Kingdom of Dale

The Kingdom of Dale is a realm in northern Rhovanion, between Erebor and the river Carnen.

Summary

The Kingdom of the Dale was formed by Bard the Bowmen after the Battle of Five Armies. He gathered brave men and women, the Barding, from all over the north to rebuild the merry town of Dale. That hard work paid off, and the Kingdom is now one of the most important in Wilderland. The Bardings were soon joined by men willing to swear fealty to Bard, The men of the Long Lake, resistant at first, were persuaded with treasures from the hoard of Smaug and steel of Dain's Forges.

His son Bain sailed down the river running, freeing those men that was under the yoke of Easterlings near the Carnen. Here too the gold and steel of the Lonely Mountain proved fruitful, and a marriage with a princess of Dorwinion formed a secure alliance. The men of the Carnen were hesitant at first, as they were good friends of the Dwarves of Dain, but had clashed with the men of the River running for many years. What convinced them was the tales of Easterling hordes moving west, led by grim chieftains and armed with dark steel.

Climate and ecology

The Kingdom of Dale contains the following vegetation zones:

C6 - Ural open spruceand birch woodlands, with mosses, lichens and dwarf shrubs

D19 - Baltic-northwest Sarmatian herb-rich mixed broad-leaved-spruce forests

D45 - North European pine forests

D55 - East European psammophytic pine forest, partly with steppe plants

F71 - North Ukrainian-south Sarmatian lime-pedunculate oak forests

T1 - Alder carrs often in combination with alder-ash forests, tall reed vegetation and sedge swamps

U11 - Volynian-Polesian hardwood alluvial forests, in combination with alder carrs, willow scrub and tall reed vegetation

Government and military

The Kingdom of Dale is ruled by King Brand from his seat in the city of Dale.

Economy

The Kingdom of Dale enjoys close relations with the Dwarves of Durin's Folk, with whom there is abundant trade. The Kingdom also trades with the Elves of the Woodland Realm, and with Dorwinion.

Their economy is overwhelmingly agricultural.

Culture and daily life

Peoples of the Kingdom of Dale

Bardings: Those who followed Bard to Dale and chose him as King. Close friends of the dwarves and skilled craftsmen, they are also known to be grim warriors and hard workers.

Lakemen: The men who live on the Long Lake are tradesmen, boatmakers and fishers. Going on long trade journeys to Dorwinion, they bring back wine and spices from far off lands.

Rivermen: In the old days, Northmen refugees fleeing the Wainriders settled in large numbers near the Celduin. Used to raiding and being raided, the Rivermen have swift boats, made to let a man both row up and down the river running and sail on the Sea of Rhûn. Many of their villages and trade ports are situated on stilted houses in the swampy areas of the river, safe from roving bands of Easterlings.

Carnenmen: Though not Northmen in blood, close friendship with the Dwarves of the Iron Hills and trade with the Rivermen has seen the Carnenmen see themselves as kin of their western neighbours. The men of the Carnen supply the Dwarves with rye bread, charcoal and dry fish. They are skilled workers of bone and horn. In the tales of the Carnenmen, they were once kin to the old men of Forodwaith, wandering south to follow the large herds of wild reindeer that they hunted in those days.