Lossarnach

Lossarnach, also called Arnach in ancient lore, was a fertile and populous region of Gondor, lying in the southern vales beneath the eastern shadow of the White Mountains. It was renowned for its rich soil and abundant blossoms, a land of orchards and flowering meadows that stood in contrast to the grim northern marches of the realm. The folk of Lossarnach were counted among the sturdy peoples of Gondor, though their blood was mingled with that of the forgotten men who had dwelt in the shadow of the hills during the Dark Years before the coming of the Kings. They were shorter and swarthier than the tall, grey-eyed Dúnedain of the pure Númenórean line, yet they were hardy and valiant in war.

Role in the War of the Ring

When the beacons of Gondor were lit and the summons to arms went out, Lossarnach answered the call. Its lord, Forlong the Fat, an old but formidable warrior with a wide girth and a long heavy spear, rode to Minas Tirith at the head of two hundred men. They marched proudly, bearing great battle-axes, and were greeted with cheers as they passed through the Great Gate. Yet the sight of so few—only two hundred, when ten times that number had been hoped for—dismayed the onlookers, who muttered that the black fleet in the South had forced Lossarnach to spare only a tithe of its strength. Forlong himself fell in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, fighting alone and unhorsed, hewn down by axes after a valiant last stand. His death was mourned in the songs of Gondor, and he was remembered as a true heart and a true friend.

Geography and Character

Lossarnach lay south of Minas Tirith, beyond the Pelennor and the Rammas Echor, in a region of rolling hills and sheltered valleys. Its proximity to the sea-coasts of Belfalas gave it a milder climate than the northern lands, and its fields were known for their flowers, which bloomed in profusion. The road from the City to Lossarnach was a well-travelled way, and during the siege of Minas Tirith it was along this road that the last wains of refugees—the aged, the children, and the women—were sent away to safety. The people of Lossarnach were described as a folk of mixed heritage, with some of the old blood of the Dúnedain still running in their veins, but also a strong strain from the lesser men who had lived in the region since before the founding of Gondor. They were practical and hard-working, given more to tilling the soil and tending orchards than to the arts of war, yet they proved their courage when the Shadow fell upon their land.

Legacy

Though Forlong and his two hundred were but a small part of the great host that gathered to defend Gondor, their sacrifice was not forgotten. In the songs composed after the war, Lossarnach was remembered as a land of flowering vales that sent its lord to die in a far country. The name of Forlong the Fat was recorded in the Roll of the Battle of the Pelennor, and his loss was counted among the grievous blows that the realm suffered in its hour of need. The region itself survived the war, and in the days of King Elessar it was restored to peace and prosperity, its gardens once again blooming under the protection of the Reunited Kingdom.