Eriador

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Map of Eriador
Map of Eriador


Eriador (Sindarin for Lonely-land) is a land in the far north-west of Middle-earth. This land is composed of many regions. Eriador spans from the Ered Luin (Sindarin for Blue Mountains) in the west, to the Misty Mountains in the east, from Forochel in the north to Dunland in the south.

All new characters will begin their adventure, after the very first introduction, in one of the starter areas within Eriador. Depending on race or choice, that may be in Thorin's Gate or Celondim within Ered Luin, Archet Dale in Bree-land, or in Mossward in Swanfleet.

For a summary of levels, see Regional Quests, a page which also indicates the main level of creatures and mobs.

Starting Areas

Bree-land

Bree-land
Bree-land

Bree-land is a region found within the land of Eriador.

This region has withstood the test of time; managed to remain a thriving outpost of civilization, and is for the most part unaware of the turmoil and war going on around it thanks to the protection of the Rangers of the North.

Bree-land's main settlements of Bree, Staddle, Combe, and Archet are home to both Men and Hobbit, the only land in Middle-earth where Men and Hobbits dwell together in harmony. This region is also a central location for Dwarves and Elves to come for trade and commerce and move through to the other regions of Eriador.

"During the War of the Ring, Bree-land was threatened by both Isengard and Angmar. Saruman's thugs and half-orcs came up from the south and barricaded the Greenway at Andrath. Angmar temporarily secured the allegiance of the Blackwold bandit gang and invaded the northernmost reaches of the region with orcs." — Bree-land

See Bree-land for more details

Ered Luin

Ered Luin
Ered Luin

Ered Luin is a region found within the land of Eriador.

(Sindarin for Blue Mountains) is located in the far west of Eriador, north-west of and connected to the Shire. The Blue Mountains, as they are known in Westron, are dominated by Dwarves descending from the exile king Thráin II and by Elves who used to live in Edhelion but now are established in the south along river Lhûn.

Ered Luin has a long history, though not prominent nor prosperous in any way, being just a remote mountain ridge it did not attract much interest. This did not change when Thráin and his son Thorin Oakenshield arrived, only iron could be mined there. Even so, the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains remained in the region, side by side with elves gathering wood used for their white ships and running famous vineyards long since.

However, Thorin left Ered Luin and together with a throng of dwarves, Gandalf and a famous burglar he tried to reclaim his father's lost treasures; Thorin completed his quest but died. Nonetheless, in our story he had made a Dourhand the Master of Thorin's Hall and with that background a new Dwarf or Elf character enters the starter area in Ered Luin.

See Ered Luin for more details

The Shire

The Shire
The Shire

The Shire is a region found within the land of Eriador.

The country of the Shire is a land of peace and pastoral beauty, where hobbits dwell in seclusion from the world at large.

In former times, Men were seldom seen there, though Dwarves often passed through the Shire as they travelled to the Blue Mountains from their lands in the East. More rarely still, Elves could sometimes be seen in the woods as they journeyed to Mithlond, the Grey Havens beyond the borders of the Shire, where they cross the Sea into the Utter West.

Dark things seldom threatened the hills and meadows of the Shire. Largely this has been because hobbits are very good at keeping to their own business and not being noticed by others. But Little Folk would be aghast and unbelieving if they only knew the lengths to which Gandalf the Grey and the Rangers of the North have gone to ensure the country's peace. Now, though, even the Shire cannot escape the notice of the Shadow in the East.

See The Shire for more details

Swanfleet

Swanfleet
Swanfleet

Swanfleet is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Swanfleet is located at a river delta where the Bruinen, Hoarwell, and a couple of other streams come together to form the Gwathló. Swanfleet is an area of wetlands between the Mitheithel and Glanduin rivers that was once home to the Elf-realm of Eregion, but which has lain largely desolate following Sauron’s devastating wars of the Second Age and environmental destruction caused by Men.

The fens and thickets of Swanfleet have seen the coming of many important figures in the history of Middle-earth, from the Noldorin Elves to the Men of Númenor. Its willow-trees stand on islands surrounded by still waters and branching streams. Its reedy pools teem with fish, frogs, and insects, as well as many birds of both air and water, whose voices have made the fens famous for their “Pools of Song.”

The Old South Road, now broken and oft-obscured, winds through Swanfleet’s midst, coming down from Cardolan to cross the River Greyflood at Tharbad. It passes on into Enedwaith, whence it runs through Dunland and Rohan and on into Gondor, linking that realm to the fallen North-kingdom of Arnor. In the centre of Swanfleet lies the Dunlending city of Lhan Garan.

See Swanfleet for more details

Early Areas

Cardolan

Cardolan
Cardolan


Cardolan is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Cardolan is the old kingdom of the Dunedain. Together with Arthedain and Rhudaur it once formed the kingdom of Arnor. The old kingdom of Cardolan stretched all the way from Amon Sûl in the north to the sea in the south, although the zone is much smaller.

It is caught between the Baranduin in the west and the Mitheithel and the Gwathló in the east. It consists of large open fields, sweeping hills, and shallow marshes. The red rock in Cardolan is a signature characteristic of the region, especially within the aptly named Ruddymore.

In the centre of Cardolan lies the city of Herne, and in the south-east is the abandoned city of Tharbad straddling the border with Swanfleet. Through the region lies the Greenway, an old road connecting Fornost with Tharbad, where it changes into the Old South Road to Gondor. In the west lies Tyrn Gorthad, the old capital of Cardolan. This place has long been abandoned and defiled by the dead.

Rangers of the North keep a watchful eye on the few settlers who chose to attempt to etch out a life in these long abandoned lands, safeguarding them against any potential threats.

See Cardolan for more details

Lone-lands

The Lone-lands
The Lone-lands

The Lone-lands is a region found within the land of Eriador.

The Lone-lands are located between Bree-land and the Trollshaws, north of Cardolan, and along the Great East Road. In ancient times, this was part of the Kingdom of Rhudaur, but today the Lone-lands are little more than a savage wilderness. Recently, hordes of goblins, half-orcs, orcs, crebain and wargs have overrun the land, in service to the White Hand and Angmar. In its northeastern corner, the Créoth tribe of hill-men worship, sacrifice, and defile the land in the name of the Red-maid. The Eglain, however, stand firmly against these threats, as these wild-men have grown adept to life outside of civilization and are prepared to defend the ruins which have supplied them their very livelihood.

The most regal and prominent feature of the Lone-lands rises above the road like a symbol of the land’s sad legacy: Weathertop. Once known as Amon Sûl (Sindarin for Hill of the Wind), it was a proud tower of vision and vigilance and the home of the strongest palantír of the north. However, it fell in battle to the Witch-king of Angmar, and has sat derelict in the wild since then. Today, countless orcs prowl through the place’s rubble, and the few Rangers who defend it cannot often deter them.

See the Lone-lands for more details

North Downs

North Downs
North Downs

The North Downs are a region found within the land of Eriador.

Little is said about the North Downs but it has always been the realm of noble Men of Arnor. It is always mentioned as lesser than Evendim and as the darker contrast to Gondor, connected to the struggles with the nearby Angmar and its Witch-king.

The hidden fortress of Esteldín serves as the capital of the North Downs, being the headquarters of the Rangers under Halbarad's command, kinsman of Aragorn.

Recently the town of Trestlebridge was under a fierce attack by grim orcs, but this turned out to be only a spur while the Enemy overran Fornost, Dol Dínen, and other long since unused ruins. Elves have always upheld a refuge in Lin Giliath and dwarves have mined silver in Othrikar, where the legendary Gildor Inglorion and Dori are met.

See North Downs for more details

Alphabetic Order

Angmar

Angmar
Angmar


Angmar is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Angmar (Sindarin for Iron-home) is a sickly, inhospitable region accessible from North Downs and Gundabad. A large region made up of varying areas that all manage to be different shades of barren. In western Angmar two factions of hill-men dominate the region, the friendly Trév Gállorg and the traitorous Trév Duvárdain who have sworn their allegiance to the Iron Crown. Both tribes have several outposts and fortresses, though the Trév Duvárdain are more numerous and powerful, likely in due part to their Angmarim allies. These western areas, while still barren, are much more inhabitable than the ones in the east or north. Western and eastern Angmar are connected by way of a yellow, sulphuric swamp divided in two by Rammas Deluon, a line of Watching-stones which bear a tremendous sense of dread on anybody not strong-willed enough to pass them. While not accompanied by the blood red sky as the rest of Angmar, that swampland is still dangerous. Fire-worms, dread turtles, overgrown leeches, and flies provide ample challenge for the hill men who hunt out of Tyrn Lhuig.

See Angmar for more details

Dunland

Dunland
Dunland


Dunland is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Dunland (Rohirric for Hill Land) is a hilly, brown land with Enedwaith to the North, the Old North-South Road (also known as the Greenway in Bree-land) to the West and Misty Mountains to the east. Far from the centers of population of Arnor and Gondor, its inhabitants at times included the Men known as Dunlendings as well as wandering Hobbits and Dwarves. Dunland was a fair, fertile land. By the end of the Third Age being neither prosperous or civilised, it was sparsely inhabited by unorganized herdsmen and hillmen.

See Dunland for more details

Enedwaith

Enedwaith
Enedwaith


Enedwaith is a region found within the land of Eriador.

This is the wide lands that lay between Arnor in the north and Gondor in the south. Originally deeply forested, the great forests of this region were cut down by the Númenóreans during the Second Age.

In the years after their founding, Enedwaith (Sindarin for Middle-region) lay between Arnor to the north and Gondor to the south, and so the people who lived here were known as the 'middle-folk'. Though Enedwaith did not belong to either Kingdom, it was jointly administered by the Dúnedain, and the Wild Men who lived here ultimately did so under their control. Tolkien goes so far as to hint that, in the earliest days of the Two Kingdoms, Enedwaith was considered to fall within the boundaries of Gondor.

See Enedwaith for more details

Eregion

Eregion
Eregion


Eregion is a region found within the land of Eriador.

(Sindarin for Holly-land, Hollin in Westron) is located near the West Gate of Khazad-dûm under the shadow of the Misty Mountains.

In the Third Age, Eregion now is a pleasant but unpopulated land, and contains many of the ruins of the Elven civilization that once thrived there. It is famous for its holly trees, whence the name in both Westron and Sindarin came from. Cooks will also find a bounty of abundant produce growing wild in the region.

One however, must also be wary, as even Angmar has reached this low and deserted lands. Ranging from fierce Worms, to prowling and thieving Dunlendings, and finally the evil and corrupted Huorns and Wood Trolls who are under the influence of Angmar's Shadow, Eregion, without a doubt, is a dangerous place.

See Eregion for more details

Ettenmoors

Ettenmoors
Ettenmoors


The Ettenmoors is a region found within the land of Eriador.

The Ettenmoors are a mountainous, wild, and untamed land that lay north of Rivendell. Also called the troll-fells, the region was likely infested with Trolls. The Ettenmoors included the land of the Ettendales, which consisted of valleys reaching into the foothills of the Misty Mountains. It is speculated that Mount Gram, from where a host of Orcs attacked The Shire, was located in the Ettenmoors. [1]

See Ettenmoors for more details

Evendim

Evendim
Evendim


Evendim is a region found within the land of Eriador.

A vast region dominated by the majestic lake from which it gets its name, Lake Evendim, also known as Nenuial (Sindarin for Lake of Twilight). Here the dwindling numbers of Dúnedain have struggled for long to honour their heritage.

Little is said about Evendim but Elendil came here no earlier than Second Age 3320 and founded the northern Kingdom of Arnor, while his two sons founded Gondor in the south. Ten High Kings ruled out of Annúminas, the shining jewel on the southern shore of Nenuial. However, Amlaith never became the eleventh King but left to Fornost and Arnor was split in three.

The ancient abandoned city of Annúminas, the former capital of the Kingdom of Arnor, is well known amongst the Free Peoples for according to the legends, amidst its ruins lay great wealth and powerful artifacts now threatened by evil creatures and the nefarious forces of Angmar. The Wardens of Annúminas have set up a smaller camp within the ruins and a large camp at Tinnudir, trying to press back the Enemy and secure the tombs of old.

See Evendim for more details

Forochel

Forochel
Forochel


Forochel is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Forochel (Sindarin for Northern Ice) is a frozen tundra found in the northern-most region of Eriador, where the Blue Mountains form a massive barrier on the western border. These frost-bitten expanses surrounding the infamous Ice Bay lie encased by steep mountain sides but connects to the Great Sea to the north and into the even more inhospitable Forodwaith to the east.

Forochel will always be remembered for when King Arvedui escaped Fornost in III 1974, hid in dwarf-mines at the slopes of the Blue Mountains with his men, and eventually gained help from the Lossoth who rightfully feared Angmar's wrath. Círdan the Shipwright sent a ship west of the mountains for the King and it arrived in March III 1975. However, a great storm trapped the ship in the ice masses until it was broken, whether that was an act of the Witch-king of Angmar or not is unknown. The last King of Arnor and his men were lost, and so also the two palantíri of Amon Sûl and of Annúminas. Today adventurers supporting the Free Peoples, as well as foes out of Angmar, are seeking other heirlooms that were lost but maybe lie waiting a finder under the snow.

See Forochel for more details

Gap of Rohan

Gap of Rohan
Gap of Rohan


The Gap of Rohan is a region found within the land of Eriador.

The Gap of Rohan is the great gap on the west of Rohan between the southern end of the Misty Mountains and the northernmost peaks of the White Mountains, once known as Gap of Calenardhon.

Through the Gap flow the rivers Isen and Adorn, which formed the effective western boundary of the region Calenardhon, later the Kingdom of Rohan.

This is not Rohan proper, but rather the Gap of Rohan, which covers the strip of territory between the Misty Mountains (to the north), the Kingdom of Rohan (to the east), and the White Mountains to the southeast. Mountains make rivers, and the lush valley farmland in the triangle formed by the Isen (flowing from the Misty Mountains) and the Adorn (originating in the White Mountains) is a historical point of contention between the Dunlendings and the Kingdom of Rohan.

The Rohirrim fought a number of battles against the Dunlendings and the Orcs of Saruman in the gap, during one of which Théodred, son of Théoden King, was mortally wounded.

See Gap of Rohan for more details

Misty Mountains

The Misty Mountains
The Misty Mountains


The Misty Mountains is a region found within the land of Eriador.

Misty Mountains, also named "Hithaeglir" (Sindarin for Range of Mist Mountains), is a mountain range that run 1280 kilometres from Mount Gundabad in the far north to Methedras in the south, between Eriador and the valley of the Anduin and Rhovanion. An early version of this range's name was "Ered Hithui" (Sindarin for Misty Mountains).

The region largely consists of towering mountain ridges, snowy vales, rocky crags and hills, as well as spruce and fir forests pocketed throughout. Warmer sections like Bruinen Source West and Southern High Pass, while still snow-covered they have sections of flowing water breaking through the icy cracks around them. The Misty Mountains is the main source to many large rivers, Bruinen and Mitheithel being two of the rivers flowing westwards, and Nimrodel, one of many rivers flowing eastwards.

See Misty Mountains for more details

Trollshaws

Trollshaws
Trollshaws


The Trollshaws is a region found within the land of Eriador.

This region became known as the Trollshaws after the lands of Rhudaur were cast into ruin and became inhabited by evil trolls. It is located between the Lone-lands to the west, Eregion to the south-east, and Misty Mountains to the north-east. This region is filled with towering pine and beech trees, autumnal forests and rivers. The horizons are often blocked by high hills and steep, impassable cliffs that shadow deep gorges and dead-end ravines. The woods are dotted with ruins, remnants of lost civilization that now serve as lairs for some of Middle-earth's most savage beasts and servants of the dark lords such as trolls, hill-men, and wights.

Rivendell is an area that is nestled in the deep valleys below the Misty Mountains, richly watered by streams flowing down the cliff faces and springs bubbling up from the ground. The valley is itself a settlement, the capital of the Trollshaws, in which the natural centre of activities is the Last Homely House, Elrond's magnificent residence. However, major services and legendary characters are found all over that beautiful valley.

See Trollshaws for more details

Maps

Eriador by Varghedin

Category Overview

Eriador


Regions within the Land of Eriador

Angmar • Bree-land • Cardolan • Dunland • Enedwaith • Ered Luin • Eregion • Ettenmoors • Evendim • Forochel • Gap of Rohan • Lone-lands • Misty Mountains • Nan Curunír • North Downs • Swanfleet • The Shire • Trollshaws
Lands of Middle-earth

Eriador • Gondor • Haradwaith • Mordor • Rhovanion • Rohan
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