If Tharbad were not flooded...

[Southron]

If Tharbad were not flooded what are some thoughts others may have about how having the city inhabited might or might not affect the things in the default timeline?

[Otaku-sempai]

Well, this subject has been previously touched upon, with one or two members having an alternate version of Tharbad that is still inhabited. At least one posited a massive bridge that was practically a village all by itself.

If Tharbad had not been abandoned then the route between the Gap of Rohan and Bree would have been safer; Boromir, having not lost his horse at the crossing, might have reached Rivendell well before the Council of Elrond. However, with Saruman still ensconced in Isengard, I don't think that would have affected the travel plans of the Fellowship.

[Southron]

Well, this subject has been previously touched upon, with one or two members having an alternate version of Tharbad that is still inhabited. At least one posited a massive bridge that was practically a village all by itself.

That I seemed to have missed. Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can dig up those posts/threads.

[JVV]

I've never been able to figure out how Saruman was buying all that stuff from The Shire (brokered by good old Lotho Sackville-Baggins!) given how difficult Boromir's trip was. Boromir was a legendary warrior traveling in a small group, not a caravan shipping barrels of pipeweed from The Shire.

Strikes me as this is a bit of a hole in the story.

[Otaku-sempai]

I've never been able to figure out how Saruman was buying all that stuff from The Shire (brokered by good old Lotho Sackville-Baggins!) given how difficult Boromir's trip was. Boromir was a legendary warrior traveling in a small group, not a caravan shipping barrels of pipeweed from The Shire.

Strikes me as this is a bit of a hole in the story.

I can think of two or three possibilites:

• East on the Great Road, across the High Pass, south to the Gap of Rohan.

• Down the Greenway, risking the crossing at Tharbad (probably not so bad when the river is low), continue to the Gap of Rohan.

• By ship (possibly smugglers) from the estuary of the Brandywine to the mouth of the Isen, upriver to the Gap of Rohan.

[Terisonen]

If Tharbad where not flooded, it would have changed nothing, because when the bridge was washed away the incentive to build Tharbad has become inexistant: no more realm in Eriador for one thousand year, and Gondor has is woe to care for. Maintaining a way with no existent traffic is but vain. Even Boromir does not know that the bridge in Tharbad was broken. It was a lone land by the end of the third millenia.

[atgxtg]

Yeah, I suspect It wouldn't have changed things much.

Sauron went to a great deal of trouble to destroy the kingdom of Arnor, and if Tharbad existing in any real strength he would have destroyed it some way. A weakened Tharbad might have been permitted to exist, but then perhaps not.