Fanuilond

Type: Coastal Town
Inhabitants: 100% Gondorian
Population: 750
Origin: Continuous settlement from at least TA 2
Purpose: Primarily a fishing village; also handled shipping on the Ethir Anduin

Fanuilond (S."Cloudy Haven"), the chief settlement of Methed Lebennin, was founded in S.A. 1700 as a subsidiary fortress of Pelargir, and during the early Third Age became a thriving trading haven. After the capture of Umbar in T.A.933, Fanuilond's golden age began. Prospering from the southern trade, merchants built large houses and the Merchants' and Navigators' Guilds built themselves large halls that still remained.

Fanuilond did not suffer any worse than the rest of Lebennin during the Kin-strife, but with the loss of Umbar and a severe cutback in trade with Harad, Fanuilond declined and became a center for the local trade in southern Lebennin, sustaining a quiet life in the shadow of Linhir and Pelargir. Before the Kin-strife, Fanuilond had a population of 6,000. after T.A. 1492 it was 5,000, after the Plague 2,000. and at the beginning of the third millennium, the population was about 3.000.

In T.A. 1492. Umbarean raiders attacked Fanuilond and captured the towns walls: but the defenders prevailed, after vicious street fighting, in driving the confederates back. The town was not plundered, though much destruction was wrought by fire. In the following decade, the town's defenses were strengthened once again. The garrison, the Hando, and his staff were housed in an ancient keep, the Hardirith (S. "South watch"), and regularly patroled the coast between Methed Lebennin and Gaersûl. The garrison soldiers, who doubled as town watch, wore tabards with Fanuilonds device: on blue, a yellow sun over yellow waves. When operating as town watch, the soldiers were equipped with chainmail and their ordinary weapons, but carried clubs to deal with brawlers without killing them.

For defensive reasons, all houses inside the wall were built of stone. One third of the structures, in the north and west section of the town, antedated the Kin-strife, and were large and well-built. The rest had been erected after T.A. 1492, and were of lower quality. Many, especially near the docks in the southern blocks, were not much more than stone huts. The two most notable buildings, apart from the keep, were the Navigators' and Merchants' Guild Halls. The Navigators' Hall was built in T.A. 1245, and served for some two hundred years as a center for training ship-captains and navigators. The hall was built around the base of a hundred and eighty-toot high tower, which originally was used for astronomical observation and to train captains to navigate by the stars. The design of the hall itself vaguely resembled a ship, seemingly rising out of the ground to a height of four stories.

The sharp reduction of Gondor's merchant fleet as a consequence of the confederate withdrawal to Umbar in T.A. 1448 robbed the navigators of much of its revenue, forcing the guild to turn most of the hall into a boarding house for sailors, with only a small part reserved for guild business. There was a tavern, First Watch, in the old meeting hall, and the tower was locked up, since there were no astronomers left in Fanuilond. The guildhall had become Fanuilond's meeting place for sailors and the like. The old Merchants' Hall stood on the northern side of the town square, opposite the Navigators' Hall, it was a large, square, three-story building with towers at each corner,The assembly with the banquet hall filled the center of the building. This room, four stories high, with a stained glass roof and beautiful wall paintings, was still a marvel of beauty, even though it had lost the splendor of its pre-Kin-strife days. After the Kin-strife, when the Merchants' Guild faced a severe economic crisis, most of the other town guilds moved into their building along with the town government. The assembly hall was only used a few times a year for important guild and town functions. Close to the docks in the southernmost part of the town, there was a rambling, two-story house, called the Red House (because all its window frames and doors were painted a bright red).This was Fanuilond's largest brothel, and the adjacent inn , Mother's Finest, was the gathering place for the shadier elements of the town. Fanuilond had repeatedly been the target of Corsair attacks, but it's prime location kept the population returning.

The harbor town of Fanuilond in southern Condor was often the last stop for coastal traders heading south. Near the myriad islands and sand bars of the Mouths of Anduin, Fanuilond was a humid, mosquito-infested place that neverthless remained popular with sailors and captains alike because of the quality of the fruit and wine produced in the region immediately north of the town. Some of the best wine was served at the Tipsy Triton, a small, cheerfully grimy inn near the docks.

Places of note:[]

ca. TA 1640

Avact´s Store (5): The town's General Store was operated by Avact and his wife Yomra.It offered a wide variety or goods, from fresh vegetables to fishing-poles.
Bragoluva the Cooper (2): Fanuilonds sole remaining master cooper continued the tradition of training local young men in the craft of barrelmaking. They barely kept up with the demand.
Camesgal´s Salt Works (1): The well-known salt works of Fanuilond, undamaged by the Corsairs, was back in full operation, providing salt for the preservation of ﬁsh or shipping as far away as Minas Anor.Each day, most of the town‘s meat was salted,dryed or smoked for export.
Crow´s Nest Inn (4): The Crow's Nest Inn sat atop the owner's sack-making shops. This hospice provided small, individual rooms and was considerably cleaner than the Tap of the Grog. The hearty innkeeper Fornact and his good wife Tulan discouraged brawling and maintained a remarkably quiet establishment.
The Docks
House of Captain Súlannui (8): Ever since the death of his wife and the departure of his two daughters, Súlannui spent little time at his manor (to the north).He prefered to reside in this three story townhome, which also housed his private office.
Faltar´s Home (10): This two-story home was actually built into the town wall.It served as the home for Faltar, his wife Finlas, and their ﬁve young children.
First Watch - Tavern adjacent to the Old Navigator's Hall
Garrison
Gate-keep (9): Fanuilond‘s massive stone gate complex doubled as a refuge and barracks for the single members of the garrison.
The Harbour
Hardirith - Town's Garrison and Hando's offices
Mother's finest - a shady Inn adjacent to the red House
Old Navigator's Hall - including an old astronomical observatory-Tower, Sailor's boarding house and Captain& Navigator's School
Old Merchant Hall - housing most of the Towns guilds and Government, Assembly and Banquet Hall
The Red House - a brothel
Tap of the Grog (3):Fanuilond was home to a pair of establishments that offered travelers warm meals and sleeping accommodations. The older of the two was called the Tap or the Grog. It predated the present town and it was renowned for its spacious communal dining room. The present owner Londil was a superb chef and served hearty stews and spicy seafood. The tavern‘s famous grog was a hot, flavored beer that attracted travelers from all over Methed Lebennin. cheap but rowdy, the Tap of the Grog was favored by seamen returning from weeks on the water and bent on drinking and earousing.
The Tipsy Triton - a small, cheerfully grimy inn near the docks.
Urranta the Boatwright (6): This newly rebuilt shop was south of town. The master boat wright, Urranta also represented the common folk of Fanuilond at the District Board of Representatives. He was a widower, but he was aided by his only son, Ugac.
House of Yascaire (7): Old Yascaire owned Fanuilond's largest ﬂeet of ﬁshing-boats but, due to his age and failing health, the business was really run by his grand-daughter Yon. Two of Yon‘s many suitors were Ugac the boatwright and Tarv, the burly and often rowdy son of Scrogal, a local farmer who was more often found drinking at the Grog or Crow's Nest than working his ill-tended ﬁelds.

Inhabitants[]

ca. TA 1640[]

Avact Bereth Bragoluva Brandir of Pelargir Camesgal Súlannui Faltar Finlas Fornact Gilmon Gilwen Hallatan of Pelargir Halmir Hethlind Indis Londil Ormon Ragnir One-Eye Red Dorien Rozilan the Magician Scrogal Surion the Bard Tarv Tulan Ugac Urranta Vandor Yascaire Yomra Yon

References[]

MERP:Southern Gondor - The Land