Hello,

One of my player would like to create a character from an old and forgotten Woodmen family with some historical importance. Since there is little official information about Woodmen, we'll probably create a new House that settled deeper in Mirkwood, but got destroyed long ago. I was wondering if you guys were aware of more information about Woodmen than what is in the TOR books, and if there was a chance that the forthcoming "darkening of Mirkwood" campaign expanded upon them. I'm trying not to create any conflict with the official story, but as far as I can tell, the official story is pretty vague anyway.

Borrow heavily from Anglo-Saxon literature would be my foremost recommendation.

Hie thee to The House of the Wolfings as a starting point.

As for Darkening - the ancestors of the Woodmen move into Mirkwood during the Watchful Peace, that 400-year period when the Necromancer retreats from Dol Guldur. They use the Lamp of Balti to establish a foothold in the woods, then settle at Woodland Hall and Rhosgobel. Woodman Town grows up as a trading post between the two settlements.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll read this

Regarding the time the ancestors of the Woodman settled in Mirkwood, I thought they first entered the forest before 1050 of the Third Age (http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2012/01/11/who-were-the-men-of-mirkwood/). I'm assuming they had to leave because of Sauron's presence, and came back when he left, is that right?

Yusei -- Greetings!

The Woodmen have been a great interest of mine as well. Sometime ago, I researched all the references to the Woodmen in Tolkien's writing. And, using these referferences, I assembled a probable historical background.

Here are three threads where I posted some of the information.

Woodmen of Mirkwood
http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?tr...&showtopic=2852

Woodmen Territory
http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?tr...&showtopic=2861

Radagast and Rhosgobel
http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php?tr...&showtopic=2853

If you have any questions, let me know.

Regards,
E

As a side note, since I sought references for Woodmen in Tolkien sources outside The Hobbit and The LotR as well as within these books, my comments on the Woodmen, Radagast and Rhosgobel might conflict with Darkening of Mirkwood.

Best,
E

In Tolkien's writings, "Woodmen" are already mentioned in the tale about Isildur's end (The Disaster of the Gladden Fields) in UT, almost 3,000 years before the TOR timeframe. Whether they belong to the same ethnic group as the late-TA "Woodmen" is not told, however.

Best
Tolwen

I was thinking the same thing as you Tolwen, but figure they were doing that to stay within the confines of The Hobbit and The LotR. Then, I remembered the Lamp of Balthi and.... Hmmmmm, that makes me wonder even more about the Darkening of Mirkwood, and when is it going to be released?!

The anticipation is almost unbearable...!

Best,
E