Combe 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 settlement of Combe nestled in the shelter of the Bree-hill, hidden away from the main thoroughfares that carved across Middle-earth. Unlike its bustling neighbor, Bree, which straddled the crossroads of the North-South and East Roads, Combe was a quieter, more secluded place. Its origins were lost to common memory, rooted deep in the early history of the Second Age when the Men of Bree first began to clear the thick, ancient forest that choked the land. These early settlers were a hardy folk who eschewed the grandiose kingdoms of Númenor and Gondor, preferring instead to till the land and live simple, self-sufficient lives. They built their homes not of grand stone, but of sturdy timber and wattle-and-daub, carving out a peaceful existence in the shadow of the great northern ranges.

The initial settlement was a arduous task. The land around Combe was wild and unforgiving, requiring constant vigilance against the lingering shadow of the North and the natural predations of the untamed wilderness. The first families worked together, felling mighty oaks and birches not only for timber but to push back the forest that seemed determined to reclaim the soil. They were a community built on cooperation, where the prosperity of one farm was intrinsically linked to the defense of the village. The geographical isolation that made Combe peaceful also made it vulnerable; there were no grand armies to call upon. Their protection came from their own strong arms and the unity of their small village council.

Over the long centuries of the Third Age, Combe developed its unique character. While Bree town became a melting pot of travellers, news, and commerce, Combe remained firmly agricultural and introspective. The inhabitants primarily worked as farmers, woodmen, and charcoal-burners. The air here often smelled of woodsmoke and damp earth, a comforting, familiar scent to generations of Combemen. Their relationship with the inhabitants of the other three Bree-land villages—Bree, Staddle, and Archet—was cooperative but distinct. They traded their produce with the innkeepers in Bree, shared news, and attended markets, but their village life retained its own quiet rhythm, influenced less by the comings and goings of strangers and more by the turning of the seasons.

Combe's population remained small and close-knit. Family names like Ferny and Rushlight became synonymous with the area, their lineages tied to the very foundations of the original settlement. These families weathered the great plagues, the shifting tides of war in the North, and the gradual abandonment of the North Kingdom of Arnor around them. As the wider world grew more dangerous and empty, the Bree-land became a small, stubborn island of civilization. Combe's people relied heavily on their own traditions and the wisdom passed down from elders, who remembered the stories of a time when kings still walked the North Downs.

Ultimately, the settlement of Combe endured because of its quiet simplicity and the resilience of its people. It was never a place of great heroes or epic battles, but a place where ordinary folk simply lived on, generation after generation. It represented the enduring strength of Middle-earth’s common peoples, who, despite the looming shadow of Sauron and the decline of the great races, clung steadfastly to their homes and their way of life. The story of Combe is the story of quiet perseverance, a small, humble village nestled in the protective curve of a hill, surviving the ages through sheer, quiet refusal to be forgotten.