Barrow Downs Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

The Barrow-downs, or Tyrn Gorthad in Sindarin, were a region of rolling, treeless hills located to the east of the Old Forest and southwest of the village of Bree. The landscape was characterized by a green, springy turf, and the dominant features were the numerous ancient burial mounds, or barrows, that crowned many of the hilltops.

Some of these mounds were marked with ominous standing stones or rings of white stone, giving the silent area a foreboding appearance even in daylight. The region was notoriously prone to sudden, cold fogs that could disorient travelers, adding to its already sinister reputation among the locals of the Bree-land and the Shire.

The barrows were first built in the First Age by the ancestors of the Edain as burial sites for their chieftains. Later, when the Dúnedain established the kingdom of Arnor in Eriador, they continued to bury their lords and kings in these elaborate tombs, making the Barrow-downs a significant necropolis. These tombs contained valuable artifacts, including weapons and jewelry, which remained undisturbed for centuries.

During the Third Age, after the Great Plague weakened the kingdom of Cardolan, which included the Downs, the Witch-king of Angmar sent evil spirits known as Barrow-wights to inhabit the deserted mounds. These wights animated the dead and made the region a realm of terror, casting spells to trap the living within the tombs.

The Barrow-downs were widely feared by the people of Bree-land and the Shire. The Witch-king returned to the Downs during the War of the Ring, anticipating the Ring-bearer's passage. Frodo Baggins and his companions were captured by a wight after getting lost in a fog, and were nearly killed before being rescued by Tom Bombadil, who expelled the spirit.

This encounter in the Barrow-downs was a significant event for the hobbits, marking their departure from the Shire and providing them with ancient Dúnedain blades that would be important in future battles. The region remained a dangerous and haunted place throughout the Third Age, symbolizing the fall of the North Kingdom and the lingering evil of Sauron.