Forrovannor Rebellion

The Forrovannor Rebellion was a conflict fought between the Forrovannor Separatists and the Kingdom of Arnor from November 23rd 2020 until April 21st 2021. It ended with the admins refusing to let Forrovannor form.

## Background

Ever since early 2015 JJofJ had been one of the foremost players players within the Kingdom of Arnor and its predecessor, the Rangers of the North. By November 2020 he held the titles Master of Recruitment and and Lord of the South Downs, the latter of which he ruled from Minas Alqua. The King at the time, aartpard, was a relative upstart compared to JJ and they came from two different generations of players. While JJ was from a more warlike generation that had fought wars far and wide to strengthen Arnor aart was more interested in isolating Arnor and developing their cities.

On November 2nd 2020 Mordor declared war on Dorwinion and many factions flocked to Dorwinion's aid. JJ wished to join them but soon had a conflict with aart that cumulated in aart holding a closed-doors council meeting on JJ's fate within the faction. The council voted to abolish the Lordship of the South Downs and strip him of his Master of Recruitment title and in response JJ left the faction on November 11th 2020.

JJ was a proponent of Arnor returning to its Ranger of the North roots and establishing ruins, so on November 23rd 2020 he and the Rangers sluggcascade and heap formed Forrovanor in north-western Eriador, aiming to establish a more lore-like Ranger faction.

## Rebellion

#### Early stages

The ruin of Foruthwen was established on November 27th with other smaller settlements being built nearby. The villages of Tathariant, Helegelain, and Randercyl were founded as well. As Arnor's Master of Recruitment JJ had fostered many Arnorian players, especially from the South Downs, and began poaching them as well as recruiting a number of other players as well. The factions population exploded to 15, rivaling that of Arnor, and thus on December 21st 2020 JJ officially declared independence from Arnor.

#### Search for Allies

Immediately after the declaration of independence aartpard called for his allies of Rohan and the Council of Calion to aid him in suppressing the rebellion. JJ looked for allies of his own but the Wood-Elves, Lothlorien, and Dorwinion were embroiled in civil conflict while Dale and the Hobbits were strictly isolationist. The majority of evil and neutral factions were sympathetic to JJ but were unwilling to take part in a Free Peoples dispute so JJ looked to the Dwarven Council. The Dwarven Council was at the time waging the Erebor Civil War against Calion-backed rebels so they seemed to be a potential ally but the Dwarves instead opted to repair their relations with Arnor by pledging their support.

In the end JJ found support from only two groups. The first was the Forodren Gwaith who were a Council of Calion member but saw Forrovannor as a natural ally due to being a militant, custom faction in the north-west with close ties of friendship. Forodren was unable to officially support Forrovannor but unofficially recognized them and signed a NAP. The other was the Erebor rebels who agreed to aid Forrovannor in battles against the Dwarves.

#### Open Conflict

Arnor and her allies immediately launched assaults against Forrovannor and bloody engagements were fought all across the north-west. Arnor also began winning the propaganda war, successfully portraying Forrovannor as yet another custom faction bent on cutting the an existing mod faction into two. JJ himself was portrayed as power-hungry and only rebelling to get back at aart and Arnor.

## Conclusion

On April 21st 2021 the admins officially denied Forrovannor permission to form as a faction. Their reasoning was almost identical to the argument that Arnor had put forth over the course of the conflict and was influenced by the overwhelming Free Peoples response to the rebellion. Following the rejection JJ fled south to the unstable realm of Isengard, which JJ would later take control of. Some quit the server and others crossed the border into Angmar or the Forodren Gwaith.

The Forrovannor Rebellion had major political effects on the server. The Forodren Gwaith's support for Forrovannor led to Arnor withdrawing from the Council of Calion, triggering the decline of the once great alliance. The loss of so many players crippled Arnor and took years to heal.