Amon Eithel

Amon Eithel (S. "Hill of the Well") was Located on the Hyarmentie, midway between the Harnen and the Poros, this town of almost 6,000 was overshadowed by the heavily guarded fortress of Amonost.The artesian spring that gave the town its name was located  within the walls of that castle and was the source of Siril Amon, a tributary of the Carnen.A 20-foot high wall built by the men of Gondor surrounded  the town itself, but in emergencies the citadel of Amonost could easily house the entire population of the  town.Since the men of Númenór fortified the height of Amon Eithel, its citadel had served as a center of government for the rulers of the Aegardh, be they Gondorian legates, Umbarean despots or Haruze fezirin.The soldiers of Amonost patrolled the Hyarmientie, collecting annual tribute payments of the Eraguk and other native peoples, while a small town grew up around the base of the defended hill.Ar-Pharazon's Great Armament recalled the Númenórean contingent of Amonost's garrison in S.A.3318, the  fortress being left in the care of one Calmacil,captain of the mix-blooded troops.Following Númenór's Downfall a year later,  Calmacil claimed the Aegardh for himself, turning Amon Eithel  into the seat of his own petty dominion.Calmacil's dynasty managed  to survive the War of the Last Alliance and their rule was brought to an end only with Tarannon Falastur's conquests.Having taken  the town and its fortress after a brief siege, in which the defenders foolishly sortied against the superior Gondorian troops. Tarannon replaced the old wall, which had been heavily damaged during the siege and built several public buildings for the offices for the soon-to-be-constituted province of Harondor. Under this new provincial system, Amon Eithel's jurisdiction eventually  extended to the West March, east of the Hyarmentie and west of the Carnen.Following the Kin-strife, the rebels in Umbar continued  to control most of Harondor and Amon Eithel was critical to the confederate defense of the region. That being the case the rebels extensively modified the fortifications of Amonost, doubling the number of towers and adding a second wall.The town and fortress  fell through treachery to King Aldamir's forces in T.A.1540.Aldamir was quick to utilize it as a base for further campaigns in Harondor, With the retaking of Harondor, the town once again was used for the governance of the territory, now under military  jurisdiction.Though constantly threatened by Sangahyandion and the rebels in Umbar during the seventeenth century, none of the  rebel attacks were successful in breaching the town's defenses.Gondor maintained a strong military presence there until all  Harondor was retaken in T.A. 1721.During the Second Wainrider War.The town was put to the torch as its residents watched from the  safety of Amonost's walls.Several hundred Haruze harried the defenders of Amonost while their compatriots marched to defeat at  Athrad Poros.Eärnil II ordered all the defenses of Harondor destroyed before it was abandoned.Much of Amonost was dismantled  however the original Númenórean fortifications were too well constructed.The troops and engineers working on Amonost were only  allowed six months to complete their task, due to the impending threat of renewed Haruze incursions into Harondor and had to leave before the main keep could be toppled.However they did place traps in the ruins and the undamaged tower, which claimed numerous  Haruze and Khandian brigands who later sought to use the tower as a safe base of operations.During the third millennium, the  Haruze reoccupied Amonost and rebuilt its fortifications.The townsite was also rebuilt and its population eventually grew to  several thousand.During the War of the Ring, it was one of several staging points for the invasion of Gondor.Many of Amonost's  garrison that marched against Gondor were captured or fled.Amon Eithel was largely undefended when King Elessar's troops marched  into Harondor  and it surrendered without a fight.