Rhudaur

Rhudaur was the north-eastern part of Eriador. In the mid Third Age, it was the seat of the smallest of the kingdoms that originated from the break-up of Arnor (T.A. 861). The other kingdoms were Arthedain and Cardolan.
== Geography ==
Rhudaur formed the eastern part of Arnor, and stretched from the Weather Hills with Amon Sûl to the river Bruinen. It reached to the Ettenmoors. It shared a long border with Cardolan along the East Road, and with Arthedain along the line of the Weather Hills.
The land between the rivers Mitheithel and Bruinen, forming the The Angle, was also considered part of Rhudaur, and it overlapped somewhat with the Ettenmoors, as Rhudaur itself - like the Ettenmoors - means Troll-fells.
== History ==
From the start of its existence, Rhudaur was unfriendly towards the two other successor states, and took part in a bitter conflict with Cardolan over the tower of Amon Sûl and the Palantír associated with the tower.
The first Stoor Hobbits came into the region, specifically the Angle around 1150.
By around TA 1349 a lord of the Hill-men had seized power and had secretly allied with Angmar; few Dúnedain remained in Rhudaur and the only remaining descendant of the House of Isildur was the King of Arthedain Argeleb I. As Heir of Isildur Argeleb claimed the lordship of all former Arnor which the lord of Rhudaur resisted. In 1356 Rhudaur and Angmar attacked the Weather Hills, and Argeleb was killed. It was because of this hostile nature of Rhudaur that the Stoors fled, with some of them moving west to Arthedain, and others moving back to Rhovanion.
Angmar annexed and terminated the kingdom in 1409. By this time the Númenóreans were gone from the region, as well as most of the other inhabitants.
There is evidence that after the fall of Angmar at the Battle of Fornost the Angle became home to the remainder of the Dúnedain, and the Rangers of the North established several villages there, where their people lived until the resurrection of the northern Kingdom under King Elessar at the end of the Third Age.
In TA 2540 Angmar was finally sacked and the Nazgul were entombed in the High Fells of Rhudaur. Unknown to anyone, the Necromancer released them in TA 2941. This was discovered by Radagast when he evaded an attack by the Witch King and confiscated his Morgul Blade, which was used as proof. Gandalf later discovered the graves were opened from the inside, concluding the true identity of the Necromancer.
Thorin and Company passed through the outskirts of Rhudaur while fleeing Yazneg's Warg rider pack, with Gandalf finally finding a ravine leading to Rivendell, where the company took shelter while Elrond's rider dispatched the Orcs.
Category:Locations