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Aegân
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Location of Aegân (MERP)
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Type
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Region (of Middle-earth)
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People(s)
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Language(s)
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Situated between the Orocarni (Q. "Red Mountains") and the Rómeneär (Q. "Eastern Sea"), Aegân (Ae. "Land of Spears") was a large, heavily-forested coastal region renowned for its myriad tree species. Its two grand temperate forests provided home to hundreds of different maples, oaks, chestnuts, cherries, hickories, elms, pines, and spruces. Besides yielding countless medicinal resources, lumber and pitch for boats, and various oils and syrups, the rich woodlands sheltered numerous beasts. Large cats and apes dominated the local chain of life.
The Aegaw resided throughout Aegân. A Wômarin-speaking people, they constituted the southern branch of the same Hildo family that produced the Wômaw. The four Aegaw tribes – the Ûonûrk (central), Ôrnûrk (west), Dawûrk (east), and Arxûrk (south) – shared a largely common culture with their brethren across the Bay of Swirling Waters. Only geography sundered their union. A watery gulf and rugged mountains helped restrict free movement and, because Aegân's two rivers (the Ôrosîr and Dawahîr) ran southward, the Aegaw focused much of their commercial attention toward the south.
Like the Wômaw, the Aegaw enjoyed a strong, somewhat rigid political tradition. The four tribes each elected their leader, a "Hion", in an annual midwinter's moot. Blood played a major part in these elections, and it was not unusual for one family to oversee a tribe for a number of centuries. Every four years, the election was especially important, for afterwards the four Hioni joined to select another individual as Hionvôl. The Hionvôl served as the Over-chief of all the Aegaw. He resided at Ûon Aegân, where he maintained the Four Shrines, conducted foreign policy, and waged war.
Aegaw symbolism was rich and varied. Nature and family provided many of the themes. All four Aegaw tribes carried similar banners, each a two-color design with a stylized tree emblazoned on a contrasting field. The Ôrnôrk's flag involved a dark red pine on a pale lavender background, symbolizing their affiliation with the Ôrosîr Valley. A green maple on a white field served as the symbol of the less numerous but powerful Ûonûrk. The plentiful Dawûrk carried a banner that nearly mirrored this design, for it displayed a silver oak on a green field. A yellow cherry on a black field denotes the Arxûrk. When joined, the Aegaw carried a large flag incorporating all four of the tribal fields (lavender, white, green, and black) and adorned with a black chestnut tree – the symbol of tribal unity.
Regions[]
Banakan Bear's Wood Blue forest of bears Bulchyamîs Desolation Heights Dolphin's Bay Domain Ankalzôr Eligmar Estianil Mouth Garden of Streams Gentle Plain Golden Crescent Gulf of the Firstborn Hills of the Past Ilviona's Mouth Land of treacherous Waters League of the 11 Merchant Cities Orocarni foothills Red Forest Screaming Wood Stairs of the Sun Straits of the Dragons Thaur Galan Windy Hills Peninsula
Roads[]
Great Road Trade Road Way of the Plains
Places of note[]
Akhuzdak Alingena Arch of the last sovereign Ayîg Chig City of the North City of Pines Dwarves Pass Eagle's Pass Five Spring Pass Jonia Olvia Smial of the Hidden Vision Thunderpass Treason Pass Ûon Aegân
Inhabitants[]
Dwarves:
Halflings:
Hildor (Men):
- Adunali
- Aegaw
- Arxûrk
- Dawûrk
- Ôrnûrk
- Ûonûrk
- Poplan din Karn (Eastern Lake-peoples)
- Lôkaw (later Lôkhans)
- Woodmen of the Far east
Quendi (Elves):
Characters of note[]
Darilien Taoks’Lei
Notes[]
- Original form in MERP: Aegan → Aegân
References[]
- MERP: The Wild Lands South and East, Gazetteer by Pete Fenlon
- MERP Fan Modules: Aegan, Karn Ord and Helcar Sael - The League of Merchant Cities