Treaty of Hammerstand

Overview

The mythological Treaty of Hammerstand is reported to have been signed by elves, orcs, and humans and is often sited as the event that signaled the end of orcish and elvish involvment in The Riding during the Seventh Age.

Background

Throughout the early days of The Seventh Age, Orcish and Elven forces had occasionally battled (for example, The Fall of Alluria), but mostly adhered to an undeclared truce that divided The Riding between the two races.  However, as the human population in The Riding continued to grow at pace far exceeding that of either the Elves and Orcs, they realized that they did not have the numbers to contest with the humans without conducting wholesale slaughter.  

The Treaty of Hammerstand was eventually signed and was intended to secure lands and privileges for each of the three races.  Even in the stories, the exact terms of the treaty are never more than vaguely expressed, but typically grant "the mountains" to the Orcs, "the forests" to the Elves, and "the farmlands" to the Humans.

Geography

Hammerstand is rumored to have been a small, barren butte rising from a densely forested section of the ancient Riding.