Last Watchers of the South Downs

History

The Last Watchers of the South Downs

“We held the line. Not against orcs… but against kin who had forgotten who they were.”
—Captain Herion, Spirit of Arnor

Barad Celen was a small stone outpost in the South Downs, erected during the last century of Arnor’s unity to guard an old crossroads and a sealed Dwarven cache—the Stoneward Hearth—placed there during the High King's time as a symbol of trust between Men and Dwarves.

Herion, a veteran captain and son of a respected Ranger, was appointed warden of Barad Celen. Though not highborn, he was a man of strong convictions and quiet authority. His garrison was small but loyal—many were veterans, scouts, and idealists who still believed in the unity of the Dúnedain.

After the death of King Eärendur in T.A. 861, the realm split between his sons—Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur. Herion’s outpost, once a symbol of shared protection, now stood on a disputed border between Arthedain and the breakaway realm of Cardolan.

For a time, Barad Celen continued to fly the banner of unity. Herion refused to choose sides, believing the division a temporary madness, and continued to send messages to all three kingdoms calling for reason.

But that message was not welcomed.

One spring, a company of soldiers bearing the crest of Tharbad—a new stronghold of Cardolan—arrived under the pretense of parley. They demanded that Barad Celen surrender and swear loyalty to Cardolan. Herion refused.

That night, they attacked under the cover of darkness.

The garrison was small. The defenders were overwhelmed. Herion was mortally wounded, and the scouts Corion and Elien were cut down while attempting to flee north with a warning. The survivors died one by one. There were no enemy banners raised, no burial pyres lit, and no messengers returned.

Barad Celen was erased from the records of Cardolan—its silence mistaken as surrender, its men forgotten as traitors.

No king called them home. No cairn was raised. Their oaths—to unity, to watchfulness, and to honor—remained unfulfilled.

Now, only their spirits remain—echoes of loyalty that cannot fade until their watch is ended.

The Rune-Key, once a ceremonial gift exchanged in peace between Elves, Dwarves, and Men, has returned to the ruin. Its presence rekindles the oath and stirs the spirits from their long slumber.

They wait not for vengeance, but for remembrance.

They wait for release.

In-Game Usage

Encountered during Whispers in the Stone