Kaldur, Son of Falden


Equipment: Short sword and dagger, lock-picking tools, trap disarming tools, rope, crossbow and tightly wrapped quiver, and many other tools of his trade.

Kaldur was born in the Glittering Caves that were founded by the Gimli, Son of Glóin. His family were part of the group that went with Gimli to make the Glittering Caves their new home. At first all was wonderful they were wealthy, were able to own all matter of material items. But with all that wealth came new forms of greed. In particular, his parents would constantly talk about a sword that was an artifact of the war for the one ring. Said that it was stolen from them by another family that lived in the Glittering Caves. And so Kaldur, thinking that he was doing the right thing, sneaking into the house of the family that had the artifact and took it off the mantle that was in the centre of their home.

Unfortunately his lack of skills in this manner didn't help inevitably woke up the family and was caught red handed with the artifact in his hands. Once they found out who he was, they wanted to blame his family but he told them that he did it alone, that he saw the artifact and wanted it for his own, he also didn't tell them that he felt the greatest rush he had ever felt in his life. He was immediately sentenced for a longer term than he should have for his type of crime, and only because the family that he stole from was more influential than his family.

After he served his sentence, Kaldur decided to leave the mountain, for he didn't want to bring further shame to his family or have to hear from the others who would surely never let it go.

So he gathered everything that he could and left his home for good. Moving from village to town to city, wherever he could go he would, but such travel cost him much and soon he found himself broke and alone. He began to steal food from shops, and other small trinkets, sometimes he would be caught, beaten or put in a cell and sometimes he would get away.

It was like this until he tried to steal from a man that was an actual professional thief, he gave credit to the dwarf for the attempt, as foolish as it was, the man was about to kill Kaldur but the dwarf spilled his guts out, what else could he do, he told him of the rush the first time he stole something, that it had changed the course of his life forever, he begged for the man to teach him, to train him, the man pondered a bit, a dwarf thief? his kinder self wanted to help because he himself was once a petty thief slumming from place to place until he learned from a mentor. The man then agreed to teach him the tools of the trade of thievery for a price, a percentage of everything he stole when the man deemed him ready.

He first made the dwarf lose a bunch of weight, had to be leaner than he was, his bulky form at the time made him stand out and easy to catch. So Kaldur gave up all foods and drink that weren't necessary and worked wherever he could to become leaner than he was. Eventually he was the appropriate size and was then told to shave his beard, it had to high of risk of being left behind or caught on something, once he shaved the thief would take him on, so he did as much as it saddened him to do so and his training truly began. It began small, learning to move like a shadow, to be unseen, to have quiet feet and quick hands, host training would often have him sneak up behind someone and taking something small like a rag or hanker chief. Then he moved onto petty theft, pick pocketing, becoming a shadow and gathering information from the people in the streets, getting past alarms and sleight of hand techniques to con people in simple gambling games. Then moved on to burglary, bribery, persuasion, identifying complex traps and how to avoid tripping them as well as breaking and entering. Finally after many years of training and practicing, not just with his mentor, but with other thieves that were pulling off jobs that required more than one person and would learn from them as well, he then got to move onto trap removal and safe breaching. Over many years he was pulling off jobs, big and small, always giving a percentage to his master as was agreed.

Unfortunately men do not live as long as dwarves and the man turned old and eventually he passed away, Kaldur took over the house that belonged to his master for a while but could not stay there long. He longed to be around his own kind again, but he couldn't go back to the Glittering Caves and word would have spread about him. He had heard rumours that there was a group of dwarves that were separated from the main group, mainly because they had no ethics on who was buying their wares. This is where Kaldur thought he might be able to get back into a dwarven colony, so he sold everything in his old master's home and journeyed on to find this group of dwarves.

After months of traveling he finally found what he was looking for, he went to the one that called himself the leader of the faction that had separated from the rest of the dwarves and offered his skills to him. The leader needed proof that he would be worthy, and was assigned to steal something from one of his rivals, so that night he snuck into the rivals home and took a particular item, a necklace that was distinct and recognizable. When he returned, the separatist leader was very pleased and allowed him into his group and would work his way to becoming one of his his personal thieves and information gatherer over many years.

One day he was summoned by his leader, he was told that there were rumours of a gathering of the races, and he wanted to know what it was about. He and his followers did not know what the information was but it seemed to be important enough to the other dwarves that it was kept a tight secret, and he wanted Kaldur to find out what it was.

So Kaldur accepted the mission and set on his way. After months of bribing the right people and gaining the trust of some other key people, he was able to get the information. Once he retrieved it he made it back to his leader and offered the information to him. He found the location of the meeting was Minas Tirith, that the meeting was the Council of the Wise as well as a list of dwarves who were involved in going. Not wanting to be left out in the dark, the leader then requested that he find a way to get in on the meeting and gather as much information as possible. Luckily for Kaldur one of his connections were high enough that they were part of the group of dwarves to go to the meeting. After filling the greed of that dwarf, he was given the position of chronicler and prepared himself for the journey to Minas Tirith.

Born in Imladris in T.A. 2460, Elennína's family descended from the great Ñoldo Orodreth, king of Nargothrond and father to the famous warrior-King Gil-galad. Her genealogy remains almost entirely Ñoldor, with influences of Vanyar and Teleri only having appeared in her very earliest of ancestors.

Although having been born in Imladris, Elennína and her family did not remain there for very long. Her father - being a quite forward thinking merchant - wished to move to Mirkwood, hoping the larger Elven Kingdom could provide more for he and his family; the close proximity of both the Dwarves of Erebor and the cities of Esgaroth and Dale also made the idea more tempting. Elennína's mother was hesitant at first, what with the dark shadow that had encircled the once green wood; Elennína too was unhappy. Although only 13 at the time - a rather young age for an Elf - she knew enough about Imladris and it's lands that it would be far more beautiful than Mirkwood, and she loathed to leave the peaceful Rivendell and it's people behind. The journey was long, but mostly undisturbed - her family were soon settled in the Kingdom of Thranduil.

Elennína did prefer her old home to Mirkwood, but she still found enjoyment there. The Silvan Elves had so many skills and stories that she had not even dreamed of in the West, and visiting the lands of the men and Dwarves with her father and brother were endlessly interesting for her. Her mind was opened past the discrimination of the species that still existed amongst elves, and in time she and her Ñoldor family integrated quite nicely into the people of Mirkwood, picking up the native languages of Sindarin and Silvan quite easily. As the two siblings reached adulthood, they enlisted with the Mirkwood guards, gaining skills in fighting with both sword and bow in order to protect their new home. Elennína wished that their King did something about the shadow over the forest, rather than just killing any dark creature that came too close to their borders; but she was young at this point, and didn't dwell on the thought all that much. It was several hundred years later in T.A. 2941 that she truly realised the darkness of their realm and the lands around it. The Battle of the Five Armies.

Having risen through the ranks of the Mirkwood guard at this point, Elennína and her brother Elenulo had joined the Elven host as it marched towards Erebor; the pair praised for being the swiftest runner and silent archer in Mirkwood respectively. A battle had not been expected at this point, so they had been merry at the prospect of the treasure awaiting their people at the Lonely Mountain. It wasn't long after the Dwarves were discovered alive and battle about to begin before news of Orcs came to them. As the host of darkness crested the hills in the distance, Elennína and Elenulo had promised to stay by each other's side, for if they were together, then they couldn't possibly fall.

However, as happens in war, such plans rarely go ahead without a hitch. She had lost him for what had been only a few seconds in her mind, but in the thick of battle, it had been impossible to stay with him. It was only when the dust cleared and their foes defeated did she find Elenulo, cut down by some unknown opponent, and barely clinging to life. She had held him and wept in his final moments, unable to do anything but watch as he bled out. The battle had been won, but at a high price.

After losing her beloved brother, Elennína could not bear to stay in Mirkwood any longer. An anger that she had never felt before raged in her heart, pinning the blame of his death on all parties involved in the battle; Thranduil, the humans, the Dwarves, the Orcs, and of course, herself. It was easy to hate the orcs, but she felt discomfort at her fury towards all others. They had lost beloved ones too, but the anger kept a firm hold of her - it would only do for her to leave, for peace eluded her in the stifling forests of Mirkwood.

She travelled a while, avoiding most and keeping to herself before her travels brought her back to her birthplace; Imladris. It was just as peaceful and calm as she had remembered, and so sought the council of Lord Elrond. Having already heard of the events that had transpired in the east, and the death of her brother, Elrond offered her teachings in the way of healing; out of all the magic she had developed (Which wasn't a whole lot), healing had been an art that had eluded her for years, so she had abandoned the study. Recalling how she had been helpless to save Elenulo from his wounds, Elennína gratefully took up Elrond's offer, and spent the next few decades studying beneath him. As time passed, her knowledge grew, and the fires of anger in her heart began to die down... but even since then, she has retained a distrust for Men and Dwarves. As the Second War of the Ring came about, this distrust was only instilled further in her heart; if certain members of their species had been less foolish and greedy, Elennína believed that this second War would not have even occurred. The flight of the Elves from Middle-Earth did not sit well in her heart either; evil still existed there, even with Sauron vanquished. And so, she decided to remain, bidding farewell to her parents at the Grey Havens and travelling to Lothlórien, hoping to live amongst and aid the Elves remaining there. Despite the time that had passed, Elennína still could not bear to set foot inside Mirkwood.

Now around the age of 740, Elennína volunteered to become guard for the Emissary, upon discovering what was happening. Her skill with a bow is renowned, and she has yet to meet an Elf that can move as fast as she. Paired with her healing magic learnt from Lord Elrond, it was decided she would make a decent Head Guard for Lhindél. However, this decision to volunteer was not a solely selfless act; this was the reason she had remained behind in Middle-Earth. To rid the world of evil, and do her brother proud.

Although rage left her heart many years ago, Elennína remains ever mistrustful of Men and Dwarves, some of this uncertainty even passing along to some of her woodland kin in Mirkwood; this could easily be attributed to her lack of contact with all of the above since the Battle of the Five Armies, and due to this, has seen a lack of actions from the three that could lead to her becoming more open-minded once again. Although hearing of men's triumph over Sauron's forces at Minas Tirith during the Second War of the Ring, she could not help but think of Isildur's weakness that had caused such an avoidable war in his lust for the One Ring, and the power it held. Instead, Elennína found herself having much more respect for the Hobbit-Folk, and the burden endured by Frodo Baggins and his kin for ending such an evil. However, regardless of her feelings for other races, Elennína will remain as polite and respectful as she can bare when talking with them. Unfortunately, a quick-temper and lack of tact can sometimes make such altercations tense, especially when it comes to important manners... such as the importance behind the meeting she now journeys to. Elennína cannot promise her emissary to keep her mouth shut in these talks, as long as others choose to consider what she thinks is the wrong - and foolish - path.

Outside of disagreements, Elennína remains the curious and adventurous soul that she was as a child; although more subdued in her older years, she can still find enjoyment in learning and enjoying new things and experiences; even new things about the Dwarves and Men that she has come to be wary of.

Like most of her kin, Elennína's stature is both tall and lithe; standing at a height just short of 6 foot, her slender frame and natural lightness allows her to move faster and quieter than any mortal man could. Even among her kin, she is known for her speed both on the ground and among trees - although not a Silvan elf, her years in Mirkwood has given her more than enough practice in traversing branches and leaves, quiet enough to evade even the most scrutinising eyes and ears. Her looks too are typical of an elf; an angled and symmetrical face, pleasant to look upon, even with her piercing green eyes and generally stern expression. Elennína's hair is not quite as immaculately kept as many Elves tend their's; preferring to simply pull it back into a tight ponytail or plait to keep it out of her way in a fight - otherwise, it hangs loose, the dark auburn tresses long enough to brush against her hips.

The fair skin of her body is marred here and there from scarring of past wounds; most of them, including the most serious, sustained during the Battle of the Five Armies. Most have faded away to nothing more than silver lines, but a more notable one sits on her midriff, curving around from her left hip, to just under her right breast. The skin has long since healed, but will never disappear.

Although nearly all have left from Imladris, Elennína continues to wear their armour, although omitting the use of the helmet as she finds it obstructs her peripheral vision more than she is comfortable with. Although the chest-plate and other components of her armour is made up plated metal, it was made to be light and agile, and as such, does not slow her down as heavier armour may.

As for weapons, Elennína carries a bow of average Elven make; there is nothing spectacular about it, beyond the usual stunning craftsmanship of her kin in such weapons. It is in her sword that her true talent lies, and while no master of the blade, it outshines her skill with the bow, and the longsword named Amaford has saved many over the centuries it has been used. With it, she carries two knives, kept from her time in the Woodland Realm, for she would be foolish to not carry with her spare weapons. Even if she does not need them in an emergency, a fellow on the battlefield may.

Other notable items Elennína carries with her is a bracelet of woven silver, a token of good luck gifted from her parents before they departed for Aman; she also carries a satchel for treating injuries, containing herbs such as Athelas for poisons, and first aid items such as needle and thread, bandages, etc.

Seren was born to a human woman in a no-name backwoods settlement not far south from the great Mirkwood. Being perceived as an elf, he spent most of his life struggling to be accepted in human society, finally finding adventuring and mercenary work suited him best. His innate gifts lended themselves to espionage, although Seren refused to sink to the role of an assassin. His human mother regrettably died of old age while he was away, an event that he had not expected, and to this day his failure to say goodbye still causes him great sorrow.

Eventually, Seren approached the Sylvan elves in an effort to understand himself and his place in the world, but found their culture and expectations of him to be a hurdle. Having spent all his life surrounded by humans, he was perceived as an outsider, with much to learn before he could integrate as an Elven citizen. 'Serendel' was starting on the bottom rung of the ladder of society with relatively no skills or knowledge to offer. He greatly admires the dedication and attention to detail that the elves put in all their work. They are a fascinating people that he is honored to be related to, even if he doesn't quite blend in.

At little over a hundred years of age, Seren has recently lost his first round of human friends to their natural fate, time. He mourns them more than he should, but is avidly working to relieve his sorrow by making new friends. The task is difficult, but being long-lived has its advantages. Seren is swift, precise, perceptive, and surprisingly strong. He fights with a magnificent combination of human hot-blooded determination and Elven guile, preferring short blades and bows over larger, slower weapons.

Name:
Lady Nesrine

Age:
39

Description:
Lady Nesrine is no stranger to the international stage. She is trained as a soldier, but shines brightest on the political battlefield, where she takes great joy in the metaphorical bloodshed and violence of renegotiated trade routes and an opponent's diplomatic humiliation.

Though Nesrine reigns as Master of Erdir, the northernmost Haradrim kingdom, you can tell just from looking at her that she has set her eyes on a prize somewhere far above everyone else’s shoulders. Her ambition is a force like fire and brimstone, and she has great plans for the future of the Fourth Age.

Even during peacetime, she was always a bit of a thorn in the side of Gondor, which gave her no small popularity among the various Harad nations. It was under her rule that Erdir gained a reputation for frequent (and sometimes successful) political pushes for reestablishing Harad influence in both the great port city Umbar and in Gondorian Harondor. She is most infamous for the brazen and daring construction of Sur Saraf ten years ago, now a prosperous port town on the mouth of the Harnen River, almost directly on top of the border between Near Harad and Southern Gondor. Though never proven, suspicion runs high in the West that Lady Nesrine and Erdir have indirectly sponsored the more aggressive Haradrim tribes in their military clashes with southern Gondor in the past. However, rumors aside, she has allowed free trade and travel by Gondorians in Sur Saraf and the rest of Erdir, even in the current contentious climate of the South. She prefers Gondorians humiliated to killed, and is privately perturbed by some of the recent unrest in the region that has come trickling in from distant Khand. When news reached her of the fall of Minas Ithil, Nesrine dispatched her spies and rangers to the east and north, and decided to personally attend the coming council as representative of Erdir. Harad would not sit on the sidelines while others decided the future of Middle Earth, and there was no one she trusted more than herself to oversee this changing of the tides.

Tall and imposing, Nesrine stands at 6’4”, with a grim black gaze offset by long, slightly smiling lips. Her cunning mouth and scarred jawline are often the only parts of her face visible, as the traditional crown of Erdir covers up its owner’s eyes with a long visor. She has the slow and careful walk of someone who is used to sudden and violent fights. Gold rings glitter at her fingers.

Nesrine wears a long red cloak over immaculate Haradrim scale-armor the color of brass and sunblasted rock. Her kingly overcoat drags a little on the ground behind her, and is marked with intricate gold patterns across the sleeves and back. At her hip is the ceremonial king-sword of Erdir, a pale and beautiful thing carved from mumakil ivory, along with a long and much more pragmatically made sword of yellow iron.

Lady Nesrine is a great believer in knowledge as power, and has invested considerable resources into the research of the past, especially into the smithing arts taught to the southron people by Sauron in the Second Age.

Thought traditionally rule of Erdir fell primarily in the hands of the Erdira Council, Nesrine has fashioned herself with through years of posturing and politicking into a role more fitting a Queen.

Name:
Nira Bassar

Age:
26

Description:
Nira is not a great fan of the limelight. Not to be rude or anything, honest, but if you could go talk to someone else that’d be great, thanks. Easily flustered, generally shy, Nira is a natural fit for the silence of the wilds, where he is often dispatched as Lady Nesrine’s personal spy and reconnaissance officer. A slight, unimpressive build, a slight, unimpressive face, soft sad eyes and dark hair cropped close to the head—Nira is the kind of unremarkable-looking person who is perfectly suited for passing from place to place without being noticed.

Nira has scouted the lands of southern Gondor and western Khand since he was first apprenticed to the rangers at 12. Soon, he was spending more time abroad than he was at home. Though deeply loyal to Nesrine (and perhaps harboring a precocious kind of crush on the reigning Master of Erdir), Nira has grown to love the wooded lands of Harondor and central Gondor. He is someone with a deep and quiet appreciation for the natural world, and often acts as a bit of a conscience towards Lady Nesrine, whose tendencies towards industry and technology might occasionally threaten the land around them.

As a ranger, Nira wears a browner variant of the crimson, ankle-length cloak the warriors of Erdir are equipped with, along with a dark hood and lightweight clothing. His arms and legs are armored with Haradrim chainmail, masterly made, while a variety of weapons are kept on hand for multipurpose use. As a woodsman and hunter, Nira carries with him a hand-axe, a bow, and a vicious Harad-made dagger. An expert at identifying plants and herbs for cooking and healing, Nira is at home with the many tools offered to him by the wild, and is skilled at preparing all manner of shelter, medicine, and food.

Nira is easily flattered, and enjoys feeling useful to others.

Name:
Basima Khan

Age:
32

Description:
Basima is a rather peaceful person, despite her status as Erdir’s Captain of the Guard. Slow and careful, and generally more laid back than you’d expect, Basima is the kind of woman who listens more often than talks, one of those people you associate with rainy days and hot cups of tea. In appearance, however, she more than fits the profile of Lady Nesrine’s armored right hand: a tall and stocky woman in the red cloak and proud armor of Near Harad, with a square jaw and narrow, hawkish eyes, and dark hair pulled back into a series of carefully ordered braids. She has a broad-shouldered build, and stands at nearly six feet, with a habit of folding her arms while listening. Basima herself likes to get to the point quickly and efficiently while talking, but privately enjoys hearing the arguments and quipping of others.

As Captain of the Guard, Basima wears a strange helmet of leather and yellow iron, whose mask-like visor covers up her head with the angry face of a bearded and kingly man. It’s fairly common to see her without it, however, as Basima’s secondary duty requires unobstructed sight.

Basima is a soldier first, but as the sister of the eminent Haradrim blacksmith Diwa Khan, she has learned more than a thing or two on architecture, blacksmithing, and the construction and maintenance of armor and weapons. She has a creative spirit and a fondness for the arts that she rarely makes public outside quick and efficient smithing and repairs, but has noncommittally encouraged Lady Nesrine once or twice to open up trade talks with the dwarves of Khazad-Dum, who she admires.

Though not always visible due to her armor and helmet, Basima is much darker than most Haradrim, and her family traces its roots down to the distant countries on the edge of Far Harad. As outsiders in both the west and the south, she and her sister are appreciative of the faith Nesrine has put in them, and take enormous pride in the high positions they have both achieved in Erdir.

In combat, Basima wields a shield and scimitar, both of which are often seen strapped to her back, and she is especially proficient at bringing the shield to battle as its own unusual blunt force weapon.

Sharp in words, wealth, and blade, Prince Randal, heir to the Kingship of Dale at age twenty-seven, is the spitting image of his father, and the model Dalish wealthy noble whose primary motive is to gain more power and more gold. He is exceptionally skilled as having a silver tongue rivalling that of his father, and is considered by the Dalish nobility to be one of the best diplomats in the North - which is partly why he was sent to the King's Council. He seeks what is best for the Kingdom of Dale, and how they can defend themselves against this new threat, and may also consider aid to the other Free Peoples - provided that Dale will get something out of it.