#pelargir

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The Faithful

@gondorweek day seven | gondor's past | the founding of pelargir

          Thus it came to pass in that time that the Númenóreans first made great settlements upon the west shores of the ancient lands; for their own land seemed to them shrunken, and they had no rest or content therein, and they desired now wealth and dominion in Middle-earth, since the West was denied. Great harbours and strong towers they made, and there many of them took up their abode; but they appeared now rather as lords and masters and gatherers of tribute than as helpers and teachers. And the great ships of the Númenóreans were borne east on the winds and returned ever laden, and the power and majesty of their kings were increased; and they drank and they feasted and they clad themselves in silver and gold.           In all this the Elf-friends had small part. They alone came now ever to the north and the land of Gil-galad, keeping their friendship with the Elves and lending them aid against Sauron; and their haven was Pelargir above the mouths of Anduin the Great. But the King's Men sailed far away to the south; and the lordships and strongholds that they made have left many rumours in the legends of Men.

Chapter Seventeen: Pelargir upon Anduin

Summary:

"'Oathbreakers, why have ye come?' And a voice was heard out of the night that answered him, as if from far away: ‘To fulfil our oath and have peace.’ Then Aragorn said: ‘The hour is come at last. Now I go to Pelargir upon Anduin, and ye shall come after me. And when all this land is clean of the servants of Sauron, I will hold the oath fulfilled, and ye shall have peace and depart for ever. For I am Elessar, Isildur’s heir of Gondor.’" -- The Passing of the Grey Company, The Return of the King

That monster chapter's coming up next week guys, but the battle for Middle Earth begins today!

As always, a huge thanks to @valandhirwriter for being my beta and being my inspiration for this tale! Go check out her work!

Pelargir & the River Anduin - by Roger Garland

Pelargir & the River Anduin Full Scale - by Roger Garland

To put it simply, Pelargir is old (four fifths as old as recorded history irl!) — and for a long time it was an outcropping of an empire. It was always a haven of the Faithful and later the ties grew colder, but I feel like as a consequence of its beginnings, it has to remember other things about Númenor than just the downfall and feel more connected with that heritage as a whole.

But at the same time — again, it was not founded by the exiles, not founded by Elendil & co. The people who lived there by the time of the Downfall had lived there all their lives. They saw the tragedy from a distance, they might have already thought of themselves as separate from the Island.

— Or do the probable several millions of political (if you can put "human sacrifice bad, also I don't want to be one" down to politics, which isn't really the case) refugees that came in earlier invalidate that assesment? Still, I don't think it's the same when the news reaches you after you've already settled into a new life for yourself and perhaps reconciled yourself to never returning to the Island that wants you dead...