"A black darkness loomed beyond, and in it glinted, here and there, cold, sharp, remote, white as the teeth of ghosts, the peaks of Ered Nimrais, the White Mountains of the realm of Gondor, tipped with everlasting snow."
― The Two Towers, "The Forbidden Pool"
The White Mountains, or Ered Nimrais was a great mountain range that lay between Calenardhon/Rohan in the North, and Gondor in the South. They ran 600 miles (965 kilometers) from Thrihyrne in the north-west to Mindolluin and Amon Tirith in the east. A low spur sprung off south-west, and ended at Ras Morthil.
The mountain range’s notable peaks were, from west to east, Thrihyrne, Starkhorn, Dwimorberg, Írensaga, Halifirien, Calenhad, Min-Rimmon, Erelas, Nardol, Eilenach, Amon Dîn, Mindolluin and Amon Tirith.
At the foot of Thrihyrne was the valley known as Helm's Deep, and the Glittering Caves of Aglarond were underneath its spurs. The three mountains; Starkhorn, Dwimorberg and Irensaga enclosed the valley of Dunharrow, and the Dwimorberg was also the home of the Paths of the Dead. Halifirien, Calenhad, Min-Rimmon, Erelas, Nardol, Eilenach, and Amon Dîn were strategically chosen hilltops on the northern side of the range. They were the Warning beacons of Gondor. There was surely a beacon-row on the south side too.
There were also passes over the White Mountains, and many of the kin of Nimrodel are said to have been lost there. You had best be prepared if you venture into these mountains, or else you may not survive.
Throughout history the White Mountains were inhabited primarily by Men, including the Drúedain, Dunlendings, Rohirrim, and Gondorians; but also at times by Orcs, and in the Fourth Age by Dwarves. You never know who or what you might encounter in these mountains, so take care!
The Drúedain were known to live along the northern edges of the ranger, leaving Púkel-men at Starkhorn and Drúwaith Iaur. They resettled to a forest that would later be named after them: Tawar in-Drúedain.
In the Second Age, the White Mountains were populated by a people related to the Dunlendings who had been servants of Sauron. They swore allegiance to Isildur, but betrayed him and were cursed: they became known as the Oathbreakers. They were called upon by Aragorn to fight in the War of the Ring, and thus fulfilled their vow at last.
The valley on the southern side of the range was under the rule of the King of Gondor, and the lords of Blackroot Vale, Ringló Vale, Tumladen and Lossarnach were loyal fiefs. From T.A. 2510, the northern vales and hills became under the rule of the Rohirrim, mighty horse-lords from the North. They settled in Helm's Deep, Dunharrow and Grimslade, and built their capital Edoras on an outlying hill.
After the Battle of Azanulbizar in T.A. 2799, thousands of orcs fled south and troubled Rohan for two generations. Although the Rohirrim fought them off, some Orcs managed to reach the Mountains; King Walda was killed by an Orc at Dunharrow.
In the early Fourth Age, Gimli, son of Glóin led a colony of Dwarves and settled in the Glittering Caves, of which he had discovered the value during the Battle of the Hornburg.
There was an ancient steep path into the southern foothills of Mindolluin, leading to a high hallow far above the city where only the Kings of Gondor visited. Standing in this spot one could look over a precipice to the towers of the city far below.
Shortly after Aragorn's coronation as Elessar, Gandalf took him by the forgotten path to the high hallow where the newly crowned king could view the vastness of his realm. When he remarked that the White Tree of Gondor in the Court of the Fountain was still withered, Gandalf bade him to turn about. Opposite the precipice was an otherwise barren stony slope upon which one growing thing could be seen, a sapling of the line of Nimloth. Aragorn removed the tree and brought it to the Citadel for planting as a sign of rebirth, and for Arwen to come to Gondor and be his queen.
Mindolluin stands 10,459 feet tall*, towering above the snowline. The High Hallow of Mindolluin is one of the holiest sites in Gondor.
A local legend among the indigenous people of Gondor told of giants making the mountains to keep Men out of their lands by the Sea. One of them, Stiffneck or Tarlang died there and some peaks are his neck and head; the stones he was carrying were known as Cûl Veleg and Cûl Bîn.
This is a Free RP thread. Want to go for a hike in steeper terrain? Seeking flora or fauna found only in the higher altitudes? Or perhaps you're feeling particularly daring and want to climb all the way to the peaks! Whatever your reason for venturing into these mountains, feel free to explore for whatever reasons you like, set in whatever time/year you like, as long as you follow a few simple rules:
- Please state your general location at the top of your post, as this thread encompasses the entire mountain range, which could be anywhere from one end to the other. Likewise feel free to include the year, if appropriate/flashback/ etc
- Mark your post as ‘Private’ if you do not wish any unplanned interactions from other writers to influence your RP.
- Be respectful of others, if you feel like your content might be offensive or a trigger to others, please put a warning at the top.
- Please keep all content within the bounds of the very wide expanse of Tolkien’s fantastic world-building. Ie no drinking cans of Dr Pepper or use of time travel, etc.
- No Godmoding, be respectful and allow others to write their own characters.
- Follow all Plaza rules and guidelines as posted here
Credit for most of the content here belongs to the wonderful folks from Tolkiengateway Wiki
*approximately 2,000 ft less than Mt Fuji(12,388) and almost half the height of Mt Kilomanjiro(19,341)
