I know that one of them was an Easterling and three of them are of Numenorian origin but I wish to know exactly what kingdom these kings ruled? Colonies of Numenor that got somewhat independent? Kingdoms of Middle Men? I know the topic is not exactly about the One Ring roleplaying game but I know there are some loremasters around here and I think lore discussion is never off topic

There is very little about the Nine in the legendarium. In The Silmarillion, all we really learn is this:

The only one who was named was Khamul the Easterling, who was second only to the Witch King of Angmar.

The MERP rpg provided names and histories of the others, but those are creations of Iron Crown Enterprises and not canon.

Yes, the lack of more detailed info drives many fans into a creative frenzy.

This subject is right up there with what lands lie beyond the right & bottom sides of the original Tolkien maps, the two missing Blue Wizards, the remaining Dwarven clans, and magic users (and usage) in Middle-earth.

Now, if you want foot-stomping, eye-gouging, knock-out, blood-and-guts battles, ask: "Do balrogs have wings?"

The answer to that is obvious: much like dragons, some do and some do not.

I think it's great that Tolkien left such stuff unspecified. It leaves room for our imaginations to fly. That's the real problem with certain other sci-fi/fantasy franchises: they fill in the "dark spaces" on the map until there's nothing left to think about. And that's because they're more interested in selling merchandise than in telling good stories. Tolkien was really just a storyteller, who did everything he did because of his love of telling stories. And that's what makes Middle Earth so amazing.

Also my greatest Middle Earth mystery is the Dwarven Rings. Just think about it one perhaps lying in the stomach of a dead dragon in a forgotten cave or in the long lost treasures of some dwarven kingdoms waiting to be used... I'm actually thinking introducing a magical ring to my group but I can't decide if I should add a minor magical ring like Narchuil. (http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Amarthiel These book quests are probably the best thing in LOTRO) Or if I should add a lost dwarven ring of power, one of the Sevens... But that will probably break the lore and will lead to some complications. What do you guys think? Have you ever introduced a magical ring or other item in TOR to your players?

I have not. Nor do I think I would try adding altering such a high-end game item.

However, I have previously hypothesized that the Elves of Eregion might have begun crafting enchanted rings by practice. That is, try to create a very minor magical item and through trial and error learn what magical effects can be embedded as well as what construction techniques do and do not work. These minor, and seriously flawed works, might have been kept or lost over time.

Consisting of efforts made prior to Sauron's participation, and only containing mundane to middling magics, these hypothetical rings are not automatically subject to the One Ring or it's wearer. They're more like the 3 Elven Rings being semi-independent, but still nebulously linked into the greater Ring construct. So a Minor Ring wearer might feel an external emotional shift as they approach or are impacted by other Ring wearers, but it is not the full force of personality impact. Something akin to Frodo & Hobbits after finding the mushrooms and then encountering their first Black Rider. A "Get off the road!" type event.

Yet, as stated, these early attempts are fundamentally different and seriously flawed in comparison to even the Lesser Rings of Power. These Minor Rings are physically imperfect. Enchantment wise, they do not have preservation as a fundamental aspect of their creation (per an excellent article in Other Minds) simply because that functionality is many months/years away from their crafting ability yet.

So you might encounter the Minor Ring of Bird Song - which lets a wearer reproduce any bird's song or calls - but has no ability to allow the wearer to speak to birds. Except being flawed perhaps the calls reproduced have a tendency to upset birds, sounding like angry territorial challenges which slowly tend to frighten birds away. The wearer may never really notice that although sounding like a bird, they're not treated like a friendly bird, but as a low-level enemy or potential predator. This particular ring would actually be considered almost a complete success in comparison to the more seriously flawed rings. So a Ring of Darkvision, meant to provide the D&D visual ability of dwarves while underground, might provide it's implied ability - by multiplying the amount of light perceived at all times - but resulting in too much light perceived anywhere else under any condition. A single candle flame becoming the light producing equivalent of a car's high beams.

There were some good comments in the original thread - including how my thoughts of these hypothetical, and completely non-canon, rings was incorrect/flawed as they might be more susceptible to Sauron, rather than less. If you search for "Minor Ring of Power" you should find the original thread. There was an excellent reference to a Spider Ring - I'ld forgotten about that.

Thanks great reply!

You're welcome. Just glad you found the comment of some interest.

I LOVED the story of Narchuil as it was played out in the LOTRO MMO game. For me - that epic storyline for the book-quests was the highlight of my MMO experience thus far.

Yes same here mate I really love them too and hope Volume II and III are good as I too!

I couldn't find any references to Armathiel or the ring Narchuil in any other Tolkien works - so I think it was creative licenses by the MMO publisher for that story.

Canon or not - I loved the story and was very Tolkienish.


Got my large painting/portrait of Armathiel on my entry-way wall in my Kin_house. One of my proudest beloved rewards.

Please no spoilers. Just tell me this are Volumes II and III as good as I?