2d4chan - User contributions [en]

Hysh

2022-07-23T22:29:18Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Haixiah */

{{AoS-Stub}}

[[File:TenParadises.jpg|thumb|right|Perfectly balanced...as all things should be.|500px]]

Greetings, illuminate, to Hysh. Land of reflection, light and wisdom. Hysh is the mortal realm of light and is conjointedly ruled by the twin gods [[Tyrion]] and [[Teclis]]. It also doubles as the mortal realms' sun. The [[Lumineth Realm Lords]] come from here.

==Overview==

The Ten Paradises of Hysh are lands of illumination, symmetry and reason; and their inhabitants driven to the highest of their paths through meditation, asceticism and self-improvement almost to the point of obsession. It also helped that Hysh's realmstone, Aetherquartz, is mortal-made and enhances the mental and physical properties of the user even further.

Between the Aetherquartz and the guidance of both Tyrion and Teclis, civilization in Hysh became incredibly focused in self-improvement, reason and order; each individual willing to great lengths to become more than they were, with the pinnacle of this being the Lumineth. Over time, the Lumineth became egotistical perfectionists who thought they'd overcome all their flaws, each leader considering themselves the best exemplar of their race and others as inferiors or rivals who needed to learn their place by any means necessary and used a magical substance to enhance themselves... [[Skaven|wait, this mindset sounds familiar]]. Things went from bad to worse when [[Chaos|certain someones]] came knocking...

Hysh’s radiance is so strong that it’s realmsphere is seen from all of the Mortal Realms and beyond as a blinding ball of pure light, and serves as the Realms' equivalent of the sun. However, both Hysh and [[Ulgu]] share an orbit (with the orbit's center being, hilariously, [[Shadespire]]) and periodically Ulgu eclipses Hysh, bathing the realms in darkness. And that, children, is how day and night works in the mortal realms (no word on how this works on Ulgu and Hysh themselves).

===Uhl-Ghysh===
Unlike the other realms, Hysh has a weird relationship with the realm of shadow, Ulgu. Not only both move in the same orbit as seen above, but also there's a subrealm where the energies of both Hysh and Ulgu intermingle, mix and become something that even the deities of both realms cannot fully comprehend. This paradoxical realm is called Uhl-Ghysh and with the weird properties found here, Teclis found the location perfect for his plan of trapping [[Slaanesh]] and make him/her/it throw up elven souls. Currently, as the cage of Slaanesh, is nearly impossible to get to Uhl-Ghysh, but between the machinations of [[Morathi|that bitch]] and the Necroquake, the illusions that conceal the paths there are unraveling. Also home to Geminids.

==Regions==
The coming of the Lumineth Realm-Lords gave us a complete map for Hysh, being the first realm to do so. This tells us that either it is a much smaller Realm than the others, or that each nation has to be ''fucking enormous''. Either way, the Ten Paradises are arranged as two perfectly symmetrical halves, with one half influenced by the teachings of Teclis and the other by Tyrion. The remaining two, Xintil and Haixiah, are presumably under the jurisdiction of neither individual god.

===Xintil===
The centre of Hysh where magic is most stable and least likely to explode everywhere. It tends to be where the majority of the non-Aelven races live, such as the [[Cities of Sigmar|City of Sigmar]], Settler's Gain.

===Syar===
The people of Syar are some of the greatest craftsmen in the Mortal Realms, and people travel far and wide in order to purchase their magical trinkets. They tend to dress fancy, even making them the forefront of Hyshian fashion, [[Wat|though apparently they're never gaudy or showy]]. When it comes to battle, these Lumineth actually play up their "perceived arrogance and sense of superiority" in efforts to [[Troll|bait]] opponents.

===Iliatha===
A matriarchal society with a heavy emphasis on improving through generational growth, so women are revered. To get around childbirth - which was considered a messy, painful distraction, they invented magical soul-splitting cloning to replace sexual reproduction. This was abused during the Age of Myth in an unspecified way and became closely regulated. It’s the most populous of the Lumineth kingdoms as a result and twins are very common.

===Ymetrica===
The Lumineth of Ymetrica are a warrior culture (kind of odd for being on the Teclis half of the map) as tough as the mountain spirits they worship, being the First Nation to buy into Teclis’ whole Aelementari scheme. It is said that there is never a time when the forces of Ymetrica aren't fighting somewhere in the Mortal Realms. A more close to home threat for this nation comes from the Stoical Vast mountains. A great [[Gloomspite Gitz|Troggherd]] called the Stoical Gobblemaws makes regular advances across its peaks in hopes of devouring all of the mountains. They and their Troggboss Gorp have been pushed back by the Alarith temples, but they just keep coming. Additionally, there are the [[Flesh-Eater Courts|flesh eaters]] of the Vertigon Court, who have settled in the Vertiginous Peaks. The Lumineth surprisingly are content to let these ghouls fester and squabble amidst the mountains, acting as an unwitting buffer zone against any chaos invasions.

===Zaitrec===
They're the powerful mystics even amongst the Lumineth. They also seem to be pretty close to the Celennar. Also Teclis' favoured stomping grounds.

===Alumina===
Followers of Tyrionic tradition, these Lumineth are generally the outdoorsy type - mountain climbing, swimming stormy seas, that kind of thing. The kind who are first to volunteer for dangerous exploration. Weirdly "manly man" for elves.

===Helon===
Tyrionic realm that's WINDY AS FUCK! Generally flat, though with a large number of floating "megalith" islands. Big shock, the people who live in these windy fields have a strong relationship with the realm's wind spirits.

===Aurathrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Oultrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Haixiah===
The Realm's Edge of Hysh, described as a place of freakish perfection. The fjords themselves are rimmed with fractal patterns, and going deeper you'll find places that exist as pencil sketches (like the music video for a-ha's "Take on me"?), dots of light or waves of thought. No Lumineth lives here, as this was a place no mortal was meant to tread. When Tyrion, the literal god of Light journeyed to this place in search of Teclis, he was blinded. The God of Light '''was blinded'''. Really puts it into perspective.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone native to Hysh is called Aetherquartz. While its natural form isn't something most can even capture, Teclis managed to condense it into a glass-like quartz material that can form into symmetrical patterns. Being natives to this realm, the Lumineth guard this jealously as it also has a much more vital use: those using it can feel their reflexes and intelligence heightened to incredible heights. The issue is that this also comes with the penalty of sucking out the bearer's emotions and potentially developing an addiction to these highs.

{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Hysh

2022-07-23T22:23:56Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: Take on me?

{{AoS-Stub}}

[[File:TenParadises.jpg|thumb|right|Perfectly balanced...as all things should be.|500px]]

Greetings, illuminate, to Hysh. Land of reflection, light and wisdom. Hysh is the mortal realm of light and is conjointedly ruled by the twin gods [[Tyrion]] and [[Teclis]]. It also doubles as the mortal realms' sun. The [[Lumineth Realm Lords]] come from here.

==Overview==

The Ten Paradises of Hysh are lands of illumination, symmetry and reason; and their inhabitants driven to the highest of their paths through meditation, asceticism and self-improvement almost to the point of obsession. It also helped that Hysh's realmstone, Aetherquartz, is mortal-made and enhances the mental and physical properties of the user even further.

Between the Aetherquartz and the guidance of both Tyrion and Teclis, civilization in Hysh became incredibly focused in self-improvement, reason and order; each individual willing to great lengths to become more than they were, with the pinnacle of this being the Lumineth. Over time, the Lumineth became egotistical perfectionists who thought they'd overcome all their flaws, each leader considering themselves the best exemplar of their race and others as inferiors or rivals who needed to learn their place by any means necessary and used a magical substance to enhance themselves... [[Skaven|wait, this mindset sounds familiar]]. Things went from bad to worse when [[Chaos|certain someones]] came knocking...

Hysh’s radiance is so strong that it’s realmsphere is seen from all of the Mortal Realms and beyond as a blinding ball of pure light, and serves as the Realms' equivalent of the sun. However, both Hysh and [[Ulgu]] share an orbit (with the orbit's center being, hilariously, [[Shadespire]]) and periodically Ulgu eclipses Hysh, bathing the realms in darkness. And that, children, is how day and night works in the mortal realms (no word on how this works on Ulgu and Hysh themselves).

===Uhl-Ghysh===
Unlike the other realms, Hysh has a weird relationship with the realm of shadow, Ulgu. Not only both move in the same orbit as seen above, but also there's a subrealm where the energies of both Hysh and Ulgu intermingle, mix and become something that even the deities of both realms cannot fully comprehend. This paradoxical realm is called Uhl-Ghysh and with the weird properties found here, Teclis found the location perfect for his plan of trapping [[Slaanesh]] and make him/her/it throw up elven souls. Currently, as the cage of Slaanesh, is nearly impossible to get to Uhl-Ghysh, but between the machinations of [[Morathi|that bitch]] and the Necroquake, the illusions that conceal the paths there are unraveling. Also home to Geminids.

==Regions==
The coming of the Lumineth Realm-Lords gave us a complete map for Hysh, being the first realm to do so. This tells us that either it is a much smaller Realm than the others, or that each nation has to be ''fucking enormous''. Either way, the Ten Paradises are arranged as two perfectly symmetrical halves, with one half influenced by the teachings of Teclis and the other by Tyrion. The remaining two, Xintil and Haixiah, are presumably under the jurisdiction of neither individual god.

===Xintil===
The centre of Hysh where magic is most stable and least likely to explode everywhere. It tends to be where the majority of the non-Aelven races live, such as the [[Cities of Sigmar|City of Sigmar]], Settler's Gain.

===Syar===
The people of Syar are some of the greatest craftsmen in the Mortal Realms, and people travel far and wide in order to purchase their magical trinkets. They tend to dress fancy, even making them the forefront of Hyshian fashion, [[Wat|though apparently they're never gaudy or showy]]. When it comes to battle, these Lumineth actually play up their "perceived arrogance and sense of superiority" in efforts to [[Troll|bait]] opponents.

===Iliatha===
A matriarchal society with a heavy emphasis on improving through generational growth, so women are revered. To get around childbirth - which was considered a messy, painful distraction, they invented magical soul-splitting cloning to replace sexual reproduction. This was abused during the Age of Myth in an unspecified way and became closely regulated. It’s the most populous of the Lumineth kingdoms as a result and twins are very common.

===Ymetrica===
The Lumineth of Ymetrica are a warrior culture (kind of odd for being on the Teclis half of the map) as tough as the mountain spirits they worship, being the First Nation to buy into Teclis’ whole Aelementari scheme. It is said that there is never a time when the forces of Ymetrica aren't fighting somewhere in the Mortal Realms. A more close to home threat for this nation comes from the Stoical Vast mountains. A great [[Gloomspite Gitz|Troggherd]] called the Stoical Gobblemaws makes regular advances across its peaks in hopes of devouring all of the mountains. They and their Troggboss Gorp have been pushed back by the Alarith temples, but they just keep coming. Additionally, there are the [[Flesh-Eater Courts|flesh eaters]] of the Vertigon Court, who have settled in the Vertiginous Peaks. The Lumineth surprisingly are content to let these ghouls fester and squabble amidst the mountains, acting as an unwitting buffer zone against any chaos invasions.

===Zaitrec===
They're the powerful mystics even amongst the Lumineth. They also seem to be pretty close to the Celennar. Also Teclis' favoured stomping grounds.

===Alumina===
Followers of Tyrionic tradition, these Lumineth are generally the outdoorsy type - mountain climbing, swimming stormy seas, that kind of thing. The kind who are first to volunteer for dangerous exploration. Weirdly "manly man" for elves.

===Helon===
Tyrionic realm that's WINDY AS FUCK! Generally flat, though with a large number of floating "megalith" islands. Big shock, the people who live in these windy fields have a strong relationship with the realm's wind spirits.

===Aurathrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Oultrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Haixiah===
The Realm's Edge of Hysh, described as a place of freakish perfection. The fjords themselves are rimmed with fractal patterns, and going deeper you'll find places that exist as pencil sketches (like the music video for "Take on me"?), dots of light or waves of thought. No Lumineth lives here, as this was a place no mortal was meant to tread. When Tyrion, the literal god of Light journeyed to this place in search of Teclis, he was blinded. The God of Light '''was blinded'''. Really puts it into perspective.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone native to Hysh is called Aetherquartz. While its natural form isn't something most can even capture, Teclis managed to condense it into a glass-like quartz material that can form into symmetrical patterns. Being natives to this realm, the Lumineth guard this jealously as it also has a much more vital use: those using it can feel their reflexes and intelligence heightened to incredible heights. The issue is that this also comes with the penalty of sucking out the bearer's emotions and potentially developing an addiction to these highs.

{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Ghur

2022-07-23T22:22:06Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Bestiary */

{{AoS-Stub}}
{{NeedsImages}}
G’day mates. Welcome to the Australia of the Mortal Realms. Ghur is the Realm of Beasts and one of the most dead ‘ard places you’ll ever find.

Fun note; the name Ghur likely originates from the onomatopoeia for growling, which is "grrrr!"

==Overview==
On the surface, it appears to be absolutely pristine. Clear blue skies. Wide open savannas. Clean water. And herds upon herds of creatures and other magnificent fauna. But that’s only the physical attributes. In actuality, Ghur is what you get if you throw [[Fenris]], [[Flesh Tearers|Cretacia]], [[Nocturne]], and [[Catachan]] together in a foul bowl, add a small dosage of [[Chaos]], mix it together, then eat the whole fucking thing and shit it out.

It is a ''brutal, brutal'' realm, resulting in the creation of equally brutal inhabitants, from Humans and Orruks to creatures almost analogous to [[Tyranids]], even the land may want to get on the action. Mountains will shake to create avalanches in order to destroy a forest that took root there. Rivers slowly chip away at the land around it for more room to flow. Tectonic plates will grind against each other to produce rough and uneven terrain to prevent roaming warbands from traveling across them. Everything here is part of a giant food chain, and everything is simultaneously predator and prey.

The (crazy) people who live in Ghur are master survivalists, typically living in nomadic societies or building small easily movable structures. The few traditional cities tend to build massive spike-traps as moats around their city in order to skewer any giant monster that tries to renact a Godzilla film. If these traps work, the city typically gets enough meat to feed itself for a month. Seers and other mystics have learned how to read the realm’s constantly shifting landscape and create charts that map out when the land will change and how much it changes. Expectedly, said charts are quite expensive and typically only city officials, military commanders, and high level merchants can afford them.

Might makes right is the defining law of the Realm and you’d be a fool not to follow it. Expectedly, the forces of Destruction are the most prevalent here, being the birthplace of the Ironjawz Orruks, the home base for the largest [[Ogor Mawtribes]], and possessing the largest gatherings of [[Sons of Behemat|Gargants]] in any realm. Another noteworthy faction are the [[Beasts Of Chaos|Beastmen]] of the Allherd Greatfray, whose herds are spread to every corner of Ghur and beyond. On each continent of Ghur can be found herdstones or other ruinous glyphs depicting the conquests of the Beastmen, reminding everyone just how far their influence is.

Gorkamorka is in charge of this realm, but in this case it's less because of a harmonious bond - though Gorkamorka's primal nature resonates with Ghur - but due to the fact that Gorkamorka is the strongest being native to the realm.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Stormcasts in the tribal and barbaric Astral Templars trace their former mortal lives to this Realm.

==History==
While the other Realms had near existential crises over the Age of Chaos, Ghur basically looked at the incoming Chaos hordes and said “Fuck yeah! Christmas came early!” The natives of Ghur were ecstatic to have fresh bodies to fight against and new food to hunt. Over time and numerous Chaos Vanguards, the people become stronger and hardier. This is best exemplified with the Orruks, who would become so strong and big that they would eventually become the very first [[Ironjawz]].

==Notable Locations/Regions==
===[[Warhammer Underworlds|Beastgrave]]===
A colossal and ominous living mountain made from the corpses of (presumably) dead god beasts. Those who gaze upon its looming visage are filled with mixed feelings of curiosity and repulsion. It’s described as a Lovecraftian nightmare; an eldritch place with a will of its own that calls to many people far and wide through dreams/visions, beckoning them to come to Beastgrave to claim fame, fortune, or whatever it is that person wants most. Those hapless few that do heed the call will find themselves wandering endlessly in its cavernous interior, either killed by other adventurers or by Beastgrave itself and consumed. It’s kind of like FB’s [[Ogre Kingdoms|Great Maw]] in a sense, the comparisons becoming more apparent when you meet the primitive tribe of Neanderthals that live at the base of Beastgrave and regularly offer live sacrifices to the mountain. Most recently, the mountain has become even more treacherous when Nagash’s Necroquake shook the Realms and caused the cursed city of Shadespire to meld with Beastgrave. Now the immortal denizens of the Shyish city stalk the mountain, rousing long dead corpses within Beastgrave and drawing more potential prey into its insatiable insides. However, the sheer amount of death magic suddenly appearing in its cavernous guts caused Beastgrave to basically vomit up pools of viscous Amber, revealing its deepest and most treacherous passages collectively called Direchasm.

===[[Ogor Mawtribes|The Great Gutfort]]===
The mountainous fortress of the Meatfist Mawtribe located on the continent of Thondia in the Ghurish Heartlands. While it’s of course a place of great reverence for the Ogors, most natives of Ghur will turn to face the gluttonous bastion in respect.
Warglutts and Alfrostuns regularly leave its gates on raids and then return with heaps of treasure and food. All the loot is gathered together by the Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw and then used to throw celebratory feasts to flaunt their wealth. The Gutfort itself has been targeted on numerous occasions by [[Slaves to Darkness|Chaos hordes]], [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast chambers]], [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|Ossirarch legions]], and even rival Mawtribes. Its defense is handled by the lesser tribes/gatherings of Ogors in the Meatfist; only the most prestigious are allowed on the mawpath alongside Globb, who is seldom actually seen at his own Gutfort since he’s constantly out raiding.

===[[Cities of Sigmar|Excelsis]]===
Home base of the Knights Excelsior and one of the most zealous places of worship to the Hammer God. Located on the continent of Thondia, it is a very “black and white” morality place where no quarter is given for even the tiniest hint of infidelity, and all loyalists must constantly prove their zealotry to the point where flagellants look rational in comparison. Funnily enough, the city has been targeted by several chaos forces, from Slaanesh manipulating the Stormcast garrison to “purge the city of all heretics” to break one of the chains imprisoning him, to numerous Tzeentch cabals plotting the city’s downfall. Most recently, the city was attacked from below by a Skaven invasion, before being besieged by the Great Waaagh! of Gordrakk and the newly awakened [[Kragnos]]. And while THAT was going down, a Slaaneshi cult rose up too and attacked the city from within. It was only thanks to the surprise arrival of Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine that the sea of enemies was parted, though Excelsis has since been decimated.

===Sascathran Desert===
A vast plain of shifting sand dotted with ruins of long past civilizations. The real point of interest though is what lies beneath, the hive-like catacombs and fortresses the Avengori Dynasty call home. From this underground kingdom, the Vengorian Lords strike out to hunt monsters and slake their thirst. Not too far out from the desert is the shattered remains of a free city called the Collonade, serving as a warning to anyone who tries to betray the Avengorii.

===The Gnarlwood===
Jungle of carnivorous plants in Ghur's heartland in Thondia, created from a crashed Seraphon temple ship. Currently being fought over by the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed.

==Bestiary==
*'''Angujakkak''': Kaiju sized monsters, also called Grey Kings, that are apparently hybrids of Deepwater Troggoths and Mega-squids. One used to be the guardian of the City of Sigmar Nemisuvik in Ghur.

*'''Vulture-stings''': Named by Herdchief Groth the Rootcutter, these dog-sized bees will inject venom into live prey and then follow them until the prey expires. Then the droning insects feast upon the corpse. Additionally, like real insects, they are fond of sweet nectar like substances, like the blood-sap of [[Sylvaneth]]. They have some instinctive ‘honor system’, as when a vulture-sting chooses/stings a target, no other scavenger will attempt to steal its prize.
*'''Snarlfangs''': Large wolves with venomous saliva they use to enfeeble prey. The Gitmob Grots will steal newborn snarlfangs and use them as savage mounts. Each wolf and rider are bound together when the snarlfang pup first meets its Grot rider. However this won’t stop the snarlfangs from turning on the grots should they be provoked enough.
*'''Puffed Spinetoad''': A venomous amphibian that secretes toxic slime from the row of spikes on its back. Said slime is commonly harvested for coating blades and arrow tips.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone of Ghur is called Amberbone due to its cosmetic similarity to actual bones except for its faint glow. Being a manifestation of the realm's magic, Amberbone is capable of corrupting those who touch it. At the weakest, this might just channel some innate primal aggression, but its most extreme cases involve people transforming into savage monsters.

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
Ghurish Hinterlands.jpeg
Ghur map 2.jpeg
Ghur 01.png
</Gallery>
{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Ghur

2022-07-23T22:21:42Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Bestiary */

{{AoS-Stub}}
{{NeedsImages}}
G’day mates. Welcome to the Australia of the Mortal Realms. Ghur is the Realm of Beasts and one of the most dead ‘ard places you’ll ever find.

Fun note; the name Ghur likely originates from the onomatopoeia for growling, which is "grrrr!"

==Overview==
On the surface, it appears to be absolutely pristine. Clear blue skies. Wide open savannas. Clean water. And herds upon herds of creatures and other magnificent fauna. But that’s only the physical attributes. In actuality, Ghur is what you get if you throw [[Fenris]], [[Flesh Tearers|Cretacia]], [[Nocturne]], and [[Catachan]] together in a foul bowl, add a small dosage of [[Chaos]], mix it together, then eat the whole fucking thing and shit it out.

It is a ''brutal, brutal'' realm, resulting in the creation of equally brutal inhabitants, from Humans and Orruks to creatures almost analogous to [[Tyranids]], even the land may want to get on the action. Mountains will shake to create avalanches in order to destroy a forest that took root there. Rivers slowly chip away at the land around it for more room to flow. Tectonic plates will grind against each other to produce rough and uneven terrain to prevent roaming warbands from traveling across them. Everything here is part of a giant food chain, and everything is simultaneously predator and prey.

The (crazy) people who live in Ghur are master survivalists, typically living in nomadic societies or building small easily movable structures. The few traditional cities tend to build massive spike-traps as moats around their city in order to skewer any giant monster that tries to renact a Godzilla film. If these traps work, the city typically gets enough meat to feed itself for a month. Seers and other mystics have learned how to read the realm’s constantly shifting landscape and create charts that map out when the land will change and how much it changes. Expectedly, said charts are quite expensive and typically only city officials, military commanders, and high level merchants can afford them.

Might makes right is the defining law of the Realm and you’d be a fool not to follow it. Expectedly, the forces of Destruction are the most prevalent here, being the birthplace of the Ironjawz Orruks, the home base for the largest [[Ogor Mawtribes]], and possessing the largest gatherings of [[Sons of Behemat|Gargants]] in any realm. Another noteworthy faction are the [[Beasts Of Chaos|Beastmen]] of the Allherd Greatfray, whose herds are spread to every corner of Ghur and beyond. On each continent of Ghur can be found herdstones or other ruinous glyphs depicting the conquests of the Beastmen, reminding everyone just how far their influence is.

Gorkamorka is in charge of this realm, but in this case it's less because of a harmonious bond - though Gorkamorka's primal nature resonates with Ghur - but due to the fact that Gorkamorka is the strongest being native to the realm.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Stormcasts in the tribal and barbaric Astral Templars trace their former mortal lives to this Realm.

==History==
While the other Realms had near existential crises over the Age of Chaos, Ghur basically looked at the incoming Chaos hordes and said “Fuck yeah! Christmas came early!” The natives of Ghur were ecstatic to have fresh bodies to fight against and new food to hunt. Over time and numerous Chaos Vanguards, the people become stronger and hardier. This is best exemplified with the Orruks, who would become so strong and big that they would eventually become the very first [[Ironjawz]].

==Notable Locations/Regions==
===[[Warhammer Underworlds|Beastgrave]]===
A colossal and ominous living mountain made from the corpses of (presumably) dead god beasts. Those who gaze upon its looming visage are filled with mixed feelings of curiosity and repulsion. It’s described as a Lovecraftian nightmare; an eldritch place with a will of its own that calls to many people far and wide through dreams/visions, beckoning them to come to Beastgrave to claim fame, fortune, or whatever it is that person wants most. Those hapless few that do heed the call will find themselves wandering endlessly in its cavernous interior, either killed by other adventurers or by Beastgrave itself and consumed. It’s kind of like FB’s [[Ogre Kingdoms|Great Maw]] in a sense, the comparisons becoming more apparent when you meet the primitive tribe of Neanderthals that live at the base of Beastgrave and regularly offer live sacrifices to the mountain. Most recently, the mountain has become even more treacherous when Nagash’s Necroquake shook the Realms and caused the cursed city of Shadespire to meld with Beastgrave. Now the immortal denizens of the Shyish city stalk the mountain, rousing long dead corpses within Beastgrave and drawing more potential prey into its insatiable insides. However, the sheer amount of death magic suddenly appearing in its cavernous guts caused Beastgrave to basically vomit up pools of viscous Amber, revealing its deepest and most treacherous passages collectively called Direchasm.

===[[Ogor Mawtribes|The Great Gutfort]]===
The mountainous fortress of the Meatfist Mawtribe located on the continent of Thondia in the Ghurish Heartlands. While it’s of course a place of great reverence for the Ogors, most natives of Ghur will turn to face the gluttonous bastion in respect.
Warglutts and Alfrostuns regularly leave its gates on raids and then return with heaps of treasure and food. All the loot is gathered together by the Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw and then used to throw celebratory feasts to flaunt their wealth. The Gutfort itself has been targeted on numerous occasions by [[Slaves to Darkness|Chaos hordes]], [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast chambers]], [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|Ossirarch legions]], and even rival Mawtribes. Its defense is handled by the lesser tribes/gatherings of Ogors in the Meatfist; only the most prestigious are allowed on the mawpath alongside Globb, who is seldom actually seen at his own Gutfort since he’s constantly out raiding.

===[[Cities of Sigmar|Excelsis]]===
Home base of the Knights Excelsior and one of the most zealous places of worship to the Hammer God. Located on the continent of Thondia, it is a very “black and white” morality place where no quarter is given for even the tiniest hint of infidelity, and all loyalists must constantly prove their zealotry to the point where flagellants look rational in comparison. Funnily enough, the city has been targeted by several chaos forces, from Slaanesh manipulating the Stormcast garrison to “purge the city of all heretics” to break one of the chains imprisoning him, to numerous Tzeentch cabals plotting the city’s downfall. Most recently, the city was attacked from below by a Skaven invasion, before being besieged by the Great Waaagh! of Gordrakk and the newly awakened [[Kragnos]]. And while THAT was going down, a Slaaneshi cult rose up too and attacked the city from within. It was only thanks to the surprise arrival of Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine that the sea of enemies was parted, though Excelsis has since been decimated.

===Sascathran Desert===
A vast plain of shifting sand dotted with ruins of long past civilizations. The real point of interest though is what lies beneath, the hive-like catacombs and fortresses the Avengori Dynasty call home. From this underground kingdom, the Vengorian Lords strike out to hunt monsters and slake their thirst. Not too far out from the desert is the shattered remains of a free city called the Collonade, serving as a warning to anyone who tries to betray the Avengorii.

===The Gnarlwood===
Jungle of carnivorous plants in Ghur's heartland in Thondia, created from a crashed Seraphon temple ship. Currently being fought over by the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed.

==Bestiary==
*'''Angujakkak''': Kaiju sized monsters, also called Grey Kings, that are apparently hybrids of Deepwater Troggoths and Mega-squids. One used to be the guardian of the City of Sigmar Nemusivik in Ghur.

*'''Vulture-stings''': Named by Herdchief Groth the Rootcutter, these dog-sized bees will inject venom into live prey and then follow them until the prey expires. Then the droning insects feast upon the corpse. Additionally, like real insects, they are fond of sweet nectar like substances, like the blood-sap of [[Sylvaneth]]. They have some instinctive ‘honor system’, as when a vulture-sting chooses/stings a target, no other scavenger will attempt to steal its prize.
*'''Snarlfangs''': Large wolves with venomous saliva they use to enfeeble prey. The Gitmob Grots will steal newborn snarlfangs and use them as savage mounts. Each wolf and rider are bound together when the snarlfang pup first meets its Grot rider. However this won’t stop the snarlfangs from turning on the grots should they be provoked enough.
*'''Puffed Spinetoad''': A venomous amphibian that secretes toxic slime from the row of spikes on its back. Said slime is commonly harvested for coating blades and arrow tips.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone of Ghur is called Amberbone due to its cosmetic similarity to actual bones except for its faint glow. Being a manifestation of the realm's magic, Amberbone is capable of corrupting those who touch it. At the weakest, this might just channel some innate primal aggression, but its most extreme cases involve people transforming into savage monsters.

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
Ghurish Hinterlands.jpeg
Ghur map 2.jpeg
Ghur 01.png
</Gallery>
{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Ghur

2022-07-23T22:20:37Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Bestiary */

{{AoS-Stub}}
{{NeedsImages}}
G’day mates. Welcome to the Australia of the Mortal Realms. Ghur is the Realm of Beasts and one of the most dead ‘ard places you’ll ever find.

Fun note; the name Ghur likely originates from the onomatopoeia for growling, which is "grrrr!"

==Overview==
On the surface, it appears to be absolutely pristine. Clear blue skies. Wide open savannas. Clean water. And herds upon herds of creatures and other magnificent fauna. But that’s only the physical attributes. In actuality, Ghur is what you get if you throw [[Fenris]], [[Flesh Tearers|Cretacia]], [[Nocturne]], and [[Catachan]] together in a foul bowl, add a small dosage of [[Chaos]], mix it together, then eat the whole fucking thing and shit it out.

It is a ''brutal, brutal'' realm, resulting in the creation of equally brutal inhabitants, from Humans and Orruks to creatures almost analogous to [[Tyranids]], even the land may want to get on the action. Mountains will shake to create avalanches in order to destroy a forest that took root there. Rivers slowly chip away at the land around it for more room to flow. Tectonic plates will grind against each other to produce rough and uneven terrain to prevent roaming warbands from traveling across them. Everything here is part of a giant food chain, and everything is simultaneously predator and prey.

The (crazy) people who live in Ghur are master survivalists, typically living in nomadic societies or building small easily movable structures. The few traditional cities tend to build massive spike-traps as moats around their city in order to skewer any giant monster that tries to renact a Godzilla film. If these traps work, the city typically gets enough meat to feed itself for a month. Seers and other mystics have learned how to read the realm’s constantly shifting landscape and create charts that map out when the land will change and how much it changes. Expectedly, said charts are quite expensive and typically only city officials, military commanders, and high level merchants can afford them.

Might makes right is the defining law of the Realm and you’d be a fool not to follow it. Expectedly, the forces of Destruction are the most prevalent here, being the birthplace of the Ironjawz Orruks, the home base for the largest [[Ogor Mawtribes]], and possessing the largest gatherings of [[Sons of Behemat|Gargants]] in any realm. Another noteworthy faction are the [[Beasts Of Chaos|Beastmen]] of the Allherd Greatfray, whose herds are spread to every corner of Ghur and beyond. On each continent of Ghur can be found herdstones or other ruinous glyphs depicting the conquests of the Beastmen, reminding everyone just how far their influence is.

Gorkamorka is in charge of this realm, but in this case it's less because of a harmonious bond - though Gorkamorka's primal nature resonates with Ghur - but due to the fact that Gorkamorka is the strongest being native to the realm.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Stormcasts in the tribal and barbaric Astral Templars trace their former mortal lives to this Realm.

==History==
While the other Realms had near existential crises over the Age of Chaos, Ghur basically looked at the incoming Chaos hordes and said “Fuck yeah! Christmas came early!” The natives of Ghur were ecstatic to have fresh bodies to fight against and new food to hunt. Over time and numerous Chaos Vanguards, the people become stronger and hardier. This is best exemplified with the Orruks, who would become so strong and big that they would eventually become the very first [[Ironjawz]].

==Notable Locations/Regions==
===[[Warhammer Underworlds|Beastgrave]]===
A colossal and ominous living mountain made from the corpses of (presumably) dead god beasts. Those who gaze upon its looming visage are filled with mixed feelings of curiosity and repulsion. It’s described as a Lovecraftian nightmare; an eldritch place with a will of its own that calls to many people far and wide through dreams/visions, beckoning them to come to Beastgrave to claim fame, fortune, or whatever it is that person wants most. Those hapless few that do heed the call will find themselves wandering endlessly in its cavernous interior, either killed by other adventurers or by Beastgrave itself and consumed. It’s kind of like FB’s [[Ogre Kingdoms|Great Maw]] in a sense, the comparisons becoming more apparent when you meet the primitive tribe of Neanderthals that live at the base of Beastgrave and regularly offer live sacrifices to the mountain. Most recently, the mountain has become even more treacherous when Nagash’s Necroquake shook the Realms and caused the cursed city of Shadespire to meld with Beastgrave. Now the immortal denizens of the Shyish city stalk the mountain, rousing long dead corpses within Beastgrave and drawing more potential prey into its insatiable insides. However, the sheer amount of death magic suddenly appearing in its cavernous guts caused Beastgrave to basically vomit up pools of viscous Amber, revealing its deepest and most treacherous passages collectively called Direchasm.

===[[Ogor Mawtribes|The Great Gutfort]]===
The mountainous fortress of the Meatfist Mawtribe located on the continent of Thondia in the Ghurish Heartlands. While it’s of course a place of great reverence for the Ogors, most natives of Ghur will turn to face the gluttonous bastion in respect.
Warglutts and Alfrostuns regularly leave its gates on raids and then return with heaps of treasure and food. All the loot is gathered together by the Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw and then used to throw celebratory feasts to flaunt their wealth. The Gutfort itself has been targeted on numerous occasions by [[Slaves to Darkness|Chaos hordes]], [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast chambers]], [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|Ossirarch legions]], and even rival Mawtribes. Its defense is handled by the lesser tribes/gatherings of Ogors in the Meatfist; only the most prestigious are allowed on the mawpath alongside Globb, who is seldom actually seen at his own Gutfort since he’s constantly out raiding.

===[[Cities of Sigmar|Excelsis]]===
Home base of the Knights Excelsior and one of the most zealous places of worship to the Hammer God. Located on the continent of Thondia, it is a very “black and white” morality place where no quarter is given for even the tiniest hint of infidelity, and all loyalists must constantly prove their zealotry to the point where flagellants look rational in comparison. Funnily enough, the city has been targeted by several chaos forces, from Slaanesh manipulating the Stormcast garrison to “purge the city of all heretics” to break one of the chains imprisoning him, to numerous Tzeentch cabals plotting the city’s downfall. Most recently, the city was attacked from below by a Skaven invasion, before being besieged by the Great Waaagh! of Gordrakk and the newly awakened [[Kragnos]]. And while THAT was going down, a Slaaneshi cult rose up too and attacked the city from within. It was only thanks to the surprise arrival of Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine that the sea of enemies was parted, though Excelsis has since been decimated.

===Sascathran Desert===
A vast plain of shifting sand dotted with ruins of long past civilizations. The real point of interest though is what lies beneath, the hive-like catacombs and fortresses the Avengori Dynasty call home. From this underground kingdom, the Vengorian Lords strike out to hunt monsters and slake their thirst. Not too far out from the desert is the shattered remains of a free city called the Collonade, serving as a warning to anyone who tries to betray the Avengorii.

===The Gnarlwood===
Jungle of carnivorous plants in Ghur's heartland in Thondia, created from a crashed Seraphon temple ship. Currently being fought over by the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed.

==Bestiary==
*'''Angujakkak''': Kaiju sized monsters that are apparently hybrids of Deepwater Troggoths and Mega-squids. One used to be the guardian of a City of Sigmar in Ghur.

*'''Vulture-stings''': Named by Herdchief Groth the Rootcutter, these dog-sized bees will inject venom into live prey and then follow them until the prey expires. Then the droning insects feast upon the corpse. Additionally, like real insects, they are fond of sweet nectar like substances, like the blood-sap of [[Sylvaneth]]. They have some instinctive ‘honor system’, as when a vulture-sting chooses/stings a target, no other scavenger will attempt to steal its prize.
*'''Snarlfangs''': Large wolves with venomous saliva they use to enfeeble prey. The Gitmob Grots will steal newborn snarlfangs and use them as savage mounts. Each wolf and rider are bound together when the snarlfang pup first meets its Grot rider. However this won’t stop the snarlfangs from turning on the grots should they be provoked enough.
*'''Puffed Spinetoad''': A venomous amphibian that secretes toxic slime from the row of spikes on its back. Said slime is commonly harvested for coating blades and arrow tips.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone of Ghur is called Amberbone due to its cosmetic similarity to actual bones except for its faint glow. Being a manifestation of the realm's magic, Amberbone is capable of corrupting those who touch it. At the weakest, this might just channel some innate primal aggression, but its most extreme cases involve people transforming into savage monsters.

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
Ghurish Hinterlands.jpeg
Ghur map 2.jpeg
Ghur 01.png
</Gallery>
{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T21:55:26Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins''': See [[Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs''': A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga''': The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''Snufflers''': A race of small, darkfurred orcs with big nostrils who were used like humanoid hunting hounds by their larger cousins.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]''': Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]''': Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain''': A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army. Somewhat like a smaller version of a Sasquatch, or more size-accurate, the Orang-Pendak of Vietnam.

'''[[Lovecraft|Nameless Things]]''': Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]''': Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
*Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
*Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.

'''Mewlips''': Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]''': Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]''': The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
*'''Sea-serpents''': Also known as Fish-dragons, little is known about this particular breed of dragons except what they were called by, and that Morgoth had also created them. It can be devised that they were either intended to fight Cirdan and the Elven ships in Beleriand; to battle the Host of the West, which would have to cross the ocean; to contest with Ulmo, just as the winged-dragons contested with Manwë and his eagles; or even a combination of these possibilities.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms''': Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth''': Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]''': The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants''': Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]''': In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T21:54:53Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins''': See [[Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs''': A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga''': The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''Snufflers''': A race of small, darkfurred orcs with big nostrils who were used like humanoid hunting hounds by their larger cousins.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]''': Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]''': Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain''': A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army. Somewhat like a smaller version of a Sasquatch, or more size-accurate, the Orang-Bati of Vietnam.

'''[[Lovecraft|Nameless Things]]''': Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]''': Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
*Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
*Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.

'''Mewlips''': Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]''': Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]''': The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
*'''Sea-serpents''': Also known as Fish-dragons, little is known about this particular breed of dragons except what they were called by, and that Morgoth had also created them. It can be devised that they were either intended to fight Cirdan and the Elven ships in Beleriand; to battle the Host of the West, which would have to cross the ocean; to contest with Ulmo, just as the winged-dragons contested with Manwë and his eagles; or even a combination of these possibilities.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms''': Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth''': Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]''': The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants''': Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]''': In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T21:41:57Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: Snuffler Orcs

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins''': See [[Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs''': A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga''': The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''Snufflers''': A race of small, darkfurred orcs with big nostrils who were used like humanoid hunting hounds by their larger cousins.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]''': Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]''': Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain''': A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

'''[[Lovecraft|Nameless Things]]''': Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]''': Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
*Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
*Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.

'''Mewlips''': Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]''': Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]''': The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
*'''Sea-serpents''': Also known as Fish-dragons, little is known about this particular breed of dragons except what they were called by, and that Morgoth had also created them. It can be devised that they were either intended to fight Cirdan and the Elven ships in Beleriand; to battle the Host of the West, which would have to cross the ocean; to contest with Ulmo, just as the winged-dragons contested with Manwë and his eagles; or even a combination of these possibilities.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms''': Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth''': Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]''': The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants''': Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]''': In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Godbeast

2022-07-23T18:55:36Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* The Gargant Lineage: Behemat, Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog */

{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===The Gargant Lineage: [[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog===
Behemat, The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who brewed a lake of moonshine in their father's guts, causing him to retch them into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach, presumably digested. It is said the gargants were created from his vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the Idoneth Deepkin being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the Fyreslayers being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Godbeast

2022-07-23T18:50:37Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* The Gargant Lineage: Behemat, Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog */

{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===The Gargant Lineage: [[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog===
Behemat, The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach, presumably digested. It is said the gargants were created from his vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the Idoneth Deepkin being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the Fyreslayers being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Godbeast

2022-07-23T18:50:07Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* The Gargant Lineage: Behemat, Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog */

{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===The Gargant Lineage: [[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog===
Behemat, The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach. It is said the gargants were created from his vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the Idoneth Deepkin being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the Fyreslayers being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Godbeast

2022-07-23T18:49:49Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Behemat, Gorg, and Ama-Gorag */

{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===The Gargant Lineage: [[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog===
The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach. It is said the gargants were created from his vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the Idoneth Deepkin being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the Fyreslayers being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-23T18:45:34Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Age of Myth */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause not many want to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his two idiot brothers, named Gorg and Ama-Gorag. They brewed a lake of moonshine in their father's guts, causing him to retch them into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat's brothers were stupid enough to fight over the moonshine they brought with them, and as such Ymnog gulped them back down again. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home. It's unknown if Behemat's brothers are still alive in Ymnog's gut, but seeing as to how Ymnog is dead now, and the two of them haven't reappeared, they probably were digested.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. Alarielle, Goddess of Life, opted to forgive the Godbeast’s rampages and wove life magic around his sleeping form so that his body would become covered by the earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms. For this act of clemency, many of the “traditional” Gargants revere Alarielle as the “Woman of the Woods” and make an attempt to avoid trampling through areas of her influence.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygmy Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Godbeast

2022-07-23T18:45:07Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Behemat */

{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===[[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, and Ama-Gorag===
The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach. It is said the gargants were created from his vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the Idoneth Deepkin being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the Fyreslayers being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-23T18:44:29Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Age of Myth */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause not many want to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his two idiot brothers, named Gorg and Ama-Gorat. They brewed a lake of moonshine in their father's guts, causing him to retch them into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat's brothers were stupid enough to fight over the moonshine they brought with them, and as such Ymnog gulped them back down again. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home. It's unknown if Behemat's brothers are still alive in Ymnog's gut, but seeing as to how Ymnog is dead now, and the two of them haven't reappeared, they probably were digested.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. Alarielle, Goddess of Life, opted to forgive the Godbeast’s rampages and wove life magic around his sleeping form so that his body would become covered by the earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms. For this act of clemency, many of the “traditional” Gargants revere Alarielle as the “Woman of the Woods” and make an attempt to avoid trampling through areas of her influence.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygmy Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-23T18:40:50Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Age of Myth */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause not many want to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his two idiot brothers. They brewed a lake of moonshine in their father's guts, causing him to retch them into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat's brothers were stupid enough to fight over the moonshine they brought with them, and as such Ymnog gulped them back down again. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home. It's unknown if Behemat's brothers are still alive in Ymnog's gut, but seeing as to how Ymnog is dead now, and the two of them haven't reappeared, they probably were digested.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. Alarielle, Goddess of Life, opted to forgive the Godbeast’s rampages and wove life magic around his sleeping form so that his body would become covered by the earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms. For this act of clemency, many of the “traditional” Gargants revere Alarielle as the “Woman of the Woods” and make an attempt to avoid trampling through areas of her influence.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygmy Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-23T18:37:03Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Age of Myth */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause not many want to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. Alarielle, Goddess of Life, opted to forgive the Godbeast’s rampages and wove life magic around his sleeping form so that his body would become covered by the earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms. For this act of clemency, many of the “traditional” Gargants revere Alarielle as the “Woman of the Woods” and make an attempt to avoid trampling through areas of her influence.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygmy Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T14:58:39Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins''': See [[Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs''': A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga''': The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]''': Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]''': Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain''': A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

'''[[Lovecraft|Nameless Things]]''': Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]''': Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
*Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
*Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.

'''Mewlips''': Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]''': Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]''': The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms''': Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth''': Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]''': The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants''': Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]''': In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T14:58:18Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins''': See [[Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs''': A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga''': The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]''': Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]''': Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain''': A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

'''[[Lovecraft|Nameless Things]]''': Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]''': Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
*Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
*Frist Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.

'''Mewlips''': Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]''': Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]''': The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms''': Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth''': Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]''': The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants''': Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]''': In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Abhuman

2022-07-23T14:54:01Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Pelagers */

[[File:Sharkabs.jpg|300px|thumb|right|They call them "Ab"humans for a reason.]]

'''Abhuman''' (from ''ab-'', "of, from, away from," ''human'') is a term used in the [[Imperium of Man]] to refer to a stable-breeding subspecies of [[humanity]]. Although their physiology and mentality would be so different that they should technically be classified as a whole different species altogether. Officially, they are not considered [[mutant]]s by virtue of their breed stability, but they are generally not treated the same way as "normal" humans. Civilian abhumans are almost always an underclass on other worlds, and when [[Imperial Guard]] regiments are raised from abhuman worlds as part of the Imperial Tithe they tend to be broken up into individual companies, platoons, or squads that are then attached to other regiments as auxiliary troops. Though, this is usually because most abhumans that qualify for Guard service are either [[ogryn|too stupid]], [[Beastmen (40k)|too undisciplined]], [[ratling|too specialized]], or [[Felinid|aren't numerous enough]] to maintain their own independent regiments.

So far as is known, none of the abhuman strains below are compatible with [[Space Marine]] implants, while all are compatible with the Psyker gene. Space Marines themselves are considered dubiously human in some circles, but since they don't breed, their inhumanity is the result of postnatal modifications, and they're all 8 foot tall killing machines that carry automatic armor-piercing grenade launchers, they don't count as abhumans. [[Heresy|Or else]]. Of course we don’t even know if Astartes are genetically dissimilar from normal humans beyond the Progenoid adding and tweaking genes to allow for the other implants to be accepted. The other implants just change how the body behaves in a certain way. So, they might genetically not be notably dissimilar enough to be anything other than homo sapiens sapiens. The Custodes however...

== Origins ==
Humanity's characteristics are influenced by the conditions in which it grew up, including gravity, climate, and diet. If a population were isolated in a different environment for a long enough time, their distant descendants would be adapted to those new conditions.

During the [[Dark Age of Technology]], humanity spread to the stars, first with slower-than-light colony ships, and then with [[Warp]] drives after the discovery of the [[Navigator]]s. Some of their destination planets were very different from Earth, and when humanity entered the [[Age of Strife]] with the collapse of the old government, the inhabitants of these worlds were cut off from other colonies (it is known that Gene Wars were fought between various governments made up of people that couldn't really be considered human anymore during the Age of Strife); when contact was restored during the [[Great Crusade]] (or even later), their gene pools had diverged so far from the baseline that they could almost be classified as separate species. The Imperium spared them, though, because while they were clearly not pure humans, they were useful and no more prone to mutation than any other human. As humanity had ready access to genetic engineering in that era, it can be difficult to distinguish natural evolution from artificial enhancement in many cases, as Games Workshop does not usually reveal the necessary details.

The Horus Heresy novels mentioned that even during the high point of abhuman tolerance, formerly human populations have been purged due to achieving certain (high) levels of genetic "deviancy". The natives of Davin were shaggy creatures that were close to it, though Chaos may have had a hand in that, unbeknown to the Imperials.

Abhumans can be loosely categorized by the nature of their origin.

==Definitely Artificial==

These abhumans are definitively known to have been manufactured at some point. In the case of the Afriel Strain and Gland War Veterans, though, their actual status as true abhumans is a bit iffy, as it's unclear just how many of their augmented traits (if any) are genetically transferrable, and their populations are closer to (dwindling) engineered batches rather than self-sustaining breeds.

=== [[Squat|Kindred]]s ===
''Homo sapiens rotundus''

The Kindred, or Squats as they are called in Necromunda, grew up on high-gravity mineral-rich worlds near the core of the galaxy and became adapted to be short, robustly built, and adept miners. If this sounds familiar, it's because they were intentionally designed to be the space-equivalent of [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy Battle)|Dwarfs]] from [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]].

They were introduced in the [[Rogue Trader (Sourcebook)|First Edition]] of [[Warhammer 40,000]] as a separate army to the various Imperial forces (being fiercely independent), and were mentioned sparingly thereafter until they were written out of the background (hence the term "squatted"), but the [[Warhammer 40,000 6th edition|Sixth Edition]] rulebook has written them back in again and in Necromunda [[Squats#2022: Squats are back on the menu|they actually have models]]. And in [[Warhammer 40,000 9th edition|Ninth Edition]] finally made a [[Leagues of Votann|triumphant return]].

They are morphologically very similar to Ratlings but have the inferior eyesight one would expect of a race adapted to low-light and/or interior conditions (where nothing to be looked at is ever very far away), as well as the increased [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|musculature]] and robustness to be expected of an environment harsher than Terra. Where Squats seem to be more adapted to hunting and gathering, Ratlings are more adapted to farming.

And in the new Votann lore we learn that they originated from cloning, with their ancestors using "cloneskeins" to modify their bodies, leading to their current body, and even neutering their psychic presents to avoid Chaos, making them almost invisible to them like the Tau. And, unlike the greater Imperium, their society is centered around the [[Votann]], AI supercomputers which they get their name from. And are kept secret for [[Adeptus Mechanicus|obvious reasons]].

=== [[Afriel Strain]]s ===
''Homo sapiens maledictis''

Afriel Strains were the byproduct of the Imperium trying to create the [[Mary Sue|'Ultimate Human']] via a shadowy experimental process which used genetic material from a number of the Imperium's greatest heroes to, [[Fabius Bile|in effect, make clones of them.]] While this may sound [[Awesome]] in theory, the Strains themselves...[[Lamenters|seem to suffer a severe case of bad luck.]] The amount of genetic tempering has effectively made the Afriel Strain a new sub-species of human. Whether they are allowed to do their [[/d/|'business']] and see whether the genes can pass on is unknown.

Despite this, the Afriel Strain project is still approved by the Imperium, by and large, and is still undergoing improvements to fix the...issue.

=== [[Gland War Veteran]]s ===
''Homo sapiens auctus glandulae''

Similar to the Afriel Strains, Gland War Veterans were humans that underwent severe genetic tempering to effectively combat and out-adapt the [[Tyranids]]. The term 'Gland War Veterans' is sometimes shortened to Glandies or Gland Warriors; they were made by the [[Mechanicus]] of the [[Magos|Biologis Magi]] in order to create a new human sub-species to effectively kill Tyranids without needing to waste more human lives. Woah, wait..not waste human lives? Yeah, the Tyranids are such a huge threat that against them, human life (literally cheaper than actual currency) is so valuable the Mechboys are willing to throw serious resources into preserving as many soldiers as possible in combat.

While still in its experimental phase, the [[Techpriest|Tech Priests]] in charge are already looking forward in making more of them and further improving on their combat effectiveness. In case you were wondering, these guys are EXTREMELY effective. No information on their sanity.

=== [[Navigator]]s ===
''Homo navigo''

Navigators are a three-eyed, specialized group of psykers that helps guide Imperial Ships through the Warp (in fact, they were developed to enable Warp travel); although essentially vital for the Imperium's survival, some radical groups in the Imperium declare them to be heretical mutants. These guys are so different from the mainstream human, that they are actually classified as another species of the Human genus, and not a human subspecies, hence their scientific name. They also get their own house in the Houses of Terra within the Terran Administratum, which provides a large modicum of independent political clout within the Imperium and prevents them from being sacrificed to the Golden Throne.

Navigators are never any other kind of psyker (including being a [[Blank]]).

==Probably Natural==

These abhumans are extremely adapted for one specific world (with two big exceptions), which is how evolution works; one would expect the [[Dark Age of Technology]] to be capable of far more versatile adaptations. Typically, the only details we are given about them is their planet of origin.

=== [[Felinid]]s ===
''Homo sapiens hirsutus''

Thanks to 6th Edition, Imperial [[catgirl|catgirls]] are canon! They're found only on the planet [[Carlos McConnell]] and we know absolutely nothing about them whatsoever... which is quite disappointing, really. Judging by the Latin name, they are likely [[furry|furries]].

Affirmed to be of the Neko variety in Liber Xenologis. Thank the Emperor....

=== [[Perpetual]]s ===
''Homo [[Mary_Sue|Superior]]''

A human that cannot die and is functionally immortal. If you believe [[Erda]]'s words, a Perpetual is a new species of Human, with the Emperor wishing to accelerate the evolution of standard Humanity into beings similar to Homo Superior and personally sought out every Perpetual on Earth for this task. Seeing as how she is a Master Geneticist, she may land some credibility. Perpetuals can also be Psykers, which is the only explicit confirmation of Abhuman psyker (excepting Navigators, though they are extreme specialists who were artificially engineered).

In fairness, this might not be abhuman so much as a more evolved human, as opposed to a side grade specialist.

=== [[Psyker#Imperium|Psyker]]s ===

''Homo sapiens psychicus'' (Presumed)

The most common strain of 'natural' abhumans are the Psykers. Considered a new fleeting species of Humanity that is yet too weak to fully shield itself from the [[Chaos|horrible gribblies of the]] [[Warp]]. Psykers are both despised ''and'' useful abhumans of the Imperium of Man, which no doubt creates some existential crisis and massive insecurity issues among these Psykers. Due to their (relative) abundance, Psykers have found many roles inside the Imperium when they are picked up from a roaming [[League of Blackships|Blackship]] from either the [[Inquisition]] or the [[Adeptus Astra Telepathica]]. This may include [[Astropath|Astropaths]] to guide the [[Imperial Navy]], [[Psyker Battle Squad|Sanctioned Psykers]] to be used and utilized in the [[Imperial Guard]], protecting the knowledge of a [[Space Marine]] Chapter as a [[Librarian|Librarian]], serve in [[Inquisition]] forces and even becoming a [[Inquisitor]] [[Gregor Eisenhorn|themselves.]] Those who got the short end of the stick becomes the [[Emprah|Emprah's]] [[Meatbread|psychic chow]] that is used to maintain the [[Astronomican]], though its probably the best an unstable psyker can hope for as they will be treated well, keep control and not be eaten by daemons upon death.

There's also a particularly rare form of psyker known as a [[blank]] which is essentially a Psyker in reverse, resisting or nullifying [[Warp]] energies.

=== [[Troth]]s ===
''Homo sapiens verdantus''

Only found on the world of [[Verdant]]; no other details known other than some claiming that they may be [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|plant people.]]

=== [[Neandor]]s ===
''Homo sapiens hyannothus''

Only found on the world of [[Hyannoth IV]]; no other details known other than their names, which may be a blatant reference to the extinct Neanderthals and thus, are basically space cavemen.

=== [[Scalies]] ===
''Homo sauromimus'' (Presumed)

Scalies are what happens when you mix an Ogryn with a Crocodile and launch the abomination down the deepest toilet hole. They often populate the underhive of Hive Worlds and are frequent bodyguards of [[Scavvies]] which are just poor hobos. They are so genetically unstable that their vox boxes have essentially twisted beyond proper human speech, only communicating via grunts or growls. Seriously, they are so far from the norm that they barely register as human, let alone a separate genetic caste.

They are like Killer Croc from Batman. Each of them can regenerate their limbs like a reptile if it is chopped off. They aren't fielded by the Imperial Guard due to their inability to effectively communicate and somewhat heretical mutations.

While they are found on many, distinct planets, they are only found in Hives, all of whom probably produce very similar waste, which the Scalies live in; combined with their ''lack'' of "stability" (i.e. having Scalies from different planets reliably breed true), they are what one would expect of natural evolution in an artificially similar environment.

=== [[Sub]]s ===
''Homo sapiens deformum''

Ghouls from [[Fallout]]. Intensely fuck ugly individuals born from the rankest shit possible. Similar to Beastmen in terms of persecution, but for some reason, their fuck ugliness is still somehow [[Wat|more stable than their furry counterpart.]]

==Probably Artificial==

These abhumans are adapted for a wide variety of worlds, and, critically, were found on multiple, distinct worlds; as evolution has an astronomically poor chance of producing results like this, odds are far better that the native population, in order to deal with problems brought about by the [[Age of Strife]], genetically tampered with themselves to survive, explaining why populations on similar but distant worlds would arrive at identical (or very similar) solutions.

=== [[Caryatid]]s ===
''Homo sapiens caeruleum''

Bizarre looking [[Wat|flying blue babies]] that may or may not be the original inspiration for the [[Cherubim]]. Often viewed by [[Necromunda|Necromundans]] in the same way as rabbit's feet. While classified under the genus and species of Homo sapiens, we aren't too sure whether it is an Abhuman or a Xenos.

=== [[Longshank]]s ===
''Homo sapiens longatus''

Longshanks are adapted for very low or zero gravity, such as would be expected on a damaged [[Imperial Navy|voidship]]. In appearance, the Longshanks are [[Indrick Boreale|bald]] with very pronounced eyes and have unnaturally long legs, when compared with baseline humans. May be an entire race of gingers if their name is any indication. Recently reappeared in the canon to be taken captive by Orks and then summarily executed by their [[Black Templar]] rescuers for being mutants. Which technically makes those Black Templars renegade as abhumans are accepted by the Emperor himself and so declaring them mutants and killing them is to rebel against the word of the Emperor.

=== [[Nightsider]]s ===
''Homo sapiens tenebris''

Nightsiders are abhumans adapted to live in the dark; not much else is known about them. They may have any of the adaptations one might expect in a low-light environment, such as [[Anime|overly large eyes]] to gather as much light as possible or vestigial eyes that have given up on sight altogether, and/or enhanced alternative senses to cope, such as sonar. As almost all dark environments are also cold, odds are very good they have some solution for this as well although this could be anything from thick, [[Nurgle|insulating fat]] and/or hair to having natural access to the Psyker discipline of Pyromancy, similar to how Navigators are stable psykers.

=== [[Ogryn]] ===
''Homo sapiens gigantus'' [[File:40k_ogryn.jpg|144px|thumb|right|Ogryn]]

Ogryn are transparently based on the archetypal fantasy [[ogre]]: big, strong, and dumb. They are useful as [[Imperial Guard]] shock troops because they are big enough to wreck the enemy and dumb enough to charge on command. They are resolutely loyal to their immediate superior officer, but this also makes it extremely easy to turn them to serving Chaos, as they will perform any command given to them if their commanders are persuasive enough, though their childlike faith in the God Emperor makes outright corrupting them harder.

Ogryn hail from high gravity worlds, where their large size is a major limiting factor (smaller creatures are much, much better at lifting more weight relative to their own, and everything is heavier on a high-gravity planet, including an organism's own body). As even a relatively small amount of time to genetically drift would realistically cause them to [[Ratling|shrink]] due to extreme selection for minimizing height, as well as get smarter (due to the same pressures that made stock humans get smarter in a hurry), the implication is that someone or [[Games Workshop|something]] (such as the Guard population or planetary AI) has been inducing their large size and low intelligence [[grimdark|to help keep them contained]]. Their adaptations make them naturally suitable for cold, low-gravity worlds, although their low intelligence makes them unlikely to thrive in any environment where they are responsible for feeding, sheltering, and/or clothing themselves.

=== [[Pelager]]s ===
''Homo sapiens oceanus''

Abhumans adapted for Ocean Worlds; possibly an attempt to bring back the [[Saharduin]], like the Demiurg are an attempt to bring back the [[Squats]]. Are described as basically being Aquatic Ogryn.

=== [[Ratling]]s ===
''Homo sapiens minimus''

Ratlings used to be space [[halfling]]s, but the latest edition miniatures give them hairy bare feet, making them look more like space [[Hobbits]] (though both archetypes have a fair amount of overlap). They are also noted kleptomaniacs, so they've got some space [[Kender]] in them, too. Their good eyesight and small size make them useful as snipers, but they are otherwise useless in a fight and their personal characteristics make them less than endearing to [[Imperial Guard]] leadership, though the Guardsmen themselves usually don't mind. Many Guardsmen are perfectly fine with trading with Ratlings for some [[Dakka|special equipment]] or extra rations, and they're well-known as the sorts of field cooks that can make three old rats, a handful of sawdust, and a stolen muddy boot taste downright '''edible'''. Also, they tend to [[Slaanesh|shag like bunnies]].

Taken together, their adaptations make them excellent at surviving on hot, high-gravity worlds with scarce access to food, particularly a damaged [[Imperial Navy|voidship]], where they would also be adapted to tight living quarters.

==Unknown==
=== [[Beastmen (40k)|Beastmen]] ===
''Homo sapiens variatus''

Beastmen are on their way to being declared [[Mutant#Warhammer_40,000|mutant]]s; as it is, the [[Adeptus Arbites]] has basically declared them an underclass, preventing them from traveling to most planets and excluding them from the [[Imperial Guard]] unless they're willing to be cannon fodder--something which many of them view as their chance to atone for the [[Grimdark|crime of being born as mutants]]. This will probably be for the best, since their [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] counterparts are one of the major parts of the armies of [[Chaos]], but one wonders if the 40K beastmen would be less likely to fall to Chaos if the Imperium made them feel just a little welcome.

All Beastmen which have not been mutated by Chaos are morphologically similar, having a basic human body type modified to have the head and lower legs of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovidae cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammal from Earth]; one can assume they also possess internal changes, such as a 4-chambered stomach. However, they exhibit widespread diversity within that category, leading to their common consideration of being [[mutant]]s. As these adaptations "merely" adapt the organism to being better at running, jumping, and being able to digest cellulose while sacrificing proficiency at climbing but Beastmen are found on many worlds throughout the Imperium, they would seem to be artificial if not for the fact that one would expect far better of the [[Dark Age of Technology]] than, for example, needing to include horns in order to accomplish digesting grass. Their most likely origin is being artificial but not for the standard reason (like Ogryn seem to be), in particular due to possible interference by nonhumans, such as [[Chaos]] or [[Dark Eldar]], both of whom are notorious for genetically tampering with human populations for their [[Troll|own ends]].

=== [[Centaur]]s ===
Occupying the deep gray end of canon, the short story ''Children of the Emperor'' from the anthology '''Into the Malestrom''' features a guardsman stranded on a lost, feral world with super-high gravity, populated by abhumans whose ancestors gave themselves centaur bodies and super-enhanced muscles to cope with high gravity and abundance of deadly predators. He gets involved with a struggle between the Emperor-worshipping locals and a [[Khorne|Khornate]] [[heresy]], but the best he can do is to report to the Imperium when he escapes that the planet is feral, too dangerous & resource poor to colonize, and houses only some unimportant alien species, thus preventing the loyalists from being slaughtered as mutants by more Puritanical Imperials.

== DIY Abhumans ==
Rather surprisingly (considering how much creative freedom 40K typically offers), options for making your own abhuman breeds are actually quite limited, almost to the point of hardly being allowed at all. To recap, in the Imperium there are only 73 officially recognized abhuman breeds. 46 of those are declared extinct, and 12 more are believed extinct due to lack of contact. Only 15 abhuman breeds are officially alive and active in the Imperium of 40K, and 12 of those are named: Navigators, Beastmen, Ogryn, Ratlings, Squats, Nightsiders, Troths, Longshanks, Pelagers, Felinids, Scalies, and Neandors. That leaves ''only 3'' officially open slots for DIY abhumans.

Now, you could quibble on which breeds belong where on the list, or even if some should or shouldn't be on it all, and how many free slots there actually are, but the end result still leaves little to no wiggle room for converters and fan-fluff writers that want to make their own thing while sticking to the lore.

Then again, you could always just say "fuck it" and go ahead with a fan-creation, regardless of the official numbers, on the assumption that the [[Games Workshop|Administratum]] just got their paperwork wrong. [[Squats|It's not like that hasn't happened before]].

{{Imperium}}
{{Important Species in 40k}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-23T00:53:19Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Orcs */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and the triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf..
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
'''Orcs/Goblins:''' See [[Orc#Tolkien|Orcs]].

'''Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs:''' A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

'''Snaga:''' The Black Speech word for ''Slave'' or ''Servant''. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

'''Snufflers:''' A small breed of black furry orc, with large nostrils and the ability to track down targets by their scent like a hunting dog.

'''[[Black Orc|Uruks]]:''' A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. ''Uruk'' is the Black Speech word for ''Orc'', which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of ''Snaga'' within Orc society.
*'''Black Uruks:''' Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
**'''Uruk-Hai:''' Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, ''Uruk'' is Black Speech for Orc, while ''Hai'' is the suffix for "''Folk''"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, [[Nazi|which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it?]] In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

===Other Creatures===
'''[[Werewolves]]:''' Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

'''[[Vampires]]:''' Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

'''Woodwoses/Druedain:''' A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

'''Nameless Things:''' Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather [[Lovecraft|Lovecraftian]] in their description.

'''[[Trolls]]:''' Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
* '''Half-trolls:''' A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead [[Salamanders (Chapter)|Salamander-like]] giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.

'''Mewlips:''' Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead.

'''[[Treant|Ents]]:''' Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

'''[[Dragons]]:''' The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. ''Glaurung'', the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.
*'''Cold-drakes''': Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of ''Forodwaith'' in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the ''Withered Heath''.

'''Mumakil:''' Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

'''Were-Wyrms:''' Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

'''Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth:''' Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram ''Grond'' during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

'''[[Chaos Dwarves|Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith]]:''' The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

'''Giants:''' Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

'''[[Ogres]]:''' In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Festus the Leechlord

2022-07-21T11:18:01Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: Rotmire Creed Association?

[[File:Festus the Leechlord.jpg|thumb|right|[[Glottkin|HELLO I'M FUCKING FAT TOO]].]]
'''Festus the Leechlord''' was once a good plague doktor in ye old [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]], helping people survive from plagues and generally being not too bad a guy (at least in that sense, seeing as GW hasn't done shit for his backstory till [[The End Times]] for some reason). He eventually came into contact with the Gnashing Fever, a disease so virulent that he had no idea how to stop the contagion from spreading and killing more and more of the patients and people he had spent his life dedicated to helping. Being a highly decorated doctor from Altdorf, Festus took it upon himself to begin researching the plague to the point that he became obsessed with trying to find a cure. As the last of his patients died, he cried out for help. Then things got creepy; one by one, the slack-jawed corpses in Festus’ laboratory turned their heads to look at him. With one voice emanating from a score of parched throats they made him an offer, except it wasn't them, as the speaker was none other than [[Nurgle]] himself.

Nurgle's offer was to have all the knowledge necessary to stop the plague as well as ALL diseases. So Festus, being as determined as he was, agreed. It was then that Nurgle thrust all of his unfathomable knowledge of poxes, plagues and poisons into Festus' mind, driving him mad, washing away his compassion and sending him spiraling into the Chaos Wastes. The irony is that Nurgle might not have actually meant to drive him crazy, because Nurgle really is compassionate and loves everyone.

From this point onward, Festus was obsessed with experimenting and creating both new diseases as well as testing those that Nurgle had given him knowledge of. He spent his life seeking new 'patients' to do so with. At one point he returned to the Empire in disguise to cure an Imperial noble of a disease. Though he cured the disease as promised, Festus left the man with ten more, and several epidemics spread through the town. This lasted unto an unspecified point where he found himself in Altdorf's sewer system, setting up home in his old, now abandoned, labratory.

Prior to [[Archaon]] selecting the [[Glottkin]] to lead his vanguard assault against the Empire, Festus was approached by none other than [[Ku'Gath]] himself. The Greater Daemon emerged from Festus' cauldron (who knows how he fit in there though) with instructions from Nurgle himself to create a spell of such power that it would tear open a rift between reality and Nurgle's Garden and let it spill into Altdorf. Festus made about preparing the great spell, sacrificing many souls to his pot as well as working tirelessly while the Glottkin, [[Gutrot Spume]] and the [[Maggoth Lords|Maggoth Riders of Icehorn Peak]] beseiged Middenheim, Carroburg, Talabheim, and the Drakwald respectively. Festus' machinations beneath the poor slums of Altdorf caused widespread disease as the plague fumes from his spell wafted through the city, striking down the poor quarter and costing the city valuable resources it would need in the fight to come.

However, this did not go undetected. Newly appointed Supreme Patriarch Gregor Martak, at the behest of one of the sisters of [[Shallya]], urged Reiksmarshal Kurt Hellborg to spare some troops to investigate. However, his pleas went on deaf ears and as a result, Martak left the city to find the then-missing [[Karl Franz]]. All the while, Festus helped severely weaken the defenses of Altdorf even as its defenders tried to rebuild and fortify. His efforts further hastened the plague which caused Hellborg to look like a tyrant guarding and controlling the food supplies and to quell several minor insurrections from the inhabitants. Festus was a shit-stirrer, indeed (excuse the Nurglesque pun).

By the time the three armies converged upon a crippled and plague-riddled Altdorf, Festus set the spell in motion. A massive vortex ripped up through Altdorf, allowing daemonic growths to grow rampant and daemons to rain from the sky. At this point, the assault began from all three armies and Festus made his move. Nurgle was pleased as fuck with his mortal fat friend so he took away all his tiredness from having worked without pause for months and gave him new strength and powers, and even planned to offer Festus [[Daemon Prince|daemonhood]], the ultimate blessing to a champion of Chaos. At this point Ku'Gath came into the mortal realm and burst up out of the cauldron, with growths spreading at a disgustingly rapid pace through the slums. Ku'gath and Festus emerged from the sewers in the poor district with an army of plague-riddled daemons at their back and began an assault on the Temple of Shallya, slaughtering the meager forces of the Empire stationed there. Festus himself directed the Greater Daemon to break into the temple, pointing and goading it and the infernal army to despoil the sacred place.

Almost out of convenience (as if GW would ever do such a thing) Louen Leonceur of [[Bretonnia]] descended and began a brutal if short-lived assault that saw both the former king's hippogryph a bloody mess, as well as the corporeal form of the Plaguefather sent back to the realm of Chaos. Outraged and devastated, Festus lunged at the broken king only to meet [[Vlad von Carstein]] - who had come to aid the human defenders in his bid for Elector Counthood - in single combat. It was a brief assault which seen Vlad 'killed' as Festus spewed corrosive vomit all over him, melting him away. Mere moments later, Vlad, resurrected by his ring, dove onto the bloated and empowered Leechlord, impaling him in the heart with a wooden stake. Festus at first began to laugh away the wound, but ironically the regenerative abilities locked in his fat flesh spilled forth into the wood of the stake. The life-giving energy spread rapidly through him, twisting his form into that of a giant, twisted tree, tearing him apart. With Festus and the Plaguefather now dead, the daemons in that quarter began to give ground rapidly to the massive undead host.

He has since come back in [[Age of Sigmar]], having set up shop in the Realm of Beasts hoping to test is new poxes on the rich and varied wildlife. He’s even got a massive tower called the Leech’s Lair and an army of fellow rotten sorcerers called the Filthbringers. Also, a Nurgle Warcry Warband by the bane of the Rotmire Creed apparently worship an entity called "Lord Leech", although whether they're worshipping Nurgle under a different name or through worship of Festus as a sort of "exarch" of Nurgle is currently unknown

{{Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category: Maggotkin of Nurgle]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:16:11Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
Warhammer_Sea_Trolls.jpg|Warhammer Fantasy
Deepwater_Troggoth.jpg| Age of Sigmar Idoneth promotional material featuring Deepwater Troggoths
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:15:31Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
Warhammer_Sea_Trolls.jpg|Warhammer Fantasy
Deepwater_Troggoth.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:15:04Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
Warhammer_Sea_Trolls.jpg|Warhammer Fantasy
Deepwater_Troggoths.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:14:20Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
Warhammer_Sea_Trolls.jpg|Warhammer Fantasy
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:13:54Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
Warhammer_Sea_Trolls.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:08:30Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered seaweed tangled on its body and wielding a crude axe made from the skull of a sea monster. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:05:29Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in a minor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered in coral growing on its back-hump and with seaweed tangled on its arms. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:04:45Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in. aminor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered in coral growing on its back-hump and with seaweed tangled on its arms. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Scrag

2022-07-20T23:04:13Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: Warhammer Sea Trolls

{{dnd-stub}}
[[File:Scrag MM 2e.png|thumb]]
The '''Scrag''' is to the [[troll]] what the [[koalinth]] is to the hobgoblin. Which is to say they put a troll underwater and made it vaguely fish-like. Voila! Another completely unique and original monster for your aquatic encounter table.

==[[Scarred Lands]] Scrags==
In the Scarred Lands setting, Scrags were the creation of [[Kadum]] the Mountainshaker and the rulers of the oceans for the longest time. Then the Divine War came, Kadum was dismembered and thrown into the seas, and [[Corean]] created his [[Triton]]s to oppose them. Now the Scrags are trying desperately to survive and keep what land they have.

Their society is combatative and caste-based, with the caste depending on how well you can intimidate others into doing your bidding. Lowest are ''slugs'', misshapen runts who perform most of the menial labor, ''kappi'' are the middle caste, [[warrior]]s who also take care of hunting and overseeing the [[Slavery|slaves]], and at the top are the ''warlords'', who oversee the kappi, and plan and head slave raids and invasions, and the ''[[shaman]]s'', who are [[druid]]s, [[cleric]]s, [[warlock]]s, and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]s, who help the warlords in plotting and divine potential outcomes.

If you wanted to play the sea-trolls in Scarn, then Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad has you covered, giving them the following stats for 5E:

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
::Claws: You can deal 1d4 + Strength slashing damage instead of bludgeoning for an unarmed strike.
::Regeneration: When submerged in water, you regain one hit point at the end of each of your turns. If you lose a limb or body part, the lost portion grows back within 3d6 minutes. A severd limb can be reattached by holiding it to the stump, where it reattaches instantly. If you take fire or acid damage, or you fail a death saving throw, your regeneration doesn't function at the end of your turn.
::Unshakable: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
::Languages: You speak Titan Speech, Giantish, and one common language of your choice.

==Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar ==
No, not River Trolls/Fellwater Troggoths. In Warhammer Fantasy, the lore actually makes mention of a race of oceanic trolls, far rarer for the civilizations of land dwellers to encounter for the simple fact that they lived very deep underwater. They were apparently also known as "Shugons" which kind of sounds like the alternate name for manatees, "dugongs". And, despite how minor they were in the lore, they managed to reappear AGAIN in the lore... in. aminor role once again. Now rebranded in Age of Sigmar as Deepwater Troggoths, they were only ever mentioned by name in promotional material on Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Facebook page sneak-peaking Idoneth Deepkin. They were even illustrated, a picture of a troggoth covered in coral growing on its back-hump and with seaweed tangled on its arms. They were also mentioned not by name in the description of the Angujakkak, an enormous kaiju-size sea monster species that is said to look like "a cross between an oceanic trench dwelling troggoth and a mega-squid".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Scrag S4.png|[[S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]
Scrag 1e.png|1e
Scrag MCV1.jpg|2e
Scrag Dungeon 12.png|Dungeon #12
Scrag 5e.jpg|5e
Scrag RotR3.png|PF
Scrag RoA5.png
</gallery>

[[Category:Giants]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Scarred Lands Races]]
[[Category: Warhammer]]

Gloomspite Gitz

2022-07-20T22:56:43Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Groups/Subcultures */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Gloomspite Gitz|Logo=Deity Bad Moon 01.png|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=I’m gonna go higher! I’m pissing on da Moon!}}

{{Topquote|Da Bad Moon spoke to me, once. All dese years, through all dese realms, I've followed it in da skies and 'ave heard all da stories about 'ow it came to be...|Skragrott the Loonking}}

{{Topquote|Don't go 'round tonight. It's bound to take your life. There's a Bad Moon on the rise.|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}

The '''Gloomspite Gitz''' are a loose coalition of [[Night Goblins|Moonclan Grot]]s, [[Forest Goblins|Spiderfang Grots]], [[Troll|Troggoths]] and more all united in the worship of the Bad Moon, which they see as an aspect of [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]]. This combination has created a faction that somehow ended up much more “chaosy” than Chaos, being more Heath Ledger Joker than evil cults and barbarians following their gods’ rules. They personify the horror and madness that comes with reckless destruction, with no aim other than to cause more of it.

==The Bad Moon==

{{Topquote|Vast, horrible eyes staring down, seeming to see straight into her soul. Tattered clouds scattering as though fleeing in horror from the lunar abomination that settled low and gibbous in the skies above. The jagged suggestion of fangs the size of mountains, set in a leering, pockmarked face whose sanity-blasting immensity dwarfed the city as an armoured warrior dwarfs an insect.|Excerpt From “Gloomspite” by Andy Clark}}

The Bad Moon itself is a supernatural moon (even moreso than [[Morrslieb]] from the world that was) that travels between realms in no discernible pattern. A thing of horror and mystery, with those who seek to divine its path (Tzeentch sorcerers, Azyr astronomers, Skaven Grey Seers, and many more) driven mad by the celestial object. It also sends ill portents across the realms wherever it passes. It can even speak, though the only person it has done so to is Skragrott, allegedly, at least. If you take as many mushrooms as the Night Goblins do you'd probably begin to hear voices as well. He ain't called "Loonking" for nothing.

There are three stories of its origins. Most greenskins claim it's a moon that Gorkamorka tried to eat. It broke some of his teeth so he spat it out but unintentionally left a bit of his power in it. The Spiderfang Grots see it as an egg of their spider god which will one day hatch and flood the realms with spiders. Grot shaman's believe it is made of the coalesced souls of every grot shaman who has ever lived.

Whatever the case, the Bad Moon fills the Gloomspite Gits with lunacy, which they refer to as “Gloomspite” that fills them with fervor and strength but also takes a toll on their sanity. Just as Waaagh! energy builds up and empowers orruks, which is generated through their belligerence and battle-hunger; Gloomspite is generated out of the grots’ cruelty, spite, hatred of those more fortunate and sheer meanness. When the Bad Moon waxes, wars rage.

As the moon approaches an area, strange things occur. All surfaces will become clammy and slick with cave-moisture, animals will go insane or start to speak in weird and disturbing tongues, water drips up instead of down, insects and arachnids crawl out of every crevice and become aggressive to everyone. Worst of all, giant fungi grow on every material, from stone, wood, earth, to metal and even flesh. People will suffer from insomnia, nightmares, paranoia, and in the case of those unfortunates who are already weak minded, full-on schizophrenic insanity. For instance, in the novel ''Gloomspite'' by Andy Clark the coming of the Bad Moon was a source of Lovecraftian dread; as acts of anarchy, bouts of madness, and surges of murderous insects from below plagued the city of Draconium for a week before its arrival which itself caused shifts in gravity and the collapse of government; All of which works to further prepare an area for takeover by the Gloomspite Gitz, who thrive in these uncomfortable times. By the time the Bad Moon itself leers overhead the hordes of Grots, Squigs, Spiders, and Troggoths are already invading from hidden tunnels below or pouring from caves in the hills. And if the Bad Moon is feeling particularly spiteful it will “spit” out meteorites of loonstone called “Fangz of the Bad Moon”. They crash down onto its enemies with cataclysmic force and become the sites where the Gitz build their Loonshrines, from which even more Grots will pour out of.

The Bad Moon is also followed and orbited by a smaller moonlet or asteroid that crashes into celestial objects in its way. Much like how the Grots have varying ideas of what the Bad Moon itself is, they believe the smaller moon to be the Bad Moon's punishing fist, the Bad Moon's pet squig, or even the ancient spirit of a [[Skarsnik|powerful Grot warlord who conquered eight mighty mountain peaks]] in the primeval World-That-Was...

[[File:SkagrottMoon.jpg|400px|thumb|right|"Do you see me down ere'??!! I'm Skragrott the Loonking, Lord of da' Gloomspite Gitz!! ANSWER ME!!! WILL I EVER HEAR YOUR VOICE AGAIN??!!?"]]

==History==
===“Da Age uv Miff”===
Greenskins, grots included, have always existed in the mortal realms. Even when Sigmar’s pantheon worked to cultivate new kingdoms and nations on their own, scheming hordes of grots scraped and stabbed their way to survival. Sigmar eventually gained the trust of Gorkamorka, which meant the majority of his children would stop raiding the newly built bastions of Order. However, a few lesser known or obscure spots of the realms still suffered from regular attacks from the grots.

It’s around this time that the main grot sub-factions begin to emerge, born out of their environments and a religious desire to justify their spiteful actions. The Moonclan Grots take to worshiping the Bad Moon from the safety of dark dank caves, the Spiderfang take up residence in the the massive nest lairs of the Aracnarok spiders, the Grotbag Scuttlers somehow created workable flying ships and took to the skies, while the nomadic Gitmob Grots began riding wolves in Ghur and many more minor sub cultures that GW will likely never talk about again. Also noteworthy in this age is the god-beast Boingob, the grand progenitor of all squiggly beasts. The living meteor of rubbery fleshy chased after the light of Hysh, thundering across the Realm of Life before finally jumping up to bite it...only to have its body charred black and collapse to the ground. Boingob’s body becomes a holy place to the Moonclan Grots, the surrounding Orborean Woods becoming a stronghold for the grots that survived even the advances of the Age of Chaos.

===“Da Age uv Kaos”===
Unlike the orruks and ogors who thrived in the Age of Chaos, grots weren’t as lucky. Most tribes where viciously hunted down by the ruinous hordes or delved underground to escape persecution. Here the first documented Gloomspite Gitz made their appearance as Moonclan lurklairs struck deals with the Spiderfang nests. Starting from mere trading relationships these gradually evolved into full on alliances that proved very beneficial to both sides. Shortly thereafter, the newly formed Gloomspite Gitz realized that when properly interacted with and rewarded with food, the various Troggoths that also made their home in the same dark caverns and ravines could be made into excellent allies and bruisers to their mobs. Their combined swarms were used to great effect in pushing out the taint of Chaos from the dank depths of the Mortal Realms, carving out entire empires beneath the earth. Expectedly though, this meant they commonly clashed with the Fyreslayers and Skaven with these conflicts usually leading to the destruction of the losing party.

The grots following these events had minimal impact on the realms during the Age of Chaos, most preferring to carve out their own underground empires and leave the surface world to its fate (outside the occasional raid for supplies and plunder). During this period the only true large scale grot resistance to Chaos was Zigsnak's Waaagh, but ultimately this was put down with brutal swiftness. The grots overall still fared quite well considering, especially compared to many other races, not only surviving but managing to thrive and arguably becoming the true rulers of the underdark of the realms.

===“Da Age uv Da Hamma-Git”===
By the Age of Sigmar, grots were rarely seen by the surface world, becoming regarded as either myth or a very rare sight from survivors of their raids. The main reason stemming from besides small scale raids on villages or storehouses, moonclan grots would usually only come out in large numbers when in the presence of the Bad Moon. And for many centuries this was a very rare event, and probably for the best as when the Gloomspite Gitz gathered in mass it usually resulted in whole settlments disappearing off the map overnight. Incidentally this meant the Gloomspite Gitz for the most part had relatively little impact on the beginning of the age (the “biggest” thing to happen to them being the [[Sons of Behemat|many inebriated gargants]] flocking to their caves to sleep off their hangovers).

This however would change with the coming of the necroquake. This major event, while causing great destruction throughout the realms, also had the unintended effect of causing the Bad Moon to appear far more frequently. The various Gloomspite hordes saw this as a sign from the Bad Moon and Gorkamorka that time to bring the Everdank to the surface had began and started making major incursions into the surface world in numbers not seen since the Age of Myth, followed closely by their various allies and cave-beasts (so yeah, you can argue Nagash is responsible for the Gloomspite Gitz returning so greatly). Since than the moonclan, spiderfang and troggoth forces have been making many in-roads to secure greater territory for themselves but also to find a way to find where the bad moon will appear next.

Currently the Gloomspite Gitz greatest territorial conquest is the lands of Ayadah in Chamon at the hands of Skragrott, that while initially falling to Tzeench during the Age of Chaos, has now been conquered by the Gitz thanks to the Bad Moon blotting out the sky in that particular area for some unknown reason (Skragrott believes its because they impressed the celestial object enough with their conquest) allowing for an above-ground empire to be created, Skragrott claiming the former home of the [[Gnoblar|Gnoblars]], Skrappa Spill as his new capital. Currently while all the various sub-factions of the Gloomspite Gitz have different reasons and motives in venerating the Bad Moon, all are ultimately united in wanting to see the surface world bow before them.

====Broken Realms====
While it’s likely going to be ignored, with the reversal of the Necroquake thanks to Teclis, it is likely the Bad Moon’s roller coaster of movements will slow down considerably. Whether or not this will cause the grots to also settle down a bit is unclear.

The Loonking himself is currently leading a mass contingent of Gitz alongside the Fist of Gork Gordrakk and the other Destruction factions in a siege of the free city Excelsis. Skragrott isn’t overly fond of this endeavor as it means he doesn’t have the same level of authority/respect among these Ghurish greenskins like the ones back in Chamon, but the strange thumping sound he’s been hearing in his head and an ill prophecy from a Tzeentchian magister tells him whatever happens at Excelsis is gonna be important.

Turns out the important thing was the awakening of the End of Empires [[Kragnos]], who wrests control over the Waaagh from Gordrakk...and still leads them to Excelsis. While the grots themselves weren’t noted to have done much, the Troggboss Glogg of Glogg’s Megamob made a viscous last stand on the outer walls of the city. Kragnos gets tricked by Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine to go through a wormhole and the destruction army scatters, with Skragrott likely feeling very peeved over the whole thing.

==Groups/Subcultures==
The [[Night Goblins|Moonclan Grots]] are pretty close to old Night Goblin lore, but with even more fungi. Moonclan Grots can't even stand outside during the day without their skin burning and their eyes clamping shut in pain, so they wear their heavy robes to hide from the terrible entity they call Glareface Frazzlegit, AKA the Sun. They believe that old Glareface exists to kill and hurt them, opposite their beloved Bad Moon. They work with the rest of the Gloomspite Gitz to bring about the Everdank - the permanent extinguishing of the sun and an eternal Bad Moonlit night. Because they so rarely appear aboveground, grots of all sorts are seen as children's fairy tales and drunkard's pink elephants, right up until the Moonclan are pouring into the streets and murdering everyone. They also have a strange obsession with bottles, and consider them the most valuable items to steal and loot from other races. The reason is twofold:
first is that Grots love magic potions and their shamans can craft many clever varieties from a myriad of mystical mushrooms and fungi, and secondly Grots lack any skill or knowledge of glassblowing, meaning that they cannot craft bottles themselves. To the Moonclan, a successful raid might be several tons of food, weapons, armor pieces, building scraps, and so on, but an equally successful night of raiding is a couple dozen glass bottles in good shape.

The Moonclan Grots have become highly adept at taming the creatures that lurk within. In particular they make extensive use of squigs which they breed for various purposes such as food, war beasts, tracking hounds, decoration and even lighting (yeah there is a glow-in-the-dark breed they use in addition to bioluminescent fungus and fire to light there lairs). Entire tribes will focus entirely around the breeding of squigs and look to create ever new or more aggressive breeds of the creatures to sell to other grots. In addition, they also make use of other cave flora and fauna like various fungi and insects. Fungus and various insects/arachnids are also cultivated/bred for food, potions and for other stranger uses. However the most heavily used creature by the Moonclan grots besides squigs is the segmapede; giant centipedes used as transportation, a beast of burden and tunneling creatures for the grots, allowing them to expand their caverns very quickly.

[[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]], self titled leader of the Gloomspite Gitz, has a plan. He abducts every seer and prophet he can find that's had contact with the Bad Moon. Then he infects them with a fungal strain that turns them into half-human, half-mushroom hybrids (Something he seems to be trying to weaponize in the Gloomspite Novel). The Loonking keeps these captives in his creatively named "fungal asylum". He hopes they will foretell where the Bad Moon will rise, with mixed results so far. He also delights in the torture of captives as he uses the maddening transformation as a means to acquire information from those that would stand in the Bad Moons way. His ultimate goal is to cover all the Mortal Realms in the Clammy-Dank and he has already achieved this in Ayadah.

The [[Forest Goblins|Spiderfang Grots]] are a little different; they still worship the [[Spider-god]], but they also zealously follow the Bad Moon around for a different reason. They believe it is actually a FUCKHUEG egg laid by the Spider God, and that if they can make it stand still long enough it'll hatch, and spill a never-ending tide of Spiders across the Mortal Realms. [[What|Yeah]]. Says something about how crazy these gits are when even the ''Loonking'' thinks their interpretation is hard to believe. Regardless they are not to be trifled with as their hordes of grots and spiders (of varying terrifying sizes) pose a great threat to any who oppose them. Another interesting aspect to the Spiderfang is even in comparison to the Moonclan Grots, the Spiderfang have a very deep religious aspect to their society and is heavily influenced by their shamans. The Webspinner Shamans of the Spiderfang are powerful priests and wizards whose prophetic visions of the Spider-God (often brought on by the consumption of venom and hallucinogenics) have lead many stalktribes to victory, or defeat depending on the situation. They have also mastered the art of rearing and taming many large species of spiders for different purposes(food, mounts, webbing, specialized venom, etc), with the obvious exception of Arachnaroks as they are seen as holy creatures that allow the grots to live in their nests in exchange for a regular supply of food. The oldest of these colossal spiders have large shrines built upon their backs and act as focal points for worship of the Spider-God, while the youngest ones are little more than feral monsters, striking from the shadows to pull screaming prey into their nests.

Troggoths are pretty much the classic idiot troll. They’ve always existed in the Mortal Realms and no one is quite sure where they came from. Numerous legends are told by the Destruction factions on how they came to be, ranging from crawling out of the funk between Gorkamorka’s green toes, to being actual aliens from the Bad Moon who rode down to the Realms on its Fangs. They come in a couple varieties: Fellwater (River), Rockgut (Stone), and Dankhold (Mountain), with a passing mention of a fourth Sulphurbreath (Fire) variety. Fellwater Troggoths love to live in stinky swamps, fetid bogs, and stagnant pools, and stink so bad even ghosts hate them. Rockguts have the unique magical power to reshape rock and stone with their bare hands, but instead of using this power to create beautiful works of art or massive underground cities, they use their powers to scoop big rocks to throw at the enemy or make basic clubs out of. Lastly, Dankhold Troggoths are a strange breed that have hard, rocky flesh that fungus of all types can grow in. They also love to sleep, often sleeping for hundreds of years. Dankhold Troggoths also change size based on their environment, like huge humanoid fungus-goldfish, and if a Dankhold decides to squeeze itself into a tiny crevice, he'll wake up half his original size. Conversely, if a Dankhold sleeps in a huge, open cavern, he'll awaken taller than a Gargant. Lastly Dankholds love to eat fungus, especially fungi that grow on Realmstone veins, and instead of dying on the spot from consuming highly magical and radioactive fungi like any sensible creature, the Dankhold Troggoth internalizes the magic, making them magic resistant in the highest degree. Sulphurbreath Troggoths had half a sentence written about them in a White Dwarf article and live in the crevices in volcanos. Deepwater Troggoths were mentioned in promotional material for the Idoneth Deepkin, most likely an oceanic breed, which were actually present in Warhammer Fantasy as Sea Trolls, also called "Shugons". The Mirebrute Troggoth is another swamp-dwelling species that has been cowed into servitude by the Kruleboyz Orruks, as is the Marshcrawla Sloggoth, which is forced onto all fours and adapts to be quicker, serving as a mount for the Grots who work for the Kruleboyz. The Angujakkak is a creature described as resembling a hybrid of Deepwater Troggoth and Mega-Squid. Troggoths don’t really act as a unified group, no troll king barking orders or whatnot. Staying true to the classic "wild giant only here to fuck your shit up," Trogherds are formed when random groups of Troggoths just start to follow the lead of a bigger Troggoth, for no reason or goal other than to rampage. Even a Dankhold Troggboss only leads his "army" through some sort of poorly understood instinctive leadership or alpha quality, and most Troggbosses are too stupid to read, or even speak. This does not stop them from causing ridiculous amounts of destruction as they blunder through farmsteads, homes, villages, or even cities as the leader picks a direction and just starts walking, with a dozen or two other species of Troggoths following him close behind. Apparently they have their own afterlife, the Droogrind.

===Notable Gloomspite Hordes===
*'''Skragrott’s Konkererz''': The Loonking’s personal army that led the invasion of Chamon. Following Skragrott are the High Gobbapalooza, which includes The Mighty Mezmerizmo and Curdlegore the Arch-Spiker. The ‘Eavies are a quintet of Dankhold Troggbosses who usually guard the entrance of the fungal asylum, but are more than happy to smash heads for the Loonking. The bulk of the army is made up of two Moonclan Skrap battalions, Da King’s Gitz and Izgit’s Loons, both groups constantly vying for Skragrott’s favor. Other detachments include the Badgob Batterers (Squigalanche), Warrblag’s Lurkers (Spiderfang Stalktribe), and the Lumberstomp Brothers (three Aleguzzler Gargants).

*'''Waaagh!Zigsnak''': Led by a particularly influential Fungoid Cave Shaman, this horde also included the likes of orruks and ogors, a feat unheard of among most Grots. With this massive collection of belligerents, Zigsnak won many a fight. Until the Waaagh! collided with a Khorne Goretide, and after a brutal eight day battle, the shaman’s head was claimed by Korghos Khul, and the Waaagh! was soundly butchered. This conflict has since been known as Zigsnak’s Folly, and is regarded by the Gloomspite Gitz as a cautionary warning. Specifically, "Don't fuck with Khorne."
** This also serves as a retcon for the absence of surface dwelling grots, as most grots fully committed to the underground life after this event, with only small remnants surviving in the wilderness like the Gitmob Grots.

*'''Claggit’s Smotherers''': The closest thing to fire fighters in AoS. Loonboss Claggit, the “Grand Smotherdouser”, has a burning hatred for fire and has devoted his entire tribe to extinguishing all flames they find. Considering they make their lurklairs in the Kindling Forests of Aqshy, they are considerably busy fighting Fyreslayer lodges, Tzeentchian cabals, and the Clans Skryre. A favored tactic of the horde is to employ large mobs of Fellwater Troggoths, who vomit all over the fires of their obsession. The grots wear dark green and grey robes, made to blend into the clouds of smoke and ash they create.

*'''The Badsnatchers''': You know that one idea where if you yell something loud enough people will believe it’s true? That’s kind of the story of the Badsnatchers in a nutshell. The horde’s leader, Ogwotz Da Magnificent, has proudly claimed to have covered all of Ulgu in the Everdank. This is very likely false given the nature of the realm of shadow, but none dare argue with the grots, who have become a special breed of arrogant braggarts who regularly pillage the surface world, confident that the Bad Moon is watching over them. They operate out of seven large lurklairs all situated in the Hushed Hills.

*'''The Scurrowstabberz''': Another Ulgu tribe, these grots are earnest allies to the Frazzleshun stalktribes in Hysh. Using realmgates, they trade refined realmstone for spider riders and arachnarok venom.

*'''Zarbag’s Gitz''': Through one way or another, the Madcap Shaman Zarbag and his personal crew ended up in the mysterious Nightvault hidden away beneath the city of Shadespire. Oh well, time to pillage and plunder!

*'''Da Moon City Murderboyz''': A Kharadron Sky-Port called Barak Khazzar made the fatal mistake of trying to reclaim a lost hold from the Grots. Unfortunately this backfired spectacuraly with the grots using their stolen ships to invade the city itself and with the help of an armada of Grotbag Scuttlers overran the Sky-port. Now their precious city is controlled by the Gitz and renamed to Da Moon City, where they also create cyborg squigs that they sell to other Gloomspite hordes.
**We can only hope this gets expanded on more because this could be the perfect backdrop for a specialist game.

*'''Narkleg’s Backstabbas''': A Chamon horde who migrated into the Glinting Deeps during the early years of the Age of Chaos. Their lurklair of Stabb Hole quickly expanded due to an ever expanding Grot populace and their new Troggoth allies. They mistakingly burrow into the magmaholds of the Sigyorn Lodge, resulting in endless territorial warfare between the Greenskins and Fyreslayers.

*'''Boomsplatta''': As their name suggests, this tribe has a proclivity for explosive fungi and dropping said fungi onto their enemies. These tactics were implemented and perfected by their Loonboss Wyngle.

*'''The Undersnapperz''': A Moonclan Skrap from Ghur noted to work alongside the Gargants of the [[Sons of Behemat|Rhondol Stomp]].

*'''The Jaws of Mork''': A gargantuan and inexorable Squigalanche that rumbles through [[Ghyran]] chasing after the Bad Moon. Their leader is the masked Overbounder, a mysterious Grot who never lets his skin show. His reason? He wants to be “in cognee toes” so he can sneak up on the Bad Moon and bounce right over it. The real question is how he plans to do so when his miles wide horde creates tremors that can be heard across the realm. They lack any uniform heraldry or unifying symbols as the living avalanche of Squigs is always attracting smaller hordes that will drop everything they’re doing just to keep up with them.

*'''Frazzleshun''': Dwelling in the Crackenmaw Chasm in the Realm of Light are swarms of spiderfang grots who spurn the shining radiance of their realm. Through their trade agreements with the Scurrowstabberz, they have crafted special shadow-silk webbings that they regularly use to block out the light and launch massive attacks with their venomous hordes against the [[Lumineth Realm Lords|native aelves]]. The tribe is led by a shrewd committee of shamans known as the Spider’s Eyes.

*'''Glintfang''': By feeding their spiders bits and bobs of metal, the Glintfang stalktribes create steel-silk, which is basically metal cabling. These wires are used to create anything from false jewelry to parachutes for dive bombing hapless foes.

*'''The Grimscuttle Tribes''': Also called the “Deff Grotz”, these Shyish stalktribes lurk in the haunted forests just outside of Nulahmia. They make sure to avoid [[Neferata]]’s wrath by only making the occasional raids of the lonesome human settlements that sit on the outskirts of her territory. This still doesn’t stop them from working with (then promptly backstabbing) the various Chaos Lords who seek to penetrate the Mortarch of Blood’s defenses. All the Grimscuttle Tribes are bloated with Skitterstrand Arachnaroks that flocked to the grots after the Webspinner Shamans attempted to open a realmgate to the Evercrawl, proving you can in fact fail upwards.

*'''Murkthudd’s Troggherd''': Murkthudd was a Troggboss of spectacular size and stupidity, and one day he decided to go for a walk. When he emerged from underneath the Domtanguan Mountains, he was followed by two dozen various Troggoths and a horde of Squigs. They wrecked havoc throughput the settlements surrounding the Ferrus Sea, regularly clashing with Freeguild and Stormcast regiments. Eventually they tore through the city of Azyrvale and marched right off the pier and into the sea. What became of them is unclear, though rumors persist that Murkthudd is still walking at the bottom of the sea to this day.

*'''Mollog’s Mob''': The ancient pygmy Dankhold Troggoth called Mollog only wants to find a quiet place to sleep. Unfortunately for him, a group of tunneling Skaven woke him up and ruined his cozy hideout. Now he wanders through Shadespire to find a new hole to crawl in and sleep. He’s followed by a collection of various cave critters, all of whom are fiercely protective of their master.

*'''Glogg’s Megamob''': This colossal nomadic Trogghorde is among the most feared of Gloomspite armies for their seemingly endless energy and appetite for violence. An attack by the Megamob is signaled by a horrible grinding noise that echoes for miles around. This noise originates from the sneering Loonshrines that the Troggoths drag with them wherever they go. The leader of this monstrous gathering is the monosyllabic Glogg, a regenerating mass of scarred flesh and an Ogor-like hunger. He’s followed by two bodyguards (and possible brothers) Blogg and Clogg, and a Troggoth Hag named Big Mudda, who has taken an...''interest'' in Glogg’s exploits. They made an appearance in “Broken Realms: Kragnos” as a glorified meat shield for Gordrakk’s Waaagh, and Glogg was killed in while fighting an entire Freeguild regiment.

*'''The Stoical Gobblemaws''': Located in the Stoical Vast of Ymetrica in the Realm of Light, these half-blind Troggoths are loathed as a constant threat to the [[Lumineth Realm-Lords]] of that continent. They regularly chew and chomp their way through their cavernous home, destabilizing the mountain range and upsetting the bull-headed earth spirits that call it home. So naturally the Alarith temples regularly clash with the teeming hordes of Rockgut Troggs and their Dankhold Boss Gorp, who only appears when the Bad Moon rises over the Stoical Vast. Each time his goal is always the same; rampage his way to the tallest peak Tjenaka and “consuming its heart”...whatever that means. He’s been beaten back by the Aelves countless times, but like [[Abbadon|Abby]] in 40k, he keeps coming back.

==List of Known Fungi used by the Gitz==

*''Stinkcranny Fungi'': A foul smelling violet fungus harvested for usage in various poisons. Usually it’s avoided by Grots and Squigs alike because of its horrendous odor.

*''Squig Eggs'': Not actually connected to the squiggly beasts’ reproductive cycle. Small spherical growths found in clusters near Squig dens.

*''Badloon Bossfungus'': An extremely rare mushroom known for its crescent moon shape. Revered as a sign of the Bad Moon’s favor, this particular fungus grows on the top of Skragrott’s staff.

*''Bitterspurts'': Pale blue shrooms found exclusively in Moonclan dung heaps. Used to brew “urgeblurt poison”, a toxin so revolting that it causes victims to vomit their guts in agony.

*''Dincap Mushroom'': A dark purple fungus that, when ingested, causes a person’s lungs to vibrate and turns their voice into a microphone. Though the effects are temporary, they do last for a while so be sure not to say anything secretive while under its effect.

*''Madcap Mushroom'': A magic-enhancing shroom used by Madcap Shamans. Not to be confused with the similarly named Madcap Toadstool, despite looking, smelling, and tasting identical to the impossibly toxic 'shroom.

*''Madcap Toadstool'': A deathly toxic fungus often confused with Madcap Mushrooms. It looks, smells, and tastes identical to the powerful Madcap Mushroom... at least until the poor idiot who ate it dies horribly from cramps so strong their organs implode.

*''Deffcap Mushroom'': A magical and addictive shroom eaten by Fungoid-Cave Shamans to increase their spell output. Grows only on the rotting flesh of mass graves of grots. Causes powerful brain-wracking hallucinations that are invariably prophetic in nature and often reveal the will of Gorkamorka 'imself, if you can survive the ten to twenty hour acid trip it involves.

*''Looncap Mushroom'': A rare fungi that only grows in the light of the Bad Moon. While it can grow virtually anywhere, it has a habit of sprouting out of the heads/backs of living creatures. They are harvested by Sneaky Snuffler teams who then use them on fellow Moonclan Grots to “enhance” their fighting prowess. Also refined in a magic potion and force-fed to the unlucky sods chosen to become Fanatics of either the Loonsmasha or Sporesplatta variety.

*''Twackweezer Puffshroom'': A pale fungus that releases lung-clogging spores upon the slightest contact. Thwackweezers grow quickly and silently in inconvenient places, such as under grots pillows or just behind their bathroom door and spray a foul spore filled gas that drives grots into a tooth-gnashing frenzy and everything else into coughing fits. Of course, grots being the vindictive little shitheads they are, they use them as "hilarious" pranks. Then some enterprising (and very insane) grit decided to replace a Fanatic's metal ball with a Thwackweezer, and after a few messy test runs and about a dozen dead volunteers, the Sporesplatta fanatic was born, which swings the heavy and solid fungus in a chain to generate a cloud of obscuring spores and drive nearby grots into a battle frenzy.

*''Stragglenekk Fungus'': These stalactite-like mushrooms grow around the entrances and ceilings of Moonclan lurklairs and display an almost predatory nature that causes them to slowly coil around and consume any one who runs into them.

*''Glowey Morkeye'': Small light blue mushrooms that emit an eerie bioluminescence which is used by Grots to navigate their pitch black tunnels.

*''Puffgut-Balls and Hopsplatter Fungus'': These fungi are fed to Squigs to make them incredibly springy, creating Squig Hoppers and Boingrot Bounders. As a side effect, it also makes them even more irritable than the stock Squig.

*''Blue Gorkshroom and Green Morkshroom'': Tall stringy like fungus that regularly “war” over territory in the darkest depths of the Gloomspite tunnels. Both are harvested by shamans to be mashed together, creating an hallucinogenic paste.

*''Grey Spattlethwapper'': Glowing spheres attached to thin stalks. A highly volatile fungus which erupts into a cloud of madness-inducing spores upon even the slightest of contact.

*''Redcap Mushroom'': Likely colored as their name implies, this fungus is primarily used by Loonbosses who ride upon Squigs. Ingesting then mushroom makes them much more aggressive in combat. A secondary use was discovered by Loonboss Brikkit of Brikkit’s Backstabbas; when fed to Troggoths, the redcap mushroom boosts their regeneration abilities.

*''Scaldyscratch Spores'': A fine powder like substance that Loonbosses often use to blind their enemies, creating a painful burning sensation that only worsens as they try to claw their eyes out.

==Soulbound==
Now, few people would look at a Grot or a Troggoth and think "hero" - even amongst the races of Destruction. But they have their place. Destruction Bindings traditionally relied on Grots to be the brains of the group, and though this position has been threatened since the [[Kruleboyz]] revealed themselves, this has only galvanized the Gitz to prove themselves harder. Moonclans believe they are called by the Bad Moon, and Spiderclans by the Spider God, but in the end, they're all part of the same WAAAGH!

But there are Gitz who get Soulbound to the races of Order and/or Death, too. Troggoths, well, who can say why they do ''anything'', but as for Grots... well, let's not kid ourselves: usually, a Grot does it because the choice was either serve Order, or experience an unsavoury demise, and any Grot worthy of the name has a very strong attachment to the integrity of their skin. But not every Grot was forced to join; some actually made a proactive step to prove themselves worthy of the Binding, usually by being more eager to go after Chaos, Death or rival Destruction forces than the forces of Order. And, after all, more than any other faction of Destruction, the Gloomspite Gitz have a penchant for surprising others with their actions.

As for what a Grot thinks about being spiritually linked with non-Grots? Well, aside from the confusing rules about who is okay to stab and when it's okay to stab, Grots actually find it tends to be pretty nice hanging out with Order types. No beatings on a whim, for example. Sure, they remain mischief-loving little monsters, but a good Binding learns to appreciate and utilize their natural flair for being wildcards, and even a Grot can understand the idea that not all mischief has to be fatal, for instance, as the Binding is performing mighty heroics, someone has to take the liberty to rob the enemy war camp and pay chest blind and Grots are excellent at happening to coincide upon such hauls.

Gloomspite Git Soulbound typically hail from the following factions:
* '''The Badsnatchers:''' Having claimed a territory in the Hushed Hills of Ulgu, the Badsnatchers are a Moonclan who believe they have found their race's paradise - the Everdank, a land free of the touch of Glareface Frazzlegit (the sun). Badsnatcher Soulbound typically either join a Binding because they see it as the ultimate trophy to enhance their power and prestige, or because they have realized that Ogwotz is lying about having brought on the Everdank. Heroes of the Badsnatchers get "Spite Makes Right", providing the Trophy Taker talent to all archetypes as well as a free piece of common or rare gear. In addition, they can make called shots without making it any more difficult.
* '''Claggit's Smotherers:''' This Moonclan has expanded their theology to denounce fire as the emissary of the sun. So of course they've decided the best place to live is beneath the eternally burning Kindling Forests of Aqshy, where they battle endlessly to extinguish the flames. This pyrophobia complicates their relationship with non-Destruction Soulbound - the very concept of "Soulfire" makes many of Claggit's grots get twitchy - but it's not unheard of for them to find common cause after agreeing that the baleful warpflame of Chaos is evil and regular fires are good - or at least, harmless. Heroes from Claggit's Smotherers are "Eternally Moist", which halves Fire damage and lets them do Double Damage to creatures with an affinity for fire.
* '''Frazzleshun:''' This most unfortunate Skittermob made the mistake of trying to live in Hysh, specifically in the Crackenmaw Chasm, home to a realmgate to Ulgu and the single darkest place in the Realm of Light. Obviously, most Frazzleshun grots accept a place in a Binding just to be able to '''leave''' this hellish place behind once and for all, and couldn't give a damn about who they fight alongside with or why. A few, weirdly patriotic for their kind, instead seek out Ulgan realmstone, or some way to dim the eternal light of Hysh. Heroes from the Frazzleshun gain "Bringers of Darknetz", letting them start with a free Shadowsilk Net and add Vanish as a talent to all archetypes. They can see clearly in both Lightly Obscured and Heavily Obscured Zones and can Seize the Initiative as a free action in such zones.
* '''Glintfang:''' Native to Chamon, where they feed their spiders metal and use the resultant silk to sail through the air, this Skittermob lives for two things: seeing cool new sights, and pinching anything they can get their hands on. For this reason, they love to become Soulbound, so they have an excuse to go on fascinating new journeys. Heroes from the Glintfang gain "Grabbin' Gubbinz", starting play with a free Steelsilk Parachute, and gain Sleight of Hand as a talent for all archetypes. They double Dexterity and Stealth when testing to steal all sorts of shiny stuff.
* '''Grimscuttle:''' This Skittermob inhabits the Evercrawl in Shyish, a place they believe to be the residence of the Spider God and the afterlife of all arachnaroks. As such, they are some of the most frequently chosen Spiderclan Soulbound, and always, they believe, to work the will of the Evercrawl. Heroes from the Grimscuttle gain "Deffly Traps", which gives them the Blessed (Spider God) talent for all archetypes. They can also spend ten minutes to create a Major Hazard in a zone, trapping unlucky victims in spider webs that Restrain enemies.
* '''The Jaws of Mork:''' Consisting entirely of squig-riders obsessed with either jumping over or biting the Bad Moon, this Moonclan hails from the Yskian Veldt in Ghyran. Content to let destiny (and the beserker squigs they ride) take them where they will, they regard becoming Soulbound as just another fact of life. Heroes from the Jaws of Mork have the "Yskian Bounder", providing the Loyal Companion (Cave Squig) talent to all archetypes. If they take this talent, their Cave Squig grows to Large size and if it ever dies, a clone will grow from its corpse over the period of a Rest.

The archetypes available to Grots are the '''Boingrot Bounder''', '''Fungoid Cave Shaman''', '''Loonboss''', '''Spider Rider''', '''Web-Spinner Shaman''' and '''Wise-Grot'''. Troggoths have their own archetypes to pick from, the '''Fellwater Troggoth''' and '''Rockgut Troggoth'''.

==See Also==
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Destruction/Gloomspite Gitz|Tactics/Gloomspite Gitz]]
*[[Gloomspite Horde Creation Tables]]

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Skaven

2022-07-20T21:35:09Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Warhammer 40k */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Skaven|Logo=Capture131114532.png|Alliance=Chaos|Motto=DIE DIE SOLDIER MANTHINGS DIE!!!!}}

{{Topquote|It would be ugly to watch people poking sticks at a caged rat. It is uglier still to watch rats poking sticks at a caged person.|Jean Harris}}

{{Topquote|The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.|E.B. White}}

{{Topquote|I WILL JOIN YOU, ELF! IF THERE IS ANYTHING I HATE WORSE THAN ELVES, IT'S FUCKING RAT FURRIES GOING FULL NORTH KOREA WITH NUCLEAR ROCKS!|Urist, Warhammer: Ravandils Quest}}

The '''Skaven''' are technologically advanced [[ratfolk]] in the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and [[Age of Sigmar]] settings. Ugly, evil creatures that spread [[AIDS|plague]] wherever they go and topple kingdoms for fun and [[profit]], you will be hard pressed to find a more unlikeable race out there. Much like the [[Orks]], they're so excessively over-the-top that it's pretty funny.

Skaven are said to be '''''the''''' most evil race in the entire setting, and that's no idle claim. For all [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]], [[Bretonnia]]ns, [[Dwarf (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]], [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]], [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood Elves]] and [[Lizardmen]]'s many flaws (and make no mistake, they ''are'' numerous) each of them has at least some claims to genuine heroism that keep them out of being villains. Undead are either mindless automata executing their programming or - for the majority of intelligent undead - capable of genuine love and altruism. [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark elves]] are cruel and have a culture based on torture and slavery, but they are more driven by historical grievances and an inhospitable homeland, and can display family loyalty along with traits that some would call decent or even questionably heroic.

Orcs and Goblins are violent brutes, but they'll develop what could be considered friendships and attachments to their fellows, and even the most brutal Black Orc will cry if his pet squig dies (Not in front of the other boyz though, because they'll all see him as nothing but a runty git). Or at the very least he will bash someone’s head into the ground; point is, he'll grieve. Ogres are well-known to be gluttonous and casually cruel almost to a man, but they usually still love their families and their Gnoblar pets, and any Maneater worth his salt is good for his word upon payment. Despite their propensities towards [[Khorne|killing]], [[Tzeentch|scheming]], [[Nurgle|festering]] and [[Slaanesh|raping]], the mortal followers of Chaos are capable of honor, friendship and a warped form of love. Even the [[Beastman|Beastmen]], who are also inherently evil like the Skaven, respect their chieftains and shamans, deal honorably with their few allies and give worthy foes a fair fight. Even daemons usually respect the chain of command without [[Drow|constantly trying to murder their leaders and take their place]].

Skaven have none of the above qualities, or any other that could be considered even vaguely noble or redeeming: they openly hate everyone and everything, are more cowardly and paranoid than any goblin, more cruel and xenophobic than Dark Elves, and more fractious than Chaos. Love, friendship and honor are completely alien to the Skaven's psyche. Due to their chronic backstabbing disorder, nobody trusts them, likes them, or wants to be 'allies' with them (except Dark Elves, who have a treaty with them that both sides betray at times). The only times they have done something that benefited non-Skaven or the world, such as helping beat the first incarnation of Nagash, are for purely selfish reasons - Nagash denied them warpstone and was a threat to them too. One of the only three reasons the Skaven have lasted this long and not killed themselves in an ''en masse'' fratricidal free-for-all is because their hatred of all other things outweighs their hatred of other Skaven by '''''just enough''''' for them to slightly function (that and their crazy-high birthrates or the direct intervention of their god, who's little better than them). However the 'just enough' cannot be stressed enough. Even with the all-out doom of their race present, as with Nagash or Chaos, they're still intent on fucking each other over. <strike>If</strike> when possible, Skaven <strike>would</strike> will kill each other in the womb.

And that's why we ''love'' to hate them so much.

It should be noted that there is one non-evil one in [[Warhammer Adventures]], the Warhammer children's book series (yeah, that exists). Named Kreech, he's still the villain of that series, but by the standards of Skaven he's damn near a fucking Grail Knight. Kreech actually lives in human culture, preferring it to his own people's, and has a 12-year-old human slave as his sidekick. Even in children's media they're utter bastards.

==So who are they?==
In a lot of science fiction going back to [[Starship Troopers]] and likely far earlier, there are races of [[Tyranid|Hive Creatures]]. Vast beings that may have separate bodies, but have one will. One Consciousness. Each "individual" soldier or worker is akin to someone's finger, or a cell on someone's fingertip, and is ultimately an expendable resource in service to the greater whole. All march in lockstep to expand the influence of the gestalt consciousness as far as possible, either assimilating or crushing anything they come across. The Skaven are the antithesis of this, though this fact in no way makes them nice.

The Skaven are a race of walking humanoid rats with dubious (but not to be underestimated) intelligence and a hideous feral cunning out to conquer the world in the name of their God, the [[Horned Rat]], and also for their own personal gains. If there was one quality which defined their species, it would be raw unconstrained '''''Selfishness'''''. By instinct, culture and the will of their asshole god, each Skaven is self-obsessed, paranoid, greedy, power-hungry, murderous and doesn't give a rat's ass (hehe) for the well-being of anyone that isn't themselves. They find the concepts of love, honor, loyalty and friendship to be so alien they can't comprehend them. In the prisoner's dilemma, they always defect. By nature, each of them is fundamentally evil, and this is not racism speaking here. To give context for this, a [[Skarsnik|greenskin]] in the End Times event was traumatized by the loss of his beloved [[Skarsnik#The_End_Times|Squig]], while no Skaven individual has ever, at any point, been shown to have an attachment to any living thing other than themselves. The closest they can get is the exceedingly rare example where a Skaven can understand that certain other individuals are tools worth cultivating and protecting from outside threats, and are assets too valuable to allow their casual destruction or squandering (see Gnawdwell and [[Queek Head-Taker]]). The only thing a Skaven hates more than other Skaven is creatures who are non-Skaven, and this gives the ratmen the vaguest ability to work together when they have a common enemy; otherwise they would fall on each other like, well, a pack of rats.

Skaven have an odd relationship with fear. On the one hand, cowardice is the order of the day. They definitely don't want to be sliced, stabbed, shot, skewered, squished, scorched or Slaaneshed. They'll face the perils of battle for the prospects of rewards, killing rival Skaven or non-Skaven (which they collectively call "Things") and because their bosses WILL have them killed horribly if they don't at least ''try'' to fight, but most Skaven have a reticence to enter battle unless the odds are decidedly stacked in their favor, and they're more prone to breaking and running if things go pear shaped. On the other hand, Skaven have a weird fondness for quick routes to power. If you give a Skaven a potion which has a 99.9% chance of killing them horribly and a 0.1% chance of giving them the ability to breathe fire like a dragon, many will take it.

Remember the saying about a bunch of monkeys with typewriters eventually producing Shakespeare? Well, at a species level they are sort of like that: keep throwing rats at the problem to try every cockamamie dunderheaded idea that said collection of drugged up hyperactive megalomaniacs desperate to get ahead can dream up until eventually they stumble on one that works, which others will shamelessly copy while insisting that they had the idea for it first. Skaven are never content with just a cushy job, cozy 2-bathroom burrow in Skavenblights' suburbs and 2.5 pups to raise or eat if they don't get at least Bs in Skavenschool. Each one, be he a member on the Council of Thirteen or the lowliest of slaves who's used up and sent to the slaughterhouse, operates under the belief that they are the one true leader of the Skaven whose visionary insights would lead their species to domination of the universe in the name of the Horned Rat, if he can just gain the keys to power and overcome the short-sighted idiots which stand in his way. Introspection and self-reflection are not common Skaven traits, though some older Skaven like the aforementioned Gnawdwell and his former protege Sleek Sharpwit show that such qualities are possible, even if it’s ''exceedingly'' rare.

In terms of physiology, Skaven are shorter than humans, less bulky than them, slightly weaker (surprisingly not as much, considering the difference in size and mass), and generally "less" in every regard but one. Where they do pick up is speed: Skaven live their life in perpetual super speed with all its advantages and drawbacks - they move faster, think faster, breed faster and age faster, generally reaching adulthood at five months and growing old, gray and frail by the age of thirteen (though very few survive for that long). All that speed builds an almost insatiable appetite, and as they have no body fat reserves, they're '''always''' hungry, except maybe after the battle when they can eat the dead (of both sides). Skaven look unnervingly twitchy and energetic to other races (even Elves, who also have a kind of inherent superspeed), while Skaven see others as slow lumbering idiots. Like rats, the Skaven have a good sense of smell; it is stated by Teclis in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] 2's high elves vortex campaign that they could smell fear and "treachery" from others. According to Teclis, the Horned Rat's rat swarm smelled through the fake Galifreius' disguises and went for her while ignoring Talarian. This being said though, Stormvermin (who are consistently well-fed and trained) tend to grow to the height and weight of a healthy man which may imply Skaven actually may be generally capable of growing to the dimensions of normal men, but few of them get fed enough to achieve this.

They live in a massive underground empire known as, well, the Under Empire (with the Horned Rat being the God Emperor, ironically far more successfully than the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|OTHER Emperor]]) which spans through the Warhammer world like the [[Underdark]]. The only regions it fails to reach are Ulthuan because it's a giant floating island and Athel Loren because the Skaven diggers get murdered by tree roots or the soil itself refuses to be touched. Its capital is called [[Skavenblight]], and is also one of the only visible signs of Skaven from the surface (because it is such an indescribable shithole), up until it was teleported to another dimension post [[End Times]] (it's still a shithole though). No one trusts them quite rightly, and few other races resist killing them on sight, which is reciprocated in kind. They are more numerous than any other race in the world, and only one enemy keeps them truly in check: themselves.

On a very amusing note, the Skaven are one of the rare examples of a race of furries actually liked by most of /tg/, because by all intents and purposes they are everything your average mary-sue furry self-insert is not: hilariously villainous, dirtily non-sexualized, full of character flaws and their actions are actually relevant and well implemented into some of the most important plot twists in the setting.

=== History ===
----

{{Topquote|Rodents of unusual size? I don't believe they exist.|Free Company Sergeant Roberts, last words before being killed by a rodent of unusual size}}

==== Warhammer Fantasy ====
No-one knows where they came from but it is suspected [[Tzeentch]] had a hand in their creation using Warpstone, a hideous amount of mutation, and generations of breeding with normal rats. (That is to say, breeding rats with other rats, not Tzeentch breeding with the rats. That's more [[Slaanesh]]'s thing.) The 7th edition Lizardmen army book states that they came about during the Great Catastrophe. There's a poem in the Skaven codex, dating all the way back to their first codex in 4th edition, called "The Doom Of Kavzar". Written in-universe by an author in Tilea, (the Warhammer world's equivalent of Italy) it offers what is generally accepted as the most concrete explanation of their origins. To summarize;

Humans and Dwarfs lived together in a city called Kavzar, and decided to build a Noblebright Tower of Babel rip-off to thank the gods for their prosperity. But even Dorf engineering couldn't complete it, so they got some mysterious grey-clad stranger to complete it in exchange of him being allowed to add a giant bell as a dedication to his own gods.
Upon completion, the temple sealed itself shut, the stranger disappeared, and terrible things happened after the bell rang thirteen times. The weather turned bad with constant Warpstone-laced rain, people got sick, babies were born dead or mutated, crops failed and rats multiplied while growing bigger and smarter. (Older fluff said the stranger cursed the city because the people refused to give him money as well for finishing the temple, newer fluff just makes him out to be evil and mysterious.)
Every day, the bell rang thirteen times. Rain became hail, then hail became meteor showers. The rats kept growing to the point that swarms of rats started preying on humans. Realizing things were becoming [[Dwarf Fortress]], the humans asked the Dwarfs for help.
The first time the Dwarfs turned them down after calling them wimps for complaining about rain. The second time they were rebuffed due to the rats eating all the Dwarfs' food. The third time the surviving humans got desperate and smashed open the Dwarf gates to demand their help... only to find bearded Dorf skeletons and well-fed, but still hungry, hordes of rats and the poem ends with them swarming and eating the last surviving humans.

tl:dr a [[wizard]] met [[human]]s and [[dwarf]]s, someone was swindled so magic happens that turns rats into tyranids.

And the rest is history...

Notable this story appears to be known in universe. [[Vermintide 2|Victor Saltzpyre]] mentioned a reference to it at one point in Vermintide.

Incidentally, this isn't the only theory presented to their origins, but it's the one most gamers take as canon. Some other in-universe origin theories include:
* An Imperial naturalist named Wilfried Schtutt argued that the skaven descend from rats warped into a semblance of the human form by some malign external power, such as [[Chaos]].
* A Tilean classicist, Marcelli Verdallo, argues that the skaven are living proof of the ancient philosopher-sage Proti's theorem that all things in the universe are created by the mystical interactions of cosmic archetypes from beyond time and space (how meta), being the fruit of some union between the archetypes of Rat and Man.
* Johannes Krueger's Bestiarium mentions an ancient Estalian legend wherein shipwrecked survivors turned to cannibalism and were cursed by Manann, the Sea God, assuming rat-like forms.
* That the Skaven were created by Skavor, the Dwarf ancestor god that's the son of Gazul and cousin to Grimnir. Lacking skill in shaping stone and metal, Skavor turned to fleshcrafting instead and got exiled. He then turned himself into a hideous rat-beast and swore vengeance on his blood kin.

Also there are a few [https://i.imgur.com/FWzQkHn.jpg other origin] stories.

It is said that after their creation, Skaven spread across the world, [[Ikit Claw|learning many cultures, stealing technologies and magic techniques that could help them in their conquest for Skavendom or personal power]]. Namely the Clan Pestilens who traveled southward and westward and ended up in Lustria, Clan Eshin who traveled eastward and ended up in Cathay, Clan Moulder who traveled northward and established a stronghold in some backwater hellish landscape known as the Hellpit near Kislev and Norsca.

Further evidence that the Doom of Kavzar is the canon origins of the Skaven is that the poem's author was assassinated by [[Clan Eshin|means unknown in-universe]] and copies of the poem keep disappearing. Plus their capital city, Skavenblight, is all but stated to be Kavzar (the tower with the bell being the headquarters of the Grey Seers). This makes them a surprisingly old race, as they were actually well-established before the rise of the [[Tomb Kings]] as the undead rulers of Khemri - in fact, they had a grubby little paw in that whole sordid affair.

It was the Skaven that supplied Nagash with many slaves and warriors such as savage orcs for him to kill and raise. It was the Skaven that helped Nagash to poison the River Vitae, unleashing a magical plague to devastate every living thing in Nehekhara. It was also the Skaven who betrayed Nagash by assisting the human Alcadizaar in his defeat, which resulted in the rise of the Tomb Kings since Nagash was no longer around to control the dead Nehekharans. So, aside from the Dark Elves who taught Nagash the [[Warhammer Magic|Lore of Darkness magic]] that would eventually evolve into the necromancy all [[Vampire Counts|vampires]] love, and the [[Tomb King|Nehekharans]] hate, the Skaven were the ones that supported Nagash, making him powerful and undefeated. (This is because every time Nagash died, he re-spawned back to his black pyramid. Although it takes a fuck load of time for him to actually get up, it allows him to grasp the mortal world while preserving his existence. Also the pyramid itself is near-indestructible so he has no need to trust anyone to guard it.) In the end, they still betrayed him for their own selfish desires. Classic Skaven.

The Skaven have been popping out numerous times across history, trying to weaken the forces of order to favor themselves in the long run. For example, they appeared during one of the Norseman invasions, when Sigmar was still around. In fear that Sigmar's Empire might threaten their very existence, they tried to use the invasion as an opportunity to destroy mankind, but failed nonetheless thanks to the Dwarfs that were blocking their tunnels.

After that, the Skaven didn't lay a hand on the Empire until after their own civil war. It was at this time that Clan Pestilens developed a new disease called the Black Plague (nice real life reference [[Games Workshop|GW]]), spreading it among the Empire's population. The plague not only killed and reduced its population to less than half the size of the generation before, it also killed the current Emperor (Boris Goldgather, AKA the worst Emperor, who was actually killed by an Eshin assassin's shuriken, but who cares) and every other corrupt noble in his hideout, and good riddance some say (amusingly, his death is actually celebrated as a public holiday). The Skaven then launched their attack after the plague weakened the Empire, but were stopped by a pretty cool guy named Mandred von Zelt of Middenland, who gathered the rest of the elector counts and launched an anti-Skaven crusade. Ironically, the black plague played a major role in many of Mandred's victories, since the disease affected the Skaven as well, weakening the Skaven army and killing enough of them to force their retreat.

In the last battle, the Skaven launched their last counterattack, only to fail after their leader, Vrrmik, the warlord of Clan Mors and a member of the Council of Thirteen, was slain by Mandred. The rest of the vermin were then driven back to their Under-Empire by the Empire’s forces while suffering under their own plague from the war. What's worse for the Skaven was that the slaves they bought ended up revolting, and destroyed several already plague weakened clans while Mandred (who was declared the Emperor and sporting Vrrmik's own helmet at the time) rebuilt the Empire. The process was faster than the Skaven could expect, with the humans even installing the sewer watch to prevent further Skaven movement on the Empire. After such a humiliating defeat, the Council received many compensation notices from other disease ridden clans. But the Council decided to just assassinate them all, including our beloved Emperor rat slayer, and called it even. The assassination made mankind forget about the Skaven, even dismissing them as myth.

The Skaven are also pretty famous on [[Cathay|the eastern side that]] [[Nippon| Games Workshop refuses to talk about]]. Clan Eshin's ancestors once journeyed far to the east, losing contact with its society for 100 years. When they came back however, they had learned the art of NINJUTSU from some jerk-off at [[Nippon]] where they have skilled rats throwing shuriken, and frigging ninja flipping better than [[Gabriel Angelos|the Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos]]. In [[Cathay]], some filthy beastman and a Sun Wukong wannabe became the Emperor of not-China and took an Eshin Skaven warlord as his right hand man. Thus began an unhealthy relationship of trading warpstones and rat shit, which means either the Cathay Emperor is nuttier than a warp fruit cake (which should be obvious since the new Emperor was mentioned to be a fucking magical monkey beastman, or probably something worse if he is also like Wukong born from the meteor except the meteor is made of warpstones), or Eshin Skaven are ''slightly'' more trustworthy than the rest of Skaven. (If you believe [[Total_War:_WARHAMMER#Skaven|Total War]], they are; they're the only clan that doesn't have to deal with warlord loyalty.) It might be true depending on how [[weeaboo]] the Eshin has become; if you look up on real world ninja, they do tend to be surprisingly loyal compared to what you might think. However, one could say that the eastern legion doesn't really have any experiences with Skaven betrayals, plus the Skaven did assist the Chaos Dwarves in the End Times to siege Cathay, meaning everything the Skaven did in Cathay was but a diplomatic ploy to fool the Cathayans.

As if the Skaven aren't widespread enough, they have the operation worldwide. There is Clan Pestilens in Lustria, who like to infect themselves with diseases that Nurgle doesn't approve of, and throw feces at lizard-things for the lulz. Some of the rats made it into Naggaroth (probably as slaves or a few via the under-Empire) while trying not to provoke the wrath of [[Malekith|the strongest mama's boy in Warhammer history]]. The only place they could never set their foot on would be Ulthuan, which is a giant continent that floats on top of the water and obviously can't be connected to Skavenblight via tunnels. It's regardless just too scary for the rat-things to deal with: flame spewing dragon-things, elf-things that shoot rains of arrows from far away, and mages that have the power to summon a [[exterminatus|giant bombardment of nukes from the sky]].

The Skaven themselves have no records of their origins, and do not particularly care about their past. As far as they are concerned, the only relevant historical eras are "now, when we don't rule the world" and "soon, when we will be ruling it". Of course, any given Skaven will be plenty interested in the history of his own life, but the history of the rest of their race is dismissed as unimportant. On day to day affairs, history is whatever the Council of 13 says it is, though it wouldn't be surprising if Grey Seers keep records.

==== Age of Sigmar ====
The Skaven survived the end of the old world by teleporting [[Skavenblight]] to another dimension. When the Horned Rat became the Great Horned Rat he immediately drew Skavenblight into the Warp and created more of his Daemons. What followed was a golden age for the Skaven, where there was Warpstone everywhere to be found, they had the direct blessing of the Great Horned Rat, and unlimited space and potential around them. They then promptly did the impossible and somehow dug so deep that part of the Warp collapsed into Skavenblight which collapsed into the material realm which is now made up of eight "nearly infinite" planes made of the former Winds of Magic.

Skaven now have access to all of reality at once, and can create realm-spanning 'Gnawholes' everywhere from beneath Sigmar's throne to beneath Khorne's throne. As can be expected the tunnels are not stable and thus only the Skaven are willing to use them, as even immortal and deathless Daemons can somehow vanish into the space between spaces never to be seen again when Skaven are involved. This doesn’t mean that the Gnawholes are completely safe for the rat kin though. Just the process of constructing one of these inter-dimensional tunnels costs tens of thousands of <strike>lives</strike> slaves, and when the Gnawhole is complete, there’s a good chance that the big brains in charge of the project were off on their calculations. So instead of tunneling directly into [[Cities of Sigmar|Hammerhal]], you instead end up in the middle of nowhere or an active volcano.

Skaven have also had an exponential population boom, which is impressive considering they damn near outnumbered insects in the old setting. With the other races generally numbering in the millions if not billions and the Skaven numbering potentially in the trillions. Each of the four former great clans from the Old World is alive and kicking <strike>eachother</strike>, each containing billions of Skaven and even entire clans. A fifth great clan is Verminus, an especially numerous and martial clan (the techy/monstery/sneaky/stinky niches were taken so someone's gotta make Stormvermin their thing).

However, Skryre, Pestilens, Moulder, Eshin and Verminus were not always the only Great Clans. In the age of Myth, there were said to be as many as 13 great clans (probably more like 9 or 10 but the Grey Seers rounded up). What happened to the rest? A couple of examples:

* Clans Tichritt attempts an invasion of Thandria, a Sigmarite nation. It may as well be Russia in winter with the pantheon of Order united - Tichritt is annihilated.
* Clan Ikk does well during the tumult of the Age of Chaos, gaining a momentous ''four'' seats on the Council of Thirteen which sparks a civil war with the equally ascendant Clan Verminus. Verminus enlists the help of Clan Pestilens to spread an epidemic of frothjaw. The rabid rats get so erratic the other great clans temporarily unite to destroy them.
* Clans Shrykt digs a huge gnawhole and, one by one, its clans disappear through the portal. They were never heard from again. Maybe they left to join 9th age.

The increased scope of AoS lore has meant Skaven society is EVEN MORE chaotic and self-destructive than it was. And this lore makes a little more sense than their old world history: you can't expect such volatile societies to [[Warhammer 40000|maintain a millennia-long deadlock between the same four great powers.]] Still, the current status quo of vying great clans is not that different from the old world's coz... those are the models GW sells. The unknown great clans continue the trend of GW giving AoS lore lots of missing primarchs (deliberately left gaps for homebrew and headcanon). In the Age of Chaos, the Skaven nearly obliderated themselves (again) with a massive civil war before the Great Horned Rat himself had to intervene. In addtion the clans Pestilens profited greatly from their alliance with Nurgle during this time and looked to be rising as the new dominant clan. However, Order managing to push back against this smelliance has meant that the Clans Skryre is better poised to vie with Pestilens for pre-eminence on the council of thirteen. They'll probably work it out peacefully (by Skaven standards, meaning only several million rats will die).

Skaven continue to be fuck-ups at a scale never before witnessed. When Nagash attempted a great ritual of necromantic binding, it was sabotaged by the Skaven nibbling a power cord. Eshin agents had managed to open gnawholes in Nagash's great pyramid. Huge success for Skavendom? Well, maybe had another group not accidentally opened a gnawhole at the bottom of the Shyish sea. Blight City was decimated by a zombie-infested flood, like The Day after Tomorrow meets World War Z. Hilariously, the drained Shyish seabed revealed the soul-stealing [[Idoneth Deepkin]] to Nagash, Slaanesh and everyone else who was wondering about those mysteriously empty towns that smelled faintly of halibut.

The moral of the story is clear: you might be able to foil Skaven schemes but it's their fuck-ups you wanna watch out for.

=== Society ===
----

If you do not know much about rat social behavior, you might be surprised to learn it is fairly well developed and includes among other things evidence of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa16P4nFgD8 rodent altruism]. As you might expect, GeeDubs ignored it entirely to make the Skaven more grimdark and work on people's stereotypes of what rats are like rather than how rats interact. Skaven society is literally cutthroat when it comes to promotions (but luckily not [[PROMOTIONS]]). In a world where you have chaos warriors who can honor the chaos gods by killing/raping/infecting/getting minions caught up and expended in complex plots, beastmen which are in a similar lot as chaos on top of animalistic aggression who still practice a survival-of-the-fittest pack-mindset based loyalty, orcs that are hardwired to love to scrap, goblins who are no strangers to backstabbing and dark elves who've literally made assassination and treachery an art, the Skaven have managed to collect the gold medal in (f)ratricide. After receiving said award they promptly began killing each other to see which Skaven individual got to keep it; the conflict continues to this day, with no resolution in sight. The '''only''' reason why their society has not murdered itself into extinction is because of a very high reproductive rate. Despite their teamkilling tendencies they obey the Grey Seers, the prophets of their god the [[Horned Rat]]. Although this obedience is done purely out of fear, it is done without question. Except for the other Grey Seers.

==== Hierarchy ====
The Skaven race is ruled over by the [[Council of Thirteen]], Skaven of such evil they have been chosen by their vile god and manage to survive the constant threat of assassination, most likely because everyone is too afraid of these uber-ratmen to go near them. Although they squeak big about their plans for world domination, they are too busy trying to outdo and kill each other. Despite the name there are only twelve Councillors; the 13th seat is symbolic and reserved for their god and woe betide anyone that tries to sit on it! To become a member of the council all any Skaven need do is touch the sacred Black Pillar and challenge a current member for his seat in a duel. In practice it has been over 200 years since someone actually manage to pull it off, which is a minor point in favor of the current crop of leaders on it - though a large part of it is that touching the Black Pillar has a tendency to make rats explode.

Beneath the Council of Thirteen are the Grey Seers and the Warlords. Horned, grey-furred skaven pups are raised to be the priests and magic users of Skavendom that act on behalf of the council. Ironically enough the Skaven are more prone to throw around claims of [[HERESY]]! than the Sigmarite Empire. Not showing proper reverence to the Horned Rat brings down his wrath on the offender and everyone around him, so they take a dim view of anyone who misses their services. Secular Rodentism is not something which is going to catch on in Skavenblight. There is a hard cap on 169 (13x13, 13 being a sacred number to the Skaven) Grey Seers at any one time, though there are a bunch of apprentices waiting in the wings for one to die. Skaven being Skaven, one of the most popular pastimes of said novices is making slots available through assassination. Warlords are those lucky rats that have managed through guile, luck, accomplishment on the battlefield and the elimination of rivals to get in charge of a Clan. Sometimes you get a Grey Seer warlord with his own clan, but that's usually the exception.

Beneath them, you have an upper crust of prominent individuals within the clans: Warlock Engineers, Master Molders, Plague Priests, Gutter Runners, Chieftans, high ranking officers and so forth. Either through command of some arcane skill or having armed rats behind them they have wealth, better accommodations, hosts of underlings and regular access to breeders. This is also roughly where the Albino Guard rank, since they're basically the Skaven version of [[Custodes]].

Underneath them are those with a modicum of cultivated value: the merchants, the technicians, the packmasters, the rank and file of the Stormvermin, the apprentices to the great ones, the Gutter Runners, the overseers, skilled workers and so forth. All of which have to some degree or another got their position by struggling tooth and claw and are with it some measure of power and authority. Most of them rose from the Clanrats. Those poor bastards live in poverty packed up like sardines and have to work hard for their daily Skavenbread™ and fight tooth and claw to keep what little they've amassed. They make their petty schemes, jump on what opportunities they can and form and break alliances of convince at the drop of a hat. All of which to carve out a niche, establish a power base and clawing their way up the org chart. Far more likely they end up murdered, expended in battle, blown apart in some accident, killed by a superior making a point or deemed surplus to requirement and left to starve.

But even these wretched rats have it better than the Skavenslaves. They are the remnants of defeated clans, the pups deemed surplus to requirements if not quite bad enough to be culled, those that earned the ire of their overseers and those whose power struggles failed them and avoided being killed. Their status is somewhere between "Native in the Belgian Congo" and "Pig in a Factory Farm". Clanrats may be exploited, but Skavenslaves are actively worked to death, thrown at the enemy to absorb arrows and are fed a meagre diet of scraps, garbage and each other. That's when they are not being taken to the butcher's block so their betters can enjoy a meat dinner and have some leather. The best they can hope for is that a good deal of their superiors fuck up and die or that their clan conquers another leading to enough shuffling in the org chart that they can get promoted to clanrat status. But while clans do wax strong and skavendom produces a lot of said fuckups it also burns through skavenslaves like nobody's business.

Two key facts of this hierarchy are ''Shit Flows Downhill'' and ''The Rodent Staircase''. To a high ranking Skaven everyone else is a rival, either an immediate threat or a potential one waiting for the means, so you gotta keep a lid on them. Subordinates are to be given the minimum they need to accomplish their tasks, some rewards if they exceed expectations, and nothing else. If they step out of line they can be beaten. If they cause too much trouble they can be replaced with some up and coming Rat eager to not be a skavenslave. If things are going badly for you, assert your dominance with a show of force. Even if things are going well, you should put the fear of the Horned Rat into your underlings just to remind them who's boss to be on the safe side. This comes before the fact that Skaven are vindictive little shits that have no qualms about taking out their frustrations on others. A sternly worded Letter to a Warlord from the Council of Thirteen will lead him snapping at his second in command and will eventually manifest itself in clanrats biting the tails off Skavenslaves because they'd been the subject of the ire of their overseers and need to re-assert dominance.

Likewise if you want to get up (and as mentioned ALL Skaven want to go up all the way), you need to not only excel or have some useful talent but also deal with the million other rats out there with the same ambitions. If you want to survive in the slave pits, shiv your neighbor and eat him to get enough calories so you'll have the strength to see another day. If the clawleader's favorite mug has gone missing, say the guy who's always admired it stole it to bring down the bosses wrath upon him so you have one less rival, the boss's wrath is directed elsewhere and if you happen to be right he just might throw you a bone for being (due to the lack of a better word) loyal. Apprentices could and should steal the ideas of their fellows to become Warlock Engineers. Attempting to police the Skaven to stop such backstabbing is usually an exercise in futility, especially since whatever Police Rats you can scrounge up will inevitably engage in said activities on their own. Not that it matters much in most cases, there is always a fresh stream of replacements and those eager for dead rat's shoes. At most murder provides an excuse for removing individuals that they don't like in a move that is slightly less likely to spark the paranoia of your rivals. A good Skaven leader knows how to use this competition to keep his minions in line and to get the most out of them. A bad Skaven leader is going to end up on the barbecue sooner rather than later. This is the case from birth, even for those whose role was determined at birth like grey seers and stormvermin have to fend off both ruthless instructors and backstabbing fellow applicants. Nobody is unscathed.

==== Misc ====
Although unintentional on the side of writers, there are circumstances where real life rats can become Skaven-like. In a series of social experiments involving overpopulation designed to see what effects human overpopulation in cities like New York or Tokyo could be paralleled, rat populations with far too many beings in far too small an area begin to go, as individuals, insane while the group becomes far more violent despite having more than enough food and water to sustain the entire population. When a high-density population that shows these behaviors is given more area to roam in by having another set of open cages attached or being shifted to smaller population cages, the behavior remains the same meaning the rats have been permanently mentally damaged; only with successive generations do they regain sanity. So in a way, Skaven have inadvertently made themselves fucking insane by choosing to live in horrible conditions and to overpopulate. <s>Theoretically</s> [[Warhammer Adventures|Kreech from Warhammer Adventures]] shows that saner and more level-headed (if not necessarily less evil) generations of Skaven could emerge if the species got access to more room and better conditions, and was completely removed from its old environment and the previous rats who inhabited it.

In fact, if the root of the Skaven's evil nature could be traced to both their terrible environment and the terrible culture that both feeds and feeds off of that environment rather than anything genetic, theoretically, there ''could'' actually be ''good'' Skaven if they were somehow separated from Skavenblight immediately after birth and raised outside of it by someone willing to give them a chance. However, seeing as how the primary…“engines” of Skaven reproduction are heavily guarded in the very heart of Skavenblight, and literally every other race in Warhammer is hard-wired to kill the mangy rat-bastards on sight (and with FUCKING good reason), such a thing will almost certainly remain purely theoretical. Especially since all that trouble would ultimately amount to little more than proving a petty point, with little to no real pay-off beyond making the Horned Rat personally pissed off at you (then again there are [[Tzeentch|some]] that might find ''that'' outcome a goal in and of itself).

Funnily enough, in real life the common pet rat (Fancy Rat) is actually highly social, friendly, adaptable, clean, curious and even altruistic of all things. One could imagine the Skaven in some noblebright/nobledark Warhammer setting basically out-compete all the other races and then dragging them kicking and screaming (at least not the [[Chaos Warrior|crazy ones]] into some wider federation or empire while turning the world into an atompunk (warp-punk?) setting. Wait, this sounds [[Tau|awfully familiar]]...

=== Armies ===

==== The Rank and File ====
* '''Skavenslaves''': Large numbers of starved skavenslaves are thrown at the enemy's front lines with crummy scrounged up/improvised weapons for the enemy to waste arrows, bog down enemy movements and hopefully take down a few man-things by sheer numbers. Some lucky ones get to annoy the enemy at range with slings, which is sort of a luxury as nobody else in the army can take them.

* '''Clanrats''': The basic Rank and File of a Clan with some armor and better if still basic weapons (swords, shields and spears). Better fed, more durable and less likely to run than Skavenslaves, they're good enough that you expect them to do a bit more than just absorb arrows and tire out the enemy's sword arm. Even so they're still cannon fodder that relies on numbers against all but the crummiest of foes. Fortunately for the warlords they are never in short supply. Various campaign supplements would expand on the basic Clanrat with unique variations for each Great Clan, like the Rotten Rodents of Clan Pestilens, who trade their shield for an extra hand weapon.

* '''Stormvermin''': Basic elite units for when you want something that has more staying power than Clanrats. Black furred pups are singled out to be soldiers. They get given extra food, ruthless spartan way training, better weapons and armor than the common riff-rats and take some pride in their units (which means that they are less likely to randomly stab their fellow stormvermin in the back than most skaven and any failure to meet the standards is liable to get a stormvermin executed on the spot for not measuring up). They normally got a bully mentality; cruel, mean, petty and vindictive along with an internalized need to constantly put on a strong face and chest puffing arrogance that mostly covers for the fact that they are still cowards at heart. The Clans [[Clan Mors|Mors]] and [[Clan Rictus|Rictus]] are known for their particularly nasty regiments of Stormvermin and regularly sell themselves to the other aspiring Warlords for a sizable sum.
** '''Albino Guard''': The personal guard of the Council of Thirteen, made entirely out of white-furred pups and put through even more brutal training than the regular Stormvermin. They're also psychotically loyal to those they protect, like the CoT and the Grey Seers, quite unlike the vast majority of Skaven. Most of them are Warlord-sized, with gear and skills to match.

*'''Chieftain''': The Skaven equivalent to a Greenskin Big Boss or Empire Captain. They serve under the Warlord as his enforcer and field commander. Usually it’s from this rank that new Warlords are “promoted”.

*'''Warlord''': Also called Clawlords in AoS, Warlords are not the best fighters of a Skaven Clan, but the most cunning. They lead the ravenous swarms of ratmen into combat from the safety of the rear lines. They get first pick of any loot they come across and play a constant game of 3D chess with their subordinates to make sure they keep their position...and their lives.

==== Specialists ====
*'''Poisoned-Wind Globadiers''': An elite corps of Clan Skryre clanrats trained in the usage of special glass spheres filled with toxic vapors. They lob said orbs at hordes of enemy troopers where they shatter, dispersing their poisonous payload into the air. To protect themselves, the Globadiers wear special breathing equipment on the (common) chance one of their globes is faulty. TWW2 introduces a more potent type of poison called the '''Death Globe''', whose toxins are harmful even with the slightest of skin contact. In AoS, they are renamed to '''Skryre Acolytes''' and function as interns for the various Engineers.

* '''Weapons Teams''': Clan Skryre’s bread and butter. A vast collection of various weapons all designed to be carried by a pair of skaven and have a staggeringly high rate of (explosive) failure. The '''Warp-Fire Thrower''' is a crude fire hose connected to a gas tank that spews a corrosive fluid that ignites upon exposure to air. It was created to melt through heavily armored dwarfen shield walls during their first wars against the beard-things. '''Ratling Guns''' are the skaven’s take on real world gatling guns; six barrels of rapid fire warpstone bullets all powered by a hand crank. Said cranking mechanism is prone to overheating and explosion should the gunners get too eager on the spinner. For more precise weaponry, the '''Warplock Jezzail''' provides. It’s an oversized rifle held in place by a rickety shield and built to deliver lethal warpstone bullets into the heads of an enemy leader from miles away. A '''Doom-Flayer''' is what happens when you take the Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs and turn it into an armored chariot. These bladed balls were originally meant for tunnel clearance and mowing down pesky dwarf battle lines. Similarly, the '''Warp-Grinder''' was also initially made for utility purposes, serving as a quick means of excavating new underways, though it was soon repurposed for drilling into armored units and bastions. Finally the '''Poisoned Wind Mortar''', the grown up version of the Globadier, these mini artillery pieces launch lethal spheres of toxic fumes across the battlefield to choke the lives out of enemies, though it is the only weapons team to not make the jump to Age of Sigmar, for some goddamn reason. And naturally there’s also the '''Death Globe Mortar''' in TWW2 as well.

*'''Night Runners''': The initiates of Clan Eshin. Having yet to fully grasp the importance of discipline, stealth, and basic fucking patience, they run headlong into enemies throwing sharpened metal stars and knives at them (likely Naruto running and shouting attack names as well). They do have their uses though, serving as excellent skirmishers thanks to their ranged attacks and natural agility.

*'''Gutter Runners''': Those lucky few Night Runners who survive their first battle and learn how to stand still are soon claw-picked to become Gutter Runners. These elite teams are the main agents of Clan Eshin you’ll find. Often hired for sabotage, espionage, eating fromage, and of course assassination. TWW2 adds an even more elite variant of the Gutter Runners called the '''Death Runners''', who are noted for having zero armor and simply dodging most attacks.

*'''Assassin''': Pretty straight forward. Picked from the most elite of Gutter/Death Runners, these expert killers are so feared among the Under-Empire that rumors spread about them having special abilities, from squeezing into a coin sized hole to having a poisonous shadow. Outlandish that may sound, Clan Eshin isn’t one to confirm or disperse these rumors.

*'''Eshin Sorcerer''': One of the ninja clan’s better kept secrets. In addition to being rigorously trained in the arts of murder and sabotage like the other initiates, these Skaven are capable of wielding their own unique magic called the Lore of Stealth (likely a mixture of Shadow magic and the standard Skaven Lore of Ruin). As expected, the Nightlord doesn’t want too many people to know about their existence (Grey Seers in particular), so much so that they vanished from the lore and tabletop for a while...until TWW2 brought them back into the limelight.

*'''Packmaster''': Part slave-driver, part animal tamer, Packmasters are adepts of Clan Moulder who specialize in the “care” of their menagerie of beasts. Often recruited from the meanest bullies, they are cruel and relentless with their whips and spiked prodders which double as a means of defense as well as a way to encourage their monsters to fight harder. Some also are known to carry large snapping claws on pole arms called thing-catchers, which they eagerly use to grab new test subjects whilst on the battlefield.

*'''Giant Rats''': The most common/simple of Clan Moulder’s monsters. They’re just big ass rats, usually the size of a small domestic dog. They are herded into massive swarms by their Packmaster(s) to drown the foe in furry bodies.

*'''Pox Rats''': A step up from the Giant Rat, these boar sized rodents are commonly used as mounts for various Skaven leaders, though as their sickly name suggests, the Plague Priests of Clan Pestilens are particularly fond of them.

*'''Rat Ogres''': The premier product of Clan Moulder. Through a fusion of skaven, [[Ogre Kingdoms|ogre]], and countless other beasties, a hulking monstrosity was born. Ill-tempered, violent brutes who serve as shock troopers/bodyguards for skaven armies. Like actual ogres, they are very strong but also quite dumb. Despite this, they can be equipped with several rudimentary upgrades and weapons for more specialized needs. During the End Times, Clan Skryre improved upon the base Rat Ogre and created the even more dangerous '''Stormfiend'''. By adding a secondary brain via an tiny ass skaven slave to the beast’s back, they can now operate more advanced weaponry, such as warp fire projectors, shock gauntlets, rattling guns, and many more, while still keeping the same base level instincts and loyalty they are known for.

*'''Brood Horrors''': What happens when you cram a bunch of starved Pox Rats into an enclosed area and leave them alone for a while? Well eventually only one of them remains having swallowed whole all of its packmates and bloated to monstrous sizes. It has now become a Brood Horror, a hideously mutant creature that’s either used as a stand alone monster or as a mount for the most daring of Warlords.

*'''Hell-Pit Abomination''': And you thought the Brood Horror was grotesque. Named after the capital warren of Clan Moulder, the Hell-Pit Abomination is a Frankenstein fusion of left over body parts, machinery, and gallons of liquid warpstone given unholy life. No two Abominations are quite alike, though they all have the general shape of a massive multi-headed centaur-rat.

*'''Plague Monks''': The zealous followers of Clan Pestilens. Less armored than a Clanrat, these ragged devotees rush into battle with filth encrusted robes and rusted blades while chittering prayers and wishes to the Horned Rat. Each one is infected with enough viruses and sickness that just being in the vicinity of them is detrimental to your health. They gladly throw themselves onto foes to smother them in corruptive ilk and often carry tomes full of various litanies and vows to their pestilential deity.

*'''Plague Censer Bearers''': The more rabid Plague Monks who don’t become Plague Priests will often be given the “privilege” of carrying large censer flails that are blessed with filth and constantly emit toxic fumes. They then rush headlong into combat swinging their weapons to create a noxious cloud of gas, invigorating their brethren and smothering their enemies. Much like the similar in concept Night Goblin Fanatics, Plague Censer Bearers have a short life expectancy as the fumes are so toxic that it can even kill the rats of Clan Pestilens, albeit very slowly.

*'''Plague Priest''': Looking more like champions of [[Nurgle]] rather than skaven, these pox-filled vermin are the heads of the Pestilent Brotherhood. They lead vast congregations of sickly followers on a holy mission to corrupt the world in the name of the Great Horned Rat. The most distinguished Priests often ride into battle upon massive '''Plague Furnaces''', a rickety siege engine centered around a giant swinging censer, constantly filling the air with toxic warpstone fumes. These fumes invigorate the warriors of Clan Pestilens and choke the life out of all others.

===Clans===
Skaven organize themselves into Clans, through which they organize their backstabbing. The individual backstabs for position within a Clan, the Clan backstabs for position in Skaven society.

There are many Clans, far more than any being other than the Horned Rat (presumably) knows. Clans rise, fall, split, infight, reform, and even ally constantly. Each Clan seeks to have one of their members in a position in the Council of Thirteen, which runs the business of their entire race.

The [[Council of Thirteen]] is conveniently organized like a clock, with 13 at the 12 position which is representative of the Horned Rat. Members are called Lords of Decay. Each position is more powerful within the Council based on their proximity to the Horned Rat, so the Lords of Decay at the 1 and 12 position are the two most powerful, 2 and 11 behind them, while the Lords of Decay at the 6 and 7 positions are the weakest. Each Lord of Decay can outright veto the position of the one opposite them. Each Lord of Decay has their position marked by a symbol, either that of themselves or that of their Clan. The Lords of Decay have thus far remained in power for most of the existence of the Council thanks to the life-prolonging Warpstone they use (so Skeksis), although they rise and fall in power.

Skaven Clans fall into three categories: Great Clans, Warlord Clans, and Thrall Clans. The four Great Clans are extremely powerful, and epitomize the different aspects of Skaven society (Each Greater Clan later became a type of Clans in [[Age of Sigmar]] due to an exponential population boost). Warlord Clans are essentially the middle class of Skaven, usually doing their own thing and not tied to any specific Great Clan. The Thrall Clans are weaker warrens that swear allegiance to a Great Clan to survive or grow in power. Of course thanks to Skaven backstabbing, a Thrall Clan is an expendable frontline infantry source while the Great Clans are just sources of really neat toys like Rat Ogres and Ratling Guns, and of course every Clan is waiting to betray each other while making allegiances to other Clans and to betray their REAL allies that they're of course waiting to be backstabbed by while totally being unaware of the fact that a fourth set of Clans have set up the backstabbing conga for their own benefit, and so on as far as you want to get into it (note: this describes a single day of plotting or so).

When fielding an army, one or two Clan paint jobs and multiple Thrall-Clan paint jobs are quite fluffy.

The four Great Clans are:
* [[Clan Eshin]], the ninja assassin Clan. {MURDER [[Lizardmen|ALL]] [[Dwarfs|OF]] [[Undead|THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!]]}
* [[Clan Moulder]], the Clan which breeds monsters and sews them together Frankenstein style to make even better (by Skaven standards, slightly less volatile) monsters.
* [[Clan Pestilens]], the founder of the Pestilent Brotherhood and the largest and most powerful Pestilent Brotherhood member.
* [[Clan Skryre]], the Clan which produces Warp-powered Tesla cannons, machine guns, vehicles, and other assorted machines.
*Clan Verms, the Clan that Clan Moulder replaced and Clan Pestilens betrayed to get on the Council of 13, specialized in utilizing the various invertebrates of the deep underground places of the world as weapons and tools for Skavendom. Giant Scorpions and swarms of venomous insects were their main military contribution, with worm-oil for lighting being their main non-military contribution. Their lair in Skavenblight was a huge wasp-nest-looking structure called "The Hive". When Clan Moulder proved better able to create horrific warbeasts, and Clan Skryre created Warpstone Lights, they essentially became worthless, especially after their various vermin helped spread the Black Plague among the Under-Empire, and were betrayed by the other Skaven, looked down upon so much even the lowest of Slave Clans spits upon them.

In addition, there are the [[Grey Seers]], silver furred Skaven with horns that represent the servants of the Council and the Horned Rat. They are above all Skaven other than the Lords of Decay and as a result tend to be somewhat free from the backstabbing conga, other than that of other Grey Seers. Any grey Skaven who do not have horns are part of the Council Guard, the elite warriors that protect the Council and the Grey Seers. However those Skaven that protect the Council of Thirteen directly are The Albino Guard, purely white furred giga-stormvermin.

{{Skaven-Clans}}

===Deity===
The Skaven worship their creator the [[Horned Rat]], a god as sickening and vile as they are. God of disease and vermin, thankfully he gets the crap kicked out of him by Sigmar and Sotek on a regular basis and frankly anyone that feels like having a go. He got fed up with such bullshit at the [[End Times]], telling the Skaven to stop backstabbing eachother and get shit done, which they proceed to do by destroying many cities. He also made a deal with the [[Chaos Gods]] as he cannot defeat them.

As of [[Age of Sigmar]], [[Slaanesh]] [[bullshit|was kidnapped]] by three Elf gods that were formerly mortals ([[Tyrion]], [[Teclis]], [[Morelion]]) at the manipulations of [[Tzeentch]] and the newly-appointed HNIC of all Chaos [[Archaon]]. This resulted in [[Nurgle]] and [[Khorne]] immediately voting with them to boot him out of the pantheon and the [[Great Game]] and promoting Horned Rat to proper Chaos God in his place. Horned Rat immediately renamed himself Great Horned Rat, but found out that the big kids table was full of backstabbing assholes with absolutely no respect for each other, and somehow even less for him. When the Chaos Gods gave Archaon their blessings, Archaon rejected the Horned Rat's blessings and spat directly in his face for daring to presume GHR can bless the self-righteous ass that is Archaon (Though this could just be Archaon not having absolutely abysmal standards).

=== Magic ===
Skaven wield a form of Dark Magic fueled by [[warpstone]] and derived from their own inherently corrupt abilities. However, only select kinds of skaven are capable of actually tapping that energy; traditionally, only the Grey Seers, rare mutants who function as the skaven's shamans and the Warlock Engineers of [[Clan Skryre]], who use [[magitek]] devices to draw upon and manipulate Dark Magic, possess this power, but that lore has fluctated over editions.

In 4th edition, Warlocks could be 1st to 3rd level casters, with Grey Seers being 4th level casters, and both used the same "Lore of Skaven" magic system.

In 6th edition, only Grey Seers were casters, still using the Lore of Skaven; Warlock Engineers instead had to spend points on magitek weapons that also allowed them to cast a single spell, ''Warp Lightning''. However, the optional rules for Great Clan armies in the back of the book also featured clan-based casters; these "lesser mages" were treated as level 1 casters who only knew a single pre-selected spell. Clan Eshin had Sorcerers (Skitterleap), Clan Pestilens had Festoring Chantors (Pestilent Breath), and Clan Moulder had Harbingers of Mutation (Vermintide). Clan Skyre's Warlock Masters could still only cast Warp Lightning, but could try and cast an 11+ variant that was much more powerful.

In 7th edition, things changed; now, Skaven had two different schools of magic - Ruin and Plague, with Warlock Engineers being Hero level casters of Ruin and Plague Priests getting an upgrade to be Hero level casters of Plague, with Grey Seers being Lord level casters who could mix and match spells from both lores, and had access to the unique "Dreaded 13th Spell", which could transform enemy troops into skaven clanrats.

"Children of the Horned Rat", the skaven sourcebook for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 2nd edition, tweaked the Skaven magical lores around. Naming the two primary schools of Skaven magic as Plague and Warp, it also upgraded Eshin Sorcerers to full-fledged casters, with their own unique school of magic; the Dark Lore of Stealth, a corrupt form of Shadow Magic that lets them do more animesque ninja stuff. As CotHR was written around the time of 6th edition, it doesn't quite mesh up with either 6e or 7e fluff; instead of being masters of all the skaven styles, it's implied (it's a little hard to ascertain) that Grey Seers only use Warp Magic, whilst Plague Priests and Eshin Sorcerers only use Plague Magic and Stealth Magic respectively. Warlock Engineers, meanwhile, can't use magic at all, but instead can make unique magitek gizmos.

Also, CotHR says that rogue Grey Seers can learn Chaos Magic or Necromancy, although this paints them as skaven heretics.

=== Army ===
Skaven are your <strike>standard</strike> easily abused horde army. Lots of cheap vermin, whose numbers allow them to easily ignore their one theoretical weakness: shitty leadership, backed up by more expensive and/or specialized units, that are in theory unreliable but will still wreck your shit moar consistently than most anything else by sheer volume. Also, DOOMWHEELS.

<strike>Under current rules</strike> they <strike>are</strike> have always been considered overpowered, except for a brief period where DoC reigned thanks to your [[Matt Ward|Spiritual]] [[Spiritual Liege|Liege]]. They have now reclaimed their mantle, since 8th edition heavily favors mass infantry blocks, and the Skaven can easily throw out a block of 100 models for less than what some other armies will spend on a lord, no, I'm not exaggerating, which under the current rules is virtually unbeatable.

=== Special Characters ===
====Wargame====
The cast of Skaven special characters has shifted and flowed across editions, but this is the original list from 4e:
* [[Verminlord]]
* Grey Seer [[Thanquol]]
* [[Lord Skrolk]], Plaguelord of Clan Pestilens
* [[Ikit Claw]], Chief Warlock of Clan Skryre
* [[Throt the Unclean]], Master Mutator of Clan Moulder
* [[Deathmaster Snikch]], Chief Assassin of Clan Eshin
* [[Queek Head-Taker]], Warlord of Clan Mors

6th edition saw the creation of a handful of new characters, whose stats appeared either in [[White Dwarf]] or on Games Workshop's website - back before they turned it into a mere shopping center. In addition to converting many 4e characters who'd been left out of their 6e army book, such as Snikch and Ikit Claw, 6e saw the creation of:
* [[Ghoritch]], Castellan of Hell Pit
* Warlock Master [[Klawmunkast]] and his [[Steam Tank|Rat Tank]].
* Plague Lord [[Morbus Sanguis]]

7th edition added two new characters to the list:
* Beastmaster [[Skweel Gnawtooth]]
* Chieftain [[Tretch Craventail]]

====Fluff-only, Other Games, Other Continuities====
[[Image:Reverse Furry And His Pet.png|thumb|200px|right|Somehow worse than legit Skaven!]]
* Kreech: FUCK, I thought we agreed never to mention him again. Exists in Age of Sigmar to be the PG version (no depicted cannibalism, drug addiction and mass murder) of Thanquol to the pacifist protagonist adolescents of [[Warhammer Adventures]], is a complete weeb for humans, and has a slaveboy from the Realm Of Beasts named Scratch.
* Sneek Scratchett: a scribe from the [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] continuity who serves as your chosen faction's mission control during the Vortex campaign. MST'd the sequel's reveal trailer and wears a small pair of glasses, though whether he actually needs it or likes-prefers the look is known only to him.
* Vulskreek: a Grey Seer also from TWW and Sneek's supervisor, and regularly bosses Sneek around as all Skaven higher-ups do. After the Black Pillar forsees great things for the Horned Rat, Vulskreek's put in charge of mobilizing the ratmen to do their god's bidding, but the Grey Seer's also working on orders known only to the Council...

=== Fun Facts ===
* They consider the number thirteen to be lucky/holy. This a reference to how thirteen is seen as unlucky in Western society. However, several real-life nations/cultures consider thirteen a lucky number.
* Grey Seers regularly ride giant bells on scaffolds into battle
* [[DOOMWHEELS]]
* in ye olden days they could be led by friggin master splinter! im not kidding this was a thing
* Their leaders lead from the back, to get a better view of the battle of course and not due to the meatshield tactic.
* They can improve anything, with the addition of magical radiation rocks!
**This may or may not involve improving themselves by snorting said rock.
* GIANT LIGHTNING CANNONS
* Backstabbing little bastards, they'll fuck you up five different ways without you even knowing about it, if you're lucky.
* Skaven do not abide by any codes of honor or battle etiquette, and as such, they WILL bring a gun to a swordfight (and even then they'll try to steal your sword beforehand (and poison you (and improve themselves with warpstone before (aaaaand the gun might be a DOOMWHEEL)))).
* Skaven have a combination of ego and incompetence that would make [[Transformers|Starscream]] look down his nose at them. (Bad comedy right there)
* Skaven do NOT think about the potential consequences of ''anything'' that they do. Taken to its logical conclusion in [[The End Times]] when '''they blow up the motherfucking Chaos Moon''' and nearly destroy the planet with moon-fragments.
* At one point they had the cheapest troops in any game setting. How cheap? It was measured in ''fractions of a point!''
* They can carry giant rocket launcher weaponry that will most likely explode in their own damn faces.
* RATLING GUNS! its as cool as they sound! and yes, it does what it says on the tin
* for the last time, master splinter did NOT teach all of clan Eshin how to all be ninja rats...only a few
* As of Total Warhammer II, Skavens can into space. (No, seriously, go play the campaign!)
* BTW, they also have sniper rifles. Warpstone rifles of instant brain pop, yes-yes

== Thematic Stuff ==
In Warhammer, seriousness and farce walk hand in hand. Some factions are in general more jokey like the Greenskins and others are more somber like the Druchii, but all of them are capable of both. This is especially true of the Skaven. On the one hand, they're a malignant horde of self centered sociopaths in which every twisted manifestation of this fact is explored, driven on by a malevolent deity, spreading underground like a cancer that surges forth to lay waste to the realms of men, leaving nothing behind but ruins and gnawed bones, and they are ultimately responsible for bringing about the End Times. On the other hand they're a species of Cartoonish Ratguys with Mad Science super-weapons, Ninjas and convoluted plots that often blow up in their filthy faces with odd verbal ticks which can, despite it all, sometimes be, well, cute.

The Skaven have no direct counterpart in Warhammer 40,000. In of itself this is not unprecedented. After all, neither do the Lizardmen or Vampire Counts and on the same note you don't have any Tau or Tyranids having raves in Athel Loren keeping the wood elves up. Also noting the two settings while starting remarkably similar diverged heavily in the intervening decades, so one-for-one comparisons aren't completely applicable anymore. Even so, they do seem to be a natural fit. After all, they are one of the most technological factions and it's not a huge leap to imagine their space fleets and similar. They're also GW original content, so why are they not a thing? One possible answer is that while they could fit into 40k, they would be kind of redundant. Simply put the role of Theocratic Empire with cutthroat internal politics ruled through fear, driven by hatred of The Other on which a small priviledged elite rules over a vast ocean of individuals living cheek to jowl in huge labyrinthine warrens either as disposable factory workers or soldiers expended like ammunition [[Imperium of Man|is already filled in 40k]]. In fact the parallel may be more direct then accidental given that there are explicitly 13 high lords of Terra, same as the 13 Lords of Decay. In addition a big issue would be how they would integrate with the somewhat darker tone of 40k as a whole. As an alien race of ratman would harder to justify next to true xeno horrors such as the Tyranids or Necrons. The Eldar and the Orks being easier conversions for a sci-fi race. Which is also a big reason why Squats took so long to come back, as they needed a less campy integration into the 40k lore.

In contrast the Empire of Man is not The Shire or some other idealized fantasy utopia, but on the same note in of itself it's not actually that bad by the standards of the era it was based on. Most of it's big problems are external (chaos, greenskins, druchii, whatever) and most of the crappiness you'd find in it is the sort of stuff you'd find in basically every early modern state along with the virtues there-of. In some ways it's better than the other Good Guy factions.

== DIE-DIE MAN-THINGS! ==
The above sentence clearly illustrates the quirks of skaven language (which is titled Queekish): they often say certain monosyllabic words twice (words like "die-die" and "fool-fool" are popular). Skaven are also known to link similar-related words together.
[https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/199375/on-skaven-jitter-speak-in-game-2 Some people believe these things should only be done to the most important part of a sentence. However, in some official works, such as Total Warhammer II, these quirks are applied seemingly at random in skaven speech.]

Also, they often end the name of a species with the suffix -things, so men are man-things, dwarfs are dwarf-things, et cetera.

This helps indicate that non-Skaven are not people in their eyes. Although considering their backstabby natures it isn't as if they're trying to avert sense of shame or horror from killing others, which is why humans dehumanize during war... so why? Likely the Skaven equivalent of racial slurs.

==Female Skaven==
[[Image:Female skaven.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Canon image of a female Skaven.]]
[[Image:Skaven female cheerleaders.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The closest thing to a female Skaven model to come out of Games Workshop.]]
The skaven as a whole fit the idea of "ratmen" - with particular emphasis on the ''men'' part. All named skaven characters are male, and new fans invariably wonder; what about females? Where do skaven come from?

There was never any great emphasis placed on them. Indeed, they were left so ambiguous that the first ever description of skaven females actually came about as a result of one fan's fanfiction, during those hoary days when [[Gnome#Gnomes_in_Warhammer|Gnome]]s and [[Half-Orc]]s were still canon. In "[https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/rpg.rem.uz/Warhammer/Fantasy/Roleplay/1st%20edition/Skaven%20-%20Book%20of%20the%20Rat.pdf The Book of the Rat]", a fan-made netbook of skaven lore for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 1st edition, female skaven were stated to exist but were hugely oppressed; they were kept as sexual slaves in segregated chambers of the warren, to which only the clan's elites were allowed access. Kept in miserable conditions, their life consisted of nothing but rough sex, pregnancy and looking after their mewling ratlings. Female skaven were described as rarer than male skaven, partially due to biology, primarily because their mothers and the bitter, infertile/elderly midwives tended to be particularly callous towards the female offspring and so female skaven have a much, ''much'' higher mortality rate than the males.

When we got official lore, however, it turned out to be far worse... when the first ever Warhammer Armies: Skaven sourcebook was released, way back in Warhammer 4th edition, fans were presented with what is the earliest known mention of skaven females: a single line describing them as being "indolent" and "semi-intelligent" in the general Skaven entry in the bestiary section (page 50). Modern lore, established in the Skaven's 6e army book and preserved since then, built upon this singular line and is considerably more [[grimdark]] than the fanon presented in "The Book of the Rat": female skaven are horrific monsters, implied to be basically female [[Giant Rat]]s of enormous stature, who build upon their description in 4e by being described as feral, effectively non-sapient creatures. They are basically giant wombs, locked away separately from the males and existing only to feed and produce offspring, so monstrously pregnant and indolent that their limbs have atrophied, rendering them incapable of doing anything but wallow in the breeding pits.

Further female skaven lore, such as it is, was fleshed out by Black Library fiction and most prominently by ''Children of the Horned Rat'', a skaven sourcebook for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 2nd edition. In CotHR, it's theorized that only one in ten skaven are female, reaching sexual maturity at the age of 2 and spending the rest of their 2 decades of life doing nothing but breed, averaging 12-24 pups a litter and 4-5 litters per year.

What's ''truly'' grimdark however, as explicitly stated in that same book is, that skaven females are actually NOT NATURALLY LIKE THIS; rather, their condition is the result of the skaven's malevolence and their need to [[fleshcrafting|"improve" upon nature]]; from a young age, skaven females are constantly dosed with Warpstone-based narcotics and hallucinogens, intended to keep them docile and segregated, so they will not protest their life of endless baby-making. There is a single line hinting that this may not be as effective as the male skaven think: "So cloistered away from the rest of their race are they that they do not learn their race’s chittering speech, nor are they proficient in even the simplest social skills…or so the Skaven believe." But still the vast majority of "Rat Mothers" spend their lives incessantly pregnant and in an interminable drug-fueled haze, often blind and/or crippled, and dependent on the ministrations of the "Ratwives" - castrated skaven who serve as nurses to the female Skaven themselves and midwives to their endless litters.

TL;DR: skaven females are practically furry [[Daemonculaba]].

Access to the females is carefully guarded. The most powerful of skaven are allowed to own one or more females for their private use - females are readily traded between clans as extremely valuable bargaining chips - and access to the communal females in the breeding pits is restricted to high-ranked or otherwise successful skaven; in one of the [[Gotrek & Felix]] novels, a Skaven is rewarded by his superior by being given permission to mate with one, whilst "Thanquol's Doom" features a skaven who partially lost his nose in an "incident" whilst mating with a breeder - apparently, she got too excited and tried to eat him.

The female Skaven's status as "bloated, indolent baby-makers" was referenced in the End Times. In "End Times: Thanquol", a Dwarf Slayer separated from the other during the battle of Karak Eight Peaks found his way into a Skaven breeding pit filled with hundreds of females in such a state, their litters and a handful of Ratwives. He killed the Ratwifes, the breeders and their litters, there being so many Skaven the Slayer's arms got sore from all the killing. Then the Slayer stumbled upon another breeding pit just as big, but by then Skaven soldiers had discovered what he did in the previous breeding pit so they swarmed him and slaughtered him. The End Times is the most recent lore on this, so it looks like the baby-factory fate is canon for most, if not all, female Skaven.

It bears mentioning that the status of the "breeders" does have some real-world basis to it. The rodent contains the only known eusocial mammals; the mole-rats, who live in colonies consisting of a single reproducing female with one (or up to three, for naked mole rats) reproducing males reigning over a large brood of sterile offspring that work as a collective to survive. In these cases, however, there are equal numbers of males and females, and it's the presence of a breeding queen and her pheromones that causes sterility into the younger mole-rats; if removed from her presence, they become fertile in turn.

It also bears mentioning that, in [[Blood Bowl]], the Skaven team comes with cheerleaders who are non-"Breeder" females, which you can tell because they have [[/d/|four big breasts each]]. But then, Blood Bowl also has [[Orcs & Goblins|fem-Orcs]], so its connection to canon of any edition after 3e is kind of dubious.

==Beastmen connection==
So, since this is a race made of humanoid rats empowered by [[Warpstone]] (which is officially described as being Chaos energy manifest), you may be wondering whether or not they're [[Beastmen]]. Well, the answer is that it kind of flips back and forth. Way back in the early editions, yes, Skaven were explicitly a break-away faction of relatively stabilised Beastmen, even pitching in with the Hordes of Chaos or spawning Chaos Champions of their own -- the "Design a [[Daemon Prince]]/Chaos God" rules in 3e's Slaves to Darkness - The Lost and The Damned even features a skaven turned Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided.

Since then, the connection has been downplayed extremely; the Empire generally describes Skaven (when they acknowledged they exist) as just "Beastmen who happen to look like rats", but there's no official connection between the two other than the fact Grey Seers have horns that signal them as important (a classically Beastman trait) and the fact both are animals mutated by Chaos-stuff. "Children of the Horned Rat", the Skaven [[splatbook]] for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], does note the existence of Grey Seers who have turned to Chaos Magic (as well as [[Necromancer|Necromancy]]), who are regarded as heretics amongst the rest of their kind.

Some fluff blurbs imply that Skaven are to dwarfs as Beastmen are to humans and they do share a lot of traits (craftsmanship ability, pride, vindictiveness and skewed gender ratios for example), though twisted and/or exaggerated on the Skaven's side. In WFRP 1e, it was stated that a spell that removes Chaos taint could turn a Beastman into a human if that Beastman survived having all that taint burned away. While the description didn't say what would happen if it was used on a Skaven, following the logic of this paragraph would say that using it on a Skaven and said Skaven managing to survive would turn it into a Dwarf.

In Age of Sigmar with the two factions technically now united under chaos there still doesn't seem to be much kinship with the two groups. Niether interacting beyond temporary alliances or in battle. And generally the other races seem to treat the Skaven and the Beastman as two different groups. There has also never been any real evidence of humans or otherwise mutating into skaven unlike Beastman. So any connection (if there is any) is scant at best and still best viewing both factions as different groups but with some surface level similarities.

==Warhammer 40k==
While no direct space Skaven exist, there are ratlike mutants described in the fluff, rat-worshiping cultists in [[Necromunda]], a [[mutant]] race called [[Ratlings]] which despite being more [[halfling]] than rat could be argued as a successor, <strike>the Imperial Guard itself which serves as uneducated and amoral xenophobes who are mass-bred and treated as currency by the Imperium with access to some nice and fancy toys which are more likely to cause teamkilling than damage to foes</strike> [[Blam|'''*BLAM*''' HERESY!]], and lastly there are the Tyranids who are 40k's version of ungodly numbers faction crossed with the [[Ogre Kingdoms]] motivation to eat everything in sight (though for different reasons). The [[Hrud]] used to be the Space Skaven, as in giant dieselpunk rat people, but that was pretty much retconned. They look different now (on the rare occasion they are mentioned in the fluff), so the only actual space Skaven are the Veer-Myn from [[Warpath]] by [[Mantic Games]]. Their models aren't the greatest things ever, but offer great potential for conversions into stuff for Clan Skryre and Warlock Engineer stuff for Fantasy. It looks like the recent Skitarii model releases may have taken inspiration from the Skaven aesthetic (though not gameplay) with their many steampunk-styled weapons, most notably the Transuranic Arquebus and Radium Jezzail. Alternatively, the Genestealer Cults are a particularly close match gameplay-wise, with lots of ambushing troops and monsters backed up by armor and artillery.

Also, the Skaven once accidentally called the Eldar on their Farsqueaker. The Skaven were scared shitless when they heard a voice like an Elf's coming from the other end. Presumably the Skaven don't have enough numbers or high enough technology at the time of Age of Sigmar to attempt to travel through a Gnawhole to the 40K galaxy and utilize their usual antics without fear of being wiped out... yet.

==Models==
Skaven are one of the primary things in the Warhammer IPs that are actually unique to Games Workshop. As a result, its hard to obtain miniatures for them from third party companies, which is of particular irritation to Skaven players who want Skaven Slaves to actually look like downtrodden Skaven or those who refuse to give any more money to [[Games Workshop]].

However, [[Reaper Miniatures]] thankfully has begun to produce a "Wererat" range which includes decent alternatives to Rat Ogres, Assassins, a Verminlord, and even a female Skaven with six breasts for those wanting to have the most unique Warlord in the FLGS. This is in addition to the ordinary rat models, useful for spicing up scenery or large kits (or obtaining cheap Rat Swarms). These models are produced in the "Bonesium" material in the Bones line, which while being prone to bending badly is LUDICROUSLY cheap and completely safe from being dropped from any height onto any surface. Notably, some have taken to replacing the parts notorious for bending (weapons, especially spears) and replacing them with kitbashed weapons or even greenstuff. As far as the metal range goes, Reaper also produces Barrow Rats which can be useful as Pox Rats, Giant Rats, or Rat Hounds.

A further alternative source is [[Mierce Miniatures]], in particular their Vras faction of models. They have two warrior characters, more hamster-like than rat-like in proportions but with a paintjob serve as spectacular bloated disease-spreading characters (or just fat rat bastards). More importantly, Mierce has five large creatures that serve as [[Hellpit Abominations]] or as [[Verminlords]]. "Flint-Fang, Kill-Thing of the Infernal Pits" is preferred by some as an Abomination for its less Akira and more Frankenstein appearance (some praise or are horrified by its...anatomical correctness). "Back-Cracker, Goz-Horror" is an Abomination looking more like some kind of mad science genetic horror, while "Three-Faces, the Verminous Horror" takes the basic Games Workshop Abomination and replaces "steam-powered" with "tumor". "Scar-Claw, Rat Fiend" and "Scar-Scath, Vermin-Fiend" are alternative Verminlords, and thanks to the monopose nature of the End Times Verminlord kits make decent alternatives or just sources of kitbashing materials when fielding more than one.

[[Otherworld Miniatures]] produces both small rats and naked ratmen, although the latter sadly only come in two poses.

[[Mirilton]] Ratscum resemble Slaves or Clanrats, have ratmen gunners, and ratmen cavalry riding weasels, although the sculpts are in different proportions to the Skaven in many cases and resemble older Games Workshop models (this can be a bonus to some people however).

[[Curious Constructs]] produces weapon sets including a Gatling Gun, Mortar Launcher, and Flamethrower which could be kitbashed with any ratmen models to produce the various weapons teams of the Skaven.

[[Black Tree Design]] produces ratmen monks, assassins, warriors, a rat ogre creature, and rats in gas masks with poison bombs.

[[Impact Miniatures]] produce not-[[Bloodbowl]] ratmen models that require little to no alteration to become Skaven soldiers. Or that Skaven Blood Bowl team fielded as Stormvermin for a silly army.

[[Mantic Games]] produce not-Skaven known as [[Ratkin]] for their game [[Kings of War]]. Again, Veer-Myn from Warpath can be useful for Clan Skryre and Warlock Engineer conversions.

[https://pungaminiatures.com/ Punga Miniatures] produce sculpts “inspired” by most Skaven units.

Of course, Screaming Bells and Plague Furnaces can be made with balsa wood and the kinds of things one can find at any head shop or similar purveyor of hippie paraphernalia.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Skaven.jpg|The original Skaven Clans.
Image:SkavenNutshell.png|Pretty much any Skaven, pretty much all of the time.
</gallery>

==See Also==
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Skaven|Warhammer Tactics/Skaven]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Skaven]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Masterclan|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Masterclan]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Verminus|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Verminus]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clan_Moulder| Age of Sigmar Tactics/Moulder]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clan_Eshin|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Eshin]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Skryre|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Skryre]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Pestilens|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Pestilens]]
* [https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/57408867/ Sir Harumphington sets the record straight about these so-called "rat-men"]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV3CxvcF0/ Play this when a wave of rat men completely swamp your opponents army.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od06TLDO1CU/ “Underground” by Tom Waits, for any spelunking skaven.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaFIzPdxuF8 Every Skaven's idea of risk assessment in a nutshell]

==In Other Media==
While not ripped off as much as some of the other concepts Warhammer <strike>created</strike> expanded upon from existing sources, like Mesoamerican lizard people or Orcs/Goblins with green skin, Skaven have helped popularize rat people as a more standard fantasy race in a few places. Its theorized by some that the inclusion of [[Nezumi]] in the Asiatic settings of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Magic: The Gathering]] were inspired by the popularity of Skaven. Still, Skaven as a whole remain one of the most iconic things that are wholly unique to Warhammer. The League Of Legends character Twitch is clearly inspired by Skaven and has a line referencing them, although he lacks the insane flamboyancy compared to the setting he's in that Skaven have. They even had enough mainstream awareness to be referenced by British journalist Stewart Lee in the Guardian (comparing Brexit negotiations to Plague Monks, naturally).

The most direct and unexpected place for them to appear is being referenced to exist in both the Japanese and English versions of the anime [[Goblin Slayer]], listed off as a type of monster to specialize in studying. Just the idea of a Skaven Slayer could also be nod to [[Gotrek & Felix]]. HOW the Skaven ended up in the Four-Cornered World remains a mystery, but seeing as to how they have Gnawholes, Skittergates, and love screwing around with Warpstone which could explode and open portals, along with the capacity for building Rocket Ships, well, pick your poison.

==Non-Canon Female Skaven==
{{Promotions}}
{{Heresy}}

So it's universally agreed upon both in and out of universe that the only appropriate response to meeting a skaven is to kill them on sight, right? Well in an astounding display of hypocrisy, some [[furries]] went "yeah but I kinda also want to cuddle one?" and further demonstrated just how mentally broken certain subtypes of that culture are. So, there is an undercurrent in the darker hidden recesses of /tg/ where furfags like to talk about non-Rat Mother female skaven. Many have tried arguing that, given the reverence for the Grey Seers, combined with the Chaotic tinge of the skaven, then surely there are rare female Grey Seers who are thus spared the fate of their sisters. Others have pointed that since Breeders are heavily dosed up with chemicals, then if that fate was spared for some reason, then surely female skaven would turn out to be at least as competent as their brothers. Still others note that skaven can't resist tinkering, so it's not impossible a Grey Seer or Master Moulder might make use of a "thinking Breeder".

And, in fact, this last argument one even has a dash of canon to it: in C.L. Werner's "Grey Seer" novel, [[Thanquol]] encounters a [[Grey Seer]] (Thratquee of Under-Altdorf) who owns two personal breeders he has [[fleshcrafting|"improved"]], granting them an unusual clarity of thought, freedom of motion and muscle hidden under their chub; built like a cross between a breeder and a [[Rat Ogre]], they're essentially the skaven equivalent of [[amazon]] bodyguards, and Thanquol is simultaneously horrified and a little impressed at the realization that these "harmless females" will actually kill any skaven who dare to threaten their mate. This makes them the ultimate bodyguards in the eternal backstab-fest that is skaven society.

All of these arguments are reaching, understandably (I mean, why not just work with the idea of some developing an immunity or something?). But that hasn't stopped fans from dabbling in fem-skaven [[Your dudes|homebrew characters]] or [[Rule 34|more cheesecake-level artwork]]. One infamous skaven-loving furry even created his own homebrew clan of renegade female skaven, Clan Sniek, an offshoot clan of Clan Eshin who scavenge on the outskirts of skaven society and raid weaker warlord clans to steal away their females to bolster their own numbers. Clan Sniek is also known to "dabble" with human men, for pleasure and/or procreative purposes; there's even a named Gutter Runner female in a relationship with an Imperial human. His artwork tends to pop up whenever a [[ratfolk]] thread does or the topic of non-Breeder female skaven arises.

Thus, the argument about whether or not Rat Mothers are interesting will probably rage forever. You'd think that with the talks of non-breeder females and Clan Sniek that there would be more Sniek, fem-rats, or even Skaven related stories in general at the Smut archive, but hey what are you gonna do? You can't fap it to femskaven stories if there are no femskaven stories.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Femskaven 1.jpg|Fanart of femSkaven.
Image:Femskaven 2.jpg|More fanart depicting femSkaven experiments.
Image:Reaper Wererat Matriarch.png|The Reaper "Wererat Matriarch" for those wanting to field a non-giant female Skaven model.
Image:Wererat Female.jpg|What an unmodified female Skaven would probably look like.
Image:FemSkaven Chieftain Uberous.jpg|Breeder or no, female skaven would admittedly probably spend more time pregnant than not.
Image:Female Gutter Runner.jpg|Sneaking around in the human's storehouses clearly has its advantages.
Image:Female Poison Wind Globadier.jpg|
Image:Female Stormvermin.jpg|Being high in the clan's totem pole has its perks.
Image:Futa Master Molder.jpg|Some Master Moulders go [[dickgirl|a lot further]] than others when it comes to [[fleshcrafting]].
Image:Female Stormvermin Fangleader.jpg
File:Longhaired skaven assassin.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

;Clan Sniek
<center>
<gallery>
Image:Gutter Runner of Clan Sniek.jpg|A Gutter Runner of Clan Sniek; the clan relies on stealth for survival.
Image:Assassin of Clan Sniek.jpg|An Assassin of Clan Sniek; they tend to focus more on other skaven than on humans.
Image:Packmaster of Clan Sniek.jpg|Clan Sniek's packmasters specialize in capturing human men - sometimes as slaves, sometimes as breeding partners.
Image:Master Assassin of Clan Sniek.jpg|Almost Prophet, a mutant female skaven born with pale fur but no horns, Master Assassin and founder of Clan Sniek.
Image:Grey Seer of Clan Sniek.jpg|Clan Sniek's Grey Seer yearns to dethrone Almost Prophet and rule the clan herself.
Image:Master Molder of Clan Sniek.jpg|Tichiz, Clan Sniek's Master Moulder, is perhaps the most feared skaven in the clan.
Image:Sorceress of Clan Sniek.jpg|Vaquit Silverspit, a female skaven sorcerer, wields great power in Clan Sniek for both her mastery of the Dark Lore of Stealth and her expertise with her rifle.
Image:Verminqueen.jpg|The mysterious Verminqueen is the dark patron of Clan Sniek.
Image:Audience with the Verminqueen.jpg|Sometimes, the Verminqueen deigns to tryst with mortals.
</gallery>
</center>

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle}}
{{Skaven-Clans}}
{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Skaven]]
[[Category:Furry]]

Goblin Slayer

2022-07-20T21:31:17Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Setting */

{{promotions}}
[[Image:GoblinSlayerCover.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Cover of the first chapter.]]
{{Topquote|I slay Goblins.|Goblin Slayer}}

'''Goblin Slayer''' is a [[manga]] based on a light novel of the same name. The series is, like [[Dungeon Meshi]], relatively new but it has quickly gained popularity among [[neckbeards]] for its creative use of a '''very''' [[D&D|generic fantasy]] setting, though others will tell you it is nothing more than a discount version of [[Berserk]]. The story is mostly a [[Rip and Tear|gorefest]] that aims to show you the most efficient ways of killing as many [[goblin]]s as possible, whether it be through stabbing, maiming, poison, fire, or [[Awesome|creative use of utility spells]]. However, as a light novel, it is also filled with references to other fantasy stories and settings, from [[Berserk]] to [[The Lord of the Rings]].

The series has gained notoriety for its explicit [[Rape|rape scenes]], causing some anons to label it as [[Smut for the Smut Throne|spanking material]] for [[/d/|a certain kind of people]]. Although, most [[Weeaboo|fans]] will also be quick to point out that these scenes feature women that look like victims of spousal abuse rather than sexy vixens getting their "comeuppance". To say it's [[Skub|controversial and debated]] on /tg/ is an understatement and it's not even about the rape. The setting has some confusing worldbuilding with many calling it contradictory or outright nonsensical. Describing the complaints some have with the state of the world, the behavior of the characters and the many criticisms for the in-universe justifications (which many fa/tg/uys found unsatisfactory) would take up as much space as a years worth of [[Local Lord]] threads.

The series now also has an official anime. And, the voice of Goblin Slayer in the English Dub is [[Doom|Doom Slayer]] (specifically, his mocap actor, for those of you who just went "He had a voice actor?!"). As is only proper.
Also, it has an [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i2qquegdB4| abridged series] that is arguably better than canon with some very impressive voice acting. Pretty much everything else is available in licensed or fan-translated releases.

As is standard for a popular Japanese fantasy light novel, it has its own tabletop RPG. It seems to be a simple d6 system with 5 races and 8 classes to replicate the races and jobs seen in the series, but beyond that no further details are known.

==Setting==
The story is basically a [[D&D]] campaign, complete with stats, classes, [[Vancian Casting]] and everything that comes with it. Also, the [[Skaven]] apparently found their way to it, although they haven't directly appeared in any story yet. The world is literally a tabletop game for the Gods, with them making characters and rolling dice to see how all of it goes. This plays into religion, with the God's Dice being a common motif. No matter how prepared or skilled you are, one bad roll is all it takes for everything to go to hell.

People who become adventurers join the guild and register by filling up character sheets copied line-for-line from [[D&D]], going on adventures on things as simple as slaying rats all the way to fighting off dragons, but the God's dice control all... Except for one guy called Goblin Slayer. Due to his autistic preparations and unyielding determination, he alone has the power to derail their campaign plot. Essentially, imagine if you created [[Old Man Henderson]] but he came alive and no matter how hard you try to kill him, he'll end up screwing over your plot in the end, which happens to make things better for the other PCs you create.

==Main Story==
The main story opens with a group of four [[Adventurer|fresh-faced murderhobos]] going on their first quest, which like many other first quests, is about killing [[goblin]]s that have been pestering local villagers. This simple quest promptly ends with a near [[TPK]] after the rookies underestimate the dangers of a goblin lair. Just before one of the final survivors, [[Cleric|Priestess]], is taken out she's saved by the protagonist [[Fighter|Goblin Slayer]]. While only one was killed by the Goblins, the second party member was [[Grimdark|mercy-killed by Goblin Slayer at her request due to her injuries being too far gone to be healed and the third was PTSD'd hard (read catatonic) due to Goblin rape]] so she is sent to a temple along with some rescued girls.

From there the series chronicles Priestess's evolution as an adventurer and Goblin Slayer's realization that there may be more to life than [[Exterminatus|murderfucking]] goblins.

===Main "Prayer" Characters===
[[Image:GoblinSlayerSplatter.png|thumb|left|The Slayer making chunky salsa from a Goblin's head.]]
With the world being a campaign, most of the main cast are essentially PCs made by the Gods. At some point the author decided that naming characters was too hard and as such no character has a name, but is instead referred to by their title, class, race, or some combination thereof. It's probably because the protagonist doesn't really care for their names and only remembers them by their titles.

*'''Goblin Slayer''' is what you would get if you combined [[Batman]], [[Doom|Doomguy]], and [[Ranger|Bear Grylls]] into [[Angry Marines|a ball of vengeful fury]]. He's a "Silver-ranked" adventurer, considered one of the most-experienced and skillful adventurers in the world, and he's devoted all of that to killing goblins. However, he's so specialized towards Goblins that normal encounters with some other enemies challenge him more than other, weaker adventurers, though his wits and tactics allow him to get by. It is quickly revealed that he is the only survivor of a [[goblin]] raid on his village when he was a kid and seeing the carnage unfold was enough to change him into a [[Powergamer|killing machine]] hellbent on purging dirty midget [[Goblin|greenskins]] to the point of crushing Goblin babies with a club. The best moments of the series (according to those who aren't just here for the [[Slaanesh|rape]]) comes from seeing the many ingenious tools he's made to dispose of the [[goblins]], such as using a [[Awesome|gate scroll as a high-pressure water jet cutter]] or dousing a big goblin with gas and rolling it like a fat molotov cocktail. [[Skub|Some]] on /tg/ wonder how he's even aware of half the physics behind these tactics, given the fantasy setting of the story, but it's generally handwaved as rumors or fairytales Goblin Slayer heard at some point and decided to try. In fairness to the author, Goblin Slayer interviewing civilians whose technology or gossip intrigues his autism is a consistent aspect of his character, and he later admits he had no idea water could actually cut under enough pressure at the time. As it turns out, what's special about him is that the god's dice don't affect him as much due to his paranoid preparations, essentially making him [[Old Man Henderson]] in the form of an autistic anti-goblin ball of rage, constantly derailing the God's plans for a [[Grimdark]] adventure. A favorite of the Gods even though they can't control him at all.
*'''Priestess''' is a <s>15</s>17-year old rookie adventurer that is saved by Goblin Slayer after [[Rocks fall, everyone dies|her first quest goes south]] and she is saved moments from becoming the latest sex toy for the goblins that overpowered the rest of her party. Her appearance and abilities are those of a [[cleric]], as most of her miracles are support based. [[Vancian|Magic is governed by a number of daily uses]] like [[Dark Souls]] or [[3e|3rd Edition]]. She has a heart of gold, but is generally naïve when it comes to the horrors of the world, though she grows up fast following Goblin Slayer. Eventually develops to being able to form tactics of her own, and can even use maces and slings, albeit rather badly.
*'''Cow Girl''' is the childhood friend of Goblin Slayer and also technically survived the [[goblin]] raid on the village by virtue of being out of town, becoming an orphan. She now lives on a farm with her uncle and rents a room for Goblin Slayer. This being a [[manga]] that means she's a love interest. She has huge breasts for obvious reasons. Though she never (purposefully) joins Goblin Slayer on his adventures, she always makes sure he has a meal and home to come back to at the end of a long, hard, goblin-slaying day. Goblin Slayer has put a ring on it multiple times, though whether he understands the import of that action in his current state is unclear. Ironically, Year One and the Side Stories show she's mentally not much better than Goblin Slayer: She spent years being traumatized by losing her family and she had no friends other than him until his main party came in, and even then they're more his friends than hers. That's right, Goblin Slayer is more social than she is.
*'''High Elf Archer''' is a Silver-ranked [[Elven]] [[ranger]] that recruits Goblin Slayer and Priestess in the second volume. Despite being called a High Elf, most fa/tg/uys will recognize her as a [[Elf#Wood_Elf|Wood Elf]]. Even though she's two thousand years old, she is easily the most [[Loli|childish]] of the party, always looking forward to the next new thing and generally being bright and sprightly. After teaming up with Goblin Slayer once to protect her woodland realm from a goblin army, she decides he is a sad excuse for an adventurer and resolves to take him on real adventures (read: majestic ruins, buried treasure, mysterious non-goblin monsters) until he stops being so obsessed with goblins. As elves are functionally immortal and notoriously long-lived, she regards his potential lifespan of 80 years as being much too brief to worry about and has accepted that she'll probably be with him for the rest of his life. Treats Priestess as a precious younger sister. Later stories reveal that she's actually royalty within her kingdom, and one volume is dedicated towards coming home for her sister's wedding that is, of course, somewhat hindered by goblin problems.
*'''Dwarf Shaman''' is a Silver-ranked [[Dwarf|Dwarven]] [[Spirit Shaman]] that throws rocks at people and lugs around tons of [[Alcohol|booze]], which is the catalyst for many of his spells. He is a 107 years old and has a fatherly attitude, which he mostly hides by teasing the High Elf Archer. Originally recruited by the alliance of Order, i.e. non-Evil races, to help protect High Elf Archer's homeland in a classic example of putting aside various grudges and coming together to defeat a coming tide of evil. The party's resident gourmand and sometimes chef, and is also not helpless at melee.
*'''Lizard Priest''' is a Silver-ranked [[Lizardfolk|Lizardman]] [[Cleric|monk]] that wears [[Anchorome|Native American]] clothing and [[Necromancer|summons skeleton minions]]. He speaks very politely and tends to break up the verbal sparring between Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer. A cool bro overall who worships dinosaurs, just like his kin in [[Lizardmen|another setting]]. Also loves dairy foods, especially cheese ("Sweet nectar!"). His goal is to win prowess and renown in battle, like all lizardmen of the setting, and ascend to the rank of a [[Dragon|divine]] [[naga]]. As lizardmen are long-lived and great believers in winning worth through battle, he is generally the party's strategist and second-line meatshield, working closely with Goblin Slayer to protect their backline-heavy party.
*'''Guild Girl''' is a [[NPC|pen-pusher]] that takes requests from peasants, writes up quests notices, and hands out rewards when the tasks have been completed. She is another love interest of Goblin Slayer and competes with Cow Girl for more than five years as the one with the most day-to-day interactions with him. The fact that their relationship doesn't progress much until Goblin Slayer rescues Priestess may be a sign of how things went. Largely responsible for taking care of Goblin Slayer on the adventuring front in much the same way Cow Girl takes care of him on the homefront, particularly in getting him to be more considerate of other adventurers and getting him recognized by her superiors in the Guild. Comes from a lesser noble family in the kingdom's capital; as a daughter, she didn't have much hope of a career or independent life without going into the Guild, which is one of the few respectable jobs for a young, educated and literate woman.

===Side "Prayer" Characters===
Characters who aren't part of the main cast but do play a fairly recurring role. Several of them are references to other anime and manga, a development gag based on the author using placeholder images when coming up with the characters and deciding not to change much in the end. This makes the tabletop campaign aesthetic even more believable, because weaboos too lazy to draw their own characters would definitely crop a jpeg of their favorite character they found off Google Search for their tokens.

*'''Spear Man''': Based on Lancer from [[Nasuverse|Fate/Stay Night]], he's cocky, but skilled. Has a small one-sided rivalry with Goblin Slayer, but mostly respects him. Has the hots for Guild Girl despite her torch for Goblin Slayer, but doesn't realize Witch's crush on him.
*'''Witch''': A powerful caster that talks like a stoner, supposedly so she doesn't accidentally cast anything. Has gigantic boobs that somehow don't crush her back. Has a crush on Spear Man that he is sadly oblivious to due to going after Guild Girl. She's heavily based on the look of the Sorceress from Dragon's Crown
*'''Heavy Warrior''': Based on Guts from [[Berserk]], a Silver adventurer who wields a great sword and leads his own party, making sure to look after them. Is secretly indebted to Goblin Slayer because he saved his home town from Goblins.
*'''Female Knight''': A member of Heavy Warrior's party and a Silver just like him. Has a crush on Heavy Warrior, and is so bad at romance that she needs dating advice from [[Fail| the mentally-challenged Goblin Slayer]] Year One reveals that she used to be a Paladin that could cast miracles but probably due to breaking oaths dealing with drinking or greed, she's lost her powers by the time of the main story and is basically just a glorified Fighter.
*'''Sword Maiden''' was formerly a Gold-ranked adventurer (someone with skills at or exceeding Silver-ranked but takes on quests on a national/international level rather than local) and is the archbishop of the Supreme God of law. She's also [[Hot Chicks|smoking hot]], looking like a grown up and EXTRA THICC version of Priestess. Her staff of office takes [[Awesome|the form of a sword and scales]] and her sacred familiar is a giant albino alligator. As part of the Second Hero's party, she defeated the last Demon Lord during the events of '''Daikatana''' and '''Year One.''' Both just and compassionate, she also has a childish side, such as wishing to see Goblin Slayer at a festival rather than attending to her priestly duties and bottling up her problems rather than talking about them. As one of the greatest priests in the world, she possesses miracles that far exceed those of Priestess, including the ability to bring back a man from the brink of death with her prayers and the presence of a virgin. As befits her role, she wears a blindfold; however, it's not out of devotion to justice, but to hide her blinded eyes. Long before the story, she was taken by goblins and tortured by them in every way, leaving her with deep mental scars and crippling goblinphobia. Her only solace is the knowledge that Goblin Slayer is out there, killing even the goblins in her nightmares. Just as passionate for him as the other love interests, if not more so, something her friends recognize and approve of.
*'''The Chosen Heroine''': The actual "protagonist" of the tabletop campaign, chosen by the Gods and clothed in [[Plot Armor]] harder than mithril as she rolls nat 20s for everything ([[Loli|except for getting big boobs]]. While our main cast is faffing about with mid-tier sidequests, she and her party are doing important things like saving the world and easily roflstomping far bigger things than the MCs can handle. Unlike other stories where the hero is a jerk for the "underdog" main character to put down, she's perky and affable, acting nice to everyone and considering her victories to be a combined effort between herself and everyone around her. Ironically though, she wasn't supposed to be this way. Year One reveals that, in a show of absolute creative sterility, the Gods decided that another one of their PCs would have a dark backstory and grow up traumatized by [[Slaanesh|goblin rape]] with her village destroyed, but then Goblin Slayer strode in and saved the village, transforming her story from PTSD-induced [[Grimdark]] fantasy into laughably easy [[Noblebright]] power fantasy (compared to everyone else, at least. It's still Nobledark for the rest of the poor plebs of the world). This continues even into the present: Sometimes, when Goblin Slayer's party finishes off their own battles, somewhere else her own party's boss inadvertently gets negatively affected, allowing her and her friends to curbstomp it and save the day once again.
*'''Wizard Boy''': An annoying little shit who thinks he's way better than that, he wants to kill goblins, and ONLY goblins. Unlike Goblin Slayer, he has none of the training, tactics, skills or mindsets to survive a single quest, and he ends up forcibly tagging along with the main party after insulting Priestess. It's revealed that he has a murderboner for goblins because sister died to them in her first quest. Sound familiar? He's essentially a tool for developing our two main protagonists, showing just how much they've changed in their time together (Formerly lonesome GS scoffs at the idea of questing alone, Priestess shows how much she's learned from him in keeping her cool and completing quests). Said sister was the mage Priestess partied up with in the beginning, but they end up keeping him in the dark about knowing her. He ends up moving on from his revenge quest and thinks hot shit of becoming "Dragon Slayer"... And winds up as an errand boy for the Chosen Heroine. His appearance is based on the far kinder and more competent Negi from Negima.
*'''Burglar''': A rhea (no [[Rhea|DEFINITELY not that one]], [[Hobbit|these]] [[Halfling|guys]]) so ugly as sin he looks like a goblin himself. He rescued Goblin Slayer when he was a kid and put him through the fine art of an abusive childhood training regimen, spouting off about how [[Grimdark]] the world is and how our main man would never be the chosen hero, molding him into the cold machine he is now. Makes a pretty overt reference to a far more famous Hobbit ("[[Lord of the Rings|What have I got in my pocket?]]").

==="Non-Prayer" Characters and Other Beings===
*'''[[Goblins]]''' are almost a character unto themselves, being a recurring threat with recognizable character despite the "leaders" being killed off in every arc. What makes them interesting is that the author has spun what is most often considered a weak low-level threat into crazy Viet Congs on crack, essentially making them the goblin equivalent of [[Tucker's Kobolds]]. Generally, the goblins pose a great exercise for any longtime [[DM]] that wishes to go against tropes or surprise [[Party|veteran players]]. Some of their notable tactics include: Totems to distract from their hidden ambush tunnels (again, like Viet Cong), using seemingly live corpses as traps, hiding in old wells, using wolves as guard dogs and mounts, and using kidnapped women as literal meat shields by tying them to boards and hiding behind them. All goblins are males and reproduce with females of any other race, and may eventually grow up into stronger, smarter goblins if they live long enough. In addition, they are all sadistic xenophobes that look upon all other lifeforms, including the forces of Chaos (evil) as being lower and more pathetic than themselves while also resenting them for having wealth, knowledge, health, and the other fruits of civilization while they have nothing but shitty holes in the ground and the castoffs of what they can steal. This drives them to raid, rape, torture and consume all others whenever they have the chance, which is as often as a goblin can sneak attack anyone. They also hate each other, with the small gobs looking at their fellows with treachery, mistrust and envy, and the bigger ones treating their underlings like trash. Essentially, they're [[Skaven]] without Warp tech. It's implied that the fable of goblins coming from <s>[[Morrslieb]]</s> the barren green moon which orbits their world is true in some sense, though in a D&D setting where planeswalking is possible nothing is certain. Later stories deal with the possibility that their kind is evolving, with select members of the species trying to learn and uplift the rest of their race via stealing from other races and worshipping dark gods.
*'''[[That Guy|Truth]]''' and '''[[This Guy|Illusion]]''' are two of the [[God|cosmic forces]] that control the setting. Truth is a cocky asshole who loves [[grimdark]] settings, encourages adventurers to party-kill one another over loot, and is a lazy shit that designs dungeons by just pouring a tons of high-CR monsters and traps into a maze and calling it a day. As long as adventurers die gruesomely, whether to goblins or dragons, he's happy. Illusion is a sweet girl who works hard to come up with well-designed challenges for the world's inhabitants but loves tossing her own on [[DMPC]]s into the setting to try and act out her railroaded plot. Strongly suspected of being the "player" behind the current legendary Hero going around the world defeating the forces of Chaos, and thus the source of all her nat-20s. Goblin Slayer intrigues both of them: delighting Illusion with his creativity, and irritating Truth with his single-minded quest and circumventing fate with his preparations. At the end of the day, though, neither of them will argue with the dice. Less emphasized in the anime and manga.
*'''Order''' and '''Chaos''': The great cosmic divide in the setting, also characterized as "Prayer Characters" and "Non-Prayer Characters." Generally, Order means [[Lawful Good]] and Chaos means [[Chaotic Evil]] though there are degrees and individual differences to various characters and factions. All gods are on one or the other side, and rather than destroy the world by battling it out between them with their full force, they create and control, through dice rolls, the people living within their world and the challenges they face. Most stories featuring the main cast are, at some distant level, part of plots manipulated by distant and powerful forces of Chaos, of which goblins are the sacrificial chaff to accomplish their plot. Occasionally, glimpses of the far greater battles of the likes fought by Sword Maiden are shown, but the emphasis is on the battles faced by Goblin Slayer and his comrades on the periphery of these threats.

===The Four-Cornered World===
*'''The Kingdom''': The place the story takes place. A kingdom largely inhabited by humans, with scatterings of padfoots (beastmen, the sexy kind), rheas (halflings), Deep Ones (don't call them fish-people), centaurs, and mermaids. Bordered by the forests of the elves, the jungles of the lizardmen, and the mountains of the dwarves to the east, and by hostile barbarians and other kingdoms in the north and south.
*'''The Western Frontier''': The place where Goblin Slayer and his comrades operate. A desolate region of ancient ruins, hardscrabble pioneer villages, and foreboding forests. Mankind once inhabited this region in large numbers, but various calamities drove them away. The advent of the Demon Lord of the Dungeon of the Dead and resulting wars and chaos unleashed meant that many people fled to the Western Frontier to try and start new lives, resulting in them coming into conflict with goblins and other monsters that had taken over the region.
*'''The Frontier Town''': The largest settlement on the Western Frontier. Location of the Adventurer's Guild and Guild of Rogues. Goblin Slayer lives on a farm just outside its walls. Despite being the largest town, it is still considered a rough-and-tumble frontier settlement, with extensive ruins converted into slums in its outer districts. There's an extensive undercity made out of ruins and sewers beneath the town, largely inhabited by giant rats and cockroaches that are barely kept in check by a constant stream of novice adventurers.
*'''The Water Town''': A major trading town built atop ancient ruins at the junction of several major rivers. Has an extensive sewer and canal system as a result, and is home to the chief temple to the Supreme God. Sword Maiden lives here and keeps the sewers untroubled with her sacred alligator.
*'''The Capital''': Capital of the Kingdom and largest, most-ancient city of mankind in the area. Said to have been founded thousands of years ago and built largely of white stone and marble. Home to Chaos-touched nobles, demented starspawn worshippers, and others of nefarious ilk who raise hell for the King and his court.
*'''The Dungeon of the Dead''': An ancient dungeon infamous for having been the fortress of an undeath-spreading demon lord which threatened mankind. After being conquered by Sword Maiden's party, the dungeon was largely abandoned for a decade until goblins stole into it and made it their own. Cleared by Goblin Slayer's party.
*'''The Fortress City''': A city built at the mouth of the Dungeon of the Dead, to supply and support adventurers coming to challenge the demon lord. Over time, as adventurers became more interested in looting the dungeon than defeating the demon lord, it turned into a booming adventurer town catering to their basest needs and desires. After the dungeon was conquered, it was largely abandoned until goblins took it over as their own town. Depopulated by Goblin Slayer's party.

==Year One==
[[Image:GoblinSlayerBabyMaking.png|thumb|right|<strike>Even Goblins need some lovin'</strike>Please report to your local commissar if you like this sort of extra-heresy, also, call in the [[Deathwatch]].]]
{{Topquote|How will I kill them next time?|Goblin Slayer}}

'''Year One''' is a prequel to '''Goblin Slayer''' and is mostly about filling in the gaps between when Goblin Slayer's village was destroyed and the beginning of the main story. The title and premise is a reference to the [[Batman]] series of the same name. '''Year One''' is [[Skub|divisive]] due to it filling out gaps which some anons believe only added to the mystery of the main character, while others are just happy to have more '''Goblin Slayer'''. Much of the story thus far details the first encounters and interactions between Goblin Slayer and the many recurring characters who appear in the main story, as well his growth and development from a PTSD-suffering novice to, presumably, his Silver-rank self.

Two light novels have thus far been released, with a third scheduled to be published in 2021. The manga adaptation has outpaced the light novels and features stories that haven't yet been published.

==Daikatana - The Singing Death==
Another prequel, detailing Sword Maiden's adventure to slay the Demon Lord of the Dungeon of the Dead. Overlaps with '''Year One''' to a small extent, as the party was nearing the final battle when Goblin Slayer first registered as an adventurer. Notable for featuring a young, still-growing Sword Maiden trying to overcome her PTSD by joining adventurers on a great quest, a [[Thri-kreen|bugman]] monk, and a largely voiceless [[samurai]] MC that's explicitly the reader's self-insert. Has two manga adaptations, due to issues causing the series to be rebooted with a new artist.

If the main series is based on D&D and tabletop RPGs, Daikatana is more heavily inspired by first-person [[CRPG]]s like [[Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord]].

==Anime==
Low-budget and unspectacular after the shock and awe poured into the first episode. Also has a 1-hour long OVA adapting volume 5 of the main story.

==Criticism==
As stated above, this manga has garnered controversy thanks due in part to its inconsistent setting. It’s a setting with two opposing sets of [[Party|gods]] playing a D&D-like game with the entire world, of which the characters and people in it are distantly aware. Many arguments have been had over whether the worldbuilding is simple and spartan or simply lazy, and particularly over whether it is a realistic fantasy world. As always with Japanese fantasy settings, the usual [[skub]] about Adventurers Guilds are frequently brought up.

A common criticism is that goblins are a threat disregarded by most political powerholders in the regions in which the story is set. Despite constantly raiding and destroying villages, killing adventuring parties, and being a constant boogeyman to women everywhere, they continue to be seen as unimportant and low-priority. When multiple parties of adventurers are forced to go after a goblin nest, people complain that this proves the deadliness of goblins and how they should be treated as a far greater danger, particularly in the frontier region in which Goblin Slayer operates.

Another common criticism leveled at the setting is that it is tonally dissonant. Goblin Slayer applies a grim, gritty motif to goblins and all encounters with them: goblins use simple but brutal and effective tactics like poisoned weapons, ambushes, traps, etc. However, the rest of the world is filled with standard JRPG tropes, including common use of [[Fantasy Armor]]. As such, when a dragon-killing [[barbarian]] is slain by a single cunning goblin, there are complaints that the world is flipping between [[Heroic Fantasy]] and [[Grimdark]] [[Low Fantasy]] only when goblins are involved, written solely to be edgy and "dark".

Finally, one of the major criticisms regards Goblin Slayer and his tactics, which are presented in story as being the result of pragmatic strategizing. In particular, some criticize his choice to use low-end gear. Some of his reasons are simple characterization (he likes short swords), some ''almost'' make sense (he thinks goblin blood will slowly ruin any expensive gear, but that implies he doesn't know basic maintenance). And most controversial, he does it to limit the fallout of his death should it be looted by goblins, instead of simply wearing much better gear to both kill more goblins faster and make getting killed by goblins less likely. Others believe his tactics are ridiculously fantastical, or simply tryhard attempts at seeming intelligent.

For reasonable counter-arguments, please visit [[/a/]].
[[Category:Weeaboo]][[Category: Goblin]]

Skaven

2022-07-20T21:27:01Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* In Other Media */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Skaven|Logo=Capture131114532.png|Alliance=Chaos|Motto=DIE DIE SOLDIER MANTHINGS DIE!!!!}}

{{Topquote|It would be ugly to watch people poking sticks at a caged rat. It is uglier still to watch rats poking sticks at a caged person.|Jean Harris}}

{{Topquote|The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.|E.B. White}}

{{Topquote|I WILL JOIN YOU, ELF! IF THERE IS ANYTHING I HATE WORSE THAN ELVES, IT'S FUCKING RAT FURRIES GOING FULL NORTH KOREA WITH NUCLEAR ROCKS!|Urist, Warhammer: Ravandils Quest}}

The '''Skaven''' are technologically advanced [[ratfolk]] in the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and [[Age of Sigmar]] settings. Ugly, evil creatures that spread [[AIDS|plague]] wherever they go and topple kingdoms for fun and [[profit]], you will be hard pressed to find a more unlikeable race out there. Much like the [[Orks]], they're so excessively over-the-top that it's pretty funny.

Skaven are said to be '''''the''''' most evil race in the entire setting, and that's no idle claim. For all [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]], [[Bretonnia]]ns, [[Dwarf (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]], [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]], [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood Elves]] and [[Lizardmen]]'s many flaws (and make no mistake, they ''are'' numerous) each of them has at least some claims to genuine heroism that keep them out of being villains. Undead are either mindless automata executing their programming or - for the majority of intelligent undead - capable of genuine love and altruism. [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark elves]] are cruel and have a culture based on torture and slavery, but they are more driven by historical grievances and an inhospitable homeland, and can display family loyalty along with traits that some would call decent or even questionably heroic.

Orcs and Goblins are violent brutes, but they'll develop what could be considered friendships and attachments to their fellows, and even the most brutal Black Orc will cry if his pet squig dies (Not in front of the other boyz though, because they'll all see him as nothing but a runty git). Or at the very least he will bash someone’s head into the ground; point is, he'll grieve. Ogres are well-known to be gluttonous and casually cruel almost to a man, but they usually still love their families and their Gnoblar pets, and any Maneater worth his salt is good for his word upon payment. Despite their propensities towards [[Khorne|killing]], [[Tzeentch|scheming]], [[Nurgle|festering]] and [[Slaanesh|raping]], the mortal followers of Chaos are capable of honor, friendship and a warped form of love. Even the [[Beastman|Beastmen]], who are also inherently evil like the Skaven, respect their chieftains and shamans, deal honorably with their few allies and give worthy foes a fair fight. Even daemons usually respect the chain of command without [[Drow|constantly trying to murder their leaders and take their place]].

Skaven have none of the above qualities, or any other that could be considered even vaguely noble or redeeming: they openly hate everyone and everything, are more cowardly and paranoid than any goblin, more cruel and xenophobic than Dark Elves, and more fractious than Chaos. Love, friendship and honor are completely alien to the Skaven's psyche. Due to their chronic backstabbing disorder, nobody trusts them, likes them, or wants to be 'allies' with them (except Dark Elves, who have a treaty with them that both sides betray at times). The only times they have done something that benefited non-Skaven or the world, such as helping beat the first incarnation of Nagash, are for purely selfish reasons - Nagash denied them warpstone and was a threat to them too. One of the only three reasons the Skaven have lasted this long and not killed themselves in an ''en masse'' fratricidal free-for-all is because their hatred of all other things outweighs their hatred of other Skaven by '''''just enough''''' for them to slightly function (that and their crazy-high birthrates or the direct intervention of their god, who's little better than them). However the 'just enough' cannot be stressed enough. Even with the all-out doom of their race present, as with Nagash or Chaos, they're still intent on fucking each other over. <strike>If</strike> when possible, Skaven <strike>would</strike> will kill each other in the womb.

And that's why we ''love'' to hate them so much.

It should be noted that there is one non-evil one in [[Warhammer Adventures]], the Warhammer children's book series (yeah, that exists). Named Kreech, he's still the villain of that series, but by the standards of Skaven he's damn near a fucking Grail Knight. Kreech actually lives in human culture, preferring it to his own people's, and has a 12-year-old human slave as his sidekick. Even in children's media they're utter bastards.

==So who are they?==
In a lot of science fiction going back to [[Starship Troopers]] and likely far earlier, there are races of [[Tyranid|Hive Creatures]]. Vast beings that may have separate bodies, but have one will. One Consciousness. Each "individual" soldier or worker is akin to someone's finger, or a cell on someone's fingertip, and is ultimately an expendable resource in service to the greater whole. All march in lockstep to expand the influence of the gestalt consciousness as far as possible, either assimilating or crushing anything they come across. The Skaven are the antithesis of this, though this fact in no way makes them nice.

The Skaven are a race of walking humanoid rats with dubious (but not to be underestimated) intelligence and a hideous feral cunning out to conquer the world in the name of their God, the [[Horned Rat]], and also for their own personal gains. If there was one quality which defined their species, it would be raw unconstrained '''''Selfishness'''''. By instinct, culture and the will of their asshole god, each Skaven is self-obsessed, paranoid, greedy, power-hungry, murderous and doesn't give a rat's ass (hehe) for the well-being of anyone that isn't themselves. They find the concepts of love, honor, loyalty and friendship to be so alien they can't comprehend them. In the prisoner's dilemma, they always defect. By nature, each of them is fundamentally evil, and this is not racism speaking here. To give context for this, a [[Skarsnik|greenskin]] in the End Times event was traumatized by the loss of his beloved [[Skarsnik#The_End_Times|Squig]], while no Skaven individual has ever, at any point, been shown to have an attachment to any living thing other than themselves. The closest they can get is the exceedingly rare example where a Skaven can understand that certain other individuals are tools worth cultivating and protecting from outside threats, and are assets too valuable to allow their casual destruction or squandering (see Gnawdwell and [[Queek Head-Taker]]). The only thing a Skaven hates more than other Skaven is creatures who are non-Skaven, and this gives the ratmen the vaguest ability to work together when they have a common enemy; otherwise they would fall on each other like, well, a pack of rats.

Skaven have an odd relationship with fear. On the one hand, cowardice is the order of the day. They definitely don't want to be sliced, stabbed, shot, skewered, squished, scorched or Slaaneshed. They'll face the perils of battle for the prospects of rewards, killing rival Skaven or non-Skaven (which they collectively call "Things") and because their bosses WILL have them killed horribly if they don't at least ''try'' to fight, but most Skaven have a reticence to enter battle unless the odds are decidedly stacked in their favor, and they're more prone to breaking and running if things go pear shaped. On the other hand, Skaven have a weird fondness for quick routes to power. If you give a Skaven a potion which has a 99.9% chance of killing them horribly and a 0.1% chance of giving them the ability to breathe fire like a dragon, many will take it.

Remember the saying about a bunch of monkeys with typewriters eventually producing Shakespeare? Well, at a species level they are sort of like that: keep throwing rats at the problem to try every cockamamie dunderheaded idea that said collection of drugged up hyperactive megalomaniacs desperate to get ahead can dream up until eventually they stumble on one that works, which others will shamelessly copy while insisting that they had the idea for it first. Skaven are never content with just a cushy job, cozy 2-bathroom burrow in Skavenblights' suburbs and 2.5 pups to raise or eat if they don't get at least Bs in Skavenschool. Each one, be he a member on the Council of Thirteen or the lowliest of slaves who's used up and sent to the slaughterhouse, operates under the belief that they are the one true leader of the Skaven whose visionary insights would lead their species to domination of the universe in the name of the Horned Rat, if he can just gain the keys to power and overcome the short-sighted idiots which stand in his way. Introspection and self-reflection are not common Skaven traits, though some older Skaven like the aforementioned Gnawdwell and his former protege Sleek Sharpwit show that such qualities are possible, even if it’s ''exceedingly'' rare.

In terms of physiology, Skaven are shorter than humans, less bulky than them, slightly weaker (surprisingly not as much, considering the difference in size and mass), and generally "less" in every regard but one. Where they do pick up is speed: Skaven live their life in perpetual super speed with all its advantages and drawbacks - they move faster, think faster, breed faster and age faster, generally reaching adulthood at five months and growing old, gray and frail by the age of thirteen (though very few survive for that long). All that speed builds an almost insatiable appetite, and as they have no body fat reserves, they're '''always''' hungry, except maybe after the battle when they can eat the dead (of both sides). Skaven look unnervingly twitchy and energetic to other races (even Elves, who also have a kind of inherent superspeed), while Skaven see others as slow lumbering idiots. Like rats, the Skaven have a good sense of smell; it is stated by Teclis in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] 2's high elves vortex campaign that they could smell fear and "treachery" from others. According to Teclis, the Horned Rat's rat swarm smelled through the fake Galifreius' disguises and went for her while ignoring Talarian. This being said though, Stormvermin (who are consistently well-fed and trained) tend to grow to the height and weight of a healthy man which may imply Skaven actually may be generally capable of growing to the dimensions of normal men, but few of them get fed enough to achieve this.

They live in a massive underground empire known as, well, the Under Empire (with the Horned Rat being the God Emperor, ironically far more successfully than the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|OTHER Emperor]]) which spans through the Warhammer world like the [[Underdark]]. The only regions it fails to reach are Ulthuan because it's a giant floating island and Athel Loren because the Skaven diggers get murdered by tree roots or the soil itself refuses to be touched. Its capital is called [[Skavenblight]], and is also one of the only visible signs of Skaven from the surface (because it is such an indescribable shithole), up until it was teleported to another dimension post [[End Times]] (it's still a shithole though). No one trusts them quite rightly, and few other races resist killing them on sight, which is reciprocated in kind. They are more numerous than any other race in the world, and only one enemy keeps them truly in check: themselves.

On a very amusing note, the Skaven are one of the rare examples of a race of furries actually liked by most of /tg/, because by all intents and purposes they are everything your average mary-sue furry self-insert is not: hilariously villainous, dirtily non-sexualized, full of character flaws and their actions are actually relevant and well implemented into some of the most important plot twists in the setting.

=== History ===
----

{{Topquote|Rodents of unusual size? I don't believe they exist.|Free Company Sergeant Roberts, last words before being killed by a rodent of unusual size}}

==== Warhammer Fantasy ====
No-one knows where they came from but it is suspected [[Tzeentch]] had a hand in their creation using Warpstone, a hideous amount of mutation, and generations of breeding with normal rats. (That is to say, breeding rats with other rats, not Tzeentch breeding with the rats. That's more [[Slaanesh]]'s thing.) The 7th edition Lizardmen army book states that they came about during the Great Catastrophe. There's a poem in the Skaven codex, dating all the way back to their first codex in 4th edition, called "The Doom Of Kavzar". Written in-universe by an author in Tilea, (the Warhammer world's equivalent of Italy) it offers what is generally accepted as the most concrete explanation of their origins. To summarize;

Humans and Dwarfs lived together in a city called Kavzar, and decided to build a Noblebright Tower of Babel rip-off to thank the gods for their prosperity. But even Dorf engineering couldn't complete it, so they got some mysterious grey-clad stranger to complete it in exchange of him being allowed to add a giant bell as a dedication to his own gods.
Upon completion, the temple sealed itself shut, the stranger disappeared, and terrible things happened after the bell rang thirteen times. The weather turned bad with constant Warpstone-laced rain, people got sick, babies were born dead or mutated, crops failed and rats multiplied while growing bigger and smarter. (Older fluff said the stranger cursed the city because the people refused to give him money as well for finishing the temple, newer fluff just makes him out to be evil and mysterious.)
Every day, the bell rang thirteen times. Rain became hail, then hail became meteor showers. The rats kept growing to the point that swarms of rats started preying on humans. Realizing things were becoming [[Dwarf Fortress]], the humans asked the Dwarfs for help.
The first time the Dwarfs turned them down after calling them wimps for complaining about rain. The second time they were rebuffed due to the rats eating all the Dwarfs' food. The third time the surviving humans got desperate and smashed open the Dwarf gates to demand their help... only to find bearded Dorf skeletons and well-fed, but still hungry, hordes of rats and the poem ends with them swarming and eating the last surviving humans.

tl:dr a [[wizard]] met [[human]]s and [[dwarf]]s, someone was swindled so magic happens that turns rats into tyranids.

And the rest is history...

Notable this story appears to be known in universe. [[Vermintide 2|Victor Saltzpyre]] mentioned a reference to it at one point in Vermintide.

Incidentally, this isn't the only theory presented to their origins, but it's the one most gamers take as canon. Some other in-universe origin theories include:
* An Imperial naturalist named Wilfried Schtutt argued that the skaven descend from rats warped into a semblance of the human form by some malign external power, such as [[Chaos]].
* A Tilean classicist, Marcelli Verdallo, argues that the skaven are living proof of the ancient philosopher-sage Proti's theorem that all things in the universe are created by the mystical interactions of cosmic archetypes from beyond time and space (how meta), being the fruit of some union between the archetypes of Rat and Man.
* Johannes Krueger's Bestiarium mentions an ancient Estalian legend wherein shipwrecked survivors turned to cannibalism and were cursed by Manann, the Sea God, assuming rat-like forms.
* That the Skaven were created by Skavor, the Dwarf ancestor god that's the son of Gazul and cousin to Grimnir. Lacking skill in shaping stone and metal, Skavor turned to fleshcrafting instead and got exiled. He then turned himself into a hideous rat-beast and swore vengeance on his blood kin.

Also there are a few [https://i.imgur.com/FWzQkHn.jpg other origin] stories.

It is said that after their creation, Skaven spread across the world, [[Ikit Claw|learning many cultures, stealing technologies and magic techniques that could help them in their conquest for Skavendom or personal power]]. Namely the Clan Pestilens who traveled southward and westward and ended up in Lustria, Clan Eshin who traveled eastward and ended up in Cathay, Clan Moulder who traveled northward and established a stronghold in some backwater hellish landscape known as the Hellpit near Kislev and Norsca.

Further evidence that the Doom of Kavzar is the canon origins of the Skaven is that the poem's author was assassinated by [[Clan Eshin|means unknown in-universe]] and copies of the poem keep disappearing. Plus their capital city, Skavenblight, is all but stated to be Kavzar (the tower with the bell being the headquarters of the Grey Seers). This makes them a surprisingly old race, as they were actually well-established before the rise of the [[Tomb Kings]] as the undead rulers of Khemri - in fact, they had a grubby little paw in that whole sordid affair.

It was the Skaven that supplied Nagash with many slaves and warriors such as savage orcs for him to kill and raise. It was the Skaven that helped Nagash to poison the River Vitae, unleashing a magical plague to devastate every living thing in Nehekhara. It was also the Skaven who betrayed Nagash by assisting the human Alcadizaar in his defeat, which resulted in the rise of the Tomb Kings since Nagash was no longer around to control the dead Nehekharans. So, aside from the Dark Elves who taught Nagash the [[Warhammer Magic|Lore of Darkness magic]] that would eventually evolve into the necromancy all [[Vampire Counts|vampires]] love, and the [[Tomb King|Nehekharans]] hate, the Skaven were the ones that supported Nagash, making him powerful and undefeated. (This is because every time Nagash died, he re-spawned back to his black pyramid. Although it takes a fuck load of time for him to actually get up, it allows him to grasp the mortal world while preserving his existence. Also the pyramid itself is near-indestructible so he has no need to trust anyone to guard it.) In the end, they still betrayed him for their own selfish desires. Classic Skaven.

The Skaven have been popping out numerous times across history, trying to weaken the forces of order to favor themselves in the long run. For example, they appeared during one of the Norseman invasions, when Sigmar was still around. In fear that Sigmar's Empire might threaten their very existence, they tried to use the invasion as an opportunity to destroy mankind, but failed nonetheless thanks to the Dwarfs that were blocking their tunnels.

After that, the Skaven didn't lay a hand on the Empire until after their own civil war. It was at this time that Clan Pestilens developed a new disease called the Black Plague (nice real life reference [[Games Workshop|GW]]), spreading it among the Empire's population. The plague not only killed and reduced its population to less than half the size of the generation before, it also killed the current Emperor (Boris Goldgather, AKA the worst Emperor, who was actually killed by an Eshin assassin's shuriken, but who cares) and every other corrupt noble in his hideout, and good riddance some say (amusingly, his death is actually celebrated as a public holiday). The Skaven then launched their attack after the plague weakened the Empire, but were stopped by a pretty cool guy named Mandred von Zelt of Middenland, who gathered the rest of the elector counts and launched an anti-Skaven crusade. Ironically, the black plague played a major role in many of Mandred's victories, since the disease affected the Skaven as well, weakening the Skaven army and killing enough of them to force their retreat.

In the last battle, the Skaven launched their last counterattack, only to fail after their leader, Vrrmik, the warlord of Clan Mors and a member of the Council of Thirteen, was slain by Mandred. The rest of the vermin were then driven back to their Under-Empire by the Empire’s forces while suffering under their own plague from the war. What's worse for the Skaven was that the slaves they bought ended up revolting, and destroyed several already plague weakened clans while Mandred (who was declared the Emperor and sporting Vrrmik's own helmet at the time) rebuilt the Empire. The process was faster than the Skaven could expect, with the humans even installing the sewer watch to prevent further Skaven movement on the Empire. After such a humiliating defeat, the Council received many compensation notices from other disease ridden clans. But the Council decided to just assassinate them all, including our beloved Emperor rat slayer, and called it even. The assassination made mankind forget about the Skaven, even dismissing them as myth.

The Skaven are also pretty famous on [[Cathay|the eastern side that]] [[Nippon| Games Workshop refuses to talk about]]. Clan Eshin's ancestors once journeyed far to the east, losing contact with its society for 100 years. When they came back however, they had learned the art of NINJUTSU from some jerk-off at [[Nippon]] where they have skilled rats throwing shuriken, and frigging ninja flipping better than [[Gabriel Angelos|the Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos]]. In [[Cathay]], some filthy beastman and a Sun Wukong wannabe became the Emperor of not-China and took an Eshin Skaven warlord as his right hand man. Thus began an unhealthy relationship of trading warpstones and rat shit, which means either the Cathay Emperor is nuttier than a warp fruit cake (which should be obvious since the new Emperor was mentioned to be a fucking magical monkey beastman, or probably something worse if he is also like Wukong born from the meteor except the meteor is made of warpstones), or Eshin Skaven are ''slightly'' more trustworthy than the rest of Skaven. (If you believe [[Total_War:_WARHAMMER#Skaven|Total War]], they are; they're the only clan that doesn't have to deal with warlord loyalty.) It might be true depending on how [[weeaboo]] the Eshin has become; if you look up on real world ninja, they do tend to be surprisingly loyal compared to what you might think. However, one could say that the eastern legion doesn't really have any experiences with Skaven betrayals, plus the Skaven did assist the Chaos Dwarves in the End Times to siege Cathay, meaning everything the Skaven did in Cathay was but a diplomatic ploy to fool the Cathayans.

As if the Skaven aren't widespread enough, they have the operation worldwide. There is Clan Pestilens in Lustria, who like to infect themselves with diseases that Nurgle doesn't approve of, and throw feces at lizard-things for the lulz. Some of the rats made it into Naggaroth (probably as slaves or a few via the under-Empire) while trying not to provoke the wrath of [[Malekith|the strongest mama's boy in Warhammer history]]. The only place they could never set their foot on would be Ulthuan, which is a giant continent that floats on top of the water and obviously can't be connected to Skavenblight via tunnels. It's regardless just too scary for the rat-things to deal with: flame spewing dragon-things, elf-things that shoot rains of arrows from far away, and mages that have the power to summon a [[exterminatus|giant bombardment of nukes from the sky]].

The Skaven themselves have no records of their origins, and do not particularly care about their past. As far as they are concerned, the only relevant historical eras are "now, when we don't rule the world" and "soon, when we will be ruling it". Of course, any given Skaven will be plenty interested in the history of his own life, but the history of the rest of their race is dismissed as unimportant. On day to day affairs, history is whatever the Council of 13 says it is, though it wouldn't be surprising if Grey Seers keep records.

==== Age of Sigmar ====
The Skaven survived the end of the old world by teleporting [[Skavenblight]] to another dimension. When the Horned Rat became the Great Horned Rat he immediately drew Skavenblight into the Warp and created more of his Daemons. What followed was a golden age for the Skaven, where there was Warpstone everywhere to be found, they had the direct blessing of the Great Horned Rat, and unlimited space and potential around them. They then promptly did the impossible and somehow dug so deep that part of the Warp collapsed into Skavenblight which collapsed into the material realm which is now made up of eight "nearly infinite" planes made of the former Winds of Magic.

Skaven now have access to all of reality at once, and can create realm-spanning 'Gnawholes' everywhere from beneath Sigmar's throne to beneath Khorne's throne. As can be expected the tunnels are not stable and thus only the Skaven are willing to use them, as even immortal and deathless Daemons can somehow vanish into the space between spaces never to be seen again when Skaven are involved. This doesn’t mean that the Gnawholes are completely safe for the rat kin though. Just the process of constructing one of these inter-dimensional tunnels costs tens of thousands of <strike>lives</strike> slaves, and when the Gnawhole is complete, there’s a good chance that the big brains in charge of the project were off on their calculations. So instead of tunneling directly into [[Cities of Sigmar|Hammerhal]], you instead end up in the middle of nowhere or an active volcano.

Skaven have also had an exponential population boom, which is impressive considering they damn near outnumbered insects in the old setting. With the other races generally numbering in the millions if not billions and the Skaven numbering potentially in the trillions. Each of the four former great clans from the Old World is alive and kicking <strike>eachother</strike>, each containing billions of Skaven and even entire clans. A fifth great clan is Verminus, an especially numerous and martial clan (the techy/monstery/sneaky/stinky niches were taken so someone's gotta make Stormvermin their thing).

However, Skryre, Pestilens, Moulder, Eshin and Verminus were not always the only Great Clans. In the age of Myth, there were said to be as many as 13 great clans (probably more like 9 or 10 but the Grey Seers rounded up). What happened to the rest? A couple of examples:

* Clans Tichritt attempts an invasion of Thandria, a Sigmarite nation. It may as well be Russia in winter with the pantheon of Order united - Tichritt is annihilated.
* Clan Ikk does well during the tumult of the Age of Chaos, gaining a momentous ''four'' seats on the Council of Thirteen which sparks a civil war with the equally ascendant Clan Verminus. Verminus enlists the help of Clan Pestilens to spread an epidemic of frothjaw. The rabid rats get so erratic the other great clans temporarily unite to destroy them.
* Clans Shrykt digs a huge gnawhole and, one by one, its clans disappear through the portal. They were never heard from again. Maybe they left to join 9th age.

The increased scope of AoS lore has meant Skaven society is EVEN MORE chaotic and self-destructive than it was. And this lore makes a little more sense than their old world history: you can't expect such volatile societies to [[Warhammer 40000|maintain a millennia-long deadlock between the same four great powers.]] Still, the current status quo of vying great clans is not that different from the old world's coz... those are the models GW sells. The unknown great clans continue the trend of GW giving AoS lore lots of missing primarchs (deliberately left gaps for homebrew and headcanon). In the Age of Chaos, the Skaven nearly obliderated themselves (again) with a massive civil war before the Great Horned Rat himself had to intervene. In addtion the clans Pestilens profited greatly from their alliance with Nurgle during this time and looked to be rising as the new dominant clan. However, Order managing to push back against this smelliance has meant that the Clans Skryre is better poised to vie with Pestilens for pre-eminence on the council of thirteen. They'll probably work it out peacefully (by Skaven standards, meaning only several million rats will die).

Skaven continue to be fuck-ups at a scale never before witnessed. When Nagash attempted a great ritual of necromantic binding, it was sabotaged by the Skaven nibbling a power cord. Eshin agents had managed to open gnawholes in Nagash's great pyramid. Huge success for Skavendom? Well, maybe had another group not accidentally opened a gnawhole at the bottom of the Shyish sea. Blight City was decimated by a zombie-infested flood, like The Day after Tomorrow meets World War Z. Hilariously, the drained Shyish seabed revealed the soul-stealing [[Idoneth Deepkin]] to Nagash, Slaanesh and everyone else who was wondering about those mysteriously empty towns that smelled faintly of halibut.

The moral of the story is clear: you might be able to foil Skaven schemes but it's their fuck-ups you wanna watch out for.

=== Society ===
----

If you do not know much about rat social behavior, you might be surprised to learn it is fairly well developed and includes among other things evidence of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa16P4nFgD8 rodent altruism]. As you might expect, GeeDubs ignored it entirely to make the Skaven more grimdark and work on people's stereotypes of what rats are like rather than how rats interact. Skaven society is literally cutthroat when it comes to promotions (but luckily not [[PROMOTIONS]]). In a world where you have chaos warriors who can honor the chaos gods by killing/raping/infecting/getting minions caught up and expended in complex plots, beastmen which are in a similar lot as chaos on top of animalistic aggression who still practice a survival-of-the-fittest pack-mindset based loyalty, orcs that are hardwired to love to scrap, goblins who are no strangers to backstabbing and dark elves who've literally made assassination and treachery an art, the Skaven have managed to collect the gold medal in (f)ratricide. After receiving said award they promptly began killing each other to see which Skaven individual got to keep it; the conflict continues to this day, with no resolution in sight. The '''only''' reason why their society has not murdered itself into extinction is because of a very high reproductive rate. Despite their teamkilling tendencies they obey the Grey Seers, the prophets of their god the [[Horned Rat]]. Although this obedience is done purely out of fear, it is done without question. Except for the other Grey Seers.

==== Hierarchy ====
The Skaven race is ruled over by the [[Council of Thirteen]], Skaven of such evil they have been chosen by their vile god and manage to survive the constant threat of assassination, most likely because everyone is too afraid of these uber-ratmen to go near them. Although they squeak big about their plans for world domination, they are too busy trying to outdo and kill each other. Despite the name there are only twelve Councillors; the 13th seat is symbolic and reserved for their god and woe betide anyone that tries to sit on it! To become a member of the council all any Skaven need do is touch the sacred Black Pillar and challenge a current member for his seat in a duel. In practice it has been over 200 years since someone actually manage to pull it off, which is a minor point in favor of the current crop of leaders on it - though a large part of it is that touching the Black Pillar has a tendency to make rats explode.

Beneath the Council of Thirteen are the Grey Seers and the Warlords. Horned, grey-furred skaven pups are raised to be the priests and magic users of Skavendom that act on behalf of the council. Ironically enough the Skaven are more prone to throw around claims of [[HERESY]]! than the Sigmarite Empire. Not showing proper reverence to the Horned Rat brings down his wrath on the offender and everyone around him, so they take a dim view of anyone who misses their services. Secular Rodentism is not something which is going to catch on in Skavenblight. There is a hard cap on 169 (13x13, 13 being a sacred number to the Skaven) Grey Seers at any one time, though there are a bunch of apprentices waiting in the wings for one to die. Skaven being Skaven, one of the most popular pastimes of said novices is making slots available through assassination. Warlords are those lucky rats that have managed through guile, luck, accomplishment on the battlefield and the elimination of rivals to get in charge of a Clan. Sometimes you get a Grey Seer warlord with his own clan, but that's usually the exception.

Beneath them, you have an upper crust of prominent individuals within the clans: Warlock Engineers, Master Molders, Plague Priests, Gutter Runners, Chieftans, high ranking officers and so forth. Either through command of some arcane skill or having armed rats behind them they have wealth, better accommodations, hosts of underlings and regular access to breeders. This is also roughly where the Albino Guard rank, since they're basically the Skaven version of [[Custodes]].

Underneath them are those with a modicum of cultivated value: the merchants, the technicians, the packmasters, the rank and file of the Stormvermin, the apprentices to the great ones, the Gutter Runners, the overseers, skilled workers and so forth. All of which have to some degree or another got their position by struggling tooth and claw and are with it some measure of power and authority. Most of them rose from the Clanrats. Those poor bastards live in poverty packed up like sardines and have to work hard for their daily Skavenbread™ and fight tooth and claw to keep what little they've amassed. They make their petty schemes, jump on what opportunities they can and form and break alliances of convince at the drop of a hat. All of which to carve out a niche, establish a power base and clawing their way up the org chart. Far more likely they end up murdered, expended in battle, blown apart in some accident, killed by a superior making a point or deemed surplus to requirement and left to starve.

But even these wretched rats have it better than the Skavenslaves. They are the remnants of defeated clans, the pups deemed surplus to requirements if not quite bad enough to be culled, those that earned the ire of their overseers and those whose power struggles failed them and avoided being killed. Their status is somewhere between "Native in the Belgian Congo" and "Pig in a Factory Farm". Clanrats may be exploited, but Skavenslaves are actively worked to death, thrown at the enemy to absorb arrows and are fed a meagre diet of scraps, garbage and each other. That's when they are not being taken to the butcher's block so their betters can enjoy a meat dinner and have some leather. The best they can hope for is that a good deal of their superiors fuck up and die or that their clan conquers another leading to enough shuffling in the org chart that they can get promoted to clanrat status. But while clans do wax strong and skavendom produces a lot of said fuckups it also burns through skavenslaves like nobody's business.

Two key facts of this hierarchy are ''Shit Flows Downhill'' and ''The Rodent Staircase''. To a high ranking Skaven everyone else is a rival, either an immediate threat or a potential one waiting for the means, so you gotta keep a lid on them. Subordinates are to be given the minimum they need to accomplish their tasks, some rewards if they exceed expectations, and nothing else. If they step out of line they can be beaten. If they cause too much trouble they can be replaced with some up and coming Rat eager to not be a skavenslave. If things are going badly for you, assert your dominance with a show of force. Even if things are going well, you should put the fear of the Horned Rat into your underlings just to remind them who's boss to be on the safe side. This comes before the fact that Skaven are vindictive little shits that have no qualms about taking out their frustrations on others. A sternly worded Letter to a Warlord from the Council of Thirteen will lead him snapping at his second in command and will eventually manifest itself in clanrats biting the tails off Skavenslaves because they'd been the subject of the ire of their overseers and need to re-assert dominance.

Likewise if you want to get up (and as mentioned ALL Skaven want to go up all the way), you need to not only excel or have some useful talent but also deal with the million other rats out there with the same ambitions. If you want to survive in the slave pits, shiv your neighbor and eat him to get enough calories so you'll have the strength to see another day. If the clawleader's favorite mug has gone missing, say the guy who's always admired it stole it to bring down the bosses wrath upon him so you have one less rival, the boss's wrath is directed elsewhere and if you happen to be right he just might throw you a bone for being (due to the lack of a better word) loyal. Apprentices could and should steal the ideas of their fellows to become Warlock Engineers. Attempting to police the Skaven to stop such backstabbing is usually an exercise in futility, especially since whatever Police Rats you can scrounge up will inevitably engage in said activities on their own. Not that it matters much in most cases, there is always a fresh stream of replacements and those eager for dead rat's shoes. At most murder provides an excuse for removing individuals that they don't like in a move that is slightly less likely to spark the paranoia of your rivals. A good Skaven leader knows how to use this competition to keep his minions in line and to get the most out of them. A bad Skaven leader is going to end up on the barbecue sooner rather than later. This is the case from birth, even for those whose role was determined at birth like grey seers and stormvermin have to fend off both ruthless instructors and backstabbing fellow applicants. Nobody is unscathed.

==== Misc ====
Although unintentional on the side of writers, there are circumstances where real life rats can become Skaven-like. In a series of social experiments involving overpopulation designed to see what effects human overpopulation in cities like New York or Tokyo could be paralleled, rat populations with far too many beings in far too small an area begin to go, as individuals, insane while the group becomes far more violent despite having more than enough food and water to sustain the entire population. When a high-density population that shows these behaviors is given more area to roam in by having another set of open cages attached or being shifted to smaller population cages, the behavior remains the same meaning the rats have been permanently mentally damaged; only with successive generations do they regain sanity. So in a way, Skaven have inadvertently made themselves fucking insane by choosing to live in horrible conditions and to overpopulate. <s>Theoretically</s> [[Warhammer Adventures|Kreech from Warhammer Adventures]] shows that saner and more level-headed (if not necessarily less evil) generations of Skaven could emerge if the species got access to more room and better conditions, and was completely removed from its old environment and the previous rats who inhabited it.

In fact, if the root of the Skaven's evil nature could be traced to both their terrible environment and the terrible culture that both feeds and feeds off of that environment rather than anything genetic, theoretically, there ''could'' actually be ''good'' Skaven if they were somehow separated from Skavenblight immediately after birth and raised outside of it by someone willing to give them a chance. However, seeing as how the primary…“engines” of Skaven reproduction are heavily guarded in the very heart of Skavenblight, and literally every other race in Warhammer is hard-wired to kill the mangy rat-bastards on sight (and with FUCKING good reason), such a thing will almost certainly remain purely theoretical. Especially since all that trouble would ultimately amount to little more than proving a petty point, with little to no real pay-off beyond making the Horned Rat personally pissed off at you (then again there are [[Tzeentch|some]] that might find ''that'' outcome a goal in and of itself).

Funnily enough, in real life the common pet rat (Fancy Rat) is actually highly social, friendly, adaptable, clean, curious and even altruistic of all things. One could imagine the Skaven in some noblebright/nobledark Warhammer setting basically out-compete all the other races and then dragging them kicking and screaming (at least not the [[Chaos Warrior|crazy ones]] into some wider federation or empire while turning the world into an atompunk (warp-punk?) setting. Wait, this sounds [[Tau|awfully familiar]]...

=== Armies ===

==== The Rank and File ====
* '''Skavenslaves''': Large numbers of starved skavenslaves are thrown at the enemy's front lines with crummy scrounged up/improvised weapons for the enemy to waste arrows, bog down enemy movements and hopefully take down a few man-things by sheer numbers. Some lucky ones get to annoy the enemy at range with slings, which is sort of a luxury as nobody else in the army can take them.

* '''Clanrats''': The basic Rank and File of a Clan with some armor and better if still basic weapons (swords, shields and spears). Better fed, more durable and less likely to run than Skavenslaves, they're good enough that you expect them to do a bit more than just absorb arrows and tire out the enemy's sword arm. Even so they're still cannon fodder that relies on numbers against all but the crummiest of foes. Fortunately for the warlords they are never in short supply. Various campaign supplements would expand on the basic Clanrat with unique variations for each Great Clan, like the Rotten Rodents of Clan Pestilens, who trade their shield for an extra hand weapon.

* '''Stormvermin''': Basic elite units for when you want something that has more staying power than Clanrats. Black furred pups are singled out to be soldiers. They get given extra food, ruthless spartan way training, better weapons and armor than the common riff-rats and take some pride in their units (which means that they are less likely to randomly stab their fellow stormvermin in the back than most skaven and any failure to meet the standards is liable to get a stormvermin executed on the spot for not measuring up). They normally got a bully mentality; cruel, mean, petty and vindictive along with an internalized need to constantly put on a strong face and chest puffing arrogance that mostly covers for the fact that they are still cowards at heart. The Clans [[Clan Mors|Mors]] and [[Clan Rictus|Rictus]] are known for their particularly nasty regiments of Stormvermin and regularly sell themselves to the other aspiring Warlords for a sizable sum.
** '''Albino Guard''': The personal guard of the Council of Thirteen, made entirely out of white-furred pups and put through even more brutal training than the regular Stormvermin. They're also psychotically loyal to those they protect, like the CoT and the Grey Seers, quite unlike the vast majority of Skaven. Most of them are Warlord-sized, with gear and skills to match.

*'''Chieftain''': The Skaven equivalent to a Greenskin Big Boss or Empire Captain. They serve under the Warlord as his enforcer and field commander. Usually it’s from this rank that new Warlords are “promoted”.

*'''Warlord''': Also called Clawlords in AoS, Warlords are not the best fighters of a Skaven Clan, but the most cunning. They lead the ravenous swarms of ratmen into combat from the safety of the rear lines. They get first pick of any loot they come across and play a constant game of 3D chess with their subordinates to make sure they keep their position...and their lives.

==== Specialists ====
*'''Poisoned-Wind Globadiers''': An elite corps of Clan Skryre clanrats trained in the usage of special glass spheres filled with toxic vapors. They lob said orbs at hordes of enemy troopers where they shatter, dispersing their poisonous payload into the air. To protect themselves, the Globadiers wear special breathing equipment on the (common) chance one of their globes is faulty. TWW2 introduces a more potent type of poison called the '''Death Globe''', whose toxins are harmful even with the slightest of skin contact. In AoS, they are renamed to '''Skryre Acolytes''' and function as interns for the various Engineers.

* '''Weapons Teams''': Clan Skryre’s bread and butter. A vast collection of various weapons all designed to be carried by a pair of skaven and have a staggeringly high rate of (explosive) failure. The '''Warp-Fire Thrower''' is a crude fire hose connected to a gas tank that spews a corrosive fluid that ignites upon exposure to air. It was created to melt through heavily armored dwarfen shield walls during their first wars against the beard-things. '''Ratling Guns''' are the skaven’s take on real world gatling guns; six barrels of rapid fire warpstone bullets all powered by a hand crank. Said cranking mechanism is prone to overheating and explosion should the gunners get too eager on the spinner. For more precise weaponry, the '''Warplock Jezzail''' provides. It’s an oversized rifle held in place by a rickety shield and built to deliver lethal warpstone bullets into the heads of an enemy leader from miles away. A '''Doom-Flayer''' is what happens when you take the Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs and turn it into an armored chariot. These bladed balls were originally meant for tunnel clearance and mowing down pesky dwarf battle lines. Similarly, the '''Warp-Grinder''' was also initially made for utility purposes, serving as a quick means of excavating new underways, though it was soon repurposed for drilling into armored units and bastions. Finally the '''Poisoned Wind Mortar''', the grown up version of the Globadier, these mini artillery pieces launch lethal spheres of toxic fumes across the battlefield to choke the lives out of enemies, though it is the only weapons team to not make the jump to Age of Sigmar, for some goddamn reason. And naturally there’s also the '''Death Globe Mortar''' in TWW2 as well.

*'''Night Runners''': The initiates of Clan Eshin. Having yet to fully grasp the importance of discipline, stealth, and basic fucking patience, they run headlong into enemies throwing sharpened metal stars and knives at them (likely Naruto running and shouting attack names as well). They do have their uses though, serving as excellent skirmishers thanks to their ranged attacks and natural agility.

*'''Gutter Runners''': Those lucky few Night Runners who survive their first battle and learn how to stand still are soon claw-picked to become Gutter Runners. These elite teams are the main agents of Clan Eshin you’ll find. Often hired for sabotage, espionage, eating fromage, and of course assassination. TWW2 adds an even more elite variant of the Gutter Runners called the '''Death Runners''', who are noted for having zero armor and simply dodging most attacks.

*'''Assassin''': Pretty straight forward. Picked from the most elite of Gutter/Death Runners, these expert killers are so feared among the Under-Empire that rumors spread about them having special abilities, from squeezing into a coin sized hole to having a poisonous shadow. Outlandish that may sound, Clan Eshin isn’t one to confirm or disperse these rumors.

*'''Eshin Sorcerer''': One of the ninja clan’s better kept secrets. In addition to being rigorously trained in the arts of murder and sabotage like the other initiates, these Skaven are capable of wielding their own unique magic called the Lore of Stealth (likely a mixture of Shadow magic and the standard Skaven Lore of Ruin). As expected, the Nightlord doesn’t want too many people to know about their existence (Grey Seers in particular), so much so that they vanished from the lore and tabletop for a while...until TWW2 brought them back into the limelight.

*'''Packmaster''': Part slave-driver, part animal tamer, Packmasters are adepts of Clan Moulder who specialize in the “care” of their menagerie of beasts. Often recruited from the meanest bullies, they are cruel and relentless with their whips and spiked prodders which double as a means of defense as well as a way to encourage their monsters to fight harder. Some also are known to carry large snapping claws on pole arms called thing-catchers, which they eagerly use to grab new test subjects whilst on the battlefield.

*'''Giant Rats''': The most common/simple of Clan Moulder’s monsters. They’re just big ass rats, usually the size of a small domestic dog. They are herded into massive swarms by their Packmaster(s) to drown the foe in furry bodies.

*'''Pox Rats''': A step up from the Giant Rat, these boar sized rodents are commonly used as mounts for various Skaven leaders, though as their sickly name suggests, the Plague Priests of Clan Pestilens are particularly fond of them.

*'''Rat Ogres''': The premier product of Clan Moulder. Through a fusion of skaven, [[Ogre Kingdoms|ogre]], and countless other beasties, a hulking monstrosity was born. Ill-tempered, violent brutes who serve as shock troopers/bodyguards for skaven armies. Like actual ogres, they are very strong but also quite dumb. Despite this, they can be equipped with several rudimentary upgrades and weapons for more specialized needs. During the End Times, Clan Skryre improved upon the base Rat Ogre and created the even more dangerous '''Stormfiend'''. By adding a secondary brain via an tiny ass skaven slave to the beast’s back, they can now operate more advanced weaponry, such as warp fire projectors, shock gauntlets, rattling guns, and many more, while still keeping the same base level instincts and loyalty they are known for.

*'''Brood Horrors''': What happens when you cram a bunch of starved Pox Rats into an enclosed area and leave them alone for a while? Well eventually only one of them remains having swallowed whole all of its packmates and bloated to monstrous sizes. It has now become a Brood Horror, a hideously mutant creature that’s either used as a stand alone monster or as a mount for the most daring of Warlords.

*'''Hell-Pit Abomination''': And you thought the Brood Horror was grotesque. Named after the capital warren of Clan Moulder, the Hell-Pit Abomination is a Frankenstein fusion of left over body parts, machinery, and gallons of liquid warpstone given unholy life. No two Abominations are quite alike, though they all have the general shape of a massive multi-headed centaur-rat.

*'''Plague Monks''': The zealous followers of Clan Pestilens. Less armored than a Clanrat, these ragged devotees rush into battle with filth encrusted robes and rusted blades while chittering prayers and wishes to the Horned Rat. Each one is infected with enough viruses and sickness that just being in the vicinity of them is detrimental to your health. They gladly throw themselves onto foes to smother them in corruptive ilk and often carry tomes full of various litanies and vows to their pestilential deity.

*'''Plague Censer Bearers''': The more rabid Plague Monks who don’t become Plague Priests will often be given the “privilege” of carrying large censer flails that are blessed with filth and constantly emit toxic fumes. They then rush headlong into combat swinging their weapons to create a noxious cloud of gas, invigorating their brethren and smothering their enemies. Much like the similar in concept Night Goblin Fanatics, Plague Censer Bearers have a short life expectancy as the fumes are so toxic that it can even kill the rats of Clan Pestilens, albeit very slowly.

*'''Plague Priest''': Looking more like champions of [[Nurgle]] rather than skaven, these pox-filled vermin are the heads of the Pestilent Brotherhood. They lead vast congregations of sickly followers on a holy mission to corrupt the world in the name of the Great Horned Rat. The most distinguished Priests often ride into battle upon massive '''Plague Furnaces''', a rickety siege engine centered around a giant swinging censer, constantly filling the air with toxic warpstone fumes. These fumes invigorate the warriors of Clan Pestilens and choke the life out of all others.

===Clans===
Skaven organize themselves into Clans, through which they organize their backstabbing. The individual backstabs for position within a Clan, the Clan backstabs for position in Skaven society.

There are many Clans, far more than any being other than the Horned Rat (presumably) knows. Clans rise, fall, split, infight, reform, and even ally constantly. Each Clan seeks to have one of their members in a position in the Council of Thirteen, which runs the business of their entire race.

The [[Council of Thirteen]] is conveniently organized like a clock, with 13 at the 12 position which is representative of the Horned Rat. Members are called Lords of Decay. Each position is more powerful within the Council based on their proximity to the Horned Rat, so the Lords of Decay at the 1 and 12 position are the two most powerful, 2 and 11 behind them, while the Lords of Decay at the 6 and 7 positions are the weakest. Each Lord of Decay can outright veto the position of the one opposite them. Each Lord of Decay has their position marked by a symbol, either that of themselves or that of their Clan. The Lords of Decay have thus far remained in power for most of the existence of the Council thanks to the life-prolonging Warpstone they use (so Skeksis), although they rise and fall in power.

Skaven Clans fall into three categories: Great Clans, Warlord Clans, and Thrall Clans. The four Great Clans are extremely powerful, and epitomize the different aspects of Skaven society (Each Greater Clan later became a type of Clans in [[Age of Sigmar]] due to an exponential population boost). Warlord Clans are essentially the middle class of Skaven, usually doing their own thing and not tied to any specific Great Clan. The Thrall Clans are weaker warrens that swear allegiance to a Great Clan to survive or grow in power. Of course thanks to Skaven backstabbing, a Thrall Clan is an expendable frontline infantry source while the Great Clans are just sources of really neat toys like Rat Ogres and Ratling Guns, and of course every Clan is waiting to betray each other while making allegiances to other Clans and to betray their REAL allies that they're of course waiting to be backstabbed by while totally being unaware of the fact that a fourth set of Clans have set up the backstabbing conga for their own benefit, and so on as far as you want to get into it (note: this describes a single day of plotting or so).

When fielding an army, one or two Clan paint jobs and multiple Thrall-Clan paint jobs are quite fluffy.

The four Great Clans are:
* [[Clan Eshin]], the ninja assassin Clan. {MURDER [[Lizardmen|ALL]] [[Dwarfs|OF]] [[Undead|THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!]]}
* [[Clan Moulder]], the Clan which breeds monsters and sews them together Frankenstein style to make even better (by Skaven standards, slightly less volatile) monsters.
* [[Clan Pestilens]], the founder of the Pestilent Brotherhood and the largest and most powerful Pestilent Brotherhood member.
* [[Clan Skryre]], the Clan which produces Warp-powered Tesla cannons, machine guns, vehicles, and other assorted machines.
*Clan Verms, the Clan that Clan Moulder replaced and Clan Pestilens betrayed to get on the Council of 13, specialized in utilizing the various invertebrates of the deep underground places of the world as weapons and tools for Skavendom. Giant Scorpions and swarms of venomous insects were their main military contribution, with worm-oil for lighting being their main non-military contribution. Their lair in Skavenblight was a huge wasp-nest-looking structure called "The Hive". When Clan Moulder proved better able to create horrific warbeasts, and Clan Skryre created Warpstone Lights, they essentially became worthless, especially after their various vermin helped spread the Black Plague among the Under-Empire, and were betrayed by the other Skaven, looked down upon so much even the lowest of Slave Clans spits upon them.

In addition, there are the [[Grey Seers]], silver furred Skaven with horns that represent the servants of the Council and the Horned Rat. They are above all Skaven other than the Lords of Decay and as a result tend to be somewhat free from the backstabbing conga, other than that of other Grey Seers. Any grey Skaven who do not have horns are part of the Council Guard, the elite warriors that protect the Council and the Grey Seers. However those Skaven that protect the Council of Thirteen directly are The Albino Guard, purely white furred giga-stormvermin.

{{Skaven-Clans}}

===Deity===
The Skaven worship their creator the [[Horned Rat]], a god as sickening and vile as they are. God of disease and vermin, thankfully he gets the crap kicked out of him by Sigmar and Sotek on a regular basis and frankly anyone that feels like having a go. He got fed up with such bullshit at the [[End Times]], telling the Skaven to stop backstabbing eachother and get shit done, which they proceed to do by destroying many cities. He also made a deal with the [[Chaos Gods]] as he cannot defeat them.

As of [[Age of Sigmar]], [[Slaanesh]] [[bullshit|was kidnapped]] by three Elf gods that were formerly mortals ([[Tyrion]], [[Teclis]], [[Morelion]]) at the manipulations of [[Tzeentch]] and the newly-appointed HNIC of all Chaos [[Archaon]]. This resulted in [[Nurgle]] and [[Khorne]] immediately voting with them to boot him out of the pantheon and the [[Great Game]] and promoting Horned Rat to proper Chaos God in his place. Horned Rat immediately renamed himself Great Horned Rat, but found out that the big kids table was full of backstabbing assholes with absolutely no respect for each other, and somehow even less for him. When the Chaos Gods gave Archaon their blessings, Archaon rejected the Horned Rat's blessings and spat directly in his face for daring to presume GHR can bless the self-righteous ass that is Archaon (Though this could just be Archaon not having absolutely abysmal standards).

=== Magic ===
Skaven wield a form of Dark Magic fueled by [[warpstone]] and derived from their own inherently corrupt abilities. However, only select kinds of skaven are capable of actually tapping that energy; traditionally, only the Grey Seers, rare mutants who function as the skaven's shamans and the Warlock Engineers of [[Clan Skryre]], who use [[magitek]] devices to draw upon and manipulate Dark Magic, possess this power, but that lore has fluctated over editions.

In 4th edition, Warlocks could be 1st to 3rd level casters, with Grey Seers being 4th level casters, and both used the same "Lore of Skaven" magic system.

In 6th edition, only Grey Seers were casters, still using the Lore of Skaven; Warlock Engineers instead had to spend points on magitek weapons that also allowed them to cast a single spell, ''Warp Lightning''. However, the optional rules for Great Clan armies in the back of the book also featured clan-based casters; these "lesser mages" were treated as level 1 casters who only knew a single pre-selected spell. Clan Eshin had Sorcerers (Skitterleap), Clan Pestilens had Festoring Chantors (Pestilent Breath), and Clan Moulder had Harbingers of Mutation (Vermintide). Clan Skyre's Warlock Masters could still only cast Warp Lightning, but could try and cast an 11+ variant that was much more powerful.

In 7th edition, things changed; now, Skaven had two different schools of magic - Ruin and Plague, with Warlock Engineers being Hero level casters of Ruin and Plague Priests getting an upgrade to be Hero level casters of Plague, with Grey Seers being Lord level casters who could mix and match spells from both lores, and had access to the unique "Dreaded 13th Spell", which could transform enemy troops into skaven clanrats.

"Children of the Horned Rat", the skaven sourcebook for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 2nd edition, tweaked the Skaven magical lores around. Naming the two primary schools of Skaven magic as Plague and Warp, it also upgraded Eshin Sorcerers to full-fledged casters, with their own unique school of magic; the Dark Lore of Stealth, a corrupt form of Shadow Magic that lets them do more animesque ninja stuff. As CotHR was written around the time of 6th edition, it doesn't quite mesh up with either 6e or 7e fluff; instead of being masters of all the skaven styles, it's implied (it's a little hard to ascertain) that Grey Seers only use Warp Magic, whilst Plague Priests and Eshin Sorcerers only use Plague Magic and Stealth Magic respectively. Warlock Engineers, meanwhile, can't use magic at all, but instead can make unique magitek gizmos.

Also, CotHR says that rogue Grey Seers can learn Chaos Magic or Necromancy, although this paints them as skaven heretics.

=== Army ===
Skaven are your <strike>standard</strike> easily abused horde army. Lots of cheap vermin, whose numbers allow them to easily ignore their one theoretical weakness: shitty leadership, backed up by more expensive and/or specialized units, that are in theory unreliable but will still wreck your shit moar consistently than most anything else by sheer volume. Also, DOOMWHEELS.

<strike>Under current rules</strike> they <strike>are</strike> have always been considered overpowered, except for a brief period where DoC reigned thanks to your [[Matt Ward|Spiritual]] [[Spiritual Liege|Liege]]. They have now reclaimed their mantle, since 8th edition heavily favors mass infantry blocks, and the Skaven can easily throw out a block of 100 models for less than what some other armies will spend on a lord, no, I'm not exaggerating, which under the current rules is virtually unbeatable.

=== Special Characters ===
====Wargame====
The cast of Skaven special characters has shifted and flowed across editions, but this is the original list from 4e:
* [[Verminlord]]
* Grey Seer [[Thanquol]]
* [[Lord Skrolk]], Plaguelord of Clan Pestilens
* [[Ikit Claw]], Chief Warlock of Clan Skryre
* [[Throt the Unclean]], Master Mutator of Clan Moulder
* [[Deathmaster Snikch]], Chief Assassin of Clan Eshin
* [[Queek Head-Taker]], Warlord of Clan Mors

6th edition saw the creation of a handful of new characters, whose stats appeared either in [[White Dwarf]] or on Games Workshop's website - back before they turned it into a mere shopping center. In addition to converting many 4e characters who'd been left out of their 6e army book, such as Snikch and Ikit Claw, 6e saw the creation of:
* [[Ghoritch]], Castellan of Hell Pit
* Warlock Master [[Klawmunkast]] and his [[Steam Tank|Rat Tank]].
* Plague Lord [[Morbus Sanguis]]

7th edition added two new characters to the list:
* Beastmaster [[Skweel Gnawtooth]]
* Chieftain [[Tretch Craventail]]

====Fluff-only, Other Games, Other Continuities====
[[Image:Reverse Furry And His Pet.png|thumb|200px|right|Somehow worse than legit Skaven!]]
* Kreech: FUCK, I thought we agreed never to mention him again. Exists in Age of Sigmar to be the PG version (no depicted cannibalism, drug addiction and mass murder) of Thanquol to the pacifist protagonist adolescents of [[Warhammer Adventures]], is a complete weeb for humans, and has a slaveboy from the Realm Of Beasts named Scratch.
* Sneek Scratchett: a scribe from the [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] continuity who serves as your chosen faction's mission control during the Vortex campaign. MST'd the sequel's reveal trailer and wears a small pair of glasses, though whether he actually needs it or likes-prefers the look is known only to him.
* Vulskreek: a Grey Seer also from TWW and Sneek's supervisor, and regularly bosses Sneek around as all Skaven higher-ups do. After the Black Pillar forsees great things for the Horned Rat, Vulskreek's put in charge of mobilizing the ratmen to do their god's bidding, but the Grey Seer's also working on orders known only to the Council...

=== Fun Facts ===
* They consider the number thirteen to be lucky/holy. This a reference to how thirteen is seen as unlucky in Western society. However, several real-life nations/cultures consider thirteen a lucky number.
* Grey Seers regularly ride giant bells on scaffolds into battle
* [[DOOMWHEELS]]
* in ye olden days they could be led by friggin master splinter! im not kidding this was a thing
* Their leaders lead from the back, to get a better view of the battle of course and not due to the meatshield tactic.
* They can improve anything, with the addition of magical radiation rocks!
**This may or may not involve improving themselves by snorting said rock.
* GIANT LIGHTNING CANNONS
* Backstabbing little bastards, they'll fuck you up five different ways without you even knowing about it, if you're lucky.
* Skaven do not abide by any codes of honor or battle etiquette, and as such, they WILL bring a gun to a swordfight (and even then they'll try to steal your sword beforehand (and poison you (and improve themselves with warpstone before (aaaaand the gun might be a DOOMWHEEL)))).
* Skaven have a combination of ego and incompetence that would make [[Transformers|Starscream]] look down his nose at them. (Bad comedy right there)
* Skaven do NOT think about the potential consequences of ''anything'' that they do. Taken to its logical conclusion in [[The End Times]] when '''they blow up the motherfucking Chaos Moon''' and nearly destroy the planet with moon-fragments.
* At one point they had the cheapest troops in any game setting. How cheap? It was measured in ''fractions of a point!''
* They can carry giant rocket launcher weaponry that will most likely explode in their own damn faces.
* RATLING GUNS! its as cool as they sound! and yes, it does what it says on the tin
* for the last time, master splinter did NOT teach all of clan Eshin how to all be ninja rats...only a few
* As of Total Warhammer II, Skavens can into space. (No, seriously, go play the campaign!)
* BTW, they also have sniper rifles. Warpstone rifles of instant brain pop, yes-yes

== Thematic Stuff ==
In Warhammer, seriousness and farce walk hand in hand. Some factions are in general more jokey like the Greenskins and others are more somber like the Druchii, but all of them are capable of both. This is especially true of the Skaven. On the one hand, they're a malignant horde of self centered sociopaths in which every twisted manifestation of this fact is explored, driven on by a malevolent deity, spreading underground like a cancer that surges forth to lay waste to the realms of men, leaving nothing behind but ruins and gnawed bones, and they are ultimately responsible for bringing about the End Times. On the other hand they're a species of Cartoonish Ratguys with Mad Science super-weapons, Ninjas and convoluted plots that often blow up in their filthy faces with odd verbal ticks which can, despite it all, sometimes be, well, cute.

The Skaven have no direct counterpart in Warhammer 40,000. In of itself this is not unprecedented. After all, neither do the Lizardmen or Vampire Counts and on the same note you don't have any Tau or Tyranids having raves in Athel Loren keeping the wood elves up. Also noting the two settings while starting remarkably similar diverged heavily in the intervening decades, so one-for-one comparisons aren't completely applicable anymore. Even so, they do seem to be a natural fit. After all, they are one of the most technological factions and it's not a huge leap to imagine their space fleets and similar. They're also GW original content, so why are they not a thing? One possible answer is that while they could fit into 40k, they would be kind of redundant. Simply put the role of Theocratic Empire with cutthroat internal politics ruled through fear, driven by hatred of The Other on which a small priviledged elite rules over a vast ocean of individuals living cheek to jowl in huge labyrinthine warrens either as disposable factory workers or soldiers expended like ammunition [[Imperium of Man|is already filled in 40k]]. In fact the parallel may be more direct then accidental given that there are explicitly 13 high lords of Terra, same as the 13 Lords of Decay. In addition a big issue would be how they would integrate with the somewhat darker tone of 40k as a whole. As an alien race of ratman would harder to justify next to true xeno horrors such as the Tyranids or Necrons. The Eldar and the Orks being easier conversions for a sci-fi race. Which is also a big reason why Squats took so long to come back, as they needed a less campy integration into the 40k lore.

In contrast the Empire of Man is not The Shire or some other idealized fantasy utopia, but on the same note in of itself it's not actually that bad by the standards of the era it was based on. Most of it's big problems are external (chaos, greenskins, druchii, whatever) and most of the crappiness you'd find in it is the sort of stuff you'd find in basically every early modern state along with the virtues there-of. In some ways it's better than the other Good Guy factions.

== DIE-DIE MAN-THINGS! ==
The above sentence clearly illustrates the quirks of skaven language (which is titled Queekish): they often say certain monosyllabic words twice (words like "die-die" and "fool-fool" are popular). Skaven are also known to link similar-related words together.
[https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/199375/on-skaven-jitter-speak-in-game-2 Some people believe these things should only be done to the most important part of a sentence. However, in some official works, such as Total Warhammer II, these quirks are applied seemingly at random in skaven speech.]

Also, they often end the name of a species with the suffix -things, so men are man-things, dwarfs are dwarf-things, et cetera.

This helps indicate that non-Skaven are not people in their eyes. Although considering their backstabby natures it isn't as if they're trying to avert sense of shame or horror from killing others, which is why humans dehumanize during war... so why? Likely the Skaven equivalent of racial slurs.

==Female Skaven==
[[Image:Female skaven.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Canon image of a female Skaven.]]
[[Image:Skaven female cheerleaders.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The closest thing to a female Skaven model to come out of Games Workshop.]]
The skaven as a whole fit the idea of "ratmen" - with particular emphasis on the ''men'' part. All named skaven characters are male, and new fans invariably wonder; what about females? Where do skaven come from?

There was never any great emphasis placed on them. Indeed, they were left so ambiguous that the first ever description of skaven females actually came about as a result of one fan's fanfiction, during those hoary days when [[Gnome#Gnomes_in_Warhammer|Gnome]]s and [[Half-Orc]]s were still canon. In "[https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/rpg.rem.uz/Warhammer/Fantasy/Roleplay/1st%20edition/Skaven%20-%20Book%20of%20the%20Rat.pdf The Book of the Rat]", a fan-made netbook of skaven lore for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 1st edition, female skaven were stated to exist but were hugely oppressed; they were kept as sexual slaves in segregated chambers of the warren, to which only the clan's elites were allowed access. Kept in miserable conditions, their life consisted of nothing but rough sex, pregnancy and looking after their mewling ratlings. Female skaven were described as rarer than male skaven, partially due to biology, primarily because their mothers and the bitter, infertile/elderly midwives tended to be particularly callous towards the female offspring and so female skaven have a much, ''much'' higher mortality rate than the males.

When we got official lore, however, it turned out to be far worse... when the first ever Warhammer Armies: Skaven sourcebook was released, way back in Warhammer 4th edition, fans were presented with what is the earliest known mention of skaven females: a single line describing them as being "indolent" and "semi-intelligent" in the general Skaven entry in the bestiary section (page 50). Modern lore, established in the Skaven's 6e army book and preserved since then, built upon this singular line and is considerably more [[grimdark]] than the fanon presented in "The Book of the Rat": female skaven are horrific monsters, implied to be basically female [[Giant Rat]]s of enormous stature, who build upon their description in 4e by being described as feral, effectively non-sapient creatures. They are basically giant wombs, locked away separately from the males and existing only to feed and produce offspring, so monstrously pregnant and indolent that their limbs have atrophied, rendering them incapable of doing anything but wallow in the breeding pits.

Further female skaven lore, such as it is, was fleshed out by Black Library fiction and most prominently by ''Children of the Horned Rat'', a skaven sourcebook for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] 2nd edition. In CotHR, it's theorized that only one in ten skaven are female, reaching sexual maturity at the age of 2 and spending the rest of their 2 decades of life doing nothing but breed, averaging 12-24 pups a litter and 4-5 litters per year.

What's ''truly'' grimdark however, as explicitly stated in that same book is, that skaven females are actually NOT NATURALLY LIKE THIS; rather, their condition is the result of the skaven's malevolence and their need to [[fleshcrafting|"improve" upon nature]]; from a young age, skaven females are constantly dosed with Warpstone-based narcotics and hallucinogens, intended to keep them docile and segregated, so they will not protest their life of endless baby-making. There is a single line hinting that this may not be as effective as the male skaven think: "So cloistered away from the rest of their race are they that they do not learn their race’s chittering speech, nor are they proficient in even the simplest social skills…or so the Skaven believe." But still the vast majority of "Rat Mothers" spend their lives incessantly pregnant and in an interminable drug-fueled haze, often blind and/or crippled, and dependent on the ministrations of the "Ratwives" - castrated skaven who serve as nurses to the female Skaven themselves and midwives to their endless litters.

TL;DR: skaven females are practically furry [[Daemonculaba]].

Access to the females is carefully guarded. The most powerful of skaven are allowed to own one or more females for their private use - females are readily traded between clans as extremely valuable bargaining chips - and access to the communal females in the breeding pits is restricted to high-ranked or otherwise successful skaven; in one of the [[Gotrek & Felix]] novels, a Skaven is rewarded by his superior by being given permission to mate with one, whilst "Thanquol's Doom" features a skaven who partially lost his nose in an "incident" whilst mating with a breeder - apparently, she got too excited and tried to eat him.

The female Skaven's status as "bloated, indolent baby-makers" was referenced in the End Times. In "End Times: Thanquol", a Dwarf Slayer separated from the other during the battle of Karak Eight Peaks found his way into a Skaven breeding pit filled with hundreds of females in such a state, their litters and a handful of Ratwives. He killed the Ratwifes, the breeders and their litters, there being so many Skaven the Slayer's arms got sore from all the killing. Then the Slayer stumbled upon another breeding pit just as big, but by then Skaven soldiers had discovered what he did in the previous breeding pit so they swarmed him and slaughtered him. The End Times is the most recent lore on this, so it looks like the baby-factory fate is canon for most, if not all, female Skaven.

It bears mentioning that the status of the "breeders" does have some real-world basis to it. The rodent contains the only known eusocial mammals; the mole-rats, who live in colonies consisting of a single reproducing female with one (or up to three, for naked mole rats) reproducing males reigning over a large brood of sterile offspring that work as a collective to survive. In these cases, however, there are equal numbers of males and females, and it's the presence of a breeding queen and her pheromones that causes sterility into the younger mole-rats; if removed from her presence, they become fertile in turn.

It also bears mentioning that, in [[Blood Bowl]], the Skaven team comes with cheerleaders who are non-"Breeder" females, which you can tell because they have [[/d/|four big breasts each]]. But then, Blood Bowl also has [[Orcs & Goblins|fem-Orcs]], so its connection to canon of any edition after 3e is kind of dubious.

==Beastmen connection==
So, since this is a race made of humanoid rats empowered by [[Warpstone]] (which is officially described as being Chaos energy manifest), you may be wondering whether or not they're [[Beastmen]]. Well, the answer is that it kind of flips back and forth. Way back in the early editions, yes, Skaven were explicitly a break-away faction of relatively stabilised Beastmen, even pitching in with the Hordes of Chaos or spawning Chaos Champions of their own -- the "Design a [[Daemon Prince]]/Chaos God" rules in 3e's Slaves to Darkness - The Lost and The Damned even features a skaven turned Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided.

Since then, the connection has been downplayed extremely; the Empire generally describes Skaven (when they acknowledged they exist) as just "Beastmen who happen to look like rats", but there's no official connection between the two other than the fact Grey Seers have horns that signal them as important (a classically Beastman trait) and the fact both are animals mutated by Chaos-stuff. "Children of the Horned Rat", the Skaven [[splatbook]] for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], does note the existence of Grey Seers who have turned to Chaos Magic (as well as [[Necromancer|Necromancy]]), who are regarded as heretics amongst the rest of their kind.

Some fluff blurbs imply that Skaven are to dwarfs as Beastmen are to humans and they do share a lot of traits (craftsmanship ability, pride, vindictiveness and skewed gender ratios for example), though twisted and/or exaggerated on the Skaven's side. In WFRP 1e, it was stated that a spell that removes Chaos taint could turn a Beastman into a human if that Beastman survived having all that taint burned away. While the description didn't say what would happen if it was used on a Skaven, following the logic of this paragraph would say that using it on a Skaven and said Skaven managing to survive would turn it into a Dwarf.

In Age of Sigmar with the two factions technically now united under chaos there still doesn't seem to be much kinship with the two groups. Niether interacting beyond temporary alliances or in battle. And generally the other races seem to treat the Skaven and the Beastman as two different groups. There has also never been any real evidence of humans or otherwise mutating into skaven unlike Beastman. So any connection (if there is any) is scant at best and still best viewing both factions as different groups but with some surface level similarities.

==Warhammer 40k==
While no direct space Skaven exist, there are ratlike mutants described in the fluff, rat-worshiping cultists in [[Necromunda]], a [[mutant]] race called [[Ratlings]] which despite being more [[halfling]] than rat could be argued as a successor, <strike>the Imperial Guard itself which serves as uneducated and amoral xenophobes who are mass-bred and treated as currency by the Imperium with access to some nice and fancy toys which are more likely to cause teamkilling than damage to foes</strike> [[Blam|'''*BLAM*''' HERESY!]], and lastly there are the Tyranids who are 40k's version of ungodly numbers faction crossed with the [[Ogre Kingdoms]] motivation to eat everything in sight (though for different reasons). The [[Hrud]] used to be the Space Skaven, as in giant dieselpunk rat people, but that was pretty much retconned. They look different now (on the rare occasion they are mentioned in the fluff), so the only actual space Skaven are the Veer-Myn from [[Warpath]] by [[Mantic Games]]. Their models aren't the greatest things ever, but offer great potential for conversions into stuff for Clan Skryre and Warlock Engineer stuff for Fantasy. It looks like the recent Skitarii model releases may have taken inspiration from the Skaven aesthetic (though not gameplay) with their many steampunk-styled weapons, most notably the Transuranic Arquebus and Radium Jezzail. Alternatively, the Genestealer Cults are a particularly close match gameplay-wise, with lots of ambushing troops and monsters backed up by armor and artillery.

==Models==
Skaven are one of the primary things in the Warhammer IPs that are actually unique to Games Workshop. As a result, its hard to obtain miniatures for them from third party companies, which is of particular irritation to Skaven players who want Skaven Slaves to actually look like downtrodden Skaven or those who refuse to give any more money to [[Games Workshop]].

However, [[Reaper Miniatures]] thankfully has begun to produce a "Wererat" range which includes decent alternatives to Rat Ogres, Assassins, a Verminlord, and even a female Skaven with six breasts for those wanting to have the most unique Warlord in the FLGS. This is in addition to the ordinary rat models, useful for spicing up scenery or large kits (or obtaining cheap Rat Swarms). These models are produced in the "Bonesium" material in the Bones line, which while being prone to bending badly is LUDICROUSLY cheap and completely safe from being dropped from any height onto any surface. Notably, some have taken to replacing the parts notorious for bending (weapons, especially spears) and replacing them with kitbashed weapons or even greenstuff. As far as the metal range goes, Reaper also produces Barrow Rats which can be useful as Pox Rats, Giant Rats, or Rat Hounds.

A further alternative source is [[Mierce Miniatures]], in particular their Vras faction of models. They have two warrior characters, more hamster-like than rat-like in proportions but with a paintjob serve as spectacular bloated disease-spreading characters (or just fat rat bastards). More importantly, Mierce has five large creatures that serve as [[Hellpit Abominations]] or as [[Verminlords]]. "Flint-Fang, Kill-Thing of the Infernal Pits" is preferred by some as an Abomination for its less Akira and more Frankenstein appearance (some praise or are horrified by its...anatomical correctness). "Back-Cracker, Goz-Horror" is an Abomination looking more like some kind of mad science genetic horror, while "Three-Faces, the Verminous Horror" takes the basic Games Workshop Abomination and replaces "steam-powered" with "tumor". "Scar-Claw, Rat Fiend" and "Scar-Scath, Vermin-Fiend" are alternative Verminlords, and thanks to the monopose nature of the End Times Verminlord kits make decent alternatives or just sources of kitbashing materials when fielding more than one.

[[Otherworld Miniatures]] produces both small rats and naked ratmen, although the latter sadly only come in two poses.

[[Mirilton]] Ratscum resemble Slaves or Clanrats, have ratmen gunners, and ratmen cavalry riding weasels, although the sculpts are in different proportions to the Skaven in many cases and resemble older Games Workshop models (this can be a bonus to some people however).

[[Curious Constructs]] produces weapon sets including a Gatling Gun, Mortar Launcher, and Flamethrower which could be kitbashed with any ratmen models to produce the various weapons teams of the Skaven.

[[Black Tree Design]] produces ratmen monks, assassins, warriors, a rat ogre creature, and rats in gas masks with poison bombs.

[[Impact Miniatures]] produce not-[[Bloodbowl]] ratmen models that require little to no alteration to become Skaven soldiers. Or that Skaven Blood Bowl team fielded as Stormvermin for a silly army.

[[Mantic Games]] produce not-Skaven known as [[Ratkin]] for their game [[Kings of War]]. Again, Veer-Myn from Warpath can be useful for Clan Skryre and Warlock Engineer conversions.

[https://pungaminiatures.com/ Punga Miniatures] produce sculpts “inspired” by most Skaven units.

Of course, Screaming Bells and Plague Furnaces can be made with balsa wood and the kinds of things one can find at any head shop or similar purveyor of hippie paraphernalia.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Skaven.jpg|The original Skaven Clans.
Image:SkavenNutshell.png|Pretty much any Skaven, pretty much all of the time.
</gallery>

==See Also==
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Skaven|Warhammer Tactics/Skaven]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Skaven]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Masterclan|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Masterclan]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Verminus|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Verminus]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clan_Moulder| Age of Sigmar Tactics/Moulder]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clan_Eshin|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Eshin]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Skryre|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Skryre]]
* [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Skaven/Clans_Pestilens|Age of Sigmar Tactics/Pestilens]]
* [https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/57408867/ Sir Harumphington sets the record straight about these so-called "rat-men"]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV3CxvcF0/ Play this when a wave of rat men completely swamp your opponents army.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od06TLDO1CU/ “Underground” by Tom Waits, for any spelunking skaven.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaFIzPdxuF8 Every Skaven's idea of risk assessment in a nutshell]

==In Other Media==
While not ripped off as much as some of the other concepts Warhammer <strike>created</strike> expanded upon from existing sources, like Mesoamerican lizard people or Orcs/Goblins with green skin, Skaven have helped popularize rat people as a more standard fantasy race in a few places. Its theorized by some that the inclusion of [[Nezumi]] in the Asiatic settings of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Magic: The Gathering]] were inspired by the popularity of Skaven. Still, Skaven as a whole remain one of the most iconic things that are wholly unique to Warhammer. The League Of Legends character Twitch is clearly inspired by Skaven and has a line referencing them, although he lacks the insane flamboyancy compared to the setting he's in that Skaven have. They even had enough mainstream awareness to be referenced by British journalist Stewart Lee in the Guardian (comparing Brexit negotiations to Plague Monks, naturally).

The most direct and unexpected place for them to appear is being referenced to exist in both the Japanese and English versions of the anime [[Goblin Slayer]], listed off as a type of monster to specialize in studying. Just the idea of a Skaven Slayer could also be nod to [[Gotrek & Felix]]. HOW the Skaven ended up in the Four-Cornered World remains a mystery, but seeing as to how they have Gnawholes, Skittergates, and love screwing around with Warpstone which could explode and open portals, along with the capacity for building Rocket Ships, well, pick your poison.

==Non-Canon Female Skaven==
{{Promotions}}
{{Heresy}}

So it's universally agreed upon both in and out of universe that the only appropriate response to meeting a skaven is to kill them on sight, right? Well in an astounding display of hypocrisy, some [[furries]] went "yeah but I kinda also want to cuddle one?" and further demonstrated just how mentally broken certain subtypes of that culture are. So, there is an undercurrent in the darker hidden recesses of /tg/ where furfags like to talk about non-Rat Mother female skaven. Many have tried arguing that, given the reverence for the Grey Seers, combined with the Chaotic tinge of the skaven, then surely there are rare female Grey Seers who are thus spared the fate of their sisters. Others have pointed that since Breeders are heavily dosed up with chemicals, then if that fate was spared for some reason, then surely female skaven would turn out to be at least as competent as their brothers. Still others note that skaven can't resist tinkering, so it's not impossible a Grey Seer or Master Moulder might make use of a "thinking Breeder".

And, in fact, this last argument one even has a dash of canon to it: in C.L. Werner's "Grey Seer" novel, [[Thanquol]] encounters a [[Grey Seer]] (Thratquee of Under-Altdorf) who owns two personal breeders he has [[fleshcrafting|"improved"]], granting them an unusual clarity of thought, freedom of motion and muscle hidden under their chub; built like a cross between a breeder and a [[Rat Ogre]], they're essentially the skaven equivalent of [[amazon]] bodyguards, and Thanquol is simultaneously horrified and a little impressed at the realization that these "harmless females" will actually kill any skaven who dare to threaten their mate. This makes them the ultimate bodyguards in the eternal backstab-fest that is skaven society.

All of these arguments are reaching, understandably (I mean, why not just work with the idea of some developing an immunity or something?). But that hasn't stopped fans from dabbling in fem-skaven [[Your dudes|homebrew characters]] or [[Rule 34|more cheesecake-level artwork]]. One infamous skaven-loving furry even created his own homebrew clan of renegade female skaven, Clan Sniek, an offshoot clan of Clan Eshin who scavenge on the outskirts of skaven society and raid weaker warlord clans to steal away their females to bolster their own numbers. Clan Sniek is also known to "dabble" with human men, for pleasure and/or procreative purposes; there's even a named Gutter Runner female in a relationship with an Imperial human. His artwork tends to pop up whenever a [[ratfolk]] thread does or the topic of non-Breeder female skaven arises.

Thus, the argument about whether or not Rat Mothers are interesting will probably rage forever. You'd think that with the talks of non-breeder females and Clan Sniek that there would be more Sniek, fem-rats, or even Skaven related stories in general at the Smut archive, but hey what are you gonna do? You can't fap it to femskaven stories if there are no femskaven stories.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Femskaven 1.jpg|Fanart of femSkaven.
Image:Femskaven 2.jpg|More fanart depicting femSkaven experiments.
Image:Reaper Wererat Matriarch.png|The Reaper "Wererat Matriarch" for those wanting to field a non-giant female Skaven model.
Image:Wererat Female.jpg|What an unmodified female Skaven would probably look like.
Image:FemSkaven Chieftain Uberous.jpg|Breeder or no, female skaven would admittedly probably spend more time pregnant than not.
Image:Female Gutter Runner.jpg|Sneaking around in the human's storehouses clearly has its advantages.
Image:Female Poison Wind Globadier.jpg|
Image:Female Stormvermin.jpg|Being high in the clan's totem pole has its perks.
Image:Futa Master Molder.jpg|Some Master Moulders go [[dickgirl|a lot further]] than others when it comes to [[fleshcrafting]].
Image:Female Stormvermin Fangleader.jpg
File:Longhaired skaven assassin.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

;Clan Sniek
<center>
<gallery>
Image:Gutter Runner of Clan Sniek.jpg|A Gutter Runner of Clan Sniek; the clan relies on stealth for survival.
Image:Assassin of Clan Sniek.jpg|An Assassin of Clan Sniek; they tend to focus more on other skaven than on humans.
Image:Packmaster of Clan Sniek.jpg|Clan Sniek's packmasters specialize in capturing human men - sometimes as slaves, sometimes as breeding partners.
Image:Master Assassin of Clan Sniek.jpg|Almost Prophet, a mutant female skaven born with pale fur but no horns, Master Assassin and founder of Clan Sniek.
Image:Grey Seer of Clan Sniek.jpg|Clan Sniek's Grey Seer yearns to dethrone Almost Prophet and rule the clan herself.
Image:Master Molder of Clan Sniek.jpg|Tichiz, Clan Sniek's Master Moulder, is perhaps the most feared skaven in the clan.
Image:Sorceress of Clan Sniek.jpg|Vaquit Silverspit, a female skaven sorcerer, wields great power in Clan Sniek for both her mastery of the Dark Lore of Stealth and her expertise with her rifle.
Image:Verminqueen.jpg|The mysterious Verminqueen is the dark patron of Clan Sniek.
Image:Audience with the Verminqueen.jpg|Sometimes, the Verminqueen deigns to tryst with mortals.
</gallery>
</center>

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle}}
{{Skaven-Clans}}
{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Skaven]]
[[Category:Furry]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:43:05Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. Have crossbred with the humans of Far Harad to create a race of Half-Trolls.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of aquatic ghoul-like undead.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

Nauglath: Wicked Dwarves.

Giants: Huge humanoids.

Ogres: In-between Orc and Troll in Size.

Goblin-Men: A hybrid of lesser orcs and humans. Look mostly human, and often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin.

Uruk-Hai: A hybrid of orcs and goblin-men, so they're 3/4th orcish? This granted them the superior size and strength of humans.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:39:51Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. Have crossbred with the humans of Far Harad to create a race of Half-Trolls.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of aquatic ghoul-like undead.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

Nauglath: Wicked Dwarves.

Giants: Huge humanoids.

Ogres: In-between Orc and Troll in Size.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-19T22:38:14Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Named Gargants */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause no one wants to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygmy Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:36:58Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of aquatic ghoul-like undead.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

Nauglath: Wicked Dwarves.

Giants: Huge humanoids.

Ogres: In-between Orc and Troll in Size.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:29:57Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of aquatic ghoul-like undead.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:29:05Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of aquatic ghoul-like undead.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:28:04Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:26:03Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Originally imagined to be humanoid wyrms, AKA wingless dragons, such as how werewolves in Middle Earth were just humanoid wolves and Vampires were humanoid Bats. They were later reimagined in more recent movies and games to be Sandworms like something from Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:24:19Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Werewolves: Humanoid wolves created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Humanoid bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Originally imagined to be humanoid wyrms, AKA wingless dragons, such as how werewolves in Middle Earth were just humanoid wolves and Vampires were humanoid Bats. They were later reimagined in more recent movies and games to be Sandworms like something from Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:23:18Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Other Creatures */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

Were-Wyrms: Originally imagined to be humanoid wyrms, AKA wingless dragons, such as how werewolves in Middle Earth were just humanoid wolves and Vampires were humanoid Bats. They were later reimagined in more recent movies and games to be Sandworms like something from Dune or Tremors.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:17:55Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Mordor */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Middle Earth

2022-07-19T22:17:22Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Mordor */

'''Middle-Earth''' is the setting where the events of [[The Hobbit]], [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]] take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the ''real'' Middle Earth.

== General clarification ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|thumb|300px|The known regions of Middle-Earth]]Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be '''Arda'''. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was [[Star Wars|Endor]], possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

== Regions ==
===Eriador===
Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens.
*'''The Shire''' - Here be [[Hobbits]]. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonised fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving. At the centre is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
*'''Bree''' - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region.
*'''Old Forest''' - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, [[Tom Bombadil]] and his wife also live here, and will guide travellers to safety.
*'''Barrow-Downs''' - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
*'''Rivendell''' - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
*'''Amon Sûl''' - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
*'''Grey Havens''' - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
*'''Arnor''' - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
*'''Eregion''' - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
*'''Forodwaith and Forochel''' - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.

===Rohan===
The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.
*'''Edoras''' - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall ''Meduseld'' stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
*'''Helm's Deep''' - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King ''Helm Hammerhand''. The castle keep; the ''Hornburg''; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
*'''Dunharrow''' - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
*'''Fangorn Forest''' - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the [[Treeman|Ent]]s, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
*'''Isengard''' - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of ''Orthanc'', which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
*'''Dunland''' - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

===Gondor===
The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
*'''Osgiliath''' - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
*'''Dol Amroth''' - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
*'''Pelargir''' - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
*'''Ithilien''' - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
*'''Lossarnach''' - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
*'''Anórien''' - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

===Misty Mountains===
A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.
*'''Pass of Caradhras''' - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
*'''Moria''' - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of [[Mithril]], but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the [[Balrog]] known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
*'''Goblin-Town''' - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
*'''Angmar''' - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted ''Rhudaur''; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of ''Cardolan'' and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of ''Arthedain''; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
*'''Mount Gundabad''' - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

===Rhovanion===
The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.
*'''Mirkwood''' - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
*'''Lothlórien''' - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
*'''Erebor''' - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed.
*'''Dale & Laketown''' - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
*'''Amon Hen''' - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
*'''Emyn Muil''' - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
*'''Dagorlad''' - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly [[Will-o-Wisp|Will-o-Wisp-like]] apparitions within the waters.
*'''Dol Guldur''' - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

===Mordor===
[[Meme|One does not simply walk to Mordor.]] A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.
*'''Udûn''' - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
*'''Gorgoroth''' - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgorond.
*'''Nurn''' - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of [[Meme|maggoty bread]] to feed the workers and the armies.
*'''Minas Morgul''' - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
*'''Cirith Ungol''' - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
*'''Mount Doom''' - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
*'''Barad-Dûr''' - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
*'''The Black Gate/Morannon''' - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
*'''Durthang''' - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

===Rhûn===
A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.
*'''Cuiviénen''': located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
*'''Hildorien''': south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the ''Edain'' and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

===Harad===
The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles.
*'''Harondor''' - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still livable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
*'''Near Harad''' - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
*'''Haradwaith''' - An even larger desert that makes up the centre and east of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
*'''Lostladen''' - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
*'''Far Harad''' - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
*'''Umbar''' - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
*'''Khand''' - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word ''Variag'' being derived from the Russian word for ''Varangian'' implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

===Beleriand===
A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.
*'''Gondolin''' - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, [[The Silmarillion|look it up]]). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
*'''Doriath''' - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, [[Book of Grudges|avenging the extermination of the petty-dwarves and centuries of insults besides]], even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't give a damn about the petty-dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
*'''Nargothrond''' - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
*'''Angband''' - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
*'''Minas Tirith''' - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. [[Irony|It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron]] for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
*'''Ossiriand''' - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

===Hithlum===
Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

==Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story==
===Aman===
Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age).
*'''Valinor''' - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
*'''Tirion''' - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
*'''Tol Eressëa''' - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
*'''Halls of Mandos'''- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.

===Númenor===
Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was ''Elros Tar-Minyatur'', the Half-Elven son of ''Eärendil'' and ''Elwing''. Like his brother ''Elrond'', the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, ''Aragorn'', lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak ''Menelterma''.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

==Important Characters==
{{Stub}}
===Humans===
The second-born of [[God|Eru Ilúvatar’s]] children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.
==== Edain of the First Age and Outlaws ====
The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.
* '''Beren Erchamion''' (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for [[Awesome|stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy]] and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium).
* '''Hurin Thalion:'''(the Steadfast)
* '''Turin Turambar''' (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, known to be '''THE''' Kullervo expy way before [[Elric]].
* '''Tuor Eladar''' (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, notable for saving the survivors of Gondolin. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond.
* '''The Gaurwaith''': The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
===== Followers of Melkor in the First Age =====
*'''Ulfang the Black''': Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. [[Lorgar|Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along.]] [[Horus Heresy|And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).]]
==== Númenóreans ====
The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.
*'''Pre-Schism Edain''':
** '''Elros''', or '''Tar-Minyatur''' as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
*'''The King's Men''' - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
** '''Tar-Atanamir,''' founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom.
** '''Ar-Phârazon the Golden,''' last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
*'''The Faithful''' - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
**'''Tar-Palantir,''' the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies.
**'''Elendil,''' had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

==== Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans ====
Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the ''Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor''.
* '''Isildur''' - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
* '''Anarion'''- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
* '''Gondorians''': The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
** '''Denethor II''' - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed [[Grimdark|the death of everyone and triumph of evil]]. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
** '''Boromir''':
** '''Faramir''':
** '''Prince Imrahil''':
* '''Arnorians''': The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
**'''Chieftains of the Dúnedain''':
**''' Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar)''': Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
*'''Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar''': Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

==== Men of Middle Earth ====
Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.
*'''Northmen/Men of the North'''
Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.
**'''Rohan'''
***'''Théoden''': King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
***'''Théodred''': Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
***'''Eomer''': Nephew of Theodred and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
***'''Eowen''': Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
***'''Grima Wormtongue''': Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
**'''Dale'''
***'''Bard the Bowman''': First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
***'''Master of Lake-Town''': an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
*'''The Wildmen of Dunland''': Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
*'''Beornings and Woodsmen'''
*'''Druedain'''
*'''Men of the East'''
**'''Rhun'''
*'''Men of the South'''
**'''Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad'''
**'''Men of Khand/Variags of Khand'''

===Elves===
Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland.
==== Vanyar ====
The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.
* '''Ingwë:''' The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
* '''Ingwion''': The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
* '''Indis''': second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

==== Noldor ====
The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.
* '''Finwë Ñoldóran''' ('''Finu'''): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
* '''Curufinwë Fëanáro''' ('''Fëanor'''): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
* '''Nelyafinwë Maitimo''' ('''Maedhros'''): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, [[RAGE|which was not approved by his younger brothers]]. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
* '''Ñolofinwë Aracáno''' ('''Fingolfin'''): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
* '''Arafinwë Ingoldo''' ('''Finarfin'''): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
* '''Kanafinwë Makalaurë''' ('''Maglor'''): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
* '''Telperinquar Kurufinwion''' ('''Celebrimbor'''): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
* '''Findekáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Fingon'''): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
* '''Turukáno Ñolofinwion''' ('''Turgon'''): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
* '''Artafindë Ingoldo''' ('''Finrod'''): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
* '''Artaresto Angarátowion''' ('''Orodreth'''): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
* '''Artanis Nerwen''' ('''Galadriel'''): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor and in an insult to him gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time.
* '''Artanáro Artarestowion''' ('''Gil-galad'''): The son of <s>Finrod</s> <s>Fingon</s> Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.

==== Teleri ====
The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.
* '''Olwë'''
* '''Eärwen'''

==== Sindar ====
Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.
* '''Elu Thingol''' ('''Elwë Singollo'''): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
* '''Lúthien Tinúviel''': Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
* '''Círdan Ciryatan''' (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a ''beard'') and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
* '''Mablung'''
* '''Beleg Cúthalion''': Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
* '''Eöl Moredhel''':
* '''Celeborn'''
* '''Thranduil''': Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
* '''Legolas'''

==== Nandor ====
Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the '''Silvan''' Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.
* '''Haldir'''
* '''Nimrodel'''

==== Avari ====
Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

=== Dwarves ===
The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.
====Dwarves of the First Age====
*'''Durin''' (the Deathless):
*'''Telcar''':
=====Petty-Dwarves=====
The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were [[Grimdark|hunted down like animals]] in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.
*'''Mîm's Family''': Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses. Their mothers death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

====Dwarves of the Second Age====
*'''Narvi'''
====Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages====
Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may have been given elven life alongside his friend Legolas.
*'''Gimli son Gloin''': Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
*'''Thrór''':
*'''Thrain II''':
*'''Thorin II (Oakenshield)''':
*'''Companions of Thorin Oakenshield''':
**'''Gloin''':
**'''Balin son of Fundin''':
**'''Fili and Kili''':
*'''Dáin II (Ironfoot)''':
*'''Thorin III (Stonehelm)''':
*'''Durin VII (The Last)''': The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

===Hobbits===
Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See [[Hobbits]] for more details.

===Valar, Maiar, and anything in between===
See [[Ainur]].

===Orcs===
See [[Orcs]].

===Other Creatures===
Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description, for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery. Not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred orcs are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Mewlips: evil creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypical dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as war beasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times.

==Languages==
Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

* '''Quenya''' - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
* '''Sindarin''' - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
* '''Westron''' - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
* '''Rohirric''' - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
* '''Dalish''' - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
* '''Adunaic'''- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
*'''Khuzdul''' - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
* '''Entish''' - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
* '''Black Speech''' - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called ''Orkish''. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-07-19T22:15:19Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Named Gargants */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of copyright speak), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause no one wants to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, who brewed a lake of moonshine in his father's guts, causing him to retch him into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. While he was asleep, his body would become covered by earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Cave Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, Snotling, Grot, or some form of Pygny Orruk, but they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Kroot

2022-07-19T22:09:49Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9: /* Gallery */

{{cleanup}}
[[Image:Kroot.png|thumbnail|right|300px|In Tau Empire, chicken eats YOU!]]

{{topquote|They are fierce indeed these Kroot, and savage. I look upon them and tremble at their ferocity. I can only hope that when the enemy sees them they tremble as I do.|Por'vre Tau Cho, Water caste envoy}}

The '''Kroot''' (''Krootis <s>spencer here</s> aviana'') are a vassal species to the [[Tau|Tau Empire]]. Rather bitey. Basically carnivorous space chickens who look like a cross between the dreadlocked aliens from ''Predator'' and ancient [[Terra|Terran]] terror birds, with a bit of D&D's [[Aarakocra]] thrown in. They steal genetic traits of things they eat, and work for people who aren't the Tau. Which means they are cool.

However, the Kroot see little support from [[Games Workshop]] and players in general, likely due to the fact that their odd stats, high frailty despite being billed as a melee force, and lack of wargear in the Tau list make them less than effective, and their [[Warhammer_40,000/Chapter_Approved/Kroot_Mercenaries|mercenary codex]] is from an old [[Chapter Approved]] (and thus no longer legal).

For those interested, there's [[Codex - Kroots: /tg/'s 9th Edition]]. Most people will let you use it in a friendly game.

As of the most recent [[Dark Eldar]] codex, the [[Haemonculus]] Covens has taken a liking to the way Kroot gastronomy reacts to evolution and had conducted a gigantic raid which, to put it lightly, utterly destroyed Pech a new one. The Dark Eldar pretty much [[Looted]] nearly the entire biosphere of Pech including a several dozen Kroot Shapers, seriously we aren't even joking on the whole looted part. Essentially the Dark Eldar almost [[Exterminatus]] an entire planet through [[Blood Ravens|sheer theft that would make a Bloody Magpie proud.]] Suffice it to say, Pech was saved by a counterattack by the Tau, but by then it was too little too late. The Kroot's homeworld lay devastated and the rescuing Tau party was greeted with a grisly scene of mutilated Kroot corpses laid out in Eldar Lexicon which translates to, "[[Rape|Welcome to the feast.]]" The Tau in all their naive weeaboo hats, promptly shat themselves a brown stinky brick whilst the captured Kroots were promptly turned into KFC. Since that day, the Tau have encountered many similar messages on their worlds, which may just paint a sign that our little weeaboos will be the Dark Eldar's new buddy.

It is uncertain, and probably unlikely, that we will ever get a kroot codex thanks to the Imperium centric focus of the setting. Thanks Geedubs. However, we ''did'' get Kill Team rules for a Kroot Mercenary faction in the January 2019 White Dwarf. Strictly fun and noncompetitive, but it's ''something''.

GOOD NEWS! With all the new options with Ninth edition, it is now possible to run a <strike>mostly</strike> Kroot Army! EDIT: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/01/26/field-an-entire-army-of-upgraded-kroot-with-codex-tau-empire/ | Now you can run an entirely Kroot army!]

GOOD NEWS! With the new boxset of Kill Team: Into The Dark, The Kroot have their own specialist Kill Team.

==Physiology==
[[File:OW EOI Kroot Shaper.png|thumbnail|right|300px|''By instinctively isolating and analysing the DNA contained with the flesh of potential food sources, these exceptional Kroot, known as Shapers, can determine whether the prey’s characteristics are favourable or detrimental to the genetic advancement of their Kindred, and can thereby guide the development of the other Kroot. They are the wardens and caretakers of their Kindred’s genetic inheritance, and they guard it against regression, corruption, and unwanted mutation.'']]
[[Xenology]] suggests that the reason Kroot are humanoid, able to walk and think, and able to build weapons and spacecraft is because at one time in their history, an [[Ork]] ship crashed on Pech (the Kroot's home planet). The Kroot promptly started eating the dazed survivors of this crash (how they managed to not end up with a full-blown Ork infestation remains anyone's guess. Maybe the kroot lick their plates when they are done eating, leading to no spores left behind, anyone's guess.) and subsequently managed to gain some of the Orks' innate understanding for technology, as well as a measure of their resilience. Oh, and the basic humanoid body layout on top of that. Two arms, bipedal gait, the whole shebang. Evidence for this are pieces of wreckage marked with Ork glyphs scattered all over Pech that the Kroot regard as sacred objects, as well as the presence of hybrid fungal matter in parts of their body. It could thus be argued that the Kroot are an entire race of "Half-Orks", or at least Hybridized with the Orkoid Fungus genetic genome to a degree. Also, "Kroot" spelled backwards is "To ork." It is unknown if this is intentional. The "Mother" of the Kroot race in their Legend is called '''Vawk the Huntress''', and her rival, '''Gmork''', whose description matches Gorkamorka/Gork and Mork, along with the name sounding like Gork and Mork smashed together. When Vawk took bites out of Gmork, his blood poisoned and killed her, but as she dies, she vomited forth the Ancestral '''Kroothawks''' out upon Planet '''Pech'''. Also, Kroot starts like Krork, the original Orkoids who devolved into modern Orkoids.

For some reason, the fluff likes to point out how revolting the Kroot are for their carnivorous practices, even though, when you really stop and think about it, the Kroot are one of the more morally upright races around. They're explicitly not xenophobic racists, they ''have to'' eat dead sapients to stay intelligent (unlike, say, [[Space Marines]] and [[Tyranids]] who also eat people's brains to gain knowledge, or the fucking [[Dark Eldar]], who do it purely for lulz), and they're not notably more cruel than anyone else but the Tau, who seem to be the only people in the universe who more or less tolerate them. Although this may have to do with point of view, most of the time it's the Tau or [[Imperial Guard]] who would find the eating of the dead, friend or foe, gross. Tyranids are viewed as mindless animals, so eating things isn't as "wrong" for them, and most people forgot Space Marines can gain knowledge by eating brains [[Blood_Angels#Red_Thirst|(occasionally chasing it with fresh squeezed blood)]]. Most who do spend their time around Kroot generally seem to like them, though. The "revolting" part may be more of a knee-jerk reaction from people not used to seeing bird people eating dudes.

You may have noticed that this article talks a lot about eating. According to Chapter Approved in [[White Dwarf]], the Kroot physiology basically revolves around their mouth. They have multiple stomachs, no excretory organs (what they can't digest, they puke up), and females even breed by transforming a stomach into a womb and then vomiting up the baby/babies when it's/they're full grown. Take a wild guess how they conceive.

...The answer is back rubs. Male Kroot have specialized pores that secrete a gene-bearing bio-fluid (what experts refer to as "alien bird-jizz") on their palms, whilst female Kroot have "receptor pores" for this fluid on the smalls of their back. So when two Kroot make babies, the male has to give the female a back rub. Yeah, we thought it would be [[Heterosexual Sex in the Missionary Position|kinkier]], too. The main question though is why would they need sexual reproduction in the first place, since it's goal is intermixing genomes to spread useful genes, and they already have controlled horizontal gene transfer on par with fucking Tyranids, which is orders of magnitude more efficient. Guess, noone in GeeDubs attended Genetics 101.

Fun Fact: they are the only nonhuman species that can have [[Blank]]s, likely because they ate one at some point.

==Culture==

Kroot also moonlight as [[Codex - Kroots: /tg/'s 9th Edition|mercenaries]] for races other than the Tau, though about the only sapient beings whose flesh they won't eat are the Tau, since the Tau saved them from extinction. Mercenary bands eat lots of different stuff, and so [[Kroot_Kindreds|can have various genetic traits]]. Thus, Kroot can use [[Eldar|Weeaboo Fightan Magiks]], be [[Orks|cunnin' but fighty]], or have [[Space Marines|balls of steel]], depending on who they've eaten, but not as well as the originals. Eating [[Chaos]]-types causes Bad Things™ to happen. They also refuse to eat the 'Nids, because the Shapers, the Kroot leaders, fear becoming slaves to the [[Hive Mind]] (though realistically there'd eventually come along one or two Kroot dumb enough to do it anyway). They also can't eat anyone infected by the [[Necron]]s' Nanites because Nanites will turn Kroot into another Necron/[[C'Tan]] zombie slave. They also get paid in weapons, allowing them to use Imperial and Tau special weapons together, and nearly their entire army can infiltrate, <strike>and get 1st turn assault if they're lucky</strike> (NOPE, 6th edition ended that shit). Kroot don't use tanks or much in the way of tech (aside from [[Kroot Rifle|long rifle-like guns with blades on both ends]]), instead using native animals derived from the Kroot genus. They have attack dogs, gorillas with elephant guns, riding beasts like allosaurs, and really big riding beasts like T. rexes. Think the Gungans from ''The Phantom Menace'', only <s>not totally lame</s> [[Awesome]]. There is no contention that Kroot are exponentially cooler than Gungans. More meat? Good! BWWAAAK! 

They also have a rather dark sense of humor; for example, offering human meat to human diplomats because [[Troll|they think seeing their reactions are funny.]] This is also shown in the second Last Chancers book "Kill Team", where Kage is forced to eat a human brain (while he goes into horrific detail about the taste and texture). After this, the Kroot reveals that this was a secret test of character, but also that it was good for shits and giggles. In general, the Kroot sense of humor revolves around making other people profoundly uncomfortable. For example, a Kroot might walk into the same elevator as a Water Caste diplomat, turn up her pungent pheromones to full blast, and silently laugh her bird-woman ass off as the increasingly-uncomfortable fellow passenger tries to ignore it with less and less success.

Kroot also have shamans (psykers). They pilot warp ships called [[Warspheres]]; ''very'' large, spherical vessels of dubious quality but nonetheless capable of warp travel. Warspheres also double as mobile communities for the Kroot when they are away from Pech.

In the short story "Warsphere", which all of ten people have read, where Dahyak Grekh of Blackstone Fortress fame tricks a dark eldar Archon into giving up the location of said Blackstone Fortress, we gain a little bit of insight into the technology and culture of the Kroot on their eponymous space-cities. On a spiritual level, the Kroot believe in a warrior-spirit named Vawk the Huntress, who assumedly blessed the Warsphere of the story, and that vast chambers and halls of their ships are carved with the histories of the Kindred who made them. We also learn that the Kroot are incredibly proud of their heritage, and even think its funny that someone would try to repair a warsphere, thinking that no one but the Kroot could understand its technology. Oh, and that the Kroot can learn the memories of the things they eat, such as the location of a Blackstone Fortress. On a technological level, they are riddled with traps that are impossible to disarm without the aid of a Kroot, as their user manuals consist of memory-imbued scraps of flesh and totemic symbols. Oh, also, Warspheres have mechanical birds that defend the insides.

The book Liber Xenologicus gives more details on the Kroot religion. In their origin myth, Vawk the Huntress flew across the primordial chaos of the Nothingsea until she encountered the rival god Gmork. This battle was so intense that it created the stars and planets of the galaxy. Vawk gained Gmork's strength by drinking his blood and so was able to defeat him, but it was a short lived victory as his blood was poisonous. Her last act before perishing was to descend to the planet Pech, where her feathers became the forest and bones became the mountains, and vomit a great flock of eagles into the sky. This is likely a crude genetic memory of the Kroot's original evolution into sapience by eating Orks.

==Known Kroot Forms==
As mentioned above, the downside of Kroot consumptive evolution is that it's really easy for them to get "stuck" on the wrong path and devolve permanently into an atavistic form. As a consequence, every animal-filled ecological niche on Pech is now filled by some form of degenerated kroot. But, so far, only a select handful of Kroot offshoots have been explicitly called out...

*'''[[Kroot Hound]]s''' are one of the most iconic of these strains, having been around since the Kroot were released. These Kroot degenerated into small, sleek, pack-hunting quadrupeds, easily tamed by their still-sapient cousins.
* '''[[Krootox]]es''' are the second-most iconic Kroot strains; degenerated into hulking, ape-like herbivores, they're mostly used as beasts of burden and as mobile mounts for heavy artillery.
*'''[[Lesser Knarloc]]s''' are sort of a step-up from the Kroot Hounds, being analogous to either a pack-hunting terror-bird or a more avian pack of velociraptors. Kroot like to ride them as cavalry.
*'''[[Great Knarloc]]s''' are much, ''much'' bigger, solo-hunter variants of the standard Knarlocs. If a lesser Knarloc is a Velociraptor, the great one is a beaky T-Rex.
*'''Krootors''' are swamp-dwelling, amphibious predators, essentially a Krootified alligator. Their only known appearance in the canon so far is in [[Black Crusade (RPG)|The Screaming Vortex]], on the planet Asphodel.
*'''Kroothawks''' are either another offshoot of the kroot species, like the hounds, or the ancestral grandaddy of the whole shebang, as supposedly when their creator-goddess Vawk was dying she vomited a crap ton of them into Pech's sky. Whichever is the case, the kroot venerate the hawks and use their likeness in their totems and rituals. Unfortunately, we've never seen a kroothawk model or image, so how big they are or what they exactly look like is up to debate, but they're basically pterodactyls.

==TL;DR==

Kroot: Shoot like Tau with bolters. Move and hit like Eldar. Die like Guardsmen. (And have an amour save that will save them from [[lasgun|lasguns]] and nothing else—16% of the time) As of 8th, Kroot lost infiltrate for a Scout move, and hit like Space Marines in close combat. As of 9th, Kroot have a slight buff (but still awful) to their save in cover but their strength, attacks, and armor penetration was buffed, with the Shaper even being given the option to throw a once in a battle grenade belt.

==Building list==
Do you like to win more than you like to have fun? No? Good, you might enjoy a full Kroot list in the 9th ed. version of the Kroot Mercenaries / T'au Empire. With the welcome promotion of the shaper to an HQ unit, coupled with their own relics and warlord traits, you're free to run wild and eat your enemies to your heart's content.
*A small note, however, is that including but a single ethereal, despite being counter to a pure kroot army, goes a long way in the effectiveness of your kindred. With a single floating hippy, you gain access to a <Sept> for the detachment, which should always be Dal'yth, so then your Kroot (and your vespids if you're feeling saucy) can benefit from Tactical Philosophies. On top of that, Ethereals can chant a prayer explicitly for upgrading Auxiliaries. It might be worth kitbashing an ethereal to look like a kroot shaman, but all-in-all, it should be a serious consideration, unless you're a die-hard fan of Predator and Halo's jackals.
*Secondly, unless you're willing to dip into Legends or used Unaligned units, your army won't end up being very diverse. While its very possible to get over 1k of mainline bords, your liable to field up to 80-100 models in carnivores alone, which is just. . . a lot to manage. But! If your gaming group is chill with it (and they should be because fighting an army of pure kroot seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity), the inclusion of the Legends units really helps make the list more well-rounded.
**Unfortunately, with the transition into 9th, Dahyak Grekh got the axe as a unit, but not before leaving a lasting impression. His model can be used to represent a shaper with an alternative set of wargear, giving them them a pistol and grenade belt in exchange for their ritual blade. The kroot may have lost their Sly Marbo, but he shall never be forgotten.

In terms of list-building, the kroot benefit from the fact that no units are competing for slots. Shapers are your only options for HQs (unless you're taking an ethereal, but we'll circle back to that), carnivores are your only troops, so on and so forth. This is because of the '''Kroot Pack''' rule that carnivores have, which means that for every squad of them you take, up to one unit each of shapers/krootoxen/hounds can be taken without filling a slot. Meaning that hounds and knarloc riders will never compete for fast attack slots (because you should just run the hounds as NOFOS), and if you're feeling adventurous, you can spam three ethereals for your obligatory HQ slots, and still take up to three shapers (for the same reason). Round out the list with some Great Knarlocs in your heavy support, and you have something that actually resembles an army.

Gameplay wise, the Kroot benefit from being fast and having ok melee. Shapers, carnivores, and hounds all get a pre-game move before the game begins, while both types of knarlocs can auto-advance 6", and hounds can re-roll advances and charges. Coupled with one of your warlord traits, you can even still keep up all the shooting while they're all advancing up the board. At the same time, while they are realistically a horde army, the sheer volume of their melee should be enough to surpass some of the low-tier armies on the assault, but naturally you'll crumple against every army that's better at melee, as Kroot universally have shitty armor saves and no invulns, with your only durability boost coming from a stratagem.
*Ironically, however, a somewhat competent gunline can be made from massed krootoxes, your best shooting unit, an attending shaper for re-roll 1s to hit, and at least one baggage harness Great Knarloc for exploding 6s to hit. With a potential 18 auto-cannon shots (plus more if you're adding Great Knarlocs with their own guns to the mix) you've got some pretty scary fire coming down wind.

You're not likely to win anything with this army, but you are basically free to goof around. You aren't strong or competitive in any way, but part of this hobby is fun, so shut up and have fun.

== Modelling ==
A slight issue with the Kroot range is that it's incredibly small and unsupported. In that, GW has only ever made a handful of kits for them, the majority being metal or resin. The only plastic Kroot kit is the carnivores, while knarlocs and great knarlocs, their most badass kits, haven't been supported in years.

However, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, my fellow bird-lovers! If you don't mind 3rd party, there's a seller on Etsy that makes off-brand Kroot models that are honestly pretty fucking fire. He's made remodels of the long-lost knarlocs, resin prints of hounds, alternative bits to make regular Kroot look sci-fi, and even has some GSC/Kroot prints. Honestly he does a good job, nuff said.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MasterShaperFelix?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1051976211

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Image:YesIagree.png|They also have quite a way with words.
Image:Kroot_Maw-Krusha.jpg|They would do well in the Mortal Realms, as this Kroot Maw-Krusha conversion shows.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tau]]

[[Category: Kroot]]

[[Category:Minor Xenos Species]]

{{Template:Tau}}

{{Template:Important Species in 40k}}

Kroot

2022-07-19T22:08:59Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:517A:C692:EE80:41B9:

{{cleanup}}
[[Image:Kroot.png|thumbnail|right|300px|In Tau Empire, chicken eats YOU!]]

{{topquote|They are fierce indeed these Kroot, and savage. I look upon them and tremble at their ferocity. I can only hope that when the enemy sees them they tremble as I do.|Por'vre Tau Cho, Water caste envoy}}

The '''Kroot''' (''Krootis <s>spencer here</s> aviana'') are a vassal species to the [[Tau|Tau Empire]]. Rather bitey. Basically carnivorous space chickens who look like a cross between the dreadlocked aliens from ''Predator'' and ancient [[Terra|Terran]] terror birds, with a bit of D&D's [[Aarakocra]] thrown in. They steal genetic traits of things they eat, and work for people who aren't the Tau. Which means they are cool.

However, the Kroot see little support from [[Games Workshop]] and players in general, likely due to the fact that their odd stats, high frailty despite being billed as a melee force, and lack of wargear in the Tau list make them less than effective, and their [[Warhammer_40,000/Chapter_Approved/Kroot_Mercenaries|mercenary codex]] is from an old [[Chapter Approved]] (and thus no longer legal).

For those interested, there's [[Codex - Kroots: /tg/'s 9th Edition]]. Most people will let you use it in a friendly game.

As of the most recent [[Dark Eldar]] codex, the [[Haemonculus]] Covens has taken a liking to the way Kroot gastronomy reacts to evolution and had conducted a gigantic raid which, to put it lightly, utterly destroyed Pech a new one. The Dark Eldar pretty much [[Looted]] nearly the entire biosphere of Pech including a several dozen Kroot Shapers, seriously we aren't even joking on the whole looted part. Essentially the Dark Eldar almost [[Exterminatus]] an entire planet through [[Blood Ravens|sheer theft that would make a Bloody Magpie proud.]] Suffice it to say, Pech was saved by a counterattack by the Tau, but by then it was too little too late. The Kroot's homeworld lay devastated and the rescuing Tau party was greeted with a grisly scene of mutilated Kroot corpses laid out in Eldar Lexicon which translates to, "[[Rape|Welcome to the feast.]]" The Tau in all their naive weeaboo hats, promptly shat themselves a brown stinky brick whilst the captured Kroots were promptly turned into KFC. Since that day, the Tau have encountered many similar messages on their worlds, which may just paint a sign that our little weeaboos will be the Dark Eldar's new buddy.

It is uncertain, and probably unlikely, that we will ever get a kroot codex thanks to the Imperium centric focus of the setting. Thanks Geedubs. However, we ''did'' get Kill Team rules for a Kroot Mercenary faction in the January 2019 White Dwarf. Strictly fun and noncompetitive, but it's ''something''.

GOOD NEWS! With all the new options with Ninth edition, it is now possible to run a <strike>mostly</strike> Kroot Army! EDIT: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/01/26/field-an-entire-army-of-upgraded-kroot-with-codex-tau-empire/ | Now you can run an entirely Kroot army!]

GOOD NEWS! With the new boxset of Kill Team: Into The Dark, The Kroot have their own specialist Kill Team.

==Physiology==
[[File:OW EOI Kroot Shaper.png|thumbnail|right|300px|''By instinctively isolating and analysing the DNA contained with the flesh of potential food sources, these exceptional Kroot, known as Shapers, can determine whether the prey’s characteristics are favourable or detrimental to the genetic advancement of their Kindred, and can thereby guide the development of the other Kroot. They are the wardens and caretakers of their Kindred’s genetic inheritance, and they guard it against regression, corruption, and unwanted mutation.'']]
[[Xenology]] suggests that the reason Kroot are humanoid, able to walk and think, and able to build weapons and spacecraft is because at one time in their history, an [[Ork]] ship crashed on Pech (the Kroot's home planet). The Kroot promptly started eating the dazed survivors of this crash (how they managed to not end up with a full-blown Ork infestation remains anyone's guess. Maybe the kroot lick their plates when they are done eating, leading to no spores left behind, anyone's guess.) and subsequently managed to gain some of the Orks' innate understanding for technology, as well as a measure of their resilience. Oh, and the basic humanoid body layout on top of that. Two arms, bipedal gait, the whole shebang. Evidence for this are pieces of wreckage marked with Ork glyphs scattered all over Pech that the Kroot regard as sacred objects, as well as the presence of hybrid fungal matter in parts of their body. It could thus be argued that the Kroot are an entire race of "Half-Orks", or at least Hybridized with the Orkoid Fungus genetic genome to a degree. Also, "Kroot" spelled backwards is "To ork." It is unknown if this is intentional. The "Mother" of the Kroot race in their Legend is called '''Vawk the Huntress''', and her rival, '''Gmork''', whose description matches Gorkamorka/Gork and Mork, along with the name sounding like Gork and Mork smashed together. When Vawk took bites out of Gmork, his blood poisoned and killed her, but as she dies, she vomited forth the Ancestral '''Kroothawks''' out upon Planet '''Pech'''. Also, Kroot starts like Krork, the original Orkoids who devolved into modern Orkoids.

For some reason, the fluff likes to point out how revolting the Kroot are for their carnivorous practices, even though, when you really stop and think about it, the Kroot are one of the more morally upright races around. They're explicitly not xenophobic racists, they ''have to'' eat dead sapients to stay intelligent (unlike, say, [[Space Marines]] and [[Tyranids]] who also eat people's brains to gain knowledge, or the fucking [[Dark Eldar]], who do it purely for lulz), and they're not notably more cruel than anyone else but the Tau, who seem to be the only people in the universe who more or less tolerate them. Although this may have to do with point of view, most of the time it's the Tau or [[Imperial Guard]] who would find the eating of the dead, friend or foe, gross. Tyranids are viewed as mindless animals, so eating things isn't as "wrong" for them, and most people forgot Space Marines can gain knowledge by eating brains [[Blood_Angels#Red_Thirst|(occasionally chasing it with fresh squeezed blood)]]. Most who do spend their time around Kroot generally seem to like them, though. The "revolting" part may be more of a knee-jerk reaction from people not used to seeing bird people eating dudes.

You may have noticed that this article talks a lot about eating. According to Chapter Approved in [[White Dwarf]], the Kroot physiology basically revolves around their mouth. They have multiple stomachs, no excretory organs (what they can't digest, they puke up), and females even breed by transforming a stomach into a womb and then vomiting up the baby/babies when it's/they're full grown. Take a wild guess how they conceive.

...The answer is back rubs. Male Kroot have specialized pores that secrete a gene-bearing bio-fluid (what experts refer to as "alien bird-jizz") on their palms, whilst female Kroot have "receptor pores" for this fluid on the smalls of their back. So when two Kroot make babies, the male has to give the female a back rub. Yeah, we thought it would be [[Heterosexual Sex in the Missionary Position|kinkier]], too. The main question though is why would they need sexual reproduction in the first place, since it's goal is intermixing genomes to spread useful genes, and they already have controlled horizontal gene transfer on par with fucking Tyranids, which is orders of magnitude more efficient. Guess, noone in GeeDubs attended Genetics 101.

Fun Fact: they are the only nonhuman species that can have [[Blank]]s, likely because they ate one at some point.

==Culture==

Kroot also moonlight as [[Codex - Kroots: /tg/'s 9th Edition|mercenaries]] for races other than the Tau, though about the only sapient beings whose flesh they won't eat are the Tau, since the Tau saved them from extinction. Mercenary bands eat lots of different stuff, and so [[Kroot_Kindreds|can have various genetic traits]]. Thus, Kroot can use [[Eldar|Weeaboo Fightan Magiks]], be [[Orks|cunnin' but fighty]], or have [[Space Marines|balls of steel]], depending on who they've eaten, but not as well as the originals. Eating [[Chaos]]-types causes Bad Things™ to happen. They also refuse to eat the 'Nids, because the Shapers, the Kroot leaders, fear becoming slaves to the [[Hive Mind]] (though realistically there'd eventually come along one or two Kroot dumb enough to do it anyway). They also can't eat anyone infected by the [[Necron]]s' Nanites because Nanites will turn Kroot into another Necron/[[C'Tan]] zombie slave. They also get paid in weapons, allowing them to use Imperial and Tau special weapons together, and nearly their entire army can infiltrate, <strike>and get 1st turn assault if they're lucky</strike> (NOPE, 6th edition ended that shit). Kroot don't use tanks or much in the way of tech (aside from [[Kroot Rifle|long rifle-like guns with blades on both ends]]), instead using native animals derived from the Kroot genus. They have attack dogs, gorillas with elephant guns, riding beasts like allosaurs, and really big riding beasts like T. rexes. Think the Gungans from ''The Phantom Menace'', only <s>not totally lame</s> [[Awesome]]. There is no contention that Kroot are exponentially cooler than Gungans. More meat? Good! BWWAAAK! 

They also have a rather dark sense of humor; for example, offering human meat to human diplomats because [[Troll|they think seeing their reactions are funny.]] This is also shown in the second Last Chancers book "Kill Team", where Kage is forced to eat a human brain (while he goes into horrific detail about the taste and texture). After this, the Kroot reveals that this was a secret test of character, but also that it was good for shits and giggles. In general, the Kroot sense of humor revolves around making other people profoundly uncomfortable. For example, a Kroot might walk into the same elevator as a Water Caste diplomat, turn up her pungent pheromones to full blast, and silently laugh her bird-woman ass off as the increasingly-uncomfortable fellow passenger tries to ignore it with less and less success.

Kroot also have shamans (psykers). They pilot warp ships called [[Warspheres]]; ''very'' large, spherical vessels of dubious quality but nonetheless capable of warp travel. Warspheres also double as mobile communities for the Kroot when they are away from Pech.

In the short story "Warsphere", which all of ten people have read, where Dahyak Grekh of Blackstone Fortress fame tricks a dark eldar Archon into giving up the location of said Blackstone Fortress, we gain a little bit of insight into the technology and culture of the Kroot on their eponymous space-cities. On a spiritual level, the Kroot believe in a warrior-spirit named Vawk the Huntress, who assumedly blessed the Warsphere of the story, and that vast chambers and halls of their ships are carved with the histories of the Kindred who made them. We also learn that the Kroot are incredibly proud of their heritage, and even think its funny that someone would try to repair a warsphere, thinking that no one but the Kroot could understand its technology. Oh, and that the Kroot can learn the memories of the things they eat, such as the location of a Blackstone Fortress. On a technological level, they are riddled with traps that are impossible to disarm without the aid of a Kroot, as their user manuals consist of memory-imbued scraps of flesh and totemic symbols. Oh, also, Warspheres have mechanical birds that defend the insides.

The book Liber Xenologicus gives more details on the Kroot religion. In their origin myth, Vawk the Huntress flew across the primordial chaos of the Nothingsea until she encountered the rival god Gmork. This battle was so intense that it created the stars and planets of the galaxy. Vawk gained Gmork's strength by drinking his blood and so was able to defeat him, but it was a short lived victory as his blood was poisonous. Her last act before perishing was to descend to the planet Pech, where her feathers became the forest and bones became the mountains, and vomit a great flock of eagles into the sky. This is likely a crude genetic memory of the Kroot's original evolution into sapience by eating Orks.

==Known Kroot Forms==
As mentioned above, the downside of Kroot consumptive evolution is that it's really easy for them to get "stuck" on the wrong path and devolve permanently into an atavistic form. As a consequence, every animal-filled ecological niche on Pech is now filled by some form of degenerated kroot. But, so far, only a select handful of Kroot offshoots have been explicitly called out...

*'''[[Kroot Hound]]s''' are one of the most iconic of these strains, having been around since the Kroot were released. These Kroot degenerated into small, sleek, pack-hunting quadrupeds, easily tamed by their still-sapient cousins.
* '''[[Krootox]]es''' are the second-most iconic Kroot strains; degenerated into hulking, ape-like herbivores, they're mostly used as beasts of burden and as mobile mounts for heavy artillery.
*'''[[Lesser Knarloc]]s''' are sort of a step-up from the Kroot Hounds, being analogous to either a pack-hunting terror-bird or a more avian pack of velociraptors. Kroot like to ride them as cavalry.
*'''[[Great Knarloc]]s''' are much, ''much'' bigger, solo-hunter variants of the standard Knarlocs. If a lesser Knarloc is a Velociraptor, the great one is a beaky T-Rex.
*'''Krootors''' are swamp-dwelling, amphibious predators, essentially a Krootified alligator. Their only known appearance in the canon so far is in [[Black Crusade (RPG)|The Screaming Vortex]], on the planet Asphodel.
*'''Kroothawks''' are either another offshoot of the kroot species, like the hounds, or the ancestral grandaddy of the whole shebang, as supposedly when their creator-goddess Vawk was dying she vomited a crap ton of them into Pech's sky. Whichever is the case, the kroot venerate the hawks and use their likeness in their totems and rituals. Unfortunately, we've never seen a kroothawk model or image, so how big they are or what they exactly look like is up to debate, but they're basically pterodactyls.

==TL;DR==

Kroot: Shoot like Tau with bolters. Move and hit like Eldar. Die like Guardsmen. (And have an amour save that will save them from [[lasgun|lasguns]] and nothing else—16% of the time) As of 8th, Kroot lost infiltrate for a Scout move, and hit like Space Marines in close combat. As of 9th, Kroot have a slight buff (but still awful) to their save in cover but their strength, attacks, and armor penetration was buffed, with the Shaper even being given the option to throw a once in a battle grenade belt.

==Building list==
Do you like to win more than you like to have fun? No? Good, you might enjoy a full Kroot list in the 9th ed. version of the Kroot Mercenaries / T'au Empire. With the welcome promotion of the shaper to an HQ unit, coupled with their own relics and warlord traits, you're free to run wild and eat your enemies to your heart's content.
*A small note, however, is that including but a single ethereal, despite being counter to a pure kroot army, goes a long way in the effectiveness of your kindred. With a single floating hippy, you gain access to a <Sept> for the detachment, which should always be Dal'yth, so then your Kroot (and your vespids if you're feeling saucy) can benefit from Tactical Philosophies. On top of that, Ethereals can chant a prayer explicitly for upgrading Auxiliaries. It might be worth kitbashing an ethereal to look like a kroot shaman, but all-in-all, it should be a serious consideration, unless you're a die-hard fan of Predator and Halo's jackals.
*Secondly, unless you're willing to dip into Legends or used Unaligned units, your army won't end up being very diverse. While its very possible to get over 1k of mainline bords, your liable to field up to 80-100 models in carnivores alone, which is just. . . a lot to manage. But! If your gaming group is chill with it (and they should be because fighting an army of pure kroot seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity), the inclusion of the Legends units really helps make the list more well-rounded.
**Unfortunately, with the transition into 9th, Dahyak Grekh got the axe as a unit, but not before leaving a lasting impression. His model can be used to represent a shaper with an alternative set of wargear, giving them them a pistol and grenade belt in exchange for their ritual blade. The kroot may have lost their Sly Marbo, but he shall never be forgotten.

In terms of list-building, the kroot benefit from the fact that no units are competing for slots. Shapers are your only options for HQs (unless you're taking an ethereal, but we'll circle back to that), carnivores are your only troops, so on and so forth. This is because of the '''Kroot Pack''' rule that carnivores have, which means that for every squad of them you take, up to one unit each of shapers/krootoxen/hounds can be taken without filling a slot. Meaning that hounds and knarloc riders will never compete for fast attack slots (because you should just run the hounds as NOFOS), and if you're feeling adventurous, you can spam three ethereals for your obligatory HQ slots, and still take up to three shapers (for the same reason). Round out the list with some Great Knarlocs in your heavy support, and you have something that actually resembles an army.

Gameplay wise, the Kroot benefit from being fast and having ok melee. Shapers, carnivores, and hounds all get a pre-game move before the game begins, while both types of knarlocs can auto-advance 6", and hounds can re-roll advances and charges. Coupled with one of your warlord traits, you can even still keep up all the shooting while they're all advancing up the board. At the same time, while they are realistically a horde army, the sheer volume of their melee should be enough to surpass some of the low-tier armies on the assault, but naturally you'll crumple against every army that's better at melee, as Kroot universally have shitty armor saves and no invulns, with your only durability boost coming from a stratagem.
*Ironically, however, a somewhat competent gunline can be made from massed krootoxes, your best shooting unit, an attending shaper for re-roll 1s to hit, and at least one baggage harness Great Knarloc for exploding 6s to hit. With a potential 18 auto-cannon shots (plus more if you're adding Great Knarlocs with their own guns to the mix) you've got some pretty scary fire coming down wind.

You're not likely to win anything with this army, but you are basically free to goof around. You aren't strong or competitive in any way, but part of this hobby is fun, so shut up and have fun.

== Modelling ==
A slight issue with the Kroot range is that it's incredibly small and unsupported. In that, GW has only ever made a handful of kits for them, the majority being metal or resin. The only plastic Kroot kit is the carnivores, while knarlocs and great knarlocs, their most badass kits, haven't been supported in years.

However, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, my fellow bird-lovers! If you don't mind 3rd party, there's a seller on Etsy that makes off-brand Kroot models that are honestly pretty fucking fire. He's made remodels of the long-lost knarlocs, resin prints of hounds, alternative bits to make regular Kroot look sci-fi, and even has some GSC/Kroot prints. Honestly he does a good job, nuff said.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MasterShaperFelix?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1051976211

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Image:YesIagree.png|They also have quite a way with words.
Image:Kroot_Maw-Krusha.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tau]]

[[Category: Kroot]]

[[Category:Minor Xenos Species]]

{{Template:Tau}}

{{Template:Important Species in 40k}}