At the end of the Second Age, the great king Elendil founded twin kingdoms, Arnor and Gondor. Though Elendil fell in battle with Sauron at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, his son Isildur defeated Sauron.
At the dawn of the Third Age, Isildur and his heirs ruled over the North Kingdom, Arnor, while his brother Anarion’s heirs ruled over the South Kingdom, Gondor. Elendil and his heirs were High Men, or Dùnedain. Possessing elven blood (owing to their ancestor Elros, brother of Elrond), the High Men are longer lived than common men (and typically greater in height and strength as well).
Arnor was struck a crippling blow early in its history, with King Isildur and many of his men who survived the battle with Sauron slaughtered at Gladden Fields. Arnor never quite recovered from that loss. Militarily, Gondor was the mightier of the twin kingdoms, expanding over the land and sea, waxing and waning over the years. Some years were years of prosperity for Gondor, with her great cities growing in splendour, while others were years of retreat or civil war.
Arnor, on the other hand, has suffered from a steady decline. It was never heavily populated and over the years diminishment has continued. Approximately a thousand years into the Third Age it splintered into three successor states, Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur, owing to a fight for succession of the ruling scepter. Rhudaur quickly became an ally of the vile With-King of Angmar, a realm dedicated solely to the destruction of Arnor. Plague and constant war effectively finished off Cardolan – though it is ruled by Arthedain in name, it is now even more unsettled than Arthedain.
Arthedain struggles to persevere, preserving the line of Elendil and Isildur. It has fought long and hard to protect its people (among them the Hobbits of the Shire) from the forces of Angmar. Yet every year brings more and more losses to Angmar – losses of land (which can be regained) and losses of Men (which cannot).
Of late, Arthedain and Gondor have reestablished ties with one another, realizing that though their foes may be wearing different faces, all serve, in one degree or another, the Dark Lord Sauron. In 1940 Prince (now King) Arvedui of Arthedain was wed to Fíriel, daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor. Ondoher and his sons fell in battle in 1944, leading Arvedui to make an unsuccessful claim for the throne of Gondor, hoping to rejoin the heirs of Elendil into one kingdom again. Instead, the throne of Gondor went to Eärnil of the royal house, who pledged that Gondor would remain a friend of Arthedain.
It is unclear how strong the alliance with Gondor is. Gondor is strong, far stronger than Arthedain, but it is also beset by enemies from all sides. Arthedain struggles to survive, but there is a sense of inevitable doom. The High Seer of Arthedain has prophesized that King Arvedui is the last king of the Arthedain, though what this precisely means is uncertain, for seers are often vague in their foretelling. Yet the people of Arthedain would not at all be surprised if this realm were to be overrun by the forces of Angmar by the end of the decade.
Still, Arthedain stands as it always has, valiantly, over seemingly impossible odds. If it does fall, the bards will sing tales of its final stand against darkness for generations…
It is the year 1970 of the Third Age of Middle Earth, over a thousand years before the War of the Ring. Yet events in the North are transpiring that will have a great effect on the War of the Ring…
Reply With Quote
