Ñoldor Elves

Thou shalt not inflict harm upon your Lord and Emperor Gil~Galad, and Prime Minister Turotamno. Thou shalt not commit treason.

## History

Please fill this space on with the faction's history on the server. Please note that Forlond is *not* a High Elven city(It was claimed by the Dúnethrim Elves as their easternmost province and their port of trade).

## Lore

According to legend, the clan was founded by Tata, the second Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his spouse Tatië and their 54 companions, but it was Finwë, the first Ñoldor to come to Valinor with Oromë, who became their King, and led most of them to Valinor.

### The Ñoldor in Valinor

The Ñoldor were accounted the greatest of the Elves and all the peoples in Middle-earth in lore, warfare and crafts. In Valinor "great became their knowledge and their skill; yet even greater was their thirst for more knowledge, and in many things they soon surpassed their teachers. The Ñoldor were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and "sought ever to find names more fit for all things they knew or imagined". They were beloved of Aulë the Smith, and were the first to discover and carve gems. Their chief dwelling-place was the city of Tirion upon Túna. Among the wisest of the Ñoldor were Rúmil, creator of the first writing system and author of many books of lore. Fëanor, son of Finwë and Míriel, was the greatest of their craftsmen, "mightiest in skill of word and of hand", and creator of the Silmarils.

The Ñoldor earned the greatest hatred of Melkor, who envied their prosperity and, most of all, the Silmarils. So he went often among them, offering counsel, and the Noldor hearkened, being eager for lore. But amid his seemingly good advice, Melkor sowed lies to turn one House of the Ñoldor against another, and in the end the peace in Tirion was poisoned. After threatening his half-brother Fingolfin, Fëanor was banished from Tirion by the Valar, and with him went Finwë his father. Fingolfin remained as the ruler of the Noldor of Tirion.

But Melkor had yet other designs to accomplish. Soon after with the aid of Ungoliant he destroyed the Two Trees, and coming to Formenos he killed Finwë, stole the Silmarils, and departed from Aman. Fëanor, driven by grief and desiring vengeance, rebelled against the Valar by coming back into Tirion and making a speech before the Ñoldor, in which he persuaded them to leave Valinor, follow Melkor to Middle-earth, and wage war against him for the recovery of the Silmarils. He swore a terrible oath, as did his sons, to pursue Melkor and reclaim the Silmarils at all costs. Fëanor then claimed the title of the High King since his father was dead, but though the greater part of the Ñoldor still held Fingolfin as King, they followed Fëanor into Exile due to their valor.

#### The Kinslaying

The Ñoldor led by Fëanor demanded that the Teleri let them use their ships. When the Teleri refused, they took the ships by force, committing the first kinslaying. A messenger from the Valar(Though it might have been Mandos himself and no lesser herald) came later and delivered the Doom of Mandos, pronouncing judgment on the Ñoldor for the Kinslaying and rebellion and warning that if they proceeded they would not recover the Silmarils and moreover would be slain or tormented by grief. At this, some of the Ñoldor who had no hand in the Kinslaying, including Finarfin son of Finwë and Indis, returned to Valinor, and the Valar forgave them. Other Ñoldor led by Fingolfin (some of whom were blameless in the Kinslaying) remained determined to leave Valinor for Middle-earth. Prominent among these others was Finarfin's son, Finrod.

### Exile to Middle-earth

The Ñoldor led by Fëanor crossed the sea to Middle-earth, leaving those led by Fingolfin, his half-brother, behind. Upon his arrival in Middle-earth, Fëanor had the ships burned. When the Ñoldor led by Fingolfin discovered their betrayal, they went farther north and crossed the sea at the Grinding Ice which cost them many lives.

Fëanor's company was soon attacked by Morgoth. When Fëanor rode too far from his bodyguard during the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, several Balrogs, including their Lord Gothmog, fought him. Despite battling valiantly, Fëanor was mortally wounded and would have been captured and taken to Angband had it not been for the swift arrival of his sons. However, Fëanor died whilst being taken back to his own people.

Because Fëanor had taken the ships and left the Ñoldor led by his half-brother on the west side of the sea, much enmity remained between the royal Houses of the Ñoldor. Fingon son of Fingolfin, saved Maedhros Fëanor's son from Morgoth's imprisonment, however, and the feud was settled. Maedhros was due to succeed Fëanor, but he regretted his part of the Kinslaying and left the High Kingship of the Ñoldor to his uncle Fingolfin, who became the first High King of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth. His brothers did not agree to this, and began to refer to themselves as *the Dispossessed*, because the High Kingship had passed them by.

#### Kingdoms of the Ñoldor

In the north-west of Middle-earth the Ñoldor made alliance with the Sindar, the Elves of Beleriand, and later with Men of the Three Houses of the Edain. Fingolfin reigned long in the land of Hithlum, and his younger son Turgon built the Hidden City of Gondolin. The Sons of Fëanor ruled the lands in Eastern Beleriand, while Finrod Finarfin's son was the King of Nargothrond and his brothers Angrod and Aegnor held Dorthonion. Fingolfin's reign was marked by warfare against Morgoth and in the year 60 of the First Age after their victory in Dagor Aglareb the Noldor started the Siege of Angband, the great fortress of Morgoth. In the year 455 the Siege was broken by Morgoth in the Dagor Bragollach, in which the north-eastern Elvish realms were conquered. Fingolfin in despair rode to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. He dealt Morgoth seven wounds but perished, and he was succeeded by his eldest son Fingon, who became the second High King of the Ñoldor in Beleriand.

#### The Nirnaeth Arnoediad

In the year 472, Maedhros organised an all-out attack on Morgoth and this led to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Betrayed by the new-come Easterlings, the forces of the Ñoldor, Sindar and Edain were utterly defeated. Fingon the Valiant was slain; he was succeeded by his brother Turgon.

Morgoth scattered the remaining forces of the Sons of Fëanor, and in 495 Nargothrond was also overridden. Turgon had withdrawn to Gondolin which was kept hidden from both Morgoth and other Elves. In 510, Gondolin was betrayed by Maeglin and sacked. During the attack Turgon was killed; however, many of his people escaped and found their way south. Turgon was the last surviving male descendant of Fingolfin, so Gil-galad, great-grandson of Finarfin, became the fourth and last High King of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth.

Finally the Valar came down to Middle-earth and in the years 545-583 the War of Wrath was fought and Morgoth was cast into the Void. But Beleriand sank into the sea, except for a part of Ossiriand (Lindon), and a few isles. The defeat of Morgoth marked the end of the First Age and the start of the Second.

### The Second Age

Most of the Ñoldor sailed back to Aman at the End of the First Age; but some, like Galadriel daughter of Finarfin or Celebrimbor grandson of Fëanor, refused the pardon of the Valar and remained in Middle-earth. Gil-galad founded a new kingdom at Lindon, and ruled throughout the Second Age, longer than any of the High Kings except for Finwë. But after a while Sauron had replaced his master Morgoth as the Dark Lord. With the aid of the Ruling Ring he fortified Mordor and began the long war with the remaining Elves. He attacked Eregion, destroying it, but was withstood in Rivendell and Lindon. With the aid of the Númenóreans, the Ñoldor managed to defeat him for a time.

However, in the year 3319 of the Second Age Númenor fell due to Ar-Pharazôn's rebellion against the Valar, in which Sauron had a great part. When Elendil with his sons escaped to Middle-earth and established the realms of Arnor and Gondor, Sauron tried to conquer Gondor before it could take root. Both Elendil and Gil-galad set out for Mordor in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves and defeated Sauron in the Battle of Dagorlad and finally in the Siege of Barad-dûr. There Gil-galad perished, and so ended the High Kingship of the Ñoldor. Of the descendants of Finwë in Middle-earth, only Galadriel and Elrond Half-elven remained (and the Númenórean Kings through Elrond's twin brother Elros).

### The Third Age

In the Third Age, the Ñoldor in Middle-earth dwindled, and by the end of the Third Age the only big communities of Ñoldor remaining in Middle-earth were in Rivendell and Lindon. Their further fate of fading utterly from the World was shared by all Elves.

## Players

King: TheSadCat

Beauhunt\_III - a.k.a. Turatamo, he was the former High King until he mysteriously disappeared... He built Forlindon and the first Church. That was before the changing of the World. Now he is Prime Minister of Lindon, and stands next to Gil~Galad.

## Territories

**Lands held by the Ñoldor Elves**:

Lindon

Eriador Hills

**Cities held by the Ñoldor Elves**:

Forlindon(Capital)

Mithlond

Harlond

Harlindon

Tower Hills