Chatter: Rhûn

Far beyond the Sea of Rhun was another inland sea, the Sea of Helcar, and beyond that the range of Orocarni, the Red Mountains. Somewhere in the lost east, too, lay Cuivienen and Hildorien, where Elves and Men first awoke: all the Children of Iluvatar could trace their ancestries back to the eastward regions of Middle-earth.This Forum is for Work on the Rhun campaign setting for The One Ring RPG set in Middle-earth.
User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:12 pm

Image

This thread can be about the geography of the Lost East starting in Rhûn and moving east and south east. I'll need help with maps, regions, location descriptions, cities, villages, settlements and other features much like they have done in the Heart of the Wild book.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Rh%C3%BBn

Rhûn refers to the little-known lands to the east of Middle-earth inhabited by peoples known as the "Easterlings", from whom many attacks on Gondor and its allies came during the Third Age.

It is known as a wide and vast land with many kingdoms, and strange and unexplored places. Almost nothing of the lands beyond the great Sea of Rhûn is known (see Uttermost East).

Image
History

Far beyond the Sea of Rhûn was another inland sea, the Sea of Helcar, and beyond that the range of Orocarni, the Red Mountains. Somewhere in the lost east, too, lay Cuivienen and Hildorien, where Elves and Men first awoke: all the Children of Iluvatar could trace their ancestries back to the eastward regions of Middle-earth.

The first Men who were migrating to the West, pass from northern Rhûn where they met some Dwarves.[1] At the shores of the inland Sea, the tribes separated and their languages soon diverged.[2]

In the later Ages Rhûn was the domain of the Easterlings, Men of Darkness who were ready to follow both the Dark Lords and fought as their allies in war. These lands, too, were peopled by lost Elves, Avari and Umanyar, and by four of the seven clans of the Dwarves who dwelt in the Orocarni.

Sauron himself journeyed into the eastward lands, in hiding from the White Council during the centuries of the Watchful Peace.

Rhûn was conquered by Gondor twice: under the Kings Romendacil I and Romendacil II, but the Numenoreans never had full control over it. Rhûn was finally subdued in the Fourth Age under King Elessar and his son Eldarion.

Geography

The western part of Rhûn is shown on the Lord of the Rings map. It contains the great Sea of Rhûn, connected with three rivers, one northeast, a part of River Running, one northwest and one running north from Mordor. It also shows a small mountain range southwest of the sea and a forest northeast of it. Northwest of the Sea of Rhûn lays also the land of Dorwinion.

The inland Sea of Rhûn was located in western Rhûn on the border between Rhûn and Wilderland. There were mountains on the southwest side of the Sea of Rhûn and a forest on the northeast side. Wild white Kine of Araw, or oxen, lived near the shores of the Sea of Rhûn.

Rhûn's ancient geography can be gleaned a little from The Silmarillion; throughout most of the First Age the vast Sea of Helcar was located there and beyond that the Orocarni ('red mountains').
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:43 pm

Alright, some maps of The Lost East

Very Large Map of Arda
Image
Map of Rhûn from Fontand Atlas of Middle-earth
Image
Map of Rhûn showing where the Dunedain of Nûmenor landed and could have influenced the East
Image
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:43 pm

Hildórien

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Hild%C3%B3rien

Hildórien (Q: "Land of the Followers", pron. N [hilˈdoːri.en]) was the land in the far east of Middle-earth in which the first Men or Hildor, awoke at the beginning of the First Age.

It was said among the Elves, that Morgoth went there and put a darkness in the hearts of the Men. Some Men, who were at war with those who fell under the Shadow, fled Hildórien seeking the Light of the West.

Etymology

The Silmarillion appendix confirms that Hildórien is of the same root as the word Hildor. It can be therefore understood as Quenya Hildor + -ien, therefore "Land of the Followers".
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:44 pm

Cuiviénen
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Cuivi%C3%A9nen

Cuiviénen (Q, pron. N [ˌkuɪviˈeːnen], V [ˌkuɪβiˈeːnen]) was a bay on the shore of the inland Sea of Helcar in the far east of Middle-earth and by extension, the land near the Wild Wood at the foot of Orocarni where the Quendi or Elves awoke.

History

Eru first awoke the Elves there in approximately 1050 of the Years of the Trees. From the first they were divided into three groups: the Minyar, Tatyar, and Nelyar. They dwelt in Cuiviénen for more than five hundred years of the sun before the first sundering. Many of the Elves, particularly of the Minyar and Tatyar, journeyed west to Valinor and, if they did not tarry in Middle-earth, saw its light and became known as the Eldar. Those who remained were called the Avari, the unwilling, for they did not desire to see the beauty of that land, but preferred the starlight of Cuiviénen.

It is unknown how long the Avari remained at Cuiviénen during the First Age, but it is certain that the Sea of Helcar ceased to exist after the War of Wrath. The fate of its inhabitants is unknown.

Etymology

The Quenya name Cuiviénen (cuivié "awakening" + nen "water") means "water of awakening".[source?]
By the time of our setting the waters have been destroyed by the reshaping of Middle-earth and the loss of Helcar the Inland Sea. However it seems like a great place to have some sort of point of interest still in tact. Perhaps one of the Avari tribes lives here and keep the place hallowed, even in a much reduced sort of state.
Image
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:47 pm

Orocarni
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Orocarni

The Orocarni was a mountain range in the far east made by the Valar before Arda was marred and the symmetry was lost in the wars against Melkor.

On the western slopes of the Orocarni grew the Wild Wood, and near a great waterfall of a river that flowed into the Inland Sea of Helcar the bay of Cuiviénen lay, where the Elves woke.

At their northern edge the Orocarni connected with the Ered Engrin, forming a situation much as the Ered Luin in the far west.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:35 am

So here is a combo map of the various peoples of the East that I've put together so far. Thoughts are welcome.
Image
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
Grimbold
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10309
Location: Austria
Title: Professor
User Class: Scholar

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Grimbold » Fri Oct 17, 2014 11:12 pm

Just some ideas from me:

You might want to look at the old ICE module "Peril on the Sea of Rhun". Even if you cannot use all of it, they often have interesting background info, some interesting npcs and some fascinating places to explore.

I also like their Middle Earth map a lot:
http://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/upl ... -Earth.jpg

You might also look at the MERP wikia:
http://merp.wikia.com/wiki/Palisor

User avatar
Vardaen
Admin
Admin
Posts: 66394
Location: Miskatonic University
Title: Great Old One
User Class: Unshackled AI

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Vardaen » Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:33 am

I have researched some merps and while the map is nice it totally breaks the canon tolkien did later on.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

User avatar
TetNak
Emeritus Admin
Emeritus Admin
Posts: 46375
Location: Seagard
User Class: Brewmaster

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by TetNak » Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:29 am

Var, I had been meaning to ask, but what age are you thinking of running this? Are we talking 4th Age, during LOTR, etc?

Regardless, it might be interesting to have a new threat coming over from the Dark Lands. Could be something completely new.
"Kings have no friends, only subjects and enemies."

- King Stannis Baratheon, First of His Name

User avatar
Blubbo_Baggins
Level 14 Elite
Level 14 Elite
Posts: 3767
Location: The Old Forest

Re: Chatter: Rhûn

Post by Blubbo_Baggins » Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:03 pm

You might consider switching the location of the Ironfists and Stiffbeards. In the very short wiki article on Stiffbeards, it suggests this was their name because they were so far north their beards were frozen stiff. (If you want to go with the information in the wiki article.)

Post Reply