Wainrider War

The **Wainrider War** was a conflict between the Easterling Wainriders, their allies and Gondor with its Northmen allies.

## History

### Background

In the more than 600 years following Rómendacil II's defeat of the Easterlings in TA 1248, the Easterling tribes of Rhûn had not been a threat, as Gondor ruled the lands of the east all the way to the shores of the Sea of Rhûn, and also had the loyalty of the Northmen of Rhovanion. However, the hatred of the Dúnedain and the Men of Gondor survived in the remaining tribes living further east and were ultimately united into a confederation, probably by agents of Sauron.

### Invasion begins

In TA 1851, the Wainriders began raiding eastern Gondor and the princes of Rhovanion, causing much destruction and leaving many dead especially amongst the Northmen. After five years of attacks, Gondor finally assembled an army led by King Narmacil II himself. The battle was lost and King Narmacil was slain, as was his faithful Northman ally Marhari. Afterwards, Gondor lost its eastern lands and the land of Rhovanion was occupied and enslaved.

### Rule of the Wainriders

For forty-five long years, the Wainriders ruled in Rhovanion, where they built homes, settlements, outposts, and storehouses most likely with the use of forced labor.

### The Beginnings of the Éothéod

Although most of the Northmen of Rhovanion fell into slavery, some survivors of the sack and people made into fugitives by the Wainrider's takeover followed Marhwini, the son of the Marhari southwest into the Vales of Anduin south of Mirkwood where they settled. They would soon become known as the Éothéod.

The Éothéod continued to oppose the invaders, maintaining friendship with Gondor and learned that the Wainriders had grown hungry for more conquests and that there was great hatred of the Wainriders in those that they ruled. By TA 1899, they knew of the Wainriders plans to attack Gondor's province of Calenardhon from over the Undeeps and gave that information to the Gondor. They began to co-ordinate a plan to rouse and assist a rebellion in Rhovanion when war began.

### Tables turn

As the Wainriders prepared for war, Gondor's king Calimehtar preemptively sent a great host against them from out of North Ithilien. With this, the Wainrider's plans to attack Calenardhon were changed and they instead set out to confront Calimehtar. This worked in Gondor's favor as it allowed for the two foes to meet with all force in one place instead of many, leaving the Undeeps undefended. Gondor and its Éothéod allies took quick advantage of this and sent their own cavalry over the Undeeps to attack the enemy from behind. The two armies met at the Second Battle of Dagorlad, and the Wainriders were defeated with Marhwini's *éored's* support and Gondor's cavalry assailing them from behind.

The Wainrider's defeat led to an uprising in Rhovanion by the slaves but the Wainriders were not completely expelled from the west, as they still remained in Rhovanion due to the partial failure of the slave rebellion. The Éothéod also continued to harass them from the west as well. The Wainriders had been checked, but they had not been defeated.

### A new threat

For forty-five more years, the Wainriders were still a problem despite their losses in the west and plotted a new campaign. Needing more support to recoup their losses and defeat Gondor, they formed alliances with the Men of Harad and those of Khand. Once again, the Éothéod again warned Gondor of this new threat to the west. In the month of Cermië of TA 1944, war resumed with the Wainrider alliance threatening Gondor from both the north and the south. Ondoher prepared to meet the enemy in the north while Eärnil, his most trusted general, prepared to face them in the south.

The King marched his army out of Ithilien intending to fight the enemy once again on the Dagorland, but was surprised in front of the Black Gate by Wainriders from Rhovanion and a combined Wainrider/Variag army from Rhûn traveling along the Ash Mountains to battle. There King Ondoher was utterly defeated losing his life and his two sons: Artamir and Faramir. There were some survivors of the defeat that retreated south but the field was lost.

The Wainriders advanced into Northern Ithilien with no opposition, setting up camps. Here, the victors celebrated believing Gondor was at last defeated. But this was not true, for Eärnil's smaller but well led Southern Army defeated an army of Haradrim in South Ithilien, and proceeded to march north to face the Wainriders. He met up with some of the retreating troops of Ondoher's defeated army and fell upon the Wainrider camp in a surprise attack. The Wainriders were completely defeated in a great rout. Those Wainriders that didn't escape back to Rhûn died in the Dead Marshes. The war was over.

### Afterwards

The Wainrider threat was over and the Northmen people of Rhovanion were completely freed, some of these Men migrated to Gondor where they were welcomed as distant brethren. In TA 1945, Eärnil was crowned King of Gondor. The Éothéod also maintained friendship with Gondor, although in the decades to come they began to migrate north. Over the next few decades Gondor's borders continued to be troubled, preventing Gondor from sending aid north to aid Arthedain until it was too late.

### Legacy

The war led to a series of events that created the Éothéod who later became the Rohirrim. The Wainrider invasion was devastating for Gondor, resulting in loss of territory both in the East and Umbar and heavy casualties, with the loss of two kings in battle. The Wainrider invasion therefore weakened the kingdom at a critical moment and prevented it aiding Arthedain when attacks were renewed by Angmar at the same time as the third Wainrider assault. Therefore the rulers of both kingdoms became aware that a malign force was co-ordinating attacks on the exiles of Númenor, an indicator of the return of Sauron.