Issue 7, July 2009

OO THERTHER MMINDINDSS The Unofficial Role-Playing Magazine for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth and beyond

OTHER MINDS Magazine Issue 7, July 2009

Publisher Other Minds Volunteers

Co-Editors Thomas Morwinsky Hawke Robinson

Proof Readers Katy Koenen Neville Percy Oliver Schick

Assistant Editors Chris Seeman Chris Wade

Artwork Catherine Karina Chmiel

Production Staff Thomas Morwinsky Hawke Robinson

“Little Brother ...” © Catherine Karina Chmiel

The next Issue of Other Minds is not themed, every contribution is eligible! Submission deadline for Other Minds #8 is October 1 2009

Unless otherwise noted, every contribution in this magazine is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license (b n a) 1 The exact license of a given contribution can be found at the beginning of each contribution. Other Minds Magazine CONTENTS Editorial: MAIN FEATURES A Magical Number 2 Editorial: A Magical Number by Thomas Morwinsky 3 Inside Information Seven is a magical number in by Thomas Morwinsky The Angmarrim An essay by myself Tolkien’s world; just think of the sec- dealing with the mannish population of 4 The Angmarrim by Thomas Morwinsky ond batch of the Rings of Power! We Angmar. The focus is not the demographic are sure you will find this Issue as in- aspect (i.e. the number of Men living 10 The Other Side by José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa teresting as we do—and with a little there), but their ethnic roots, composition luck its magic may entwine you too. and how they became the Angmarrim. 16 MERP Supplementary Rules by Thomas Morwinsky We all wish you a good read from Angmar is a realm designed to destroy the Other Minds, Issue 7! Dúnedain of the North. Its location on the 26 The Ebbs and Flows of Númenórean Technology It would have been desirable to fringe of civilization in a land not favour- by António Simões make this issue available in time for able for high agricultural yield makes it all the more important to have a believable OTHER FEATURES MERPCon V (July 24-26), but time constraints and real life unfortunately explanation how all this came to be. An in- 30 Fine Print and Disclaimers made this impossible. depth analysis of this topic has been needed since the publication of the last official 31 Creative Commons License This time round we have a bit less book covering this region (Angmar, in quantity of content compared to the 34 Appendix A 1995). Now I hope I have contributed a Spell Lists for “MERP Supplementary last one (which was exceptionally little piece for a more believable recon- Rules” thick), but certainly no less quality. struction of the Witch-king’s realm. 42 Appendix B Apart from the content, I am Chronologies for “The Ebbs and Flows Next in line is The Other Side by of Númenórean Technology” pleased to announce a new feature for Other Minds. This is our “translation José Enrique Vacas de la Rosa. He ex- service” for foreign language contribu- plores “The Other Side” (also regularly tions. See the section titled “Inside In- called “Shadow World”), which features so formation” for more details on this new prominently in The Lord of the Rings as the feature. This kind of feedback and con- home of the Nazgûl as well as mighty Eldar structive comments concerning missing like Glorfindel. He details the peculiarities features or opportunities for improve- of this “world” as well as rectifying its ment is extremely important for us. It common misconceptions. The most shows us where we can alter something prominent of these is probably the idea to improve the whole package. Apart that the “Shadow World” is some kind of from this specific topic, “Inside Infor- other dimension where the Undead and mation” is planned to become a semi- mighty Eldar exist. José Enrique’s detailed regular heading for issues that cover analysis is a must for anyone interested in the magazine itself. In this role it will this aspect of Tolkien Lore, as well for Ga- replace “Other Minds Conventions”. memasters striving to simulate the Profes- sor’s ideas about it as closely as possible. I This issue’s topics again am sure that this will be very useful for stretch over the whole designing supplements or adventures that range of Tolkien- make use of such creatures. themed possibilities, Next come the MERP Supplemen- from the more theoreti- tary Rules, again by myself. Naturally, cal Tolkien Lore to alternative game this is a purely game-oriented contribu- mechanics, in this case for MERP. tion. MERP’s strength always was in the In detail we have the following con- regional modules and less so the rules. tributions:

2 Issue 7, July 2009 Originally a simplified Rolemaster, they were not meant to be a close Tolkien interpretation. This has led to the unfor- tunate situation that the mechanics of a Inside Information still popular game for Middle-earth are not really suited for the setting. Instead of using a wholly new game (and there- Translating non-English Middle-earth-gaming-related material. fore having to reinvent the stats from the Currently, we can translate manu- published supplements) rules for fixing manuscripts scripts into English from the following the biggest problems are a pragmatic so- Recent talks with readers of Other languages (in alphabetical order): lution. One must still be aware that this Minds showed us that there may be a • French is still a compromise with respect to deficit or hurdle concerning contribu- • German Tolkien. tions from authors who may write arti- • Portugese Finally we have The Ebbs and cles (or already have some ready) – al- • Spanish though in languages other than English. Flows of Númenórean Technology We hope that this list will grow, thus by first-time contributor António The challenge seems to be that, while readers are able to read the magazine, increasing our range of translatable for- Simões. António develops an exciting eign languages. concept of Númenórean technology (and non-native English speakers have an addi- By offering this opportunity, we history in general) that is quite different tional hurdle in writing for an English- think that even more of your great Mid- from the usual interpretations of Middle- reading audience. dle-earth gaming stuff will be made avail- earth being generally on a pre-industrial This is of course a situation we can- able for a greater audience. technological level and especially in- not tolerate since we see ourselves as an spired by (European) ancient and medie- international magazine – open for Due to the time necessary for trans- val models. António takes a radically readers from all countries and languages. lating, contributions for a given issue of thought-provoking approach, designing a In order to make Other Minds accessible Other Minds must be submitted one “Steampunk”-style of setting, comparable even for such cases, you may now submit month prior to the deadline for English to GDW’s Space 1889, and in essence a your contribution in your native lan- manuscripts The following table shows Science Fantasy genre. Here you will guage, and we will translate it into Eng- the deadline for each quarterly issue of find electricity, missiles and computers lish. In this way we strive to make this Other Minds. as part of the Númenórean achievements magazine open to much more potential (at least for a time during the Dúnedain’s long history). I am sure this idea will be an inspiration for gamers and GM’s alike. Issue in Regular pub- Submission Deadline for manuscripts a year lication date Finally, I want to express my thanks non-English English for Catherine Karina Chmiel for her per- 1 January 31 November 30 December 31 mission to use her excellent artwork in 2 April 30 February 28 March 31 our magazine. 3 July 31 May 31 June 30 4 October31 August 31 September 30 For the Other Minds team Thomas Morwinsky July 2009

3 Other Minds Magazine

The Angmarrim

by Thomas Morwinsky Introduction “The inhabitants of the Iron Land are ([email protected]) © 2009 b n a ICE produced several modules cen- called the Angmarrim. Their diversity is per the terms of the CC license: a frightening manifestation of the per- tered upon Angmar, the realm of the Witch-king in the North which lasted, vasive influence and power of the Lord Among the most fascinating areas in Middle- of Morgul. Fierce and savage Sagath roughly, from ca. the late thirteenth earth Roleplaying-wise is Angmar, the dreaded and Asdriag tribes, Dunlendings, Hill- realm of the Witch-king. Despite several publica- century of the Third Age to T.A. 1975. tions on this topic, there is still a lot of lack. The men, Rhudaurim, Northmen, Dúne- As we learn from The Lord of the Rings dain, and even Men from distant Khand present article deals with a portion of these linger- (including it’s Appendices), the primary ing issues. and Far Harad, all proclaim allegiance goal of Angmar was the destruction of to the banner of the Witch-king. Many the Dúnedain of the North. of these Men live within the borders of A decisive element in convincing Angmar as warriors, priests, or ordinary story-telling with a high suspension of farmers. Still more, especially the East- disbelief is the creation of a believable erlings, dwell outside Angmar in their background for the protagonists and the traditional homelands, vassals who environment. It is here that the various fight at the Úlair's command.” incarnations of ICE’s modules covering Angmar, p.15 Angmar were, unfortunately, at their weakest. The most recent of these three Obviously, this text (and others in nd versions came into being during the 2 the Angmar module) give us the impres- edition of MERP and was published in sion of Angmar as a vast empire with 1995. It was, in essence, a reprint of the nearly unlimited resources, filled with first edition of Empire of the Witch-king hordes of savage religious zealots intent (1989), which in itself was only an on destroying the despised Dúnedain. enlarged version of the original 1982 Farther down on the same page the text module Angmar – Land of the Witch-king. explains that the sole motivation for See the Section 5: Sources for the spe- these diverse people is the lust for plun- cific details of these products. I will use der and the blind hatred for the Dúne- the second edition Angmar as the sole ref- dain. In addition, Angmar openly speaks erence, unless indicated otherwise. of an “Empire of the Witch-king” which One of the most problematic points spreads far beyond the borders of Ang- of the second edition Angmar (as well as mar proper. Unfortunately, we are not its predecessors) is the way its inhabi- told why all these peoples from lands far tants (called “Angmarrim” henceforth) away, apparently only superficially are portrayed. Given their importance as patched together in an “Empire,” are so the Witch-king’s primary way of bring- full of hatred for the Dúnedain that they ing down the Dúnedain of the North, an go to wage war against them hundreds especially careful and thorough approach and thousands kilometers away from to their culture and history could be ex- their homelands – doing all this for a full pected. seven centuries. Unfortunately, Angmar depicts the Regrettably, nowhere in the module Angmarrim with a very low level of there is a reference to Tolkien’s views “suspension of disbelief”: (either directly or indirectly) regarding these matters, and no believable devel- opment of the Angmarean ethnicities is offered. All these deficiencies are ad- dressed in this essay and possible solu- tions are presented. 4 Issue 7, July 2009

Important Note: The solutions and It was after thought that the people of imply that the evil Men from Morgoth explanations herein do not claim to Ulfang were already secretly in the ser- only came from among their own eastern be the only and “right” interpretation. vice of Morgoth ere they came to Beleri- relatives. If this is true, the quote above Regardless of the results, the most and. Not so the people of Bór, who were does not apply to the Bórians. However, important thing for any interpreta- worthy folk and tillers of the earth. Of I deem it possible that the Bórians, too tion is to check the available sources them, it is said, came the most ancient fell victim to Morgoth’s Men. If you and make an interpretation based on of the Men that dwelt in the north of want to discard these original evil mas- evidence from Tolkien and applicable Eriador in the Second Age and in after- ters, the tale of these Bórians becomes real-world models. To fully profit days. HoMe11: The War of the even more tragic, worthy of the from this alternative to the ICE Jewels.61 Gwathuirim’s/Dunlending’s sad tale in canon, you need a copy of one of the the Second and Third Age, because they incarnations of ICE’s Angmar mate- This quote is the central argument become followers of a Nazgûl. nd rial, preferrably the 2 ed. Angmar for identifying the original inhabitants of In the case of Gwathuirim/ book. the region of later Angmar as relatives of Dunlendings we have a people distantly Bór’s people. This interpretation is also related to the Númenóreans, but due to Pre-foundation Peoples useful when considering the probably the lat-ter’s ignorance in recognizing Angmar’s inhabitants are in all likeli- less fertile soil in Angmar: These people that, the Númenóreans treated the hood not descended from a single ethnic were “tillers of the earth” from which we Gwathuirim with contempt, disregarding group. The population of the Witch- can infer that they were quite skilled in their rights by ruthlessly destroying king’s realm is, most likely, a mixture of this craft and able to produce sufficient Eriador’s forests for shipbuilding pro- several groups that were finally assimi- crops even in this remote and cool area. gram. This short-sighted Númenórean lated by the Witch-king’s machinations It may be a bit strange that relatives hubris made the Gwathuirim sympathetic into a single cohesive populace. The im- of these worthy and faithful people to Sauron’s cause. For his part, Sauron portant point is that while they have var- formed an element of later Angmar, so styled himself as the avenging hero of all ied ethnic backgrounds, they are largely one point may be mentioned: The rem- those people “wronged by the haughty merged into a unique, new people circa nants of Morgoth’s mannish servants fled Númenóreans.” A similar development T.A. 1300-1350, at which point, they into the East and set themselves up as might be inferred for the Bórians, who can start to be called “Angmarrim”. kings among eastern men after Mor- may have been treated with haughtiness This is not to say that the various eth- goth’s defeat in the War of Wrath. This and arrogance by Dúnadan lords, thus nic groups completely gave up all the is mentioned in the Silmarillion: alienating these people from the Men of traits of their ancestors. It is in the the West. Witch-king’s interest to keep their ethni- And after the victory of the Lords of It is important to note that most of cally-specific strengths preserved. Espe- the West those of the evil Men who were the region west of the Hithaeglir that cially useful are military traits. Addition- not destroyed fled back into the east, later became part of Angmar, was origi- where many of their race were still wan- ally, perhaps, some traditions and behav- nally part of Arnor – in contrast to the dering in the unharvested lands, wild iour may have been preserved. As a ICE maps which depict Arnor during its whole however, these people abandoned and lawless, refusing alike the summons of the Valar and of Morgoth. And the unity without the lands of Angmar: their original (e.g. tribal) self- evil men came among them, and cast identification and see themselves as a over them a shadow of fear, and they Eriador was of old the name of all whole people; albeit with regional pecu- took them for kings. the lands between the Misty liarities depending on their roots. The Silmarillion.312 Mountains and the Blue; in the South it was bounded by the Greyflood The original inhabitants and the Glanduin that flows into it (“Bórians”) This statement makes it entirely pos- above Tharbad. During the Second Age Eriador was sible, that these “evil Men” assumed posi- At its greatest, Arnor included all settled by a wide variety of diverse cul- tions of leadership among these Bórians. Eriador, except the regions beyond the tures. The region of northern Eriador in This takeover would have been made Lune, and the lands east of Greyflood general, and later Angmar in particular, easier by the fact that the “evil Men” had and Loudwater, in which lay Rivendell is likely to have been inhabited by the kin learned some crafts in Morgoth’s ser- and Hollin. of the faithful Easterlings of Bór: vice–especially metallurgy would be use- LotR, Appendix A (my emphasis) ful–and used this superiority to install themselves as masters. The passage If we interpret the region of later speaks of their race though, which might Angmar to have been formally within the 5 Other Minds Magazine boundaries of Arnor, we can reconcile At that time [pre-S.A. 1700] there servants of Sauron were tolerated there. these contradictions. This reconciliation, were many men in Eriador, mainly, it One thousand years is a long time to re- however, hinges on accepting the fact would seem, in origin kin of the Folk of build a society and significantly increase that later Angmar represented only a Bëor, though some were kin of the Folk it’s numbers. border-march where the influence of the of Hador. They dwelt about Lake It seems not unreasonable that at Dúnadan monarch was weak at best. De Evendim, in the North Downs and the least a good portion of the displaced Men facto, the indigenous lords had leave to Weather Hills, and in the lands be- returned to their old lands and began to rule themselves. Despite this, the tween as far as the Brandywine, west of rebuild their homes. Others may have Dúnadan lords might have treated the which they often wandered though they stayed in their refuges (or moved even Bórians with contempt and perhaps even did not dwell there. farther away) for a variety of reasons (for drove them out of the most valuable re- HoMe11: The Peoples of Mid- example, to seek better opportunities, gions for their own enrichment. This can dle-earth.313 fear of Sauron’s armies returning, per- be seen as a Númenórean reaction to the sonal tastes, etc.) and so it is absolutely presence of descendants from former Interestingly, the heartland of later conceivable that some of these Edainic “morgothic” Easterlings who still dis- Arthedain is described as the most an- people settled in the vicinity of later played their heritage, leading the Dúne- cient homeland of Beoric men. This may Angmar. ICE’s Northman settlement of dain to view the whole of these people be the reason why the land of later Noddfa Rhaglaw is a very good example with suspicion and see in them the de- Arthedain is described as the most faith- for such a possible culture founded by scendants of their enemies–still filled ful and enduring of Arnor’s successor displaced persons from the great war. with their old animosities towards the states. When the Númenóreans began their West. Whether true or not, a certain The War of Sauron with the Elves colonization in Eriador – coupled with mutual dislike is likely to have developed brought these communities to ruin, but colonial wars around the middle of the in this region, making the establishment the damage was not permanent: third millenium – it is not unreasonable of Angmar in later times much easier. to imagine that a fair number of North- In the Angmarian context, these– But now Sauron attempted to gain mastery of Eriador: Lórinand could men evaded the Númenórean deprada- wronged–original inhabitants formed the tions and allied with the other locals who basis of the noble elite of the Witch- wait. But as he ravaged the lands, slay- ing or drawing off all the small groups suffered at the hands of the Dúnedain. king’s realm: They desired to regain the Such a sentiment (when preserved in the land they still possessed de iure, but that of Men and hunting the remaining Elves, many fled to swell Elrond’s host people’s history) could have been ex- was “stolen” by the Númenóreans. By to the northward ... The army besieging ploited by clever anti-Dúnadan propa- accepting these claims and promise of Imladris was caught between Elrond ganda in the founding years of Angmar. support, the Nazgûl-lord won their com- and Gil-galad, and utterly destroyed. That such sentiments could have sur- pliance: He granted them a superior po- Eriador was cleared of the enemy, but vived easilyover millenia is shown in the sition within the society of his new realm lay largely in ruins. example of the Gwathuirim/ by making them the Angmarean nobility. ... Dunlendings in the following quote. This way, the Witch-king won the loy- For many years the Westlands had alty of these people whose majority cer- peace, and time to heal their Thus many of the forest-dwellers of tainly was willing to rival the former wounds; ... the shorelands south of the Ered Luin, Dúnadan lords to get some sort of satis- Unfinished Tales.238/239 especially in Minhiriath, were as later faction for past wrongs. historians recognized the kin of the Folk This statement makes it very likely of Haleth; but they became bitter ene- The Edainic peoples that not all Men were killed, but many of mies of the Númenóreans, because of On various occasions, Tolkien tells us them simply fled into the more inaccessi- their ruthless treatment and their devas- of the Edainic (proto-Northman) settle- ble regions of Eriador (e.g. the North tation of the forests, and this hatred ment patterns in Eriador during the and Northeast) or supported the resis- remained unappeased in their descen- early- and mid-Second Age. Prior to S. tance against Sauron by joining with dants, causing them to join with any A. 1700, there were several Edainic so- Sauron’s enemies. After Sauron had been enemies of Númenor. cieties thriving in Eriador, as described defeated, the lands became safe for Men The Peoples of Middle- in the essay “Of Dwarves and Men” in once again. In fact, Eriador was among earth.314 the History of Middle-earth 12: the most secure places in Middle-earth for many centuries, since the power of ICE calls the men of Dunland and Gilgalad’s realm extended east to the their relatives by the collective appela- Hithaeglir (and partly beyond), and no tion of “Daen” people. Tolkien makes 6 Issue 7, July 2009 clear that the ancestors of the Dunlend- a new culture which still had racial ties teristics that the Dúnedain also showed. ings were kin of the Folk of Haleth, as with the Daen as well as the original in- The negative traits, for example, like a noted above. habitants of Eriador’s northlands. tendency towards apartheid and a certain Prior to the excessive tree-felling of Following the massive re-locations of hubris, could have been very valuable to the Númenóreans their home was Min- people following the War of the Elves the Witch-king in his endeavour to found hiriath: with Sauron, it is quite likely that Edainic Angmar. Eriadorians reached the North and min- The native people [of Minhiriath] gled with the Bórians, creating the first Post-foundation peoples were fairly numerous and warlike, but people of mixed race here. This section deals with all those peo- they were forest-dwellers, scattered com- ples who came to Angmar after the munities without central leadership ... ; Conclusions founding of the realm. Their origin is by and the native folk that survived [the As we see, there are many reasonable nature more diverse. The major groups Númenórean policy of massive forest- opportunities for Edainic ethnicities to are discussed below. destruction and the resulting conflict] settle in northern Eriador and be avail- fled from Minhiriath into the dark able for the recruitment of the Nazgûl- Eriadorians woods of the great Cape of Eryn lord when he founded Angmar. Clever The upheavals in Cardolan following Vorn, ... propaganda and the use of old racial ani- the Cameth Brin disaster brought many Unfinished Tales.262 mosities should have helped the Nazgûl people on the brink of desperation and to win many people whowould defy the death. Some of these people followed the It is possible that some also fled “haughty Dúnedain” for his new realm. preachings of a prophet and relocated northwards, since the people of Bree All the ethnicities discussed so far themselves at first into Rhudaur and fi- were said to be descended from the same should be viewed as the indigenous peo- nally Angmar. Therefore, these people stock of haladic people: ple of the Angmar region when the should come from the same Edainic stock Witch-king first appeared there in the as the Arnorian population (but almost The Dunlendings were a remnant of late 13th century of the Third Age. Of certainly no Dúnedain). So they would the peoples that had dwelt in the vales course, their origins could (and probably contain varying degrees of Haladic, Ha- of the Mountains in ages past ... But in would) have been quite diverse (Bórians, doric and Beoric ancestry. Given the the Dark Years others had removed to Morgothic Easterlings and several Edai long span of co-habitation in Eriador, it the southern dales of the Misty Moun- seems not justified to grant them discreet tains, and thence some had passed into nic ethnic roots), these people are variances in ethnicity. The former vary- the empty lands as far north as the Bar- likely to have have merged over time and ing Edainic people have long merged into row-downs. From them came the Men of evolved into a new, unique, people at a distinct “Eriadorian” ethnicity. the end of the first millenium of the Bree; ... For more information on this migra- LotR. Appendix F Third Age. In this way they were a new stock of people – the basis of Angmar’s tion, see the article on Angmarean Relig- nobility and its demographic backbone. ion in the next issue of Other Minds. Even if only Gwathuirim from the According to the ideas above it is reason- White Mountains ever migrated north- able to conclude that the more pure- Easterlings wards (as the later people of Bree) they blooded Bórians kept the reigns of politi- In ICE’s version, a great part of Ang- are still of the same stock as the forest- cal leadership though. mar’s population is made up of so-called Easterlings. These are supposed to be dwellers of the Eriadorian Second Age. As a side note, this new people could stereotypical and nomadic steppe people, As in the case of the Northmen, it is pos- be interpreted as some kind of “Endorian plus semi-nomadic and settled people. sible that some tribes reached the north- Dúnedain”: They were descended at least The latter two seem not overly problem- ern marches of Eriador in the wake of partly from various stocks of Edainic atic, but ICE’s extensive use of the the War of Sauron with the Elves. ICE people (and probably Bórian elements) “steppe nomad” stereotype for the made the Hillmen of Rhudaur into an that never went over the sea, while the Rhovanion Easterlings is a bit over- offshot of Daen people, though it might Númenóreans were a blend of Edainic stretched. It might be more reasonable be more probable that they were de- people that went over the sea and re- to view these Easterlings as semi- scended from Bórian or “morgothic” ceived the blessing of the Eldar and nomadic or settled people without the Easterlings (see above) due to the prox- Valar; thereby founding their unique and stereotypical “mongolic” outlook (in ap- imity of that land to the north of Eriador. highly developed culture. To reconcile this view with the ICE pearance and way of life), with which the canon, they could have mixed with ha- The Angmarrim on the other hand, ICE Easterlings are generally associated. ladic (Daen) elements, thereby founding never had these advantages but could Contrary to the approach ICE takes to very well have preserved some charac- 7 Other Minds Magazine these peoples, the bulk of the Ang- Age, he is the deity who impersonates Holy Land. marean Easterlings should be emigrants Sauron and his (sometimes indirect) will from their home territories (for various in the region. It should be noted though Daen people reasons) that serve the Witch-king; that this shift of Kerkasskian nature is As stated above, the ICE appellation thereby enlarging his number of subjects most pronounced in the city of Mistrand of “Daen” is a bit awkward in the light of and adding their peculiar traits to his itself, as well in the realm’s core terri- Tolkien’s own representation of these military. In this context these Easterlings tory. The more one travels into the rural men as descendants of theHaladic peo- should not be the mainstay of cavalry, areas of the Rhovanian plains, the more ple. Therefore they are already exten- but infantry and charioteers. The image Kerkassk retains its old principles and sively treated in the chapter about Edai- of the typical steppe nomad and horse- ideals. nic ethnicities above. Their contribution Easterling should be dismissed for to the Angmarean populace is therefore Tolkiens Easterlings. Mistrand represented by the haladic Edain suppos- A good model for such Easterlings Though not directly a part of Ang- edly living there. might be the semi-nomadic and settled mar, Mistrand is nonetheless crucial to people of the real world who live near its survival. It should be noted that in The Broadbeam Dwarves the steppe frontier and are subject to recent times (since ca. TA 1300 and then The Broadbeam Dwarves made their regular harassment of nomads and occa- increasingly after the First Northern home in Barazbizar (Carn-dûm) around sionally taking up this lifestyle them- War) there has been a drastic shift of re- S.A. 2900. The colonization was moti- selves when the need arises (e.g. in times ligious matters in Mistrand. The Variags vated mainly by the lust for greater of successive bad harvests or deadly dis- and their priesthood, associated with the mines and wealth (through the Broad- ease such as the Great Plague). Lord of Darkness, have been evicted and beams’ ring) and indeed, the veins of Since the Easterlings are not indige- with them the supremacy of the deity’s that land were rich in iron and copper nous to Eriador, they must immigrate adherents evaporated. Kerkassk has and even a few precious metals like silver into Angmar. Such immigration is most taken over, and in many aspects his per- and gold. likely done in the form of great treks sonality now resembles that of the Ang- Like their kindred in Rhovanion, the moving into their new home. The great marean god of War. By the time of the Dwarves relied on their mannish treks of Swabians into the Balkans during prelude to the Second Northern war, neighbours for food and provisions. Jeff the Middle Ages and the 18th century around TA 1400, Mistrand is a very un- Erwin depicted the grim and unkind na- might be examples for visualizing such pleasant city, dominated by the Ang- ture of the local Broadbeams very well in waves of immigration into a distant land. marean church of the Lord of War. Even his essays in Other Hands, Issue 25, and having such a model is useful both for the Dark Church has regained some of its especially in his online-essay “The Fall of having a believable background as well as influence, particularly as the evil antago- Carn-dûm”. Following this tradition, the opportunity for roleplaying set in this nist who can endanger immortal souls. Broadbeams traded with the Bóric and time. Such treks are always accompanied Kerkassk is still present and respected, other mannish people of the region; by high losses, and should be limited in but is no longer the primary god of the though most often to the profit of the size due to the limits of logistics and sus- people. The church of the Lord of War Dwarves who regularly betrayed their tainability of the Angmarean soil. A total now organizes the crusades against the partners with items of apparent wealth, number of about 5-10,000 (arriv