The New Notion Club Archives
Advertisement
The New Notion Club Archives
Boromir: "Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!"
- J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring II:10

Barad Gaerhir

MERP 2021 - Tower of the Sea-lord

Elevation view (MERP)

MERP 2021 - Tower of the Sea-lord floor-plans

Floor-plans (MERP)
Type
Tower
Region

Barad Gaerhir (S. "Tower [of the] Sea-lord") was the mighty tower overlooking the garth of the haven of Pelargir.

Barad Gaerhir was raised upon Tol Aerhir by King Eärnil I in T.A. 923. The tower was damaged in the disastrous earthquake of T.A. 1450, but its foundations were restored by Prince Aldamir (then the Captain of Ships) within that same year. Although it fell into decay as the Third Age drew on, Barad Gaerhir was never wholly ruined. It was restored by Elessar in F.A. 4 to commemorate the king's anticipated capture of Umbar during the following year.

This 210' high tower dominated Pelargir's skyline and was its most famous landmark. It had several functions: watch-tower, keep, and the provincial lord's headquarters during war. Watch was continually maintained on the upper level, where wood for beacon fires was also stored. Other means of communication included a great bell and trained birds. The lower levels housed guardrooms, storerooms, barracks, a kitchen, a dining hall, a library and the Chamber of Records. The fifth level was reserved for the use of the lord and high-ranking navy officers. The tower's stores of provisions were enough to supply the garrison for several months.

The tower rose from Tol Aerhir, itself nearly sixty feet in height. The slips in its sides opened into a huge grotto that housed ships of the Royal Fleet, and which was heavily guarded against intrusion. There were stairwells leading from the outer piers through enclosed shafts to the top of the isle, as well as around the sides of the massive foundation directly beneath the tower. These latter lead to the headquarters of the Royal Fleet and the entrance of the Hall of the Faithful.

The top of the isle was a large open terrace sporting cranes and cargo winches around its sides. Patrols from the Tower Company crossed this area twice an hour. There were no doors into the tower at this level. To enter, one needed to climb an exterior stairway around its sides, at both ends of which were posted guards.

The Tower in T.A. 1640:

  1. Stairway. Ascended to the second level and descended to the headquarters of the Royal Fleet. The stairs down were seldom used, and barred by a locked oak door.
  2. Storage. Contains foodstuffs, firewood, and other consumables for the Tower Company. It was locked to prevent theft.
  3. Lower Barracks. Ten to twenty guards off duty could be found in each of these rooms. Their weapons were hung on racks beside their beds and could be reached at a moment's notice. Arrow-slits allowed them to fire on outside intruders.
  4. Main Entrance. The massive steel doors were kept locked and guarded from both outside and inside. The outer guards used a bell to signal to the inner guards whenever someone approached on the stairway. Behind the doors was a twenty foot corridor with guard posts in its walls. At both posts, a lever dropped a portcullis across the far end of the corridor when lifted. The portcullis needed to be winched up from the inner rooms after it was dropped. Trapped intruders could then be fired upon from the adjoining guard rooms through arrow-slits in the walls.
  5. Assembly Halls. Built for the lord's wartime councils, these halls were used regularly for briefings by the wardens and their subordinates. They were locked and empty when not in use.
  6. The Chamber of Captains. In this hall the high-ranking navy officers held conclaves.
  7. Upper Barracks. Similar to the Lower Barracks (#3).
  8. Kitchen.
  9. Dining Room.
  10. Library. This was an annex to the Chamber of Records.
  11. The Chamber of Records. A massive, two-story complex that housed the lord's archives (and, after the T.A. 1450 disaster, the largest collection of written knowledge in Lebennin).
  12. Lord's Quarters. The private apartment of the Lord of Lebennin, never occupied in peacetime.
  13. Commander's Quarters. Similar to the Lord's Quarters (#12). The Commander of the Guard Squadron visited these quarters at regular intervals.
  14. Warden's Quarters. Intended to be shared by the captains of the Guard Squadron during a siege, though they seldom used the rooms in peacetime.
  15. Tower Watch. This colonnaded room permitted a breathtaking view of Pelargir. Four guards were always present there to keep watch on the horizons. Firewood for the beacon was stored here, together with coops for the tower's carrier pigeons. The stairs to this level were barred by a locked steel door. A spiral stairway ascended from the Watch to the beacon itself.
  16. Beacon. The beacon was a shallow twenty-five foot bowl filled with firewood. A multitude of thin channels penetrated the bowl to feed the fire with a continuous flow of air. Around it was a walk-way, open at four sides between the piers supporting the vaulted roof above. Only a thin railing protected the operator from a three hundred foot drop while he walked around the beacon and stuck burning torches into it. Once the wood caught fire, he needed to quickly descend to the level below, for no living thing could withstand the heat when the beacon blazed. Lighting the signal without due cause was considered treason.

See also[]

Notes[]

  • Original forms in MERP: Barad Hiraer or Barad Aerhir → Barad Gaerhir (corrected Sindarin form)

References[]

  • ICE MERP #2021: Southern Gondor: The Land
Advertisement