Nan Turnath

Nan Turnath (S. "King's Land"; lit. "Vale of All-power") was the traditional name for the region including the valley of the Baranduin north of the Old Forest and lands east of the river as far as the Weather Hills. It was rolling, rocky, occasionally fertile country comprised of a sagging portion of the Eriadorian upland buried in sediment of varying qualities. The Nan Turnath sloped westward, occasionally breaking into bluffs and scarps, all the way to the Baranduin. It suffered from problems with underground drainage, like the rest of the upland, and was basically a modified version of the chalk prairies of eastern Eriador. It was fertile in pockets, mainly around streams and springs that released the rainwater drained underground from the Weather Hills and the North Downs. The North Road, running from Fornost to Bree, took a straight path across the Nan Turnath, passing over numerous ancient gullies and streams on massive culverts that needed little maintenance even after centuries of use. The valley of the Baranduin was, in the days of old Arnor, settled by knights enfiefed directly to the Kings, thus giving the country its name. The Second Northern War in T.A. 1408-1409 saw the Angmarean army capture the tower on Amon Sul and then raze the Nan Turnath on its way northwest towards Annuminas. The land never recovered from this scourging.