Hisildi

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Hisildi, the Avari of the Tauráva
Near Cuiviénen, the water of the awakening, an ancient tribe of Avari still inhabit the realm that witnessed the coming of the first elves on Middle-Earth. These Avari elves call themselves the Hisildi.

The heartland of their realm is the part of the Tauráva (Wild Woods of Rhûn) that stretches to the south-west of the Oroncarnë, the Red Mountains. The ancient the water of the awakening, Cuiviénen, flows through the heart of that immense forest. The exact location of the Cuivië is not known to any outsiders, but it's confirmed to be somewhere upstream of the point where two rivers that come down from the Oroncarnë, meet to form a mighty river, the Laicanuinë, that flows south-west to the Inner Sea, west of Hildórien.

It is there, where Tauráva and rivers meet the Oroncarnë, that the Hisildi have their main political center Soronmar. To the few Sindarin travellers that have ever set eyes upon it, this is also known as Thoronbar.



Soronyondë
The Hisildi call the part of the Tauráva bordered by the two rivers and the Oroncarnë, Yón Cuiviénen. The region directly surrounding Soronmar is often referred to as Soronyondë. It is bordered by the Oroncarnë to the east, the northern branch of the Laicanuinë, the Formenuinë, to the north-west and a smaller river to the south, which some refer to as Ehtel Cuiviénen. To the east of that area, at the foot of the peak they call Sorontorme, they erected a citadel (Osto) that symbolizes the political power of the Hisildi. Alongside this citadel, they established a garrisson fortress (Arta). That fortress guards the pass leading east through the Oroncarnë. Together, these twin buildings are called Ost Soronmar.

The lands of Yón Cuiviénen, and especially the Soronyondë, have a very rich biodiversity, combining the riches of the Tauráva and of the foothills and slopes of the Oroncarnë. Animal life is abundant and the variety of trees is exceptional. Unlike elsewhere in the Tauráva, red mirk oaks, dark oaks and apple, pear and cherry trees are all indigenous species in Soronyondë. The Hisildi consider their lands blessed by Yavanna and both Yavanna and Oromë are the main patron gods to the Hisildi.



Cópacarnë
For most travellers who ever visit Soronyondë, the river harbour 'Cópacarnë' is the first place they make landfall.

''Note that Cópacarnë is a faction spawn area, build by AlteOgre using creative mode. It is faction Woodland Realm banner protected.''

More information on the builds in Cópacarnë is provided in this extensive blog post at the LOTRmod wiki: Cópacarnë en Soronyondë.

Ost Soronmar
The mighty twins of Ost Soronmar control the entire Soronyondë area and the passes into the Oroncarnë to the east.

''Note that Ost Soronmar is build in survival mode by AlteOgre. It is personal banner protected.''

Hisildi and Avari origins and history
The name 'Hisildi' was the original gnomish (Eldarin) name for the 'Twilight People' or 'Dark Elves'. It was used for the Avari tribe that resided near the Waters of Awakening, Cuiviénen. They call themselves 'Kindi ' in their own language. Their people were of Tatyar and Nelyar origin and through the ages, they spread across large parts of Middle-Earth.

Their kin can be found in the west, where the Penni Avari clan connected with an eastern wood-elven tribe called the 'Uialrim' of Dorwinion, and settled in the woods of the Taur Rómen at the shores of the Rhûnaur. They also spread to the south lands of Harad, where the Kinn-Lai Avari settled in the deep jungles of the Taur Hyarmenhurin and established close relations with the Tauredain of the Far Harad Jungle. Smaller Kindi Avari tribes inhabit small patches of dense forests in the north of Rhûn, the Palissor and the shores of Hildórien.

Other Avari tribes travelled farther west and south-west. The Windan Avari are said to have settled along the shores of the Belegaer and intermingled with Laiquendi. In the relative open realms of Near Harad, the Hwenti Avari are said to have settled, although none of the other Avari have been able to confirm their fate. The Cuind are rumoured to have travelled as far as the south-western Far Harad Bushlands and connected with the Cerinrim that dwell there.

The Kindi of Cuiviénen and the Tauráva
The Kindi clan that stayed around Cuiviénen throughout the ages until today, still call themselves the Hisildi, to mark their origins and as a token of their claim on the heritage of their ancestors, as the original Avari who did not follow the Valar on the journey to Aman.

The Tauráva is an immense, and in may places, dense forest. Therefore, Hisildi existence has been relatively quiet and unnoticed to many outsiders, especially for most human inhabitants of the Palissor and Hildórien. The Hisildi befriended the dwarves of the Oroncarnë, notably the Stonefoot clan, who recognized the mutual interest in exchanging products through trade. In this way products of the mines and smithing from the dwarves and products from the woods and pastures of the elves exchanged for many centuries, including the knowledge that went with them. During the ages the Hisildi got more isolated. They initially had regular contacts and trade with several tribes of men and other Kindi Avari in Rhûn, but as violent clashes between men signaled that times grew darker, they increasingly shunned contact with men. Thus, they avoided possibly violent encounters with the men of the planes surrounding the Tauráva, and only maintained contacts with the Stonefoot dwarves and other Avari tribes.

At the end of the third age, news about the situation in the west of Middle-Earth only reaches them sparsely, through their contacts with the Penni at the other end of the vast Palissor plains. News from Far Harad comes in very infrequently, through the dangerous trade routes they maintain along the Laicanuinë and the Inner Sea, towards the Kinn-Lai inhabited jungles of the east of Far Harad. At the end of the third age, the Hisildi are fully aware of their fate as Moriquendi and accept an unavoidable dwindling of their presence and gradual transformation to another life. As they cherish their precious lives, they have become ever more reluctant to seek contact with other peoples of Middle-Earth ... except for a few adventurous individuals like Sorhen Ornendil, the Arantur of Soronmar, and a few of his trustees.

Hisildi faction @ Dawn of the Ring
Upon entrance of the server, players can choose to join the Hisildi Avari in the faction selection room. Players who wish to join the Hisildi must realize that their home lands are situated far away from any available waypoint of the mod. It will in fact, take hours to unlock the nearest waypoint, either East Peak in the Iron Hills, Celduin Port or the Golden Ford in Dorwinion or Vale of the Fell Beasts or Eastern Guards in Mordor.

The Hisildi faction consists of characters that prefer peaceful survival building roleplay with focus on pve rather than pvp. Current members are:
 * IGN: AlteOgre - Character: Sorhen Ornendil, Steward (Arandur) and Build Master (Cartur) of Soronmar.
 * IGN: Romz76 - Character: 'Romz', Chief of material supplies and general cheerfulness.
 * IGN: Heartgold1234 - Character: 'Italli', Fleet Commander (Ciryaheri)

To ensure the Hisildi avoid unnecessary risks of any large scale conflict, it is advised to avoid hostilities with other players, especially those opposing the Quendi. This is both motivated from a practical and a lore point-of-view. Natural allies are all elven factions and the dwarves of the Oroncarnë and their allies. In general, the Hisildi are very reluctant to contact men and tend to avoid them.

As the Hisildi do not have a dedicated faction in the mod, we assume any alignment and other faction specific features are the same as for the Wood-Elves of the Woodland realm.

Players can get alignment and hire NPC units from the Wood-Elves stationed at Cópacarnë. There are three captains, five smiths and a few dozen citizens and armed forces stationed in the various buildings around the faction spawn. Horses and donkeys can be found throughout the Tauráva and the surrounding plains of Rhûn.

As mentioned above, Soronyondë is home to Red Mirk Oaks. These typically grow higher up the slopes of hills in the Tauráva. These trees provide a few resources needed for faction specific gear, like torches, protection banners and crafting tables. Note that the Hisildi cherish these rare trees and believe Yavanna herself is watching the Hisildi through them. The same holds for the rare Dark Oaks that can be found in the lower valleys of Soronyondë. Dark oak is valued for its use for seats and durable roof coverage.

Hisildi Avari Realm
The Hisildi Avari realm is bounded by the area where Hisildo actually dwell. This encompasses the entire Tauráva and the southern stretches of the Oroncarnë. In practise the Hisildi never made too much fuss about others entering the outer parts of that realm, as they simply don't have many significant population centers in those areas. 95% of the population lives in the Tauráva heartland, at a distance of at least 20 leagues from the plains bordering the woods. Most of the remaining 5% inhabit the shores of the Laicanuinë and the foothills of the Oroncarnë. These are the part of Hisildi that has most contact with outsiders: human tribes from the Palisor and Stonefoot dwarves from in the Oroncarnë.

An overview of the realms of the three main Avari tribes is given in the map below.