April, 2942, The Third age

The great dragon, Smaug, has Taken Erebor, also known as the kingdom under the mountain. However, Thorin Oakenshield and his company have reclaimed their place of birth and Erebor is now a thriving nation ruled by Thorin’s grandson, Thrainen Oakenshield.  Thus the kingdom under the mountain is restored, and the race of dwarves is again on the upswing.  The great mines of Erebor ring out once again as they prepare for the wars to come.

August, 3010, The Third Age

Great forces of evil are assembling in Mordor, the likes of which have been seen just once in Middle Earth --  when the demon god Morgoth nearly defeated all good in Middle Earth.  Morgoth was repelled only because of Middle Earth’s ability to unite against him.  Sauron, the orchestrator of all of this strife, can only be defeated if the one ring of power is destroyed at Mount Doom, and the forces of good all unite against him.

October, 3018, The Third Age

Frodo has destroyed The Ring. The tower of the eye collapsed, and Sauron’s evil has left middle earth. Skeptics fear a greater evil is brewing that is known by another name, but by all indication middle earth is safe for now.  The Orcs do not have a leader, which means that they do not (for the time being) pose a threat. The white wizard Saruman was killed a little earlier, and the great evil forces that once stood strong have descended into chaos.  The forces of good once more rule Middle earth… but for how long?

November, 3018, The Third Age

Under the command of Gimli, son of Gloin, the Dwarves of Durin's line took back the Mines of Moria from the Balrog, who had taken it from them years ago.  This is now a thriving home for the Dwarves led by Gimli, and it is just like it once was, at Khazad-Dum.  Around the same time Harad is reclaimed as a nation of Men, and they work closely with Rohan.

 February, 1, The Fourth Age

A coalition of middle earth meets to solve the issues that have arisen after the war.  The people of Middle Earth have high hopes for this coalition, and its ability to resolve rumors and speculation of a great growing evil.

Today

This committee Starts in February of the year 1 in the fourth age.  Each nation is in about the exact same circumstances which they left off on in the book, unless otherwise indicated (like in the note at the end of this, or like the nations of Harad and Moria.) 

Issue 1: The Glittering Caves

The first dispute is between Dwarves and Men.  In the Glittering Caves, at Hornburg, both the men of Esgaroth and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills seek to set up a mining colony for increased profit.  The council must make a decision on which of the two nations it goes to and whether or not a compromise can be made.  The Dwarves lay claim to it on account that it was, according to ancient legend, once theirs.  The men of Esgaroth claim that there is no evidence behind this and that they should have the mine because they are a young nation that needs a little revenue, as well as its  Do your best to settle this dispute.  If it is not settled it could mean war between the two peoples.

Issue 2: Famine

Of late, harvests in Middle Earth have proved much less productive.  While it is not currently a crisis, farmers fear the worst, and changes must be made to ensure the people of Middle Earth can be fed.  Currently, much of the food production is in the realms of hobbits, and the smaller kingdoms of men.  Some have suggested allocating Saruman’s former domain to farming, but this presents a host of other issues, such as the next one

Issue 3: The Ents

The third Issue at hand is of the Ents.  Saruman's army destroyed much of the forest that belonged to the Ents, The forest of Eriador and of Fangorn.  When Saruman did this it caused the entry of the Ents into the war.  The Ents are demanding a place for them to replant trees and expand the forest back to the greatness that it once was in the second and first age.  The committee must decide how this should be approached, on whether The Ents should get this land at all, and, if so, what land they should get, and how much land they should get.  

Issue 4: Gathering evil

The fourth issue is a more vague one.  There are many reports of Orc sightings, and a growing evil east of Mordor. If rumors are to be believed, even large companies of Men are banding together to serve the forces of evil, because of insidious deception.  These bands of men continue to carry out small attacks on outlying guard posts, steal rations from soldiers, and kill both soldiers and innocent civilians in the dead of night.  Address this issue before it becomes out of hand and a real threat, not just to Rohan and Gondor, but all of Middle Earth.

Poppo Sacksville, Lord of Miniraith

Minirtaith, a once tumultuous and dangerous place to live, has now become more peaceful, and the Hobbits of the land are loyal to their lord Poppo Sacksville.  Economic progress has been ushered in as a result of Poppo’s inheritance of the throne of Miniraith.  While the army of Miniraith is no great force to be reckoned with, the Hobbits can hold their own when fighting for their Lord.

Frodo Baggins, Lord of the Shire

After destroying the one ring of power, Frodo was elected lord of the Shire, and has maintained the values of the Hobbits. Ushering in economic progress, his citizens are some of the happiest in Middle Earth.

Merry Brandybuck, Lord of Buckland

Merry Brandybuck, after spending some years in The Shire with Frodo, came to Buckland after being asked to rule the small territory.  After all of his military experience and training, he was able to summon the greatest army of Hobbits ever seen in Middle Earth to defend him and his allies.

Peregrin Took, Lord of Breeland

Peregrin Took’s arrival in Breeland was greeted with overwhelming joy after years of inconsistent rule.  However, although he had early economic success in Breeland, making it an economic capital of the west, the later years of his rule have proven trying.  Less productive harvests have made Peregrin less successful, although he is still very popular.

Samwise Gamgee, Lord of Tower Hills

Having completed his journey with Frodo, Samwise Gamgee garnered a reputation as one of the greatest political minds in Middle Earth.  Samwise established new trade routes, and works with his closest allies, such as Frodo, Merry, Peregrin and Lord Elrond.  While the army of Tower Hills is somewhat lacking, they make up for it in shrewd economic and political moves.

Aragorn, King of Gondor

One of, if not the most important person in Middle Earth.  Gondor, once a fragmented country of many different peoples, has now united under one banner, and one king.  Gondor has by far the largest military in all of middle earth, and while poverty and hunger is still an issue in a country so large, Aragorn remains loved among his people.

Éowyn, Queen of Rohan

After seeing that the race of humans was not destroyed, Theoden, King of Rohan, died in battle, and his niece Eowyn took the crown.  She is among the most popular leaders in middle earth, and maintains the enormous cavalry units of Rohan, known as the Riders of Rohan.

Bard the Bowman, King of Esgaroth

Bard has now ruled for nearly 100 years.  Despite being a quite poor country, Esgaroth has seen moderate success under Bard’s rule, and has an, albeit small, army.  Esgaroth has, however, struggled to reach economic success of any sort.

Barathron Hornspire, King of Near Harad

Once the Haradim, a group of sellswords who fought for Sauron, were defeated, Barathron Hornspire led a band of soldiers to near Harad and established a new kingdom of men.  The power of Near Harad lies primarily in their navy, both economically and militarily

Eriador Greyblade, Queen of Enedwaith

Enedwaith, a country of largely farmers and peasants, has been quiet and peaceful for many centuries, but with threats of famine, many people are unsettled and fear their crops will fail and they will go hungry.  Eriador must address these concerns and show a path forward

Lord Elrond, Ruler of Rivendell

Lord Elrond has now successfully ruled Rivendell for hundreds of years, and shows no signs of stopping.  He maintains the elite fighters of Rivendell, and since Rivendell has few problems with poverty and hunger,  Lord Elrond must 

Decide whether to assist the outside world, or keep to Rivendell and see out these days of prosperity as an isolated nation.

Arathorn Emnys, Ruler of Mirkwood

Elves have now acquired the whole of Mirkwood and cast out many of the dark things that once lurked there.  Mirkwood has much unharnessed potential for food and resources, but the harvesting of these resources must be done carefully, so as not to disturb the Ents who still live there.

Elyon Helequin, Ruler of Lòrien

In the west of Middle Earth, Lòrien has remained a peaceful and yet powerful nation of elves.  They trade mainly with their Hobbit neighbors.  Elyon inherited the throne some years ago, but has become less popular recently because of failing crops and less trade.

-Nardual Liatris, Ruler of Lindon

Nardual Liatris, one of the more warlike Elves, is popular for her policies on 

military regulation, although her economic policy leaves something to be desired, as Lòrien has been largely left out in the cold in terms of trade, as their eastern neighbors see economic success, Lòrien largely keeps to itself

-Eriana Waevson, Ruler of Hithlum

Hithlum, one of the most lively Elf settlements in Middle Earth is known for its large trade connections and all of the movement that passes through the town.  Hithlum’s army is weak as elf armys go, but their network of allies is far reaching because of trade, so should times of war come to middle earth, Hithlum will have allies to look to.

-Thrainen Oakenshield, King under the Mountain

Despite the popularity among dwarves of the name Oakenshield, Thrainen has struggled to maintain his people’s trust.  Relations with Esgaroth are worse than ever, due to Thrainen’s order to occupy slightly more terrain closer to Esgaroth.  Trade has also been less productive, and innovative measures will be necessary to bring the mines of Erebor back to their former glory.

-Jalmoli Fieryborn, Iron Hills

Jalmoli Fieryborn is notorious for his cutthroat policies.  The Iron Hills are more 

productive than ever under his leadership, but there are rumors that many citizens are unsatisfied with his ruthless rule.  Jalmoli will have to address the concerns and reconsider his hardline policies.

Moria, Gimli, son of Gloin

Gimli has seen incredible success under his rule, and what was once an empty 

dwarf tomb, overrun with evil creatures like goblins and orcs, has become the most productive mine in the world.  Most of the mountain range of Moria is occupied by these successful dwarves.

Ered Lithui, Blardrour Flaskgranite

Blardrour was one of the first people to venture into Mordor to establish a kingdom of dwarves.  He was very successful, and discovered copious amounts of new resources.  He is yet to found a true powerful military, but Ered Lithui has a strong standing militia

Aglarond, Heggukara Warfinger

Aglarond is the most northern nation, and therefore is able to produce little in the 

way of agriculture, however, what they lack in crop production they make up for with resources and ore.  Their army, while adequate in any conditions, fare better in mountains or cold conditions

Gandalf the White, Leader of the White Council

Lastly, the White Council.  Just as Gandalf has summoned the forces of good so 

many times before, Middle Earth will look to him again to summon the final forces of good, should the situation become so dire.  There are five members on the White Council, including Gandalf, and they will venture around the world using magic to defend allies.  Every nation in middle Earth is pledged to give a certain percentage of their government over to the white council when it is deemed necessary.