OOC Note

The events of the Hobbit occurred during the Third Age, in the year 2941. For reference, the events of the Lord of the Rings begin in the year 3018. Our game will begin twenty years before the events of the Hobbit, in 2921, allowing us a chance ourselves to experience the final years of Laketown and witness the events of the Hobbit itself, such as the Battle of 5 Armies, the crowning of the King Under the Mountain, the return of Dale, and the fall of Dol Guldur.

Let’s explore the region and recent events briefly, so that you have a firm grasp of the greater area within which our events will take place.

Erebor, a stronghold of the Dwarves, was taken over by Smaug in 2770. At the same time, the nearby city of Dale was sundered by dragonfire and then abandoned due to the dragon’s presence. The region around Erebor is now known as the Desolation of Smaug, and is uninhabited by almost any living thing. Nothing significant (at least by the greater annals of history) has occurred in this region between 2770 and 2921, though there is some scholarly debate as to whether Smaug roamed the area at all during this time or simply slept. Most likely it is that Smaug periodically awakened and maintained his hold on the area, but that he was largely inactive.

To the east of Erebor are the Iron Hills, occupied by the Dwarves of Durin’s Folk. They are led by Dain II Ironfoot, son of Nain who was killed in battle with Orcs at the gates of Moria in 2799. Dain II is the Dwarflord who leads the Dwarven reinforcements at the Battle of 5 Armies later in 2941 and later becomes King Under the Mountain.

To the north of Erebor are the Grey Mountains, occupied and infested by orc and wyrm. These are entirely unsafe, though luckily far enough away that any real influence they might have over the region near Erebor is limited to the once-a-decade long-distance raid.

West of Erebor is, of course, Mirkwood. Going back further than one usually might, Mirkwood was ruled in the First and Second Ages by the Elves under Oropher. Then it was known as Greenwood the Great, and the elves held their capital at Amon Lanc, where now stands Dol Guldur. Oropher was slain during the final days of the Last Alliance in an ill-advised attack, and his son Tharanduil took over the realm. By this time, and indeed before the rise of Tharanduil, the elves had moved from their capital north. According to various sources, they moved three separate times, settling north of the Mountains of Mirkwood by the start of the Third Age. By the time we open, in 2921, the elves only occupy the forest north of the Forest River, in an area known as the Woodland Realm.

The rise of the Necromancer, who we know ourselves to be Sauron in disguise, occurred in 1050 during the Third Age at Dol Guldur far to the southwest of Erebor. From that point onward, Mirkwood darkened considerably. This is the sole source of the darkness in Mirkwood. The mere presence of a power like Sauron’s in the area has twisted and changed the forest for hundreds of miles, attracting orcs and wargs and spiders, amongst other dark beasts.

The Old Forest Road was built during either the First or Second Age by the Dwarves as a way to secure passage through the forest. Certainly it was used during the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age. By our time, in TA 2921, the Old Forest Road, once a grand avenue through Mirkwood, has fallen into disrepair and even been lost in places. Orcs and goblins raid along it, and travelers that pass along it almost never make it to the other side.

The Mountains of Mirkwood are similarly a hive of orc and goblin, serving as the furthest constantly-occupied goblin outpost in the region. Dozens of independent tribes have established themselves in the area, as well as a number led by more nefarious forces.

Thus we come to Laketown itself, which is a shadow of its former self. A trading town with very few allies with which to trade, they are dependent on the waning and increasingly rare caravans and boats that come up the river laden with goods. Additional trade occurs between themselves and the elves, as well as with the dwarves of the Iron Hills, yet compared to the wealth of trade that once was present in Dale and Erebor, the region is a shadow of its former self.

Such is our story. We are telling the tale of the waning days of Man, Dwarf, and Elf in the Wilderland, a tale that would have continued uninterrupted had it not been for the efforts of a certain Wizard knocking on a burglars door some hundreds of miles away. The world has grown wild once more. Those who were once friends now look at each other with suspicion. The shadow of Smaug and the Necromancer rests heavily on all. The White Council tarries and does nothing. Soon, great powers will move in the world, but not quite yet.

Note: Please remember, the events of the Hobbit and the later saga laid out in the Lord of the Rings have not yet happened for the people living in our world. As such, mentioning them in character through roleplay will likely prove confusing for the other characters (PCs) or non player-characters (NPCs - characters brought to life by staff).  As such, the information above is provided solely for your knowledge and understanding as a player. 

For further information on Rhovanion roles and playing a Rhovanion, please read here.

Laketown

Esgaroth, or more properly "Esgaroth upon the Long Lake" was once an outward settlement from the proud Rhovanion capital of Dale, in the north-western part of the Long Lake. 

It served as an outward hub, providing plentiful fish from the Long Lake, serving as a trading point from places further down the River Running and providing viable land for crops and livestock along it's loamy shore. 

Proudly built in stone it was a shining wonder upon the shore, but at the Sundering of Dale in TA 2770 so too was Esgaroth torched by dragonfire by the terrible vengeance of Smaug the Red Terror, its stones tumbled and its people scattered. The pillars and remains of the once great city can still be seen in the clear waters of Long Lake, now simply fodder for plundering.

Upon the charred remains of Esgaroth was Laketown built, constructed entirely out of wood and stands upon lofty wooden pillars sunk into the lakebed. South of the Lonely Mountain, East of Mirkwood, North of Dorwinion, and West of the Iron Hills Laketown sits as the hub of trade for the whole of Rhovanion. 

For one grown in raised in one of the smaller villages and towns in Rhovanion - Laketown no doubt seems large if not massive as one walks through the twisted and bucking streets and waterways. But compared to shining Dale or Esgaroth of old or Dol-Amorth and Pelargir the great ports of the kingdom of Gondor, Laketown is but a guppy. 

In prior days, when the King under the Mountain ruled the Dwarves, and when Dale prospered, Esgaroth flourished with the trade between the two great settlements. But in the lifetimes since the Desolation, times have become tighter, the city more insular, and much of the brightness that characterized the area has been sapped. Laketown is not a bastion for good against the tide of evil, that much should be clear, but rather she at this point simply exists as a hub for the remains of the commercial tide that flows between the Elves of Mirkwood, the Dwarves of the Iron Mountains, and the Men further south along the River Running. She is ruled by gold, just as much as by the Master and his council, and those who believe no good deed goes unpunished might find themselves right at home.

Laketown is broken up into Districts, each of which have their own uses such as residential, market, labor, warehouse, and council.

Too, Laketown is mother to various Trading Companies such as those facilitated by Gondor, the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, House Kandavan of Dorwinion, and an embassy for the Elven trades sent from the court of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm. It also hosts companies of Rhovanion birth and membership - the so called-Friends of Ongull Society, the White Hart Hunting Company and the Sons of Girion, a branch of the great Citadel of Mirkwood. 

Laketown predominantly exports fish and fish-based goods and serves as the way station in the flow of wine between Dorwinion in the south and the court of the King of the Woodland Realm. 

The Mirkwood Elves and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills are known still to call the place Esgaroth in the Old Dalish, with curiosities abound if perhaps "Laketown" is not something so readily translated or understood in their own native tongues neither of them being particularly water-bourne peoples.  

Utterby

Ironwood is the nickname Rhovanion gives a species of Hornbeam used for a variety of woodcrafting purposes. The dried heartwood is a pure unchallenged white hue and is used for artistic inlay and work. The general wood is difficult to fell, plane, or shape, but the effort is rewarded by producing the highest quality handles and poles for long-lasting tools and spears that the men of Wilderland use to build and protect their homes from the elements, Orc, and Warg alike. 

And thus, Utterby existed long before it had a proper name. Its first nameless incarnation was simply as a lumber camp conveniently built next to the trade road and river where whole hemmed trees left via the trade road to points beyond, or were taken to be guided up-river towards Long Lake and Laketown by trade skiffs and oxen teams. A rudimentary fence was built around the settlement as a means of defense, and the sole inhabitants were the outcrop of hearty woodsman who felled the local copse of valuable hornbeams from the eves of Mirkwood Forest. 

Merchants came to haggle for prices and to choose the best samples, and the Ironwood Inn was built to house them and entertain them during their stays, and as the wealth of the lumber camp grew - it earned a name - Utterby, a nickname more than a proper moniker, it simply means "The Outer Village" in the local line of Dalish. Once the Ironwood Inn was built, and mercantile interest in the lumber output grew - a self-made exporter and importer from Laketown - Gararic Omdahl saw further potential in Utterby's small but important export. Not just the pittance made on unfinished logs for which another village up river gleaned the profits for debarking and planning, but a fully functional village - complete with its own river-driven lumber mill, a rare and liberal intention, given that hand-sawing remained the common practice because of the expense to build, maintain, and staff such a venture. 

But after a solid night of mead, a round of well-told bravado-filled stories, and promises on the graves of ancestors, a charter was signed between the lumber camp's workers and Gararic. In exchange for agreeing to make Gararic the Overseer of Utterby's lumber production with an assigned portion of the operations profits, Gararic would put forward the capital to transform Utterby into a proper outpost - he would build a lumber mill and support the call to arms for a dedicated force of well-paid Guards to ensure that the expensive adventure wasn't laid to waste by an incursion of orcs from the nearby mountains. 

And so Utterby grew. And as the profits rose and the Guard was drafted, wives were found, and children followed, and in time Utterby became a very small, but functional village centered around a trio of buildings - the old Ironwood Inn, the oldest proper building the settlement, followed by Gararic's dream - the Lumber Mill, which overtime came to be called the Lumber Lodge as it served both as the workspace and the housing for the men employed there, while their wives helped to maintain a small grazing yard and garden plots to supplement the village's needs for food otherwise provided by the scattering of hunters and fishermen amongst the citizenry. 

In time, a hunter on the prowl for a wild boar on the eaves of Mirkwood made a curious discovery at the root of an older, twisted hornbeam - a knotty black tuber which his quarry was rooting for with a reckless abandon. Slaying his prize, he stooped to examine the curious growth and returned with it to Utterby's small market and sold it for enough to buy his evening's beer thinking it to be some wild thing of little value. An errand boy coming from the Ironwood Inn to fetch more supplies came across it and bought it as a curiosity having heard the story of its finding. 

He wondered if perhaps it was a wild food that the trencherman might make something out of it, wind the story of its finding, and charge some inflated price to any merchants staying in the Inn brave enough to try it. And a merchant did try it, and rather, as the errand boy expected, he didn't feel cheated and abused for over paying for a meal made with some half-rotten wild potato, he was ecstatic - his dish was a delight, hinted with a taste of something he'd never had before. And word of the mystery food spread. 

Experimentation with the growths, difficult and rare to find revealed that sausages and cheese were the best uses of the curious flavor. And Utterby discovered another source of export out of its small dock - something that rumor has even the Elvenking's Halls seek, as much as the Wood Elves like to dine on fine wine, and curious foodstuffs to go with it. 

What Utterby will do with this potential source of wealth and whether the increase in merchant traffic to town will just encourage more action by the local orc horde remains to be seen.

Utterby exports much by way of wood from the Mirkwood to the rest of Rhovanion, especially Laketown and deals in such export through the Lumber Lodge.

Mirkwood and Wilds

From Vadok Mal spills forth the River with No Name, called various things by various peoples but without a title truly agreed upon. It sets on a course toward the River Running, some forty miles away through the heavy boughs of central Mirkwood until it passes the small human settlement of Utterby and joins with the larger river.

The forest around the River is thick and overgrown, growing darker the further one reaches into Mirkwood. Around the western expanse, however, it opens up due to the constant activity of orc and beast that marks the lands surrounding the Mountains of Mirkwood. Gnarled trees are felled to sate the goblin furnaces, though the trees always press in against the encroachment, fangs and claws and teeth waiting to catch the unwary axe-goblin.

To the east near Utterby the forest also opens up, due to the logging activities of man. Seeking valuable Hornbeam, woodsmen have cut enough trees apart that the forest is navigable in relative safety. The lumber is processed in the great lumbermill present there, and the noise can be heard for some miles away.

They say that no map exists of the whole of Mirkwood. That the rate at which it's trees grow and the spiders weave new webbing to tangle the paths make any such efforts moot. Only the truly brave or the truly foolish travel into the heart of Mirkwood. 

Holtsberg

Holtsberg was once one of the largest towns settled beneath the boughs of Mirkwood, though it is now much diminished from its former glory-days. Now, with the increasing exodus of orc bands from Gundabad in the Misty Mountains into the forest, raids upon the settlement have become more common in recent years. Made up of hardy Woodsman, fierce and stubborn, Holtsberg has managed to hang on, but just barely.

Now with only a few hundred stubborn and hardy families calling it home, the last of the old Guard, the Hirdmann Theorar, has raised a heavy palisade around what remains. Some say he has gone mad in the past years, after both his father Theodar and his son Aedenar were killed in orc raids. The heads of Warg and Orc alike decorate the forest around Holtsberg now, and few others travel that way. Many have fled as well, and in almost every settlement east and west of Mirkwood, a family formerly from Holtsberg might be found, having sought out greener pastures.

Veidreborg

Veidreborg is a small woodlands settlement in northwest area of the woodland realms that is Mirkwood. While the population of the settlement changes frequently, rarely are more there more than a dozen Beorning folk families here at even given time; men, women and children. Because Mirkwood is dangerous, this is one of the very few places that the uncommon Beorning Warden would be noticed. Veidreborg's survival, despite its proximity to orc territory, is due to its purpose.

The general story goes that Veidreborg was founded by Beorning folk several decades ago for the precise purpose of watching and guarding against the spread of Orcs towards the northern forest were its whispered more of their forest dwellings may lie. Beorn, the legendary "Great Chieftain" of his followers is rumored to visit the place from time to time from his rumoured Carrock in western Mirkwood to commune with Ragnar, the Beorning "lesser" Chieftain who leads those at Veidreborg. 

A forest village for all intensive purposes, as far as the Beorning go, Veidreborg is little more than a few longhouses and tree-built dwellings. Outsiders who pass through Veidreborg on their way elsewhere are not exactly greeted with open arms, but are given safe passage and are generally well fed for their journey but are not permitted to tarry long.

Veidreborg ramshackle as it might be, serves as the trading center for the Beorning folk and sells honey and heather as it's main exports, buying metal tools and weapons from outsiders. 

Southglain - The Thieves Running

With equally humble beginnings as Utterby, Southglain is nestled farther down the River Running. However, with that said, Southglain is often nicknamed as the "The Thieves Running", in relation to its vicinity to the river (and the river's name). As for its nickname, many highwaymen and bandits lurk in the neighboring area, preying on merchants and travelers that travel with the river - and are suspected to hide out in or near Southglain. Despite its unscrupulous reputation, Southglain manages to survive as a moderately-sized settlement due to its status as an outpost down the River Running, attracting merchants and travelers in search of rest or to ship their goods elsewhere. Its success as an outpost is in large part due to "Smallfoot" Derogith, a man of Hillmen descent that had the riches to invest in an outpost, and the charisma to attract men and women to make their stay there. Many suspect that Deroglith is a retired highwaymen himself, which would explain how a common-born came to such wealth. He is the self-styled Overseer of Southglain, running the day-to-day and administrative affairs of Southglain.

Aldoth - "Marsh Town"

"Aldoth? Blast that town, and the piss muck it's built on! The Long Marshes will soak your feet to the bone, and the howling of wargs, and the skittering of spiders will keep you awake in the long nights, with nary a fire lest you want to die quickly. It's a long watch ..." - "Buck" Togin Weatherweave, mercenary

Stationed on the outskirts of the Long Marshes, Aldoth stands as an important stop for the transport of lumber and a check against enemies that stray too far from the dark Mirkwood. With that said though, Aldoth's continued existence is tenuous; warg and spider raids constantly threaten the town. It has never had more of a population of roughly a couple hundred. However, because of its foothold in the area, the "town" attracts mercenaries (often of poor ilk) to take up watch for their livelihood. Few actually live in Aldoth as any permanent residence for obvious reasons. The livelihood of the town relies on a coalition of merchants, called the Longwood Trading Company, that funnel precious lumber to the east to other towns, and the travelers and mercenaries that dare to explore the Long Marshes or earning their keep as a protector of the small town, respectively. Overall, Aldoth is not a location any with a level head would wish to make a long stay at, and coin speaks louder than any words there. 

Aldoth deals much by way of myrtleberries, peat, wild heather, brown coal and other bog and swamp-born things.

Highbridge

Located at the north tip of the Long Lake, Highbridge is a bit of a misnomer, as there's no bridge that connects across the lake. In actuality, the saying goes that a few hundred years ago, Highbridge was a building project started by an ambitious businessman - crazy, some might add -named Rofael Highleaf, who wished to make a grand bridge across Long Lake to expedite shipping lumber and other goods gathered from the nearby Mirkwood. His project called for a significant workforce, and thus began an exodus of a few hundred workers and their families to Long Lake. However, before the building project could begin in earnest, Rofael Highleaf was murdered by a disgruntled worker. The building project fell around its ears, and many of the remaining workers decided to reinforce their living camps into an actual town, where it remains to this day. Highbridge scrapes by partially because a rare herb, Lady's Locks, found growing in the hilly regions near the Lonely Mountain, which is used to make a fragrant and rosy perfume, as well as a medicinal tea. Highbridge is run by a "council" of merchants, though the acute would be quick to point out it's nothing more than a coalition of merchants that profit off the goods processed from Lady's Locks, with the coin to steer the town's fortune.

Highbridge is Rhovanion’s sole producer and manufacturer of glass.

Georgsholt

Georgsholt is a moderately sized settlement on the River Running, about twenty miles north of the confluence of the River Running and the River with No Name (north of Utterby). Roughly four hundred people live here in isolation - few venture forth and the only regular contact with the outside world is the traders who work up and down the river to Laketown. Although there is a small inn and trading post, the denizens are typically suspicious of strangers and pride themselves on self-reliance. Logging (of oak, pine, and willow) is the major export industry with trapping as a distant second. There is no mill, so the wood is shipped raw. Fishing and farming are also common trades, but the output is used locally. The local garb comprises leathers and furs, locally trapped and worked.

Traditionally, Georgsholt has been run by a council of elders, with one elder from each of the old family-clans. Foreigners are thus excluded from politics, and since the council regulates logging rights, they are also excluded from the most lucrative trade opportunities. Still, the protection offered by the strong wooden palisade and the local militia provides a safe haven enough that families live in Georgsholt that are unaffiliated with the old clans - the lesser clans, as they care are called. In special circumstances, a lesser clan may be absorbed into an old clan, but on the whole they are a downtrodden minority.

Historically, there have always been political rivalries between the old clans, but in recent years the political landscape has shifted dramatically after an influential elder died under suspicious circumstances. Out of the ensuing power imbalance, one faction arose on the council to dominate the decision making. A period of consolidation followed, and the new reality is that one wealthy clan rules the village with the council as its puppet. Refusal to follow the council mandates can mean forfeiture of logging rights and even seizure of property. The more headstrong clans chafe under these rules, and the atmosphere has become deadly tense. They have begun to align themselves with lesser clans who thirst for more say in their lives. Many believe that violence is inevitable at this point.

Under the circumstances, the unthinkable has happened. For their many reasons, people have begun to emigrate.

Georgsholt produces much by way of cattle which they herd in the grasslands east of their edge of woods and therefore deal in much milk, cheese and other dairy products produced by said cattle.

Barleyhill

Barleyhill is a small, agricultural settlement west of Laketown to which produces much by way of the countries barley, wheat and oat among other grains. The people of Barleyhill are quite familiar with farming, field-tending and socializing in the settlement’s single tavern which feeds many an unwed or widowed man after a day’s work.

Barleyhill is home to the Barley Mow, a locally famous brewhouse known for its brews and breads.

Grain, sheep and some wool composes much of Barleyhill's produce for the surrounding settlements.

Redwater

Note - Redwater characters are by RPP role only. Please check the active role list to see what is available.

The 'Redwater' is a small stretch of land south of the Iron Hills whereupon a small settlement lies. This settlement is the only area in Rhovanion where red, auburn or other reddish or orange-tinged hair would be found amongst those born in Rhovanion.  It is said the iron rich reddish-orange tinge to the water of the Carnen - the Red River, holds some effect on the people's there. The village is relatively small, known for its stoneworks and iron-works due to the nature of their close proximity to the Dwarves of the Iron Hills. Once, where gemwork and jewelry were the jewel of Dale, Redwater is picking up in the absence of their presence in the market and as such, craftsman from this area are sought for their superior hand in such works over much of the rest of Rhovanion.

Iron-works, iron ore and stones are the predominant export from Redwater alongside their iron-water tonics regailed for various medicinal purposes.

Government and Laws of Rhovanian

Rhovanion no longer has a Lord or a true nobility after the fall of Dale. Instead each town of Rhovanion Men organizes themselves in some fashion. Some are ruled by a Mayor-like figure who is usually denoted "the Master," others through a small grouping of councilors or elders. Beorning folk are known to call their leader their "Chieftain."

They are linked in common cause by the body known as the Artisan's Union which has a hand in and an eye on trade throughout Rhovanion through it's Representatives who report to the central offices in Laketown. Ruling through fine, fee, and when necessary - with the arm of mercenaries, they oversee all legal trade for coin throughout the realm. 

All people of Rhovanion hold a common understanding of the following:

-  While Men are obviously the primary focus of such laws, Men of Rhovanion also generally include in their understanding that Dwarves and Elves (and Halflings, on the rare time they travel so far from Bree) who live with or visit amongst and who trade with Men on friendly terms to be considered equal to Men in regards to such laws below. 

Murder 

The purposeful taking of another’s life through direct or indirect means of personal action or conspiracy with other parties.

Any discovered murder of a Citizen or non-Citizen, whether they are Man, Elf, Dwarf, or Halfling will result in the murderer’s hanging. Each settlement, village, town and city of Rhovanion has its own understanding of who has right to pass judgement and assignments punishment or atonement for such crimes. Generally, it will be a council member or Elder or Master, or a Captain of the Guard. Captains of the Citadel of Mirkwood can also serve as neutral judging parties should they be called to act as judge. 

*Note to Players: There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty, right to council, right to a fair trial or any trial at all. A judge is a single official power who is given the right to proclaim the murderer guilty or innocent and this decision is wholly based on their interpretation of evidence presented. Witnesses, evidence, or litigants are called for and considered at the social discretion of the judging official. 

The only possibility of reprieve if one is found guilty is for the judge to consider it a cause of manslaughter where the killing was not planned or intended, and to get a lesser sentence that doesn't end with a noose. 

Theft 

The unlawful taking of another’s property without permission, agreement, or compensation

- Theft pertains to taking that which does not belong to you without permission whether or not it is someone you know, a Citizen or not. Theft is punishable by time in the gaol, heavy fines, removal of a finger, ear, or banishment from whatever settlement/village/city one is in and deemed unlawful, meaning one cannot open or operate a business, or be employed by many businesses within said town.

The taking of "abandoned property" left in public places is only considered theft should the abused party make complaint, however, "rag-picking" is seen as a sad state of affairs that one cannot find meaningful employment. 

- Theft pertains to the stealing of anything off a corpse if said corpse is Man, Dwarf, Elf or Halfling. This too pertains to anything in their home, their shop, etc. Unless you are the legally documented inheritor or a Captain of the Citadel or local Guard claiming evidence of a crime, taking of anything of the deceased is deemed corpse looting and punishable by hanging, branding, or heavy fines as well as loss of social standing, deemed unlawful and unable to open a business or obtain a license of a time in which is dependent on the severity of the crime.

Taking items from dead Orcs is not legally considered "Theft," however there are many superstitious feelings about the act and the concern that Orcs breed disease and contagion. As such no lawful person will generally buy, sell, or deal with them if they are known to be Orcish goods. 

- Theft pertains to selling without a License, or selling beyond one’s License as it is deemed stealing money from the Artisan Union. Atonement generally requires heavy fines to the Artisan Union and potential social standing issues which can effect contracts and licensing of any kind.

Unsanctioned Battle and Assault

- If a battle is not against Orc and within a town's designated training yard or is not deemed to be a duel of honor or a duel of dispute with proper witnesses and agreements, it is considered and unsanctioned battle and a form of assault.  It is deemed unnecessary harm to another and to the public, and generally punishable by public flogging, heavy fines and at times can result in bruised social standing prevent some from acquiring licenses, promotions or positions in some businesses or clans.

- Duels are not the general behavior of Rhovanion Men who generally prefer more litigious methods to settle disputes, they are seen as old fashioned when embraced as Anwig - a duel of honor by the Men of the Mark, and as a freighting display of foreign bloodlist when displayed in the fast-paced nature of Dorwinion duel of dispute.

*Note to Players: Characters are subject to the laws of the country they are in, whether or not they are legally full citizens of said country and the local governments with act accordingly.

Sedition

Speaking against the lawful governments and representatives with the intent or outcome of causing public disturbance, unrest, or danger

Whom is included here, varies from town to town in Rhovanion though the Citadel and the Artisan's Union are considered authorities throughout the land. 

- Sedition against the local authorities is punishable by varying degrees which are dependent on the sedition involved. Branding, public whipping, finger-taking, ear-taking and tongue removal are not unknown punishments for rabble-rousers. The most common punishments are varying levels of fines or times in the public stocks. If a person publicly defames or slanders their local authorities they’ll no doubt be slapped first with a heavy fine and should it continue, physical punishments are likely to be involved to further beat it into their skulls to keep their opinions silent. Sedition and it's punishments are generally handled in a public local like a town's City Hall where tangible example can be made. 

In these proceedings it is very rare the slanderer can lay claim to any innocence if they have been publicly heard and they are generally forbidden from talking in their own defense. 

Adultery

- A married Citizen whom betrays his or her contracted union and commits adultery with another married Citizen is fined up to ten gold, publicly shamed, and often flogged by their spouse whom they have betrayed, or the spouse of the other party involved in said betrayal. Should neither parties wish to do said flogging, it is done by a Sergeant (or higher) of the Watch or Guard stationed in their village, settlement or at City Hall where others can gather to watch. Should a child be produced from the union and it is proven, the father of said baseborn child is responsible to pay the husband of the woman to whom he has bore a child out of their union two gold a month for the first thirteen years of the child’s life. Should the adultery-committing man refuse, or shirk the payment, he will be denied any contracts or permits until he has become law-abiding. It is not uncommon, and actually very common, that baseborn children not be desired by the husband of the adultery-committing woman and he can refuse the child’s welcome, legally, within their home and said child will either be raised by the child’s father or released to an orphanage. It is extremely uncommon that the wife of an adultery-committing man will raise his child born unto another woman.

- A married Citizen whom betrays his or her contracted unions and commits adultery with an unmarried Citizen is fined up to five gold, publicly shamed, and often flogged by their spouse whom they have betrayed or the spouse of the other party involved in said betrayal, depending on who is married in the situation and who is not. Should the married party’s spouse not wish to do said flogging, it is done by a Sergeant (or higher) of the Watch or Guard stationed in their village, settlement or at City Hall where others can gather to watch. Should a child be produced from the union and it is proven, if the father is the unmarried party he is responsible to pay one gold a month to the husband of the adultery-committing woman until the child reaches the age of thirteen, an age of apprenticeship, and like a married man if he refuses to pay or shirks his responsibilities he is deemed unlawful and denied any contracts or permits with any of the Council. If the father is the married party, he is not responsible to pay the mother any coin, and will be publicly flogged and shamed for his behavior. The unmarried woman carries her shame and her family does as well, if any are present, to provide for the baseborn child as they or she sees fit. It is very common that baseborn children are relinquished to orphanages for the raising of children are expensive and limit the work a single, unmarried mother can do while raising said child.

- A married Citizen whom betrays his or her contracted unions and commits adultery with a married or unmarried non-Citizen is fined up to five gold, publicly shamed, and often flogged by their spouse whom they have betrayed or a Sergeant of the Watch stationed in their village, settlement or at City Hall where others can gather to watch. Should a child be produced from the union and it is proven, if the father is the Citizen of the party he is responsible to pay no coin to the non-Citzen mother and can deny the child’s existence fully after his punishment has been served. If the mother is the Citizen party and she betrayed her spouse with a non-Citzen and a child is produced and proven by said union, her husband has fully legal right to decline the child from their household and said child would be relinquished to the wife’s family or an orphanage. The adultery-committing woman carries her shame and her family does as well, if any are present, to provide for the baseborn child as they or she sees fit. It is very common that baseborn children are relinquished to orphanages for the raising of children are expensive and a commonly considered a burden when baseborn.

- While not adultery, should a child be born to an unwed mother and to an unwed father, the mother is fully responsible, and solely so, to the rearing of the child and subject to much social problems. The father too, should he be publicly known, will suffer much shame and there will be encouragement from both sides that the pairing marry. Should the pairing refuse or the family’s refuse or one or the other parties be otherwise unaccepting of the other, the father is deemed legally able to deny the existence of the child completely. Should the mother be the one whom denies the child, the father and his family can raise it, though that is rather uncommon as keeping a baseborn child greatly diminishes the chance of getting a marriage contract (families tend to look down on such ‘baggage). Often, in such unions, baseborn children are abandoned to an orphanage.

*Note to Players: Being baseborn is not socially or politically acceptable. Baseborn individuals have no claim to family names, blood, said family’s blood-born contracts, etc. and often are declined office, high ranks, and even contracts for their low social standing. Admitting of being baseborn is considered rather like proclaiming yourself in public a thief, because you are born of a stolen moment from the breaking of a contract. Expect to be ridiculed, shrugged-off and at times ostracized for being baseborn.

*Note to Players: A marriage is not legal until a marriage contract has been filed with City Hall in Laketown. A marriage without said contract does not equate to being legal inheritor. If a legal marriage is documented and one spouse dies, if said spouse has documented through City Hall another individual as their inheritor such as offspring, sibling, or apprentice - that document trumps that of being a spouse in terms of inheritance. 

Common Quirks of Rhovanion

For those of Rhovanion there are a few common quirks, or descriptors, which very much set them apart from others:

 - Though Westron (also known as the Common tongue) is the daily language used in Rhovanion as many lands of Men, Dalish is the traditional cultural language. The language of poetry and song, it is used and understood by the large majority of Rhovanions to at least some degree. Words in Dalish (or even more ancient Old Dalish which closely shares roots with Rohirric, the language of Rohan) are used daily for traditional food dishes and drinks, and on the proper signage for the streets of Laketown.

- Those born of Rhovanion are commonly brown-haired and brown-eyed, of middling height and are fair-skinned. Red-hair is only known in those born near "Redwater" and thus very uncommon throughout Rhovanion. Green or hazel eyes are known to be hues of Dorwinion and therefor rather uncommon amongst Rhovanions, as it would imply mixed heritage. Blond hair or blue eyes are  hues present generally only to the Beorning folk. Grey eyes or black hair are impossible amongst the bloodlines of Rhovanion.

- Tattoos and piercings (save of the ears for women) are wholly out of fashion, deemed a Dorwinion habit and come with social taboos and suspicions. Rumor holds that the sole known exception to this rule is that high-ranking members of the Crows, the dreaded gang of the Underdocks of Laketown are known to have tattoos as an incentive it is said against being caught  - as their guilt and likely execution is then a given. 

- The traditional Rhovanion greeting of respect is placing a hand to one's heart with a flat right hand and an inclination of the head. Waving or simply nodding are less formal ways of greeting. For warriors and those bearing arms, a formal greeting is to place the right hand on the heart with a flat palm and to place the other about the hilt of one's weapon to show that one means no harm or violence to the other party. 

- As Rhovanion lacks any nobility and has no King, it is very uncommon for Rhovanions to have history or knowledge of dealings with Kings, as Kings are a thing of the West now. Due to this, there are two castes within Rhovanion: common and those of Old Blood, those lines from the old nobles of the court of the Lord of Dale. Yet everyone in Rhovanions now finds their place in life based on the credit to their name and the gold in their pocket - a pedigree is no assurance of success.

Some of those old noble families well acclimated themselves in Laketown after the fall of Dale and the destruction of Esgaroth and now find themselves well stationed and often sitting on the Master's Council. Others of the old blood who chafed against the mercantile nature of the new Rhovanion founded the stead-fast Sons of Girion and maintain the old Citadel fortress of Mirkwood, working to maintain the "old ways" that they feel embody virtue, honor, and sacrifice for the good of one's people. 

As such, Rhovanions recognize at least the concept of nobility and will utilize the titles "Lord" and "Lady" for those of noble rank (or whom they suspect have such) from Gondor or Rohan. 

"Master" serves as the general form of respect and address to elders or people of rank and importance who do not have a more formal title or military rank like - Councilor, Representative, Captain, etc and is generally followed by either their given (AKA first) or surname - IE - Master Ragnar or Master Gararic.  The Master who serves as the Mayor-like figure of a town is thus referred to as -the- Master of a given town as in "The Master of Laketown." Women of similar levels of respect (or the wives of Men one would address as "Master") are addressed as Mistress. 

- The common phrasing for greeting of a common man or woman is Miss (or Missus) or Mister. Sir is granted in Rhovanion by civilians solely to ranking Officers in the Sons of Girion (Citadel) or Lieutenant and above in a local Watch or Guard. Lower ranking soldiers of such organizations might refer to all superiors as "sir." To utilize "sir" outside of a person of military or law-enforcement importance  designates the speaker as a foreigner.

- Rhovanions have an aversion to cats, they are not kept as pets nor seen as cute and cuddly. Cats of Rhovanion are usually seen as unclean, disease infested pest-control and tolerated for the latter fact as rodents in granaries or cellars are dangerous to one's livelihood. There are rumors that the aversion is due to the Dorwinion preference to felines and the association of mischief and neerdowell nature of Dorwinions with said cats and vice versa. That said, Rhovanions are typically keepers of songbirds and rabbits as pets with the an occasional hunting dog, though the latter is rather uncommon due to the risk of a dog being confused as a wolf in the distance when one's herds or flock is in danger. 

Some isolated homesteads and farmsteads and their communities ban dogs all together believing that there is a little wolf in all dogs and instead for guarding their lands and herds at night, to make an alarm of present danger, they will use trained geese or a particularly feisty rooster.