Whytemouth
Whytemouth (For. “Väinänsuu“, S. “Ethir Fain“) is a large trading town in the southern part of the Forochel Bay, called Whytemarch. Located at a natural harbor not far upriver from the mourth of the Whyte River, it was originally settled during the Second Age by the tribe of Ulband (or Ulbandi), who traced their lineage to semi-legendary Folk of Ulfang in Beleriand. As the southernmost and most urban of the Forodwaith, they had regular connections with petty-kingdoms of Eriador and Orcs of Ered Angmar. It was already an established trade center in the early Third Age; Númenorean merchants came to Whytemouth in search of amber, beeswax, honey and furs.
Tenth-century Chronicle of Formenyar recounts Whytemouth’s earliest recorded fortifications upon a promontory, and describes dwellings and warehouses used to store corn, flax and hides. Arnorian and Gondorian traders began visiting Whytemouth and its environs with increasing frequency toward the second half of the 11th century. Cardolani merchants shipwrecked at the mouth of the Whyte River established a trading post in 1058. Arnorian missionaries had arrived centuries earlier, during the reign of High King Valandur (602–652). Although some Forodrim embraced Eru and had became Faithful, populace at large remained steadfast pagans who practiced cremation, widow-sacrifice and other unsavoury traditions.
City of Whytemouth most likely received its Westron name from the fact that River Whyte freezes in the winter. Forodwaith call it Väinänsuu, which stems from Proto-Forodaic *väin, meaning “a large, peacefully rolling river”).
Whytemarch
Whytemouth grew rapidly in the 1200s, acquiring the right to self-administration and adopting first constitution in 1221. Trade relations with Tharbad remained tight and profitable. Formal border settlement between Whytemarch (For. Väinänmaa) and Arthedain was reached in 1225. Trade with Successor Kingdoms, as well as distant Gondor, gave Whytemouth economic and political clout and stability, providing the nascent city with a strong foundation. Trade in amber, furs, hides, flax and iron thrived even during the great northern wars, which started in 14th century with the founding of the realm of Angmar.
Kingdom of Angmar sought to expand its influence in the Far North. In 1313 citizens of Whytemouth concluded a treaty, whereby Angmarian garrison would defend them from “depredations” of Arthedainian and Cardolani merchants. Garrison was ousted twenty years later and in the First Northern War (1352–1356), Whytemarch sided with Arthedain and Cardolan and fought against Angmar and Rhudaur. Besieged and sacked in 1356, Whytemouth capitulated to the Witch-King of Angmar and became the primary harbor of the realm. Angmar confirmed all the traditional prerogatives of the Whytemouth merchant class and the city retained a great deal of self-government autonomy, which quelled most of the unrest. All Arthedainian and Cardolani traders were expelled for ten years and their factories and warehouses confiscated. Whytemouth became the second largest city in the Kingdom of Angmar and important source of income in form of tariffs levied from the fur trade.
Economy
The economy of the Whytemarch includes farming and animal husbandry (Grandmasters raise horses for the Angmarean army), whilte hunting, beekeeping, and fishing is also widespread. Iron is mined on the coast of the Bay of Forochel, while other localities are known for their saltworks. Flax, and hop cultivation are also of significant importance. The real wealth of Whytemouth, however, comes from the amber and fur trade. Southern merchants were particularly attracted to vast resources of furs, beeswax and amber, and the town of Whytemarch became the main entrepôt for trade between Angmar and the southern kingdoms. Silver, cloth, wine and herring are imported from Southern Eriador.
The amount of fur, especially squirrel and other relatively cheap furs, that Whytemouth supplies is considerable. Trade between Tharbad and Whytemouth peaked in the 1340s, when Cardolani merchants exported around 200,000 marks of silver from Tharbad to Whytemarch. Exports started to suffer in the 15th century due to rising tariffs and exhaustion of local hunting grounds. Silver marks are still used as the primary currency in Whytemouth, though Angmarian grivnas are seeing more and more circulation.
Whytemarch’s rural population is dependent on subsistence agriculture and stock-rearing, white hunting and fishing are also important for survival. The free peasants of Whytemarch pay their dues to their lords in the products of agriculture, fishing, forestry and animal-rearing. Money is mainly used for foreign trade.
Society
More than half of all privately owned lands in Whytemarch has been concentrated in the hands of some 30–40 boyar families by the 15th century. Most of them are local Forodrim, but eleven families are fairly recent immigrants from Carn Dûm. They represent the military and religious elite of Whytemouth. All priests and government officials are elected among these families. In times of war, military of Whytemarch consists of a levy and the professional retinues of the Grandmaster and prominent boyars, as well as the garrisons of fortresses. While potentially all free men could be mobilised, in reality the number of recruits Angmar could muster for foreign wars have been fairly limited.
In terms of religion, Whytemarch combines Angmarean fire-worship and Arnorian influences with pagan traditions of the Forodrim. There are timber-built temples to several Forodrim gods and goddesses, fire altars made of stone, and a single chapel dedicated to maia Uinen, which is frequented by foreign merchants and sailors.
County of Whytemarch (Väinänmaa)
| Capital | Whytemouth |
| Type | Merchant republic, vassal state of Angmar |
| Population | 69,000 (1685) |
| Languages | Forodaic |
| Rulers | Grandmaster Rebben Poyke Grandmaster Borthand Sepp Grandmaster Lorgan Lembe |
| Legislature | Thing |
| Established | 1221 |
| Currency | Grivna of Angmar, Mark, Fyrk |
