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Old 01-31-2018, 04:22 AM   #15
Huinesoron
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Location: The north-west of the Old World, east of the Sea
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Huinesoron is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.Huinesoron is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumil View Post
Other plus-points for Rivendell, which I don't think overcome Lothlorien's greater size, population and Galadriel are-

The remnants of the Noldor, eg Glorfindel was a handy chap to have around
Renowned seat of learning and counsel
Elrond has close allies in the Rangers, but Celeborn's close allies are the Ents
One thing to consider, if trying to weight the dice in Rivendell's favour (), is where the respective realms descended from. Rumil mentions it briefly with 'the remnants of the Noldor', but consider:

Lothlorien is a bunch of Silvan elves (ie, had never been to Valinor, and therefore are 'lesser' in Sauron's eyes), led by a couple whose previous home was Eregion. Eregion was the only Elven realm ever to welcome Sauron in; they worked with him, he knows (or thinks he does) how its people think, and when he decided to get rid of them, he took them out pretty easily.

(Now, granted, Galadriel and Celeborn had no part in any of that, but I don't think it's unfair to assume Sauron would just figure they were much like Celebrimbor.)

Imladris, though, is a realm of the Noldor and the Sindar, and it's led by the herald of Gil-Galad - Gil-Galad who led the alliance which brought Sauron down, and whose realm he was never actually able to conquer. Lindon faded due to emigration (and possibly loss of land at the fall of Numenor), not due to Sauron's actions. And in fact, Rivendell is still in active contact with Gil-Galad's successor at the Havens.

So on the one hand, you have a mob of petty-elves led by chums of the guy he once stuck on a flagpole and used as a banner. They're fiercely isolationist - they don't even talk to their kin in Mirkwood, and for three thousand years their armies haven't stirred (other than Galadriel popping out to do magic on occasion). On the other hand, you have the heir of Lindon, of the line of the High Kings, forging an alliance which spans the entire North (remember that both Mirkwood and Erebor send messengers to Rivendell when trouble comes). Imladris is actively patrolling at least the local area; it includes at least one non-Ringbearer who can effectively take down the Nazgul; and, worryingly, Sauron still doesn't know exactly where it is!

As it turned out, Elrond's 'alliance' was nothing of the sort: the armies of the North didn't come together to fight as a new Last Alliance. Erebor and Dale fought their battle, Mirkwood joined Lorien, Arnor travelled to Gondor, and Mithlond stayed pretty much out of things. But to Sauron - to draw a not-unreasonable connection to the First Age - a new Nargothrond was probably much more worrying than a new Doriath.

hS
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