Races/Cultures of Middle-Earth

The following are the outlines of the playable races of Shadows of Isildur: Laketown:

• Dorwinion - You hale from the low-born caste of Dorwinion as a nomadic Gypsy. Either you make your livelihood as a seasonal laborer, a fortune-teller, a traveling minstrel, a pick-pocket, a wayward cook, or a mercenary and have the itch to travel, see new things, and fit in somewhere but like the rest of your kind – fitting in is hard and making roots is nearly impossible. Whether by fortune or misfortune, you find yourself in Utterby.

• Men of Rhovanion - You hale from the common-born of Rhovanion, famous for the spread of Mirkwood and home to many small villages and farmsteads. Whether from Utterby proper, the towns along the River Running, or the bustling docks of Laketown, you find yourself making your way under the darkness of the Mirkwood’s canopy.

• Men of Dale - Dale once was a great city-state and truly the only of its kind in Rhovanion, it housed its great Kings and history and all of that was lost with the Lonely Mountain to the dragon Smaug. What remains of the Men of Dale are a few families still yet living in Laketown where the rest have been lost to the passage of time or long left the wilds of Rhovanion for horizons elsewhere.

• Men of Rohan - You hale from the Seas of Grass of Rohan, either from the Westfold, Eastfold or the Wold. You were born and raised a commoner and like those around you, you’re fair in hair and skin and have blue eyes. You either grew up in one of the settlements, in Edoras, or on a leased farm or homestead owned by one of the noble families.

• Men of Gondor - Gondor lies southwest of Rhovanion, southeast of Eriador, south of Rohan, north of the Sea and directly west of Mordor. It’s nobility is well-known to be of Numenorian descent. Its most notable cities are Dol Amroth and Pelargir, though some would argue Minas Tirith, where the Steward himself sits, is of great import as well.

• Dwarves - Created by the Valar Aulë the Smith whom the Dwarrows revere as Mahal, their creator. Dwarves (called Dwarrows in Dalish, the ancient tongue of Men of Rhovanion) are the only sentient race blessed by Eru, by not created directly by his hand. As such, they were granted different gifts than Men or Elves and excel at the things The Smith taught them - the deep workings of Arda - the working of stone, metal, and gem.