Land of the King
Chapter 20: Annals of Kings II, The Golden Age
In the first volume of this book, we examined the reigns of the first eleven High Kings of Arnor, ending at the short reign of Amlaith, the eldest son of Earendur Falastur and the short but bloody War of the Three Brothers. In this second volume, we will look at the reigns of the kings leading up to, and during the First Golden Age of Arnor, during which Arnorian power reached a zenith.
The second and third millennia of Arnor's history are noted first for being years of swift recovery from the War of the Three Brothers and later an increasing and near unstoppable rise in Arnor's power. It is very remarkable how swiftly Arnor recovered from the civil war, and how quickly the kingdom then proceeded to conquer much of Westeros. Yet as Arnor's power grew, so too did its decadence, and the path was laid for dark days ahead…
XII Beleg the Young, 1162-1512
King Beleg was born in the year 1132 and ascended the throne in the year 1162, after his father's early death. If Amlaith was considered young when he became king, then Beleg was considered almost a child. Having become king at only the age of 30, Beleg was called the 'Young King' for he had barely lived five years of manhood upon his crowning. His inexperience allowed the Council of the Sceptre to gain and unprecedented amount of power and lead to the rising influence of the Purist Faction.
For centuries ever since the conquests of Tarondor Hirgaer, there had been a growing unofficial political faction in Arnor. The Purists were a group of old noble families of the purest Númenórean descent and espoused the purity of Númenórean blood, lineage, culture, language, and religion. They firmly believed in the inherent superiority of the Dúnedain people and called for Arnor to expand its realm by conquest and bring its enlightened rule to the savage and primitive barbarians beyond.
The Purists had been fierce in their support for both Earendur and Amlaith, their support having been key to the victories of both in their respective wars. That support had seen them rewarded and upon Amlaith's death, in a perfect position to act.
The faction was an informal association and members had varying levels of belief in its ideals, however combined, they had come to hold a majority on the Council of the Sceptre. Taking advantage of the king's youth, the Purist Faction pushed through a number of laws. From then onwards, all mannish citizens of Arnor were divided into three groups, The Dúnedain, pureblooded descendants of Númenor, the Casterrim, descendants of the First Men, and the Tergil, those of mixed descent. These categories had existed for a long time but were only now made official. According to these laws, Dúnedain were only allowed to marry and have children with other Dúnedain. Unions with individuals of non-Númenórean descent was forbidden. This was done to preserve the purity of the blood of Númenor. Where previously this had been followed by all Númenórean families as custom, it was now law.
The Tergil, Lesser Dúnedain, were a grey area for the Purists. Many looked down upon them for being of mixed descent and thought them inferior, and yet in many aspects they were indistinguishable from pureblooded Dúnedain and for an unclear number of generations as well. In some cases, second generation Tergil, meaning those possessing only one Númenórean grandparent, were already beginning to show signs of their heritage weakening. In other cases, however, individuals with a Númenórean ancestor as far back as five generations were still indistinguishable from purebloods. This uncertainty lead to many Purists being reluctant to allow their children to wed Tergil. It was often frowned upon, but still permissible within a certain number of generations, the figure changing between each respective family and their beliefs.
The Houses of the First Men in Arnor, Reyne, Crakehall, and Farman among others, were officially recognised as pureblooded Dúnedain. When Arnor had first been established, these houses had greatly desired to intermarry with their new overlords. The Royal House, and many other old noble families had refused, and so they had turned to intermarrying with the less prestigious Númenórean families. In the eyes of these houses, even marriages to commoners were acceptable so long as they were of the blood of Númenor. And so it was that by the reign of Beleg, all these houses were considered pureblooded Dúnedain, despite their Casterrim origins and names, and were recognised as such.
Thus Arnor came to be ruled by a purely Númenórean aristocracy, its rulers seeking to make it into Númenor anew. The decline of the culture, language and religion of the First Men in Arnor, which had already begun centuries ago hastened, and the Casterrim, though descended from the First Men, were Númenóreans in all but name and blood. Yet there were concerns by a few some, that the new ways of Arnor were too much like the ways of Old Númenor and feared for Arnor's future.
Beleg the Young however, did not remain young forever. As he grew in wisdom and knowledge, he eventually took back power from the Council of the Sceptre, though the Purists remained very influential still. Having asserted the authority of the High King over the council, Beleg set himself to work, rebuilding all that had been destroyed.
The War of the Three Brothers had left much of Arnor weakened and damaged, and the attempt of Amlaith to reclaim the lost lands before Arnor had been restored had not helped at all. Yet where the father failed, the son succeeded.
Beleg restored Arnor and increased its prosperity greater than it had been even under his grandfather Earendur. He showed no signs of wanting war with the Reach, only desiring to restore Arnor and heal its ills. Many thought him a coward, for failing to avenge his father, even after he had successfully restored Arnor. Yet, despite their thoughts, Beleg had not forgotten and he had not forgiven.
Though the Council of the Sceptre had been force to yield most of its power back to the High King, the Purist Faction that now made up majority of the council remained very influential still and they were all of them impressed and pleased when King Beleg called for their support in a war of conquest and vengeance against the Kingdom of the Reach.
In the year 1232 EL, Beleg the Young invaded the Kingdom of the Reach. Beleg had cunningly timed his invasion to take place shortly after the death of King Garse III of the Reach. Without Garse, the Reach had lost a stabilising presence and an untested young king sat upon the Oakenseat.
Beleg's invasion was two-pronged. The bulk of the invasion force marched south from Minas Ithil and poured into the Reach, whilst a second force sailed up the Mander River from the Misty Islands. Famously, at the Third Battle of Goldengrove, Beleg repeated his grandfather's victory and avenged his father's defeat. Within three years, Highgarden had been sacked and the Oakenseat burned. The Reach ceded almost half of its territory to Arnor, including the lost lands that Earendur had conquered.
Beleg would continue attacking the Reach and whittling down its territory for the remainder of his reign. As a result of his conquests, Arnor's domain was now bounded by the Mander River for much of its southern border, excepting a region around Highgarden. It is commonly believed that Beleg had followed his late grandfather Earendur's plan for the conquest of the Reach, and by the end of his reign, the Kingdom of the Reach had practically ceased to exist, lthough the rulers of Highgarden would continue to style themselves such until Highgarden itself was finally annexed to Arnor years later.
Apart from his infamously young ascension and his many conquests, Beleg is best known for abdicating his throne in 1512 E.L, after a reign of 350 years, the single longest of any High King of Arnor, longer even than Elendil's 202-year reign. Upon abdicating he famously declared, 'I have ruled long enough'. Beleg, the 'Old' as he was now called, finally died twenty-five years later in 1537, at the age of 405. His reign had seen the restoration and expansion of Arnor's power, but had also seen the sowing of its future troubles.
XIII Mallor
Mallor's father Beleg had inherited the throne at the young age of 30 shortly after the War of the Three Brothers had seen one of his uncles exiled to the wall and the other beheaded. Consequently, with no siblings, Beleg had been obliged to marry young, lest Arnor fell into chaos again should anything befall him. Thus, Mallor was only half a century younger than his father and was 330 years old when he abdicated in 1512.
Being so old, Mallor had felt that Arnor needed a young and passionate king to lead it and so he himself abdicated and refused the Sceptre, passing it to his son, Celepharn.
Nonetheless, in accordance with ancient Númenórean custom, Mallor is still counted amongst the High Kings of Arnor and was considered to have reigned for one day. He died in 1580 at the age of 398.
XIV Celepharn the Conqueror, 1512-1712
Celepharn was born in the year 1297. He ascended to the throne in 1512 after the dual abdication of his father and grandfather and would go on to rule Arnor for 200 years until his death at the age of 415 in 1712.
10 years after his ascension, Celepharn finally completed his grandfather's conquest of the Reach. In 1522, Highgarden fell to Arnor for the last time and was annexed to the Realm-in-Exile. House Gardener was made extinct, all surviving sons were either executed or sent to the Wall, and all surviving daughters were married off to loyalists of Celepharn's choosing.
Celepharn claimed Highgarden by right of conquest and made it into a royal palace, renaming it Arcalen. The castle was rebuilt with Númenórean engineering and the lieutenant-stone, the second greatest of the palantiri, was installed in one of its towers to help Celepharn rule his new domain.
Nearby, on the mouth of the great River Mander, Celepharn would build the great haven of Mandalondë. A mighty port city, straddling the mouth of the river, Mandalondë and nearby Arcalen upriver, were two new jewels in the empire Arnor was building. The territory in which both Arcalen and Mandalondë sat would come to be known as Calenardhon, the Green Province.
With the fall of Highgarden, the dream of Earendur Falastur, Celepharn's grandfather's grandfather, to one day see all the Reach under Arnorian rule, was fulfilled. All the realm once ruled by Garth Goldenhand and all the lands watered by the Mander River were now under the suzerainty of the Sceptre of Annúminas. Yet not even that was enough for Celepharn. His eyes were set on another prize.
South of the historical seat of the Gardeners, the ancient House Hightower had long ruled from their Hightower in the Battle Isle, governing from there a modest but wealthy realm. The Crown Jewel of the Hightower's kingdom was their capital, Oldtown. A city so old that it could have claimed to exist when Elendil had first landed upon the shores of Westeros.
With its strategic position in the Whispering Sound, bordering the Redwyne Straits, Oldtown controlled most of the trade in the region and for centuries all of Arnor's eastward voyages had passed through Oldtown, making the city richer and richer.
In Celepharn's mind, with the annexation of Highgarden, the time had come for Oldtown to submit to his rule, and he had no intentions of allowing a non-Númenórean house to remain in control.
In 1522, when word had come to the Kings of the Arbor and the Kings of the High Tower of the fall of Highgarden and final conquest of the Reach, much distressed did they become. For in recent years, Arnor had grown ever more expansionist and warmongering and the two kings feared that their realms would be the next targets. United by their fear, the two kings made common cause and sealed their alliance with a marriage pact.
Princess Rhea Redwyne, the only child and daughter of King Ryam of the Arbor, was married to Prince Armond Hightower, the eldest son and heir of King Ormund of the High Tower. In 1524, their marriage bore fruit in the form of a son, Prince Lymond.
Prince Lymond however was not the heir of both kingdoms. He was in line to inherit Oldtown after his father, yet by the customs of the First Men, only men could inherit, and so his mother was not in line to the Arbor.
This form of succession is known as Agnatic Primogeniture and it was greatly displeasing to Prince Armond and his father. King Ormund believed that a union of their two kingdoms would be most beneficial, allowing them to combine their wealth and fleets and perhaps make them strong enough to deter Arnorian aggression.
To that end, King Ormund changed the succession laws of his own house, altering them such that daughters could inherit, coming before a king or lord's brothers and after his sons. The move was rather radical for the time, yet it was not without precedent. Women had ruled the High Tower before, either in name or as regents. Furthermore, it was possible for King Ormund to change the law of succession such because it had little effect on the current line of succession in his kingdom as the majority of his relatives were of too distant relation to have any meaningful claim and all of King Ormund's own children were sons.
The importance of Ormund's succession law change is that he used it to pressure his counterpart, Ryam, into doing the same and naming his daughter heir to the Arbor. When Ryam acquiesced, his nephews rebelled. With the aid of House Hightower, Ryam crushed the rebellion and his grandson, Lymond Redwyne-Hightower, became the second in line to the throne of both kingdoms.
Consequently, when Celepharn attacked Oldtown in 1562, the two kingdoms were in personal union under the rule of 38-year old King Lymond. However, despite the hopes of Ormund and Ryam, the combined might of the Arbor and Oldtown was not enough to stop Celepharn. Against the power that had risen to the north, there was no victory.
In the famed Battle of the Redwyne Straits, the Arnorian navy smashed the combined fleet of both kingdoms. King Lymond's realm would see no respite. In the north, a vast force of soldiers descended upon Oldtown whilst in the south, a great fleet closed in on the Arbor.
Ancient records from the Citadel which have survived note the writings of one particular maester by the name of Kevan who wrote in his diary a description of the siege.
"The Arnorians are at the walls. The King says not to worry, that our walls will protect us. The people do not believe him. They have heard of how the giants and trebuchets of Arnor tore down the walls of Highgarden with ease. There is rioting in the streets. Men loot, rape, and kill. As if they are deciding to start the sack early! It has not affected those of us here in the Citadel but a number of our alcolytes were caught in the riots as well.
Fear. The city is rank with it. Fear of Arnor, fear of what they will do to us. I do not know if I will live to write the next entry of this diary. Even now, I can see the army beyond the walls. They are like a sea of silver and steel, glimmering in the light of the setting sun. There are so many of them, I had not thought armies of that size to even be possible!
I pray the Arnorians show mercy, but if they do not… tears unnumbered will be shed tonight."
Maester Kevan's prayer was answered. Oldtown would be spared a sack by the order of Celepharn. Yet fall the city did. King Lymond and his family were all captured, their fates left to be decided after the war.
The Arnorian army shocked the people of the city. They did not loot, kill, or rape. Discipline was prevalent amongst the ranks of Arnor and the people nervously accepted their new rulers' mercy.
Famously King Celepharn walked right into the Citadel, perused its library, and then sat a while to read books. The Citadel was a great library and repository of knowledge, and now it was under Arnorian control. By Celepharn's royal decree, the Order of the Maesters was given royal patronage and protection to continue their scholarly work and research in the service of Arnor though they would be but one of many scholarly groups in the kingdom.
The city of Oldtown was rebuilt with Númenórean engineering and technology. The Arnorians renamed the city Hyarmenna, Southwards, as it was now the southernmost city in Arnor. The High Tower on Battle Isle was similarly renamed to Hyarnúminas, Tower of the South.
Yet despite the fall of Oldtown, the war was not over yet. A Redwyne cousin of King Lymond declared himself King of the Arbor and barricaded himself within Castle Redwyne. His reign proved to be a short one when his own garrison threw him in chains before the approaching Arnorian army.
The main branches of House Hightower and House Redwyne were extinguished the same way the Gardeners were, although Celepharn reluctantly named a distant cousin of Lymond to the governance of Hyarmenna, whilst a Númenórean lord would be given control of Hyarnúminas and lordship and oversight of the city as a whole.
Celepharn had emerged victorious yet again, adding even more territory to Arnor. Yet he would not rest. Even as he spent years consolidating and assimilating his gains, he was already planning his next conquest.
In 1605, Celepharn invaded the Kingdom of the Storm. The goal was to seize control of the fertile and strategic Dornish Marches. Years earlier, these same territories had been conquered by Garth Goldenhand and had been disputed between the Reach and the Stormlands until the Reach was conquered by Arnor. Now Arnor laid its own claims to the region.
Three years of war and skirmishes saw Arnor emerge victorious in the conflict, successfully wresting the region and crippling the military might of the Stormlands who would cease to be a threat to Arnor for the next few decades.
Celepharn's warmongering and bloodthirstiness earned him the epithet of 'the Conqueror'. For at the time, his actions had done more than any king before him to expand Arnor's realm by conquest.
The remainder of his reign was spent putting down rebellions in his new territories. Celepharn proved to not only be a capable conqueror but also a shrewd ruler. Rebellious lords were executed and their entire families stripped of their ancestral lands and titles. New lords of Númenórean descent were raised up in the place of these houses, as warning to other conquered houses not to rebel.
The list of houses destroyed by Celepharn and his grandfather, Beleg, is long. Among its number are ancient and old families such as the Gardeners, Caswells, Redwynes, Peakes, Balls, Florents, and Carons among others.
Many prominent, old, and proud Númenórean families trace their origins from their loyal ancestors being bequeathed the lands of these rebellious families by Celepharn. Families such as the House of Húrin of Emyn Arnen or the House of Tarnil of Calembel, to name a few.
Nevertheless, toward the end of his life and reign, Celepharn heart grew restless. Once more he turned his gaze upon the Storm King's domain. In 1680, Celepharn lead one final war, conquering all the Stormlands as far east as the Wendwater River. As a result of Celepharn's final conquest, only Massey's Hooks, Shipbreaker's Bay, Tarth, and Cape Wrath remained under the rule of Storm's End.
Celepharn had done more than any king before him to expand Arnor, yet some believe that he had conquered too much too fast. When Celepharn finally died in 1712, he left to his successor a kingdom great expanded, but also greatly overstretched and rebellious.
XV Celebrindor the Chivalrous, 1712-1892
Celebrindor was born in 1486. He ascended the throne upon his father's death in 1712 and reigned until his own in 1892. He ruled Arnor for 180 years and died at the age of 406.
Unlike his father before him, Celebrindor made no major conquests. He rightfully believed that his father's conquests had overstretched Arnor to the breaking point, and devoted the entirety of his realm to peacefully developing, consolidating, and assimilating his father's conquests.
Celebrindor developed and expanded the infrastructure of Arnor and the conquered provinces, building roads and bridges. His work in educating the conquered citizens did much to help assimilate them into Arnor. By the end of his reign, every conquest made by both of his conquering predecessors, Beleg and Celepharn, had been assimilated and turned into loyal Arnorian provinces.
Provinces such as Calenardhon and Hywarwinion were now considered to be as Arnorian as old provinces like Malldolan, Ithilien, and Anorien. And the inhabitants of these new territories came to see themselves as Arnorian, proud of the fact that they had become part of Arnor.
Celebrindor's predecessors had conquered these lands, but it was Celebrindor who truly made them part of Arnor. As a result, when Arnor next went to war, its powerbase of loyal Arnorian citizens was much larger.
Despite his work in the peaceful development and assimilation of the conquered regions, Celebrindor is best known for his work in creating the code of chivalry.
For centuries, the 'knight' was a term used to refer to heavy cavalry, usually equipped with lances. However, a certain prestige and etiquette had developed to distinguish these knights from other soldiers, a slow evolution throughout the centuries.
Under Celebrindor, the evolution was complete. The knight was redefined as a usually mounted elite soldier who has sworn oaths of honour, chastity, obedience, and loyalty to king and country. These were the ideals of chivalry and they were fully embraced and supported by Celebrindor.
Knights were to be addressed as 'Sir' and had the right to their own heraldry. They need not be of any noble line or house but only needed to be possessing of a noble character. Prestigious Knightly Orders would develop in Arnor, some originating from elite cavalry forces that had previously borne the name 'knight', such as the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth.
The creation of the ideals of knighthood and the oaths of chivalry may not have been entirely altruistic on the king's part for though he no doubt fully believed in the ideals he espoused, knights and knightly orders gave Arnor a large core of highly trained, highly motivated, elite, and loyal soldiers.
It is clear that though he himself made no personal conquests, Celebrindor's actions directly strengthened and supported Arnor's future ability to wage wars of conquest. Whether or not that was Celebrindor's intention is not as clear, yet one must remember that he was opposed to his father's conquests on purely pragmatic and practical grounds, not opposed to conquest in general.
Whatever his own thoughts on the matter, the knightly orders that he sponsored, and the loyalty and goodwill he had earned from peacefully assimilating his predecessors' conquests enabled his successor to continue said predecessors' conquests.
Celebrindor's reign is known only for one other thing. It was in the 15th year of Celebrindor's rule that word first came to Arnor of shepherds in the Lands of the Long Summer discovering, taming, and riding dragons that they had discovered in the volcano chain known as the Fourteen Flames. The people of Arnor had reacted with disbelief, suspicion and fear. Yet at the time, the shepherd-turned-dragonriders had used their new war beasts to throw off the yoke of Ghiscari and slavery. The Arnorians could not have known at the time that those very same shepherd dragonlords would adopt slavery themselves and build their civilisation on the backs of slaves. The civilisation that would become the single greatest enemy Arnor has ever faced. Valyria.
XVI Malvegil Stormbreaker, 1892-1976
Malvegil was born in 1687 and ascended the throne upon his father's death in 1892. He reigned for 84 years until his death in 1976.
Malvegil is famously remembered by the epithet 'Stormbreaker' for the famous Siege of Storm's End in 1922. King Malvegil was advised to starve out Storm's End, that the great fortress had never been breached in history, not even by giants. Malvegil famously replied.
"I will not breach Storm's End. I will break it."
Break it he did. Not even the walls of Storm's End, the fortress which myths tell could withstand the wrath of gods, could stand before the endless volley of rock and stone hurled at them by Arnorian siege engines and giants.
With the fall of Storm's End, the Kingdom of the Storm became nothing more than memory, a name written in the pages of history books. Malvegil annexed the entirety of what remained of the Stormlands.
Unlike his grandfather however, Malvegil was more lenient on the conquered houses, allowing them to keep their lands and titles so long as they knelt before him and swore fealty to him. Even the defeated House Durrandon, the former Storm Kings, were allowed to keep their ancestral seat of Storm's End, albeit their heirs were to serve as hostages in Annúminas.
Malvegil's more lenient style of conquest enable him to pacify the new province of Raumdor much easier than his father and grandfather had pacified the other conquered regions. He cleverly used a system of hostages and intermarriages to bind the houses of the Stormlands to Arnor.
In many cases, younger sons of Númenórean lords were offered lands in the Stormlands on the condition that they married the daughters of Stormlords. This was unacceptable to many of the more purist-minded Arnorians, yet there were still many opportunists who took the offer. The Houses of the Stormlands would however, still be looked down upon by many in Arnor for their Casterrim lineage and origin, just as many other families were. Even houses such as Reyne and Crakehall, had yet to be fully recognised as pure Númenóreans despite having been part of Arnor for millennia and having been Númenorean in blood and culture for almost as long.
Malvegil died in battle against Dornish raiders on the southern border in 1976. He had only been 289 years old.
XVII Argeleb I Hyarmendacil, 1976-2174
The seventeenth king of Arnor, Argeleb was born in the year 1765 during his grandfather Celebrindor's reign. His right name at birth had been Celeb, meaning silver in Sindarin.
Celeb grew up during the peaceful reign of his grandfather and was from a young age enamoured with the chivalric, knightly traditions founded during his reign. His trainers told his father and grandfather that the young prince took to the sword and lance more keenly than they had ever seen any other.
Celeb was a natural warrior and was knighted when he was only eight and ten. When he was 153 years old, he followed his father to war against the Stormlands and was there when his father broke the walls of Storm's End four years later.
Yet Celeb would always regret that he had not been there when his father was slain by Dornish raiders. His father's death engendered a wrath in the young king, fierce and terrible.
Upon ascending the throne, he took the name 'Argeleb', meaning 'Royal Silver' or 'Silver King', beginning the tradition of the High King of Arnor ruling with a regnal name with the royal prefix 'ar', in the style of the last Kings of Númenor. The tradition has been faithfully followed to this day, as every king after Argeleb I was either given a name with the royal prefix at birth or assumed it as part of their regnal name upon becoming king.
Argeleb I's act upon becoming king was to reorganize the armies of Arnor, in preparation for the greatest campaign undertaken since Celepharn the Conqueror's conquest of Oldtown over four hundred years earlier. The campaign planned… was the subjugation of Dorne.
For the entire history of men, the vast majority of Dorne had been a hot and harsh desert inhospitable to life. It was no surprise then that for as long as anyone could remember, the Dornish kingdoms had led many raids into the fertile lands of the neighbouring Kingdoms of the Reach, Stormlands, and the High Tower. The raids had not stopped, even after Arnor had conquered these kingdoms.
The failure of previous kings to crush Dorne was directly responsible for King Malvegil's death, that is at least, in the mind of his son, King Argeleb I. Argeleb meant to correct that mistake, permanently.
In the year 1980, four years after his crowning, the young king Argeleb repelled an invasion by King Samwell Dayne of the Torrentine, called the Starfire.
Argeleb's vengeance was brutal. At the walls of Hyarmenna, the city the Starfire had besieged, the host of Arnor fell upon Dayne like a hammer from the north.
In a famous and legendary duel, Argeleb personally confronted Starfire before the gates of Hyarmenna. How the bards love to sing of the Duel of Kings. Two legendary swords clashed on that day, Narsil against Dawn.
Yet not even the Starfire could stand against the fury of Argeleb. Narsil prevailed against Dawn and the Starfire would breathe his last.
The army of Starfall broke when they saw their king fall before Argeleb. They fled before the vengeful pursuing host of Arnor. Argeleb proceeded to lay siege to Starfall itself, and the seat of House Dayne surrendered to him.
As an act of respect, Argeleb returned Starfire's body and his sword, Dawn, to Starfall. The body of Samwell was entombed in his family's crypts and Dawn was returned to its stand, to wait until the next Sword of the Morning arose.
Argeleb allowed Samwell's son, Arron, to remain King of the Torrentine. However, he demanded an oath of fealty and tribute to be paid to Arnor in perpetuity. And so, Starfall became the first tributary of Arnor. It would not however be the last.
Leading great armies through the Wide Way and Boneway, Argeleb subjugated all the lands south of the Red Mountains. The Men of Dorne were defeated, and their kings were compelled to acknowledge the overlordship of Arnor. Yronwood, Fowler, Dayne, Albin, Blackmont, Manwoody, and many others, all submitted to Arnor. The kings of Dorne did homage to Arnor, and their sons lived as hostages in the court of its High King.
Argeleb returned home triumphant. The Dornish threat had been pacified and the victors returned laden with glory and spoils. Argeleb claimed for himself the title of Hyarmendacil, South Victor, and it is by that name that most remember him as.
To ensure that Dorne could never rebel and raid Arnor again, Argeleb constructed a series of massive fortifications at all the major Dornish passes. The largest and most well-known being the Towers of the Teeth, Narchost and Carchost, at the north end of the Wide Way, the largest and shortest of the passes.
Argeleb's goal had been achieved. Never again could Dorne threaten Arnor.
XVIII Arveleg I, 2174-2287
Arveleg I was born Prince Beleg in the year 1881 to the then Prince Celeb. He ascended to the throne at the age of 293 after his father's death in 2174. Following after his father, he took his regnal name with the royal prefix, and would rule with the name, Arveleg.
In his 113-year reign, Arveleg I would turn his focus on a new frontier for Arnor.
For centuries, Arnor's expansion had been primarily southwards. The armies of Arnor had moved south from Minas Ithil, overrunning the lands that had once been the Kingdoms of the Reach, High Tower, Arbor, and Stormlands. However, after Argeleb I's subjugation of Dorne, Arnor now found itself with nothing left to conquer or expand into in the south. And so, under the rule of Arveleg I, Arnor began turning its gaze in two new directions. North and east.
When Arveleg I came to the throne of Arnor, the northern border of the kingdom was marked by the Blackwater Rush, Morduin, in the language of Sindarin, and the hills and mountains of Anorien. The Argonath at the foot of Minas Anor had long marked the eastern border of Arnor, and even as Arnor expanded to the south and east, the north-eastern border had remained at Minas Anor.
During this time, the kingdom which had sat at Arnor's northern border was known as the Kingdom of Rivers and Hills, ruled by House Mudd of Oldstones. Though nominally holding the title of king, House Mudd's authority was mostly limited to the northwestern parts of the region, centred on the Trident River. Towns such as Duskendale and Maidenpool paid only lip service to the kings of House Mudd, and during times of weakness, were themselves independent kings.
It was against this divided kingdom that Arnor first began its forays into the region.
Arveleg did not move directly against House Mudd but rather began spreading Arnor's influence in the more outlying regions of their kingdom. Houses such as Darklyn, Rosby, and Stokeworth began looking to Annúminas for leadership more than they did Oldstones. To strengthen his power and influence in the region, Arveleg I built the haven of Morlond, the Black Harbour, on the northern banks of the mouth of the Morduin, and installed the last palantir there.
Arnor would not fight against House Mudd directly under Arveleg, but he sowed the seeds of Arnor's later dominance of the region. A rich and wealthy city had been built on the northern side of the Blackwater Rush, and half the houses sworn to the Mudds were more loyal to Arnor than to Oldstones by the end of Arveleg I's reign.
XIX Araphor Rómendacil, 2287-2401
King Araphor was born in the year 1999. He ruled for 114 years.
Araphor's invasion of the Riverlands began in 2300. Armies poured out from Minas Anor and Durthang in the west, whilst Arnorian soldiers crossed over the Blackwater in the south.
Araphor's predecessor Arveleg I's work in building close ties with many Riverlander houses led to many of them defecting to Arnor and calling their banners in support of the Arnorian army.
Pinkmaiden and Riverrun, long the shields of the Kings of Rivers and Hills from the east, broke before the might of Arnor as it swarmed from the west. King Tristifier II Mudd was slain in the field of battle, his heir Terrence Mudd failed to hold his father's fraying kingdom together. Within two years, all the Riverlands south of Oldstones had knelt to Araphor.
Oldstones and Seagard were both laid to siege. The efficiency and capabilities of Arnorian siege engines and giants ensure sieges were never a very long affair for Arnorian armies. Both fortresses were breached soon enough.
House Mudd had died out over the course of the war, but excepting the defeated House Mudd, the former Riverlander Houses prospered in Arnor. Many of them had sided with Arnor from near the start of the conflict and so were seen more favourably, being allowed to retain all lands, titles, and incomes.
In honour of his great victory, Araphor claimed the title, Rómendacil, East-Victor, in the same style his grandfather had. With his annexation of the Riverlands, or Siriand as it was known in Sindarin, Araphor had joined the list of great Arnorian conquerors and is counted amongst kings like Tarondor Hirgaer, Beleg the Young, Celepharn the Conqueror, Malvegil Stormbreaker, and Argeleb I Hyarmendacil. These are among the ancient kings primarily responsible for the first expansions of Arnor from the modest realm it had been under Elendil into the mighty empire it is today.
XX Argeleb II, 2401-2564
Argeleb II was named for his great-grandfather, King Argeleb Hyarmendacil. He was born in the year 2165 and died at the age of 399 in 2564, having ruled for 163 years and overseeing the last of Arnor's territorial expansions.
Argeleb pushed the northern and north-eastern border of Arnor to the Neck and the Mountains of the Moon. Great fortifications were built to guard the northern border, so as to prevent the crannogmen of the Neck from intruding. Yet in the Ered Isil, as they were named in Sindarin, only one fortress was needed.
Treacherous, sheer, and steep are the peaks of the Ered Isil, like a great wall that cordoned off the lands beyond and barred Arnor entry. Yet walls prejudice not in who they block, and just as Arnor could not pass through the Mountains, neither could the men of the petty kingdoms in the vales beyond. Few were the navigable passes in the mountains, and at the greatest of these passes, the Men of Arnor built a great gated wall. Nimannon, or White Gate was its right name. The fort was so named for the white marble used in its construction. Yet as the years passed, and countless armies smashed themselves to pieces upon it, it's true name was forgotten by most in favour of its far more common nickname, the Bloody Gate.
At the northern border of Arnor, where the Green Fork flowed out from the Neck, Argeleb II rose the two great statues, a monument to warn the peoples beyond that the land of Arnor was to the south. Each of the two figures bore a crown and a helm, with an axe in its right hand and its left hand respectively, raised in a gesture of defiance to the enemies of Arnor. The two statues were carved in the likeness of Elendil and Isildur, the first two kings of Arnor. Known as the Gates of Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings would mark the northern border of the realm for millennia.
Argeleb II would also force the Clawmen of Cracklaw Point to submit to his rule, and established outposts upon the isles of Driftmark, Claw Isle, Blackstone, and the Stepstones archipelago. Control over these islands gave Arnor control over the trade routes that passed through them, bringing much wealth to Arnor.
As a waystation between the Stepstones and Hyarmenna, the haven of Vinyambar was established upon the mouth of the Greenblood River in Dorne. The haven served a purpose not only as a much needed stop for ships and communication link, but also a fortress that allowed Arnor to project its power upstream deep into Dorne. Half of the Dorne was reachable from the Greenblood River, and combined with their fortifications in the Red Mountains, Arnor's control of its tributaries in the region was secured permanently.
Yet the furthermost outpost established by Arnor was not in the Stepstones, but rather a haven and port city built on a sunny paradise island a few hundred miles south-east of the Stepstones. The island was fertile with palm and fruit trees, and the surrounding blue-green waters were filled with fish. At the time of the Arnorian settling of the island, a small colony of Summer Islanders had long dwelt on the island.
The name the Summer Islanders had given to the island would later be adopted by Arnor as the name of the island and the city they built on it. Lys the Lovely.
The haven of Lys would grow rich and wealthy from trade with the neighbouring Rhoynar and Valyrians, and its importance would grow significantly in later millennia, when troubles arose along the Rhoyne River, but those are tales for later volumes.
Argeleb II's territorial acquisitions would not be Arnor's last, not by far. However, his work in demarcating the borders of Arnor as it was in his day is still relevant in many ways. Though the borders of Arnor may have expanded further beyond his boundaries, Arnor as it was when be built the Argonath and the Nimannon, the oldest and most ancient provinces, remain the heartland of the realm to this day.
Arnor had been established in full, bounded safely by the mountains and swamps on its borders and the seas its navy ruled. The Kings of Arnor would however, find that ruling their vast realm was more difficult than conquering it.
XXI Arvegil, 2564-2713
Called the 'Builder' and the 'Architect' by some, King Arvegil was born in the 2301st year after Elendil's Landing. His father, Argeleb II, had been fighting in the Riverlands under his own father, King Araphor, at the time.
His name is rather ironic. For though, 'Royal Sword', he was named, King Arvegil would fight in no wars during his own reign. Rather, he dedicated his life to consolidating and strengthening the kingdom left to him by his father.
The famed Great Roads of Arnor were built in the reign of Arvegil. Though many roads had been built during the reigns of previous kings, Arvegil was the first to unify and expand them into a single system, upgrading and expanding previous roads and building great new highways. The Great Roads crisscrossed all of Arnor, spreading out from Annúminas and linking all the major cities and fortresses of Arnor. Great arched bridges would span over the mighty widths of the rivers these roads passed through, and massive long aqueducts carried life-giving water to the cities of Arnor from the rivers.
The Ocean Road, as it was named, travelled due south from the capital through Minas Ithil and then onwards to Arcalen. From Arcalen, the South Road continued on down to Hyarmenna whilst the Dorne Road continued down through the Prince's Pass and continued a significant distance through the deserts of Dorne to Vinyambar.
The Gold Road travelled due east from Annúminas through Durthang and ending at Morlond on the north mouth of the Blackwater Rush. From Morlond, the Mander Road lead south along the River Mander to Arcalen, whilst the Storm Road connected Storm's End to both Arcalen and Morlond. The Bone Road continued further from Storm's End down through the Boneway before finally ending at Yronwood. In the northeast, the Trident Road linked Annúminas to the city of Osgiliath on the confluence of the three forks of the Trident River, before continuing on to the Bloody Gate. From Osgiliath, the Duskendale Road moved east and south, linking Maidenpool, Antlers, Duskendale, and Morlond.
These great roads were but the major highways, for scores of lesser roads were built or upgraded in Arvegil's reign, along with countless other great constructions of fortresses, ports, aqueducts, mines, and other important buildings and infrastructure.
Yet chief amongst the great works of Arvegil are his Great Canals. Three were built, linking the Bay of Iron to the Trident River, the Trident River to Lake Maiael, (so named for it was believed by the Dúnedain that one or more of the Maiar dwelt on the Isle of Faces in the middle of the lake) and the Morduin (Blackwater Rush) to the Mander.
The three canals were costly and time consuming. It took thousands of workers and giants six decades to complete all three, and they were only completed near the end of Arvegil's reign. It is testament to the vast wealth of the Kings of Arnor, that their treasury was not overly burdened by the construction of the canals.
When they were finally completed, trade in Arnor flourished, and massive amounts of wealth filled the coffers of the country, more than replacing the money spent on the construction. Cities like Osgiliath and Morlond now became immensely wealthy and prosperous, becoming of size and splendour enough to rival Annúminas and Hyarmenna.
Scores of lesser, shorter canals were also carried out after the Great Canals' completions. The linking of many rivers in the interior of the continent greatly connected Arnor and increased its trade like never before. Some figures suggest that the tax revenue of Arnor increased near hundredfold after the completion of all of Arvegil's projects. Though no doubt exaggerated, it cannot be underestimated how much Arnor's wealth increased due to Arvegil's works.
Arvegil's constructions were not for the sake of them however, they were all built with the intent of easing the difficulty of ruling the vast realm. He would act in many other various ways to further simplify his administration and rule, including moving the palantiri.
Tradition had long bound the seven palantiri to their positions. Yet in recognition of Arnor's vastly increased size, Arvegil broke tradition and reorganised the positions of the seven stones. Firstly, Fornost, Minas Anor, and Minas Ithil, were all stripped of their stones. The Ithil-stone was then moved to Hyarmenna, whilst the Anor-stone was moved to the fortress of Raumgûr, more commonly known as Storm's End. The Fornost-stone was moved east to Osgiliath, the Citadel of the Stars, situated on an extremely strategic position at the confluence of the Trident's three forks.
Though strategically logical, Arvegil's decision to move the stones angered many traditionalists, especially the removal of the palantiri from Minas Anor and Minas Ithil as the twin stones had sat in both fortresses since the reign of Elendil. The Lords of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil were particularly incensed, but their protests fell on deaf ears, for Arvegil sternly reminded them and all other protesters, that the palantiri were the possession of the King and he could with them as he pleased.
XXII Arveleg II Alcarin, 2713-2859
Born in the year 2461, Arveleg II inherited from his father a kingdom at the height of its power. During his rule, the famed ships of Arnor sailed all the seas of the Known World, exploring ever further into strange and unknown lands and bringing back vast treasures and wealth. Massive merchant fleets and great caravans filled the ports and markets of Arnor, bringing vast wealth to all of Arnor.
It would be during Arveleg's rule that mithril was discovered in the hills of Malldolan. A unique metal once found in legendary Númenor, the Dúnedain had been immensely shocked and pleased to find it buried deep in the mines of Malldolan, inaccessible and unworkable by the knowledge of lesser men.
Mithril was worth ten times its weight in gold, and for good reason. All folk desired it, for it could be beaten like copper and polished like glass; and the Dúnedain could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of mithril did not tarnish or grow dim. The vast majority of the mithril mined in Malldolan would be hoarded by Arveleg II, who now gained another epithet, Telemmaitë, or Silver-handed, for a King of Númenor who had done much the same.
The discovery of the immensely valuable mithril was seen as a very good omen indeed. After all, mithril was a great part of their heritage as descendants of Númenor and had always been a symbol of immense wealth. Long had the scant few mithril artifacts carried from the Downfall been treasured.
It was the latest in a long line of accomplishments that seemed to serve testament to Arnor's glory. Vast conquests and expansions, the establishments of rich trade routes, the building of great works and constructions, and now the rediscovery of the most beautiful metal that had been found in their ancestral homeland.
Arnor's wealth and power had now become legend. In faraway Asshai and Yi Ti, traders spoke of cities of gold and streets of silver. In Sarnor the Tall Men would speak of great steelbows of the High Men as tall as themselves and mighty mammoths they rode into battle. Along the Rhoyne, the Rhoynar spoke of the prosperous rivers and lush fields of the Dúnedain. Even in Valyria, the dragonlords themselves turned green with envy in their topless towers.
"Precious stones are pebbles in Arnor for children to play with," so lesser men said during the rule of Arveleg II Alcarin, the Glorious. For its glory, its wealth and might had grown to heights none had dreamed possible. It seemed that Arnor could go no higher.
Yet the brightest flames cast the darkest shadows, and even in the heights of glory, power and splendour, the decay could already be seen in Arnor. For Arveleg II, was a king much loving of feasts, songs, and the pleasures of life. He was indolent and slothful in his royal duties, doing nothing to maintain or even increase the power that he had inherited. Stagnation set in. And in the decadence of Arnor's high summits, the seeds were sowed for its plummet to deep valleys.
XXIII Araval, 2859-3021
Araval was born in 2627. He was more responsible than his father before him in the ways of governance and stewardship. While his father feasted and relaxed, Araval governed the realm well as Steward and his experience did him good when he ascended the throne upon his father's death in 2859.
For the most part of his rule, there is little to note of Araval. He ruled well and responsibly, doing much to repair any damage caused by his father's negligence. The infrastructure was maintained, the armies trained, and trade flourished. Arnor prospered under his rule, but it made no great leaps in progress. It was already the highest it could be, or so it was thought, and the stagnation that had begun under his father would continue.
Araval however is remembered less for his good governance and more for one of his less wise decisions. For millennia, House Stark of Winterfell and its vassals on the western coast of the region known to Arnor as Formenor, northern land, had been growing steadily in wealth and power through trade with Arnor. In the later part of Araval's reign, King Brandon 'the Great' Stark defeated the last rival of House Stark, House Bolton of the Dreadfort, and unified the North under his family's rule.
Araval, desiring greater ties with the King in the North, as Brandon now styled himself, appointed his son Araphant as ambassador to the northern kingdom. Araphant was charged with learning the language, manners, and policies of the Northmen.
Araphant however far exceeded his father's design when he fell in love with and married Princess Lyarra Stark, the eldest daughter of King Brandon. Araval begrudgingly gave his blessing for the match, ignoring the protests of the Council of the Sceptre.
Araval finally summoned his errant son back to Arnor in 2980, and he returned with his Northern wife, a household of Northmen, and his son, a two-year old boy with an ill-omened name meaning last king, Arvedui.
Glossary: Provinces Settlements and Infrastucture
Provinces:
(Follow according to map)
1: Malldolan (Gold Hill Country), also known as Arandor(King's Land). Capital is Annúminas (Tower of the West).
2: Anórien (Sun-land). Capital is Minas Anor (Tower of the Sun).
3: Ithilien (Moon-land). Capital is Minas Ithil (Tower of the Moon).
4: Angren (Iron) or Angrenor (Iron-land). Capital is Angrenost (Iron Fortress).
5: Calenardhon (Green Province). Capital is Arcalen (High Green).
6: Hyarwinion (Southern Wine). Capital is Hyarmenna (Southwards).
7: Tol Winion (Isle of Wine) or the Arbor
8: Tircarnë (Red Guard).
9: Raumdor (Storm-land). Capital is Storm's End or Raumgûr
10: Morfalas (Black Shore). Capital is Morlond (Black Harbour)
11: Carsiriand (Red River-land).
12: Neledsiriand (Land of Three Rivers). Capital is Osgiliath (Citadel of the Stars).
13: Nammatil (Claw Point) or Crackclaw Point.
14: Tolle Rusta (Broken Isles). Capital is Peluicarnë(Harbour of Purple)
15: Lys. Capital is Lys
16: Vinyambar (New Fate). Capital is Vinyambar
These are the 16 administrative regions or provinces of Arnor. The 'capital' of each region does not necessarily refer to the region's administrative centres nor does it necessarily mean that the rulers of the 'capitals' govern the entire province. The provinces are similar to canon Gondor and Arnor's provinces. The 'capitals' are the historically largest, wealthiest, and most influential settlements in the region.
Note that the petty kingdoms of Dorne are Arnorian protectorates, tributaries, vassals, client states, etc, but they are not part of Arnor.
Settlements:
Annuminas = Casterly Rock/ Lannisport
Dol Amroth=Feastfires
Tarnost= Sarsfield
Fornost= Banefort
Minas Anor = Golden Tooth
Minas Ithil is on the western shore of Red Lake
Cirith Dúath = Deep Den,
Durthang = Hornvale,
Amon Sul = Silverhill.
Amon Hen and Lhaw are watchtowers in the Ered Mellais.
Emyn Arnen= Starpike
Arcalen= Highgarden
Mandalondë= mouth of Mander
Hyarmenna= Oldtown
Towers of the Teeth, Narchost and Carchost, are on the northern end of the Prince's Pass/ Wide Way, near to Skyreach
Raumgûr= Storm's End
Morlond = King's Landing
Osgiliath is situated at the intersection points of the Red Fork, Blue Fork, and Green Fork.
Nimannon= Bloody Gate
Peluicarnë= Tyrosh
Vinyambar= Plankytown, mouth of the Greenblood
If you don't know that Lys is Lys, you have issues.
More settlements may be added at a later date, but for now these are the ones to take note of.
Annúminas has the Master-stone, or canon Osgiliath-stone
Morlond has the lieutenant-stone, or canon Amon Sul-stone
Angrenost, Osgiliath, Arcalen, Hyarmenna and Raumgûr have the remaining five stones.
Note that the canon Elostirion-stone was cut off from Eressea when the Nine Ships crossed over so it now functions normally.
Infrastructure:
Canals:
Ironman's Bay- Trident, Trident- God's Eye, Blackwater-Mander. These are the three Great Canals.
Lesser canals include Hornvale-Red Fork amongst others. I was heavily inspired by Steven Attwell's racetotheironthrone blog and his Economic Development series so check that out for an idea of how Arnor developed its land.
Roads:
The famed Great Roads of Arnor were built in the reign of Arvegil. Though many roads had been built during the reigns of previous kings, Arvegil was the first to unify and expand them into a single system, upgrading and expanding previous roads and building great new highways. The Great Roads crisscrossed all of Arnor, spreading out from Annúminas and linking all the major cities and fortresses of Arnor.
The Ocean Road, as it was named, travelled due south from the capital through Minas Ithil and then onwards to Arcalen. From Arcalen, the South Road continued on down to Hyarmenna whilst the Dorne Road continued down through the Prince's Pass and continued a significant distance through the deserts of Dorne to Vinyambar.
The Gold Road travelled due east from Annúminas through Durthang and ending at Morlond on the north mouth of the Blackwater Rush. From Morlond, the Mander Road lead south along the River Mander to Arcalen, whilst the Storm Road connected Storm's End to both Arcalen and Morlond. The Bone Road continued further from Storm's End down through the Boneway before finally ending at Yronwood.
In the northeast, the Trident Road linked Annúminas to the city of Osgiliath on the confluence of the three forks of the Trident River, before continuing on to the Bloody Gate. From Osgiliath, the Duskendale Road moved east and south, linking Maidenpool, Antlers, Duskendale, and Morlond.
These are but the major highways, for scores of lesser roads were built or upgraded in Arvegil's reign. Great arched bridges spanned over the mighty width of the rivers, and massive long aqueducts carried life-giving water to the cities of Arnor. Yet chief amongst the great works of Arvegil are the Great Canals. Three were built, linking the Bay of Iron to the Trident River, the Trident River to Lake Maiael, (so named for it was believed by the Dúnedain that one or more of the Maiar dwelt on the Isle of Faces in the middle of the lake) and the Morduin (Blackwater Rush) to the Mander.
Author's Note: Fanfiction hates links and images for whatever reason so I would advise all of you to navigate over to the version of the story I have on both Spacebattles and Alternate History under the name 'Land of the King - Arnor in Westeros'.
I have three maps. One for Arnor at Amlaith's death, one for Height! Arnor, and one for Height! Arnor with provinces. They can be found in the threadmarks for Annals of Kings I, Annals of Kings II, and the Glossary respectively. The Provincial map is the map used for the province list above.
Sorry for the inconvenience. FF is quite limited compared to the other sites I post on.
