Rangers of the North

The Rangers of the North were the Dúnedain of the lost kingdom of Arnor, a small and dwindling people who in the latter days of the Third Age wandered the wild lands of Eriador, guarding them in secret against the creeping evils of the world. They were the heirs of Elendil and Isildur, keeping the line and the hope of the North-kingdom alive.

Origins

After the destruction of Arnor in the wars against the witch-realm of Angmar, the surviving Dúnedain of the North became a scattered, secretive folk. Their numbers were never restored, and their cities lay in ruin. They lived hidden and unhonoured, taking up the labour of watching over the unprotected lands.

Role

The Rangers patrolled the borders of the Shire and Bree and the wide empty country between, holding back orcs, wolves, and other evil creatures. The folk of those lands knew them only as grim wandering men of no fixed home and gave them little thought, never guessing that it was the Rangers' unceasing vigilance that kept their peace.

Despite their poverty and small numbers, the Rangers preserved the heirlooms and lineage of Isildur, including the shards of Narsil. Their chieftains were the heirs of the North-kingdom; the last of these was Aragorn, called Strider in Bree, who in the War of the Ring revealed himself and reclaimed the kingship of the Reunited Kingdom.

The War of the Ring

When the great war came, a company of thirty Rangers, the Grey Company, rode south to join Aragorn, summoned by his kin. They followed him through the Paths of the Dead and fought in the battles of the South, standing among the foremost of the host of the West.