Rhosgobel

[Vladim]

 

Radagast the Brown has dwelt here for many years. The name ‘Rhosgobel’ means ‘Brown Hay’ or Hedge, referring to the thorny barrier that protects the village from the evils of the forest, and that makes Rhosgobel one of the safer settlements in Mirkwood even when the wizard is not at home.

 

Radagast is something between an eccentric old great uncle and a living god to the people of Rhosgobel. Most of the time, the wizard is just another old man snoozing in the sun or telling stories of the old days, but everyone in Rhosgobel has seen him performing little magic tricks or healing sick children.

 

Sometimes, though, Radagast puts forth his power, and reminds the Woodmen that he is a wizard of great potency. All of the Woodmen are utterly devoted to him and would do anything for him.

[Vladim]

 

1. The ‘Brown Hay’: This tall hedge surrounds Rhosgobel on three sides. On the fourth side, facing west, the Woodmen built earthen banks and walls of wooden stakes to defend themselves against attack. The hedge bristles with thorns and stinging weeds, and is strong enough to entangle the biggest, nastiest boar or even a Troll. As the Orcs of Dol Guldur discovered on past raids, the hedge is also too wet to burn easily, even in the height of summer.

 

2. The Hedge-Gate: The only gap in the hedge is this little door, carved with the image of a grinning face. Radagast made the door himself, and placed a great deal of his magic into it. If any enemy touches the door, it shrieks a warning. Some Woodmen insist that the door has been known to quietly eat smaller Spiders and other trespassers.

 

3. The Great Hall: The longhouse at the heart of Rhosgobel is the smallest of the halls of the Woodmen. It is easy to defend, with narrow doors, sturdy walls and lots of weapons close at hand. At the head of the hall, next to the chieftain’s seat, is a special stool reserved for Radagast. It faces the Great River, with its back to the forest.

 

4. Woodman Cottages: The small homes of the Woodmen. Each cottage, despite its size, houses an extended family. The houses are used only for sleeping and storage — almost every other activity is done communally.

 

5. Cold Spring: Rhosgobel is far from the Dusky River, so this icy-cold spring that wells out of the ground provides the settlement with water. The waters of the spring reflect Radagast’s mood; they spurt when he is angry, trickle when he is sad, and bubble when he laughs.

 

6. Forge: The forge at Rhosgobel is an important asset for the Woodmen. Most of their metalwork comes from Mountain Hall, but repairs and day-to-day ironworking is done here.

 

7. Radagast’s House: Well, usually. Radagast’s house is almost as elusive as the Wizard himself. If Radagast wishes to be found, then his house is here in this grove of trees at the end of a little twisty path of crushed white stone. If the Wizard is away or wishes privacy, then there is no house to be found. Radagast’s cottage looks like an explosion in a mathom-house that was then colonised by woodland creatures. Squirrels and field mice scurry through piles of books and scrolls, and crows perch on rafters from which cloaks, weapons and gardening tools hang.

 

8. The Wizard’s Garden: This garden was once within the grove of trees, until one day it wasn’t. Here is where Radagast grows all sorts of medicinal plants and herbs, as well as the best vegetables east of Bagshot Row.

 

9. Animal Pens: As Rhosgobel is closest to the forest’s edge, it is home to the majority of the Woodmen’s animal herds. During harsh winters, the herders bring these animals here to these sheds so they can huddle together for warmth and shelter.

[Vladim]

The Western Eaves

 

This tract of oakwood is the most thickly populated region in Mirkwood. Here dwell the Woodmen of Mirkwood. Their small hamlets and cottages are within a mile inside the forest edge — deep enough to offer protection from attackers, but not so far from their farmland. Their two larger settlements are hidden in the shadowy depths of the wood, and the trails to these refuges are well hidden and guarded by sentries. Whenever the Woodmen fear attackers, the farmers on the forest fringe pack up and bring their families and herds to the safety of Woodland Hall or Woodmen-town.

 

To the east of this region flows the Dusky River, which springs somewhere in the Haunted Hills and meanders west and south. The river’s water is silted and dark, hence its name, but the water is drinkable — most of the time. Sometimes, animal carcasses — rotting and curiously misshapen, as if they were mutilated before they died — wash down from the Haunted Hills, and they carry with them illness and foul water.

 

The river is navigable, and the Woodmen use flat bottomed boats to travel between Woodland Hall and Woodmen-town. The river empties into a wide lake called the Black Tarn. The still waters here are mirror-smooth and tranquil. Herons wade amid the reeds on the edges of the lake, hunting fish and eels. The southern edge of the lake is ringed by low wooded hills. Hidden trails from the northern banks of the lake run through tangled pine-woods to the forest edge and the home of the wizard Radagast, Rhosgobel.

 

Parts of the Western Eaves, especially around the Woodman settlements, are almost pleasant. The Woodmen thinned the trees, letting a little sunlight filter through the canopy. They made clearings as woodland pasture for their herds. Children play in the bushes near Woodmen-town. Still, this is Mirkwood — the pall of darkness still hangs heavy, even under the noonday sun. There is no safety in Mirkwood. One of those running children might stray five minutes walk from home, and find herself utterly lost amid unfamiliar trees.

 

Wildlife

 

Boars and deer are common on the western edge of the woods. The bows and spears of the Woodmen drove away the wolves that once hunted here. Black sparrows and pheasants live in the trees here.

 

The Woodmen keep herds of sheep, cows and pigs. The black pigs they keep in the forest, letting them forage for acorns and roots in the black oak woods west of the Dusky River. The other animals graze on the fertile lands of the East Anduin Vales, and dislike being brought into the forest. When the Woodmen are forced to bring their herds into the wood for safe keeping, they must also be on watch for signs of madness — animals from outside the forest sometimes panic and rush off into the darkness, and one bolting sheep can scatter a whole herd. Strangely — perhaps because they interbreed with the wild boar of the woods — the pigs seem untroubled by the forest.

 

Around the Dusky River, and especially along the Black Tarn, live many river-birds, and fishes in plenty swim under the surface of the waters. The river forms a natural boundary against the Spiders, who dare not cross the water. The Woodmen keep careful watch on their northern and southern borders to stop Spiders creeping around the river, and must be equally careful when boating on its surface. The Spiders cannot swim, but sometimes they crawl out onto branches that overlook the stream and dangle sticky strands of webbing down into the path of approaching boats, like monstrous fishermen.

 

Inhabitants

 

This is the land of the Woodmen. Less than a quarter of those who call themselves Woodmen actually live deep in the forest. Some live in the shadows of the Misty Mountains, at Mountain Hall, but most live on the edge of the woods. Still, Mirkwood is their home and their refuge, and the burial mounds of their ancestors are at the roots of the ancient trees.