Fornost - Jaco-Daan/Realms-In-Exile-Wiki GitHub Wiki

The Northtower was built as a cornerstone of the eastern marches built by Elendil after the foundation of Arnor. This he did not because they marked the eastern boundary of his realm, but because of the dubious loyalties of his eastern subjects, predominantly Hillmen and the proud descendants of ambitious Dúnedain adventurers. He knew that should he face rebellion, or invasion from the eastern mountains, the North Downs and Weather Hills would provide a robust line of defence. In this he proved sadly prescient.

Fornost was more than a mere tower. Much like Minas Tirith and Minas Ithil in the south, it was a fortified city in its own right, with myriad halls, markets and gathering places secure behind its great walls and bastions. The garrison at Fornost was responsible for a chain of subordinate fortresses guarding the length of the North Downs, and for protecting the plain separating Fornost from the Weather Hills.

Following the sundering of Arnor and the sad decline of Annúminas, the capital of the successor-state of Arthedain (and with it that city’s seeingstone) was moved east to Fornost, which became known as Fornost Erain, the Northtower of Kings.

The presence of the Royal Court drew many people to the city, especially from peripheral provinces that had begun to suffer a decline in population and prosperity, and for a time Fornost thrived such that hope was kindled that the North Kingdom might yet undergo a renaissance.

Though the fortunes of Arthedain and Fornost occasionally waxed, they mostly waned, and the long war with Angmar gradually bled the Northern Dúnedain of their strength. The death-blow came in T.A. 1974, when the Witch King finally captured and sacked the city after a brutal siege. There ended both Fornost and the North Kingdom.

Thereafter the city slowly disappeared under grassy mounds, and men referred to it as Deadmen's Dike and feared to go there. Yet the Rangers of the North went there and kept an encampment in the ruins of the great hall where once the King had held court.

With towering walls and high towers, Fornost Erain once more gleams as the shield of the north. In its mighty bastion throng many a soul, soldier and civilian alike, the great city-fortress coming to life once more. A beacon of security and prosperity, the renewal of Fornost is a signal to all of the reborn prosperity of the region.