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Belfalas

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Belfalas

Belfalas and Dor-en-Ernil (MERP)

Belfalas (S. "Coast of Bel", bel = a Pre-Númenórean element of unknown meaning) was the mountainous peninsula that gave the Bay of Belfalas its name. It was also the domain of the princely line of Edhelion of Dor-en-Ernil. Although Pelargir and Lebennin had always been the heart of southern Gondor, the neighboring lands of Belfalas and Dor-en-Ernil proved to be the only dwelling of the Dúnedain-in-Exile where the legacy of the Faithful never grew dim throughout all the long tribulations of the Third Age. The line of the prince outlived even the royal house, favored as it was by Uinen the Maia, and could even boast of a union between Elf and Mortal — the equal of that achieved by Aragorn Elessar and Arwen Undómiel.

Belfalas in T.A. 1640[]

Belfalas-0

Belfalas in 1640 TA (Lindëfirion)

  • Political Organization: Autonomous Principality.
  • Rulers: Dor-en-Ernil: Prince Celdrahil; Heldarion, High Warden; Camlin, Warden of Lond Ernil; Argirion, Lord of Linhir. Edhellond: The Master Shipwright of the Haven, Tharudan.
  • Administrative Organization: Most offices appointed directly by the Prince, some local positions elective; land held entirely by the nobility, of whom the Prince is the most prominent member. Seventeen families hold 90% of the land. No serfdom present — all peasants pay rent, but have freedom of movement.
  • Population: 102,000 Dúnedain; 20,000 Daen; 2.400 Elves.
  • Military: Dor-en-Ernil: 350 Armored Cavalry, led by Prince; 2.500 Regular Infantry; 1.000 Prince's Navy; 4,000 Militia (2–4 weeks to raise, under control of local municipalities); 2.000 Dunnish Tribal Warriors (rarely join Prince). Edhellond: 21 Elven Haven Guards; 1380 Sea-warriors.
  • Products: Fish, finished products, fruit.
  • Symbol: The House of the Prince: a White Ship and three white seven-pointed stars on a Deep Blue Field. Lend Until: A White Swan on a Blue Ground. Edhellond: A white banner shaped like a swan (flies from the Shipwright's tower); banners displaying the personal devices of the Elven nobility in residence fly from the wall of the Haven.

Gondor's rugged seacoast held a principality which had long prized its autonomy from the central realm. The Princes of Belfalas traced their title back to the High-king Elendil the Tall who granted it to reward the lords who guarded the western passes and seaways into Gondor's heartland. Through regular intermarriage, the Princes of Lond Ernil kept close and usually friendly ties to the Kings of Gondor, and though they were not in the line of direct succession, theirs was perhaps the second most powerful family in Gondor. The Princes claimed to have some Elvish blood, and their close ties with the haven of Edhellond seemed to confirm this. Belfalas held a unique place among the provinces of Gondor, for the Eldar still inhabited a portion of the land alongside the Princes and their Gondorian subjects. A colony of secretive and mysterious Elves had held the port of Edhellond since the Downfall of Beleriand, but they shunned contact with all Men save the envoys of the Prince. The great Elf-queen Galadriel and her husband Celeborn had once called Edhellond their home, but they did not interfere with the daily business of the community. Dor-en-Ernil was a wealthy province. A healthy exchange with other parts of Gondor and more distant regions of Endor assured a constant flow of exotic luxury goods in the ports of Linhir and Lond Ernil. No human smiths produced more splendid weapons or armor than the craftsmen of Belfalas. The cities of Dor-en-Ernil also manufactured fine linens for export and processed the bounty of the ocean which the region's seamen drew forth, from smoked herring to whale oil. Beer, horses, amber, and furs flowed into the region from the North, while wine, ivory, and spices were eagerly sought from southern ports, despite the ban placed on the goods of Harad and Umbar by the Prince and the King. The wealth of Belfalas drew many who sought to take advantage of it. Merchants, both reputable and disreputable, combed the markets, searching for easy marks, bandits plied the mountains, preying upon lone travellers and poorly guarded caravans. Upon the seas, pirates of all origins plundered ships too slow or weak to elude them. Within the towns, thieves robbed from the wealthy and the careless. The thieves' guild in Linhir was among the most powerful and well-organized in Endor. Worst of all, raiders from Umbar regularly sacked small, defenseless coastal towns, slaughtering the population and carrying off anything they could back to their vessels. To meet these threats, the Prince maintained a series of watch stations and signal towers to relay warnings back to the units of the Prince's army.

Sheltered in the valleys of Dor-en-Ernil's highlands lived several sizeable communities of Daen. The Prince long ago gave up trying to rule these uncouth peoples, settling for the payment of annual tribute from them. For their part, the Eredrim resented the authority of Gondor and they grudgingly payed their required tribute. Their remote dwellings stemmed from their desire to resist assimilation into Gondor's empire at all costs, for they recalled the days in which they ruled the coasts. To this end a few tribes had taken up with priests of the Dark Religions, hoping to better their positions by magic. Inland wanderers in Dor-en-Ernil wisely traveled in large groups.

Belfalas in T.A. 3019[]

Regions[]

Places of note[]

Characters[]

Men[]

Undead[]

  • Haldalona

Other[]

  • Shell
  • Skulkmire

References[]

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