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
Climate and ecology
Government and military
The West-marches are ruled by a rohirrim Thegn, sworn to the King of Rohan. He is responsible for the collection of taxes and the defense of the region. Under him are the Aldermen, Powerful men elected by their community to give council to the king. Most of the bigger villages and homesteads have Aldermen, some more important than others.
The taxes collected are often in butter or fodder for the Thegns herds.
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.
Lore
The Current thegn is īdelġeorn, an old man with little interest to rule the region. He is mostly interested in his horses.
Most of the day to day ruling is given to the Aldermen of the villages and homesteads. The most important of these is Ealdwulf, a descendant of the Wulf and Freca. He has amassed much wealth thanks to his vast herds of sheep and cattle. Thanks to generous gifts, careful planning and covert threats of Violence, he as bethrothed himself with Idelgeorns daughter Gyldenhaera.
Ealdwulf rules over the hilly areas of the region, and is rebuilding Frecaburg, the old ruins of Freca's fastness. Stonemasons and workmen given to Ealdwulf from Saruman has made sure that Frecaburg will be the Hornburg of the Westmarches.
When Folcwine reconquered the West-marches from the old Dunlending nobility, he invited settlers from Rohan to work the fertile land north of the Adorn. While many of those now living there are of mixed blood, the kin of Eadwald Faegerhaer is pure of blood. He is the Alderman of (WHV4 PLACEHOLDER) and the lover of Gyldenhaera. He is the fiend of Ealdwulf, and is grim with the news that Gyldenhaera has been bethrothed to Ealdwulf.