#title:On the Fallen Kingdom of the Sunwoods, Volume III
#author:Ardegil, teithron Minas Tirith
#types:gondor,rivendell
#reward
#
#By Ithilion Eleruth (High King Ithilion)
#
Volume III: The Life and Ways of the Taurethrim

The tales of Númenór tell that the Old Taurethrim were a wise and mighty people, known for their great cities of stone built amidst the towering trees. In battle, they wore armour of gold and bronze with crests of flowers and feathers, and some wore masks shaped like the beasts of the wood, adorned with ivory. They wielded fierce iron blades and deadly darts. Their great pyramids were especially renowned, built in honour of the gods and kings and filled with the tombs of their lords. Some say great treasure was kept deep within them in hidden vaults. Some half-believed tales even speak of pyramids built of pure gold, lost in the deepwoods.

After the old kingdom fell, much of its skill and lore was lost, for those who came out of the plains to take the place of the old Taurethrim did not understand the great buildings and masterful stonework created by the forgotten craftsmen. However, they do in fact enjoy hearing tales of the old empire, and still believe themselves true heirs to the kingdom they have succeeded.
The Taurethrim of this age wear cruder armour of bronze, and wield weapons of wood and volcanic stone. Though accounted sharper than the weapons of the ancients, they are far less strong in craft. But the newcomers also brought with them a weapon that had not been seen before: the blowgun, filled with poison darts, is a fearsome device well-adapted for forest combat, and is used by the Taurethrim to great effect. They consider gold to be a sacred material, and all decorations of gold are treasured.

The old Taurethrim had many cults, legends of beasts and birds and apes, but the greatest of them all is said to be that of Uz-Belehu, the Creator, Spirit of the North, whom the last kings under the Shadow venerated. Also worthy of mention is Uza-Mûmathu, whom they revere as guardian of the forest. Her sacred animals, the Mûmakil, are held beloved by the Taurethrim, and they defend them with all their strength against poachers and beast-chainers out of Near and Far Harad. They have many other gods besides these. Some of their lesser cults may have a basis in reality; a few bear resemblance to some of the Valar. And in the north of their realm the people worship Uz-Hrazu, a god of the earth who is said to take the shape of a great lion.
Mighty shamans of the Taurethrim lead the people in worship of these mysterious gods. Their rituals are believed to include the wearing of magical amulets and the practice of human sacrifice, but the Númenóreans learned little of these strange rituals. Indeed, the Taurethrim were always said to keep the secrets of their religion dearly hidden, and were hostile to much of the lore of the West the early Númenóreans shared.

In the days of the old empire, the Taurethrim dwelt in houses of mahogany and brick, with their lords residing in stone structures lit by flame. They ate chiefly fruits and crops: corn and other plants unfamiliar; all the people had a part in the farming, though they would also hunt some of the smaller beasts of the forest. It is said that in their great cities, the Taurethrim farmed on floating mats by the shores of the emerald lakes, and the crops they grew there were used for foods unknown to us in the North. In fact, it is said their shamans brewed sacred drinks, which were used by many of the Taurethrim in their daily lives. They were loath to share such secrets with outsiders, as with the mysteries of their cults.

While the younger tribes could not match the ancients in skill and might, they still held in their hearts the memory of the old empire. Whether they yet survive is unknown, though the lore of the Black Númenóreans held that people remained dwelling in the forests during the time of the Ship-kings. We in the North know little of the Harad, and it could be that, beyond the burnt lands and cruel fortresses of the Southrons, the flame of the Taurethrim Kingdom still burns in the heart of the forest.