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Dark Lands

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Southrnesse

Remnants of Southernesse in the late Third Age

Mórenore (Q. "Dark Lands"; Ad."Ugruzâyan") was the Quenya Elvish label for the continent south of Middle-earth, also known as Southernesse (Q."Hyarmenóre"; Ad."Ankharadê") the remote land separated from Endor by the Haragaer.The people of Gondor knew the inhabitants of these lands as "Addalwaith" or "Addalnos" (S."Antipodeans, Antipodes") and were quite ignorant of their very diverse cultures while the majority of the Westlanders not even were aware of their existence.

History[]

Morinore

A globe showing the far south parts of Mórenore

Ages

From top to bottom: Arda at the start of creation, during creation, in the First Age and in the Third Age.

The Dark Lands had once been part of the greater continent of Middle-earth but had been separated from the main land-mass during the great wars between the Valar and Morgoth in the Elder Days. In the Second Age the coasts of Morenórë were visited by Númenórean Explorers but most of their outposts seem to have been abandoned after the Akallabeth though legends and myths about the "Hidden Things of Númen" prevailed in the lore of the Men of Mórinore.By the third age the Dark Lands had split into three smaller continents, the Great East Continent, a central continent , Emêr, and the Southern Cold.

The Original Inhabitants of Morenórë's Great East Continent were a race of men known as the Old Ones, who still formed the majority of the mannish populace in the inner lands, although the northern coasts of the continent had also been settled by colonists from the north, most of them outcasts, former prisoners or slaves, who had formed a number of smaller cities and realms, some of which tried to preserve some sort of civilisation while others fell into barbarism and chaos. It was believed that Morenórë was also home to several clans of Dwarves from the Yellow Mountains who had long been separated from the other Seven Tribes, Avari Elves, and races akin to the Giants, Orcs, and Trolls of Middle-Earth.

The first permanent Númenórean settlements on Southernesse's Great East-Continent dated to the days of Tar-Telperiën, with the Sun-Pillar of Telperiën standing on the Hot Gates of the eastern coast. Later monuments include the Shrine of Sunrise, built by Tar-Atanamir, which was later defaced and used by the Men of Darkness, as well as the Colossus of Ar-Gimilzôr. Only the feet and shins of the great statue remained by the late Third Age.

The Númenóreans established the river-mouth cities of later Freckland, Maiden Castle, Freck Bridge, Sebright of the Ships, and the chief city of Godsport, and major city of Freeport. Unusually, the inhabitants from Númenor and Middle-earth were mostly criminals whose sentence was to come to the faraway lands. It is said that there were seven major voyages which established the colonies: the first primarily Númenórean, the second mostly Umbarean, the third made up of vanquished Haradrim and Easterlings, the fourth and fifth made up of Umbareans and defeated tribes of Northmen, the Sixth and Seventh a greater mix, but leaning towards recently defeated Gwathuirim tribes. The fourth to seventh voyages were the only expeditions to bring a roughly equal number of female colonials.

After the world was made round and Númenor was sunk, these colonies confederated as the realm of "Girt by Sea" ruled by a duke] or Duchess while Ciryancar I was the first to claim the title " Lord of the Pearl Coasts". While thought of as hereditary at first, the dukedom passed to an elected position chosen by all free males, though it was common for dukes to be related, as well as for female duchesses to be chosen. In the early Third Age, the descendants of the colonials were attacked by those that they recognized as Haradrim, likely from South-eastern Regions of Middle-earth. It is known that Sakalnî was Duchess of the realm in T.A. 1432, and that her grandson Duke Pelakthôn was the first to truly make alliances with the Old Ones to defeat the Cold Ogres.

The central continent of Emêr lay within the inner seas opposite to Harad. Its lands were home to a unique number of cultures which very much different from most cultures of the Haradrim or Easterlings, the Tarâni, possible descendants of Númenóreans, closely related groups as the Worim, Lydian and Laan, groups of possibly mixed easterling-haradron descend such as the Aldâri, Kinsai, Lankani, Nuyani, Ôkhu, Shayan, Thesian, Vayâri,Yâderi, Yinêri, Y’nari or generally alien cultureas as the as the Anzêti, Kuluku and Quaidu but also Dark Elves, a wayward offshot of the dwarven race, the Nômari and races related to Orcs and Trolls as the Lugroki, Murlogi, Krai and possibly the Trôgli.

The southernmost parts were known as the Southern Cold, lands widely thought to be extremely cold, barren and empty, though there have been legends of possibly númenórean relics among mariners who travelled the Belegaer.


At the peak of their power the Black Númenórean realms of western Harad and even Gondor knew about Morenórë and had loose ties to the former prison-colonies on its northern coasts (some of which had ancient Númenórean roots) but with the decline of the Realms-in-exile, Morenórë largely fell into oblivion, although some seafaring nations of Far Harad and the Utter South still ventured to its northern and western shores. It was not until the early Fourth Age that the inhabitants of Morenórë renewed contacts with their removed kinsmen to the north.

Peoples[]

Ainur:

Dwarves:

Southern Dwarves:

Elves:

Men:

Men of Southernesse:

Orcs:

Orcs of Southernesse:

Other:

Places of Note[]

Morennor

Lands and Regions[]

Southernesse3

Persons of Renown[]

Elenhyarros Annuial Ardiana Lebannin Barúmir Blood-drinker living-lord Brown Mage Cirion the Scarlet Cirion VI Greyfeather Cirion XI Ciryancar Ciryancar III Cold Mother Cuin of Arnach Danamir Felix Eisil the Red Elena of Southernesse Elix of Khand Elix I Elix II Eradan Falasse Faramir Fairhand Felicael Felix I Felix IV of Godsport Finduilas Gariouen Gasithago Geba of Harad Gilfalas Blacknail Glumbak Grey Gilfalas Harnim Hazgham Hyando of Umbar Iltheor Irnilla Andros Jegrais Jenolan Kekkis Kráshnak Kurninog Leo Lebannin Lub Lubiz Luial Leaftip Lune Baaka Lurnir Mackekkis Mamma Noa Mara Mirohir Miryan III Naikamil Narúnir Nelly Maige Ninko Goldmaster Orfanael Oristaia Fao Otter Pelagion Porkshy Rashbaz Robag Elf-Friend Rollif the Landward Rovacil Rozar Serifes of Harad Seriol Sermian Sinonimon The Sleepless Spionster Thrawn Surulu Bukolu Thorongil Northman Ulman the Mage Usted Stone-ax Uzbadbasân-the-Smith Vorondel Voroneia Zakanabar Zakba

Creatures[]

Angaunaiwëli Anteaters Antlered Wombats Ants Alatatalantecuimar Aphids Aquatic worms Arrow-pikes Bagbadgers Bag-mannish Globs Bagmulls Bagrovers Bagsucklings Barnacles Bats Beaked-hedgehogs beaked mullet-eel Bearded dragons Bees Beetles Belegaer Salmon Big-ears Birds [Blind snakes Blood-drinker Dragons Blue dwarf-whale Blue Mountains Panthers Blue-ringed octopus Blue-tongued lizards Bonytongues Bowerbirds Box jellyfish Brittle stars Brook trout Brown snake Brown trout Bugs Bulldog-landwater-Creatures Bullhead sharks Bushlizards Butterflies Butterfly fish Carchadils Carchadil-snouted Eel Carps Catfish Catsharks Chitons Clams Click-lizards Cockles Cone snails Corals Crabs Crickets Damselfish Darkland Cranes Darkland laughing Birds Darkland Salmons Darkland whales devil-dingos Diving Whales Dogfish shark Dogs Dog-sized Tigers Dolphins Dragon lizards Drop Bears Ducks Earth worms Feathertail gliders Fierce snake Fish Fish lice Flatfoots Flies Flying Horses Flying Squirrels Fourmile-Globsters Freshwater Crayfish Freshwater sharks Frill-necked lizards Frogs Funnel-web spiders [Giant Earthworms Giant grouper Giant Jellyfish Giant Monitor-lizards Giant sea perch Giant Sharks Giant tree-frogs Giant Volcano-bird Giant Waterserpent Gilded helmet-bird Gliding Possums Golden perch Grasshoppers Great Bats Great Crows Great Eagles Great Kingfisher greatfoot-men Great Frogs Great Scorpions Great Serpents Great Swine great white sharks Greenfish Groundfrogs Hairy Cavedweller Hairy-Jellyfish Hermit crabs Herrings Honeyeaters Holy Cats Hoppers Hopping-bucks Huge-eyed Enigmas Humpback whales Insects Island-shrews Jellyfish Kraken Lampreys Lamp shells Limpets Little Penguins Lungfish Lyrebirds Magpies Maiafish Man-Bulls Man-Oliphaunts man-lizards man-rats Molluscs Mountain-Moths man-quolls Moths Mountain shrimps Mussels Muttonshells Nose-horned Dolphins Otters Oysters Parrots Peep-wrens Pelicans Perch-cods Phantom Cats Pig-nosed turtle Pigrats Pikelings Pipefish Plumpbags Porcupine-dog-walkers Prawns Pufferfish Purring-walruses Pythons Rainbowfish Rainbow-snakes Rainbowtrout Rats Red Claws Red Lionfish Redback spiders Redfin perchs Robins Rock lobsters Rodents Rose tong-beaks Royal Dread-lizards Salamanderfish Scantyfrogs scorpions Scrub turkeys Sea anemones Sea cows Sea cucumbers Sea snakes Sea stars Sea urchins Seabirds Seahorses Seals seal-dogs Seaturtles Sharks Sharptails Shrimps Skinks Sleepycods Sleepygrundels Slugs Small-master whales Snails Snakelizards Snakes Snappers Snubfin-dolphins Songbirds Sorcererfish Southern Frogs Spiders Spiny lobsters starfish-devils Stingrays Stonefish Sun-Lizards Swamp-devils swamp-horse devils Squills Squirrel gliders Squirrelfish Stingflies Stingfly fish Stingray Stonefish Stone-men Sugar gliders Tadpole-Creatures Tailed bowler-globster tangle-webs Thornbills Thorny devils Tiger snake Tigerwolves Toads Tower-Ants Treefrogs Treegarden birds Treecreepers tree-leaping bloodsuckerS Triggerfish Turtles Velvetfishes Volcano-worms Wasps Water-Emu Water-shrub fowl Weevils Whalebone whales Whales White Ants White Ant-eaters White urchins Woodfrogs Wrens

Organisations[]

Alchemical Guild Apts Assassin's Guild Black Guards Blood-drinker Cult Cat Cult Colleges of Wizardry Cult of Efnisyen Cult of Gold Cult of Nisyen Cult of the Triple-Goddess Elementalist Cult Goddess-Cult Green Robe College Hounds of Harad Island Cults Knife-dancing Cult Necromantic Cultists Ogre Mages Sun-Sword Cult Tyrants of the Dark Lands Ulmic Cult Valiances of the Vale Weather-Mages Whitebirders

Languages[]

Falasan Im-Rîlazurian Kiltanaic Kùrúdfarî Languages of the Old Ones Pen'ûa

Notes[]

The employed map is roughly based on Professor Tolkien's raw sketches published in The Shaping of Middle-earth and to some lesser degree his early drawing of the "World Ship" and the World of Arda, published in the Book of Lost Tales. The map's main inspiration however comes from Thomas Morwinsky's redrawing of Pete Fenlon's MERP Continental map ("an artist's interpretation of middle earth including the wild lands — east, south, & north") which combined Mister Fenlon's painting with elements from the Hârnworld map. Most of Southernesse's coastline is based on Thomas Morwinsky's map, although the continent's proportions were altered. Southernesse's northeastern tip however draws heavily from Pete Fenlon's Map of Urulan, the great isle of eastern Jaiman, one of the two major continents of ICE's Loremaster (ICE Series) and Shadow World Setting.

See also[]

References[]

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