Tinnudir is an island near the eastern shore of Lake Evendim in Parth Aduial, connected to the mainland by a stone bridge. A little to the south of Tinnudir Lake Evendim turns into Brandywine River, passes underneath the huge stone Colossus guarding the lake and continues a few miles to the east before it turns south and keeps running south through the white beaches of Barandalf and past the towns of Dwaling and Oatbarton in Shire.
Tinnudir's location is central to the region. There is a small jetty in the island offering transport to all shores of the enormous lake and to the small islands upon it. The stone bridge connects the lake with Parth Aduial and the land-routes in the east. Thus it was only natural that this small island held an important strategic role in the war that was being waged in this region by the final years of the Third Age.
For years the Rangers as well as a number of respected men from the region, mostly out of Ost Forod, had maintained a camp there, sheltered by the ruined walls of Tinnudir as their headquarters, to keep tomb-robbers and Angmarim from looting the ancient heritage of the Dúnedain. Many years ago Tinnudir had forged an agreement with the people of Ost Forod to supply them and to take care of them while Ost Forod kept watch of the lands in the north and protected the road from Forochel. Both had lapsed from their parts of the agreement in recent years.
Tinnudir's central location and strategic importance gave the island it's special characteristics, as well as some enormous disadvantages.
The mighty Tinnudir Keep and the decayed ruins south of it were all that remained of the mighty fortress that had been built there in the beginning of the Third Age, when the lost Kingdom of Arnor had reached it's peak. Now all that remained of those old days of glory was crumbling stone and a handful of stubbornly persistent descendants desperately fighting to keep the dreams alive. The Rangers were a grim, hardy lot, absurdly proud of their heritage, adamantly determined to preserve the dust of dreams that remained of the past glory of their ancestors - resolved to administer justice most harsh upon any who dared to prey and loot upon those dreams.
But they were losing the battle and even the most stubborn of them had to realize how hopeless their situation seemed, how doomed their battle. For now Annúminas, the old capital of Arnor, had fallen in the hands of the enemy too. More and more people from around different parts of Eriador had found their way in the shores of Lake Evendim to join forces with one or the other side of the conflict for varying reasons, and the Rangers couldn't always be too picky about who they chose to join forces with either.
There was a smaller camp near the southern shore of Tinnudir, apart from the ruins, to sort out the volunteers from Ost Forod, North Downs and Bree: adventurers, sellswords, vagrants, traders of all sorts, harlots, spies and crazy camp followers of all flavors had made their temporary residence there. Mangy dogs sneaked in it's outskirts looking for garbage that was thrown on the ground. The smells from this camp carried all the way to the Tinnudir Keep when the wind blew from the south. And just as far carried the noises in the night: coarse hollering of drunkards, screams of women, singing, arousing music - and sometimes wrangling and brawling.
