The region known as the Weather Hills was once home to several fortresses of Cardolan, including a great tower atop Amon Sûl, the highest of these hills. In the year 1409, the forces of Angmar swept through the region, bringing down the Watchtower of Amon Sûl. Afterward, the Dúnedain did not return to re-establish their hold there as they could no longer spare the number of men needed to do so.
In their absence, the land was largely left unoccupied. Thorneth had seen this for herself many years ago before she became Captain of the Rangers of Arthedain. In the days when she was just another scout, she had been sent to the Weather Hills with several of her fellows and found nothing of interest. Nonetheless, she took precautions and led the Company through an old path once used to supply the forts which largely concealed them from view.
As they walked through the hills, Metharafel suddenly veered away from the path. Thorneth called after her, but when she began sniffing away, the Ranger realised that the wolf’s keen sense of smell must have picked something up. She ran after Metharafel and the rest of the Company immediately followed.
Metharafel paused before a mound of snow and began to bark and growl at it. Brushing away the snow to take a look at what lay beyond, Thorneth spied the edges of a small round door built into the hillside. Before she could open the door though, it swung open outwards with great speed at her. Having not expected that to happen, the Ranger was thwacked on the forehead and knocked onto her back.
At once, several other doors which lay concealed in the neighbouring hills sprung open as well. Diminutive figures wielding weapons rushed out from them, surrounding the Company. Imrathien drew and notched an arrow, but Dínendír pushed down her bow, shouting, “Wait! They are not orcs!”
Indeed, the figures were not orcs. They were even shorter than the typical orc, standing at about half the height of a man, and were much fairer than orcs. Most of them were not holding proper weapons and instead used all manner of tools from kitchen knives to shovels as weapons, though a few had bows and spears.
“Stay your hand!” Dínendír cried to their assailants. “We are mere travellers passing through these lands. We are not here to invade your homes.”
“And who’d travel this far off the main road save brigands and ne’er-do-wells?” replied one of the figures.
“That does not speak well for yourselves either, hiding within these hills,” Thorneth said, getting back to her feet.
“They are the Periannath, Halflings” Dínendír informed her. “They prefer to dwell in holes upon the hillside such as these. I have met them before when they came to Fornost bearing tribute, for it was King Argeleb who granted them the old hunting grounds west of the Brandywine many years ago.”
“You are the King’s Men?” asked the Halfling. “Why do you sneak about like burglars?”
“We are on a mission of great urgency for the King,” explained Thorneth. “Fornost Erain has been overrun, and we must move in secret if we are to evade our enemies and gather aid.”
At this, the Halflings began to speak amongst themselves. The discussion lasted for a good while, and many of them still pointed their tools and weapons warily at the Company. Finally, the Halfling who talked with them before stepped up again.
“We have decided that you are not with the other Big Folk who have been prowling about,” he stated.
“There are other Men in these parts?” Thorneth inquired.
“Yes, and they’ve been most rude indeed!” answered the Halfling. “Unlike you, you seem to be decent sorts, not attacking us right off the bat. Which is why we don’t think you’re with them.”
“Can you tell us more about these people?”
“We can, but let’s not stand around out here,” the Halfling suggested. “One of them might spot us, they’ve set up a camp on Weathertop. That’s the highest hill ‘round these parts. Come on in and we’ll talk some more.”
The Company entered one of the holes, which its dwellers called a smial. They were made to give up their weapons and did so willingly, as Thorneth was quite sure that the Halflings meant them no harm so long as they did not threaten their hosts. Caranhelf the mare remained outside as she could not fit within the burrow. A pair of Halfling hunters took her to a secluded nook concealed between several hills where she would not be seen. Thorneth spoke with Metharafel, bidding her to accompany Caranhelf both to guard the steed and because she saw that some of the Halflings were nervous around the wolf.
Within the smial, they discussed much with the Halflings, who referred to themselves by the word Hobbits. These Hobbits had settled in the Weather Hills after the Fall of Amon Sûl; though some of their people viewed the destroyed forts as a bad omen, they believed it was a waste of good hill-space, as the Dúnedain were not intending to move back in.
They had little trouble in the desolate region until a year ago, when groups of Men began showing up throughout the Weather Hills. They seemed not to be soldiers of Angmar, as the Halflings did not describe them with the arms and armour standard among the ranks of the Angmarim. That did not mean they were not in service to Angmar however.
Upon first spotting Halflings, these Men immediately chased them with weapons drawn. Fortunately, though they did not believe in the ruins being an ill omen, the Hobbits still made preparations in case those who laid waste to the Arnorian fortresses ever returned. Their homes were built in places far from sight and with well-placed shrubs or snow in the wintertime, the Men were never able to find the entrances. In this way, the Hobbits of the Weather Hills were able to remain hidden for the past year, until Metharafel sniffed them out.
Whoever these Men were, their behaviour towards the Hobbits did not speak well of them. The Company decided it was best to avoid an encounter. To that end, Dínendír was able to cut a bargain with the Halflings. This winter was especially cold and difficult, and the Company promised to aid them in acquiring food, in return for the guidance of the Hobbits who had learned exactly where the Men were camped and how to avoid them.
And so the Company rested within the comfort of the smial for the night. The next day, Imrathien went out with Metharafel and Caranhelf to hunt. Thorneth meanwhile took the time to counsel the Hobbits, telling them that they may have concealed themselves for now, but the longer they lived in the hills, the greater the risk they could be at. If wargs like the ones the Company had faced in the Chetwood were to wander into the Weather Hills, they would be able to sniff out the smials just as Metharafel did.
As such, Thorneth suggested that the Hobbits flee west, at least to the towns of Bree if not past the Brandywine into the lands where many of their people were now settling. Then, Imrathien and Metharafel returned with several boars upon Caranhelf’s back which would feed all the Hobbits for many days, and they were very pleased. The Master of the Village agreed to heed her advice and, though they were not a part of the kingdom of Arthedain, he promised that he would bring word of the King’s plight to those of his people who did dwell within the King’s lands so they could send assistance.
Unlike the Mayor of Pontgar, he actually had the chance to follow through on his promise. The Hobbit settlement in the Weather Hills was indeed abandoned and its name lost to time, though it is said that the place known today as Glumhallow was the site on which this village once stood. It is not known where they resettled in the end, whether that be the towns of Bree or the lands past the Brandywine which are now called the Shire.
Here, our tale diverges slightly from traditional tellings. Wherever they fled to, it was likely that the Master of the Village kept his other promise as well and brought the request for aid to the Hobbits who lived within Arthedain. However, the original account of Thorneth’s story does not mention the involvement of Halflings far past this point, nor do any other tales of Men or Elves record their participation in the final battle. On the other hand, the stories of the Hobbits claim that they sent a company of bowmen to the aid of the King who never returned.
The Hobbits have no reason to make up this fact, for even though some of them were subjects of Arthedain in that time, the lands of the Shire were given to them freely. They had no obligation to repay the kingdom by means military or otherwise and brought tributes to the King out of their own kindness. Their lack of involvement in the fighting would not reflect poorly on them.
Thus, the Hobbits probably did send archers to Fornost after receiving the news from their brethren in the Weather Hills. This company was either waylaid on the march north, reached the city before the rest of the reinforcements and was slain ere the battle even began, or all fell within the final battle with their presence being completely overlooked, as is often the case with the Little Folk.
