mynameisyouQQQ
Miss Brightside
- Location
- A Hell of my own making
- Pronouns
- Fae/Any
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn
[X] Take him to Nurn
Relics of the Third Age: A Lord of the Rings Quest
- Thread starter Chengar Qordath
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Tolkein loved to play around with characters having multiple names, and the general significance of character names. Smeagol and Gollum, Aragorn going by Estel, Thorongil, and Strider before becoming King Elessar Telcontar, or Bilbo giving himself a string of nicknames like Luckwearer, Ringwinner, and Barrel-Rider in an effort to impress Smaug.
That wouldn't hurt to have.
Numenoreans tend not to use a given name family name structure. They do use [Name] of the House of [House Name], and Aragorn was Aragorn son of Arathorn of course. Not sure if a daughter would carry the patrilineal name or the matrilineal name so you'll have to decide that.
Númenóreans’ Naming Traditions
The Númenóreans love to name themselves after other people or Elves that they respect. They won’t take a name from someone who is living at the time because that could create misunderstandings and…
realelvish.net
With that in mind:
[X] The House of Sea-flame
Father's name: Abrazân (Steadfast)
Mother's name: (Runner up from the protagonist name competition)
of the House of: Shakalzôr (Either Sea-foam or Sea-flame)
We could change the name of the mother to match sound similar to her daughter's name, but without finalizing the main character's name we can't do that yet. The Quenya and Exilic Quenya names are also possible for the house name if someone want to give it a crack.
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- Pronouns
- She/Her
Wow xD we both picked up the same name for a house name!Numenoreans tend not to use a given name family name structure. They do use [Name] of the House of [House Name], and Aragorn was Aragorn son of Arathorn of course. Not sure if a daughter would carry the patrilineal name or the matrilineal name so you'll have to decide that.
Númenóreans’ Naming Traditions
The Númenóreans love to name themselves after other people or Elves that they respect. They won’t take a name from someone who is living at the time because that could create misunderstandings and…
With that in mind:
[X] The House of Sea-flame
Father's name: Abrazân (Steadfast)
Mother's name: (Runner up from the protagonist name competition)
of the House of: Shakalzôr (Either Sea-foam or Sea-flame)
We could change the name of the mother to match sound similar to her daughter's name, but without finalizing the main character's name we can't do that yet. The Quenya and Exilic Quenya names are also possible for the house name if someone want to give it a crack.
I added my vote for Shakalzôr to my original vote, but if we need separate ones?
[x] Shakalzôr
Kir the Wizard
The Sun King
- Location
- Ukraine
[X] Try to Sneak Away
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
Numenoreans tend not to use a given name family name structure. They do use [Name] of the House of [House Name], and Aragorn was Aragorn son of Arathorn of course. Not sure if a daughter would carry the patrilineal name or the matrilineal name so you'll have to decide that.
Númenóreans’ Naming Traditions
The Númenóreans love to name themselves after other people or Elves that they respect. They won’t take a name from someone who is living at the time because that could create misunderstandings and…
With that in mind:
[X] The House of Sea-flame
Father's name: Abrazân (Steadfast)
Mother's name: (Runner up from the protagonist name competition)
of the House of: Shakalzôr (Either Sea-foam or Sea-flame)
We could change the name of the mother to match sound similar to her daughter's name, but without finalizing the main character's name we can't do that yet. The Quenya and Exilic Quenya names are also possible for the house name if someone want to give it a crack.
Looks good to me. Let's see what the author says, though - maybe another mini-vote would be in order for this part - I don't think the protagonist would introduce herself using just her first name - she would probably give the name of her mother and father, the name of her house, and how their house is related to the royal family of Numenor.
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I think a proper young lady of Numenorean blood would almost certainly want to give out her full intro with her house's name and her parent's names and any honors her house has earned.
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
To a captive worthy only of contempt?
Ahem, he hit her with a lot of names; she needs to hit him with some names right back.
That's how it works in Middle Earth.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
Her captive is one of Sauron's greatest enemies. His captivity is just some material of legends. Naturally, at such moments you are as majestic as possible.
In addition, the poor girl seemed to be alone for a certain amount of time. I will not be surprised if she is actually glad to have an interlocutor.
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn.
[X] Take him to Nurn.
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn.
[X] Take him to Nurn.
[JK] Try to kill him
Hey, this old geezer has a lot of food, let's shank him and take it from him! What's he gonna do, disintegrate us with sorcery?
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn.
Hey, this old geezer has a lot of food, let's shank him and take it from him! What's he gonna do, disintegrate us with sorcery?
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn.
[X] Arphazêl (Royal Princess).
[X] Take him to Nurn
[X] Take him to Nurn
Vote closed
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
So .. How will things be taken into account by the house of our heroine? Are you going to use the names proposed by Servetus or leave it for another vote?
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I think I'll go with Servetus's suggestion unless anyone objects.
Character Creation Part 3
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Onward to Nurn
I stood up as straight as I could and did my best to sound like my parents when talking to someone important. Gandalf was a major enemy leader, after all. "You have the honor of addressing Arphazêl of House Shakalzôr. Daughter of Abrazân, Captain of the Horse for the Morgul Host, and Aglaril, Lieutenant of the Morannon."
"My word." Gandalf smiled over at me from across our shelter as he got to work preparing our breakfast. "I hadn't expected to find myself in such illustrious company. Normally I only take counsel with lowly kings and princes."
I wanted to glare at him, but the sight of real food made my stomach clench. I'd been digging in an ash pile to try and find something remotely edible, and now I was going to get decent bread, fruit, and dried sausages…
"Here you are, my lady." Gandalf handed over a simple wooden bowl loaded with food. My first instinct was just to eat it as fast as possible, my stomach was certainly begging to be filled, but I couldn't forget who I was with. I needed to use my manners and eat like a proper lady, not gorge myself like a starving orc.
Gandalf watched me eat for a minute before passing over a water skin as well. "Very wise of you to take your time. Unless I miss my guess, the quality of your meals has been somewhat lacking of late, Lady Arphazêl. However hungry you might be, filling an empty stomach too swiftly could end badly."
I didn't respond to him, mostly because that would've meant slowing down my eating. I might be minding my manners, but I was still hungry. Once I'd gotten halfway through the bowl my stomach wasn't screaming quite so loudly for food, and I remembered that Gandalf was my prisoner. I needed to interrogate him. That was something you did with prisoners, right? "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be…" I trailed off since I was quite uncertain what wizards normally did.
"My business in Barad Dur?" Gandalf leaned back against one of the half-ruined walls of the destroyed granary. "The vaults and treasuries of Barad Dur contained many things that should not be left unaccounted for."
I scowled at him. "So the great wizard Gandalf is just a looter who wants to steal gold and gems from Lord Sauron's vaults?"
"Hardly." Gandalf's eyes flicked over to the crumpled ruins of the great tower, barely visible through the clouds of ash. "I expect there will be no shortage of people who come here in later years, seeking to dig up Sauron's lost treasures. The Dark Lord knew the power gold holds to make men turn aside from their morals, so I must imagine he had treasure houses full of it. However, I have never bothered with having more than I needed to tend to a few basic necessities. My interest lay ... elsewhere."
He sighed and shook his head. "Sauron made a great many objects of dark power and eagerly collected any magical object he might have a use for. For good and for ill, it seems his collection was destroyed along with him. It would have been nice to account for some of the lost palantiri, but the world will surely be a better place with fewer morgul blades." He rubbed his hands together. "It's for the best that most of the remaining rings of power perished with him too. Though much of their strength and corruption was lost with the destruction of the One Ring, they could still present ... a complication, in the wrong hands."
I frowned at his travel bag. "So you're saying you didn't take anything from Barad Dur? You just made sure it was all destroyed?"
"Exactly." Gandalf stood up and patted some dust and ash out of his robes. "Now then, I think we've lingered in this place for quite long enough. I, for one, am quite sick of having every breath tainted by ash from Mount Doom. Shall we make our way to Nurn?"
"Oh, right." I quickly finished off the last of my meal and handed the bowl back to him along with a half-emptied waterskin. "There haven't been any supply wagons since ... everything happened, so we'll probably have to walk."
I wasn't looking forward to the journey. I'd thought about trying to leave the ruins of Barad Dur, obviously, but whenever Mother or Father had taken me along with them to Minas Morgul or the Morannon it had been several days on horseback, and we'd needed plenty of supplies for the journey. I'd barely been able to find enough to stop myself from starving, never mind making it across the Gorgoroth Plateau. Even with Gandalf's supplies, one did not simply walk across halfway Mordor.
I stepped outside and grimaced at the sight before me. Gorgoroth always looked inhospitable, but ever since the tower collapsed and the mountain erupted it was even worse. Ash had choked out what little plant life managed to survive this long, so we'd be walking on hard stone and ankle-deep ash the whole way to Nurn. I looked down at my shoes, already tattered from everything they'd been through in the last weeks. I wasn't looking forward to the journey, but what choice did I have? Scavenging for food and water was getting harder every day. This was my only chance to get away.
Gandalf cleared his throat behind me. "If I might, my lady Arphazêl? We do not need to walk." He let out a sharp whistle. "It is my pleasure to introduce you to Shadowfax, chieftain of the Maeras and descendant of the great—"
"Horsey!" I gasped as one of the most incredible horses I'd ever seen trotted up to us. I only knew a bit about horses from my father's work, but I could already tell that none of his steeds had ever come close to as fine as this one. His pure white coat shone in what little late morning sun could make it through the ash clouds and somehow managed to remain unblemished despite everything around him.
I reverently walked up to him and ran a hand down his powerfully muscled neck, while letting my other hand rest near his nose so he could smell me for a bit before gently petting its velvety softness. "You're majestic," I whispered in awe.
"Majestic," Gandalf muttered under his breath. "Feed a starving child and I don't even get thanked, but he gets fawning praise for simply existing." He let out a loud cough and shook his head before walking up to Shadowfax's side. "Now then, we have a great distance to cover, and I can't imagine any of us are eager to linger in the ashes of Barad Dur any longer."
The ride to Nurn was faster than I expected but that wasn't a surprise when Shadowfax was carrying us. I'd already known he was an incredible horse just from looking at him, and now that I'd ridden on his back I could appreciate him even more. If I'd spent all day riding on any other horse I'd be sore, especially when I didn't have any proper riding gear on. Instead, I felt better after the long ride than I had at the start of our journey, though getting out of Barad Dur and having a proper meal probably helped too.
After just two days we were already in sight of the Sea of Nurnen. The ash clouds from Mount Doom were just a distant shadow to the north, and it felt indescribably good to breathe clean air again. Once we made it to civilization and I got some servants to draw a bath, I'd actually start feeling like myself again.
I looked down at myself and grimaced before mentally adding new clothing to the list. What I was in now was little better than the soiled and tattered rags most of the slaves wore. I always felt a little sad for them, but my mother and father said that was just the way things were. I'd wanted to ask why that was the way things were, but whenever I asked 'why?' too many times about something it started annoying them.
Before too much longer we were on the outskirts of one of the larger settlements. "According to one of the maps I found in Barad Dur, this is Sharaglobronk." A frown crossed his lips as he added. "Though I imagine they'll want to find a new name for it, now."
I had to agree that Man-Filth Pit wasn't a pretty name, the orcs had probably come up with it. However, something about the village didn't seem right. A second later I took in Gandalf's comment about them renaming the village and realized what was wrong. No orcs were guarding it or banners displaying the Eye of Sauron. None of the people there were in chains, and a couple of them even had weapons. Which could only mean... "You tricked me!"
Gandalf shrugged. "On the maps in Barad Dur this settlement was shown as an outpost loyal to Sauron. I can hardly be blamed if that changed between the time the map was made and our arrival. Though I did know Aragorn had sent rangers to free the people of Nurn, and I might have suspected we wouldn't find any loyalists here."
My hand started to move towards my knife until the old wizard met my eyes. I grimaced, and let my hand drop to my side. Deep down, I'd always known that his surrender and letting me take him prisoner was nothing more than some kind of game he was playing with me. It would seem that he'd decided there was no point pretending anymore. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I could hardly leave an innocent to starve to death in a wasteland," Gandalf answered as he slipped off Shadowfax's back. "I considered taking you back to Gondor, but I can't imagine you would be very happy there." He cleared her throat and turned towards the former slave village. "Now, if you will remain here, I shall conclude my business in the village and return shortly." He paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Shadowfax, don't let her do something foolish like run off into the wilderness on her own."
I scowled at the retreating wizard's back as he headed into the village. Once he was safely out of sight, I gently nudged Shadowfax forward. "Come on ... let's go before he comes back."
Shadowfax nickered and shook his head, remaining in place.
"Please?" I tried asking, gently nudging the horse again. When he still refused to move I was almost tempted to push him harder, my father always did that when his horses weren't cooperating. Of course, he usually had riding boots with spurs. Though even if I'd had those, I wouldn't want to do that to Shadowfax. He was far too incredible of a horse for me to even consider something that might hurt him, even if that was my only hope of escaping.
"I'll give you an apple?" I tried asking. "Or a carrot? Oats? Anything you want!"
I still hadn't found anything that would convince the horse to help me escape when Gandalf returned. I'd even tried getting off the horse and walking away, but he just herded me back towards camp every time. I would've been impressed by how incredibly intelligent he was if it wasn't so annoying.
I sat down next to our campfire and let out a resigned sigh. Even if I did manage to walk away it wouldn't do any good. A wizard like Gandalf would be able to find me with some kind of magic trick, and with Shadowfax on his side he'd catch up to me in minutes. There was nothing I could do but wait for him to come back.
When Gandalf finally returned, there was a faint smile on his face. "Hello again, Lady Arphazêl. I have excellent news for you. There is no shortage of people in this yet-to-be-renamed community who would be happy to take you in." His smile slipped as he let out a sigh and shook his head. "You are far from the only orphan left behind by this war, and the hardship the people of Nurn have endured under Sauron's rule has left them with a strong sense of community."
He started towards the village, Shadowfax following behind him. "Though a word of advice, if I might. It would be ... unwise to make mention of your family's heritage. I've told the ones who offered to take you in a portion of the truth, but the rest of the village remains ignorant. Some might suspect your Numenorean heritage from your name, and I should hope that those who do would have the good sense to not judge a child for the actions of her parents. Still, if you proudly speak of the rank they held while in service to Sauron, you will find few friends among the people of Nurn. They suffered cruelly at the Dark Lord's hands."
Gandalf was silent for several seconds before clearing his throat. "Now then, allow me to tell you a bit about the individuals who've offered to take you in. I think it only fair to leave the final choice up to you."
Who will Arphazêl choose as a guardian?
[ ] The Farmer
The lands of Nurn have always been fertile, and ash from Mount Doom's latest eruption only provided fresh nutrients for the soil. While the farmers of Nurn are no longer slaves to Sauron's will, the grain they once grew to feed Sauron's hordes remains the region's most valuable commodity. The land always needs more hands to work it.
Leofwyn is a middle-aged woman who spent most of her life as just another farming slave, albeit one who managed to rise to the position of unofficial leader of her labor gang. Once Gondor's forces removed the slavers, Leofwyn found herself elected as the leader of her village, though in practice this wasn't a position of honor and privilege so much as an opportunity to do more work to help her people. Naturally, she would be happy to take the lead in caring for any orphans who came to their village.
[ ] The Hunter
The hunters and trappers of Nurn are a rare and hardy breed since much of the local wildlife is considerably more dangerous than rabbits and deer. Nurn's proximity to Mordor means hunters need to be prepared for encounters with wild wargs, giant spiders, or anything else that might want to steal their dinner for the night
Rakul is a true rarity on the surface of Middle Earth, a female dwarf. Why she's so far away from the mountain home is hard to say, but she seems content with a solitary existence on the edges of Nurn. She might stay in the wilderness forever if not for the need to occasionally come into one of the villages to trade her meat and furs for a few supplies. Perhaps it was simple loneliness that prompted her to take in an orphan human, or maybe she had some other reason for wanting to adopt a child.
[ ] The Smith
Smiths were some of the most valuable slaves taken by Sauron to work the fields of Nurn. While his orcs were perfectly capable of hammering out weapons and armor, few of them had any desire to make plowshares, nails, or any of the more mundane tools needed to keep even a slave farm functioning. A trained smith can enjoy a decent living anywhere in Nurn, or might even dream of leaving the land one day.
Angbor the Smith is a heavily muscled and scarred man who seems to prefer speaking with his hammer to using his words. Entire days can go by with barely more than a few words said to his apprentice, usually simple instructions like "water" or "bring my hammer." However, the fact he provided an orphan child with a home, a warm bed, and hot meals is more proof of his care than any flowery words.
[ ] The Captain
While Sauron has been overthrown and the people of Nurn are now free, they're not always safe. While the shattered remnants of Sauron's army can't dream of threatening the great fortified citadels of Gondor, a small force of orcish bandits or Haradrim deserters can be a huge problem for unarmed and untrained farmers. The village militia is often the only line of defense against such attacks.
Tigkiz, captain of the village militia is almost certainly a deserter from the armies of Rhun sworn to Sauron's service. She's never said anything about what she did during the War of the Ring that left a ragged scar down the left side of her face and blind in one eye. While few people would call her caring or sentimental, she would be willing to offer a wandering orphan a bed, hot meals, and a roof over their head if they worked hard on the training ground.
[ ] The Peddler
While the Gorgoroth Plateau is a massive barrier to all but the most daring incoming and outgoing traders, those who can brave the journey between Nurn and the reclaimed Minas Ithil can reap rich profits. Nurn's grain harvests are always in demand somewhere in the world, and the people of Nurn crave the simple comforts of life they were long denied as Sauron's slaves.
Hannad Al-Waqqas seems to be a man in love with the sound of his own voice, to the point that some people suspect he only took in an orphan girl so there would be someone to listen to him while he traveled the open road. He seems like a man who could charm his way into a fortune, which begs the question of why he risks the dangerous trek across the Gorgoroth Plateau for a fraction of the profit he could make elsewhere.
[ ] The Sage
Sauron placed no value on educating his slaves unless one counts lessons like "anyone who doesn't make their daily quota gets whipped." Since Sauron's departure, a few outsiders have come to Nurn in the hopes of educating the freed slaves so they can eventually build a strong and stable society.
Longo Twofoot is one of the rare hobbits who opted to leave the Shire. He's reluctant to say why he left, only that something happened and he simply couldn't remain in a place full of so many painful memories. After spending a great deal of time wandering the world he recently arrived in Nurn, dispatched by Gondor to help the newly freed slaves establish freeholding farms.
[ ] Arphazêl the Outcast
Whether it's because of her own pride in refusing to accept the hospitality of former slaves or the prejudice of the people of Nurn, Arphazêl found no home in this village. It should come as no surprise that many of the freedmen and women weren't inclined to offer kindness to the children of their oppressors. Arphazêl was forced to survive on the edges of society, scavenging, stealing, and wandering between villages to eke out a solitary existence.
As an outcast Arphazêl is alone, with no mentor or anyone to support her.
What does Arphazêl look like? (Feel free to enhance any description with a good image: a picture is worth a thousand words, after all).
[ ] Write-in
This is the last phase of character creation, and we'll be getting a ten-year time skip to go over her apprenticeship and childhood so we can get into the main plot action with an adult Arphazêl.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
I don't think Arphazêl would want to do peasant work, so The Sage and The Captain seem more appropriate. The former is somewhat in keeping with what her parents did, while the latter seems appropriate after meeting Gandalf. Outcast sounds too sad to be a choice.
[X] The Captain.
[X] The Sage.
As for looks, I kind of like the idea that Arphazêl's looks would make her stand out, even if her mannerisms didn't. Plus, being Númenorean would probably mean she'd be taller than most, if not everyone in her village, so her origins would almost certainly be an open secret.
[X] Royal Princess.
Edit: I don't think this will work, but I'd definitely like to see it.
[X] Write in - Refuse to leave Gandalf.
[X] The Captain.
[X] The Sage.
As for looks, I kind of like the idea that Arphazêl's looks would make her stand out, even if her mannerisms didn't. Plus, being Númenorean would probably mean she'd be taller than most, if not everyone in her village, so her origins would almost certainly be an open secret.
[X] Royal Princess.
Edit: I don't think this will work, but I'd definitely like to see it.
[X] Write in - Refuse to leave Gandalf.
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[X] The Captain
[X] Royal Princess.
[X] Royal Princess.