Umbar

Description
Umbar was founded in the middle of the Second Age, and it later became the chief Númenórean stronghold in Endor. Two excellent harbours and its proximity to landward trade routes ensured that the port grew quickly, despite the limits of its agricultural hinterland. Umbar is the most ancient continuously inhabited dwelling of Men in Middle-earth. The name Umbar goes back to pre-Numenorean origin, its meaning is nowhere recorded. Therefore, the large bay of Umbar must have been known to the indigenous people who lived there before the Numenorians came, perhaps a small harbor for fishing was already established there.

Location
The bay, over 100 miles long, was 400 miles south of the nearest major Numenorean port, Pelargir in Gondor.

The original Númenórean city was surrounded by a wall in II 2280, as was the town of Vinyamar. Most of the haven's extant Númenórean fortifications date to the era of Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, who constructed a second wall (still visible) around Vinyamar during the war against Sauron. After the capture of the haven by Eärnil, several more fortifications were built, and the walls of the city and the town were rebuilt in a more modern Gondorian style.

Umbarim houses are designed to allow for a maximum living space in the smallest possible area of land, averaging in three or four stories in height (although most of the wealthier citizens own houses with private courtyards). Domiciles outside the second wall are generally more spacious. Many private residences in Umbar possessed rainwater cisterns; the city itself has a large cistern system, fed by several local artesian wells and an underground pipeline, the best existing example of Númenórean genius. The main cistern of Umbar lies beneath the city's central market place.

A large pillar was erected, on the highest mountain before Umbar, at the top of which was a crystal ball that reflected the light of the sun and moon in all directions. This was in memory of the landing of Ar-Pharazon and the capture of the Dur-Hont, who in the first place had conjured up the mighty catastrophe.

The column was first destroyed after Dur-Hont had finally taken the city.



Population
Umbar is home to nearly 90,000 people, majority of whom are of Númenórean descent. Many have a mix of haradrim and gondorian blood in them. According to the 1655 survey, there are still about 6,000 citizens of pure Númenorean ancestry, all are a part of the Adunakhori and Catamirim Bloodlines, the pureblooded class of Umbar and 24,000 Umbarim, mostly of mixed blood. The Adunakhori and Castamirim are as close to pureblooded numenoereans as it comes. The rest are southrons, bastard families of mixed bloodlines.

Most of the Umbarim now serve as the Corsairs Of Umbar, who often raid the coasts of Gondor.

History
By the latest estimates it is said that by the year 2000 of the Second Age, the ships from Umbar regularly sailed to trade and teach the local population, for the land around the bay was rich and fertile, but the natives were culturally far inferior to the Numenorians.

In 2280 Numenor finally built the natural harbor into a large and strong fortress, which lay at the eastern end of the bay. The port facilities of the ideal bay for this purpose offered space for several hundred or even thousands of large ships.

At the time of Umbar's expansion, Dur-Hont (Sauron) again began to move in the west of Middle-earth and challenged Numenor's sphere of influence. There were several small skirmishes, but the Dur-Hont would never dare to attack the far too strong  city of Umbar.

In the later days, the people of Numenor had turned to the darkness - they began fearing death and hating the gods and elves, for their immortality. they began controlling and conquering the people of Middle-Earth. From Umbar the people of Numenor conquered the surrounding lands and oppressed the indigenous population, which therefore flocked to the Dur-Hont, this drove the Dur-Hont to conquer many of the Numenorian areas. Numenor made many enemies at that time and was constantly engaged in the wars that raged across Middle-earth. Finally, in 3261, the king of Numenor, Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, decided to attack Dur-Hont and claim control of Middle-earth for himself, after Dur-Hont had declared that he was the only true king of men. After five years of arming his entire fleet, he landed in Umbar, with a formidable size and splendor that the world had never seen before.

The land around the army was quiet and empty. The servants of Dur-Hont fled in panic, when they saw that he was no match to the incredible strength. Dur-Hont himself came to the king, who had erected his tent on a hill before Umbar, submitted to him and begged for mercy. This was granted to him, but he was taken as a prisoner to Numenor. but that was all a part of Dur-Honts design. he seduced the king, who took him as his advisor. from this position of power, he began corrupting the numenoreans, he fuelled their hatred for the elves and their gods. soon a cult to Sauron was started by the king, and it spread to nearly every man on Numenor, except The Faithfull, the numonoreans in Gondor, who were loyal to the gods. In 1432, the first major disaster hit Gondor: the devastating civil war of the Kinstrife. The usurper Castamir, once a naval admiral, made a claim to the throne, since he was of pure numenorean blood, while the king was a bastard of mixed heritage. he took the city of Osgiliath and killed the king. he sat on the throne for a year, until he was besieged and eventually killed. His sons, however, and many others escaped with Numenorean ships, ravaging Pelargir, and finally in the year 1448 they captured Umbar. The harbour was now a stronghold of Gondor's opponents, who there built a strong naval force. These were called the Corsairs, which now formed the strongest power in Harad and were now always engaged in constant war against Gondor.

In the year 1540 the king of Gondor, King Aldamir, was killed in the war with Umbar.

In the year 1634, under the leadership of the great-grandsons of Castamir, Angamaite and Sangahyando, the Corsairs attacked Pelargir and killed King Minardil. The names of these leaders are in quenya and underline the claim of the Corsairs to be the legitimate heirs of Numenor and the true kings of Gondor.

Gondor was in great distress and only two years later the big plague raged through all the countries and devastated all the people no matter their alliances. This caused Umbar to put the war with Gondor on hold, for the time being, because even its population suffered greatly under the plague.

Gondor used the following century to recover, but in the year 1810 King Telumehtar attacked Umbar and took it by storm. Castamir's last descendants were killed, and Umbar was once again a fortress under Gondor, but not for long, because shortly thereafter Gondor was attacked by the East and had to mobilize all of its forces to the east.

Therefore, the Corsairs could now  return to Umbar without resistance and could not be driven away from there, all the while Gondor's strength continued to fade.

When Dur-Hont rose again in Mordor, Umbar became his ally, and the pillar reminiscent of Sauron's fall was overturned and destroyed. There were no more attempts of recapture by Gondor, but only minor attacks to damage Umbar's fleet by burning their ships, as stated by Thorongil under steward Ecthelion II.

today, Umbar is a independent city, whose not yet chosen sides in the coming wars... but, many groups in the city, such as the Ar-Adunaim, have chosen the side of the cities true lord, and god, Mautark, the knight of Umbar