Marhungibaurg

Most of the residents here were Éothraim who used it as a seasonal base, but there was also a sizeable population of Northmen from Esgaroth who seeked an advance trading outpost near Dorwinion. These Men of Marhungibaurg (Rh."Fort of the Horse-Sons") or later Merrborg were avid traders and had won the favor of the local Dorwinrim lords. Nonetheless, their little town was well-fortified, for not all Easterlings were as tolerant as the Dorwinrim. Due to the great distance between Marhungbaurg and other Northman settlements, the Northmen of Rhovanion viewed these cousins in the East as slightly odd.

Detailed Description[]

Inhabitants: 50% Northman (Éothrym), 50% Folyavuldok
Population: 490
Origin: Conquered by Northmen, T.A. 1503.
Purpose: A trading base for Northmen on the lower River Celduin.Marhungisbaurg was a relatively typical fortified Horse-lord village of the mid-Third Age, although its elaborate dimensions were befitting of a tribal center, not a frontier settlement. Never, however, did it reach the size of Alcisbaurg, the capital of the Alciswardias and tribe. Its growth was sudden, and was tied to the war against the Easterlings led by Trôs Hesnef. Once an Ailgarthas clan center, it was strengthened after the arrival of the Hauthegna Marhcara in T.A. 1640 and did also house the lesser Alcisfrionds clan..

Marhungibaurg was built on a very gentle rise near the confluence of the Celduin and its tributary, the Isarndraka. To conform with the angles of the land and the junction of the waters, it was given a triangular plan, with each side of equal length. A ditch was dug at the base of the rise and an earthen wall was erected with the fill. Tunnel-gates were cut through the center of each wall, and faced with reddish stone from the river. Wooden bridges provided access to the entries and a wooden pallisade crowned the walls, forming a battlement. At each of the three corners, the Horse-lords built a round bastion (old Rh. "baurg") which was level with the walls and contained a rectangular guardhouse.

Inside Marhungibaurg, the Aivathiuda leveled the wide hillock. Three groups of communal longhouses accommodates the population. Placed in groups of three, they occupy the three points of town and frame a large, central common. This grassy lawn is the marketplace, and temporary workshops are often built along its edges. The High-Thegn's Great-hall stands near the well at the center of the common.

Notes[]

Original forms in MERP:Buhr Mahrling = Marhungibaurg, Algifryond = Alcesfrionds