Rhovanion
We lost electricity for much of the day yesterday, which meant I didn't get to this write-up as soon as I had wanted. But I did spend some time reading Peter Heather's history of the Goths.
No, wait! I'm going somewhere with this.
The history of the Goths appealed to Tolkien. For one, it is the story of a group (or many groups) of people from humble and little-known beginnings in the forests of what is now Poland, who migrated over the early centuries of the first millennium to the northern shores of the Black Sea, were pushed, absorbed, defeated, or incorporated more or less whole by the westward-driving Huns, and found themselves in prolonged conflict with the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman Empire, to eventually carve out kingdoms for themselves in France, Spain, and Italy. It's a story of tragedy and recovery, a story of intense drama that no doubt stirred something in Tolkien just as it stirred the hearts of the Germanic peoples who took memories of that story (or stories) and wove it into the backdrop of their most famous legends. From Beowulf to the Edda to the Niebelungenlied, we see the story of the Goths appear again and again, in shadowy allusions that wrap the tale of the hero in ancientry and tradition, and evoke half-forgotten days and distant lands.
I'm not suggesting a one-to-one correspondence here, but a story about a historic people whose fate came to be bound up with that of a larger, more 'civilized' power is certainly reminiscent of the treatment Tolkien gave the Northmen of Rhovanion – a group (or groups) of people who grew to prominence in the North, between the eaves of Mirkwood and the Sea of Rhun, and whose fate was certainly interwoven with that of Gondor.
Before the GIFTING
of Calenardhon to Eorl the Young and the subsequent foundation of Rohan, Gondor formed its first close relationship with Northmen in its alliance with people of Rhovanion. Gondor variously coordinated military action with these people, granted them lands, and even, in one momentous occasion, saw its king wedded to a Rhovanion princess – an act which ultimately led to the Kin-strife. Rhovanion saw its share of tragedy, mostly at the hands of Easterlings, who periodically invaded and enslaved them, setting off a chain of migrations through the great forest that would ultimately lead to the formation of Rohan.
In Dominion of Men, the devs have imagined that not all of the population of Rhovanion was scattered during the Third Age. Some must have endured and remained in that wide land between the forest and the inland sea, where they mingled with woodmen and Easterlings. During the reforging of the Reunited Kingdom in the Fourth Age, the land may even have seen something of a resurgence, as the safety provided by the Kingdom's military allowed people there to live in relative peace.
But the shield provided by Elessar and his followers could not be raised forever, and with the chaotic times that followed – a growing Corsair and Haradrian threat, more invasions from the East, and the rise of Adunabar – Rhovanion was increasingly left to look to its own defenses, or indeed to fall under the sway of wild hordes out of Rhun. Perhaps like the Visigoths establishing their own autonomous realm in southern France in the fifth century, the Men of Rhovanion determined that it was no longer worthwhile to pretend that the larger power could continue to operate as their leader and protector. Though not hostile to the Dunedain, the independent Kingdom of Rhovanion was born after throwing off yet another Easterling yoke.
It is this recently-cobbled-together dynasty that the player of Rhovanion takes control of in the Dominion of Men.
Rhovanion begins play with three provinces west of the Ered Rhun. To the north, the River Celduin serves as a boundary between the lands of Rhovanion and the possessions of a newly-expanded Dale. Northeast, beyond the foothills of the Ered Rhun and a solitary Dwarven settlement, can be found the Kingdom of Dorwinion. The woodmen of the Beornings have established a settlement in the eastern eaves of the Greenwood, north of the East Bight which itself is occupied by independent woodmen. Westward lie the Brown Lands, unoccupied by any major power. And south and east lie the lands of southern and eastern Rhovanion, hard against the Ash Mountains and the lands of encroaching Easterlings, held by men who claim allegiance to no king.
With so many nearby independent settlements, it would seem that the first order of business for a king of Rhovanion would be to bring those provinces into the fold. Indeed, your rivals will be attempting the same. It is likely that you will share borders with the Chiefdom of Rhun and the Kingdom of Adunabar within just a few years. Since sharing borders often invites war, you want to be ready for conflict by consolidating power in the region quickly – otherwise your independence as a nation is likely to be very short lived.
Though the Easterlings and Adunabar, as the largest nearby factions, may seem to be the biggest threat, don't discount your other neighbors. You may be on friendly enough terms with Dale, but they are a powerful and rich kingdom capable of outproducing you. If they turn their attention south too early, you may be hard pressed to fend them off. To that end, maintaining friendly relations – and defenses – along your northern border is good policy. And not only to dissuade an attack from Dale. The nearby Kingdom of Dorwinion, hemmed in a relatively narrow land between the mountains and the inland sea, may seek to expand in your direction rather than face down the hordes of Rhun and North Rhun in the wild lands of the East. It is one of the sad ironies of the times that, before you are able to secure your position as king of Rhovanion, you may find yourself in conflict with fellow Northmen.
However, such conflict – assuming you survive it – will be merely a prelude to the larger clashes that are sure to follow.
How this plays out in your campaign will depend upon several factors, but especially the fortunes of the Easterling factions (Rhun and North Rhun) and the outcome of the civil war between the Dunedain.
In the early years, Adunabar will seek to extend its influence – and that of the Shadow Cult – northward, into lands abutting your own. Conflict with these folk seems likely, but can be managed. Rapid strikes south and west into unclaimed territories may force Adunabar to retreat behind the fences of Mordor, where they may be contained by a combination of your own forces and the vigilance of the Reunited Kingdom and Rohan, both of which make suitable allies for you.
So while the initial position of Rhovanion seems rather open and indefensible, expansion can leave you in possession of a large realm with strong natural borders: the Anduin to the west, Greenwood and the Celduin to the north, the Sea of Rhun to the east and the Ered Lithui to the south. The largest gap in your borders is the open land between the inland sea and the Ash Mountains, that plain through which so many Easterling invasions passed in ancient times. And it is likely that this will be the avenue of invasion for your greatest foe, the wild men of the East.
If the Chiefdoms of Rhun and North Rhun remain at peace with one another, each will be easier to deal with, but on the other hand both will be able to channel their armies into the West, both north and south of the Sea of Rhun. If one of these factions instead gains dominance over the other, you will have some time during their conflict to strengthen your own position by claiming nearby rebel territories and making war against troublesome neighbors – but once one chiefdom emerges as the clear victor, it will be in possession of a great deal of land, wealth, and armies. Such a juggernaut may be unstoppable unless you have made sufficient preparations by seizing nearby lands and training effective soldiers to defend them.
A king of Rhovanion commands a rough-around-the-edges army, with no great advantages or disadvantages. Rhovanion's infantry is capable, but more suited to skirmish and fighting in irregular terrain than prolonged open combat. Like other Northmen, the people of Rhovanion have a fine tradition of horsemanship, and it is in their cavalry that most of their hopes of victory will lie. Though not as varied or well-armed as the riders of Rohan, the cavalry of Rhovanion is swift and built for the charge. But unlike other factions who can rely almost entirely on horsemen (Rohan, Khand) or infantry (Reunited Kingdom, Adunabar), Rhovanion's cavalry must work in tandem with its foot-bound warriors to earn victory for their king.
The Kingdom of Rhovanion in DoM occupies one of those 'blank spaces' in Tolkien's maps, about which little is known but much is hinted. We can read about famous men of Rhovanion such as Vidugavia, Marhari, and Marhwini in the Appendices and Unfinished Tales, but there's something exciting about the prospect of slipping into the saddle as the leader of a newly-independent Kingdom of Rhovanion, one which looks ahead to an uncertain future without losing sight of its remarkable if fragmentary past.
To be successful, a king of Rhovanion must weather the storm brewing in the East, but he must also manage his RELATIONSHIP with powers in the West. Old alliances and friendships may no longer hold in the Fourth Age, and a resurgent Reunited Kingdom may seek to reclaim its dominance over all the territories west of the Sea of Rhun.
If, while playing as Rhovanion, you feel constantly caught in between the machinations of greater powers, you can take some solace in the knowledge that such has always been the case for the men who CALLED this broad and unruly land their home. It's your job to ensure that, like the historic Goths after whom some aspects of Rhovanion's people are modeled, you can carve out for yourself a place among the mighty of which your descendants can be proud.
