. But many gamers follow Tolkien’slead and pay detailed attention to lan-

tremely rare, just as for regular spokenconversation. But there may be situa-tions where clarity of expression has tobe compromised owing to lack of timeor the need to communicate undetectedby onlookers. In such situations it makesfor good drama to test the skill of thegesturer and his intended audience, pos-sibly with rolls made in secret, as thedangers of misinterpretation may be sig-nificant.

Covert communication

The simplest use of iglishmêk is fordwarves to communicate secretlyamongst themselves. They can be confi-dent that, even if onlookers recognizethe fact that they are communicating viaiglishmêk, they cannot tell what is being

expressed.

5

To use iglishmêk undetected requiresthe potential observer not to have any

© by Neville “Osric” Percy, used with permission of the artist




40

Rolls are made at ‘normal’ diffi-culty for iglishmêk communication ofthree items in six seconds – three com-mon words, three digits, or three letterswhere something like a person’s namehas to be spelt out. Reducing theamount communicated improves thesigner’s chances, with each reductionadding a +1 (TOR, LotR RPG, D&D) or+5 (MERP) bonus, or making the rollone difficulty category easier, and corre-spondingly reduces the observer’schances. Also, the more the gestures canbe spaced out over time, the easier it isto make them appear casual, so eachdoubling of the time taken affects thesigner and the potential observer thesame way.

People in front of whom iglishmêk is

used repeatedly – especially the samesigns, like “stiff-necked elf” or similar –should receive an increasing bonus torecognize it as more than a casual ges-ture.

Recognizing that iglishmêk is beingused is not the same as interpreting itsmeaning. The likeliest things that mightbe communicated in a given situation areprobably fairly self-evident: Yes, No,Higher, Lower, He’s lying, I’m lying,ATTACK! etc. (Or these could be out-lined to a player succeeding in a simpleroll on a relevant skill.)

The actual interpretation of anysuch short message would likely requirea high degree of success in such a roll,which the GM might well wish to berolled in secret.

rating in the iglishmêk in question, and isthen an opposed test.

The signer uses a skill appropriateto his game system of choice. Examplesare:

Stealth ( TOR)

Conceal (LotR RPG)

Acting (MERP) Bluff (D&D)

Deceit (FATE)

If you use another system, it should-n’t be too hard to find an equivalent skillto misdirect attention away from theirgesture(s) and/or make them seem to bemerely inconsequential casual move-ments.

Potential observers use their aware-ness to notice that something is going on.Suggested skills are:

Awareness (TOR)

Observe (LotR RPG)

Perception (MERP)

Sense Motive or Insight (D&D)

Empathy (FATE)

If you use another game system, youwill easily find an equivalent skill to rec-ognize that something’s going on –chiefly from the timing of the gestures,

or possibly from other ‘tells’, such as aninsufficiently suppressed smirk! Theobserver should receive a bonus of +4(TOR, D&D), +3 (LotR RPG) or +20(MERP) if they possess skill in any iglish-mêk of their own, and the same amountagain if they state that they’re activelylooking out for such communication.

The difficulty is modified by theamount of information being signed andthe amount of time taken. A flurry offull-speed communication at half the

speed of spoken conversation will beincredibly obvious, but a single gestureused only once will be very difficult todetect.

Over a longer timescale, ‘research’effort may be possible to crack the codeof an unfamiliar iglishmêk gesture, eitherby extended observation or possiblymore elaborate schemes, such as imitat-ing the use of a gesture yourself andgauging the response, or setting up situa-tions calculated to elicit a specific reac-tion. But if the dwarves recognize thatsuch attempts are being made, they willlikely either stop signing, or even seek toprotect the precious secret of their ges-ture-code by engaging in countermea-sures and misinformation...

Notes

1. Christopher Tolkien found it in a type-script which could be dated to 1959-60. – ‘Quendi and Eldar’, HoMe11,p.359.

2. Cf. the elvish hwermë or semaphore-gesture language, less sophisticated andcomplex than iglishmêk. (– Os.)

3. Having just one dwarf in a party does

nicely recall Gimli’s status as the onlydwarf in the Fellowship of the Ring.But the usual reason there’s only onedwarf in a party is that the single dwarfis made interesting to play because ofhow he differs from the rest of theparty; this is diminished where multi-ple dwarves are present. Gamingscarcely ever addresses adventuringparties that recall Thorin’s Company inThe Hobbit, of no fewer than twelvedwarves. When everyone’s a dwarf,there’s nothing especially interesting

about being one, unless you reallywork on the fine detail.

4. It is therefore not readily useable as a‘battle tongue’ like those conceived bydesigners for Rolemaster and other sys-tems.

5. Groups of PCs have been learning ob-scure languages like Green Dragon forthis purpose since the dawn of RPGs!




41

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Join and contributeOur list has existed since the early 1990s with many

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Now we have moved to Google and have become aprivate Google Group.

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Though this article focuses on theurbanization of Arnor there are alsoother settlements in Eriador which de-serve mention, especially in the contextof cultural and economic interactionwith the realm of Arnor and its successorstates. These settlements are dealt with briefly on page 101. They will get moredetailed treatment in separate articles.

For estimating population levels Iused the excellent article From Land to

Subsistence by Juha Juuso Vesanto([email protected]). This article can be found in the May 2000 issue on thehomepage of the e-zine The Guild Com-

panion. [7]

eneral Thoughts

and Intention

First it is necessary to define the ter-ritory we’re talking about. Fortunately,Tolkien gives us a quite a good defini-tion:

The boundaries thus used here areshown on Map 1 below on this page.

When considering estimates of thepopulation and urbanization for Eriador(and especially Arnor) we have to keeptwo basic principles in mind: first to re-main true to Tolkien,and second to pro-

vide extrapolate-able and believabledemographic data. Unfortunately theserequirements are often hard toreconcile.Apparently only those urban communi-ties pertinent to the story in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were mentioned by Tolkien while others, irrelevant forthe plot or too far away, deserved nomention in the text or maps—althoughthey presumably must have existed. Ac-cordingly one has to infer additionaltowns and cities to achieve a realistic

level of urbanization for Eriadorthroughout the Third Age.

Eriador was of old the name of all thelands between the Misty Mountains andthe Blue; in the South it was boundedby the Greyflood and the Glanduin that

flows into it above Tharbad. At its greatest Arnor included all

Eriador, except the regions beyond theLune, and the lands east of Greyfloodand Loudwater, in which lay Rivendelland Hollin.


Appendix A

Map 1: Boundaries of Eriador




44

Internal Division of Arnor

We know from Tolkien that Arnorbroke up into three successor realms inTA 861, giving birth to Arthedain, Car-dolan and Rhudaur, which one after an-other fell to Angmar between the 14thand 20th centuries of the Third Age.

However, the internal division of Arnorand its successors is not detailed any-where by Tolkien. For Gondor, Tolkiengives us ample evidence for the realm’ssubdivision into provinces and fiefdoms(e.g. Anórien, Lebennin, Belfalas etc.).Thus there is no evidence for the exactplacement of these smaller administra-tive entities in Arnor or its successorrealms. What we do know however, isthat they existed:

Even though it is precisely appliedhere to Gondor in describing the divi-sions (Anórien etc.), we can safely as-sume that the nomenclature in Arnorwas at least similar, since the translatedterm ‘Shire’ originally stood for exactlysuch a division before it became habitu-ally used by the hobbits as a given namefor “their” Shire. Accordingly, subdivi-sions should be chosen with a reasonablelook at the situation in Arnor. The fol-lowing points need to be taken into con-sideration when choosing internal bor-ders:

Natural borders (e.g. river courses)in Arnor, since these constitute manyborders within Gondor as well

tation for the major settlements withinthe realms. Thus there can—and will— be smaller settlements in each realm.The ones found here should give you anidea of the size of the biggest settlementsin a given area or fief. Thus, if you deviseadditional settlements, they should beconsiderably smaller in size, since theones here are supposed to show the“urban” part of the overall population.

The definition of “urban” is somewhatfluid, however, since the “urban” centersin the Eriador of TA 1400 and 3000 dif-fer considerably in extent. Despite this,the comparatively tiny centers of TA3000 fulfill the same role as their biggercousins one and half millennia earlier,since they also only have to serve muchsmaller and less sophisticated communi-

ties.The article also includes a lot of origi-

nal invention to “fill in the spaces” left byTolkien, but requiring good explanation.

Important Note: All the data pre-sented in this article are my extrapo-lations. Many quotes are taken fromTolkien’s posthumous works. As thedata presented is consistent withthese quotes, the reader may decide

for himself whether to follow theselines. In my opinion the extrapolateddata is a good and reasonable esti-mate. Of course it is not “correct”, asthe very topic of the article is notcovered in original writings byTolkien and therefore remains specu-lative—like any invention done for aroleplaying game set in Middle-earth.It is designed as a reasonable ap-proach to the subject and does notclaim any superiority over other in-

terpretations, as long as they basetheir divergent interpretations onTolkien’s original writings and theincorporation of sound and re-enactable methods in creating theirrespective numbers.

The numbers for Angmar do not in-clude the orcish population. The formulaused for estimating populations in thisarticle only accounts for the mannishsettlement patterns and therefore theOrcs as a demographic group should behandled separately. In my opinion, thenumbers found in ICE’s Angmar module(ca. 50,000 overall as a maximum) aresufficient to represent the orcish popula-tion. Considering the area of the orcishhabitation and their numbers, a nomadiclifestyle for most of the “border” tribes3

along the Arthadan frontier seems appro-priate, where they live by raiding theirneighbours (mostly on the Arthedain sideof the border, but also from neighbour-ing tribes) and herding some domesticanimals for food. In Other Hands, Issue31/32 the interested reader may find thedetailed description of the Lughoth (oneof Angmar’s orc tribes) and their methodof subsistence on the Arthedain border.Other Hands, Issue 33/34 contains detailsof the Angmarean military based uponthe numbers found in the original versionof this essay. Other Minds, Issues 7 and 10contain articles with further suggestionsfor imagining other aspects of the man-nish population of Angmar that may alsobe of use.

As a comparison for modern socie-ties, Arnor at its peak (here TA 250 isused as the reference date) was almostexactly the size as France plus Belgium(or Texas plus Delaware). The popula-tion estimate for Arnor at this peak isroughly comparable to estimates forthose of France and the Low Countriesfrom the 9th to 10th century AD.4 GivenTolkien’s statement about the low popu-lation densities in Middle-earth thisequivalent looks quite right.

The intention of these demographicand urbanization maps and tables is notto list every single hamlet, manor orvillage. The first purpose is to give anidea of a reasonable calculation for theoverall population as well as the moredensely settled areas. The second pur-pose is to present a reasonable interpre-

The Shire seems to me very ade-quately to translate the Hobbit Sūza-t,since this word was now only used bythem with reference to their country,though originally it had meant ‘asphere of occupation (as of the landclaimed by a family or clan), of office,or business’. In Gondor the word sūzawas still applied to the divisions of therealm, such as Anorien, Ithilien, Leben-nin, for which in Noldorin the wordlhann was used.

—The Peoples of Middle-earth.The Appendix on Languages




45

the king, in the very heartland of therealm where any adverse developmentwill surely be felt last—or at least mosteasily compensated for if it really hap-pens.

For this reason I suggest to read theabandonment of Annúminas as twofold:

First, the abandonment was a con-scious decision by Amlaith. This wasnecessary since his brothers (and theirsupporters) presumably threatened himwith all-out war if he left his seat in An-núminas. The city symbolized Arnor’sunity more than anything else and beinga king there would have implicitly sug-gested that the regimes of the other twobrothers were illegitimate. To keeppeace—it seems that Arnor’s breakupwas not accompanied by an outright civil

war like Gondor’s Kin-strife—Amlaithconsented to give up the highly symbolicking’s seat at Annúminas.

The removal of the royal institutionswas called the “abandonment”. It did notnecessarily mean the immediate deser-tion by all inhabitants. It did lead to asharp economic downturn though,quickly eroding Annúminas’ importanceas the center of politics and culture. ByTA 1000 Annúminas was nothing morethan a local center without any impor-tance beyond a small regional market. Itsprestigious buildings fell into disuse afterthe abandonment. The final blow camewith the war of 1409, when the scantremnants of the once populous city werewiped out in a deep raid by Angmareanforces.

The “Annúminas problem”

Concerning the urban centers of Ar-nor, we have much less evidence than forGondor. In addition, Tolkien does notmake things easier when he states aboutAnnúminas, the capital of Arnor:

This gives a definitive statement that

Annúminas was deserted long before theend of the Northern Kingdom, though itdoes not specify when exactly this hap-pened. Here once more the History ofMiddle-earth series is of great help. In thetwelfth volume, in the more elaboratedraft of Appendix A (which Tolkien hadto abridge due to the wishes of Allen &Unwin) we read:

Thus it seems justified to pinpoint themoment of Annúminas’ abandonment asbeing at Arnor’s breakup in TA 861. Butthis gives us another tough nut to crack:Why was Annúminas abandoned this

early? It may have been due to a drasticdecrease in population, but then we haveto ask for the reason for such a sharp andimmediate loss of inhabitants. We do nothear of war, famine, pestilence or anyother disaster in the region at this time.Of course this absence of evidence isalways hard to argue with, but the ques-tion remains. Annúminas was the seat of

Artificial borders like roads and im-portant crossroads whose control offerspower and revenues

The average size of these divisions,which should approximately resemblethose of Gondor, even though deviationsmust exist to avoid too uniform an ap-

pearanceWe get a small hint of such a divi-sion, since Tolkien writes:

Thus we not only learn that it wasonce well-tended, but also that it hadbeen under the direct sovereignty of theking. From this we may extrapolate thatthe borders of the Hobbits’ “Shire” moreor less coincided with those of the origi-nal administrative boundary of the king’sland in this region (he could only grantthat which was under his direct admini-stration).

Please note that the internal borders

of the Eriadorian realms covered changeover time. This is to reflect the lesserfortunes of the northern Dúnedain, com-pared to Gondor. The following phe-nomena may (and will) necessitate there-arrangement of internal borders:

The people of Arnor dwindle fol-lowing the division in TA 861, andconsequently, regions that wereonce settled are abandoned.

In the remaining territories, familiesand dynasties will fail, with new

ones taking their place. Wars lead to losses and gains of

territory between the realms.

All this (apart from internal warswith forced changes in territory) happensin Gondor as well, but on a much lesserscale, due to its much greater stability.Most importantly, for Gondor we havefairly good documentation by Tolkien.

The land [of the Shire] was rich andkindly, and though it had long beendeserted when they entered it, it hadbefore been well tilled, and there theking had once had many farms,cornlands, vineyards, and woods. —The Lord of the Rings.Prologue

‘In the North after the war and theslaughter of the Gladden Fields the Menof Westernesse were diminished, andtheir city of Annúminas beside LakeEvendim fell into ruin; and the heirs ofValandil removed and dwelt at Fornoston the high North Downs, and thatnow too is desolate.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Council of Elrond

861. Death of Eärendur last andtenth king of Arnor. The North-

kingdom becomes divided among Eären-dur’s sons. The direct line of the eldestson, Amlaith of Fornost, rules the realmof Arthedain. Annúminas is deserted. —The Peoples of Middle-earth.

The Tale of Years of Third Age




46

(Aranarth himself probably re-mained incognito as far as possibleto prevent overt rumours of thesurvival of the royal line), plannedfor the campaign. Following thisinterpretation, a sizable contin-gent of scouts, combat troops andengineers was left in Eriador oncethe main force left again for Gon-dor—probably around TA 1975-80—and planned the thorough

and complete de-struction of Ang-mar’s infrastruc-ture. Probably theywere soon aware ofthe internal con-flicts among Ang-mar’s remainingpeople and the orcsand waited untilone faction wasdefeated and thesurvivor suffi-ciently weakened.

Then they systematically combedthe territory of the former Ang-mar, breaking the remaining re-sistance, hunting down the survi-vors and dismantling the for-tresses and towns of the former

realm of the Witch-king. This leftneither infrastructure nor anyresources for a possible later habi-tation. This process probably tooksome time, beginning by ca. TA1980 (after the necessary intelli-gence was gathered and the civilwar in Angmar subsided) andending around TA 1990. Then thelast remaining Gondorian troopsleft Eriador, taking with themwhomever did not want to stay

any longer in the North.

3. A number of men were not con-vinced followers of the Witch-king’s “crusade” and thus quicklyrenounced allegiance with Ang-mar. These men that were moreor less pressed into Angmar atspear-point (or the threat of it),were very helpful in supportingthe victorious troops in huntingdown real adherents of theWitch-king.

4. Even counting in all the factorsabove, there were still a lot ofsupporters of the former Ang-marean regime. It is interesting tothink of the Gondorian (and re-maining Arthedain) troops inflict-

ing genocide on Angmar’s formermannish subjects, killing even theold, women and children in coldblood until no one remained (ordriving them into the wildernessto die there from starvation, ex-posure, disease and predators).Even imagining a limited scopeand duration for such a campaign,it is hard to bring into line withthe traditional image of the civi-lized and “good” Dúnedain. Still

we have to accept such a cam-paign as necessary to achieve thelevel of defeat testified byTolkien. To facilitate this andmake sure that as little as possiblewas left in Angmar that could beused by potential “heirs”, theGondorian victors together withremnants of the Arthadan élite

Eriador from the end of

Arthedain to the 28

th

century

This quote is a challenge for a believ-able scenario. Even though Angmar’sarmy is totally destroyed on the battle-field, the vast majority of its populationremains at home: soldiers guarding thehomes (even if only skeleton garrisons),civilians, women, children and the oldno longer fit for military service. In addi-tion, they have to keep the land andeconomy running—even if only at a

minimal level. Therefore I propose thefollowing general sequence of eventsleading to the total collapse of the Ang-marean state and people after the mili-tary defeat:

1. The Orc-king at Gundabad (themost powerful orcish vassal of theWitch-king) supplied a big con-tingent to the 1974 war. Secretly,he retained another great one inreserve though. In the event ofthe war going well, he wouldhave had a strong argument for agood position in the future powerstructure, while if it was not suc-cessful, he would then have thebiggest military asset in the re-gion.

2. After the total defeat of the Ang-marean forces and the flight of theWitch-king, a brutal civil warerupted among the remainingmannish population. In addition,

the Orc-king at Gundabad and thelords in Mount Gram and Goblin-gate used their forces to brutallymassacre and plunder every for-mer ally within reach.

“Then so utterly was Angmar defeatedthat not a man nor an orc of that realmremained west of the Mountains.”


Appendix A




47

warriors as well. These havens were lo-cated in the middle of old Arnor (in theSouth Downs and North Downs) to en-sure a good strategic position to coverthe major populated areas. In a sense,these small post-Arnorian communitiesconstitute a relatively stable remnant ofthe once great realm, a great setting foradventures: There is plenty of wildernesswith old ruins and evil creatures (whichinvariably come back some time after adefeat, even if on a smaller scale), butalso a number of havens and settlementsin which to rest and recuperate.

All these small principalities scatteredover Eriador—the hobbitish Shire beingthe largest by far—maintain contact withone another, sometimes closer some-times less so. Only the Dúnedain stay

apart and try to keep a very low profile.The Dúnedain’s protection against theoccasional threats from the Misty Moun-tains (as quoted in the beginning of thischapter) ensures that these relativelyweak and fragile communities can sur-vive. Given the relatively low level ofthreats, this works for about four centu-ries, after which the troubles begin toincrease.

Thus from ca. TA 1980 to ca. 2500we see a respite for a shattered and

much-reduced, but almost “normal” soci-ety after the downfall of Arthedain. Evenafter this, the area is relatively secure,although the Misty Mountains are dan-gerous ground again. This relativepeace—with the Hithaeglir swarmingwith orcs and Eriador itself relatively free—lasts until about TA 2740.

Aranarth deliberately set up this cha-rade to ensure the success to his strategyof acting from the shadows. The Dúne-dain worked indirectly, giving advice andrendering support but for the time beinghid their true identity from the survivingpeople of Arnor. Those close compan-ions from the war that were aware of hisline’s survival agreed to keep the secretin order to ensure the survival of thenorthern Dúnedain.

A handful of scattered areas withorganized settlements found togetherafter the war, and local chieftains as-sumed leadership of these communities.The Bree area is especially important, asit lies at one of Eriador’s most importantcrossroads. Thus it is among the greatestof the surviving communities (apart from

the Shire of course). Behind the scenes,the Dúnedain acted to ensure that thedevelopment of rulership of these com-munities followed Dúnadan interests asfar as possible. These new communitiesformed mainly in former Arthedain, butlocal communities in Cardolan survived(or were newly founded) as well. Refu-gees from the former Cardolan andArthedain founded several settlements inthe former Rhudaur, along the Mithei-thel valley. As mentioned above, the

Dúnedain were almost always on themove, but that holds true only for thoseof them that were seen by other men— the famous Rangers. The remainingDúnedain—male civilians, the old,women and children—are kept safe in afew havens with very limited contactwith the outside world. These had to besufficiently protected by able-bodied

After the fall of Arthedain in theFourth Northern War, Aranarth decidednot to try to re-establish his father’srealm. Instead he opted for a lower pro-file for the northern Dúnedain, actingincognito and from the shadows for theprotection of their former realm:

This passage allows both a re-enactable demographic development aswell as following the above statementabout the disintegration of the Dúnadanstate. Many people of Arthedain diedduring the last Northern War, due vari-ously to combat, persecution by Ang-marean forces, starvation, disease etc.

After the dust had settled followingthe war of 1974/75 and the campaign to

wipe out Angmar’s remains was plannedor already underway, the remnants ofthe Arthadan and “Cardolanian” societyre-ordered themselves. A lot leaving forGondor, but a substantial number stayingin their ancestral lands and re-establishing themselves as well as possi-ble. What both groups share is the beliefthat the line of kings had perished in thecourse of the war. We have to keep inmind that the overall population levelsbeyond the Shire were severely dis-

rupted, and calculated accordingly:

‘When the kingdom ended the Dúne-dain passed into the shadows and be-came a secret and wandering people,and their deeds and labours were seldomsung or recorded. Little now is remem-bered of them since Elrond departed. Although even before the WatchfulPeace ended evil things again began toattack Eriador or to invade it secretly,the Chieftains for the most part livedout their long lives.


Appendix A

“After Arvedui the North-kingdomended, for the Dúnedain were now fewand all the peoples of Eriador dimin-ished.”

― The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A




48

Apart from the date, we have to notethat the orcs renewed their attacks;implying that they had also attacked ear-lier (probably only on a much lesser scalethough). We have to conclude that driv-ing off attacks from the Mountains wasthe primary task for the northern Dúne-dain. Since the former threats weremuch less dangerous, the dispositions asbefore (e.g. up to TA 2740) were mostlysufficient to contain them before theycould wreak significant damage.

The most precise date for the mostcritical time in Arassuil’s time can befound in the History of Middle-earth series(also discussed in the revised timeline inOther Minds, Issue 11):

From all these passages it can be de-

duced that from the late 25th centuryonward, the increasing number of orcsmade the Misty Mountains hazardousagain. Eriador remained relatively safethough (at least the central and westernregions). It is in the mid-28th centurythat the most intense conflict raged withrepeated attacks from the mountains— and encompassing almost all of Eriador.

The timeline in TOR [11] mentionsthe increasing number of orcs as well,linking the establishment of the Wood-men stronghold of Mountain Hall withthis time (ca. TA 2480). Later on, thegrowing strength of Men and Dwarves innorthern Rhovanion (and especially theAnduin vales) made the Orcs look foreasier prey in Eriador. This is reminis-cent of the great and powerful alliance inthe first half of the Second Age. [12]

The Orc Invasions

As detailed in the last section, thefirst ca. 400 years after the end ofArthedain and the fall of Angmar wererelatively peaceful, leading to a stabiliza-tion of the mannish societies there. Thenthings began to go really badly, almost

leading to disaster. These often over-looked events in Eriador are pivotal forthe understanding of the Rangers’ role.The orcs as the primary threat toEriador’s security—especially sinceabout TA 2500—are documented in anumber of passages:

This is also closely connected withanother entry:

The timeframe of the most seriousassaults is more specified later:

The Crisis of the

late Third Age

This time is characterized by thegradual loss of almost all mannish settle-ments in Eriador. It highlights the vul-nerability of fragmented societies with-out a central authority to organized ex-ternal threats like natural disasters ormilitary attacks. The mid-28th centurymarks a particular watershed, as the frag-ments of the former mannish Arthadansociety are almost totally wiped out. Thisis indicated by two events in short suc-cession:

The Orc Invasions fromTA 2740-50

The Long Winter TA 2758/59

Later on, in the early 30th century,

we have another disaster which finishedoff the weakened remnants of the 28 th century:

The Fell Winter of TA 2911/12

‘In the days of Arahad I [r. 2455-2523] the Orcs, who had, as later ap- peared, long been secretly occupyingstrongholds in the Misty Mountains, soas to bar all the passes into Eriador,

suddenly revealed themselves. [...] And later in the days of Arassuil [r.

2719-2784], Orcs, multiplying againin the Misty Mountains, begin to rav-age the lands, and the Dúnedain andthe sons of Elrond fought with them. Itwas at this time that a large band cameso far west as to enter the Shire, andwere driven off by Bandobras Took.’


c. 2480 Orcs begin to make secretstrongholds in the Misty Mountains soas to bar all the passes into Eriador.Sauron begins to people Moria with hiscreatures.

—The Lord of the Rings. Appendix B

2740 Orcs renew their invasions ofEriador.

2747 Bandobras Took defeats anOrc-band in the Northfarthing.

—The Lord of theRings.Appendix B

36. 11. Arassuil [born] 2628 [lived]156 [died] 2784

In his time there was much war withOrcs that infesting the Misty Mountainsharried Eriador. The chief battles werein 2745-8. In 2747 the Periannath(Halflings) defeated a westerly ranging

force of the invaders that came down from the north into their land west ofBaranduin.

—The Peoples of Middle-earth.The Making of Appendix A




49

When the invasions subsided by TA2750, about one third of the formercommunities had been totally destroyed,their survivors having fled into the re-maining ones. The other two thirds ofthe communities had suffered seriouslosses of up to 50% of their numbers. Inthis context you have to be aware thatthese losses are not only due to directwar (e.g. people being killed by vio-lence), but also the threats coming withwar: Famine through lack of food whenthe fields are devastated and livestockkilled or stolen as well as lack of work-force to produce food. In addition, dis-eases are much more likely to causelosses among the weakened population.

The Dúnedain had learned their les-son too, recognizing that maintaining

distributed settlements invited disaster.In addition, their reduced numbers ne-cessitated even stricter protection oftheir own settlements. Thus over thefollowing 15 years they re-located theirhomesteads into the Angle, concentrat-ing their dwindling numbers relativelyclose to Rivendell, where their Chief-tains were raised and educated anyway.The Long Winter (see below) disruptedthe preparations for this process some-what, but not decisively.

me, and in most cases it was probably farless. This can be used as a base fromwhich to draw conclusions on the size ofthe population (taking into account thenecessity for non-combatant men andwarriors for other duties).

This combination of several factors

offers great potential for gaming anddiplomacy in this era. Since Eriadorlacked a central government, it is likelythat alliances had to be made between allthe communities to field “armies” of asize capable of defeating a major inva-sion. Since here we have a lot of conflict-ing interests (“Why are our men going toprotect the areas of other people? Theyshould stay here to protect our ownhomes!”), the Dúnedain were probablyvery active in brokering alliances against

the Orcs—sometimes successful, some-times less so.

Overall, the Orc wars of the 2740sshould be seen as a fight for sheer sur-vival. The orcs were often able to pene-trate deep into Eriador. The areas of theformer Arthedain north of the Shirewere especially hard hit. The communi-ties in eastern Eriador fared little better,lying closer to the invading forces. Onlythe area of Noddfa Rhaglaw, despiteserious losses, was able to hold its

ground. The Rangers suffered in a simi-lar way, with their distributed communi-ties not always being able to coordinatetheir efforts and thus suffering muchmore grievous losses than would havebeen necessary. We can also infer thatthe communities of the former Cardolanwere subject to serious attacks as well.An attack by a strong and well-organizedforce on the much-diminished remnantof once-great Tharbad sounds especiallyappealing and can be the highlight of an

epic gaming campaign. In all, this decadeoffers countless opportunities for heroesto prove themselves and stave off theadvancing forces of the Shadow—eventhough they are not directly controlledby Sauron or his powerful minions (e.g.a Nazgûl).

In a way, this century of conflict canbe seen as a “forgotten” war in the greatchronicles, too far away and “small” fromthe great events, but for the people ofEriador it was one for sheer survival— comparable to the deadly threat of Ang-mar in Arthedain’s days or Mordor’sthreat during the War of the Ring. Herethe Battle of Greenfields, where Bull-roarer Took defeated Golfimbul’s force,can be understood in the wider contextof these events. It was one orc band thatmanaged to slip past the defensive pe-rimeter (other probably did likewise, buttargeted other communities). Given thevastness of the possible invasion vectors,it is not hard to imagine that the Rangerswere unable to establish a sufficientlyfine-grained early-warning and intercep-tive system to get every incursion—andprobably not even all the greater ones— under control within eastern Eriador.Eriador always was extremely vulnerableto invasions coming from the northernpart of the Hithaeglir (primarily Gunda-bad and Mount Gram, as well as Goblin-gate to a lesser extent), with no protec-tion from natural barriers.

It is little surprise that at this time,relatively shortly before the War of theDwarves and Orcs (TA 2793-99) the

Orcs had vast numbers in the Hithaeglir.Accordingly, their raids must have beenreally dangerous and causing great loss oflife. Perhaps Azog (the likely king atMoria) was sending reckless and impetu-ous chieftains out so they could provethemselves. In addition, he could test thestrength of his enemies to the west anddiscern whether it would be feasible toget a secure hold there again after thedefeat of Angmar 800 years earlier.

In this context, we have to note that

battles had been fought in these years(TA 2745-48), implying a substantialnumber of combatants on both sides.This requires a sizeable population forthe Rangers to draw warriors from. Amaximum force of about 1,000 for theEriadorian forces (give or take perhaps200) and a specific battle seems right to






51

into Eregion and Enedwaith (red line andcrosses). It would also include the mouthof the Gwathló, which was—accordingto Tolkien—settled in the late ThirdAge. The quote above could then be seenas only meaning mannish settlementsstretching no further than 300 miles (100leagues) westward towards the Shire— with the noted exception of Bree. Thiswould make sense, as in the west, theperimeter enters the elvish and dwarvishlands around the Ered Luin.

The other option is to set the refer-ence near the center of the Shire (e.g.near Hobbiton; the dark blue cross andcircle).

We have to take another quote intoaccount though. In The Lord of the Rings,Boromir states:

In Gondor it was known that Imladrisexisted somewhere in the North, butwithout any further details. ThusBoromir set out on his journey, at firsthe travelled through Rohan where heprobably even got ready assistance in hismission. The difficulties began when heentered Enedwaith and headed for theruins of Tharbad—where he lost hishorse in the ford. At the latest here heneeded to seek for more precise infor-mation concerning the right direction toImladris from local people. These are

thus indirectly alluded to in the abovequote, but mostly Boromir was frus-trated, since no one knew where it lay.So, there must have been a number ofpeople he asked and who were unable tohelp him. On the other hand, there mustbe someone who pointed him to theright direction. It is not unlikely that oneof these latter was an incognito northernDúnadan (or a group of them).

After having forded Tharbad, we do

not know Boromir’s subsequent route.Following the Great Road is unlikely, asit would have brought him closer to Breeand the Shire, lengthening his journeyconsiderably. In addition, it is unlikelythat settlements worth mentioning(beyond the known ones) would befound this far west, given Tolkien’s “100leagues” statement. In my opinion it is

Map 2: “within 100 leagues of the Shire”

‘Loth was my father to give me leave,and long have I wandered by roads

forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond,of which many had heard, but few knewwhere it lay.'

—LotR.The Council of Elrond




52

and prevented the re-establishmentof large horse populations in Eriadorafter the fall of Angmar andArthedain. (continued after TA 1975,though progressively losing its deadli-ness over the next couple of centu-ries)

Crop and Herd blights: Normalailments of crops and herds werepartially “improved” by the Witch-king and his minions. These morepotent blights served as a major fac-tor in limiting the population growthbeyond the Shire after TA 1975.(same further development as theBloodeye Ravish)

The Hound Fire: Designed to killthe Arthadan hunting dogs used bythe Dúnedain against Angmar’s

wolves. It loses its potency similar tothe Bloodeye Ravish.

The Red Flux: A disease that espe-cially affected hobbits and preventedthe Shire population from overflow-ing and thereby “helping” to limit theHobbits’ settlement area to the origi-nal Shire Grant of TA 1600. (later onsame development as Bloodeye Ravish,but staying more potent over time)

Stream Fever : A disease affecting

herbivores and weakening their resis-tance to other ailments. (same de-cline as Bloodeye Ravish)

Wood-blights: These blights con-tributed to the phenomenon of un-naturally high level of deforestationin many areas of Eriador even afterhuman habitation was greatly re-duced and large areas depopulated.(same decline as Bloodeye Ravish)

In general, these blights become lesspotent and effective as time goes by, so

by the middle of the third millennium,many have lost most of their originalpower, depending on region. They stillare to be reckoned with in some places,though. In this time (e.g. post-2500 orso), they can be used as a good plot ele-ment for an adventure or whole cam-paign.

ment” offers much adventuring potential.In addition, the “Banes of Angmar” intro-duced in MERP’s Arnor: The Land pre-sented a well-devised way to explain thecontinued desolation and lack of signifi-cant recovery of Eriador by inventing anumber of low-powered and subtle (e.g.by observance most look and “feel” likeregular diseases and problems) magicalbanes that prevent Eriador from follow-ing “normal” development after TA1975. Some of these banes persist rightfrom the Great Plague in TA 1636 to thebeginning of the Fourth Age, while oth-ers were introduced only in the 19th cen-tury. Some may also have vanished afterthe fall of Arthedain. Although each indi-vidual ailment was not exceedingly lethalper se, every single bane weakened theFree Peoples’ ability to survive and theircollective effect was enough to prevent anormal recovery of Eriador (and espe-cially former Arnor). This interpretationseems very likely because it was theWitch-king’s sole mission to destroy theDúnedain of the North. In this contextthe devastation and defilement of theirland seems logical. The specific ailmentsare taken from MERP’s Arnor: The Land (see the same publication, p. 18pp. formore details). A short assessment of

their persistence is given in parenthesis: The Barrow-wights: Beside the

physical danger they represent, thesecreatures attack the Dúnedain’s spir-its by denying them access to thegraves and burial sites of their ances-tors upon the sacred Tyrn Hódhath.So their effect is highly psychological.(continued until the end of the ThirdAge)

The Amok Curse: Designed to dis-rupt the organization of Dúnadan

mages and destroy or at least seri-ously weaken their magical abilities.(vanished almost completely after theend of Arthedain)

The Bloodeye Ravish: A disease thatkills horses. It was very effective inrobbing the bulk of the Arthadanarmy in the 20th century of mobility

likely that he turned to the Gwathló val-ley. First, this way was probably easier totravel, and second, since riverways arethe most likely point to find settlementsin a foreign land. They provide water,easy transportation and additional food.

Returning to the “100 leagues”, a

placement of the reference point at aboutthe middle of the Shire (e.g. near Hobbi-ton), the radius would end before theGwathló and Mitheithel (though barelyso) and allow small mannish communi-ties in this area—perfect for the type ofsettlements Boromir hints at, and alsoallowing for the “barbarous fisherfolk” atthe mouths of the Gwathló.

Therefore I think it acceptable toplace this point in the area of Hobbitonand thus make both statements compati-

ble with each other.That Minhiriath, as a significant part

of old Cardolan, was not entirely devoidof people during the timeframe of TheLord of the Rings can be seen as well:

We have to note that it speaks of“lonely men”, which can mean trappersfor example, living alone in the wild.Their trading places to sell their goodsand get supplies would then be said man-nish settlements in the Gwathló/Mitheithel river valley. Thus the“emptiness” of Eriador should be seen as

referring to the absence of organizedsettlements. Lonely frontier-men ortrapper-like hamlets of individual men orfamilies, totally dependent on local sub-sistence and re-supplies along said riversare possible and very likely.

The quotes above set the standardwhen considering the population levelsafter TA 1975. This “Age of Abandon-

Thence they [the Nazgûl] rodethrough Minhiriath, and even thoughthey were not yet assembled a rumour ofdread spread about them, and the crea-tures of the wild hid themselves, andlonely men fled away.

—Unfinished Tales.The Hunt for the Ring




53

We see that the majority of the men-tioned Dúnadan dwelling places lieswithin the territory of the laterArthedain and the prominence of thesettlements along the Lhûn, Baranduinand Nenuial area is explicitly stressed(e.g. noted before the others). See Map3 on page 56 for a visual clue of the dis-tribution of settlement centers (not onlyfor the Númenóreans, but in general,though the Dúnedain are supposed to beconcentrated in the same areas as the“normal” men). I take the “hills of Rhu-daur” as to referring to the Trollshaws,and foothills of the Hithaeglir whereasthe realm’s river valleys were importantas well.

Following this thought, the majority

of the Dúnedain (perhaps c. 50%) mightinhabit areas of Arthedain, while Cardo-lan harbours 35% of the Dúnedain andRhudaur 15%. Additionally, a sizeableminority of Cardolan’s Dúnedain (e.g.about 20%) might be descended fromNúmenórean imperial colonists while inArthedain the majority is descendedfrom the Faithful settlers and Elendil’scompanions arriving with him after theDownfall of Númenor.6 So, despite hav-ing a lesser population than Cardolan,

Arthedain harbours a greater percentageof faithful Dúnedain and is stronger dueto a powerful central government and amore pure spiritual state.

After having evaluated these issues,how many Dúnedain are we talkingabout? We know that Elendil came withfour ships to Eriador (continued on nextpage):

Neither Minhiriath nor south-eastEnedwaith show any forest cover at allon the map of The Lord of the Rings, thusstrengthening the view that this is not a“complete” map. So, for our considera-tions we can safely infer that for exam-ple, there were some sizable forests inthese regions, but of course not nearly aswidespread as the old forests of the Sec-ond Age.

The People

The Dúnedain

In the context of this article it is ofimportance how many ethnic Dúnedainlive in the area of Eriador. Gunnar ad-dressed this question already in OtherHands, Issue 4, but a more detailed esti-

mation seems in order because theDúnedain are major protagonists in manyof Tolkien’s stories of north-westernMiddle-earth. Having evaluated generalpopulation issues, the question of howmany Dúnedain lived among the indige-nous population is of interest for thesocial, economic and military structureof all their respective realms. Unfortu-nately it is very difficult to answer.

Despite Arthedain’s supposedly ini-

tially small population (in comparison toCardolan) I think it’s quite reasonable todescribe it as the strongest Arnorian suc-cessor state because of the relativestrength of the Arthadan king. Tolkien’sstatement that the line of Isildur soonfailed in Rhudaur and Cardolan is also anindication of the relative weakness ofthese realms. It fits the old belief that thefortune of the king parallels the fortuneof the land in the figurative sense: whenthe line of kings fails, so does the realm.5

It is quite possible that Tolkien hadsomething similar in mind here as well.One has to note though that the totalpopulation levels and the percentages ofthe Dúnedain are not necessarily corre-sponding for the successor realms: Themost important quote on the matter ofArnorian population figures is foundhere:

The sum of these blights should besufficient to prevent any large-scale re-covery of Eriador until the beginning ofthe Fourth Age. The fall of Sauron wasaccompanied by a general lessening ofsupernatural evil influences and this ef-fect, coupled with new techniques andcures, enabled a recovery and return tonormal development for Eriador. Fol-lowing this line of thought, the banes lostalmost all of their power in the earlyyears of the Fourth Age. This will lead toa slow recovery as outlined in my articleThe Heirs of Elessar and the Fourth Age inOther Minds, Issue 9.

Here we have to consider an issue ofthe maps found mainly in The Lord of theRings and Unfinished Tales. This is thatthey are thematic and not “complete”.

They contain the information necessaryfor the lecture of the above mentionedbooks, but do not claim to be correct inthe level of every detail of, say, a mod-ern political or topographic map of Ger-many or the United States:

Thus we have to accept that theyshow only those parts of north-westernMiddle-earth’s geography that were rele-vant for the tales as narrated (or pro-vided in the Appendices). Missing infor-mation is more precisely identified else-where:

I may say that my son’s maps arebeautifully clear, as far as reduction inreproduction allows; but they do notcontain everything, alas!

—Letter #144 (April 25 1954)

The origin of the name Gwathló mustbe sought in history. In the time of theWar of the Ring the lands were still in places well-wooded, especially in Min-hiriath and in the south-east of Ened-waith; but most of the plains were grassland.

—Unfinished Tales.The Port of Lond Daer

...and his [Elendil’s] people dwelt inmany places in Eriador about thecourses of the Lhûn and Baranduin, buthis chief city was Annúminas beside thewaters of Lake Nenuial. At Fornostupon the North Downs also theNúmenóreans dwelt, and in Cardolan,and in the hills of Rhudaur;...

— The Silmarillion.Of the Rings of Power and the

Third Age




54

(or Texas plus Delaware),9 but Eriadoralready contained an indigenous popula-tion as well as Númenorean settlers andtheir descendants.

We learn in the Akallabêth and theLine of Elros that many Faithful emigratedfrom Númenór when persecution fromthe imperialistic kings began to threatentheir traditional way of life. Pelargir onthe Anduin became their chief haven in

Middle-earth. We also learn that theyemigrated because in north-westernMiddle-earth they could still speak withthe Eldar of Lindon, implying that a sub-stantial number of them settled inEriador—close to Gil-galad’s realm.Something similar was incorporated inMERP’s Arnor books, where the EmynUial are the primary area of settlementfor the Faithful in Eriador. An analysis ofNúmenórean demography shows that apopulation of up to 5,500,000

Númenóreans alive in SA 3319(including emigrants in the colonies) ispossible and not unrealistic (as far as youcan speak of “realism” in this context). Ifwe assume that the minority of the Faith-ful encompassed ca. 15% of the popula-tion,10 and that ca. 45% of these lived inMiddle-earth in SA 3319 (or remainedtrue in Númenor and arrived later withElendil and his sons), we can expect ca.380,000 faithful Dúnedain in Endor. Ofthese perhaps 210,000 might have lived

in the future Gondor11 while the restsettled in Eriador. The number of (pure)Arûwânai12 in Cardolan is much harderto assess, but a number of no more thanca. 12,000 seems justified.13 So we endup with ca. 170,000 Dúnedain in thearea of the future Arnor just after theAkallabêth. If we assume ca. 3 additional

than “lesser” men. The following Table 1lists approximate measures for Dúnedainand normal men. The Dúnadan heightmeasures have been extracted fromUnfinished Tales:

These Númenórean galleons (thesupposed ship type of Elendil and hissons), could carry about 700 to 800 peo-ple each in cramped conditions (see also[13]) Accordingly Elendil’s ships couldhave carried a maximum of ca. 3,200people.7 This excursus on marine tech-nology also offers an opportunity for thedecline of Númenórean knowledge thatTolkien explicitly stresses. In Arnor,

there was no longer any need for creat-ing such advanced ships after the fall ofNúmenor due to a lack of need for suchships. In addition, the northern realmnever was a major naval power.8 IfElendil’s ships were indeed built of woodinstead of steel (like the even biggerwindjammers) another quote from the Akallabêth is easy to understand:

The hulls as well as the masts andyards of windjammers were built of steeland when they were broken or severelydamaged at sea it was nearly impossibleto repair them without a shipyard. Incontrast wooden masts and yards could

receive at least makeshift repairs at seaand damaged ships made maneuverableand seaworthy again. In my opinion, thisis another hint for the type of ships avail-able to the Númenóreans.

Of course 3,200 people are insuffi-cient to form the new élite of a realmroughly the size of France plus Belgium

Now, the central question for theevaluation of the ship type used by

Elendil, a quote from the HoMe 12 is ofgreat help—unfortunately the only onewhere we get the precise description of aship type.

So, even in the closing years ofNúmenor’s existence, galleons are usedas a comparison to demonstrate thegreatness and size of Númenor’s ships.This is a good hint what kind of shipTolkien had in mind when he thought ofthe late Númenóreans and their maritimeachievements. See also my articleNúmenórean Maritime Technology in Other

Minds, Issue 2 for more details on thistopic.

In this context a comparison with thereal world is of great help. Real-worldgalleons were quite small compared tolater sailing ships (e.g. the steel-builtwindjammers), but carried quite a siz-able crew and complement: A great gal-leon from the beginning of the 17 th cen-tury had a displacement of about 1,000tons and a total complement (crew plus

soldiers & passengers) of about 500 men[5]. We have to consider that theNúmenórean galleons were probablyvery great compared to real historicalones (perhaps 1,500 tons on average)and that the Dúnadan ships had to be abit bigger for the same complement: Weknow that the Númenóreans were onaverage significantly taller and heavier

Race avg. male height height percentage avg. male weight weight percentage

Normal Men 1,70 m (5'7") 100% 70 kg (154 lbs.) 100%

Númenóreans 1,93 m (6'4") 114% 101 kg (222 lbs.) 144%

Table 1: Average body sizes of normal men and Númenóreans

“Nine ships there were: Four forElendil, and for Isildur three, and for Anárion two...”

—The Silmarillion.Akallabêth

“Therefore he [Ar-Pharazôn] began to prepare a vast armament for the assaultupon Valinor, that should surpass theone with which he had come to Umbareven as a great galleon of Númenorsurpassed a fisherman’s boat.”

—The Peoples of Middle-earth.

The Tale of Years of the Second Age (my emphasis)

“...;but the great wind took him[Elendil], wilder than any wind thatMen had known, roaring from the west,

and it swept his ships far away; and itrent their sails and snapped their masts,hunting the unhappy men like strawsupon the water.”

—The Silmarillion.Akallabêth




55

storey houses—and especially no wallsaround them.

Table 2 below lists the population forthe Shire area: TA 1640 shows the situa-tion after the 1409 war has devastatedthe region and the Great Plague shookthe new settlers (hence the population

nadir). Just 40 years ago, hobbits beganto immigrate into the Shire and the over-all population density is still very low.Only a fraction of the grant has yet beensettled due to a lack of people. On thefringes, a few areas are still settled by“big folk”, though these vanish within thenext century or so. In TA 1974 theFourth Northern War is impending andthe hobbits of the Shire have sufferedfrom the Red Flux which severely lim-ited the population growth as well as

urbanization. After the fall of Angmar,the hobbits fare much better and in TA2740 they have become prosperous. Theorcish invasions are imminent though,culminating in the Battle of Greenfieldsshortly after. Thereafter, the Long andthe Fell winters cause significant losses,but by c. TA 2941 the population levelof 2740 has been reached again and theShire has a fairly large population thoughstill relatively weakly urbanized— Hobbits are not a very urban folk.

line concerning ethnic background. As avery rough guideline, in the southernparts up to the Great East Road—as aconvenient, though necessarily imprecisedivider—people of “haladic” stock pre-dominate, while north of that“Marachians” and “Bëorians” are in themajority. In local areas this can—andwill—be different and is indicated wherenecessary.

Hobbits

The two passages above show wellhow Tolkien envisioned the situation inthe area at the time of the Hobbits’ set-tlement of the Shire.

After TA 1975 this “realm” wasamong the very few continually inhab-ited, organized areas in Eriador and de-serves special attention. UnfortunatelyTolkien never gives its exact boundaries

but its original area (without the West-march and Buckland) may be estimatedat c. 38,200 km2. It is assumed that hob-bit “cities” are smaller in number thanmannish ones, rarely exceeding 3,000individuals. In addition, their outlook ismuch different. You should not think of“classic” towns with walls and highhouses, but sprawling burrows, single-

generations with ca. 2% growth in each(the Númenóreans are notoriously slow-multiplying) until the War of the LastAlliance we have ca. 180,000 pure-blooded Dúnedain in Arnor. Factoring inthe losses in the war (it cost many livesof soldiers; all in all perhaps ca. 20% ofthe Dúnadan population), we end upwith ca. 154,000 Arnorian Dúnedain atthe outset of the Third Age—with a . Itseems that Arnor began its decline withthe end of the war, but ever after a de-feat of the Shadow there is always a— more or less brief—period of respite andbliss for the Free Peoples. In this mannerArnor could have seen a steady Dúnadanpopulation for perhaps the first two orthree centuries of the Third Age. After-wards their numbers begin to drop(albeit slowly at first).

The indigenous

mannish population

Despite the Dúnedain’s prominencein Tolkien’s writings the vast majority ofEriador’s population must be of indige-nous stock. Lalaith’s article in OtherHands, Issue 15/16 gives an excellentoverview of Tolkien’s thoughts concern-ing the indigenous population in Eriador.

It can be assumed that these peoplewere of varying stock: Northrons(“Marachian” and “Bëorian” people) andGwathuirim (“Haladic” people) form themajor ethnic groups. Until the foundingof Arnor their culture is not as highlyorganized and differentiated as theDúnadan realms, whereas afterwardsthey profit greatly from their Dúnadanoverlords and are supposed to have been“dúnedainized” in culture and to a greatpart identify themselves with the culture

and worldview of the ethnic Dúnedain.In this way the relatively few ethnicDúnedain obtained a mostly loyal popu-lation that remained true throughout theAge. So the Dúnedain were able to es-tablish—and defend—a lasting realm.

Concerning distribution in Eriador, itis probably justified to draw a certain

The land was rich and kindly, andthough it had long been deserted whenthey entered it, it had before been welltilled, and there the king had once hadmany farms, cornlands, vineyards, andwoods.

—The Lord of the Rings.Prologue

“For the country had once been aroyal park and hunting ground...Forthe land into which they had come,though now long deserted, had beenrichly tilled in days of yore, and therethe kings had once had many farms,cornlands, vineyards, and woods. Thisland they called the Shire...”

—The Peoples of Middle-earth.The prologue

Table 2: Supposed populationlevels in the Shire

Period total Hobbits urban

population

TA 250 120,500 - 5,700

TA 1400 46,100 - 2,200

TA 1640 40,000 35,000 3,200

TA 1974 145,300 145,300 8,900

TA 2740 272,500 272,500 22,900

TA 2915+ 273,200 273,200 23,600




56

Calculating population

levels in Eriador

For all calculations we have to keepone overarching and very importantpoint in mind, which is found in a note inTolkien’s treatise on the rivers andnames within Gondor:

On the maps, the demographic situa-tion is shown by two shades (see Map 3

for TA 250 below): The lighter one

represents the area that is essentiallyinhabited, though only sparsely (e.g. arelative low density). The darker shaderepresents the settlement centers, i.e.harbouring greater densities.

For each timeframe, the individualprincipalities of the realms are briefly

addressed in terms of demography andurbanization.

The sizes of the respective realms areessential to the evaluation of their popu-lation levels. Because of the significantdifferences in the maps found in The Lordof the Rings and MERP publications, Ibased the realms covered in this articleexclusively on the map from The Lord ofthe Rings. Obviously, the numbers willvary according to your choice in theplacement especially of the internal bor-

ders.

One of the most important points tomention concerns the changing of bor-ders. In the North Kingdom we are con-fronted with a continual process ofshrinking. Once-controlled lands fallwaste for a variety of reasons. In a fewcases, new land is settled as well, creat-ing new borders. Accordingly, the rulershave to cope with these changes, and there-drawing of both internal and externalborders is the consequence. Fiefs whichdecline to the point of being unable tosustain themselves independently will beabsorbed by their neighbours, eitherresulting in the merging of territories orthe migration of the population (over ageneration or two) until the old fief isabandoned. The former lords then willfind (or be given by the king) new of-fices/responsibilities or noble familiessimply become extinct.

Though none of the regions of theTwo Kingdoms were before (or after!)the Númenórean settlements densely populated as we should reckon it.

—Vinyar Tengwar , Issue #42.The Rivers and Beacon Hills

of Gondor

Map 3: Population densities in TA 250




57

To reflect these changes, borderswithin the realms change and cities/towns that once lay in one fief are now inanother. This complicates the tracking ofevents, but adds depth to the situation byavoiding depicting too stagnant or tooartificially predictable a course of devel-opment.14

Determining numbers

In Arnor: The Land , Cardolan at itspeak is assigned a greater population thanArthedain. This may be reasoned becauseof the latitude, geography and probablesoil quality of the two realms—all ofwhich are of vital importance to anagrarian (pseudo-) feudal society. Cardo-lan seems to be more blessed in theserespects (perhaps comparable to thesituation in southern England while mostof Arthedain might resemble the regionof Northumberland). Cardolan’s geo-graphical position also favors trade andfishing/whaling (see MERP’s NorthernWaste for more elaborate ideas on this)with the resulting revenues.

Gunnar’s article [8] gave numbers forseveral periods in Arnor’s history. Simi-larly, this article presents several popula-tion numbers.

TA 250: The peak demographic situa-tion of the united Arnor.

TA 861: The division of the realm;shown only in political terms with nopopulation counts.

TA 1400: Last years of the “GoldenAge” of the divided realms, compati-ble with the immediate pre-Kin-strifeera of Gondor.

TA 1640: Post-Great Plague; MERPstandard.

TA 1974: The final years ofArthedain.

TA 2740: The situation from the endof Arthedain to the orc invasions ofEriador and the deadly winters. Seealso Other Minds, Issue 10 for detailedinformation in a revised “Tale ofYears” on these events.

TA 2915+: The era of The Hobbit andThe Lord of the Rings as well as TORand LotRRPG standard.

Since the MERP ‘canon’ often hadgood approaches to world-building ques-tions, these were double-checked andretained when deemed reasonable.

Where available, content from TOR hasbeen integrated as well (especially con-cerning the tumults of the mid-28th cen-tury). The LotR RPG did not produceany supplements or information for thetopic of this article that I know of. Theassignment of names and populationnumbers to towns/cities in this article isa three-tiered process: firstly existingtowns/cities as described by Tolkien areassigned population numbers that seemreasonable. In a second step, settlements

found in Arnor: The Land have been givenappropriate numbers (though this oftenleads to divergences from numbers pre-sented in Arnor: The Land ). For this, onlynames have been retained without con-cern for the MERP canon as such.Thirdly, new towns/cities are inventedwhere deemed reasonable.

The divergence from the numbers aspresented in Arnor: The Land might beregrettable but on the other hand MERPis officially long dead (even though it still

has a sizeable fan-community). Taking upits good ideas is reasonable though, andopens up the opportunity to use the ex-isting descriptions and story hooks forthese places.

All the necessary information is pro-vided here—you do not need any of thementioned gaming supplements to usethe information in this article. For thosewho have come to Middle-earth gamingmore recently and who do not have ac-cess to these supplements, this approachoffers the advantage of not relying oninformation that may be hard—or ex-pensive—to come by.

If we follow the structure of urbani-zation of medieval Europe the majorityof the cities would be relatively small.The average size for a city might be ataround 4,500 inhabitants.

The following key shows the assign-ment of symbols for settlements of vary-ing sizes:

In order to avoid overt errors in plac-ing cities and assigning inhabitants, weshould consider which factors favor thedevelopment of a city:

The most important prerequisite isthe geographic location: fords, bridges,crossroads, etc. are primary sites for theestablishment of a town or city becausetravellers of all kind (must) concentratehere and tax collecting and business isprofitable and very easy to conduct. Forexample, a river is the prime location for

building a city. A river provides the onlyviable transport capability for massgoods, source of water and waste re-moval. In addition bridges or fords, asnatural chokepoints, favor trade.

Second, existing small settlements(villages, towns) grow because of favor-able conditions (good soil, easy traffic,tax exemption, etc.).

Third, keeps and castles of lordsmight attract settlers because of the rela-

tive security these nearby fortificationsoffer. Of course this is only valid whenthe general political situation is relativelyunsafe and the possibility of war threat-ens the settlement. The right to fortify acity however, is a granted privilege(generally from the king) and it goeswithout saying that the wielding of thisprivilege is a powerful tool in the handsof a monarch.

All these factors have to be kept inmind when assigning cities and popula-

tion levels in Arnor.




58

910,000, 915,000 or 920,000 resi-dents. The scale remains the same,and all deviations herefrom can beseen as regular demographic errors(e.g. because of the inaccuracy ofcounts).

Important Note: Please keep in mindthat all the numbers calculated in thismanner should be seen as approxi-mate; numbers are not intended tobe correct to the last digit. Thespeculative nature of this subject sug-gests the numbers should be used as aguideline for the scale you are operat-ing in. For example, it is not impor-tant whether a given realm has

The following formula (from [7]) wasused to estimate the population levels.The coastlines are—where applicable— integrated into the formula. To differen-tiate the “real” area from the “calculated”one (e.g. accounting for fishing), thecoastline as a factor is added separately.All distances and areas are given in kilo-meters and square kilometers, respec-tively.

( )( ) ⎟ ⎠

⎞⎜⎝

⎛ +×××⎟

⎠

⎞⎜⎝

⎛ −×⎟

⎠

⎞⎜⎝

⎛ −××+=

1001

1001

100110

URBAN DENSITY YIELD

WASTE WILDCOASTLINE AREA POPULATION

The abbreviations in the formula used above are:

POPULATION = the total population of the realm

AREA = total land area of the realm/region

WILD = uninhabited land as a percentage of the total area: 20% is small, 40% is normal, 60% is bigWASTE = on inhabited land, area unusable for agriculture, (march, mountains, etc.) as % of total area: 10% is small, 20% is normal, 40% is big

YIELD = relative yield acquired from the land: 1.0 is normal, 0.5 is poor and 1.5 is great. Yield depends on a number of factors: crop, land quality, agricultural

techniques and climate. Of these, the first three tend to stay relatively constant over a short time period, but the weather may vary a lot from year to year

while climatic changes are slower in coming. DENSITY = reference population density per km2 in reference situation: no wasteland, no uninhabited land, yield=1. Density depends on the subsistence type

of the culture. You can also figure the effect of technology and crop cycles in here. Some useful numbers are: Nomad: 2/km2

Semi-nomad: 4/km2

Semi-sedentary: 20/km2

Sedentary: 20-40/km2 URBAN = extra people, i.e. specialists, leaders and urban population, living from the surplus of the rural population as a percentage. This depends on the

margin of living, but typically not directly, as leaders and other specialists will require more food (i.e. resources) to sustain themselves than rural people.

Of course, their work is valuable in increasing the extracted crop yield. Anyway, here are some figures for urban populations one could use:

Nomadic: 0%

Early Farming: 5%Standard Farming: 10%

This section provides you with anoverview of the overall population andurbanization structure for Eriador andsettlements mentioned in this article. Inthe section for each era, you’ll get more

Table 3: Overview of total Eriadorian population figures throughout the Third Age

area (km2) number of towns/cities with inhabitants

era

lightly

settled

densely

settled total

in rural

areas in cities total

overalldensity

(per km

2

)

up to

2,500

2,501-

5,000

5,001-

10,000 10,001+ total TA 250 475,100 232,100 707,200 4,744,100 437,200 5,181,300 7.33 24 72 12 2 110

TA 1400 363,400 230,200 593,600 4,634,700 429,700 5,064,400 8.53 22 81 10 2 115

TA 1640 259,000 128,400 387,400 2,467,600 205,900 2,673,500 6.90 48 28 2 1 79

TA 1974 233,900 118,700 352,600 2,252,300 210,200 2,462,500 6.98 57 29 2 0 88

TA 2740 63,100 27,800 90,900 648,200 63,000 711,200 7.82 53 3 0 0 56

TA 2915+ 36,200 22,100 58,300 490,800 46,700 537,500 9.22 31 0 0 0 31

population

detailed layouts for the area and periodin question. The numbers are those cal-culated with the formula mentionedabove and rounded to the nearest hun-

dred. They must be seen as an approxi-mation still and treated accordingly.

The key data for the demographics isshown in the Table 3 below.

Overview of numbers




59

To represent the supposedly rela-tively low population of Arnor I choserather high averages for “wild” and“waste” areas, relative low yields andfairly low densities. Together these fac-tors result in acceptable population fig-ures for Eriador.

In this time, the territories of thefuture Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaurare not identical with the internal Arno-rian fiefdoms, since there were somechanges when Arnor split.

Map 4 below shows the internal po-litical division of the realm, while Map11 depicts the urbanization in this pe-riod.

The key demographic data can beseen in the Table 3 on the previous page.

that at the time of The Hobbit and TheLord of the Rings, the Breeland area wasless populated than in former times. Thiscoincides well with its strategic locationalong the most important crossroads inEriador, suggesting a sizeable populationin times when there was much moretraffic due to a general habitation ofEriador by men.

The 250 years since the end of theWar of the Last Alliance should beenough time to recover from the after-math of the war, but there was no fur-ther growth and the numbers might re-flect the state of those before the con-flict. It should be around this time thatthe realm reaches its demographic peakin the Third Age.

TA 250

The quote above holds crucial infor-mation, i.e. the changing size of settle-ments (here Bree and environs) as well asthe fact that former settlements haveindeed disappeared, thus reflecting thechange of demographics. It also tells us

Most of their [the Hobbits’] earliersettlements had long disappeared andbeen forgotten in Bilbo’s time; but oneof the first to become important stillendured, though reduced in size; thiswas at Bree and in the Chetwood that

lay round about, some forty miles eastof the Shire.


Map 4: Fiefdoms and Provinces TA 250




60

where Elendil awaited Gil-galad’s arrivalfor the Last Alliance and which holds thechief of the northern palantíri. Its mostdensely settled lands are found along andsouth of the Great East Road.

Faerdor

This province along the upper

Gwathló and southern Tyrn Hyarmen isa prosperous region with the populationconcentrated in the Gwathló basin. Fivecities can be found in Faerdor. Manypeople of Marachian descent make theirhome here. Their lords came here evenbefore Elendil escaped the destruction ofNúmenor.

Minhiriath

This central province is named afterthe region it is located in. Its strategiclocation along the Great Road to Thar-bad makes it a wealthy and well-tendedone. This is another province run by agovernor appointed by the king. Six cit-ies are found here.

Dol Caladir

A rich province along the middleGwathló, south of Tharbad. Five majorsettlements can be found here. It is ad-ministered by House Caladir, a family ofNúmenórean settlers that pre-datedElendil’s arrival.

Ethir Gwathló

This is one of the two most populousprovinces in southern Arnor. It com-mands the lower Gwathló and is home toseven cities. Its lords come fromNúmenórean settlers that arrived here inthe 29th century of the Second Age.

Girithlin

Girithlin—ruled by the family of thesame name—is among the strongest andmost populous of Arnor’s noble territo-

ries. The Girithlins were amongElendil’s most loyal but also militantsupporters from the already establishedNúmenórean lordships. Since then, theyhave become more independent-mindedlords. Situated along the lower Baran-duin, it has a strong population and thir-teen cities can be found within its bor-ders.

Age) is one of the most central anddensely settled regions of the NorthKingdom. It is administered by the kingdirectly. The enclave of Annúminaswithin Tarmëan lands belongs to the NanTúrath. It also includes the Tyrn Hód-hath, the ancient burial grounds of thekings and their edainic ancestors. Elevencities can be found within its borders.

Sûza Aran (Shire)

The territory of the future hobbitishShire is a royal domain, dotted withwell-tended lands, though the populationdensity is not very high. Only three citiesare found within its borders.

Siragalë

This southwestern fief of Arnor isamong the least settled of the realm. Itspleasant lands are often traversed byWandering Companies and include sev-eral places where the Elves have semi-permanent dwellings. In addition, itkeeps close ties with the Dwarves of thesouthern Blue Mountains. The domain isruled by the Orro family which arrivedwith Elendil. Only two mannish citiescan be found in this fief.

Sarn Athrad

The principality of Sarn Athrad com-mands the most important road into

western Arnor. Therefore it is a well-offland with many people and harbours fourcities. It is ruled by the Emerya familywhich originated from Númenórean set-tlers that arrived here in the 32nd centuryof the Second Age. A bridge was built atthis river-crossing in SA 3330, and thatlasted almost the entire Third Age.

Hyarromenya

This fief, nestled between the Baran-duin river and the Blue Mountains, is one

of Arnor’s lesser regions. Though few,its lords of the Hyarromenya family havea reputation as one of Arnor’s finestFaithful. They came with Elendil to thisland. Only two cities can be found in thisprovince.

Emyn Sûl

Another royal domain, the Emyn Sûlprovince is of great importance, since itcommands the tower of Amon Sûl,

Arnor

Eketya

This fiefdom is ruled by the powerfulEketya family. Its origin is as the terri-tory of one of Elendil’s great captainsand has a long military tradition. It com-mands the north-westernmost area of

Arnor, keeping contacts with the Foro-chel area as well as with the remainingDwarves in the north of the Blue Moun-tains. The fief harbours six towns.

Noirinanya

The Noirin family is one of the clos-est to the throne, even though they hadalready settled in this land around SA2950, when persecution of the Faithfulwas already strong. Traditionally, theylean toward a less martial and more phi-

losophical policy, preferring the occa-sional company of the Eldar and preserv-ing the old Númenórean virtues. Theirterritory is home to fertile and well-ordered lands graced by seven cities andtowns.

Tarmëa

The Tarmëa family, like their rivalsthe Eketya, are of the more pragmaticfaction within the Númenórean nobility.They favour a strong and powerful policyof rule over the “lesser” people and per-

sist among the most renowned militarycontingents of the realm. They are de-scended from one of Elendil’s ship cap-tains. Their territory contains six towns.

Rammas Forn

The province of Rammas Forn is heldby the Foro family, one of Elendil’s clos-est supporters that arrived with him inMiddle-earth. Their territory guards themajority of the northern border of Ar-nor. Though the biggest territory of the

Arnorian fiefs, it is very sparsely settled.Accordingly, only four towns are foundin it.

Nan Túrath

The Nan Túrath (so called as it in-cludes the sites of Númenórean victoriesin the war against Sauron in the SecondAge—and later Angmar in the Third




61

Dor-en-Egladil

The “Land of the Elf-point”, or com-monly called “The Angle” is the mostdensely populated region in eastern Ar-nor. It is ruled by the House of Melossë,descended from the captain of one ofElendil’s ships. Four small and medium-

sized cities can be found here.

The following Table 4 summarizesthe various fiefs and provinces of therealm in TA 250, together with theirruling families.

Hithaeglir Harad

The southern Misty Mountains prov-ince is hardly more populated than itsnorthern neighbour. Only the existenceof several rich mines’ revenues within itsborders give it a greater importance.Two small cities are the centers of this

fief ruled by a family that arrived in Mid-dle-earth in the 31st century of the Sec-ond Age.

Cameth Brin

This is one of the two most populousregions in eastern Arnor. The fief is ad-ministered by a royal governor—theonly one in eastern Arnor. Its capital,Cameth Brin, is the biggest city in thewhole of eastern Arnor. Altogether,three cities can be found in the province.

Dyr Maenason

The southern province bearing thename of the Maenas family lies in east-central Arnor. The ruling family stemsfrom Faithful that came with Elendil overthe Sea. Along the Gwathló and Mithei-thel, sizeable communities can be found.

The land west of it is relatively emptyindeed though. Three cities of moderatesize can be found within the borders ofthis fief.

Dyr Erib

The province bearing the name of“Lone Lands” is quite lonely throughoutthe Númenórean rule. Even though foursmall cities are found here, the overallpopulation density is quite low— especially for a region lying not on thefringe of Northern Realm. Its lords come

from Númenórean Faithful that emi-grated under Ar-Gimilzôr’s persecu-tions.

Dyr Eldanaryon

The “Eldanar Lands” are among thewildest fiefs of all of Arnor. Even thougha large province by area, it is only lightlysettled. The Eldanar family belonged toElendil’s companions when he returnedto Middle-earth. Most of its inhabitantslive in the northern part, the indigenous

“Bórian” people—the original inhabitantsof this area that later is the core of Ang-mar. The Dúnadan grip on the territoryis light and Minas Eldanaryaron—theruling family’s seat—marks the limit ofDúnadan settlement. The influence inthe northern areas is modest at best,even though the people do not rebelagainst their rarely-seen lords. Five mod-est cities dot the area of this fief.

Hithaeglir Forn

This is a true frontier province, al-most empty of men and with a very lightimpact of Númenórean overlordship.The ruling Dúnadan family stems fromsettlers pre-dating the Akallabêth. Twosmall cities can be found here, and onlyin the southern part of the fief.

Table 4: Supposed origin of Ruling Dúnadan Houses

fief/province ruled by

settled in Eriador

pre-Akallabêth post-Akallabêth

1 Eketya Noble House (Eketya) ×

2 Noirinanaya Noble House (Noirinin) ×

3 Tarmëa Noble House (Tarma) ×

4 Rammas Forn Noble House (Foro) ×

5 Nan Túrath Royal Province

6 Sûza Aran Royal Province

7 Siragalë Noble House (Orro) ×

8 Sarn Athrad Noble House (Emerya) ×

9 Hyarromenya Noble House (Hyarromenyar) ×

10 Emyn Sûl Royal Province

11 Faerdor Noble House (Galathir) ×

12 Minhiriath Royal Province

13 Dol Caladir Noble House (Caladir) ×

14 Ethir Gwathló Noble House (Gunion) ×

15 Girithlin Noble House (Girithlin) ×

16 Dyr Maenason Noble House (Bengoth) ×

17 Dyr Erib Noble House (Denelaith) ×

18 Dyr Eldanaryon Noble House (Eldanar) ×

19 Hithaeglir Forn Noble House (Húnen) ×

20 Hithaeglir Harad Noble House (Endril) ×

21 Cameth Brin Royal Province

22 Dor-en-Egladil Noble House (Melossë) ×

#




62

Urban Centers

Map 5: Urbanization in TA 250

1. The river crossing between the principal cities (and the accompanying traffic) in Arthedain would be very likely to give rise to a city, ratherthan the small village mentioned in [3].

2. Such an important site (the river crossing of the Great East Road) is very likely to harbour a city. It opens the opportunity to collect bridgetax, a very important source of income for any lord or other authority.

3. Again, like at Iant Baranduin this important crossing is very likely to give rise to the development of a large settlement. During the time ofArnor/Arthedain there might even be a bridge present. Tolkien mentions this site only during times before or after Arnorian rule (duringthe War of the Elves and Sauron in UT and in LotR respectively). Being an important river crossing for a major trade route a bridge is verylikely to be built by Arnor. After the fall of Arthedain the bridge could have been destroyed or fallen into disrepair and eventually collapsedsuch that by the time of LotR there is again only a ford.

4. This city is also the regional center for the fortress of Amon Sûl. The latter, being a big fortress, has need of many services only a city canoffer and a Cardolanian city filling this role fits very well with the complicated politics concerning the possession of Amon Sûl (the mainsource of strife among the Sister Kingdoms). It also strengthens the relations between the realms and introduces a believable economical andsocial background for an otherwise lonely, big fortress.

Notes to Table 5 on the next page






64

Faerdor – ceded some territory toTyrn Hódhath

Minhiriath – ceded some terri-tory to Tyrn Hódhath. Minhiriath isthe only territory held and con-trolled directly by the king. Thisgives him a weaker position than his

Arthadan counterpart, who directlycontrols a much higher percentageof his own realm.

Dol Caladir

Ethir Gwathló

Girithlin – its rulers were amongthe most vocal in support of thesecession, thereby increasing theirown influence in the now smallerkingdom.

Rhudaur

The smallest of the successor king-doms comprises the following fiefs:

Dyr Eldanarion – exchanged afew areas with Rammas Forn. It losta good part of its densely populatedareas to the indigenous people tothe north who became independentthemselves.

Dún Glandagol – the former DyrErib. It lost a small part of its terri-

tory to Cardolan. Renamed to sepa-rate themselves from the Cardolanihírdor of (now) Dyr Erib and estab-lish their own identity

Cameth Brin – the royal domainof the Rhudaurian king.

Hithaeglir Forn – similar to theEldanar lands, it lost a great part ofits territory, leaving the remaindercrippled.

Hithaeglir Harad

Dor-en-Egladil

realm, its kings were probably alwayslooking for potential support. For thisreason, they were from the beginninginterested in good relations with thepeople north of their realm as well as theAnduin vales beyond the Hithaeglir. Dueto the favourable start (in granting themindependence), relations with the“Bórians” in the North were probablyquite good overall. This would later playan important role, especially during andafter the rise of Angmar.

Map 6 on the following page depictsthe political division after the breakup ofArnor.

Arthedain

The new realm incorporates the fol-lowing fiefs. Where applicable, changesare noted.

Eketya

Rammas Forn

Noirinanya

Tarmëa – Royal Annúminas en-clave added to its territory

Nan Túrath – see Tarmëa for An-núminas, Bree area added fromEmyn Sûl

Emyn Sûl – territory south of theGreat East Road ceded to Cardolan,

Bree area ceded to Nan Túrath Sûza Aran

Siragalë

Sarn Athrad

Hyarromenya

Cardolan

This successor realm of Arnor has thefollowing fiefs. Changes to TA 250 arenoted accordingly.

Tyrn Hódhath – a newly createdhírdor from parts of former NanTúrath, Emyn Sûl, Faerdor andMinhiriath

Dyr Erib – mostly unchanged fromDyr Maenason, but named waschanged to emphasize claims to theold Dyr Erib lands. Also gained alittle territory from Dyr Erib southof the Great East Road

TA 861

For this period no demographic datais provided. It is only included for thereference of the new borders after thesplit of the kingdom. In most cases, theformer fiefs have been incorporated fullyinto one of the new realms, but for a few

borders that have changed. One impor-tant change took place in the North-east,near to the new realm of Rhudaur asreported by Tolkien:

As we have seen above, at its heightArnor reached unto the Misty Moun-tains—presumably even in the FarNorth—but now Rhudaur’s northernborder ends at the Ettenmoors, south ofthe more southerly of the westwardspurs of the Misty Mountains. We haveto find a solution for Rhudaur not inher-iting all of Arnor’s north-eastern lands.

In my opinion, the most logical solu-

tion is a further secession. The “bórian”people of the future Angmar (see OtherMinds, Issue 7 for more information onthese people) were even at Arnor’sheight only lightly under Númenóreancontrol. Now, with a split and strife be-tween the Númenórean lords, these locallords took advantage of the situation.Perhaps they approached the future Rhu-daurian king with the offer of supportinghim strongly in the still undecided seces-sion from Arnor (thus giving him a

greater weight for his demands), but inreturn they demanded independencefrom the new realm. Seeing the relativeweakness of the eastern lands, the futureRhudaurian king and its other lords thereagreed. Thus when Rhudaur became aseparate realm, so did his temporarysupporters in the north. Due to the factthat Rhudaur was the weakest successor

Rhudaur was in the North-east andlay between the Ettenmoors, theWeather Hills, and the Misty Moun-tains, but included also the Angle be-tween the Hoarwell and the Loudwater.





65







67





68

Emyn Sûl

These lands have suffered the most inthe past five centuries. They have beenthe scene of many of the battles of thesister kingdoms as well as the FirstNorthern War with Angmar. Threetowns and cities are the remnants of its

urban communities.Noirinanya

The decline in the relatively stableNoirinanya fief has been limited and sixcities still dot the landscape here.

Tarmëa

This fief has prof-ited from the incor-poration of the for-mal royal enclavearound Annúminas,

and therefore itspopulation has evenincreased. Sevencities are nowcounted within itsborders.

Rammas Forn

The Foro familyhas fared badly in thepast decades. In par-ticular, the rise ofAngmar has led togreat territoriallosses. Since theseterritories weremostly lightly set-tled, the number ofpeople has not de-clined to the sameextent. Two citiesstill exist in theselands.

Nan Túrath

The core terri-tory of the Arthadanking has fared quitewell in the yearssince the unity ofArnor and the parti-tion in TA 861, andstill is home toeleven cities.

Arthedain

Arthedain has already suffered fromthe decline of the northern Dúnedain butstill stands strong. The internecine war-fare with Cardolan and Rhudaur after thedivision of Arnor and lately the rise ofAngmar with the slow worsening of the

climate in Eriador caused the populationto fall slightly. The population and ur-banization has decreased noticeably, butthis process took place early after thesplit of Arnor and since then the demo-graphic trends have remained relativelystable.

The following quote contains someindirect information about a part ofArthedain: the later Shire:

We have to consider the approximatetimeframe of this “long” desertion of thefuture Shire. I think it reasonable to con-nect it with the war of TA 1409, whenAngmarean hordes ravaged it, perhapsfollowed by pestilences and famine. Thusthis “emptiness” of the area is not repre-

sented on the maps in this article, whichdepict times before (pre-TA 1400) andafter (post-TA 1601) this period of deso-lation.

The number of Dúnedain has percep-tibly dropped since TA 250. Throughimmigration of exiled RhudaurianNúmenóreans this decline has been mod-erated and the percentage of Dúnedainremained relatively stable.

Eketya

The Eketya lands have shrunken con-siderably. The reduction of territory isentirely due to the losses of little-settledlands in the north. Accordingly, thedemographic impact has been small. Theimmediate contact with the northernDwarves has been lost though. Five citiesstill exist in this fief.

Sûza Aran (Shire)

This fief of the king has seen muchbetter times. A lot of people have re-located to other parts of the realm andthe population is dwindling fast. Twosmall towns are all that remain of theurban centers here.

SiragalëHere little changes took place. The

wars of the past five centuries have beenfar away and the fief’s two cities are es-sentially unchanged.

The land [The Shire-to-be] was rich

and kindly, and though it had longbeen deserted when they [the Hobbits]entered it…


# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #

1 Bareketta (Mar Eketyaron) Eketya 4,900 Ek1

2 Arading Eketya 3,400 Ek2

3 Bodroth Eketya 3,600 Ek3

4 Faranel Eketya 3,000 Ek4

5 Rildolach Eketya 1,000 Ek7

6 Nielros Emyn Sûl 2,500 ES4

7 Mirion Emyn Sûl 2,300 ES5

8 Arduin Emyn Sûl 1,600 ES7

9 Minas Hyarrómenyaron Hyarromenya 3,400 Hy1

10 Oromruin Hyarromenya 3,800 Hy2

11 Fornost Erain Nan Túrath 14,500 NT2

12 Aradhras (Kingscrag) Nan Túrath 5,500 NT3

13 Athilin Nan Túrath 4,400 NT4

14 Anglor Nan Túrath 4,300 NT5

15 Barad Garan Nan Túrath 3,500 NT6

16 Endroth Nan Túrath 5,200 NT7

17 Fanduin Nan Túrath 4,100 NT8

18 Andrin Nan Túrath 4,500 NT9

19 Ganderch Nan Túrath 3,600 NT10

20 Maegoth Nan Túrath 2,900 NT1121 Bree Nan Túrath 4,600 NT12

22 Ambon Noirinanyaron Noirinanya 4,700 No1

23 Nelvorin Noirinanya 3,500 No3

24 Nothros Noirinanya 4,200 No4

25 Caras Celairnen Noirinanya 4,000 1 No5

26 Bauruin Noirinanya 3,100 No6

27 Lelmoth Noirinanya 3,300 No7

28 Cerin Balgrist Rammas Forn 3,700 RF1

29 Thaendor Rammas Forn 3,200 RF4

30 Iant Baranduin Sûza Aran 1,000 SûA1

31 Nirmolian Sûza Aran 1,200 SûA2

32 Annúminas Tarmëa 2,500 Ta7

33 Mar Tarmëaron (Tarmabar) Tarmëa 4,700 Ta1

34 Enerond Tarmëa 3,700 Ta3

35 Rood/Rhovanduin Tarmëa 3,500 Ta4

36 Cargilin Tarmëa 3,100 Ta5

37 Orchelor Tarmëa 2,700 Ta6

38 Dúragar Tarmëa 3,700 Ta2

39 Iach Sarn/Stonehill Sarn Athrad 4,800 SA1

40 Minas Ongoth Sarn Athrad 3,200 SA2

41 Nelval Sarn Athrad 3,600 SA3

42 Enerond Sarn Athrad 2,100 SA4

43 Edhelas Siragalë 2,600 Si1

44 Endrist Siragalë 3,600 Si2

Table 7: Urban centers in Arthedain TA 1400

The notes to Table 7 can be found on the next page.




69

Sarn Athrad

No changes in territory or number ofcities has occurred here. Four towns andcities are still the urban part here.

Hyarromenya

Similar to the other “southern” fiefs,the situation has been quite stable. Twotowns represent the continued urbantradition here.

Urban Centers

Notes to Table 7 on previous page

1. Commanding a favorable position on the Lune and ostensibly being Arthedain’s prime harbour, Caras Celairnen seems a bit under-populated with the ICE number of 1,500 people. I therefore propose to radically upgrade the population to reflect the importantrole this settlement has in western Arthedain (lying at the junction between dwarvish, elvish and mannish realms/settlements). It isnot a major port due to the Lindon Elves’ refusal to allow the traffic of a great port to pass through their lands (see [4] for details)but it should serve as the principal center of commerce and im-/export for western Arthedain just as Tharbad does for Cardolan andEnedwaith (though Caras Celairnen operates on a much smaller scale of course).

The Map 8 to the right showsthe urbanization of Arthedain inTA 1400 with the other areasgrayed out for differentiation.The numbers correspond directlywith those in Table 7 on the pre-vious page.

Map 8: Urbanization in Arthedain TA 1400




70

Cardolan

Cardolan has fared better thanArthedain in demographic terms (notnecessarily political, see MERP’s Arnor books for suggestions how this can beenvisioned). The population is stillstrong and the better soil quality and

greater distance from Angmar has miti-gated the Witch-king’s influence on agri-cultural yield (the central factor forpopulation development). Even moreDúnedain from Rhudaur went to Cardo-lan than to Arthedain and accordinglytheir percentage within the populationremained stable; similar to Arthedain.

There’s an interesting sidenote byTolkien, shedding some new light on thepolitical situation at this time:

This provides some very interestinginformation. First we see that Rhudaur isexplicitly named as the single enemywhile Angmar is remarkably not named.This might be because of a perceived“domestic affair” among the successorrealms. It was then only in the ensuingwar that Angmar featured prominentlyas a supporter of Rhudaur. The mostimportant part is about the claim ofArgeleb though. It is pointed out thatonly Rhudaur resisted the claim. Theconspicuous absence of Cardolan amongthe “resisters” immediately suggests thatthis realm accepted the claim. Since we

know that there was a “prince” of Cardo-lan (indicating a lord of lesser status, butstill a ruler), who fell in the war of 1409,we have a problem though. If the realmwould have been incorporated again intoa partially reunited Arnor, there wouldbe no need for a separate “prince”. Thismight be resolved by devising an inter-mediate solution: The Cardolanian

prince (already not of Isildur’s directline, but perhaps a distant cadet branchnot deemed of the necessary purity forkingship by Arthedain) accepted Arge-leb’s claim, becoming his vassal and deiure subordinate, but de facto still rulingCardolan as a separate realm, even if herecognized Argeleb as overlord.

The political situation at the timemight not have allowed closer re-integration, and later events precludedany further—even partial—Arnorian re-unification. The situation probablylooked very favorable for Argeleb: Car-dolan—the stronger and better re-sourced sister-kingdom by far—acceptedhis overlordship, and only the weak Rhu-daur with a new—non-Dúnadan—kingresisted. The expulsion of the Dúnedain

alone would have been a cause—not tospeak of a pretext—for war. The Anglesupposedly defies the Rhudaurian king aswell, and only the relatively new and— presumably—weak realm of Angmarmight side with Rhudaur. This arrange-ment probably led Argeleb to the con-clusion that the time was ripe for a finalre-unification of Arnor underArthedain’s leadership. As it turned out,history took a quite different paththough.

Due to this “semi-independence” ofCardolan since Argeleb’s claim ca. 50years ago, the political map for TA 1400has Cardolan hatched to show its specialpolitical status with respect to Arthedain.

Tyrn Hódhath

This hírdor is still among the strongestin Cardolan. Its control of the sacredTyrn Hódhath as well as the central partof the Great East Road and the NorthRoad still makes it a strong fief. Six

towns and cities remain within its bor-ders.

Its territory south of the Great EastRoad is later to be of crucial importance.It is what Aragorn refers to when he col-lected athelas to treat Frodo’s wound onWeathertop:

Since Aragorn was away for a fewhours at most, he cannot have gone too

far to find the athelas. Therefore I deemit appropriate to place the Dúnedain’sdwellings south of the Road, near theabove mentioned thickets in the vicinityof Amon Sûl. This also elegantly solvesthe question how the tower and fortresswere supported when the Emyn Sûlwere never settled.

Faerdor

No territorial changes happenedhere, though the wars since the division

of Arnor have left some marks. Its fivetowns and cities still stand.

Minhiriath

Similar to Faerdor, the demographyis relatively intact. Even the troubles ofthe 13th century have been overcome andfour towns and cities can still be foundhere.

In the days of Argeleb [r. 1349-56]son of Malvegil, since no descendants ofIsildur remained in the other kingdoms,the kings of Arthedain again claimedthe lordship of all Arnor. The claim wasresisted by Rhudaur.

―The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A

He [Aragorn] hurried off and disappeared again into the darkness.

[...] The night passed slowly andwearily. Dawn was growing in the sky,and the dell was filling with grey light,when Strider at last returned.

[...] ‘These leaves,’ he said, ‘I havewalked far to find; for this plant doesnot grow in the bare hills; but in thethickets away south of the Road I foundit in the dark by the scent of itsleaves.’ [...] Athelas they named it, andit grows now sparsely and only near places where they [the Dúnedain] dweltor camped of old [...]

―The Lord of the Rings.Flight to the Ford




71

Dol Caladir

Similar to Minhiriath, Dol Caladir’sdemography is basically intact, and thenumber of towns and cities is still at five.

Ethir Gwathló

The hírdor has been relatively un-touched by the past troubles, its demog-

raphy intact, and with seven towns andcities within its borders.

Girithlin

The only one of the southern fiefs tohave suffered noticeably is Girithlin.Some of the most intense fighting in thecivil war of the 13th century (an addedevent not mentioned by Tolkien) tookplace here, and in addition a small epi-

demic struck it in the early 14th

century.But still it is the strongest of the Cardo-lanian hírdor , with twelve towns and cit-ies dotting the landscape.

Dyr Erib

This fief certainly has suffered themost from the previous wars. After thecivil war of the 13th century, its originalfamily deposed [14], the name changedas well, taking over the label of the oldRhudaurian province (and thereby mak-

ing a claim to these lands). Never popu-lous to start with, it suffered loss of ter-ritory, as well as some of the most in-tense fighting in the war almost 50 yearsago. Only two cities remain here.

Map 9: Urbanization in Cardolan TA 1400

Map 9 to the left showsthe urbanization of Cardo-lan. Table 8 containing thecorresponding names andnumbers can be found on the

next page.






73

Rhudaur

The smallest and least powerful ofthe three successor realms has seen aneven more marked decline than its for-mer sister kingdoms. Notably the con-flicts with Arthedain and Cardolan havedepleted the realm’s limited resources.

The rise of Angmar in the late 13th

cen-tury at first looked only like a re-structuring of the old “bórian” lordships,but soon it became apparent that it wasfar more ambitious and governed with afirm hand.

As far as Rhudaur is concerned, it isnow wholly dependent on its status as a junior partner of Angmar. The bordersin the area near Rivendell have retreatedsomewhat due to the now potentiallyhostile territory that the elven haven

represents for the—fallen—realm inleague with Angmar.

The inherent numerical weakness ofRhudaur’s Dúnedain coupled with theinternecine wars with Arthedain andCardolan and the (potential) hostility ofthe indigenous population was the mainreason for the failure of the Dúnedain inRhudaur. The final blow came with therise of Angmar which drove the lastDúnedain from Rhudaur into the Angle(see below). The majority, though,(about two-thirds) have relocated toCardolan, while one third emigrated toArthedain, thus increasing the number ofDúnedain in these realms. To representthe fragmentation of power in thesetimes, an “independent” Angle housingthe last of the Faithful of Rhudaur seemsa good idea. It both gives lots of adven-turing potential and highlights the failureof the northern Númenóreans.

The change in the ruling élite can be

seen by naming as well. The territoriesof Rhudaur have been re-named withindigenous and traditional terms, reflect-ing the expulsion of the Dúnedain andtheir speech.

Tegwared

The former fief of Dún Glandagol hasbeen renamed to Tegwared. It also haslost much of its territory, but its strategiclocation as a staging ground for westerncampaigns still gives it enough politicalweight. Two towns/cities remain within

its borders.Ceredigion

This new fief was formed of parts ofthe former Hithaeglir Forn and DúnGlandagol when Angmar was founded. Itis the primary frontier province to thenew realm and accordingly the majorityof the traffic and relations coming fromand going there are channeled throughCeredigion. Three towns can be foundhere.

Pwyll

This successor fief to Hithaeglir Ha-rad was able to appropriate some territo-ries from Llyr (former Cameth Brin) aswell as Dor-e-Egladil. Two towns/citiesare the fief’s urban areas.

Llyr

The former territory of Cameth Brinhas lost some land to Pwyll, but similarlyto the latter was able to appropriate ter-ritory from Dor-e-Egladil to the south.Three cities are the fief’s urban centers.

Dor-en-Egladil

This fief is the only one which stillhas a Dúnadan lord, and it renounced itsallegiance to the king in Cameth Brin inTA 1352 when Rhudaur rejected Arge-leb’s claim that was deemed justified byits ruling House Melossë. In this strug-

gle, it is supported by Cardolan (andespecially the lords of the northern hír-dor ), which has a great interest in keepingthis status quo or perhaps even pushingback Rhudaur and Angmar. The result isby now a stalemate. De iure the angle isstill part of Rhudaur, but de facto autono-mous and recognizing Argeleb’s claim.The Great East Road is a disputed terri-tory, but the western two thirds are stillheld by the forces of the Angle that candrop back on a well-fortified line of forts

and signal towers that were built to se-cure this part of the road against Hillmenraids in past times. The relatively stablefief has four towns and cities at this time.




74

This is the first time in which we

encounter the Witch-king’s realm,which was founded in the last quarter ofthe 13th century TA. See also OtherMinds, Issues 7 and 9 for more articles onAngmar and its people.

The last 100 years saw a continuousstream of immigrants and a much in-creased birthrate within the realm ofAngmar. These people originate partlyfrom the East but also in dissatisfied peo-ple from the Númenórean realms, aswell as people of haladic stock. All these

ethnicities have already mingled to somedegree (under pressure from the Witch-king and out of necessity in this relativeinhospitable land) and form the Angma-rim—the Men of Angmar. The onlysizeable groups that have remained ethni-cally pure are the folk of the Estaravi (abranch of the Northmen) that forms thebulk of Angmar’s population east of the

Hithaeglir and the original “Bórians” who

provide the bulk of the Angmarean no-bility.

The Witch-king’s orcs are anothermatter. Before the rise of Angmar thefew and scattered orc tribes were no realdanger to the Eriadorian realms, butsince the enforced “peace” among thetribes, the orcish population has grownsignificantly. These orcs are used as fod-der for the Nazgûl-lord’s campaignagainst the Dúnedain.

Please note also that by TA 1400 theWitch-king is preparing his second greatassault on the Dúnadan realms of Eriador(which will result in the TA 1409 war).Similar to Rhudaur, the old Dúnadannames of the territories have been aban-doned and replaced with indigenousnames of the majority of people livingthere.

Carn Dûm

This new royal province once waspart of the Eldanaryon lands. It is hometo the capital Carn Dûm which lends itsname to the whole province. Threetowns and cities are found within thisnorthernmost territory of Angmar.

Nan Angmar

The vale between the two northernspurs of the Hithaeglir was once part ofthe Hithaeglir Forn fief. Now it is theAngmarean province guarding the north-

ernmost pass from Wilderland toEriador. Two cities can be found in thisrelatively lightly populated area.

Morkai

The Morkai fief once was part of theEldanaryon lands. Now it is one of thefrontier provinces guarding Angmar’swestern border. Three towns and citiescan be found within its borders.

Map 10: Urbanization in Rhudaur TA 1400

Urban Centers

Map 10 to the left shows the urbanization situation in Rhu-daur at about TA 1400, while table 8 below lists the corre-sponding numbers.

Table 9: Urban centers in Rhudaur TA 1400# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #

1 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil 2,500 DeE1

2 Thuin Boid Dor-en Egladil 3,600 DeE2

3 Gwahilmoth Dor-en Egladil 2,800 DeE3

4 Minas Brethil Dor-en Egladil 4,200 DeE4

5 Iant Methed Tegwared 3,400 Te1

6 Brildil Tegwared 2,700 Te2

7 Cameth Brin Llyr 5,800 Ll1

8 Enfrivin Llyr 3,300 Ll2

9 Dinuis Llyr 2,000 Ll3

10 Idoch Pwyll 2,000 Pw1

11 Girail Pwyll 3,000 Pw2

12 Ardum Ceredigion 1,600 Ce3

13 Helegnel Ceredigion 1,300 Ce1

14 Broig Ceredigion 1,500 Ce2

Angmar




75

Croit

Another former Eldanaryon and nowindependent province, Croit at the endof the southern Hithaeglir spur has onlyone town within its borders.

Map 11: Urbanization in Angmar TA 1400

Table 10: Urban centers in Angmar TA 1400# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #

1 Morkai Morkai 3,400 1 Mo1

2 Minas Eldanaryaron Morkai 1,900 Mo2

3 Cerdim Morkai 1,000 Mo3

4 Carn Dûm Carn Dûm 4,100 CD1

5 Angsûl Carn Dûm 2,700 CD2

6 Lesbleic Carn Dûm 2,600 CD3

7 Crudu Croit 2,000 Cr1

8 Litash Nan Angmar 2,800 NA1

9 Blerei Nan Angmar 2,300 NA2

10 Wrakyaburg Adastar 3,700 Ad1

13 Erva Adastar 1,800 Ad4

14 Woumis Audipar 3,500 Au1

15 Vusbas Audipar 3,000 Au2

16 Idima Audipar 800 Au3

11 Hebidir Adastar 3,300 Ad2

12 Sasinas Adastar 3,100 Ad3

Note to Table 10

1. The depiction of Morkai castle in MERP’s Angmar is a gigan-tic, nearly impregnable fortress, very similar to the Crusadercastle of Krak des Chevaliers in modern Syria. If Angmar isgenerally described as more like a European feudal state (as inthe article on the Armies of Eriador in Other Hands, Issue

34/34 supplement), a less massive fortification might be moreappropriate, e.g. a 11th to 12th century western Europeancastle. This might be better to rationalize and fit to the gen-eral appearance of Angmar and its resources rather than atitanic crusader castle.

Adastar

One of Angmar’s eastern provinces,Adastar is settled by Estaravi (a North-man branch) people and has four towns/cities.

Audipar

The second Estaravi fief, Audiparharbours three major settlements.

Urban centers

Map 11 and Table 10 below show theurbanization distribution and numbers,respectively.




76

TA 1640

This period is a time of change forEriador. The Great Plague that ravagedall the North-west of Middle-earth has just passed, leaving shattered communi-ties and men that begin to re-build whatis left of their societies. It was the stan-

dard time for the MERP products. Be-yond this game-specific feature, it offersa unique setting: The North-west is char-acterized by devastated lands and com-munities and a certain gloom should befound almost everywhere. For Eriadorand its demographics, some key informa-tion is available:

The quote tells of Stoors in the Anglethat left the land due to their increasinginability to survive there. Thus Tolkienwas well aware of the influence of ad-verse climate on the agricultural yield(the precondition for a society to sur-vive). The map and calculations for thistime reflect this trend, with increasedde-population in eastern Eriador.

Beyond the knowledge of the Shire-grant this tells us of an overarchingdearth in the demographics of Arthedain,which is reflected in the numbers. Thetotal inhabited land has noticeablyshrunken. The population densities arenot far below those of earlier periods, aspeople from now depopulated areas havepartly filled the vacancies in the remain-ing areas.

This gives us the valuable informationabout the effects of the Great Plague, themajor influence upon the population ofEriador at this time. Cardolan sufferedthe most and lost the majority of itspopulation, whereas the northern re-gions (especially Arthedain) fared better.

The population numbers differ sig-nificantly from those of two and a halfcenturies earlier. The Second NorthernWar and the Great Plague shattered Car-dolan as a political entity—as well as its

population—totally and reduced theoverall population of the Eriadorianrealms drastically.

Table 11 below lists the overallpopulation figures for this time.

Map 12 on the next page shows thepolitical boundaries of the fiefs and prov-inces in Eriador at this time.

It was at this time [after the war ofTA 1409] that the […] clime ofEriador, especially in the east, worsened

and became unfriendly. —The Lord of the Rings.

Appendix A

[…] but they [the northern Dúne-dain] were dwindling fast and the landsof their North Kingdom were falling farand wide into waste. There was roomand to spare for incomers, and ere longthe Hobbits began to settle in orderedcommunities.


In the days of Argeleb II [r. TA 1589to 1670] the plague came into Eriador

from the Southeast, and most of the people of Cardolan perished, especiallyin Minhiriath. The Hobbits and allother peoples suffered greatly, but the plague lessened as it passed northwards,and the northern parts of Arthedainwere little affected.


In the time of the War of the Ring thelands were still in places well-wooded,especially in Minhiriath and in thesouth-east of Enedwaith; but most ofthe plains were grassland. Since theGreat Plague of the year 1636 of theThird Age Minhiriath had been almostentirely deserted, though a few secretivehunter-folk lived in the woods.

—Unfinished Tales.The History of Galadriel and

Celeborn and Amroth

Table 11: Overview of population figures in TA 1640

area (km2) population number of towns/cities with inhabitants

era lightlysettled

denselysettled total

in ruralareas in cities total

overalldensity

(per km2) up to2,500

2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

Arthedain 121,500 66,400 187,900 1,256,100 108,200 1,364,300 7.26 13 21 1 0 35

Cardolan 27,300 28,000 55,300 489,100 47,100 536,200 11.69 10 3 1 1 15

Saralainn 7,000 5,300 12,400 163,200 9,200 172,400 13.95 3 1 0 0 4

Rhudaur* 1,600 500 2,100 14,500 1,200 15,700 7.51 2 0 0 0 2

Angmar 101,600 28,200 129,800 544,800 40,300 585,100 4.51 20 3 0 0 23

* In this time, Rhudaur is only represented through the remnant of Dor-en-Egladil (The Angle)












81

Cardolan as a whole suffered worse

than any other Eriadorian realm fromthe Plague. Since Minhiriath har- boured the majority of Cardolan’sprincipal settlements (see Map 10 on

p. 72) losses have been extreme— almost all of the region of Minhiriath

(not the political fief) is now deso-late.

The emigration of hobbits from Car-

dolan to the newly founded Shire in

the decades after TA 1600 caused anadditional significant loss in common-ers and capable farmers.

The general waning of the population

of the Successor Realms during Ang-

mar’s reign continues.

A few refugees from surrounding

lands might offset for a small part of

the above mentioned losses.

The Dúnedain of Cardolan were

nearly wiped out by the Plague. Its survi-vors flee to either Arthedain or Gondor

until about TA 1650 at the very latest.

For gaming purposes, Cardolan offers

now interesting possibilities: Imagine thePC’s travelling through a region filled

with ghost towns whose crumbling rem-nants house only scattered stragglers andrats. Recently established mass graves

can be found everywhere (plus unburiedremains in some more remote areas),

adding to the gloomy atmosphere…

If you are aware of MERP’s take on

“Cardolan” in this time, you may notice anumber of major differences. In myopinion, MERP’s depiction of a political

system in decay, but generally intactdoes not fit at all into the scenarios as

described by Tolkien where most ofMinhiriath is devoid of human life. In

contrast, it is fitting for the pre-Plague

decades, where this intact but corruptand slowly disintegrating system is muchmore suited. Thus, in my opinion, the

MERP description as found in the Arnor

books or Lost Realm of Cardolan should be

re-interpreted temporally to better fit toTolkien’s view.

In the south, along the mouth of theGwathló, a petty kingdom of men called

“Saralainn” by its founder, was estab-

lished in the mid-16th

century composedpartly of former Cardolani as well ashaladic fisherfolk. It has not recognized

any sovereignty of the Dúnedain, allyingwith or opposing the former CardolaniNúmenórean lordships as it sees fit.

Also, according to Tolkien, some-where during the 17th

century Gondor

pulled back its remaining garrison from

Tharbad, which very likely acceleratedthe decline of the former metropolis:

It is not unreasonable to connect thiswithdrawal with the aftereffects of the

Plague. Gondor was now itself in direneed of manpower, and keeping a garri-

son in a broken and almost deserted landdid not make sense. The reasons for

maintaining the garrison have evaporatedwith Cardolan’s end.

The changes in former Cardolan’sregions are as follows:

Tyrn Hódhath

This hírdor has profited the most fromthe war of TA 1409. It enjoyed a great

influx of refugees and Dúnedain, makingit the strongest principality within the

former Cardolan. Following the disasterafter the defeat of 1409, it enlarged itsterritory at the cost of the hírdor of Min-

hiriath (which became Dol Tinereb). ThePlague ended this brief respite, however.Now four towns and cities remain in its

territory.Faerdor

Only a small remnant of the oncegreat hírdor is left. For almost 140 years,

it is no longer ruled by the Dúnedain, but by the local people themselves afterthey revolted against the last lords’ tyr-

annous regime. Two towns are the rem-nants of the urban community here.

Dol Tinereb

After the end of the last Prince of

Cardolan in the war of TA 1409, theformer royal province of Minhiriath wasat first in the hands of the appointed

canótar , but shortly after that was takenover by the noble family of Tinereb in

TA 1435 (supported by most lords dueto fears that the canótar might develop

ambitions of a strong central power),transforming it into the hírdor of DolTinereb. However, it lost control of the

Tharbad area which remained in thecanótar’s hands, as well as territory in the

north which went to Tyrn Hódhath. ThePlague shattered Dol Tinereb, leaving

only two towns/cities within its borders.

Dol Caladir

Dol Caladir is only a shadow of its

former self. Confined to a small areaalong the Gwathló, it lingers still but haslost any influence beyond its own terri-

tory. Two small towns are the sad rem-nants of its former urban life.

Saralainn

In the mid-1550s, the Númenórean

lords of the Ethir Gwathló were ousted by an indigenous adventurer who set uphis own realm, which he named

“Saralainn”. This non-Dúnadan realm has

since held its ground within theDúnadan-controlled lands (the former

lords made more than one attempt at a

re-conquest). The population has suf-fered dearly from the Plague, leavingonly a fraction of its former strength

alive. Four cities and towns can be foundin Saralainn at this time.

Girithlin

The hírdor of Girithlin is among theregions most devastated by war and

plague. Its demography has been shat-tered to the bone and only 4 towns and

cities remain in the area.

A considerable garrison of soldiers,mariners and engineers had been keptthere until the seventeenth century ofthe Third Age.

—Unfinished Tales.

The History of Galadriel and

Celeborn and Amroth,

King of Lórien




82

Map 15: Urbanization in “Cardolan” TA 1640

Table 13: Urban centers in “Cardolan” TA 1640# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #

1 Andrath Tyrn Hódhath 3,900 TH1

2 Ningliras Tyrn Hódhath 900 TH3

3 Iarond Tyrn Hódhath 2,500 TH4

4 Mathlor Tyrn Hódhath 2,400 TH6

5 Dinach Faerdor 2,500 Fa2

6 Filimer Faerdor 800 Fa3

7 Metraith (Thalion) Dol Tinereb 5,500 DT1

8 Maura Dol Tinereb 2,500 DT2

9 Tharbad Tharbad 15,200 Th1

10 Amlolas Dol Caladir 500 DC7

11 Bregnas Dol Caladir 1,300 DC6

12 Mistalondë/Sudúri Saralainn 4,400 Sa1

13 Cathiel Saralainn 1,900 Sa2

14 Hena Saralainn 1,700 Sa3

15 Morchan Saralainn 1,200 Sa4

16 Minas Girithlin Girithlin 4,000 Gi01

17 Bor Leath Girithlin 1,100 Gi03

18 Annon Baran Girithlin 2,900 Gi04

19 Galathlilval Girithlin 1,000 Gi10

Tharbad

The territory around Tharbad ispart of the former fief of Minhiriath,now held by the canótar . The city hassuffered badly from the Great Plague,but could compensate for this partly byrefugees coming from other areas.

Only one city (Tharbad itself) exists inthis territory.

Urban Centers

The urban communities on the ter-ritory of former Cardolan are detailedin Map 15 and Table 13 on the right.

The rows in the table have beenshaded with the corresponding colourson the map to ease recognition.








85











89

Urban Centers

Map 19 and Table 17 below depict the urbanization figures for Arthedain in this period.

Map 19: Urbanization in Arthedain TA 1974

Table 17: Urban centers in Arthedain TA 1974# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #






6 Andrin (Free City) Nan Túrath 3,300 NT09




10 Nirthiach Noirinanya 3,000 No2


12 Caras Celairnen Noirinanya 3,000 No5

13 Dondonwath Noirinanya 3,600 No8

14 Greenfields Shire 1,000 Sh5

15 Hobbiton Shire 2,100 Sh3

16 Iant Baranduin Shire 800 Sh1

17 Tookbank Shire 1,100 Sh4

19 Brocken Borings Shire 1,100 Sh6

18 Hardbottle Shire 1,000 Sh7

20 Longbottom Shire 900 Sh8

21 Little Delving Shire 900 Sh9






27 Bree Breeland 2,100 Br1

28 Barad Garan Breeland 1,300 Br2

29 Mirion Breeland 1,200 Br3


31 Metraith (Thalion) Sarn Athrad 2,000 SA5


33 Mathlor Sarn Athrad 1,200 SA6


36 Edhelas Galattar 1,900 Ga1

37 Endrist Galattar 1,300 Ga2


35 Ningliras Tyrn Hódhath 2,500 TH3






91

Angmar

Angmar’s population has risen dra-matically compared to three-and-a-halfcenturies earlier and it is once more onthe verge of unleashing its armies uponArthedain.

Angmar has incorporated almost all

of the former territory of Rhudaur intoits own realm. In particular, the Mithei-thel river valley is the core of these terri-tories as it commands a strategic positionfor an attack upon Arthedain. Further-more, this incorporation of former Rhu-daur conveniently cuts Arthedain’s easylines of communication with Rivendelland Rhovanion via the Great East Roadand at the same time secures these linesof supply from the Anduin Vales andRhovanion for Angmar itself. The

Witch-king hopes that this can divide hisopponents and destroy the northernDúnedain before help from the Elves canarrive. In addition, some wilderness ar-eas have been cleared to make room formore people.

In the Anduin Vales, the realm isbigger than ever as well, reaching southalmost to the Old Road, bordering onthe Éothéod lands.

Carn Dûm

The demographic situation is betterthan ever. Three cities still are locatedhere, bigger than ever before.

Nan Angmar

There are still only two cities here,but they are at their peak now.

Morkai

The key border province is biggerthan ever, with three thriving towns andcities located here.

Croit

Even the formerly thinly populatedCroit has grown dramatically. Three

towns and cities can now be found here.Noddfa Rhaglaw

The independent princedom was ableto maintain its status until TA 1840,when Angmar—in the buildup to theinvasion of TA 1851—gave the peoplethere the choice of joining Angmar orbeing swallowed up by it. The people ofNoddfa Rhaglaw chose the former, butthey are hardly staunch supporters of theWitch-king—although they give no open

reason for retaliation or punishment.They might be called nominal membersof the Angmarean Empire. At least theyhave profited from the membership,now having three medium towns in theirterritory.

Ceredigion

Ceredigion has profited greatly fromthe influx of new people and the growingnumbers. Four towns are to be foundhere during this time.

FereicThis new province was created in TA1820 to bring the staging area for inva-sions of Arthedain even farther west-ward. It has remained a territory of manyof the most fanatic Angmareans.

Llyr

The old Rhudaurian capital area stillhas two towns within its borders.

Pwyll

Similar to Llyr, the situation in Pwyllhas not changed much. Two towns canbe found here.

Carest

The province occupies now most ofthe Angle. Two towns are found here.

Adastar

This is the period of peak numbersfor the eastern provinces. Four townsand cities can be found here now.

Audipar

Similar to Adastar, Audipar now is atits greatest with four towns and cities

within its borders.Deldined

This most recent of the Anduin valesprovinces was created in TA 1830. Theonce independent town of Mathlaburg isits chief settlement, besides which fourother towns are found here.




92

Urban Centers

Map 21 and Table 19 below detail the urbanization patterns of the Witch-king’s realm in this era.

# Settlement Province/Fief Pop. Map #

1 Certhalc Carest 900 Ca3 2 Thuin Boid Carest 1,800 Ca2 3 Cameth Brin Llyr 2,300 Ll1 4 Enfrivin Llyr 1,000 Ll2 5 Idoch Pwyll 1,200 Pw1 6 Girail Pwyll 1,200 Pw2 7 Iant Methed Fereic 1,800 Fe1 8 Brildil Fereic 2,700 Fe2 9 Rugamba Fereic 2,000 Fe3 10 Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,900 NR1 11 Neddig Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,400 NR2 12 Brynmor Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,300 NR3 13 Ardum Ceredigion 2,100 Ce3 14 Helegnel Ceredigion 1,300 Ce1


15 Broig Ceredigion 2,000 Ce2 16 Crudu Croit 3,300 Cr1 17 Vamnus Croit 1,200 Cr2 18 Smyeka Croit 1,100 Cr3 17 Morkai Morkai 3,700 Mo1 18 Minas Eldanaryaron Morkai 2,000 Mo2 19 Cerdim Morkai 1,400 Mo3 20 Carn Dûm Carn Dûm 7,500 CD1 21 Angsûl Carn Dûm 3,600 CD2 22 Lesbleic Carn Dûm 3,300 CD3 23 Litash Nan Angmar 2,700 NA1 24 Blerei Nan Angmar 3,000 NA2 25 Wrakyaburg Adastar 4,000 Ad1


26 Hebidir Adastar 2,100 Ad2 27 Sasinas Adastar 2,500 Ad3 28 Pudarid Adastar 1,400 Ad5 29 Woumis Audipar 2,000 Au1 30 Vusbas Audipar 2,500 Au2 31 Girchiron Audipar 1,400 Au4 32 Idima Audipar 1,800 Au3 33 Matlaburg Deldined 5,000 De1 34 Hemnolaud Deldined 3,400 De2 35 Idima Deldined 3,600 De3 36 Haroburg Deldined 3,400 De4 37 Audeld Deldined 3,600 De5 25 Wrakyaburg Adastar 4,000 Ad1

Table 19: Urban centers in Angmar TA 1640















98

# Settlement Realm Province/fief Population Map #

1 Tharbad Tharbad Tharbad 2,800 Th1

2 Laganin Caladir Caladir 800 Ca1

3 Bor Leath Mag Speriang Mag Speriang 900 MS1

4 Aithfinn Mag Speriang Mag Speriang 400 MS2

5 Balost (Cûban) Girithlin Forn Girithlin Forn 1,000 GF1

6 Tharni Girithlin Forn Girithlin Forn 600 GF2

7 Aithan Sonn Sonn 2,700 So1

8 Brascua Sonn Sonn 2,600 So2

9 Dolbralran Sonn Sonn 1,300 So3

10 Hena Saralainn Saralainn 2,500 Sa3

11 Icain Saralainn Saralainn 1,800 Sa6

12 Cathiel Saralainn Saralainn 1,200 Sa2

13 Sconnla Senana Senana 2,000 Se114 Vainche Senana Senana 1,300 Se2

15 Weolpaid Senana Senana 1,000 Se3

Table 22: Urban centers in southern Eriador TA 2740

Map 24: Urbanization in southern Eriador TA 2740

Map 25: Urbanization in easternEriador TA 2740


1 Gamanas Rangaza Rangaza 800 Ra1

2 Cameth Brin Rangaza Rangaza 900 Ra2

3 Enfrivin Rangaza Rangaza 900 Ra3

4 Bastuca Barnâtha Barnâtha 800 Ba1

5 Tîregad Barnâtha Barnâtha 500 Ba2

6 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil Dor-en Egladil 1,500 DeE1

7 Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw 800 NR1

Table 23: Urban centers in eastern Eriador TA 2740






100

harshness hit the war-torn and weakenedcommunities especially hard, leading tomany deaths and the total collapse of anumber of communities.

The Fell Winter in TA 2911 finishedoff the smaller settlements that had justrecovered from the effects of the Long

Winter. Many people died from the win-ter and its effects (e.g. marauding preda-tors like wolves) and even the relativelywell-sheltered Shire suffered dearly.

These events caused the Dúnedain tore-evaluate their former strategy of set-tling in dispersed areas. They had suf-fered losses as well and saw the necessityfor keeping an even lower profile. Thusthe remnants of the Northern Dúnedainre-located to an area of the Angle in ter-rain well suited to shielding them from

the eyes and ears of casual travellers. Inaddition, active and close patrolling pre-vents any unwanted chance encounters.To keep their food supply betterstocked, they also use a wider territoryextending up to the Trollshaws for herd-ing sheep. Beside this practical value, itgives the Dúnedain (in the guise of herd-ers) an additional source of intelligencewithout attracting undue attention. Itmay be some of these sheep (and perhapsan outlying village) that fell victim to the

three Trolls in The Hobbit (cont. nextcolumn):

The cold, famine and diseases of thetwo great winters spelled the end ofmany settlements, and only along thelower Mitheithel and in the Angle didany mannish settlement worth mention-ing remain east of Bree.

Table 24 below gives an overview ofthe the total population and urbanizationlevels in this time.

After the end of the community atSarn Athrad, the ancient bridge therecollapsed in the wake of the Long Win-ter when great floods from the meltingsnow swelled the river. From then on, aford existed at this place as it had beforethe bridge was built.

Independent principalities in

counsel with the Rangers

These “realms” and lordships are gen-erally in coordination with each other,rendering help and support. The man-nish lordships are generally able to de-fend themselves against local threats, but

for the defence against stronger threatsare reliant on the Rangers (even if this issought in secret).

Noddfa Rhaglaw

The three disasters struck the peoplehard, but they survived. One small townis the urban center here.

Arcírbann

This is the last surviving territorydirectly under Dúnadan “rule” and con-trol. It is their only home since ca. TA

2760 After the defeat of the orcs in TA2750, the Dúnedain re-evaluated theirstrategy—not the least due to theirgrievous losses—and decided that achange was necessary. Moving closer toRivendell and concentrating in one areaoffered much better chances for survival.One small town is the center of theirurban life here.

Dor-en-Egladil

They suffered from three great ca-

lamities, but the influx of survivors fromthe lost communities alleviated the ef-fects, and now it is a relatively strongcommunity again with one sizeable urbancenter.

“Mutton yesterday, mutton today,and blimey, if it don’t look like muttonagain tomorrer,” said one of the trolls.

[...]William choked. “Shut yer mouth!” he

said as soon as he could. “Yer can’texpect folk to stop here for ever just tobe et by you and Bert. You’ve et a vil-lage and a half between yer, since wecome down from the mountains. Howmuch more d’yer want?”

—The Hobbit.Roast Mutton

Table 24: Overview of population figures in TA 2915 and after


area lightlysettled



overalldensity


2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

The Shire 23,600 14,800 38,400 249.605 23.574 273.179 7,12 17 0 0 0 17

Breeland 1,015 85 1,100 8.641 1.121 9.762 8,69 1 0 0 0 1

Noddfa Rhaglaw 770 90 860 6.833 790 7.623 8,91 1 0 0 0 1

Arcírbann 2,500 300 2,800 8.026 1.402 9.428 3,41 1 0 0 0 1

Dor-en-Egladil 1,200 1,000 2,200 18.736 1.691 20.427 9,23 1 0 0 0 1

Sonn 900 1,000 1,900 44.632 4.300 48.932 25,99 2 0 0 0 2

Meach 700 800 1,500 27.020 2.410 29.430 19,79 2 0 0 0 2

Senana 1,600 1,300 2,900 43.659 5.140 48.799 16,92 2 0 0 0 2

Saralainn 3,900 2,800 6,700 83.627 6.256 89.882 13,39 3 0 0 0 3






102


1 Greenfields Shire Northfarthing 2,100 Nf1

2 Long Cleeve Shire Northfarthing 1,100 Nf2

3 Brocken Borings Shire Eastfarthing 800 Ef5

4 Whitfurrows Shire Eastfarthing 1,500 Ef1

5 Frogmorton Shire Eastfarthing 1,100 Ef2

6 Willowbottom Shire Eastfarthing 1,400 Ef3

7 Scary Shire Eastfarthing 1,300 Ef4

8 Brandy Hall Shire Buckland 1,000 Bu1

9 Longbottom Shire Southfarthing 1,500 Sf110 Beeching Cross Shire Southfarthing 1,300 Sf2

11 Hardbottle Shire Southfarthing 1,100 Sf3

12 Heed Torton Shire Southfarthing 1,000 Sf4

13 Hobbiton Shire Westfarthing 1,800 Wf1

14 Tookbank Shire Westfarthing 1,900 Wf2

15 Michel Delving Shire Westfarthing 1,700 Wf3

16 Boldercross Shire Westfarthing 1,300 Wf4

17 Little Delving Shire Westfarthing 1,500 Wf5

18 Bree Breeland Breeland 1,300 Br1

19 Noddfa Rhaglaw Arnor Noddfa Rhaglaw 800 NR1

20 Andring Arnor Arcírbann 1,400 NR1

21 Fennas Drunin Rhudaur Dor-en Egladil 1,500 DeE1

Table 25: Urban centers in central Eriador TA 2915+


1 Levanard Saralainn Saralainn 2,000 Sa7

2 Clothrad Saralainn Saralainn 2,400 Sa8

3 Ceinduire Saralainn Saralainn 1,900 Sa9

4 Brol Meach Meach 1,300 Me1

5 Colaigar Meach Meach 1,100 Me2

6 Tacnana Senana Senana 2,000 Se1

7 Gollaig Senana Senana 1,300 Se2

8 Ienin Senana Senana 1,800 Se3


10 Alsa Sonn Sonn 2,100 So4

Table 26: Urban centers in southern Eriador TA 2915+

Map 27: Urbanization in central Eriador TA 2915+

Map 28: Urbanization in southernEriador TA 2915+










106

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108

Appendix for“Population and Urbanization of Eriador”

Race avg. male height height percentage avg. male weight weight percentage

Normal Men 1,70 m (5'7") 100% 70 kg (154 lbs.) 100%

Númenóreans 1,93 m (6'4") 114% 101 kg (222 lbs.) 144%

Table 1: Average body sizes of normal men and Númenóreans

Table 2: Supposed populationlevels in the Shire

Period total Hobbits urbanpopulation

TA 250 120,500 - 5,700

TA 1400 46,100 - 2,200

TA 1640 40,000 35,000 3,200

TA 1974 145,300 145,300 8,900

TA 2740 272,500 272,500 22,900

TA 2915+ 273,200 273,200 23,600

Table 3: Overview of total Eriadorian population figures throughout the Third Age


era lightlysettled



overalldensity


2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

TA 250 475,100 232,100 707,200 4,744,100 437,200 5,181,300 7.33 24 72 12 2 110 TA 1400 363,400 230,200 593,600 4,634,700 429,700 5,064,400 8.53 22 81 10 2 115

TA 1640 259,000 128,400 387,400 2,467,600 205,900 2,673,500 6.90 48 28 2 1 79

TA 1974 233,900 118,700 352,600 2,252,300 210,200 2,462,500 6.98 57 29 2 0 88

TA 2740 63,100 27,800 90,900 648,200 63,000 711,200 7.82 53 3 0 0 56

TA 2915+ 36,200 22,100 58,300 490,800 46,700 537,500 9.22 31 0 0 0 31

population

Table 4: Supposed origin of Ruling Dúnadan Houses

fief/province ruled by

settled in Eriador

pre-Akallabêth post-Akallabêth

1 Eketya Noble House (Eketya) ×

2 Noirinanaya Noble House (Noirinin) ×

3 Tarmëa Noble House (Tarma) ×

4 Rammas Forn Noble House (Foro) ×

5 Nan Túrath Royal Province

6 Sûza Aran Royal Province

7 Siragalë Noble House (Orro) ×

8 Sarn Athrad Noble House (Emerya) ×

9 Hyarromenya Noble House (Hyarromenyar) ×

10 Emyn Sûl Royal Province

11 Faerdor Noble House (Galathir) ×

12 Minhiriath Royal Province

13 Dol Caladir Noble House (Caladir) ×

14 Ethir Gwathló Noble House (Gunion) ×

15 Girithlin Noble House (Girithlin) ×

16 Dyr Maenason Noble House (Bengoth) ×

17 Dyr Erib Noble House (Denelaith) ×

18 Dyr Eldanaryon Noble House (Eldanar) ×

19 Hithaeglir Forn Noble House (Húnen) ×

20 Hithaeglir Harad Noble House (Endril) ×

21 Cameth Brin Royal Province

22 Dor-en-Egladil Noble House (Melossë) ×

#




109

# Settlement Province/Fief Population Note # Map #





5 Anglas Eketya 2,700 Ek5

6 Gwaelin Eketya 2,400 Ek6

7 Nielros Emyn Sûl 2,800 ES4

8 Mirion Emyn Sûl 2,300 ES5

9 Bree Emyn Sûl 3,800 ES1

10 Minas Malloth Emyn Sûl 3,500 4 ES2

11 Andrath Emyn Sûl 4,300 ES3

12 Minas Hyarrómenyaron Hyarromenya 4,200 Hy1

13 Oromruin Hyarromenya 3,600 Hy2

14 Annúminas Nan Túrath 14,200 NT1


16 Aradhras (Kingscrag) Nan Túrath 5,200 NT3





21 Fanduin Nan Túrath 4,300 NT8



24 Maegoth Nan Túrath 2,200 NT11



27 Nelvorin Noirinanya 3,700 No3




31 Lelmoth Noirinanya 2,200 No7

32 Cerin Balgrist Rammas Forn 3,600 RF1

33 Ardum Rammas Forn 3,400 RF234 Heleb Rammas Forn 3,800 RF3

35 Maenthiros Rammas Forn 3,500 RF4

36 Iach Sarn/Stonehill Sarn Athrad 4,000 3 SA1






42 Iant Baranduin Sûza Aran 2,100 2 SûA1

43 Nirmolian Sûza Aran 2,000 SûA2

44 Firaen Sûza Aran 1,500 SûA3



47 Rood/Rhovanduin Tarmëa 4,200 1 Ta4



51 Argond Dol Caladir 4,000 DC1

52 Benglaras Dol Caladir 3,500 DC2

53 Dongril Dol Caladir 4,600 DC3

54 Fangoth Dol Caladir 3,200 DC4

55 Geleborn Dol Caladir 3,000 DC5

50 Dúragar Tarmëa 4,100 Ta2

62 Cathiel Ethir Gwathlo 4,200 EG4

63 Dirdabor Ethir Gwathlo 3,600 EG5

64 Amrelor Ethir Gwathlo 3,800 EG6

65 Hangireth Ethir Gwathlo 2,300 EG7

66 Aspar Faerdor 3,900 Fa1


68 Filimer Faerdor 3,200 Fa3

69 Gundiok Faerdor 2,500 Fa4

70 Nidada Faerdor 2,800 Fa5

71 Minas Girithlin Girithlin 7,200 Gi1

72 Angoth Girithlin 3,800 Gi2

73 Annithir Girithlin 3,300 Gi3


75 Balost Girithlin 5,500 Gi5

76 Caranthel Girithlin 4,400 Gi06

77 Cithiel Girithlin 4,600 Gi7

78 Cithrenor Girithlin 4,700 Gi8

79 Forondir Girithlin 4,200 Gi9


81 Redhel Girithlin 3,100 Gi11

82 Herwen Girithlin 2,800 Gi12

83 Althil Girithlin 3,300 Gi13

84 Tharbad Minhiriath 25,000 Mi1

85 Arading Minhiriath 4,400 Mi2

86 Mathlor Minhiriath 4,600 Mi3

87 Metraith (Thalion) Minhiriath 9,400 Mi4

88 Adandor Minhiriath 2,200 Mi589 Edras Minhiriath 2,400 Mi6

90 Cameth Brin Cameth Brin 5,200 CB1

91 Enfrivin Cameth Brin 2,400 CB2

92 Girail Cameth Brin 1,900 CB3

93 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil 3,200 DeE1

94 Thuin Boid Dor-en Egladil 2,900 DeE2

95 Gwahilmoth Dor-en Egladil 3,900 DeE3

96 Minas Brethil Dor-en Egladil 4,100 DeE4

97 Udandir Dor-en Egladil 3,500 DeE5

98 Minas Eldanaryaron Dyr Eldanaryon 3,000 DE1

99 Dulaich Dyr Eldanaryon 3,100 DE2

100 Kereic Dyr Eldanaryon 2,300 DE3

101 Crudu Dyr Eldanaryon 2,500 DE4102 Arnaro Dyr Eldanaryon 2,300 DE5

103 Iant Methed Dyr Erib 2,800 DEF1

104 Brildil Dyr Erib 2,500 DEF2

105 Ardum Dyr Erib 2,600 DEF3

106 Agand Dyr Erib 2,400 DEF4

107 Helegnel Hithaeglir Forn 1,400 HF1

108 Broig Hithaeglir Forn 3,900 HF2

109 Idoch Hithaeglir Harad 2,400 HH1

110 Wrech Hithaeglir Harad 2,500 HH2

61 Bregnas Ethir Gwathlo 4,400 EG3

60 Amlolas Ethir Gwathlo 5,100 EG2

58 Faelond Dyr Maenason 3,200 DEH3

59 Mistalondë/Sudúri Ethir Gwathlo 9,600 EG1

56 Bondor Dyr Maenason 3,200 DEH1

57 Erenir Dyr Maenason 3,100 DEH2

# Settlement Province/Fief Population Note # Map #

Table 5: Urban centers in TA 250










113





4 Minas Hyarrómenyaron Hyarromenya 700 Hy1

5 Rindilas Hyarromenya 1,300 Hy3

6 Bree Nan Túrath 4,600 NT12








14 Maegoth Nan Túrath 2,500 NT11

15 Mirion Nan Túrath 3,100 NT13





20 Iant Baranduin Shire 1,300 Sh1

21 Nirmolian Shire 1,900 Sh2












33 Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw 800 NR1

34 Neddig Noddfa Rhaglaw 750 NR2

35 Brynmor Noddfa Rhaglaw 650 NR3


Table 13: Urban centers in “Cardolan” TA 1640

# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map # 1 Andrath Tyrn Hódhath 3,900 TH1

2 Ningliras Tyrn Hódhath 900 TH3

3 Iarond Tyrn Hódhath 2,500 TH4

4 Mathlor Tyrn Hódhath 2,400 TH6


6 Filimer Faerdor 800 Fa3

7 Metraith (Thalion) Dol Tinereb 5,500 DT1

8 Maura Dol Tinereb 2,500 DT2


10 Amlolas Dol Caladir 500 DC7

11 Bregnas Dol Caladir 1,300 DC6




15 Morchan Saralainn 1,200 Sa416 Minas Girithlin Girithlin 4,000 Gi01

17 Bor Leath Girithlin 1,100 Gi03



Table 15: Urban centers in Angmar TA 1640# Settlement Province/Fief Population Notes Map #

1 Iant Methed Carest 900 Ca1

2 Thuin Boid Carest 1,300 Ca2

3 Cameth Brin Llyr 2,000 Ll1

4 Enfrivin Llyr 900 Ll2

5 Idoch Pwyll 700 Pw1

6 Girail Pwyll 1,400 Pw2

7 Ardum Ceredigion 1,500 Ce3

8 Helegnel Ceredigion 800 Ce1

9 Broig Ceredigion 1,500 Ce2

10 Crudu Croit 2,400 Cr1

11 Morkai Morkai 2,000 Mo1

12 Minas Eldanaryaron Morkai 900 Mo2

13 Cerdim Morkai 1,300 Mo3

14 Carn Dûm Carn Dûm 4,000 CD1

15 Angsûl Carn Dûm 2,100 CD216 Lesbleic Carn Dûm 2,600 CD3

21 Erva Adastar 1,300 Ad4

22 Vusbas Audipar 2,700 Au2

23 Idima Audipar 1,000 Au3

17 Litash Nan Angmar 2,100 NA1

18 Blerei Nan Angmar 2,100 NA2

19 Wrakyaburg Adastar 2,400 Ad1

20 Hebidir Adastar 2,100 Ad2

Table 14: Urban centers in “Rhudaur” TA 1640# Settlement Province/Fief Population Map #

1 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil 650 DeE1

2 Minas Brethil Dor-en Egladil 500 DeE4




114



era lightlysettled



overalldensity


2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

Mag Speriang 507 166 673 5,500 700 6,200 9.20 1 0 0 0 1

Saralainn 13,200 6,400 19,500 126,200 10,900 137,200 7.03 4 1 0 0 5

Dol Caladir 950 240 1,200 10,600 1,100 11,700 9.69 1 0 0 0 1

Tharbad 1,700 200 1,900 16,900 4,300 21,200 10.97 0 1 0 0 1

Dor-en-Egladil 320 130 450 2,300 460 2,760 6.07 1 0 0 0 1

Angmar 119,100 52,400 171,500 1,085,100 104,300 1,189,400 6.94 26 13 1 0 40

population

Arthedain (altogether) 101,300 57,100 158,500 983,000 86,300 1,069,300 6.75 20 14 1 0 35

The Shire 30,600 7,600 38,200 136,400 8,900 145,300 3.80 8 0 0 0 8

Arthedain (w.o. hobbits) 70,700 49,600 120,300 846,600 77,400 924,000 7.40 12 14 1 0 27

Galattar 3,500 1,400 5,000 33,900 3,200 37,100 7.47 2 0 0 0 2

Girithlin Forn 2,200 600 2,900 20,600 1,300 21,900 7.64 2 0 0 0 2







6 Andrin (Free City) Nan Túrath 3,300 NT09







13 Dondonwath Noirinanya 3,600 No814 Greenfields Shire 1,000 Sh5

15 Hobbiton Shire 2,100 Sh3

16 Iant Baranduin Shire 800 Sh1

17 Tookbank Shire 1,100 Sh4

19 Brocken Borings Shire 1,100 Sh6

18 Hardbottle Shire 1,000 Sh7

20 Longbottom Shire 900 Sh8

21 Little Delving Shire 900 Sh9






27 Bree Breeland 2,100 Br1

28 Barad Garan Breeland 1,300 Br2

29 Mirion Breeland 1,200 Br3


31 Metraith (Thalion) Sarn Athrad 2,000 SA5

32 Nelval Sarn Athrad 1,300 SA333 Mathlor Sarn Athrad 1,200 SA6


36 Edhelas Galattar 1,900 Ga1

37 Endrist Galattar 1,300 Ga2


35 Ningliras Tyrn Hódhath 2,500 TH3

Table 18: Urban centers in“Cardolan and “Rhudaur” in TA 1974



2 Laganin Dol Caladir 900 DC8


4 Amlolas Saralainn 1,500 Sa5


6 Morchan Saralainn 1,900 Sa4


8 Bor Leath Mag Speriang 700 MS1

9 Balost (Cûban) Girithlin Forn 630 GF1

10 Tharni Girithlin Forn 700 GF2

11 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil 500 DeE1




115


1 Certhalc Carest 900 Ca3 2 Thuin Boid Carest 1,800 Ca2 3 Cameth Brin Llyr 2,300 Ll1 4 Enfrivin Llyr 1,000 Ll2 5 Idoch Pwyll 1,200 Pw1

6 Girail Pwyll 1,200 Pw2 7 Iant Methed Fereic 1,800 Fe1 8 Brildil Fereic 2,700 Fe2 9 Rugamba Fereic 2,000 Fe3 10 Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,900 NR1 11 Neddig Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,400 NR2 12 Brynmor Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,300 NR3 13 Ardum Ceredigion 2,100 Ce3 14 Helegnel Ceredigion 1,300 Ce1


15 Broig Ceredigion 2,000 Ce2 16 Crudu Croit 3,300 Cr1 17 Vamnus Croit 1,200 Cr2 18 Smyeka Croit 1,100 Cr3 17 Morkai Morkai 3,700 Mo1

18 Minas Eldanaryaron Morkai 2,000 Mo2 19 Cerdim Morkai 1,400 Mo3 20 Carn Dûm Carn Dûm 7,500 CD1 21 Angsûl Carn Dûm 3,600 CD2 22 Lesbleic Carn Dûm 3,300 CD3 23 Litash Nan Angmar 2,700 NA1 24 Blerei Nan Angmar 3,000 NA2 25 Wrakyaburg Adastar 4,000 Ad1


26 Hebidir Adastar 2,100 Ad2 27 Sasinas Adastar 2,500 Ad3 28 Pudarid Adastar 1,400 Ad5 29 Woumis Audipar 2,000 Au1 30 Vusbas Audipar 2,500 Au2

31 Girchiron Audipar 1,400 Au4 32 Idima Audipar 1,800 Au3 33 Matlaburg Deldined 5,000 De1 34 Hemnolaud Deldined 3,400 De2 35 Idima Deldined 3,600 De3 36 Haroburg Deldined 3,400 De4 37 Audeld Deldined 3,600 De5 25 Wrakyaburg Adastar 4,000 Ad1

Table 19: Urban centers in Angmar TA 1640



era lightlysettled



overalldensity


2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

Breeland 4,100 800 4,900 41,700 3,645 45,333 9.19 3 0 0 0 3

Forncírbann 810 120 930 3,600 700 4,300 4.59 1 0 0 0 1

Rhúncírbann 3,400 200 3,600 9,200 800 10,000 2.78 1 0 0 0 1

Sarn Athrad 1,500 300 1,800 10,000 900 10,900 5.90 2 0 0 0 2

Noddfa Rhaglaw 1,000 100 1,100 10,700 1,200 11,900 11.02 1 0 0 0 1

Senana 2,100 1,100 3,200 38,000 4,400 42,400 13.23 3 0 0 0 3

population

The Shire 23,600 14,800 38,400 249,600 22,900 272,500 7.10 17 0 0 0 17

Ruthran 1,400 300 1,700 13,200 1,600 14,800 8.97 2 0 0 0 2

Hlothran 1,400 400 1,800 11,300 1,100 12,400 6.72 2 0 0 0 2

Hîmaran 1,500 500 2,000 18,300 1,900 20,200 10.03 2 0 0 0 2

Rílûraph 1,400 700 2,100 23,200 2,100 25,300 11.84 2 0 0 0 2

Galattar 3,800 1,500 5,300 28,500 2,400 30,900 5.81 2 0 0 0 2

Girithlin Forn 1,800 800 2,600 18,000 1,600 19,600 7.53 2 0 0 0 2

Mag Speriang 640 260 900 13,800 1,300 15,100 16.58 2 0 0 0 2

Rangaza 3,950 350 4,300 17,600 2,700 20,300 4.71 3 0 0 0 3

Barnâtha 2,250 850 3,100 13,500 1,300 14,800 4.79 2 0 0 0 2

Tharbad 420 90 510 12,100 2,700 14,800 28.9 0 1 0 0 0

Dor-en-Egladil 600 800 1,400 18,900 1,600 20,500 14.56 1 0 0 0 1

Caladir 800 200 1,000 8,600 800 9,300 9.05 1 0 0 0 1

Sonn 2,500 1,400 3,900 24,300 1,900 26,200 6.76 1 2 0 0 3

Saralainn 3,900 2,300 6,200 64,100 5,600 69,700 11.15 3 0 0 0 3




116









8 Brandy Hall Shire Buckland 800 Bu1

9 Longbottom Shire Southfarthing 1,500 Sf1

10 Beeching Cross Shire Southfarthing 1,300 Sf2









18 Bree Breeland Breeland 1,500 Br1

19 Andrath Breeland Breeland 1,300 Br2

20 Mirion Breeland Breeland 1,200 Br3

21 Nirthiach Ruthran Ruthran 800 Ru2

22 Caras Celairnen Ruthran Ruthran 800 Ru2

23 Bareketta Hîmaran Hîmaran 1,300 Hî1

24 Tharanin Hîmaran Hîmaran 600 Hî2

25 Tarmabar Rilurâph Rilurâph 1,500 Ri1

26 Kalbucar Rilurâph Rilurâph 600 Ri2

27 Bodroth Hlothran Hlothran 600 Hl1

28 Rimazan Hlothran Hlothran 500 Hl2

29 Iach Sarn/Stonehill Sarn Athrad Sarn Athrad 500 SA1

30 Metraith (Thalion) Sarn Athrad Sarn Athrad 400 SA5

31 Carathir Arnor Rhúncírbann 800 Rh1

32 Foronarth Arnor Forncírbann 800 Fo1

33 Edhelas Galattar Galattar 1,400 Ga1

34 Endrist Galattar Galattar 1,000 Ga2

Table 21: Urban centers in western and central Eriador TA 2740


1 Tharbad Tharbad Tharbad 2,800 Th1

2 Laganin Caladir Caladir 800 Ca1

3 Bor Leath Mag Speriang Mag Speriang 900 MS1

4 Aithfinn Mag Speriang Mag Speriang 400 MS2

5 Balost (Cûban) Girithlin Forn Girithlin Forn 1,000 GF1

6 Tharni Girithlin Forn Girithlin Forn 600 GF2

7 Aithan Sonn Sonn 2,700 So1


9 Dolbralran Sonn Sonn 1,300 So3

10 Hena Saralainn Saralainn 2,500 Sa3

11 Icain Saralainn Saralainn 1,800 Sa6

12 Cathiel Saralainn Saralainn 1,200 Sa2

13 Sconnla Senana Senana 2,000 Se1

14 Vainche Senana Senana 1,300 Se2

15 Weolpaid Senana Senana 1,000 Se3

Table 22: Urban centers in southern Eriador TA 2740

Table 24: Overview of population figures in TA 2915 and after


area

lightlysettled



overalldensity


2,501-5,000

5,001-10,000 10,001+ total

The Shire 23,600 14,800 38,400 249.605 23.574 273.179 7,12 17 0 0 0 17

Breeland 1,015 85 1,100 8.641 1.121 9.762 8,69 1 0 0 0 1

Noddfa Rhaglaw 770 90 860 6.833 790 7.623 8,91 1 0 0 0 1

Arcírbann 2,500 300 2,800 8.026 1.402 9.428 3,41 1 0 0 0 1

Dor-en-Egladil 1,200 1,000 2,200 18.736 1.691 20.427 9,23 1 0 0 0 1

Sonn 900 1,000 1,900 44.632 4.300 48.932 25,99 2 0 0 0 2

Meach 700 800 1,500 27.020 2.410 29.430 19,79 2 0 0 0 2

Senana 1,600 1,300 2,900 43.659 5.140 48.799 16,92 2 0 0 0 2

Saralainn 3,900 2,800 6,700 83.627 6.256 89.882 13,39 3 0 0 0 3


1 Gamanas Rangaza Rangaza 800 Ra1

2 Cameth Brin Rangaza Rangaza 900 Ra2

3 Enfrivin Rangaza Rangaza 900 Ra3

4 Bastuca Barnâtha Barnâtha 800 Ba1

5 Tîregad Barnâtha Barnâtha 500 Ba2

6 Fennas Drunin Dor-en Egladil Dor-en Egladil 1,500 DeE1

7 Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw Noddfa Rhaglaw 800 NR1

Table 23: Urban centers in eastern Eriador TA 2740




117









8 Brandy Hall Shire Buckland 1,000 Bu1

9 Longbottom Shire Southfarthing 1,500 Sf1

10 Beeching Cross Shire Southfarthing 1,300 Sf2








18 Bree Breeland Breeland 1,300 Br119 Noddfa Rhaglaw Arnor Noddfa Rhaglaw 800 NR1

20 Andring Arnor Arcírbann 1,400 NR1

21 Fennas Drunin Rhudaur Dor-en Egladil 1,500 DeE1

Table 25: Urban centers in central Eriador TA 2915+


1 Levanard Saralainn Saralainn 2,000 Sa7

2 Clothrad Saralainn Saralainn 2,400 Sa8

3 Ceinduire Saralainn Saralainn 1,900 Sa94 Brol Meach Meach 1,300 Me1

5 Colaigar Meach Meach 1,100 Me2

6 Tacnana Senana Senana 2,000 Se1

7 Gollaig Senana Senana 1,300 Se2

8 Ienin Senana Senana 1,800 Se3


10 Alsa Sonn Sonn 2,100 So4

Table 26: Urban centers in southern Eriador TA 2915+































Table of Contents

Other Minds Magazine, Issues 1-13

What you see before you is a comprehensive table of content for all Issues of Other Minds published so far. It will beregularly updated as new Issues become available. If you need a more flexible tool, please visit our website athttp://othermindsmagazine.com/. There you can find a simple spreadsheet with an option to filter for severalcriteria.

The Issue listing below should be largely self-explanatory. The “page” column lists the beginning page of thecontribution in question.

Issue 1, July 2007 49 pages)

Title Author Page Game SystemEditorial: Here we are! Thomas Morwinsky, Hawke Robinson 2 anyOpinion – The Acroteriasm of Other

HandsW.A. Hawke Robinson 3 any

The Battle Over Role Playing Gaming W.A. Hawke Robinson 6 anyMapping Arda Thomas Morwinsky, Stéphane Hœrlé,

Gabriele Quaglia, Oliver Schick, ChristianSchröder

9 any

Of Barrow-wights – Part One Neville Percy 21 anyMagic in Middle-earth Chris Seeman 28 anyThoughts on Imladris – Part One Thomas Morwinsky 31 any

Issue 2, January 2008 75 pages) – Focus theme: Númenor

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Ready for Round Two! Thomas Morwinsky, Hawke Robinson 2 anyOther Minds Conventions Thomas Morwinsky 3 any J.R.R. Tolkien’s love of Trees and the

EnvironmentW.A. Hawke Robinson 6 any Core

Númenóreans in Endor Gabriele Quaglia, Stéphane Hœrlé, Thomas

Morwinsky

10 any Optional

Númenórean Maritime Technology Thomas Morwinsky 26 any Optional, HouseA Response to ‘Mapping Arda’ Eric Dubourg 37 any Optional, HouseMapping Arda - Reloaded Thomas Morwinsky, Stéphane Hœrlé,

Gabriele Quaglia, Oliver Schick, ChristianSchröder

41 any Optional

Issue 3, May 2008 45 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Third time is a charm Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyOf Barrow-wights – Part Two Neville Percy 5 any Core J.R.R. Tolkien, Words, Phrases &

Passages in The Lord of the Rings –A Game Designer’s Guide to ParmaEldalamberon 17

Chris Seeman 9 any Core

The Rings of Power – History andAbilities

Thomas Morwinsky 15 any Core, Optional

The Palantíri Chris Seeman 31 LotR RPG HouseThe Venturers and the colonies of

NúmenorEric Dubourg 34 any House



Issue 4, July 2008 49 pages) – Focus theme: Dwarves

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Baruk Khazâd – Khazâd ai-

mênuThomas Morwinsky 2 any

Whither MerpCon Hawke Robinson 3 anyThe Problem of Dwarven Women Neville Percy 6 any OptionalA Brief History of the Dwarven

MansionsThomas Morwinsky 11 any Optional

A Dwarven Runic Cryptogram Neville Percy 22 any HouseSwept Off By Your Feet... Thomas Morwinsky 24 any HouseOuter Names for the Western Dwarves Neville Percy 25 any HouseThe Giant Armoured Moldewarp Neville Percy 28 MERP HouseThe Sword of Aulë Tom Davie 30 MERP House

Issue 5, March 2009 35 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Back for good Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyTolkien and Transformational Thought Michael Martinez 3 any CoreTolkien’s Impact on Beowulf W.A. Hawke Robinson 6 any CoreThoughts on Imladris - Part Two Thomas Morwinsky 9 any House

Minas Ithil Name Glossary Chris Seeman, David Salo 13 any OptionalMithril and MERP Chris Seeman 18 any HouseAmending “A Brief History of the

Dwarven Mansions”Thomas Morwinsky 25 any Optional

Issue 6, May 2009 77 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Back on track! Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyClad in Mail Oliver Hauss 4 any CoreWhite Hand Rising Lev Lafayette 8 any HouseNúmenórean longevity Thomas Morwinsky 10 any OptionalThe Eöldrim José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa 23 any HouseTharbad Map Name Changes Chris Seeman, David Salo 28 any OptionalBanks of the Northern Anduin Johannes Lomborg 30 MERP HouseBorn of Hope – An Overview José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa 58 any HouseBook Review – “Isildur” Thomas Morwinsky 60 any Core


Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: A Magical Number Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyInside Information Thomas Morwinsky 3 anyThe Angmarrim Thomas Morwinsky 4 any OptionalThe Other Side José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa 10 any Optional

MERP Supplementary Rules Thomas Morwinsky 16 MERP HouseThe Ebbs and Flows of NúmenóreanTechnology

António Simões 26 any House



Issue 8, November 2009 39 pages) – Focus Theme: Magic

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Surprise! Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyA Sense of Magic Neville Percy 4 any CoreSense of Magic Neville Percy 6 MERP HouseBetween Canon and Dogma Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 8 any CoreA Journey in the Dark Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 15 any CoreThe Ways of Magic Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 19 any OptionalThe Nine Nazgûl António Simões 24 any HouseThe Age of Sauron – Preview Padraig Timmins 32 any House

Issue 9, February 2010 65 pages) – Focus Theme: The Fourth Age

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: The Dominion of Man Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyInside Information Thomas Morwinsky 4 anyThe Age of Sauron Padraig Timmins 5 any HouseThe Heirs of Elessar and the Fourth Age Thomas Morwinsky 14 any HouseA Fourth Age Chronology Tom Davie 29 any HouseReligion in Angmar Thomas Morwinsky 39 any House

Issue 10, August 2010 69 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Finally Here! Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyBalrogs do not have wings

–but they do fly!Thomas Gießl 4 any Core

The problem of Gil-galad and the‘House of Finrod’

Thomas Morwinsky 13 any Core

A History of Story-Telling Games andother Imaginary Depictions ofMiddle-earth

Travis Henry 23 any House

The ‘Other Hands’ Restoration project Thomas Morwinsky and Ronald K. 25 any HouseAn October weekend in Middle-earth Thomas Abbenhaus 28 any House

The Art of Magic – a magic system forMiddle-earth

Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 31 house system Optional/House

Issue 11, January 2011 126 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: A belated Christmas and New

Year’s presentThomas Morwinsky 2 any

Inside Information Thomas Morwinsky 4 anyAgazlam Severin, Isildur’s Heir 6 any HouseRoleplaying Battles in Middle-earth José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa 77 any HouseSimplified System—Chronicles of

Middle-earthDaniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 79 own system House

Moldewarp stats for LotRRPG José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa 87 LotRRPG HouseThings a PC should know Tom Davie 89 any Optional/HouseThe Tale of Years Thomas Gießl 90 any CoreÚnati and Axani Neville ‘Osric’ Percy 107 any Core




Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Holding our breath Thomas Morwinsky 2 anyInside Information Thomas Morwinsky 4 anyNúmenórean Longevity Revisited Thomas Morwinsky 5 any CoreAn Unexpected Party David Daines 11 any HouseThe Phenomenon of “Eternal Realms” in

Middle-earth RPG settingsThomas Morwinsky 16 any Optional

Quendi – The Elvish peoples of Middle-earth

Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 23 own system Optional

Issue 13, March 2012 131 pages)

Title Author Page Game System CategoryEditorial: Not an unlucky number! Thomas Morwinsky 3 anyInside Information Thomas Morwinsky 4 anyThe Road Goes Ever On Thomas Morwinsky 6 anyThe One Ring: Adventures Over the

Edge of the Wild – A ReviewNeville “Osric” Percy 10 any House

The Art of Magic over the Edge of theWild – An alternative magic system

for TOR

Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores 20 TOR Optional/House

Iglishmêk – The Secret Gesture-language of the Dwarves

Neville “Osric” Percy 38 TOR,LotRRPG,MERP,D&D, Fate

Optional

Population and Urbanization in Eriador Thomas Morwinsky 42 any Optional/HouseAppendix 108

Documents

Other Minds 13