Lalaith
Member
I've been thoroughly enjoying the examination that the ELOTR field trips did on the Arnor ruins in the Lone Lands(which I've been watching asynchronously), it's been very illuminating, perfectly nerdy, and wonderfully mysterious. I have some of my own discoveries that I thought I would share.
Discoveries and Analysis:
When last the field trips were in the Lone Lands, the conclusion was that the fortress of Ost Haer in Harloeg was Cardolanian, and all the other ruins South of the Road were Arthedainian, designed to combat with the forces of Rhudaur. My memory is that the main basis of this theory was because of an upward-pointing Numenorean Star found in Ost Haer.
However, I have found this same symbol in all the other ruins to the South of the Road. And not only that, but I have found it in a great many ruins known to be Arthedainian. Below is a compilation of those stars, found everywhere from Minas Eriol to Fornost.
Because of this, I would say that we must assume that all the ruins South of the Great East Road are Cardolanian, since that would be concurrent with known map borders, and there is little indication of any significant difference between ruins of Cardolan and Arthedain. I would propose the Lone Lands Borders look as in the map below on the left.
An anomaly in this border system is the underground Tunnels of Iorvianas, which connect Ost Cyrn and Mithrenost and were never explored in a field trip. In those tunnels, I discovered many distinctly Rhudaruan symbols, one is seen below on the right. This is the one oddball I can find South of the Road, and it leads me to suspect that the Kingdom of Rhudaur once had claim over that region, and possibly both Ost Cyrn and Mithrenost as well. Even though those two cities would have been conquered, not constructed, by Rhudaurans.
Interpretation:
It would seem that the Cardolanians and Arthedainians were more allied and culturally connected than we at first assumed, at that they have a great many symbols and architectural styles in common. The Rhudaurans were the odd one out, a different culture, a different way of life, and a strained connection to the other two. This is partially why they eventually sided with Angmar.
A few months ago, a very good thread was posted by Stor3D Past, which brought up the question of what the strife between the three Kingdoms, before the fall of Rhudaur, actually looked like.
It seems that, in the game interpretation, the three kingdoms were indeed building up fortresses and shows of strength along their borders, creating defensible positions and (as Professor Olsen put it) "paranoid" walls and gates. These definitely would have seen action in the wars against Angmar,and were probably occupied by many different sides of the war at different times(the Rhudauran Iovinas Tunnels prove this), but they were probably originally built during or before the kinstrife between the kingdoms.
I would say that this interpretation is definitely plausible and rooted in evidence from the text. Regardless of how intense the strife was, whether it was social, cultural, economical, or political, it is absolutely possible that military build up was a key aspect of the three-kingdom conflict. There may have been skirmishes, perhaps battles, maybe some sieges. It could have even been a full-scale Civil War, but maybe not as big as the American Civil War. Because as Stor3D Past pointed out, there is very little evidence that any major fighting actually took place before the battles with Angmar.
Other thoughts? I love the history of Arnor because there is so much to unpack and so much nuance.
Discoveries and Analysis:
When last the field trips were in the Lone Lands, the conclusion was that the fortress of Ost Haer in Harloeg was Cardolanian, and all the other ruins South of the Road were Arthedainian, designed to combat with the forces of Rhudaur. My memory is that the main basis of this theory was because of an upward-pointing Numenorean Star found in Ost Haer.
However, I have found this same symbol in all the other ruins to the South of the Road. And not only that, but I have found it in a great many ruins known to be Arthedainian. Below is a compilation of those stars, found everywhere from Minas Eriol to Fornost.
Because of this, I would say that we must assume that all the ruins South of the Great East Road are Cardolanian, since that would be concurrent with known map borders, and there is little indication of any significant difference between ruins of Cardolan and Arthedain. I would propose the Lone Lands Borders look as in the map below on the left.
An anomaly in this border system is the underground Tunnels of Iorvianas, which connect Ost Cyrn and Mithrenost and were never explored in a field trip. In those tunnels, I discovered many distinctly Rhudaruan symbols, one is seen below on the right. This is the one oddball I can find South of the Road, and it leads me to suspect that the Kingdom of Rhudaur once had claim over that region, and possibly both Ost Cyrn and Mithrenost as well. Even though those two cities would have been conquered, not constructed, by Rhudaurans.
Interpretation:
It would seem that the Cardolanians and Arthedainians were more allied and culturally connected than we at first assumed, at that they have a great many symbols and architectural styles in common. The Rhudaurans were the odd one out, a different culture, a different way of life, and a strained connection to the other two. This is partially why they eventually sided with Angmar.
A few months ago, a very good thread was posted by Stor3D Past, which brought up the question of what the strife between the three Kingdoms, before the fall of Rhudaur, actually looked like.
It seems that, in the game interpretation, the three kingdoms were indeed building up fortresses and shows of strength along their borders, creating defensible positions and (as Professor Olsen put it) "paranoid" walls and gates. These definitely would have seen action in the wars against Angmar,and were probably occupied by many different sides of the war at different times(the Rhudauran Iovinas Tunnels prove this), but they were probably originally built during or before the kinstrife between the kingdoms.
I would say that this interpretation is definitely plausible and rooted in evidence from the text. Regardless of how intense the strife was, whether it was social, cultural, economical, or political, it is absolutely possible that military build up was a key aspect of the three-kingdom conflict. There may have been skirmishes, perhaps battles, maybe some sieges. It could have even been a full-scale Civil War, but maybe not as big as the American Civil War. Because as Stor3D Past pointed out, there is very little evidence that any major fighting actually took place before the battles with Angmar.
Other thoughts? I love the history of Arnor because there is so much to unpack and so much nuance.
