Rivendell is truly an island of refuge in the otherwise inhospitable landscape of Rhudaur. Here the weary traveller can find safe haven from the grip of the Witch-king and his minions. Protected on the north and east by tall spurs of the Misty Mountains, and on the west and south by the river Branduin, the vale has formidable defenses. These are certainly not enough to have kept it sheltered for so long from the spies of the Dark Lord, however: only by the power of Elrond is the Hidden Vale made safe.