West-march

The West-march is a land west of the White Mountains, bordered to the north and south by the Isen and Adorn rivers. It is nominally a part of the realm of Rohan, but its people have mixed with the neighboring Dunlendings and remain mostly independent.

Summary

The West-March has a population of roughly 60,000 (1,090 at our scale). There are five villages in the region, along with four smaller hamlets and eight homesteads. In addition, the old fortress of Frecasburg is being rebuilt, and houses about 50 men.

Climate and ecology

The West-March contains the following ecological zones:

• C22 - Pinus uncinata forests on carbonate rocks in the west Alps
• D29 - Spruce-fir forests in the Inner Alps, partly with fir forests, locally with spruce forests
• F4 - West Armorican oak forests
• F53 - South subatlantic thermophilous sessile oak-hornbeam forests
• F132 - (Spruce-)fir-beech forests with Cardamine heptaphylla in the west Alps and Jura
• G39 - Southwest Central European mixed downy oak forests
• U25 - Southwest French ash-alder forests
• U27- Submontane-montane grey alder forests in combination with alder-ash forests and sycamore-ash forests in Central Europe and the Alps

Government and military

The West-March is ruled by a Thegn (or Thane) who swears loyalty to the King of Rohan. He is responsible for defending the region; his subjects pay him fodder and dairy products as tribute. The current Thegn is Idelgeorn, an old man who has very little interest in governing. Most of the day-to-day ruling is given to the six Aldermen, powerful men who act as the Thegn's counsel.

• The most important of these is Ealdwulf, of the lineage of Freca. A shrewd and ruthless politician, he has amassed much wealth in recent years and betrothed himself to the Thegn's daughter Cwenthryth. Though his ancestral home is in (Hamlet 3), he is rebuilding his ancestor's fortress in the southeast of the region with the help of stonemasons from Saruman.
• Eoghan of (WMV1)
• Thingfrith of (WMV2)
• Merewald of (WMV3)
• Æthelred of (WMV4) is a young man of Rohirric lineage, and Ealdwulf's chief rival. He was pursuing Cwenthryth's hand in marriage, and was devastated to learn of Ealdwulf's advances.
• Pybba of (WMV5)

Architecture

Settlers: Similar to Rohan, longhouses out of wood and clay. Thatched, Outhouses or houses for servants are sometimes roundhouses.

West-marchers: Similar to Rohirrim longhouses but in stone, often low. Older style of Byre-houses, where the house is divided in two, one part of the animals and one for living in. Roundhouses are common for the poor, servants or in smaller farms.

Dunnish: Roundhouses, both of stone and of wood or daub, many times simple huts for herdsmen or hunters.