The North Downs was an area of hills in Eriador, north of Bree. The city of Fornost was located in the Downs at the end of the North-South Road. The hills became the core of the Kingdom of Arthedain and were attacked by the Witch-king's forces in TA 1409.
In TA 1974, Angmar launched a final attack on Arthedain and captured Fornost. The King Arvedui, escaped to the North Downs and then fled north on fast horses. Following the Battle of Fornost the city fell into ruin although it is possible the Rangers of the North retained small settlements on the North Downs.
In the Fourth Age Fornost was rebuilt and the North Downs became once again a key part of the North-kingdom.
Appearances in adaptations[]
The North Downs in The Lord of the Rings Online
Map of North Downs from The Lord of the Rings Online
The Lord of the Rings Online[]
North Downs is expanded on in The Lord of the Rings Online, where the vast area north of Bree-land is available for exploration.
One important town was Trestlebridge, the southernmost settlement of the North Downs. It supervised passage over the Trestlespan, a bridge built over a deep canyon that connected Trestlebridge to the rest of the North Downs. This bridge became a strategic location for the defenders of the North Downs to hold. It also was the final obstacle in the way of the Ongburz orcs, during the Battle of the Trestlespan.
Many other settlements existed in the North Downs, beyond the Trestlespan. Many farms dotted the landscape, but after the arrival of the orcs from Angmar, only one farm, called Gatson's farm, stood defiantly against them.
Northwest from Gatson's farm was a small Dwarven mining settlement, Othrikar, inhabited by a Dwarf clan called the Longbeards who constantly had to defend their precious mines from attacks by another Dwarf clan, the Dourhands. The Dourhands were another corrupted people loyal to the Shadow of Angmar, along with the hillmen of the North Downs, and some Earth-kin tribes.
Southeast of Othrikar was the longstanding settlement of Esteldin, which was the home of the Rangers of Esteldin, a hardy folk always waging war on the Shadow of Angmar. They were the warriors who showed up just before the last defence of Trestlebridge, and helped drive the Ongburz orcs back from the Trestlespan for the final time. They also organized a council of the North Downs, gathering together the Free Peoples that inhabited that area. With those people assembled, efforts to stop the Shadow of Angmar increased greatly.
The southernmost town of the North Downs, closest to Bree-land, was Trestlebridge, an ancient settlement that supervised the Trestlespan. The Trestlespan was a great bridge that was built over a huge canyon that separated Trestlebridge from the rest of the North Downs. This bridge became a strategic location for the defenders of the North Downs to hold, in their efforts to prevent the encroachment of Orcs from the north into Bree-land. Trestlebridge was the final barrier the Ongburz orcs had to pass in order to invade Bree. In the end, they did not succeed in capturing Trestlebridge, and the defenders of the town did not have to destroy the Trestlespan to block the Orcs' passage. For just before the final assault came upon the town, fresh warriors arrived from the north, the Rangers of Esteldin, to drive the Ongburz tribe back for the final time.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Croatian | Sjeverni humci |
| Czech | Severní mohyly |
| Danish | Nordhøjene |
| Dutch | De Noordelijke heuvels |
| Estonian | Põhjamäed |
| Finnish | Pohjoinen ylänkö |
| French | Hauts du Nord |
| German | Nordhöhen |
| Hebrew | ה גבעות הצפוניות |
| Hungarian | Északi Dombság |
| Italian | Poggi Settentrionali |
| Norwegian | Nordhauger |
| Polish | Północne Wzgórza |
| Slovak | Severné kopce |
| Slovenian | Severne gomile |
| Spanish | Quebradas del Norte |
| Swedish | Norrhögarna |