Few can speak with certainty of the Rangers of the North – tall, mysterious strangers, occasionally seen in the shadows of a darkened tavern or in the wilds of Eriador. Tales of these grim Men tell of their desire for solitude and their seeming indifference to the affairs of the free peoples of Middle-earth. Few have had direct dealings with the Rangers, and those that do often suggest to others that extreme caution be exercised if conversation must be had with these mysterious men out of the wild. Clad in cloaks of dark green and grey, clasped with a star – the only adornment worn by any of their kind – the Rangers seem to blend into their surroundings whether they are in a town or in the fields and forests of the land.

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In truth, the Rangers of Eriador are of the noble line of the Dúnedain of the North and have, since the fall of the mighty kingdoms of Arnor more than a thousand years in the past, pledged to silently protect the lands of Eriador, including the Shire and Bree-land, from the darkness that once again threatens. Seeking neither praise nor thanks, the Rangers are master trackers and woodsmen; adept at concealment. They are also expert in hunting and in combat with both bow and sword.

Few would speak ill of these grim champions if they but knew the service the Rangers have performed for centuries on behalf of all that is good in Middle-earth.