The Easterlings

*This page is about a faction on the Rise of Morgoth*

### Alliances

The Order of Shadows, Angband, Mordor, Avari (Under lewistonmc), Dorwinion, Red Mountains

### Sub-factions, Fiefdoms, or Vassals

Balchoth, Rhúdel, Wainriders, Variags

*server.*

## Lore of the Easterlings

### History of the Easterlings

This history, which is almost all that is known about the evil men of Rhûn, comes from The One Wiki to Rule Them All.

#### First Age

In the First age, the Easterlings secretly allied with Morgoth, led by Bór and Ulfang, in promise of the lands of Beleriand. At the time, there was no structural government in Rhûn for men, so this was a great opportunity.

Those who followed Bór swore allegiance to Maedhros' banner, the Caranthir, but were told to betray him. Bór and his sons refused to betray the Caranthir, and were eventually destroyed in Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Those who followed Ulfang and his three sons were welcomed by Fëanor, and swore allegiance to the Caranthir as well. But they did not stay true to the Caranthir, and carried out Morgoth's orders by betraying the Eldar and Edain during Nirnaeth Arnoediad in FA 472.

Afterwards, the Easterlings attacked Hithlum, killing many who lived there, and pillaging where they went. The Eldar who escaped went to the Mountains, which the Easterlings did not dare enter, as they feared Elves would attack them. They finally settled after going back North, their task complete. But instead of being rewarded for their work, Morgoth betrayed the Easterlings and kept them in Hithlum. They then started governing the lands they were trapped in, using fear, robbery, and enslavement on the men of Hithlum who still dwelled.

After time, Morgoth saw the potential these men had and how efficiently they ruled, thus deciding to make them his vassal for a little over 100 years. When the War of Wrath came, the survivors fled back over the Blue Mountains to Eriador and beyond, some becoming kings.

#### Second Age

During the Second Age, the Easterlings began to re-develop after the War of Wrath, and made foundations in small tribes (Not the Major tribes known in the Third Age). These tribes sometimes raided their neighboring kingdoms, such as Gondor, but were too weak to do any real effect. These raids were often swiftly defeated.

One King of the Easterlings, Khamûl, was gifted a Ring of Power by Sauron, becoming powerful in magic. He was corrupted after time, and became a Wraith of Sauron in SA 2251.

#### Third Age

In the Third Age, the name Easterling was now a term regarding all evil men who lived on the shores of the Sea of Rhûn and Eastward. These men inhabiting Rhûn split into different clans, the main being the Balchoth, Wainriders, Variags, and the most powerful, Rhudel

Raids on Gondor, Dale, and other neighboring kingdoms became much more often, and stronger, as a few tribes of the Easterlings had grown to be strong enough to face them. Under Sauron's influence they were even stronger, up until the War of the Last Alliance, where Sauron was defeated. They claimed parts of land that Sauron had controlled, and used it to further raid Gondor. In TA 490, an invasion was launched from Dagorland to Gondor, causing a 60 year series of wars. This ended in Ta 550 when Turambar drove back the invasion, and gained control of a large amount of land between Rohavion and Mordor.

Over time, these lands started to slip from Gondor's grasp as the Easterlings launched small raids onto them until TA 1248, when they tried attacking Gondor again, but were still not organized or powerful enough. But soon, Gondor would fall into the Kin-strife civil war, and no longer attacked Gondor in order to gain strength.

This peace lasted for hundreds of years, if not almost a thousand, until the Easterlings were finally strong enough to return to raiding Gondor. These raids were not as challenged as before, with Gondor recovering from civil war. These raids stayed merely as raids, slowly spreading the Anduin, until TA 2150, when a mass of mostly Balchoth marched towards Calenardhon (Later known as Rohan) with means to capture it, then spread to capture the rest of Gondor in turn. When Gondor learned of this, it sent riders out asking for aid, and all but one were killed by the Balchoth. The last rider went to Éothéod (Land of the Ancestors of Rohan), and their leader, Eorl. Eorl knew if Gondor fell, so would he, so he sent a massive force of riders to Gondor's aid.

Cirion, who led the force of Gondor, went to reinforce his forces at the Anduin, but were cut off by the Balchoth, and driven North. A large force of Orcs arrived to reinforce the Balchoth, driving the Gondorians even further north. The Éothéod finally arrived, crossing into Calenardhon, attacking the opposing force from the rear. Both forces drove the invaders out until the lands were free, and the land was given to Eorl, being renamed Rohan. This was a tragic loss for the Balchoth with their superior numbers, fueling their hatred for Gondor and Rohan further.

At Sauron's return in the War of the Ring, the Easterlings, most notably the Rhudel and Variags, joined in Sauron's War. These men were not as noted as were the Near Haradrim, who rode Mûmakil into the siege of Minas Tirith, or the Mordor Orcs, as they were only known to participate in the siege of Minas Tirith, and were of small size compared to the other invaders.

#### Fourth Age

In the Fourth Age, the raids on Gondor increased in frequency and size, as many of the major Easterling tribes stopped fighting,at least partially, to help Sauron. They gained a sense of order, and were able to coordinate attacks better, although some were completely subdued by the forces of good.

It is believed that there were small wars between Gondor and the inhabitants of Rhûn in the Fourth Age, but little information about the Easterlings is known at all, even less in ages after the Third Age. Raids still continued, and small skirmishes, but no major wars were ever recorded.

## Server History

The Easterlings have almost always existed in the server, but in secret or in small numbers. They can be defined in Ages:

### The Age of Hunting

The server was finally starting to grow. People came in, and there was about 10 people who had logged in total. Margoz, or Solas, as he was called at the time, decided the life of a Ranger of Ithilien was not for him. Solas left the Rangers and joined Rhûn, as he decided it would be best. He became what is known as the Eastern Hunter.

The Eastern Hunter was the bane to many players. He came in and swiftly took the heads of enemies with minimal detection. His main enemy, seancornell, was often a subject of Solas' hunts, as well as BlazingDave72. There was minimal government for the Easterlings at the time as there was only one settlement, Va-Gujatar, so trade and population were almost nonexistent. This lasted for some months until Solas disappeared.

Every so often he would return, stay for a day or two, then leave, and every so often an Easterling would join, but no one ever stayed longer than a month.

### The Returning Age (Present)

When 2017 came, Solas was now called Margoz. He had returned for good, and started to establish settlements. Hunts were still launched, but in much lower frequency. The fort of Va-Gujatar had been reconstructed, larger this time, but was still temporary.

When the Easterling update came around, Margoz was not around for a few days. But a new Warlord, Borthand, rose to power. It is rumored that Borthand contains the spirit of Morgoth inside him, or that it is Morgoth in a mannish form. Whatever the case, he rules side by side with Margoz, and established a closed borders from all Non-Evil. Dwarves however are welcome inside Rhûn, so long as they do not harm the men living there.

After lots of construction, Va-Gujatar has almost completed. Many alliances and government ideas have been established. But after being summoned by Sauron, Morgoth's spirit left Borthand, killing him, and making Margoz the only remaining Lôke-Khan.

*Present time, to be edited when events occur.*

## Rules

1) Obey your Dragon-knight. He is your lord. But recognize that the Lôke-Khan is his lord.

2) Keep anyone that is Good out of Eryn Caran. It is our sacred wood, and we would not tarnish it by letting outsiders in. Evil members can enter if invited, but do not let them tarnish it.

3) Keep *everyone* out of Tol Rhúnaer. That is the land of the Dragon-knights. No outside is to enter without the permission of a Dragon-knight.

4) Keep the secret of Khamûl's fire safe.

5) Be kind to Dorwinion, Dale, and Dwarves. They are not our enemies. If provoked, you may attack them, or for alignment. It is recommended to kill Gondorians for alignment.

6) We are all united Eastern Men. Our clans may be wide but our unity is one. Keep each other safe.

7) Don't use Khamûl's fire inside Rhûn unless in an open field or testing area. It will destroy your settlement faster than flash paper.

8) Don't chop the Redwood trees. They are sacred to us. If given permission, then the small, one sapling trees are fine. Also, do not give out Redwoods to **any**, and chop down any seen that are not in Rhûn, or are not gifted to allies. If a tree *is* chopped, replace it with a sapling.

9) The Wild Wood is full of demons. Some Dark-Elves that have not sided with us. Do not go there unless you must.

10) Mordor is our ally, but they do not control us. You will not answer to them unless your Lôke-Khan says so.

11) The Avari of Eryn Caran are there to protect it from outsiders. Unless they are a good aligned avari, leave them be.

## Ranks

**Easterling:** To join the Confederacy officially, pick the Easterling title, and pick a Lôke-Khan. If only one is present, he is your Lôke-Khan. Have 50 Rhúdel alignment.

**Clansman:** Have 100 Rhúdel alignment. You will be assigned to a Dragon-knight and basic rations.

**Easterling Warrior:** Have 200 Rhúdel alignment. You will be awarded a full set of Easterling Armor, and assigned to a fiefdom. You must guard this fiefdom as your Dragon-knight says.

**Golden Warrior:** Have 500 Rhúdel alignment. You will be awarded a full set of Golden Easterling Armor. You will be reassigned to a new fiefdom according to skill and worth. You may stay in your original fiefdom if needed or requested. You can now invite Non-Easterlings into Eryn Caran.

**Lôke-rim:** Have 750 Rhúdel alignment. You will be awarded another set of Golden Easterling Armor, and tasked with guarding the main center of a fiefdom.

**Lôke-Innas Rim:** Have 800 Rhúdel alignment, and skill on horse fighting. You will be given a personal horse.

**Dragon-Knight:** Have 1500 Rhúdel alignment and prove yourself worthy to the Lôke-Khan. You will have almost full access to Tol Rhúnaer, and can invite Non-Easterlings in. Can command Easterlings in their service and assign tasks. If the amount of Dragon-knights is high, the requirement increases.

**Honor Guard:** Have at least 1500 Rhúdel alignment and the trust of both of the Lôke-Khan. You must also prove worthy in a trial of combat and have committed no crimes against Rhûn (Not including full pardons). You will be trained at Tol Rhúnaer and assigned to guard a high ranking authority or area. You will receive traditional Honor Guard weaponry and gear.

## Settlements

### Rhûn/Rhúdel

#### Va-Gujatar

Va-Gujatar is the capital of Rhûn and the first settlement. It is no larger than an Easterling Fortress, and only the Lôke-Khanate know of it's location. It will most likely only be used by the Eastern Hunters, the elite units of Margoz's army.

#### Ulios

Ulios was the temporary capital of Borthand's army. It is merely a walled town, and bears no other significance other than being the home of Borthand, until he became deceased. It is now just a town.

### Near Harad

#### Unnamed Colony

Colonies in Near Harad have been started, but only one was completed, unnamed.

### Mordor

#### Rhúnurnen

Only one settlement is planned in Mordor, which is Rhúnurnen. This has not been started.

### Captured Cities

No cities have been attacked by the Easterlings yet.

## Diplomacy

Rhûn has closed borders to the following:

-Non-Evil Men (Dorwinion Mannish Traders exceptional)

-All Elves

-Umbar

## Economy

#### Exports

Giant Redwood Trees - 20 coins per sapling (Selling in groups of 25. only to allies)

Gold - 15 coins per ingot