Easterlings

Other Names
Swarthy Men, The People of Rhûn

Origins
Various tribes of Men who eventually settled in and around the area known as Rhûn

Location
Lands East of the Sea of Rhûn

Language
Various languages and dialects

History
It is said that in the First Age Men awoke in Rhûn, in Hildórien in the East. As early as that they were approached by Morgoth and some chose to follow him. Others went West and for many centuries they were sources of what happened in Rhûn.

The first mentions of Easterlings date back to two famous leaders called Bór and Ulfang, said to have born the sigil of a proud and stubborn two-headed bull. Bór and his followers approached Maedhros and Maglor in Beleriand, settled North and South of the March of Maedhros, and swore allegiance to the brothers. Despite attempts by Morgoth Bór and his men did not betray them and remained faithful to the end.

Ulfang and his sons, on the other hand, who had sworn fealty to Caranthir, turned against the elves and their human allies during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, fighting for Morgoth instead. Called the Treachery of Men outside of Rhûn and by some Easterlings, parts of Rhûn remain where this is seen as the true act of honor and loyalty, as Morgoth was their original ally and sending them into battle against him was fundamentally wrong, justifying refusal and opposition.

Both cases are still debated among Easterlings. The two-headed bull symbolizes the fundamental dilemma of opposing loyalties and directions, while the one-headed bull stands for agreement, unity and a wise decision reached.

Some Easterlings to this day may also proudly refer to themselves as the People of Maglor, Maedhros or Caranthir and will not understand why they are so vilified in the West. Songbirds are cherished and protected in part in honor to Maglor, who seems to enjoy the greatest popularity among the Easterlings in general and may be used as role model for the ideal ruler and the noble man in general. Even the term Feänorian may be used and some attribute great beauty or a talent for art and the finer crafts to at least some elvish blood from that line, unlikely though it is.

After the battle of Nirnaeth Arnoediad those Easterlings loyal to Morgoth invaded Hithlum. An invasion characterized by excessive violence, plundering, destruction and murder as they moved North. Slaves were taken and even children sired by force with those slaves.

A story is told of the man who is considered by many in Rhûn to have been the first true emperor. He is only referred to by the name he later gave himself, meaning: “warrior moved beyond sorrow”. He is described as especially bloodthirsty and ruthless, hungry for power and conquest. Until one day he found a slave girl he had fallen in love with dead on the battlefield, where she had tried to protect her wounded brother and he himself, in his blind rage, had slain her. He looked around himself on the battlefield  for the first time. And for the first time he truly saw the suffering that he and his lust for war caused, not only to others, who looked so much like his own people and the girl he had loved, but also to his own men and their families. He threw his sword away and dedicated the rest of his life and reign to peace. He built many places of healing, funded education and supported the ailing, the poor, the elderly, children and most of all: those affected by war. He ate no meat and promoted the protection of wildlife and nature in general. Reaching out to other tribes and nations and inviting them to join him, instead of invading their homes, he united many under his banner, with diplomacy and under fair conditions, creating an empire watched over by one but ruled by many. Rhûn as it should be.

It is an idealistic story and its truth value is doubtful. While places and ideas mentioned in it are indeed part of every-day life, no ruler of Rhûn is known who would not have had the support of a wealthy and highly esteemed host of warriors. Battles are fought even between smaller rulers to this day. And some similarities to stories told about Maglor and his brothers are recognizable. Yet, many Easterlings consider this legend an important part of their history and an ideal to live up to.

What is known for certain is that Easterlings ruled in Hithlum for quite some time, many as vassals of Morgoth, and that they moved over the Blue Mountains after the War of Wrath, successfully establishing themselves there.

In the Second Age one of their kings, Khamûl, was given one of the Rings of Power by Sauron and became a powerful sorcerer. It took time, but eventually the ring corrupted him and he became a Wraith.

Opinions on this are split among the Easterlings. As is the opinion on whether or not to fight for Mordor. While some kings have already sent their troops to bolster Sauron’s armies, others refuse to even consider it. The emperor and his court have remained suspiciously silent on the matter. In fact, they have remained suspiciously silent in general for quite some time now.

Culture and Daily Life
The first and most important thing to know about Rhûn is not that it is considered the cradle of life on Middle Earth and the land with the most beautiful places ever seen, some even surpassing the remaining great elven realms, but how massively large and diverse it is.

The term Easterling simply refers to any and all people living in that specific region, falsely implying that they follow one rule and ruler, share the same culture, customs, language and way of life.

While, in theory, one Great Emperor rules all of Rhûn, not all of Rhûn even knows that he rules them. People may know local kings and minor rulers who, in turn, do not always report to the emperor. While intrigues or even silent killers are preferred to open battle, a certain amount of infighting and disagreements over territories certainly exists among those rulers.

Nothing could be further from the truth than claiming that Rhûn is uniform and united, in either leadership or culture. And yet even those people themselves have adopted and frequently use the term Easterling to demonstrate unity where none should exist.

This is the key to understanding the people of Rhûn who often will refer to themselves collectively simply as People rather than race or nationality. A more sinister consequence of this is that their enemies are often considered Not-People who due to their behavior have lost all right to even basic personhood and are ranked even below animals and plants. Some of the latter are considered persons or at least rewarded a similar status. Among them especially the trees planted in memory of dead family members and the more intelligent, social creatures. Deer, bovines and songbirds also enjoy special protection, are not allowed to be hunted or killed and if wounded or sick are nursed back to health with great care.

The people of Rhûn are many and they are as, if not more diverse than all the Free Peoples combined. Someone who refers to themselves or are referred to as Easterling may be part of one of countless regional ethno-linguistic groups and sub-groups. Yet, between advanced kingdoms and barely communicating individuals dwelling in cold empty caves and hot humid forests, between proud warriors with gleaming swords dripping blood, genius inventors and scholars, primitive butchers, bandits and peaceful ascetics who even mourn the death of an ant they all see themselves as one.

What unites them most is a shared belief that through their role as part of the Song all living and non-living things in the end are connected, once were and once will be one again. Therefore the act of killing another living being can be considered as vile as killing one’s family member or as debilitating as cutting off one’s arm. At the same time it may be viewed as normal as cutting one’s own hair or nails. A general tendency suggests that killing or harming in order to safe or sustain more life is permitted and generally viewed as acceptable. Though, more peaceful alternatives are always preferred. Every death, including that of an enemy, is considered a noble sacrifice that the other has to make and therefore needs to be accepted with gratitude.

A farmer tears the earth open and kills countless small creatures during his work, but it serves the greater good by feeding many other creatures, humans and animals alike, and he fulfils his role in life and society. A farmer who sits on his porch all day and kills every insect he sees simply because he can, on the other hand, is considered deplorable. Therefore in war enemies are often framed as such deplorable and harmful destroyers. They lose their right to personhood because they do not behave like persons should.

At the same time it is considered crucial among most of the people of Rhûn that everyone knows their place and role in life. By abiding to strict hierarchies, class systems and rules set in place according to those systems their societies remain surprisingly flexible as far as innovations and outside influences as well as internal differences are concerned.

While Easterlings do take much longer to warm to new and foreign elements or concepts and will be swayed much easier if an idea is presented as being an ancient tradition or at least based on it, they are typically open and curious people who will carefully consider even a sworn enemy’s discoveries, strategies or products. In fact, such considerations are often held in public. Presentations and explanations are followed by debates. Such discussions always start by each side having to summarize their opponent’s opinion to their satisfaction. Only afterwards one’s own opinion is allowed to be voiced.

Easterling societies are able to adopt and integrate most new ideas without losing stability or endangering their shared identity. And even though each group and sub-group, family or even individual inside each family maintains their own views, rituals and habits they are all connected by the general system that structures them all. This system offers safety and allows for regulated progress, but it is also inescapable, highly specialized and prejudiced. A farmer will always be a farmer, no matter what or how he farms. He will marry a farmer and have children who will be farmers. Those children in turn will be the friends of farmers and themselves give birth to farmers. They will dress like farmers, eat food prepared in a way that is considered typical for farmers, speak in a manner typical for farmers and so on. The trained eye or ear can immediately tell to which such institutionalized sub-culture any individual Easterling belongs. It is often much harder to tell which region of Rhûn they are from.

In the same line of thought a king will be a king and a beggar a beggar. The same holds true for the roles of men and women, different ages, health or sickness. It is just and right, simply because it is. It is a dog’s nature to bark. It is an enemy’s role to be an enemy, just like the warrior’s duty is to defeat them. This not only makes the warrior’s deed inherently just in their eyes, but also demands it.

A person’s lot in life is decided when they are born. Each living being’s part in the Song is considered already written, it merely needs to be sung, sometimes to the bitter end. What truly matters is how each individual fulfils the role that has been decided for them. Ideally without doubt and complaints, with dignity and honor.

Unsurprisingly emotions are seldom displayed publicly and some words remain unspoken. Grief or anger are often hidden, boiling underneath a serene surface. Criticism is voiced in appropriate settings or not at all. Some things are not spoken off in general, some words are forbidden and never used. Even joy can be considered inappropriate easily and exuberant expressions of any emotion are frowned upon most of the time. Surprises are rarely welcome.

A woman's dominion is the home, a man's dominion is the field or workshop. Both should be respected, but the man should lead in public and the woman at home. Both should be educated on various subjects, including reading and writing, mathematics, astrology, astronomy, gardening and music. They should never argue or show too much intimacy in public, choose friends among their peers and give alms to the poor. The latter two should never be confused. Neither should the poor be friends of those much more wealthy, nor should money ever be given to friends.

One word is shared among almost all languages and dialects of Rhûn, even though no single word-translation exists outside of it. It embodies a concept best described as meaning: personality, nature, role, duty, rights, virtues, conduct, (cosmic) law, righteousness, right way of living and order.

Scholars among the Easterlings study such guiding principles incessantly and are known to invite wise men from other nations or travel themselves in order to gain new insights. Much has been written and much is taught about them, even and especially to curious foreigners who are welcome in most parts of Rhûn. Traders and travellers are greeted with respect and are not expected to immediately adhere to all written and unwritten laws and principles of their hosts. They are their own protected class and tend to be given much more leeway than any native. At the same time they are offered more protection and causing harm to or even insulting a foreigner who came as guest is considered a grievous offense.

Easterlings are notorious for keeping records of everything and anything, hoarding knowledge of any kind and freely sharing some insights while enviously guarding others. Trade and production secrets are among the latter, while philosophy and their world view ranks highly among the former.

Sadly, oftentimes perceived deeper knowledge, individual or societal superiority lead to greater aspirations and fuel the need to educate others, by force if need be. The underlying reasons for many attacks and wars waged by Easterlings are not, as sometimes suspected, envy or simple hatred towards their neighbors, but the perception that these neighbors are either causing too much discord and imbalance to the world and need to be fought on principle or, and often connected to this, the conviction that they need to be taught the right way of living through stricter means.

During all of this Easterlings are not without mercy. Who recognizes the error of their ways may be spared. After all, an enemy, especially a foreign enemy, may only have become an enemy because they did not realize that this was not the role truly meant for them. An honorable enemy, too, can, most of the time, expect at least some measure of respect in return. They are, after all, at their core a healthy, peaceful people who inhabit a fertile, stable, beautiful and prosperous land and delight in all things living, plants and creatures alike.

Elven customs are not entirely alien to them either. Carefully and lovingly maintained gardens and parks can be found in most major cities and much of daily life takes place outside, in the streets and on market places, in the shade of ancient trees laden with sweet fruit, near flowing water and fragrant flowers. Even during the rainy season many Easterlings sleep on the roofs of their houses instead of inside, watching the stars and breathing the fresh night air.

Other, often secret, safe havens are located far from human habitation, in forests, near lakes and rivers and in mountainous regions. According to legend the first of those were built to provide shelter and a place to rest and recover to Maglor should he still wander the world. That offer was quickly extended to any traveller or desperate person. Those are places of tranquility where healing can be found and the weary can rest, but also often places of instruction in more privileged knowledge and art forms. Again, Maglor teaching music in one such garden is sometimes referenced as inspiration for it. No hunter is allowed there, no-one with blood still fresh on their hands. Yet, once the blood has dried and tears fall even a criminal may find refuge there. At the same time, the life of anyone who commits a crime inside is forfeit. Attacking one of those places for whatever reason is absolutely unacceptable even among bandits and the otherwise wildest, most savage Easterlings.

What binds many Easterlings to Mordor despite such views and traditions may be as simple and hard to shake as ancient tradition and honored promises.

Crafts and Warfare
Easterlings produce and are able to make use of a variety of weapons. Bows, axes, pikes, spears, straight blades of almost elven appearance and the curved blades of Haradwaith have all been seen used expertly by them. Many know how to ride and better equipped troops often use chariots in battle that carry at least two, often more warriors who fight in near perfect unison. Unsurprisingly they also fight well in formation and their battle tactics are usually well thought through.

Easterling women do not fight in war and battles. Some do receive weapon’s training and training in hand-to-hand combat, but such skills are used to defend their families and belongings back home.

Aside of pigments and fine fabrics, rare herbs, spices, flowers and fruit also come from Rhûn. Easterlings are known to invite, actively search for and eventually adopt and refine new ideas, products and production methods from all over the world. They import little and are, as a whole, a self-sustaining nation, with differences between the individual regions and kingdoms.

In general Easterlings tend to rely more on plant-based materials and foods than on animal products or ores.

Appearance
Due to their often brightly colored attire Easterlings are often considered vain or flamboyant by outsiders. It is easily forgotten that aside of colorful exotic flowers and animals many expensive materials, especially fine fabrics and pigments, not only originated in Rhûn but are also produced nowhere else.

Easterlings are not known for their exuberance and loud, honest statements. Their dress, in part, compensates for that and often speaks for them. The colors of a single scarf or veil alone can tell everything important about their wearer, from their family and sub-group to their marriage status and the number of their children, to their finances, health and their current dominant mood. Almost anything can and will be color-coded and arranged accordingly in Rhûn. So much so that even natives sometimes do not know the meaning of every possible combination. Only during a single day of celebration in spring all colors and meanings mix truly freely in the streets. Amidst clouds of flowers and pigment dust everyone is equal, anything can be said and strangers or members of different groups may hug or even kiss in public.

Rhûn is its colors. No Easterling can do without and even armor will often be decorated with some bright patch of color somewhere.

Additionally most women and some men also paint their bodies, accentuating eyes and lips, decorating hands and feet or turning scars and birth-marks into tiny pieces of art.

Aside of colors and materials used the clothes traditionally worn by Easterlings in day-to-day life are rather simple and practical. They tend to change according to age or season and differ slightly depending on region or affiliation.

Most characteristically women might wear a long sheet of cloth, wrapped around the waist in various styles, with one end often draped over the shoulder and sometimes over the head and hair. They may combine it with another piece of cloth wrapped tightly around the breasts or a blouse. Alternatively they might wear a long skirt or wide trousers combined with a tight jacket that is short in the front, but the back of which reaches the floor, as well as a light shawl and veil meant to offer additional protection from the elements.

Men prefer either tight fitting pants or trousers that are loose around the hips and thighs, in combination with a long coat the length of which reaches just below the knees. It will be decorated with buttons along the front and might have a collar that stands up and a colorful sash around the hips. Additionally a light shawl wrapped around the neck or half of the face, sometimes around the head, may be worn. While boots and sandals are sometimes worn, bare feet, artfully painted or decorated with fine jewelry, are preferred. Aside of feet and hands, as well as sometimes part of the midriff, exposing too much of one’s body is discouraged. Men and women alike might hide their hair or part of their face once they are married or when they join the army, expressing that they are willing to give up on selfish individual desires in favour of the group.

Of course what is worn by royalty, on special occasions or by performance artists can be much more elaborate and is often heavily embroidered. There is no limit as to how elaborate, as long as all rules of colors are followed. The favourite material used by many Easterlings is a durable, light and cool fabric, extremely finely woven, recognizable by a sheen that is similar to nacre or polished metal, produced from spider and moth silk. It can be dyed easily, but is difficult to cut or sew.

While height and physique may vary in Rhûn, many Easterlings are of medium height and not as bulky as most of their neighbors. With dark almond eyes, expressive brows, sharp noses and full lips, as well as thick, straight black hair they are said to be among the most beautiful of all Men and proud of it if they ever admit to it. Light hair is almost never seen in Rhûn, though skin color may vary between light golden, olive and much darker shades of brown. Pale skin on humans is widely considered unattractive and seen as marking a lazy and unhealthy person who hides from the sunlight all day for likely dubious reasons.

Relations
Some Easterlings are openly allied to Mordor, others oppose the idea.

The people of Rhûn as a whole are not hostile towards other humans or elves. Traders and travelers remain welcome in most of Rhûn and Easterling scholars still often visit other countries. Bandits and some of the more violent leaders, such as the Wainriders or Balchoth, may however choose to attack their neighbors on occasion, including their direct neighbors in Rhûn itself.

Notable Members
In the past:
- Bór and Ulfang
- Brodda
- Khamûl
- The legendary first emperor known as “warrior moved beyond sorrow”