Board Thread:Custom Lore Development/@comment-26295802-20160315015456

Here, in history book fashion, is a summary of the history of Dol Amroth. If you have any questions or complaints, please feel free to comment.

Introduction:

'''The Principality of Dol Amroth has affected Gondor like no other fiefdom. From the age of Herendil with his small band of "gull-warriors" to the Swan Knights of Imrahil, to the orderly riflemen of Araval II, Dol Amroth survived several millennia with their rich culture and complicated histories. Please join me as we look back at one of the most fascinating subjects in the history of Middle Earth.'''

Herendil the Glorious:

'''The first lord of Dol Amroth was an ambitious Numenorean named Herendil Alqua. He fought with the sons of Numenor in many battles, and when Sauron came, worked with the Numenorean underground. Finally he was imprisoned, and spent several years in Thalion-Thang, the largest prison on the whole isle. Only a last-ditch effort by The Faithful rescued him, and he escaped Numenor with Elendil and Isildur.'''

'''Elendil gave Herendil a tract of land between the Gilrain and Ringlo rivers as a fiefdom, and Herendil proved to be as wise in peace as he was in war. He built up the farming industry and established several cities including Tarnost and Linhir. The largest and grandest city was Dol Amroth, built into the cliffs of the Peninsula of Cobas, and it was here that Herendil and his wife established their court.'''

'''Haradrim Corsairs began to raid the coast, and it was for this reason that horsemen were of great use. Though being low on troops himself, Isildur allowed Herendil enough gold to arm and equip a number of professional horsemen to combat the corsairs as they landed. These men became the Knights of the Silver Swan, and because of their constant fights with raiders, they proved to become some of the most veteran and elite soldiers in all Gondor.'''

The Early Forces of Dol Amroth:

'''At the time of the Last Alliance, Dol Amroth had its own army with its ranks separated from that of Gondor. This army, like Dol Amroth military in most of history, was built around cavalry. Cavalry proved to be an important weapon in responding quickly to corisair raids, thus was highly valued among the sea-side lords.'''

'''Last Alliance Swan Knights looked far different then their Third Age counterparts. Their helms had huge gull wings on either side, like a fountain guard's, and their shields were huge and oval shaped. Dol Amroth's infantry was focused more on individual combat then formations, and they wore chainmail because plate armour was too expensive. Archers were very sparse, and normally just peasants armed with bows. '''

Imrazor the Great:

'''Herendil was an elf and as such, was immortal. However after the Last Alliance, he was very shaken by the loss of his friend Gil-Galad, and his cousins Elendil, Isildur, and Anorien. As such he retired as Prince of Dol Amroth and let the lordship fall upon his grandson Imrazor. '''

'''Imrazor, despite being a mortal, proved to be every bit the great leader his grandfather was. With Dol Amroth's ranks nearly spent after the Battle of the Last Alliance, he took it as a fresh start to restructure Dol Amroth's military. He started by reestablishing some of the old ranks that had been lost when the elves left, such as the Rangers of Nimrodel. Next he improved the archers, and formed another branch of the military especially for them. '''

'''Imrazor single-handedly brought Dol Amroth's fighting force to once again be the best in Gondor. He was also responsible for refounding and rebuilding Edhellon, and expanding the navy of Dol Amroth. '''

Starious the Cruel:

'''Generations went by, princes were born and died, and slowly Gondor began to fall into decline as the Dark Lord rose again in Mordor. Corsairs once again overwhelmed the coasts, and the lords of Dol Amroth were hard-pressed to fight them. And the state of Dol Amroth was only worsened by Starious the Mad, the worst prince in the history of Dor-en-Ernil. '''

'''For many generations, the princes of Dol Amroth loved and respected Glosur, a dwarf lord in the White Mountains to the north. He was wise and gave sage advice, even bolstering the Swan Land's ranks in time of need. '''

But Starious was jealous of the respect Glosur received, and in his heart he sought to supplant the dwarven lord and drive him out of the north.

'''The War of Axe and Swan lasted a mere year, for very few of Starious' subjects were loyal enough to assault their former ally. Glosur, in a lighting campaign, rushed acrossed Dor-en-Ernil and stormed Dol Amroth. Starious was killed in the battle, and his son Imrahil inherited the throne of Dol Amroth. '''

Imrahil the Magnificent: 

'''No other prince, save perhaps Herendil, had a greater challenge yet a greater reign then Imrahil. Imrahil was captured early in the war, and after his father's death, came to look upon Glosur as the father he never had. Dol Amroth was in total chaos, but, with the help of Glosur Darloc, Imrahil restored order. It took years of hard labor, but Dol Amroth's situation was turned around and the city was once again made the jewel of the coast. '''

'''After order was restored, Imrahil changed the entire military structure of Dol Amroth in preparation for the coming war. '''

The Military of Dol Amroth in the Days of Imrahil:

'''Like their forefathers before them, the men of Dol Amroth remained to be the greatest horsemen in all Gondor. Whether the Swan Knights, the Knights of Tirith Aear, or the Royal Swan Guard, cavalry was the heart and soul of Dol Amroth's army, and all military tactics and structure was made around that point. '''

'''Cavalry was the main focus of Imrahil's revival, and he made sure that all mounted troops got improved weapons and armour. Most all of them received new armour, for Dol Amroth's armed forces had long fought with inferior equipment. Imrahil capitalized on his alliance with Glosur and made sure excellent dwarven armour and weapons made it to as many of his troops as possible.'''

'''Infantry, before this time, fought as individuals. But Imrahil, after seeing the men of Dol Amroth get beat by the dwarves, saw the wisdom of tight-knit formations. Imrahil pioneered several formations including the Amathcal, Amathberia, and Lobornaith.'''

'''The Amathcal (or shield-wall as it's called in Westron) was nothing new to the Numenoreans, and they had used it to great affect in previous conflicts. Imrahil made sure his troops would serve well in such a formation and issued large shields to all his men, as well as long spears for thrusting between the shields.'''

'''The Amathberia was something entirely unique. It was like a shield wall on all sides, with the men in the middle holding their shields above their heads. In this way the men were protected by projectiles from any angle.'''

'''The Lobornaith (or cavalry-wedge in Westron) was excellent for fights against orcs and other disorganized foes. The knights would simply form a wedge and drive into the enemy formation, hopefully driving through melee troops and into archers and other venerable troops. '''

Despite the men of Dol Amroth's continually bragging of their "elven blood", archers remained an afterthought in the forces of Dol Amroth.

'''Dol Amroth's army was divided into regiments called Aergwaiths, consisting of 1000 men. From there, each Aergwaith was divided into a Aerlaew of 100 men, and Aerlaews into Aermaeths of 25 men. '''

'''Each Aermaeth was led by a sergeant, each Aerlaew led by a commander, and each Aergwaith led by a lord. The lords formed the Swan Council, a body that helped The Prince govern the land, and ruled while the prince was away.'''

Herendil II the Expander:

'''Herendil II was the grandson of Imrahil. like the first of his namesake, Herendil II was one of the greatest princes Dol Amroth had ever seen. He built outposts all along the coasts of Enedwaith and Minhiriath. With the capital of the Reunited Kingdom moved back to Annuminas, Herendil II saw the wisdom in establishing cities and villages in the north.'''

'''Herendil II is best known for his reclamation of Mithlond which had long previously been abandoned by the elves. He renovated it, rebuilt it, and made it a city great enough to rival Dol Amroth. The land under The Prince was at its largest extent at this time, stretching along the coast from the Forlond and Lune rivers to the Baranduin in the north, and occupying Belfalas in the south. '''



Araval the Improver:

'''Many years passed, and there came about the invention of the musket and the canon, which revolutionized warfare. Long had Dol Amroth been stuck in its old ways, the clunky knights in heavy armour still acting as the armed forces for a nation that had long ago surpassed the age of sword and shield.'''

The Army of Dol Amroth in the age of Araval:

'''Araval reorganized the military yet again, sacrificing history and tradition for fighting ability. '''

'''Gone were the armour and shields of old, gone were the spears and helms, and men wore with simple blue uniforms with gold braids signifying rank. '''

'''The Knights of Dol Amroth were not done yet, and still fought as a cavalry force, armed with accurate rifles to fire from horseback. Though the popularization of the bayonet caused the disbandment of all other cavalry forces, the Royal Swan Guard remained. '''

'''To say the least, these changes were very controversial, and many of the swan council said that Araval was supplanting all his forefathers had done. But Araval knew that to survive, Dol Amroth had to be armed with the latest fighting equipment.'''

Eldarion the Rebuilder:

'''There came about a war in the north, later known as the Great War, in which almost all of the North Kingdom was laid to waste. Eldarion's father Araval had died early in the fighting, and it was up to Eldarion to rebuild the northern cities and towns under The Prince's rule'''

'''The City of Dol Amroth in the South was under constant assault by the corsairs, and these attacks disrupted its once-dominant trade. Eldarion made the controversial decision to move the seat of the prince, and by extension the treasures of Tirith Aear, north to Mithlond. '''

'''This move effectively ended the influence of Dol Amroth as a city. With its trade cut of by the corsairs, being the seat of the prince was the only importance it had. But now the city was stripped of that purpose as well, and although it held out almost a millennia before finally falling, it was only an empty shell of the once-great city.'''

The Legacy of Dol Amroth: 

'''In 1593 of the Fifth Age of the Sun, Dol Amroth City was finally sacked by the corsairs and razed. After Eldarion it had ceased to be a power of any kind, but it was still a blow to the morale of men all acrossed Gondor. With The Prince's vast realm on the West Coast of Eirador, Belfalas was taken from the prince's rule and divided among the fiefdoms of Lamedon, Anfalas, and Lebinnin.'''

'''Mithlond, the new capital of The Prince's Land, lasted until the end of The Reunited Kingdom itself, and the heirs of Herendil still ruled in memory of the once-great city to the south. Knights of the Swan became obsolete entirely, but the title was still awarded honorarily. Indeed everything about the culture of Dor-en-Ernil seemed to change, until the only memory of the old ways was in the history book. Yet still, flying high above the palace of Mithlond, waved proudly the banner of Swan and Galleon.'''

'''There came about a war in the north, later known as the Great War, in which almost all of the North Kingdom was laid to waste. Eldarion's father Araval had died early in the fighting, and it was up to Eldarion to rebuild the northern cities and towns under The Prince's rule'''

'''The City of Dol Amroth in the South was under constant assault by the corisairs, and these attacks disrupted its once-dominent trade. Eldarion made the controversial decision to move the seat of the prince, and by extension the treasures of Tirith Aear, north to Mithlond. '''

'''This move effectively ended the influence of Dol Amroth as a city. With its trade cut of by the corisairs, being the seat of the prince was the only importance it had. But now the city was stripped of that purpose as well, and although it held out almost a millennia before finally falling, it was only an empty shell of the once-great city.'''

The Legacy of Dol Amroth: 

'''In 1593 of the Fifth Age of the Sun, Dol Amroth City was finally sacked by the corisairs and razed. After Eldarion it had ceased to be a power of any kind, but it was still a blow to the morale of men all acrossed Gondor. With The Prince's vast realm on the West Coast of Eirador, Belfalas was taken from the prince's rule and divided among the fiefdoms of Lamedon, Anfalas, and Lebinnin.'''

'''Mithlond, the new capital of The Prince's Land, lasted until the end of The Reunited Kingdom itself, and the heirs of Herendil still ruled in memory of the once-great city to the south. Knights of the Swan became obsolete entirely, but the title was still awarded honorarily. Indeed everything about the culture of Dor-en-Ernil seemed to change, until the only memory of the old ways was in the history book. Yet still, flying high above the palace of Mithlond, waved proudly the banner of Swan and Galleon.'''  