[TATW 2.1 AAR] Beregond's Quest - Tale of a Soldier of Gondor

[Boustrophedon]

Dear readers,

I've decided to start a new AAR about the life of a militia soldier in the Gondorian forces during the Third Age. I don't really have much knowledge of the lore apart from what I saw in the movies but I will do my best and research as best I can to keep things somewhat accurate.

In this post I will provide links to all the chapters. I hope you enjoy my work and as always any feedback or suggestions are very welcome. If I make significant errors regarding LOTR lore please let me know and I will do my best to correct it.

I'm using the following submods: Total Recruitment, Immortal Nazgul, Beacons of Gondor, Allied Aid, AUM, Diplomacy, Immortal Heroes, Extra Videos and Counter Invasions.

This is fiction in the very core so don't bash me over the head for inaccuracies. That being said...

Enjoy the show

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Lord Imrahil's Task

[Boustrophedon]

Gwirith, year 2981 of the Third Age


Lond Galen in Anfalas is not a bad place to live by any means, thought Beregond while he was gazing over the empty fields outside the vilage from his watchtower. I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else than here in my village with my friends and family. Even if that family still only includes myself and my dear wife Morwen, he thought with a touch of sadness. They had wanted children for a while now but it seemed the forces of this world did not agree.



One of the militiamen under his command climbed in the watchtower with him and tapped Beregond on the shoulder.

"Reporting for sentry duty, Beregond. Sorry I'm late, the wife wouldn't let me go unless my belt was properly fastened. As if fashion will be on my mind in case of an attack."

Beregond smiled, knowing that his friend Frumgar would have hated the discussion with his wife over so trivial a matter. Frumgar was a very dear friend and had made quite an entrance when he'd first arrived in the village. He was not a citizen of Gondor but was born and raised in a place called Edoras, supposedly the capital of mighty Rohan but Beregond knew little of such places since he never left his village.

"She's right, you know! Imagine not wearing your belt properly at all and when some Corsairs or rebels show up you will have to fight with your pants down. It would make a very bad impression, I think."

Frumgar flashed him a smile and installed himself in the watchtower, ready to take the first nightwatch while Beregond took one last look at the sunset before climbing down his tower and making his way to his house.

"DINNER'S READYYY!", he could hear Morwen shouting from their little house. She was a treasure beyond compare even if she drove him crazy sometimes. His house was very plain and without much luxury but that was just Beregond's taste, never having had much interest in fancy furniture.



He entered through the oak door and was right on time for dinner. Morwen was quite a talent in the kitchen and she'd prepared a tasty meal for her husband after a long day.

"They are up to something, I'm telling you. We haven't sighted anybody in nearly two months."

Morwen frowned as her husband brought this up yet again. The inactivity of the Corsairs was understandable because of the increased number of patrols of the fleet in Pelargir and Dol Amroth. The inactivity of the rebels in Andrast was far more suspiscious. Rebels had recently founded a city and named it Annulond. They had made frequent incursions into Anfalas province and threatened the city a few times as well.

Beregond's militia of 800 men had been created in a response to these threats. His men had all volunteered to serve under his command as he was the strongest and cleverest of the village. Though few in numbers they had succeeded so far in driving the rebels back to their own city, but Beregond could sense trouble was brewing in the west.

Enjoying a peaceful dinner with his wife, Beregond relaxed for the first time that day. It was not to be however. Frumgar stormed into his house with a look of confusion on his face.

"What is it, Frumgar?"

"A party of horsemen is approaching rapidly. Twelve of them. They are led by two Swan Knights and carry the banner of Dol Amroth."

Beregond found this hard to believe. Personal envoys of the Prince himself so far from their city? They must be on an important mission to have come so far.

"Prepare for their arrival and open the gate."

"I will see to it, my friend.", answered Frumgar as he gathered his confidence again and prepared to leave.

Beregond halted him in his tracks before Frumgar reached the door.

"Don't open the gate yet. Make them identify themselves first. It could be a trap."

"With only twelve men?", Frumgar wondered.

"Sometimes you only need a few good fighters in the right place on the right moment, Frumgar. Never forget that."

[General Brittanicus]

Great start mate, looking forward to more .

[Boustrophedon]

Lothron, year 2981 of the Third Age

Beregond had never left Lond Galen before, let alone ventured outside Anfalas. He felt ill at ease in this foreign land but he had a soldier's sense of duty and honor. When his master, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, ordered him to claim Annulond for Gondor then he would do so or die trying. He only regretted having to drag his friends into this. He had wanted to take only a small number of men but Frumgar convinced him of he stupidity in such a move.

Beregond, or Beren as some friends call him, had ordered the entire militia to be mobilized and ready for battle. They had never fought a conventional battle before, driving bandits and Corsairs away was hardly a battle, and it would be a test of strength and character for both Beregond and his men.

The Prince commanded. The soldiers obeyed.



Beregond knew little of his adverary but he had sent a spy in to report on the enemy strength. The rebels comprised over 400 archers and 400 sword- and spearmen. A tough opponent for a militia with no battle experience but Beregond was convinced they could achieve victory here.

After the Gondorians had arrived before the city gate, rebels immediately started pouring out. The archers in front, followed by the spearmen and swordsmen. They seem eager for battle, Beregond observed with fascination. He would not have come here out of his own will and he most certainly did not relish the upcoming battle.



Hastily Beregond ordered his men to form 300 paces from the rebels. His archers were few but they all had decent armour and years of training. The rebels were a motly crew, some wearing old armour, some wearing new armour and the archers wore no armour at all. A grave mistake, Beregond thought.

"Frumgar! You command the archers. You know what to do..."

With a swift nod he acknowledged the order and assembled the archers in the militia.



"Archers! Prepare to engage. Aim. Fire!"



His 150 archers released their arrows in a flurry of sounds. They had taken their time to aim and many shafts took down a rebel soldier, killing at least 60 men.

"Retreat 20 paces! Fire when ready!" Frumgar ordered.

The archers did as they were ordered and began firing at will into the dense mass of enemies, concentrated at the city gate. This process of retreating and firing went on for some time until they had fallen back close to the swordsmen militia under command of Beregond.



The sun was setting by now and Beregond knew that it was of the utmost importance to seize victory before dark if he wanted to deny the rebels a chance to reform and rest. Keep them under pressure at all times, but how?

The idea came surprisingly swift and he did not hesitate one moment.

"Infantry, advance!" he shouted.

The rebel infantry had advanced on the Gondorian bowmen faster than expected and they were eager for a confrontation. The Gondorian swordsmen were still 100 paces removed but the archers kept firing, under the supervision of Frumgar.

"Stand your ground, men! Increase fire rate! I don't care if you miss just keep pressure on them and slow those scum down."



When the rebel infantry was only 10 paces removed from the archers, out of nowhere the Gondorian militia under Beregond charged through the ranks of archers and clashed with the rebels. Both sides fought with ferocious determination with the Gondorian militia wanting to prove their worth in battle and the rebels fighting to defend their homes.

The enemy archers had come in range of the Gondorian soldiers and they unleashed volley after volley in the ranks of the Gondorian infantry. Beregond had hoped the rebels would engage all of their sword- and spearmen in a frontal assault and he had caught a stroke of luck. He signalled his 60 riders to flank the rebels and take out the archers in a full frontal charge.



The impact of the charge knocked many archers off their feet and as they struggled to rise again, blades slashed around them and killed a good number. Though they held daggers, the archers had no protection against the Gondorian cavalry and they perished in large numbers.

Soon the rebels started routing in large packs. The infantry had noticed the cessation of fire from their archers and the sight of their comrades perishing under Gondorian swords had sapped their will to fight. They retreated in a wild frenzy, desperate to enter the city where they would find relative safety.



Beregond had anticipated the rebel soldiers escaping through the bottleneck of the gate and he shouted frantically to his remaining cavalry to cut down anyone trying to escape. The rebels had nowhere to run and were cut down mercilessly.



The gate from whence they had marched so defiantly only hours before was now littered with bodies. Some of then Gondorian but most of these unfortunate souls were rebels. Beregond and his men entered the city unopposed and summoned everyone to the city square. When all the townsfolk had gathered he spoke.

"I hold no grudge against any of you. I came here to claim this city for Gondor and that is what I have done. You are free to leave or stay. While you remain in this city you are under my protection and no harm will be done to you."

No grand speeches of mercy or justice. Beregond did not see the point of killing the civilians and had made the decision together with Frumgar to spare the populace. When the villagers understood that they would keep their lives and possessions they were very grateful and offered their thanks to Beregond and his men.

The Gondorian militia had other worries however. The battle had been a decisive victory but there were still casualties on the side of Beregond and his militia.

"How many did we lose?" asked Frumgar.

"103 men dead and 31 wounded."

"A hefty price for gaining this city." Frumgar responded with a sigh.

"I'm sorry but your wife's brother and nephew were among the slain. They died a hero's death and will be honoured when we return home."

Frumgar was deeply saddened since he loved his inlaws very much. How he would explain their deaths was a mystery to him. Real battles cost real lives, he pondered. There is no hiding from that aweful fact. War is savage and brutal and it hardly ever makes sense, Frumgar concluded.

"What do we do now, Beren?"

"We do our jobs, my friend. Protecting the Gondorian people and cities..."

[Maiar93]

Good update, mate. Rep for you. Very sad to see Frumgar lost his wife and nephew. Hopefully it won't have an impact on his battle skills.

[Radzeer]

I swear I saw this coming!
Very good start and excellent pictures. I'll be following this closely.

[Boustrophedon]

Great start mate, looking forward to more .

Thanks for your support in all my endeavours

Good update, mate. Rep for you. Very sad to see Frumgar lost his wife and nephew. Hopefully it won't have an impact on his battle skills.

Thanks for the praise and rep, Maiar! Actually Frumgar lost his wife's brother and his wife's nephew. He'll be depressed nonetheless haha!

I swear I saw this coming!
Very good start and excellent pictures. I'll be following this closely.

A little bird told me that there were few TATW AARs so... Thanks for encouragement! Next chapter will probably be tomorrow.

[ByzantineCaesar]

Nice work! Keep it coming

[Maiar93]

You should try to hold important cities, e.g Cair Andros and W.Osgiliath. Cross the river with boats and send cavalry to the fields(large cavalry force) to harass the enemy. You can also siege E.Osgiliath and use that cavalry force to dispatch any enemy forces coming to relief it.

[Scottish King]

Good to see another TATW AAR!!! Ill be following this.

[Boustrophedon]

Nice work! Keep it coming

I will update this as much as I can

You should try to hold important cities, e.g Cair Andros and W.Osgiliath. Cross the river with boats and send cavalry to the fields(large cavalry force) to harass the enemy. You can also siege E.Osgiliath and use that cavalry force to dispatch any enemy forces coming to relief it.

For now the story is set in western Gondor but inevitably at some point the story will progress and focus on Minas Tirith and Mordor.

Good to see another TATW AAR!!! Ill be following this.

Thanks, Scottish King Next update should be soon (today or tomorrow)...

[Maltacus]

Excellent start, lovely pictures and good description of militia attached to their home ground. Also a nice change to have a good protagonist (at least initially).

"DINNER'S READYYY!", he could hear Morwen shouting from their little house. She was a treasure beyond compare even if she drove him crazy sometimes. His house was very plain and without much luxury but that was just Beregond's taste, never having had much interest in fancy furniture.

Nice and cosy, and with the picturesque prison cages just outside. Some have garden gnomes, some have...

Beregond, or Beren as some friends call him,

Is Morwen nicknamed Luthien Tinuviel by her friends then?

[Maiar93]

NO!!! MALTACUS NO!!!

Not tinuviel... something like "fat old witch" or something would be closer aye?

[Maltacus]

How do you mean, did I misspell the name or something? I thought Beren was the name of the fellow who meets Luthien in Silmarrillion (I think it is). Was I wrong?

They wouldn't be very good friends if they called her "fat old witch", would they?

[Maiar93]

Oh, wait. Just "Ol'good Mo'" would do it, aye?

And yeah, Beren did meet Luthien in the Silmarillion.

[Maltacus]

NO!!! MALTACUS NO!!!

What did you mean by this, then? Do you find it outrageous to make fun of the Silmarrillion characters or something?

[Maiar93]

What did you mean by this, then? Do you find it outrageous to make fun of the Silmarrillion characters or something?

Nah, i don't find it outrageous, they just don't tend to be funny at all.

[Pope Gregorius I]

good start my friend.

[Boustrophedon]

Excellent start, lovely pictures and good description of militia attached to their home ground. Also a nice change to have a good protagonist (at least initially).

Yes I will try my hand at the good protagonist who has to go through the horrors of war without losing his humanity.

Nice and cosy, and with the picturesque prison cages just outside. Some have garden gnomes, some have...

I hadn't even noticed those cages This shot was taken in the rebel city I attacked so that might explain it. You have an eye for detail, Maltacus!

Is Morwen nicknamed Luthien Tinuviel by her friends then?

Perhaps I'm trying to read up on the lore as much as I can and these names popped into my head lol. Beregond was chosen because it's the name of the captain of the tower guards of Minas Tirith (I think...) and Morwen means "dark maiden" which sounded like an interesting name.

NO!!! MALTACUS NO!!!

Not tinuviel... something like "fat old witch" or something would be closer aye?

Oi oi! That's Beren's wife you're talking about here

good start my friend.

Thanks man glad to have you along for the ride!

NEXT UPDATE WILL BE SOON BUT I'M IN EXAMS NOW BUT I WILL TRY TO DO ONE IN THE WEEKEND.

[SavageFeat]

Very good AAR I am enjoying it very much + rep