Hyarpendé

My next on-line game is going to be a fantasy/RPG/miniatures type of game. Doug and Vagabond will be cooperating (what, shock, horror, I hear you say!) as the Fellowship of the Ring. It takes place in a town called Hyarpendé. It can be seen on this map, towards the top, south of the port of Pelargir in Gondor.

Here is the larger map of Middle Earth to give context.

A Guide to Hyarpendé

The most important town in Harithilien is the trading haven of Hyarpendé (South Slope), opposite Pelargir on the bank of the Anduin and at the northern terminus of the Hyarmentië. Life there is intimately connected with that of Pelargir, and it has grown accordingly.

Hyarpendé was built around the Númenórean ferry station linking the Hyarmentië to Pelargir. As Pelargir became a major trading centre, Hyarpendé was transformed from a lazy village into a bustling gate to the eastern Vale of Anduin. As roads were built and communications established, its business changed from principally fishing to exclusively trading. Merchants providing horses and mules for the caravans to and from Pelargir prospered and the town became renowned for the high quality of its horses.

The link to Pelargir is a ferry whose operation dates to the time of the Pelargirean League. People and goods are shipped to and from the city every two hours. The ferry is almost always full, with lines of people waiting in turn on both sides. To be ferried across the Anduin costs 20 Brasslings for one person, adding one Brassling for each man's load carried. Livestock and horses are not allowed on the ferry. If one wanted to transport such goods, special arrangements would have to be made. There are plenty of fishermen willing to ship strangers and cumbersome goods, providing the payment is high enough. Since the risks of trusting in strangers who could be criminals are high, so are the prices. The unwary traveller can end up paying ten times the fare of a ferry trip.

There is a local coach line that connects Hyarpendé to the towns along the Poros as far as Tir Ethraid. From there it is possible to travel to Harondor or Minas Ithil. The cost of a coach trip is 1 Copper per mile. Hyarpendé is centred around the ferry berth, where an engraved, thirty-foot tall obelisk marking the end of the Hyarmentië is all that remains of the original Númenórean ferry station. There are a few shops, mostly providing equipment and provisions for people traveling within the country. There is a bustling local market in the town centre. Three local merchants sell horses and mules and also run the coach line. There is a small smithy, where only basic services are offered.

The Pink Pelican Inn, a large establishment, provides meals and a place to sleep for the weary traveller. As does the Mottled Earwig at the other end of town. Prices are high in both inns and the service is poor, but as they are the only alternatives on the south bank of the River Anduin, they flourish.

Wuqayh Qiqqi (travel correspondent for the Hyarpendé Times)

Here we see the entrance of the Golden King of Abrakhân into Hyarpendé. It looks like there's going to be a bit of a traffic jam in the market place. It seems by coincidence, that the Brotherhood of the Swan have arrived in Hyarpendé at the same time as the Golden King. The Brotherhood of the Swan is a secret society and more about that later in the post. The inhabitants of Hyarpendé believe them to be a sect who worship Ilúvatar and are therefore a friendly sect.

The Brotherhood of the Swan

The Brotherhood of the Swan is an ancient, secret order dedicated to the protection of Gondor from a variety of real and imaginary enemies, especially those of a magical nature. It has members all over Gondor but has always been strongest in Pelargir and the surrounding areas.

The identity of its Master is kept secret from the rank and file, with communication being maintained by the councillors and coded messages. Many of the Brothers are extremely fond of codes and cyphers and use them even when there is no real need. The typical member of the order is relatively inexperienced (at least, where real dangers are concerned), extremely secretive, fanatical, and self-righteous. They are very loyal to each other and to the Brotherhood and will not betray its secrets, except in the direst circumstances (such as magical coercion).

The Brotherhood owes its existence to the conditions during the first Easterling invasion during the T.A.490s. Its founder, Siriondil was a Pelargirean nobleman with a strong interest in magic and Elvish lore. Seeing the need to protect Gondor against its enemies, but being out of favour with King Anardil, he chose to act on his own initiative. The members of the Brotherhood were originally chosen from among his friends and relatives, mostly members of the upper class of the coastal area. The King’s spymasters did of course, learn of the order, but dismissed it as a bunch of harmless eccentrics.

During the next millennium, the Brotherhood had its ups and downs, at times almost ceasing to exist and in other times playing a noticeable role in Pelagrian politics. At the beginning of the Kin-Strife, the Brotherhood supported Castamir, but the cruelties and excesses of his regime soon changed their minds.

In the T.A. 16402, none of the Brotherhood’s present members (with the exception of Othir Pelendur) occupy high positions in the Royal Government. Some can be found in the Squire’s Hall and in the military hierarchy, as well as in some of the wealthy merchant houses. The population at large is totally unaware of the Brotherhood’s existence. Indeed, most people would probably not care very much if they knew of it. Southern Gondor’s real enemies such as the Corsairs of Umbar think them harmless.

Extract from the secret files of Aa'naad Qa'nokr (Golden King’s Spymaster)