Tunum

The largest settlement found between the Isen and the Greyflood stands on a little hill overlooking the Old South Road, not quite a third of the way between the Fords of Isen and the ruins of Tharbad. Wide, sparsely-wooded plains stretch away to the west, planted with many crops; the Misty Mountains loom much nearer to the east. Tunum stands within walls built up around and into the hillside, the combined work of Dwarves who made their home here centuries ago and of Dunlendish masons. The result is a sturdy fortification, an encircling curtain of low, wide walls made with large blocks of stone and large timbers. The walls cannot compare with the works of the Dwarves in the North, but for most of the raiding- parties that descend from the mountains the stronghold of Tunum is impregnable.

But the village of Tunum profited from the friendship of the Dwarves in many ways. Its best warriors pass on from generation to generation shirts of mail armour, sharp swords and tall shields crafted by Dwarven smiths, far superior than the axes and spears available to most Dunland clans, and there are houses in Tunum made of wood, brick and stone that will still stand when the memory of the passing of the Dwarves will be long faded. Sadly for Tunum, the Dwarves are gone. They all left when they learned that Smaug the Golden, the Dragon that had claimed and despoiled their homeland, was dead. For all their friendship, the Dwarves taught little of their craft to the Dunlendings, and much of the weapons and tools and goods that they made have found their way to other clans in trade or as loot. The folk of Tunum do their best to maintain their stone houses and walls, but it’s becoming harder every year to find the necessary means, especially now that Tharbad, Tunum’s major source for trade, is ruined, and the Old South Road deserted.