West-march

The West-march (or the West Marches) is a land west of the White Mountains, bordered to the north and south by the Isen and Adorn rivers. It is nominally a part of the realm of Rohan, but its people have mixed with the neighboring Dunlendings and remain mostly independent.

Summary

The West-march has a population of roughly 60,000 (1,090 at our scale). There are five villages in the region, along with four smaller hamlets and eight homesteads. In addition, the old fortress of Frecasburg is being rebuilt, and houses about 50 men.

Climate and ecology

The West-march contains the following ecological zones:

• C22 - Pinus uncinata forests on carbonate rocks in the west Alps
• D29 - Spruce-fir forests in the Inner Alps, partly with fir forests, locally with spruce forests
• F4 - West Armorican oak forests
• F53 - South subatlantic thermophilous sessile oak-hornbeam forests
• F132 - (Spruce-)fir-beech forests with Cardamine heptaphylla in the west Alps and Jura
• G39 - Southwest Central European mixed downy oak forests
• U25 - Southwest French ash-alder forests
• U27- Submontane-montane grey alder forests in combination with alder-ash forests and sycamore-ash forests in Central Europe and the Alps

Government, military and culture

Government

The West-March is ruled by a Thegn (or Thane) who swears loyalty to the King of Rohan. He resides in a great meadhall in Isenwick, and is responsible for defending the region. His subjects pay him fodder and dairy products as tribute. The current Thegn is Idelgeorn, an old man who has very little interest in governing. Most of the day-to-day ruling is given to the six Aldermen, powerful men who act as the Thegn's counsel.

• The most important of these is Ealdwulf, of the lineage of Freca. A shrewd and ruthless politician, he has amassed much wealth in recent years and betrothed himself to the Thegn's daughter Cwenthy4th. Though his ancestral home is in (Hamlet 3), he is rebuilding his ancestor's fortress in the southeast of the region with the help of stonemasons from Saruman.
• Eoghan of (WMV1)
• Thingfrith of Verubrig is ill-tempered but fiercely loyal to Theoden (who once saved his life during a border conflict). Knowing that his view is becoming increasingly unpopular, he has grown paranoid in recent years, seldom leaving his hall.
• Merewald of Isenwick
• Æthelred of Néahburg is a young man of Rohirric lineage, and Ealdwulf's chief rival. He was pursuing Cwenthyrth's hand in marriage, and was devastated to learn of Ealdwulf's advances.
• Pybba of Macheldun is primarily a shepherd, with a deep and abiding love for the fields and for song.

Culture

Religion

Given the West-March’s strong connection to Dunland and its people, it seems appropriate to include some of the Dunlending religious aspects. These can be applied in a similar way to how they were applied in Dunland, with varying types of sites corresponding to specific deities.

The Dunlending religion is an animist-themed belief system, inspired by Celtic and Germanic paganism. The folk of Dunland (and the West-March, by extension) believe in a wide pantheon of deities, including some major gods that are common across the land as well as minor, local spirits. There are no direct visual depictions of these deities, only symbolic representations.

The gods are said to inhabit the Otherworld, though there are different beliefs on whether this spiritual realm is underground, across the sea, or on a parallel plane of existence. Rivers and lakes are often viewed as gateways to this spiritual plane, and votive offerings (mostly gold jewellery, trinkets, etc.) would be left on the shores. Other sites of worship include sacred trees and forests, standing stones or rings of stones, and cairns at the top of hills. In some cases, the Dunlendings have also built temples to local gods, in the form of large roundhouses.

The Dunlendings maintain a special caste of druids as priests/philosophers. These druids may have a particular devotion to a local god, but more often they are universal in their practice. There should be a druid in each village, as well as a few living as hermits.

West-March Deities and Worship Sites

• The All-Father (based on Eru)
  • The creator god and supreme deity of the Dunlending pantheon, though not worshipped in the same hands-on manner as the other deities. He is celebrated at the vernal and autumnal equinox, with large festivals of music and epic poetry. These festivals take place outside of inhabited locations, in a wide, bowl-like valley if available.
  • There is a central worship site for the All-Father along the main road, west of Néahburg; this will feature a ring of standing stones in the manner of Stonehenge. Before the West-March was united under Rohan’s rule, this site also served as a neutral meeting ground for the various clans of the region.
• The Hunter (From Oromë)
  • One of the most commonly worshipped deities, especially due to the prominence of his Rohirric counterpart Béma. He is revered throughout the region, but most prominently in the eastern half, where hunting is more essential for sustenance.
  • Before the advent of the Rohirrim, the Hunter was honoured with blood sacrifices, on stone altars flanked by standing stones. Livestock, game and even humans would be ritually slain on these altars; the bones were stacked in front once they had been picked clean by scavengers. This method might still exist in isolated parts of the West-March (though limited to animal sacrifice), but in the present day, a more common practice is ritual hunts on horseback, followed by feasts on the resulting game.
• The Smith of Worlds (a corruption of Aulë/Melkor)
  • A capricious god, the creator of Dwarves (his First Children, created in his great furnace) and Orcs (his Second Children, born from the leftover slag). The Dunlendings pray that he give them the positive attributes of his fire (light, warmth, craftsmanship), while also sparing them from the destructive nature of his Second Children.
  • The Smith is most prominent in the Isengard Tribe; and has become their death-god. There is not much devotion in the West-March, however. People probably honour him with small offerings tossed into bonfires, but there should be no ritual sites.
• The Green Man (a corruption of Yavanna)
  • The lord of forests throughout Middle-earth. He is usually seen as a tragic figure, who has become vengeful and bitter due to the destruction of Eriador’s vast forests at the hands of the Numenoreans. He has been known to send his servants (based on vague memories of the Ents) to wreak havoc on those who disrespect his realm. These beings of darkness, greatly feared, are only deterred by specific rituals done by priests before summer and winter cuttings.
  • Ritual sites for the Green Man vary somewhat across the region. In the lowland areas, votive offerings would be left at the base of an ancient, sacred tree, often an oak, in a clearing. Nearer to the mountains, rituals are carried out in lightless clearings in the forests.
• The Lord of Plenty
  • A god of agriculture and fertility, and one that predates Numenorean influence. His cult sites are small but numerous, consisting of phallic wooden pillars placed near crop fields. Votive offerings are left at the base of the pillar. These exist throughout the region, but they should be more common in the west side simply because there are more farms.
• The Man in the Moon (corruption of Tilion/Mandos)
  • An older death god, the Man in the Moon (also called the Dreamless One) is said to dwell in the western edge of the world. He is associated with the Sea Giants of ancient times (the Numenoreans), who came with great axes and felled many trees.
  • His religious sites take the form of roundhouse temples, though these should be rare in the West-Marches. More frequently, we should see west-facing barrows and lines of standing stones in the shape of a crescent.
• The Dawn-Maiden (from Arien)
  • A youthful goddess, seen as the wife of the Man in the Moon in some cultures. She has no religious sites per se, but is sometimes represented with a wheel or a cross. Historically, many Celtic buildings faced East so they could be woken by the first light of dawn; maybe we could represent this, though it’s probably faded as the architecture shifted toward longhouses. At any rate, it would be more prevalent in the west side, where the view of the dawn is less obstructed by the White Mountains.
• The Lord of Stars (a corruption of Irmo/Varda)
  • A god of the stars, as well as dreams and illusion. He is a shape-shifter, with both male and female aspects. Associated with the hated Elves, he is not worshipped but rather warded off with iron talismans and other charms.
  • Due to the great distance from Eregion, there are probably no ritual sites in the West-March.

Architecture

There are 3 main styles of housing in the West-march:

• Rohirric: based on Anglo-Saxon longhouses. Most of them have walls of wattle-and-daub panels, held together by timber framing. The most wealthy have walls made entirely of timber. In some cases, particularly among the lower class, the houses are divided into two parts, one for human dwelling and one for keeping animals.
  • This style is primarily seen in Néahburg and Isenwick, as these have the highest concentration of settlers from Rohan.
• Dunnish longhouses: based on Pictish longhouses. Distinct from Rohirric longhouses in that they are lower, occasionally with sunken floors, and generally made of stone. The short ends are often rounded.
  • This style is seen throughout the West-march, but is more common in the south and west of the region where the Dunlending tradition remains stronger. They should be restricted to flatter areas, however, as they cover more area than roundhouses.
• Roundhouses: based on Celtic roundhouses. Walls are made of stacked stones, sometimes covered with clay, or wattle-and-daub panels held together by wooden posts.
  • More commonly seen in the south and west of the West-march, especially where the terrain is rougher. They also serve as housing for servants, farmers and herdsmen throughout the region.

Economy

Industry and Professions

The West-March is probably be slightly more advanced in terms of tools/architecture than Dunland, but less than the rest of Rohan and the Isengard Tribe.

The vast majority of the West-March’s inhabitants are farmers and herdsmen. Many industries, such as weaving and basket making, are done in individual homes. Others, such as woodworking, tanning and smithing may be done on a professional level, though even these are mostly for local use.

Professions:

• Woodcutting
• Basket making
• Tanning
• Bone Carver (most likely near ritual sites)
• Woodworker/Carpenter
• Smith
• Fishing (Next to any river, really, but mainly along the Isen)
• Butcher (especially in uplands culture)
• Druid
• Leatherworker
• Potter
• Dyer (Luxury, perhaps more present than in Dunland, but still rare)
• Brewer (addition of beehives for the making of mead)
• Weaver

Trade and Commerce

Given their tension with the rest of Rohan, as well as the isolation of the region, trade would probably be limited with Rohan. Trade with Isengard, especially given the fact many from the West-March later sided with Saruman, would probably be more prevalent. Trade with Dunland, however, would probably be limited as well. Despite their relative isolationism and self-governance, Rohirric lords still ruled over them and would probably limit trade with an ‘enemy’.