While the realms of Arnor recovered from the Angmar war, Gondor entered its own period
of struggle as they continued to fall from the heights of their golden age.
Living among the northmen of Rhovanion for years, Valacar, son and heir to King Romendacil
II, married the chieftain’s daughter Vidumavi and had a son they named Eldacar.
Wishing to remain on good terms with the Kingdom of Rhovanion, Romendacil blessed their union,
but trouble soon followed when Valacar returned to Gondor and was publicly seen with a foreign
bride and household.
Outraged the blood of Dunedain kings was being diluted with that of common men, Castamir
the Usurper, a captain of ships and cousin to the ruler, started gathering support for
his own faction, finding great success in Umbar and southern gondor.
Though small scale rebellions arose during the reign of Romendacil, his death in 1432
led to a full on civil war when his half-blood son Eldacar inherited the throne.
Engaging in the kin-strife, Eldacar proved himself a valiant warrior every bit the equal
to his full blooded father, yet by 1437, he was overwhelmed by enemies, resulting in the
death of his son and burning of the capital Osgiliath.
Evading capture, Eldacar escaped to his mother’s people in Rhovanion where he spent the next
10 years gathering an army of northmen and loyalists from northern Gondor, while Castamir
reigned as a cruel tyrant, increasingly loathed by the people, who then flocked to the exiled
king’s banner when he returned to take the throne.
Engaging in the Battle of the Crossings of Erui, many of Gondor’s best men lost their
lives, but in the end Eldacar emerged victorious, slaying his rival Castamir in single combat.
Defeated, the Usurper’s sons retreated with their navy to Pelargir and then Umbar further
South where they found great support from the Black Numenorians and Haradrim of the
region, allowing the sons of Castamir to establish an independent Lordship.
Becoming known as the corsairs of Umbar, their descendants never abandoned their hatred for
Gondor, and continued to raid their settlements whenever possible.
Though Eldacar won the civil war, ruled until his death in 1490 and was succeeded by his
son Aldamir, victory came at a heavy cost, losing so many Dunedain that migration from
Rhovanion and other lands was encouraged to restore their population.
This is turn led to the diluting of their bloodlines, and the gradual lessening of the
divine blessings bestowed upon those descended from the Numenoreans.
Struggling to keep his grasp on the furthest reaches of realm, Aldamir led his armies south
in 1540 and lost his life in battle with the rebelling kings of harad and their Umbar allies.
Inheriting the throne of Gondor, Vinyarion set out with a great army to avenge his father
and after winning a great victory took the tame Hyrmendacil.
After his death in 1621, the throne went to his son Minardil who just a few years later
in 1643, decided to visit southern gondor.
Hearing about his journey, Angamaitë and Sangahyando, the grandsons of Castamir, set
out from Umbar to launch a devastating raid against Pelargir, murdering the king and pillaging
the city.
Though he ruled for only a few years, it was under King Minardil that the House of Hurin
grew to prominence, when Húrin of Emyn Arnen was appointed Steward of Gondor.
A faithful servant of the crown, Hurin worked tirelessly for the realm, and made such a
name for himself that the title Steward of Gondor became a hereditary position for the
men of his house.
In response to the tragic death of Minardil, his son and successor Telemnar set to work
building a fleet to attack Umbar, but the campaign was undone when a terrible plague
arose in the east to spread across the lands of the west.
Likely sent by Sauron, the plague coincided with the shadow deepening over mirkwood and
began by ravaging the sea of Rhun, before moving west to Rhovanion, Gondor, Eriador
and beyond.
Though they all suffered greatly, Rhovanion was hardest hit, losing roughly half their
population, while Gondor was next, losing the king, his children and the white tree.
Weakening the realm to such an extent they abandoned the towers guarding mordor and moved
the capital from Osgiliath to Minas Anor.
Continuing its path of destruction north towards Arnor, Cardolan lost the last of their people
to the plague, and Angmar prevented resettlement by sending undead barrow-wights to haunt the
land.
One of the only realms of men in the west to be spared the full brunt of this terrible
plague, were the hill-men called dunlendings, as they had little contact with outsiders.
After the death of Telemnar and his heirs, the throne of Gondor was inherited by the
king’s nephew Tarondor who planted a second white tree in the new capital of Minas Anor.
Dedicating his reign to the recovery of Gondor, Tarondor was followed by his son Telumehtar,
who felt their strength was sufficient to take vengeance against Umbar for the death
of his great grandfather and their constant raids on the southern half of the realm.
Achieving a great victory in 1810 TA, Gondor captured Umbar, expelled the corsairs and
slayed the last of Castamir’s descendants.
To commemorate his success, Telumehtar added Umbardacil to his name, meaning victor over
Umbar.
Following the death of the king in 1850 and succession of his son Narmacil II, Gondor
once again found themselves at war, this time facing the Wainrider, a powerful easterling
tribe whose chieftain’s rode chariots into battle.
Encouraged by the emissaries of Sauron, the Wainriders invaded eastern Gondor in 1851,
and in response, Narmacil II gathered a great army, reinforced by their remaining allies
in Rhovanion, to engage in the Battle of the Plains.
Unprepared for the might of the Wainriders, Gondor lost their king in the fighting and
suffered a terrible defeat, retreating back to the Anduin river.
Not only did Gondor surrender their eastern territories, but their efforts in the east
distracted them from the defense of Umbar which was eventually recaptured by the Haradrim.
Their defeat also meant they could no longer protect their Rhovanion allies, leaving them
be enslaved by the victorious wainriders.
Outraged by the death of the king, his son and successor Calimehtar started gathering
another army for battle when he received a message from the Northmen Marhwini, a descendant
of the kings of Rhovanion, who now ruled over the Eotheod, survivors he led into western
mirkwood.
Marhwini warned that Wainriders would be raiding Calendardhon, and that if Gondor was able
to engage them in battle, the Eotheod would rise up to join them.
Seeking to take advantage of this offer, Calimehtar marched his army to Dagorlad where he engaged
and defeated the Wainriders, with the aid of Marhwini and his northmen rebels.
Halting the advance of the Wainrider, Gondor and Rhovanion won a few decades of relative
peace, as did Araval, King of Arthedain in Arnor, who upon seeing the power of Angmar
once again on the rise, gathered an army of men reinforced by Elves from Lindon and Rivendell,
to attack and defeat the enemy in 1851.
Although both Gondor and Arnor achieved important victories, their joy was short lived and soon
enough the attacks continued, leading some to start questioning how it was they were
facing so many enemies, wondering if perhaps there was a greater power coordinating the
downfall of their kingdoms.