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Dorrunen

The Province of Dor-Rhûnen

Dorrhunen2
Dorunen

Dor Rhúnen (S. ‘Eastern Land’.): The name for the large eastern province of Gondor. When Gondor was militarily strong, the province included all land east of the Anduin river, west of the Rhûnaer, south of Mirkwood, and north of the Ash Mountains, but Gondor’s control of this area was often weak as most of the population were nomadic.

Dor-Rhúnen in TA 1640[]

Gondor's possessions north of Ithilien and east of the River Anduin are wide and unsettled. Trade with the North keeps the King's interest in the region solid, but constant raids by Easterlings threaten to disrapt Gondor's authority in Dor Rhúnen. As in Gondor's other territories, a royally appointed Regent governs the region. The Regent speaks with the authority of the King himself, and the current Regent, Vagaig, often has to use brutal means to keep the peace in his territory. Peace does indeed result, but since the Plague, Gondorians have been leaving Dor Rhúnen in droves. The lands of Dor Rhúnen range from the desolate battle plain of Dagorlad to the Dead Marshes to the grassy prairies of southern Rhovanion to the fringes of Mirkwood Forest. Gondor is reluctant to expand the border further, since she is already having difficulty protecting and administering her current possessions. The plains of Dor Rhúnen supply the rest of Gondor with grain, horses, and cattle, and they are dependent on Gondor's cities for virtually all finished products. A healthy trade with the Northmen of Rhovanion takes place across the plains, although it was greatly diminished by the Plague. Some mercantile contact occurs with the Elves of Mirkwood and the rugged Dorwinrim of the East, but such dealings are usually clouded by suspicion on both sides. For most trade with distant peoples, the Northmen act as intermediaries, and a strong alliance has grown between Gondor and most of the Northman tribes. A descendant of the Northman King Vidugavia serves as an emissary to the Gondorian Regent. He has taken the unwarranted title of Prince, but none seem to mind as long as he performs his task ably.

Hidden away in the mires of the Dead Marshes, a small population of Marshmen struggles to survive. Nearly as primitive as the Woses of the Drúadan Forest, the Marshmen are the last remnant of the Daen peoples east of the Anduin. Outsiders hunt them for sport and as bandits, but the Marshmen desire only their privacy. None know the perils of the Dead Marshes better than they, and any who can befriend them may find that they make excellent guides.

Though Gondor did not conquer Dor Rhúnen by force, they are nonetheless an occupying power. Relations with the Northmen are good, but Easterling tribes move into and out of the region with absolutely no regard for Gondorian authority. The Lords of Dorwinion claim part of Dor Rhúnen as their own, and they occasionally encourage large Easterling tribes to harass the Gondorians. Though no great invasion of Easterlings has occurred since an assault from Rhûn forced the alliance of Gondor with Vidugavia in T.A. 1248, the recent movements of masses of Easterlings cause Gondor to be constantly wary of her eastern frontier. Pressed by migrations further East, many tribes unwittingly serve the purposes of Sauron by encroaching upon Dor Rhúnen, attacking the weak settlements of Gondorians they find there.

See also[]

MERP-Northwestern Middle-Earth & Rhun-complete(600dpi).pdf

References[]

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