| Evermist | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Uichith (S) |
| History | |
| Founded | S.A. 1700 |
| Abandoned | T.A. 2952 |
| Map | |
“Map of the Northern Waste”, by Karin & Christian Bohr | |
In Middle-earth Role Playing, Evermist was a hidden vale in the Northern Waste, founded in the S.A. 1700 by Noldorin exiles fleeing the destruction of Eregion. Its inhabitants, the Cuiviémar (S. “Lodge of Awakening”), were devoted to healing the North of Morgoth's taint.[1]
History
Evermist’s origins lay in the aftermath of the Sack of Eregion, when the forces of Sauron destroyed the Elven realm. A company of refugees led by Lindor, brother of Celebrimbor, fled into the Northern Waste. Among them was Óleth, daughter of the elf Thilgon.
For nearly two years, the refugees evaded pursuit by Celebring, a Noldo servant of Sauron. Guided by Óleth’s visions and Lindor’s songs of power, they traversed the frozen wilderness, eventually attempting a crossing of the Bleak Mountains. There, Lindor perished in a song-duel against the demon Eloeklo, which allowed the refugees to escape.
Following Lindor’s death, Óleth assumed leadership of the remaining Noldor. Though not all followed her lead, guided by prophetic visions, she led a remnant of eighty survivors to Morgoth's Well, where her father Thilgon had perished.
Óleth revealed that their only hope lay in completing the quest begun by her father: to restore a memory of Arda Unmarred in the corrupted North. Leading her people beyond Morgoth’s Well and across the Ered Rhívamar, by S.A. 1700 she discovered a hidden valley sustained by hot mineral springs. This vale had fertile growth even in the harsh North, turned out to be unknown source of the seeds her father had used.
The valley they named Evermist, and the isle in the centre of the Mistmere they named Tol Ely (S. “Isle of Visions”). There, Óleth re-founded the Order of the Silent Path as the Cuiviémar. At its center lay a lake called Hithaelin (the Mistmere), within which stood an islet named Tol Ely, the Isle of Visions.
Though Evermist had been concealed by enchantments, Celebring pursued the fugitives to the borders of their sanctuary. Unable to quickly penetrate its defences and recalled south by Sauron, Celebring nevertheless enacted a final act of malice: he awakened the dragons slumbering in the Ered Rhívamar. Many of the Noldor perished, including Óleth herself. She was succeeded by Nestador the healer.
Under Nestador’s guidance, they were ultimately able to keep the dragons at bay. Afterwards, during a song rite on Tol Ely, Irmo revealed to the Lodge a suitable location to inscribe all their spell-songs. This location in the Bleak Mountains would become known as the Orod Certhas (S. “Rune Mountain”).[1]
Much of the healing work of the Lodge was undone when the world was rounded after the Downfall of Númenor.[2] In the Third Age, the Lodge's efforts against Eloeklo were undone by the meddling of the Witch-king, whose sorceries to call down ice and tempest bolstered the demon. When all hope seemed lost in T.A. 1640, Nestador was visited by a guest he had foreseen in visions: Aiwendil, who helped them discover one of the yavanníri, the frozen tears of Yavanna. From then on, the Lodge had a new quest: to gather all the tears in Evermist, until the day Sauron would reveal himself again, after which they could sing one final Song of Awakening.[3][4]
Eloeklo would wage war on the Noldo of Evermist several times, rallying all the spirits of wind and cold. These were first and second Wind Wars, known respectively as the Long and Fell Winter in the South.[4]
As they gathered more tears, the spells of the Orod Certhas grew stronger, and they were able to drive back Eloeklo further and further. Then, in T.A. 2951, Sauron's return the Mordor coincided with the last tear brought to Evermist. Their last song took years, and finally ended eight months after the Downfall of Barad-dûr. Afterwards, the Cuiviémar was disbanded and the Noldor left for the Grey Havens.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025), pp. 8-10
- ↑ Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025), p. 14
- ↑ Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025), pp. 17-19
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025), p. 22
- ↑ Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025), pp. 20-21