Nargothrond

Among the realms the Noldor found in Beleriand, The Silmarillion counts one built underground and in secret. Nargothrond is the cavern-city of Finrod Felagund, delved into the steep banks above the river Narog after the fashion of Menegroth, the halls of Doriath that Finrod admires. Its gates open from a hidden gorge, its halls run deep behind them, and the lands of its realm spread along the rivers of the west of Beleriand. Founded to be safe from the power of the North, it lives by watchfulness and concealment: no great roads lead to it, its people go abroad quietly, and strangers rarely find its doors. In the tales of the Elder Days, Nargothrond stands with Gondolin and Doriath among the hidden kingdoms of the Elves, strongholds of beauty and lore in a darkening age.