Roleplay Practice Prompts: Character Development

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt (Advanced 8): If your character could go back in time to one moment in their life and change something, what moment would that be and what would they change?

If Éomund could go back in time, he would go to the day before his father left for the Southern Storm/Northern Wind Campaign and try to make some memories that he could hold on to. He only has a few fleeting memories: riding a horse, helping to polish the sword, and wrestling on the ground. But, none of them help him to actually *know* who his father was.

Having recently received a letter from his father, he no longer specifically wishes that his father had stayed home. He now knows how important the Cavalry was to his father and that his father needed to do his part to protect Rohan. Instead of wishing his father was here and alive, he simply wishes he could have just one more memory. He wishes he could remember his father's voice.

[Pele Alarion]

@ Taethowen, I will respond to your question about Pele when I do the next prompt for her. :)

Character name: Shamara
Track: Advanced
Prompt: Advanced #1 What is the most selfish thing your character has ever done, and why? Did it hurt someone else, or were there few, if any, consequences?

For Shamara, there is no understanding of what selfishness is: her mind is solely focused on her own survival and eventual thriving, and she does not consider that to be selfish, nor anything that is done to achieve these goals. She never really considers the needs of others, except when her own wellbeing depends on someone else's. From the other people's point of view her whole way of living might be considered selfish through and through.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt (Advanced 7): What moment in life did your character feel the most out of control and helpless? How did it end up shaping them? Did they grow, become stagnant, or regress?

Éomund has felt out of control and helpless for practically his entire life. Besides the basic lack of control over necessities that came with growing up extremely poor, his mother Leigh was very overprotective of him, which greatly contributed to the constant feeling that he would never amount to much. Growing up with a lack of control impacted Éomund's development. He is shy, lacks self-confidence (though that is finally starting to change a bit), and is on the clumsy side. At the same time, he can be observant when he chooses and really wants to be a help to others.

Joining the Cavalry is probably the moment he felt most in control (though even that adventure has involved estranged relationships and a near breakdown in front of the King), but it is one of the few moments in his life where Éomund can firmly say that it was his choice to do something.

I think the combination of growing up without much control in life and the ability to finally be in control of at least certain aspects of his life (plenty of food and new clothes to name a few) will lead him to being more accepting of who he is, as an individual and as a member of the Cavalry. He will hopefully become more self-confident in his abilities through finally being able to control some of his environment.

[Taethowen]

@Dimcairien Luiniel
Basic #8 - With the disclaimer that it has been nearly two decades since I was on horseback as well, I do not see anything glaringly wrong with your descriptions. It's a very lovely memory, and a wonderful moment of trust-building between Grimthain and Éomund as well.

Advanced #7 - oh look. Éomund is me as a child. >_> I think being in the Cavalry really will help build his confidence and self-esteem though. Learning what you're truly capable of always does that, and clearly he already has some basic competency. He'll make mistakes, but nothing too embarrassing. Most likely.

Advanced #8 - Aw, poor Éomund. He was... really young when his father died, right, if I remember right? Eventually he will (hopefully) realize that no matter how many memories were made, he wouldn't remember them all. It is good, though, that he's realized his father was his own person. Not just his father.


@Pele Alarion
Looking forward to your next response for Pele!

Advanced #1 for Shamara - if her sole focus is on survival, then, rather than a moment of 'selfishness' what about a moment of indulgence?

[Taethowen]

Character Name: Eldreda
Track: Basic
Prompt: #1 - What prompted your character to pursue their occupation? What do they enjoy most about it? What aspects of it do they dislike?

Response:

Eldreda’s mother was a seamstress. Supposedly, she (mother) even made clothing for Theodwyn, the mother of Éomer and Éowyn, and even for the two royals when they were young, but Eldreda has never been able to confirm if this was true. So, being a seamstress/tailor is a family trade, but Eldreda is gifted—equally as skilled as her cousin Taethowen, though their strengths lie in different areas.

Eldreda most enjoys crafting beautiful, functional garments that make people realize they are beautiful and worthy even in the messiest moments of life.

She dislikes pricking her fingers with needles and pins. But it’s just a hazard of the job.

[Thalionwen Hunigfolm]

Basic Track Character Beginning Questionnaire

Name: Thalionwen Hunigfolm
Race: Rohir
Age: 28
Appearance: shortish, medium build, long wavy blonde hair, grey eyes
Sex/Gender/Pronouns: Female, she/her

Where do they live? Is it different from where they were born? Thali was born and raised on a very small, somewhat unsuccessful farm in the Eastfold, and now lives just outside Edoras at a very large, perhaps too-successful Infirmary

Do they have any living family members or close friends? Thali has a living grandmother, Hild, an extremely overbearing mother-in-law, Orla. She has two children, Elswyth and Orla (ages 5 and 3) and is maybe currently married to an orc but she's not quite sure.

If not, how long has it been since they died? Thali's first husband, Godric, died 8 months ago as of this post. Her parents died of illness (a winter fever) when she was in her early teens, at which point she went to live with her grandmother.

What does this character do to survive (occupation and/or lifestyle)? How do they feel about it? Thali joined the Cavalry as soon as she was old enough for it and served as a soldier for a year before training as a haelend. She never looked back from that, and is now a healer to the core.

What is their favorite way to relax? How often do they get to indulge in this? Sitting on a sunny hillside with one of her friends, having a nice chat or just being quiet together. This does not happen often, as she's very busy with the Infirmary and being a Cavalry haelend, among other things.

What is the best thing that has ever happened to them? Becoming a haelend

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to them? Losing Godric

Hybrid Track Prompts

1A. What is the most selfish thing your character has ever done, and why? Did it hurt someone else, or were there few, if any, consequences?

Leaving her children with her mother-in-law after Godric's death, though she was strongly pressured to do so and considered an unfit parent by her mother-in-law and the people of her community. Thali's current goal is to entrench herself in Edoras to the degree that she feels comfortable/stable enough to push back at Orla and bring her girls to live with her.

1B. What prompted your character to pursue their occupation? What do they enjoy most about it? What aspects of it do they dislike?

Thali loved being in the Cavalry but not being a soldier, and given that she lost her parents to illness at a young age, the idea of becoming a healer was very appealing to her. She *loves* helping people, and dislikes when others assume she'll be mean or inflict unpleasant things on them just because other healers have done so in the past.

2A. What is the most truly selfless thing your character has ever done? Was it a conscious choice or an instinctual reflex? Did other people recognize it as selfless? If it happened publicly, how did it make your character feel?

I don't think Thali would even notice or recall the most truly selfless thing she's done, as she spends very little time thinking about herself and is a very reactive person. Plus she spends a great deal of time suppressing her own emotions/needs in order to accommodate those of others. That's just kind of her job and her personality, all rolled into one.

2B. Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

Thali's first husband, Godric, was her first love. She was drawn to his kindness and gentleness, and left the Cavalry to be with him.

3A. Who would your character die for? Who would they kill for? Are the answers for each question the same or different? Why?

Thali would die for any of her friends or family. She'd probably kill for her children, but only if it was absolutely necessary--she much prefers non-violent means of dealing with situations, so it's sometimes hard for her to reconcile being in the Cavalry.

3B. What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Thali had a good relationship with her parents until they passed, and then with her grandmother afterwards. She had a lovely marriage while it lasted, though things are very strained with her mother-in-law now. She considers all of her friends to be as important as blood relatives, and anyone who sets foot in the Infirmary/falls under her care automatically becomes family in her view.

4A. Describe two of your character's deepest fears: 1 rational (plausible: such as a fear of fire after having been trapped in a burning house or witnessing a fire where someone died, etc.) 1 irrational (such as a phobia with no known event that triggered it) Have they ever had to face these fears? What was their response?

Thali's rational fear is losing patients on her watch as a haelend, as she's dealt with it numerous times and she was tending her husband Godric, when he died. Her irrational fear is that her friends will lose patience with her and she'll be left alone in the world, without anyone who cares about her. She's definitely had to face the first fear on many occasions, and the second after Godric died, when she was left alone in his village with her mother-in-law and small children.

4B. Name 3 items your character always carries with them: 1 sentimental, 1 practical, 1 luxury. Briefly explain each item, or why there are no items your character carries. It's okay of an item meets multiple criteria (practical and sentimental, for example), but do try to have at least two items you describe, and they should not include basic clothing/supplies if at all possible. (Exceptions can be made for, say, the last piece of clothing someone was gifted by a parent/lover/etc. before that person died, especially if it was handmade.)

Sentimental: Thali has a little posy of dried flowers her daughters picked for her before she left them with Orla. Practical: Thali is pretty much never without her shoulderbag/satchel, that contains basics of the haelend's trade. Situations where it comes in handy are always arising, so she never goes anywhere unprepared. Luxury: while she had several pieces of jewelry that were given to her as gifts, Thali pawned them all in order to help fund the Infirmary

5A. What is the most stupid or foolish thing your character has ever done? What were the repercussions?

Uuuuum probably getting married to an orc like 3 weeks after her first husband died??? Which she's not sure is legal or still in effect.

5B. Does your character(s) have any pets/animal companions? How did they acquire them? What do they look like?

Thali had a pony named Hild, but she recently traded it for a cow, in order to supply milk for the Infirmary residents. So she now has a shaggy red cow, which she's very creatively named Cow. She also has an undisclosed number of feral cats living at the Infirmary.

6A. What one thing does your character want more than anything else? What are they willing to do to accomplish it?

To seem stable and respectable and responsible to the people around her despite her temperament. She'll probably never feel like she's accomplished this personally, but she knows that at least a good reputation will be instrumental in allowing her to bring her girls to Edoras.

6B. Is your character known by any nicknames or pseudonyms? What is the origin of them?

Hunigfolm, which means Honey Hand, and refers to her methods as a healer. As for the origins, you know if you were there

7A. What moment in life did your character feel the most out of control and helpless? How did it end up shaping them? Did they grow, become stagnant, or regress?

Anytime she loses a patient, but especially when she lost Godric. I don't think she's really reckoned with or totally processed that yet, so we'll see how it goes.

7B. What are your character's money/financial habits like? Have they ever been wealthy or poor? Have they ever experienced a drastic change in financial status?

Thali has always been poor or borderline poor. She's had a large sum of money once, when she sold off her family land and most of her belongings, but used the entirety of those funds to outfit and start up the Infirmary. She does make a bit from her haelend's pay and running the cheese shop, but sends whatever she earns back to Orla to help support her daughters.

8A. If your character could go back in time to one moment in their life and change something, what moment would that be and what would they change?

I don't think Thali would change anything. She'd be tempted to say she'd go back and ensure Godric survived his illness, but his passing is why she went to Edoras in the first place, and she recognizes that she's been able to help and possibly save a lot of people because of that. Even if she hasn't fully processed the circumstances of her life, I think she appreciates where she currently is and what she's currently doing.

8B. What is your character's favorite memory? Drawing from that memory, what are some of their other favorite things?

Her first day of training as a haelend. Her favorite things are the smells of dried herbs, sun-bleached linen, and strong soap; the way a fully-stocked apothecary shelf looks; the taste of chamomile and honey; the sound of low voices; and the particular feeling of grinding up a remedy with a mortar and pestle

[Taethowen]

OMG Thali's here. I have no idea how to give you any feedback for your character, @Thalionwen Hunigfolm. Other than 'not right now' because my brain is fried, but I feel highly inadequate for this, lol.

---

Character Name: Eldreda
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #2 - Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

Eldreda hasn’t really had a first love so far. She’s lived in small villages all her life (other than a brief stint in Edoras during the Southern Storm campaign when she helped Taeth run her shop) where everyone knows everyone or everyone is related to everyone, and no one really caught her eye. She’s not sure it would be a man that catches her eye anyway, if anyone ever does.


Prompt: Basic #3 - What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Eldreda’s parents died six or seven years ago in an accident. Her next closest kin were Taethowen and her family, though she wasn’t terribly close with Taethowen’s mother or with Taeth’s siblings, as they were quite a bit younger than her. She kept in touch with them, though. Taeth is almost like a sister to her. If they’d been able to spend a little more time with each other in their youth, they probably would have considered each other sisters, but they are fond of each other and keep in touch through letters and the occasional visit.

[Thalionwen Hunigfolm]

You definitely don't have to give me feedback, @Taethowen, I'm just here to play

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

@Taethowen Yes, Éomund was about four when his father died. I'm forward to finding out more about Eldreda.

As a heads up, this prompt has taken an unusual twist and @Allacan ob Burzum will be replying to it with Grimthain as it requires both of our characters.

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt: Advanced 5 What is the most stupid or foolish thing your character has ever done? What were the repercussions?

When Éomund was about 10 he tried to hide at Helms Deep because he didn’t want to go back to his village. This frightened Grimthain and Éomund got the telling off of his life, which shall be seen in a future post. Repercussions will also be seen in a later post.

The annual week at Helms Deep was over and it would soon be time to start heading back to Sceornbeorg. But Éomund did not want to return. His weeks at Helms Deep were some if the best of his life. Things actually happened here: he was getting much better at riding a horse and Grimthain actually paid attention to him. Not to mention the fact that every night he could go to sleep with a full belly and didn’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night, something that happened far too often back home. If he could stay at the fortress, the first place where he could remember being truly happy, he knew he could learn how to be helpful. He knew how to ride a horse, was learning how to chop wood and skin a rabbit, and there were loads of other things he could learn. And that was when he decided that he would not head back today. The fortress was the place where he truly belonged.

Grimthain was saddling the horses (Norman plus one other gentle mare that Éomund would ride back), so heading to the stables was not an option. He needed to hide somewhere. If Grimthain couldn’t find him, he couldn’t send him home. The logic was that simple in his ten year old mind. He slipped out of the barracks, leaving his half-packed saddle bag on the bed, and began to wander down one of the pathways. A few soldiers greeted him and while Éomund tried to greet them in return, his shyness prevented him from doing anything more than a a quick nod.

Before long, his wanderings took him to the front of the Infirmary. It was a small place - only a handful of beds and a space for the healing supplies. At the moment, it was completely empty. Éomund snuck inside and headed for the bed at the far end. Taking a deep breath, he rolled under the bed and curled up into a ball.

Now, if he could hide for long enough, there wouldn’t be time to ride back to the village today. Hiding under a bed wasn’t the most ideal way to spend a morning in Helms Deep, but it was better than a morning spent back in Sceornbeorg. He wasn’t sure how long he would need to wait, but he would wait as long as he needed to avoid going back. Grimthian always understood him, so he would let him stay at the fortress, he was certain of that.

Allacan: (Feel free discover Éomund however you want and you can order him or drag him from the hiding spot)

[Taethowen]

Basic Track, Prompt #9

Who does your character dislike the most? Why?

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Taethowen]

Advanced Track, Prompt #9

What has been the happiest moment in your character’s life so far? Are they capable of truly letting themselves be happy, or do they feel that moments of happiness/contentment are always quickly followed by something going drastically wrong? Why?

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Pele Alarion]

Taeth's extra question for Pele: Has she developed any control issues beyond just the fear of failure thing? Such as making sure her loved ones have plenty of provisions, know what to do in case of fire, etc?

Her way of trying to control everything is attempting the impossible: to make sure she is the one who deals with all the problems (even the ones beyond her control, like attempting to prevent death of severely ill or wounded people at the Houses of Healing) as a way to deal with the guilt she feels for not being there for Maldir. She sort of understands that it is impossible for her to be everywhere and deal with everything, and yet she makes every effort to do so. That might lead her to exhaustion and burn out, also more guilt, unless she realises what she is doing and stops.

Character name: Pele Alarion
Track: Basic
Prompt #2: Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

Her proper first love was that for her husband, as what she had before was merely liking. She was drawn to Maldir's patience and kindness while waiting for her to respond with the same kind of deep love, as it took her a while. Eventually she found his relentless efforts quite disarming, no matter how much she tried to show him that she was always busy and perhaps not built for relationships. Besides... he was a very good dancer.

[Taethowen]

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm *breathes sigh of relief* whew, lol. I mean, if I do see something or think of something in regards to character development, I will ask, but I'm glad you're here to play, either way!

@Dimcairien Luiniel
Advanced #5 - Looking forward to @Allacan ob Burzum's reply! And oh no, Éomund, this is not going to end like you think it will, poor boy...

@Pele Alarion It will be interesting to see if/when (and what) will force Pele to face that control issue!

Basic #2 for Pele - Good dancer, eh? Hehehe. What were some of those 'relentless efforts' that Maldir took to win her over? (No need to answer this one right now, just something to think over if you haven't considered it before.)

[Lady of Shadow]

Since Naelia's pretty much developed, I thought that I would give Talina a try (but I won't be changing my username back, she'll just be a secondary character, so that I have a lighter character to play as well, since Lathana's not getting out of the Pits anytime soon. I mostly created Lathana as a victim, since there was no way I was killing off Naelia, she's too much fun to play).

Basic Track Character Beginning Questionnaire:
Name: Talina
Race: Human
Age: Looks to be in her late teens or early twenties
Appearance: I drew a picture of her on Doll Divine. Here's the link to it: https://i.imgur.com/Uq6hCJg.jpg
Sex/Gender/Pronouns: Female/She

Where do they live? Is it different from where they were born? She resides in Henneth Annun in Ithilien, but was originally from Pelargir, but was taken to the White City when Pelargir was under siege, to protect her from the Cosairs of Umbar, who captured and/or killed her parents.

Do they have any living family members or close friends? Her parents were captured or killed by the Corsairs of Umbar, which is why she was taken to the White City in Gondor, so she may have family there.
If not, how long has it been since they died? Like stated above, it's unknown if Talina's family is still alive.

What does this character do to survive (occupation and/or lifestyle)? How do they feel about it? Talina's a Ranger in training. Since losing her parents to the Cosairs of Umbar, she feels it's her duty to help keep the evil of Mordor at bay, so that she doesn't lose anybody else.
What is their favorite way to relax? How often do they get to indulge in this? She likes to do research on her land and people. When overwhelmed with her duties, Talina can often feel like she's ready to tear her hair out, so she needs time to recharge, so to speak, being a little on the shy side.
What is the best thing that has ever happened to them? Being taken to the White City during the siege of Pelargir.
What is the worst thing that has ever happened to them? Losing her parents, obviously, since she doesn't know if they're alive or dead, but it would be better if they were dead, since Talina may not be able to take that they've turned against their own people, much like the Black Numenoreans

As you can see, Talina's the complete opposite of Naelia, so hopefully they'll never run into each other (since Naelia likes to make life miserable for the Tarks, which is the name she likes to call those that call themselves the "Faithful").

[Taethowen]

@Lady of Shadow Glad you're here! Right now I just have one thought on Talina's character backstory - why would her parents being alive mean that they've turned against their own people? Could they not have been sold into slavery?

[Lady of Shadow]

Thanks for the suggestion, since I never thought of that. I may have been thinking about the backstory of Naelia's father's people, since he (like Naelia) is a Black Numenorean, who actually did turn against their own people, since Naelia herself doesn't understand what makes the Tarks (the Orcs name for Gondorians, that Naelia seems to have picked up from Orngor, her trusty Orcish helper) tick.Talina's a brand new character, so sometimes when writing out the backstory of a new character, I may get them mixed up with my regular character, since I just recently finished redoing Naelia's backstory (from memory, I might add, since I couldn't access her old bio from the Old Plaza). I originally created Talina to be a dwarvish character on the Old Plaza that resided in Erebor when I was more into Thorin. When that ended, I had to change around her character a bit so that I could move back to the Shadowed Lands (when the Old Plaza was still split into regions), although I was in a different region (Ithilien instead of Mordor).

[Lail]

Taeth - I actually can't remember about the caves in the books for sure. I'll find out on my re-read though!
---
Character name: Lailyn
Track: Advanced
Prompt #6 - What one thing does your character want more than anything else? What are they willing to do to accomplish it?
Right now, she really wants to make it on her own. She's been travelling alone for a while, but to her, it's a different thing to live alone and support herself long-term in one place. Now that she has her own house and is starting a business, she wants it to succeed so she can have some stability and hopefully some peace and quiet. She also hopes that her work will bring her happiness in providing for others and a sense of belonging in her community, which is something she's lacked for a long time. She wants to put the past behind her and move on to better things.

In order to achieve this, she's willing to work hard and build connections with others in the city. There was a time when she was younger that she would have felt hesitant to approach others with business proposals in her own self-interests but now she’s too determined to care.

While she is feeling ambitious, she also has to be wise with her investments. What little remains of what she saved from her old cavalry stipend and her parents' earnings will be enough to get her started but it will be tight. If business doesn't go well, she'll be in trouble, but she's willing to take a risk for the reward.

[Taethowen]

@Lady of Shadow I missed all the region fiasco and am kind of glad I did so. I've also been cobbling together Taeth's backstory from mostly-memory (though I did find an old bio, as well as having part of a backstory, novel-style, saved on my computer, but oof it was so contrived at times, lol!) but I never had more than one character on Old Plaza, so at least there's less confusion that way!

@Lailorn Ugh I wanted to do the re-read but I fell behind right from the beginning. Someday...

Advanced #6 - Oooh, I think starting up this business venture is precisely what Lailyn needs to start building her confidence! She should also consider supplying the candle shop with beeswax (once it's re-opened after we know the conclusion to poor Beda's story). I bet the inn(s) could use some honey as well!

[Taethowen]

Character Name: Eldreda
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #4 - Name 3 items your character always carries with them: 1 sentimental, 1 practical, 1 luxury.

Practical – a small sewing kit, very similar to Taeth’s. Because she is a seamstress, and wouldn’t be caught dead without it.

Sentimental – a lock of her late mother’s hair inside a silver locket. Eldreda honestly isn’t sure why she carries this around, but the urge to have something tangible of her mother’s physical presence was overwhelming as she prepared her body for burial.

Luxury – a blue silk kerchief, crafted from a bit of Haradrim silk that Taethowen sent to her while she traveled.

[Taethowen]

Character Name: Aldith
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #1 - What prompted your character to pursue their occupation? What do they enjoy most about it? What aspects of it do they dislike?

Aldith was encouraged to learn to read and write by the mistress of the merchant family her parents worked for. Her tutor discovered that Aldith had a knack for teaching somewhere along the way, and both her parents and the mistress encouraged her to pursue it seriously. Aldith has only had one full-time student at this point (Éomund @Dimcairien Luiniel) whom she taught to read and write, as well as a smattering of other subjects. She’s tutored a few others in the town over the years, but not long-term. What she enjoys most is the look on her students faces when something they’ve been struggling with finally clicks into place and they understand. She dislikes having to point out to her students when they are incorrect, especially when it’s a subject they struggle with.

In recent years, though, there hasn’t been a need for a tutor among the townspeople, and she’s become the head washerwoman at the Hornburg, based on her mistress’ recommendation, and because she knew the work it entailed because she helped her parents with their tasks as she grew up. She enjoys having a steady income, but hates the physical exhaustion and perpetually chapped hands that come with the labor.


Prompt: Basic #2 - Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

Definitely one of her mistress’ sons. Probably the youngest one or the second youngest, perhaps when she was eight or nine years old. Aldith would have been heartbroken when he married someone his own age.


Prompt: Basic #3 - What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Her parents are deceased, but their relationship was good. Aldith was the darling daughter, the baby they had given up hope of having, and they doted on her. Somehow, she managed to not become a spoiled brat, likely because she was intelligent and it didn’t take long for her to realize that while the mistress of the house also doted on her, she was definitely not the same station as mistress’ family, and that her parents served them. However, the household as a whole was a wholesome and kind one, and now that her parents are gone, Aldith considers the mistress to be like an aunt to her, and she visits often, and exchanges letters when she’s at the Hornburg.


Prompt: Basic #4 - Name 3 items your character always carries with them: 1 sentimental, 1 practical, 1 luxury

Sentimental/Luxury – a brooch her father gave her mother when she was born. It’s a pewter horse head.

Practical – a small journal and pencil, to jot down anything she thinks of during the day, and sometimes to make some sketches.

Practical – a small jar of lanolin to soothe her laundry-chapped hands.

[Taethowen]

Character Name: Ceadda
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #1 - What prompted your character to pursue their occupation? What do they enjoy most about it? What aspects of it do they dislike?

Necessity and skill. Ceadda is barely literate, but he has a good head for numbers and task management, and it was through a lot of his management that their family farm performed as well as it did, until his father died. He, his mother, and his sisters simply couldn’t keep up with the physical demands of the farm on their own.

Now that Ceadda is employed by Taethowen, he’s enjoying whipping the estate back into order. He’s enjoying the challenge of tracking down the breeding stock of the horses that used to be bred on the estate, as well as figuring out what funds need to be allocated where to make the place a success again.

Currently, he hasn’t encountered anything he truly dislikes about it.


Prompt: Basic #2 - Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

He hasn’t had a chance to even contemplate something like this yet.


Prompt: Basic #3 - What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Ceadda adores his younger sisters, and admires his mother. He thinks his mother is the strongest person he’s ever known. A small part of him, though, resents his father for dying when he did, and making him shoulder the responsibility of the family. Mostly, though, he misses his father. His father was stern, but still a caring man. Ceadda knows that without his sternness, he wouldn’t have been prepared to take on caring for the family, but he wishes it hadn’t been necessary.


Prompt: Basic #4 - Name 3 items your character always carries with them: 1 sentimental, 1 practical, 1 luxury

Sentimental – a small pebble, worn smooth in the river. He found it shortly after his father’s death, and it was the same shade of gray as his father’s eyes.

Practical – flint, steel, and a small amount of dry tinder in a leather pouch. He enjoys camping, after all.

Luxury – Ceadda doesn’t think of it as a luxury, necessarily, because he’s done so much work managing funds in various ways, but he always carries a small amount of coin around with him.

[Taethowen]

Basic Track, Prompt #10

Does your character have any physical or mental disabilities? What challenges are they struggling with, and/or what have they overcome?

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Taethowen]

Advanced Track, Prompt #10

Your character has just received tragic news about a dear friend or family member. How do they react? Are their inner reactions (emotions) and outer reactions (physical actions) different, even contrary, to each other? Why?

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Lady of Shadow]

I'm guessing you just work through the prompts? This is much different then when I first got Naelia developed (but that was years ago)!

Character Name: Talina
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #1 - What prompted your character to pursue their occupation? What do they enjoy most about it? What aspects of it do they dislike?

When Talina lost her parents to the Corsairs of Umbar, she thought that she should train to become a Ranger, so as to keep the forces of Mordor at bay, and hopefully not lose anyone else (not that she was ever involved with anyone, but she may have family in other parts of Middle-earth that she's not aware of). Talina enjoys the interaction with other free peoples of Middle-earth when she comes into contact with them (protecting them from being captured, etc.) since she lost her parents at a young age, and often finds it difficult to make friends, since she fears the enemies of her family will try to take these new friends away from her as well. Because of this, Talina doesn't like to be sent on scouting missions on her own, since she often has to travel to places that may get her captured or killed, and she fears if she comes across those that sold her parents into slavery (though she's not aware of this, she thinks her parents were killed instead of sold off to the highest bidder) that she'll lose control and end up killing everyone in the vicinity, even those she's trying to protect.

I'll start with one prompt for now. You can give me feedback if you wish, since then I'll know if I'm on the right track.

[Taethowen]

@Lady of Shadow yep! I don't have any recollection of how character development stuff worked on the Old Plaza, lol. I pretty much am just cobbling together everything I've learned in the last decade for creating characters for fiction writing. When it comes to feedback, I'm mostly just pointing out places I see for further character development, or if there's a gross inconsistency.

Right off hand, I don't see anything to comment on with prompt #1! It looks like a good start for Talina.

[Taethowen]

Character Name: Eldreda
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #5 - Does your character(s) have any pets/animal companions? How did they acquire them? What do they look like?

She has a gelded pony, about eight years old. It is grey with a white muzzle. It was the last equine that her parents acquired before their deaths, so she inherited it.


Prompt: Basic #6 - Is your character known by any nicknames or pseudonyms? What is the origin of them?

Her most common nickname is Eldra, simply because it’s an obvious shortening of her name.


Basic #7 -What are your character's money/financial habits like? Have they ever been wealthy or poor? Have they ever experienced a drastic change in financial status?

Eldreda is not poor, necessarily, but she’s not wealthy either. Her skill as a seamstress has served her well over the years, even in a part of Rohan where most people made their own clothing out of necessity. She’s made a lot of little things that many people deemed tedious to do on their own, but were willing to splurge a few copper coins on, such as dishcloths, handkerchiefs, etc. The occasional merchant’s wife would commission her for Mettare gowns, etc., as well.

She’s not really experienced a drastic change in finances, but practiced frugality and as such was not hit too terribly hard by lean times.

[Pele Alarion]

Shamara's extra question: if her sole focus is on survival, then, rather than a moment of 'selfishness' what about a moment of indulgence?

Shamara definitely enjoyed to the fullest the time while she lived with her brother: it was a time when she had no need to think of survival every moment, she was spoiled rotten by delicious food, comfortable furniture, fancy clothes. What she enjoyed the most were various beauty treatments - she definitely could be said to have indulged in those as a complete opposite to street life.

Character name: Shamara
Track: Basic
Prompt #2: Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

The Umbarian does not really know what love is: she has never let anyone get close enough to her, and she doesn't trust anyone. She doesn't even have friends, perhaps only people which could sort of be considered allies. She could be called 'untouched by love', as she basically sees it as weakness because she thinks she would become vulnerable and come under the power of that lovable person, and the enemies could also easily use the lovers against each other by capturing/killing one. It would certainly take very serious effort for someone to sweep her off her feet with love.

[Taethowen]

@Pele Alarion Indulgence and selfishness can be closely related, which is why I posed that as an alternate. Sounds like Shamara definitely had fun with those indulgences when she could take advantage of them! Smart girl!

Prompt #2 - definitely feels like Shamara's got the classic lonely villain vibe going on here. It will be interesting to see if anyone every does sweep her off her feet!

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt Advanced 9: What has been the happiest moment in your character’s life so far? Are they capable of truly letting themselves be happy, or do they feel that moments of happiness/contentment are always quickly followed by something going drastically wrong? Why?

I think the happiest moment of Éomund's life so far is when he received the sword, letter and Cavalry insignia (though perhaps it's more accurate to call this a bittersweet moment). While the results of said event was an emotional rollercoaster, including the overwhelming concern he had for Grimthain, overall receiving these items have given him a new level of personal confidence and connection with the two men he considers to be his father.

During his childhood, there simply weren't very many moments to be happy about. There were certainly brief moments of happiness: the things his cat got up to, receiving the horse, the days spent with Grimthain, but they were all fleeting. The mix of joy and grief that Éomund felt in the Throne Room is something that will stay with him forever.

He hasn't had very many happy moments in his life yet. I do think he will eventually get to a place in life where he can allow himself to be truly happy, especially now that his life is finally starting to have some sense of stability.

[Lady of Shadow]

If any of these questions apply more to Naelia than to Talina, that's the way I'll answer it (if that's okay). I'll be posting in a different color for Naelia (maroon). Just thought that I would point that out.

Character Name: Talina
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic # 2 - Who was your character's first love? Why were they drawn to them?

Talina's never been in a relationship, which is probably why she is closer to her family.

Prompt: Basic #3 - What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Since Talina's never been in a relationship, she is closer to her family, which is why she takes it so personally when her parents were taken (and sold, but Talina's not aware of this, like I mentioned in my answer to the first prompt) away from her by the Cosairs of Umbar. Because of this, Talina considers those that are training her to become a Ranger like family, and would do almost anything to protect them. It is unknown if Talina has any other surviving family members, and she continues to ask about her family when she's not busy with her duties. Since her parents were taken away from her at such a young age, Talina is often curious about where she came from and what her parents were like.

Prompt: Basic #4 - Name 3 items your character always carries with them: 1 sentimental, 1 practical, 1 luxury

Sentimental - Her journal that her mother gave to her for her last birthday before she was captured. Talina often likes to jot down what she's feeling about a specific event, meeting, or something that she has no control over (like the Cosairs of Umbar capturing Pelargir for example).

Practical - Her bow and arrows that were given to her when she first began training as a Ranger. Talina's a little on the shy side and often likes to wander off to get some alone time, and often likes to take along her bow and arrows so that she doesn't get ambushed by enemies, making her as vulnerable as her parents were all those years ago.

Luxury - Her travelling cloak that was given to her by someone in gratitude to help protect them from the dark forces of Middle-earth when they lost their way when coming home from a fishing trip with their family and ended up taking a wrong turn into a section of Gondor that was no longer under the protection of the Dunedain (Minas Morgul).

I'll leave the next couple of questions for my next post, since they apply to Naelia more than Talina, since Naelia has a pet dragon (Talina doesn't have any pets or animal companions) and how Naelia came to be known as the "Lady of Shadow" (Talina doesn't have a nickname). Maybe it's a good thing I have more than one character (even though Naelia's pretty much developed, but some of these questions apply more to her than to Talina, so that's how I'll answer them).

[Pele Alarion]

Extra question: What were some of those 'relentless efforts' that Maldir took to win her over?

He constantly placed himself near Pele, built a solid foundation of friendship and companionship, joined her for training on the training grounds, went on adventures with her - it sort of ended up evolving rather naturally, and she grew used to him, in a way, and accepted him as part of her life.

Character name: Pele Alarion
Track: Advanced
Prompt #2: What is the most truly selfless thing your character has ever done? Was it a conscious choice or an instinctual reflex? Did other people recognize it as selfless? If it happened publicly, how did it make your character feel?

She tries to lead a selfless lifestyle, and for her it means throwing herself into the duties to the point that she has little time for herself, even for sleep, so she often ends up tired and burnt out. However, her selflessness might also be a way of escapism, as she rather gives herself away into serving others instead of facing her problems, such as grief and loneliness. Her captivity in Umbar has only added another layer on top of it, as she again is unwilling to deal with the issues and is looking for a way to get back into the thick of things by returning to the Rangers and Houses of Healing.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

As a heads up, this prompt has taken an unusual twist and @Allacan ob Burzum will be replying to it with Grimthain as it requires both of our characters.

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt: Advanced 5 What is the most stupid or foolish thing your character has ever done? What were the repercussions?

When Éomund was about 10 he tried to hide at Helms Deep because he didn’t want to go back to his village. This frightened Grimthain and Éomund got the telling off of his life, which shall be seen in a future post. Repercussions will also be seen in a later post.

The annual week at Helms Deep was over and it would soon be time to start heading back to Sceornbeorg. But Éomund did not want to return. His weeks at Helms Deep were some if the best of his life. Things actually happened here: he was getting much better at riding a horse and Grimthain actually paid attention to him. Not to mention the fact that every night he could go to sleep with a full belly and didn’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night, something that happened far too often back home. If he could stay at the fortress, the first place where he could remember being truly happy, he knew he could learn how to be helpful. He knew how to ride a horse, was learning how to chop wood and skin a rabbit, and there were loads of other things he could learn. And that was when he decided that he would not head back today. The fortress was the place where he truly belonged.

Grimthain was saddling the horses (Norman plus one other gentle mare that Éomund would ride back), so heading to the stables was not an option. He needed to hide somewhere. If Grimthain couldn’t find him, he couldn’t send him home. The logic was that simple in his ten year old mind. He slipped out of the barracks, leaving his half-packed saddle bag on the bed, and began to wander down one of the pathways. A few soldiers greeted him and while Éomund tried to greet them in return, his shyness prevented him from doing anything more than a a quick nod.

Before long, his wanderings took him to the front of the Infirmary. It was a small place - only a handful of beds and a space for the healing supplies. At the moment, it was completely empty. Éomund snuck inside and headed for the bed at the far end. Taking a deep breath, he rolled under the bed and curled up into a ball.

Now, if he could hide for long enough, there wouldn’t be time to ride back to the village today. Hiding under a bed wasn’t the most ideal way to spend a morning in Helms Deep, but it was better than a morning spent back in Sceornbeorg. He wasn’t sure how long he would need to wait, but he would wait as long as he needed to avoid going back. Grimthian always understood him, so he would let him stay at the fortress, he was certain of that.

Allacan: (Feel free discover Éomund however you want and you can order him or drag him from the hiding spot)

(OOC, I decided to really lean into this one, and add in some repercussions for his actions that even Éomund wouldn't have realised at the time. Also, Grimthain really takes over when I write for him, and I enjoy letting his stories unfold however they wish.)

Initially, Grimthain was only mildly confused; he'd expected to find Éomund in the spare barracks room that he had borrowed for the boy during his visit; the lad was growing, and it had seemed wise to let him have his own space now he was approaching puberty. He smiled again at the memory of the youngster's joyous face when he had learned he would have a room to himself this year; it was a moment he would cherish over the next few months while the two were parted, and would sustain him through those long, lonely night watches. As he stepped into the room, in a rare mood of emotional expression, he opened his mouth to share with the youngster how grateful he was that Éomund enjoyed his time with Grimthain, and how much it meant to the solitary older man. But his words were stifled when he found the room unexpectedly bare.

Éomund was nowhere to be seen, and quick glance down the corridor gave no hints as to where he had gone, so he presumed only that the lad had wisely gone to relieve his bladder before they set out on the long journey. The half-loaded saddle bag gained a frown from the soldier, and he instinctively set about finishing the packing, re-folding some of the clothes hastily stuffed into it so they would not crease in transit, and sighing with a tinge of melancholy as he recognised that the items packed most carefully were the small mementos that Éomund had gathered on this particular trip. The bag finally packed, Grimthain allowed himself a moment to sit on the bed and consider the empty room. It was always a sad day for him when his ward headed home; the youngster brought so much life and energy into his life that it made Grimthain feel years younger and infinitely more hopeful for the future. Equally as precious to the veteran were the opportunities they had to sit late into the night over a cup of hot brew and reminisce about his old friend Éodred, answering all Éomund's questions about his father made his old friend feel present somehow, sharing tales of their youthful escapades and experiences in the cavalry. The recollections were good for him, and he grieved their loss. Like this room, Grimthain's life always seemed so empty when Éomund wasn't around.

He pondered for a moment why he had never told the boy these feelings. Was it because he was embarrassed? No, definitely not, there was nothing to be embarrassed about in Éomund; the boy was growing up to be a calm, considerate and level-headed young man - even some of his comrades had commented on it appreciatively and had even gently joked the soldier about the young lad following in his footsteps, but only when Éomund wasn't around of course. Those were moments that made Grimthain swell with fatherly pride. So what was it then, what kept him from opening up his feelings to Éomund? Was he trying to protect the boy, and if so, from what? Disappointment? Surely the lad had experienced enough of that in his life, and why should he be disappointed that the older man loved him; if anything he seemed to crave approval with the hunger of the starving. So maybe Grimthain was trying to maintain the professional, respectful distance of a teacher and tutor, like Leigh seemed to prefer he adopt, and yet he never behaved as such when the two of them were alone together, or even - for that matter - when Leigh was around, for the most part. Maybe he was trying to protect Éomund from getting too close to him, so that on days like today when necessity dictated that they be parted it would be easier on the boy, but somehow that didn't sit right with him either.

He took a deep breath, and forced himself to consider more objectively why he had never properly opened up to Éomund about how he felt for the boy, how he regarded the lad as a son to him in many ways, and his love for the youngster, and after forcing frank honesty into himself he realised then why he had yet to engage in that conversation. He was afraid the youngster would not reciprocate the affection. Since his early unlucky years of being dubbed the 'omen child' by superstitious doomsayers, Grimthain was a man who had faced abandonment and rejection time and again, and he had learned to avoid a repeat of that pain by simply not getting too close to anyone. When all was said and done, he was a grizzled soldier with poor social skills who enjoyed card games and sewing; hardly the boisterous adventures a young youth craved, and there was a very real possibility Éomund was perfectly content with the relationship as it was and craved nothing more; trying to draw a more intimate closeness from him might only ruin what they had. And to top it all off, Grimthain was (at least in his own mind) the reason Éomund lacked a real father to provide for him and his mother, and thus lived a life struggling on the outskirts of society without the paternal support he should have had. It was only because of his oath to help provide for Éodred's family in the event of his death was that he was even permitted to be in Éomund's life, and without it he would likely never have grown to know the boy. Or would he? Would he still have insisted on providing for Éomund, he wondered, as his iron-strong sense of duty shifted assertively within him. Hadn't Éomund always welcomed him in eagerly? And despite her protestations and tirades, Leigh had never actually forcibly refused his entry to his home, or sent him away. She had alluded to it, suggested it, threatened it, even on occasions slammed doors in his face and physically pushed him about and around, but she had never actually gone as far as to banish him or lock him away. Could it be that actually the two of them actually did appreciate him in their lives?

He considered again the few items Éomund had packed so meticulously within his bag, and a new consideration began to unfurl in his mind. Éomund did not cherish the idea of expensive gifts or lavish items, he had practically refused any attempt by Grimthain to purchase him toys and trinkets that other youngsters enjoyed, and seemed so embarrassed and uncomfortable when Grimthain did purchase him anything of worth (unaware as he was that such things would invariably be traded by the proud Leigh in exchange for food and firewood, and thus had only become a source of sadness to the boy). The lad's lack of enthusiasm for expensive presents was such that the cavalry soldier had decided to instead focus on gifting the boy with experiences and the provisions to enable his growth and development of skills over baubles and keepsakes.

However, something Grimthain had never really considered before was now niggling at him; the youngster had a penchant for keeping simple mementos of events and activities. (It reminded Grimthain of his own youth, when he had kept stones and pebbles as keepsakes because anything of monetary value was invariably stolen, taken away or mysteriously went missing between foster-home moves, although he failed to make that direct connection at this time.) Now he thought on it, Grimthain had seen the youngster pocket the stone he had picked from his horse's hoof after a long ride with his warden, and him taking a little of the kindling left over from lighting the fire on their evening camp; the night when they had lain companionably together star-gazing and making up stories. He recalled seeing Éomundstealing away the piece of rabbit fur during the skinning lesson when he thought the watchful soldier wasn't looking; at the time he had thought nothing of it except that maybe the boy enjoyed the softness of the fur, but now on finding that same piece of fluff neatly stowed in the bag, he was reconsidering his earlier dismissal.

Now that he properly pondered it, Grimthain did not think he was mistaken in the realisation that each of these little items Éomund had opted to keep was a memento of an experience with Grimthain, and suggestive that the boy also cherished those experiences as deeply as did the cavalry soldier. Maybe... just maybe... the lad was also keeping his true feelings buried. After all, Grimthain could easily understand the paralysis on the tongue caused by fear of rejection, especially in one so young who rarely received encouragement and praise. He suddenly realised then that if he was serious about his responsibility to teach the lad about duty and honour and courage, then it was equally his responsibility to teach him how to overcome fear and speak your feelings honestly to those you loved, while you still had the chance. Lead by example, Grimthain had always advised new officers, and here he was failing in that very command, with the poor boy was suffering as a result.

Suddenly annoyed with himself and filled with determination to right his error, he stood up from the bed and crossed swiftly to the doorway, glancing up and down the corridor again for Éomund, but the hallway was empty. He moved swiftly to the nearest privy, and then the next nearest, then for diligent's sake the next one after that, searching for the lad and hoping to locate him before his own doubt and nerves re-surfaced and shattered his resolve. Not there either, he considered with a confused frown, the first inklings of concern beginning to shift in his stomach uncomfortably. The refectory, that must be where he had gone, the conscientious youngster probably remembered that they would need filled water-skins for the journey and would likely have gone to see to the task, dutiful and helpful to the last, maybe even trying to sneak away some of the fresh juices or some of the honey-mead so that they could enjoy a beverage more pleasant that water on the return trip. By the time he arrived at the building Grimthain was already imagining the scene that would greet him in the kitchens; a nervous and apologetic Éomund likely being dressed down by the stern military staff for taking provisions without permission. He subdued a smile and adopted a mock-stern look, prepared to rescuing the youngster from the over-keen disciplinarian of the head chef with promises of 'seeing him properly punished' before gently ribbing Éomund for his lack of foresight as soon as they had extricated themselves.

But as he rounded the doorway to the kitchens, there was no disgruntled cook or distracted servers; the staff were well under way clearing up the remnants of breakfast, the kitchens busy with the methodic activities of the well-trained team without any sign of a disturbing presence. The head chef - a well-muscled woman that looked as fierce with a rolling pin as she would with a sword, turned to him in surprise at his entry. "Can we help you, Æthelwigend?" she enquired politely, while clearly trying not to appear frustrated at the unexpected interruption of their busy schedule.

"I... er... has my ward been down here since breakfast?" he asked politely, still glancing around the kitchen in hopes that he might spot Éomund there.

"No sir, we haven't seen him since he left with you after his hearty third portion of scrambled eggs; that boy certainly appreciates my cooking, and always so courteous! Its been a pleasure serving him; he leaves today, doesn't he?" Grimthain nodded distractedly to the kitchen-worker's question as he peered out of the hatch towards the dining hall, still frowning in annoyance that the young lad was not there. "Here, I made up a parcel for you both for the road." The cook said, surprising Grimthain momentarily out of his reverie, waving away his sputtered thanks. " We had some bread left from breakfast that is best eaten fresh, and the lad will appreciate it more than the pigs." she offered by way of a poor excuse as she handed Grimthain a small satchel that weighed heavy with more than simply bread, before bustling the soldier back out of the door before he could protest. "Now if you would be so kind, we still have a lot of washing and preparation to do before lunch; the commander on duty requested filleted fish and we had planned for venison broth, so we have our work cut out for us here. Safe journey on the road and we'll see you in a few days..." she offered pleasantly to the somewhat stupefied Grimthain, before adding a touch disparagingly "...if you can manage to avoid the night-shifts long enough to enjoy our fresh fare again."

He respectfully removed himself from the busy refectory and back into the open courtyard of the military barracks, standing mutely with the heavy satchel held in one hand as he pondered this unexpected turn of events. She was surprisingly pleasant, he thought to himself; not at all like the blunt, almost aggressive taskmaster the wigends so often complained of. He didn't normally frequent the refectory during busy meal times, preferring to eat alone if possible, and often his food was reheated or cold because he would more often than not volunteer for the less popular graveyard shifts and long patrols. He'd changed to more healthy behaviours for Éomund's visit, wanting to give the lad the chance to enjoy the busy activity and fine food in the room that was the heart of the cavalry (as the old adage said, an army marches on its stomach) and keen to gratify the boy's obvious delight in the generous fare laid on for each meal. He'd always thought the head-chef was too busy and stern a woman to pay heed to an unappreciative, unsociable and mostly-absent veteran like him among all the busy goings on at the keep, but she seemingly appreciated the positive benefit Éomund's presence had on the otherwise reticent and withdrawn soldier. Now that he thought about it, she had been keen to ensure the staff kept his plate refilled and glass brimming at every meal; was she concerned he did not eat enough? That he was not looking after himself? Was she trying to suggest he was neglecting his duties of self-care when Éomund was not here? He did not for a moment consider the possibility that maybe the cook simply liked him as a person, and only wanted to make him feel welcome and comfortable in her domain.

He shook himself out of his pensive thinking and recalled himself to the mystery of where Éomund had gone. If he wasn't in his room, or the privy, or the refectory, then he would surely be at the stables, Grimthain told himself, trying to fill himself with assurance that it was so even as that mild nagging worry increased its attempts to wrest his attention with even greater persistence. He should collect the bags from their rooms, so we can head straight out if Éomund is indeed there, he thought, but even so he marched at a brisk pace straight for the stables all the same, his doubt niggling that he had left there only a short time before and had not passed Éomund on his way, such that it was highly doubtful the lad had reached the stalls during his brief absence.

Just as his growing dread had fore-ordained, Éomund was not there either, and now Grimthain was starting to get really worried. He deposited the satchel of supplies from the chef by the stall holding Norman and quickly exited the stables, popping his head into the store room, the tack room, even jogging over to the manure heap in the unlikely possibility Éomund had decided to offer help around the stables or borrow a hoof-pick for the journey or give the horses one last brush down before the road. "Have you seen Éomund, my ward?" He asked bluntly of the stable-hands he surprised there, and they shook their heads hurriedly before his gaze made stern by concern, and were mildly surprised but relieved when he disappeared promptly after their gestures and before any of them had thought to add a more appropriate 'No sir'.

Grimthain half-ran back to Éomund's room; to call it a march or a fast-paced walk would have been doing an injustice to the art of speed-walkers all across Middle Earth. His decision to head there was not a logical or tactical one by any means, but more the actions of a man who was starting to panic. "Éomund?!" he shouted before he had reached the door, hoping beyond all reasonable logic that the boy would be within, that he might be surprised at the energy and anxiety of his warden's arrival and make Grimthain feel a fool for worrying. But the room was as empty as it had been earlier, except that perhaps this time the emptiness loomed with a terrible foreboding that filled Grimthain with dread at the absence of presence within it.

The phrase 'turn the place upside down' is insufficient to describe the level of activity and urgency that was precipitated by Grimthain's acute panic. He was not a loud man by nature, or a forceful one, but in many ways his quiet, self-assured nature and calm approach to even the most distasteful or dangerous of obstacles meant that when he used a commanding tone it meant something, and on this occasion the power behind the words was made all the more aggressive by the man's growing terror. The soldiers he served with leapt to with such enthusiastic and punctual activity that an unknowing observer might have thought the flurry of activity in the barracks heralded the approach of an amassed enemy army and not the un-threatening challenge of a missing youngster. Not a single person - not even one of those who outranked him - was spared the duty, and not one of them had the nerve to question whether it was appropriate for the Æthelwigend to assign all available cavalry soldiers towards the search; one look at his thunderously determined expression was enough to make even the most foolhardy soldier keep their mouth firmly closed. Thus, fuelled by terror at what possible repercussions they might face in the event that Éomund was *not* found, by the time a pair of dryhtgumas unearthed the youngster from his hiding place in the Infirmary they had little patience for hearing the boy's apologies or excuses and bodily hauled him before Grimthain (who was in the process of searching the cells of the stockade for the second time over). They presented him much in the manner of wolves delivering a sheep before the dragon in hopes that they will be spared from being eaten themselves.

Grimthain's years of insightfully reading the mannerisms and body-language of card-players across the table meant that he had only to consider the boy's expression and reflexive attitude for a moment to realise exactly what the lad had done, and why. Panic and relief at finding Éomund safe, well and obviously unharmed shifted uncomfortably, and fuelled by the adrenaline still coursing through his veins that was compounded with the knowledge that his terror had been uncalled for, cemented itself into ice-cold but heat-intense-glowing anger. "Dismissed. See that we are not undisturbed." he said to the dryhts through pursed lips without moving his gaze from Éomund for an instant. The soldiers, eager for any excuse to be anywhere near Éomund right then, scurried hastily out of the otherwise empty cell, more than happy to spread the word that the boy had been found but to stay well clear of Grimthain if you valued your head's tidy connection to your shoulders. Even the normally quite rude and outspoken prisoner in the neighbouring cell, one who had already endured an unexpectedly passionate and harsh interrogation from the frustrated Æthelwigend, recoiled away at the sinisterly neutral tone of Grimthain's voice and decided he would endeavour to make himself as similar to a pile of dirty, unthinking and definitely unhearing pile of rags as he could for the foreseeable future.

For a few moments, Grimthain said nothing. He simply closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. Then another. Inside his head, he forced himself to count slowly to ten as the flurry of thoughts and emotions continued to rage through him. His earlier idea to express his true feelings to Éomund had been shattered and crushed under an even more powerful sense of duty to keep the boy safe. Although the lad had only been missing a short time, it had all the same been long enough for Grimthain's mind to imagine a hundred and one colourful and terrible ways that he might have come to harm or been fatally injured, and the visions of these imaginings were still echoing in his head. The veteran's resolve shifted and settled with iron firmness into a determination to protect Éomund from foolishly putting himself at risk like this again, especially if it was because of him.

Grimthain opened his eyes and regarded Éomund, nostrils flaring a moment as he took another breath, and for a moment all he could do was shake his head as his expression became one of profound disappointment. The angry words that clamoured to be heard slowly faded, and a new melancholy sadness shifted slowly in to take their place. In the deep recesses of his mind, Grimthain made the monumentally flawed conclusion then that the friendship that had been growing between the two of them was too risky; that it clearly had unexpected repercussions, some of which were not safe for Éomund, or Leigh for that matter. His dark, martyrous mind decided that if the boy were less fond of Grimthain, then he would never have tried something so reckless, and if Grimthain did not make it absolutely clear that such behaviour would not be tolerated, the next time the lad tried something this foolhardy, things could end much more dangerously. This time it was hiding in a military barracks, where he might easily have been mistaken for an intruder or assassin and attacked before the truth was discovered; far too great a risk of harm for Grimthain's liking as it was. But what if next time the lad decided to hide outside the keep, and was caught up by child-snatchers or bandits or worse? Even more terrifying was the notion that he might instead decide to run away from home in an attempt to return to Grimthain when the man would not even know to expect him, when Éomund would be vulnerable to all the very real dangers found on the open plains with no hope of a prompt or timely rescue.

Grimthain's traitorous mind concluded then that he had been thinking selfishly when he had opted to express his paternal love to the boy - he convinced himself he had been thinking only of his own personal desires and not on the potential turmoil of how that might influence and unsettle the arrangement of custody that he had tentatively reached with Leigh all those years ago. Éomund needed to stay with Leigh until he was older, he had forced himself to believe it then and he re-iterated it to himself now; the barracks were fine for a week or two, but he knew very well from experience that they were a poor home for a young boy growing up without his real parents. The boy needs his mother more than he needs a has-been soldier he barely knows, he heard Leigh's words echoing from his memory and planting themselves in his mind again. And his mother needs him, he added to them with an honest appraisal that kindled a new spark of guilt within him; the realisation that should his deepest, most secret and selfish desires ever come to fruition, it would be at the cost of the relationship between Éomund and his only remaining parent. No, he would not do that, to either the boy or his mother; he refused to be responsible for becoming the wedge between these last two remaining family members; Éodred would never have wished that. Grimthain did not belong with Éomund and Leigh - he thought as he settled into the self-deception and let it solidify - and therefore it was only logical that Éomund also did not belong with him.

He took another deep breath and forced his expression into the stern but neutral poker-face of a commander who has developed a particular skill at playing the role of stern taskmaster and strict disciplinarian, so well that other less authoritative and respected commanders (and some who simply didn't accept the responsibilities that came with command) had even gotten into a habit of assigning the unloved task of telling off the troops to this particular man; yet another reason he was so estranged from those comrades that might otherwise have been his friends. He only opened his mouth to speak when he trusted that his voice would remain steady and betray none of the turmoil of emotions that were still clamouring against being subdued. He would be harsh, he would be cruel, because he could not bare the thought of this bright, young lad risking himself again for the sake of a man not worthy of being called his foster-father.

"Today, you have attempted to shirk your duties and your responsibilities, and by pursuing selfish intentions you have put the safety and well-being of everyone within this keep and the region that it protects at risk. Much as I will endeavour to quash the gossip, I have warned you before that rumours and hearsay spread like wildfire in intimate ranks like those that are stationed in this Keep. I suspect soon enough the entire Éored will learn what you have done and why, and likely word will spread beyond the ranks also, and it will be my name and the name of your father that will be remembered in the context of your actions today, not yours. Furthermore, it will be my responsibility to report to the Marshals the reasons why the morning's planned activities - that should have been focussed towards training and defence - were interrupted and wasted on searching for a selfish and foolhardy young boy." He paused to take a breath, realising that some of the guilt in that regard lay rightly with himself for not remaining calm and for employing all the soldiers for his search, and should not wholly be placed at the boy's feet. "As a result of your behaviour, I have humiliated myself, and I will now have to face the consequences of that both professionally and personally."

He shook his head to halt any response the boy might offer, and braced himself for the hateful words he would force himself to say. "Today you have betrayed the legacy of your father, you have betrayed your duty to your mother, and you have betrayed me. You will finish packing for the road and will leave this place without saying a word; I don't want your excuses or apologies, no matter how much you may mean them. I want only for you to consider what has happened here today and learn from it. If you are truly the son of Éodred, hero of Sceornbeorg, then I expect you to think on what exactly that means to you and to other people, and whether or not you intend to live up to his memory or make another path for yourself in this world. Because when you run away from your responsibilities, you run away from the memory of service, honour and duty that your father died for, and I want you to be absolutely certain in your resolve to dismiss such an inheritance before you choose such a path."

He lifted a hand in dismissal of the boy, and turned his back to stare into the empty corner of the prison cell, unable to maintain the stoic, calm expression any longer and wishing to hide from the boy the tear that ran silently down his cheek. As the lad quietly went to leave, without turning Grimthain forced the bitter words he would hate himself for uttering for many years to come past his clenched teeth. "You don't belong here, Éomund, and you don't belong with me. Not until you have decided what kind of a man you will become. Only you can shape your future, so think carefully before you commit to it. Now go; I will join you in the stables shortly." he finished hastily before his voice broke and betrayed him, his heart cracking as the lad dutifully went on his way.

In many ways, it was a defining moment for both of them, for in the mistaken belief of his shame and humiliation when he returned to the Keep after escorting Éomund home to his mother, Grimthain remembered not the chef's invitation or the kind camaraderie that many had offered to him during Éomund's visit, and sought no comfort from his comrades but instead withdrew even further from them. The promptness of the pair's departure from the Keep in the wake of Grimthain's now legendary anger (the tale offered by the frightened dryhts had grown exceptionally grander when the uncharacteristically alarmed prisoner had added their embellishment to the tale) had enabled ridiculous rumours of Grimthain murdering the lad and disposing of his body to fester and grow; all built from absurdity of course, but unfortunately just a little too believable for even the most steady-minded and loyalist soldier to not begin to re-consider the shaggy-haired, raggy-bearded exceptionally private veteran and ponder if he were secretly hiding his more sinister traits. Grimthain's increased self-absorption after his return only fuelled the furphy and kept him ignorant of the tales that began to spread about him. He was subconsciously aware that those unfamiliar with him shied away from him when they passed, or co-incidentally opted to take other less efficient routes that did not get too close to him, and he was observant enough to notice that people glanced side-ways at him when they thought he wasn't looking; even the prisoners in the stockade adopted more cordial, respectful tones when in his presence, and watched him warily. However in his mind he associated this with a loss of reputation and the blanket of shame he now carried with him like a shield, the same shield that made him blind to the some sensible attitudes of his immediate comrades and superiors and kindly souls like the chef who recognised only that this lost, sorry man had made a few mistakes in his decisions and actions, but was otherwise the innocent victim or poor luck and insensitive rumour-mongering.

Thus, it was in the wake of this unresolved discomfort and distrust permeating the Westmark ranks that Grimthain volunteered to lead the wide-watches - the small units that patrolled the more remote areas of the Westfolde - and thus his fate shifted onto a new road; the path that would soon after lead him on a futile pursuit of child-snatchers, concluding in the traumatic loss of the children taken from Sigrid's village, his subsequent trauma-motivated withdrawal from the patrol duties to the position of Watch-master. This change in position would many years later culminate in his interaction with Allacan and the death of Cuthbert, precipitating his transfer to Meduseld Éored and the fresh start and beginnings of a brighter future that he by that time so desperately deserved.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Character Name: Éomund
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt: Advanced 5 What is the most stupid or foolish thing your character has ever done? What were the repercussions?

Part 1
Part 2

Well, this ended up being a little more traumatic than I thought. Thanks for your help @Allacan ob Burzum!

Éomund didn’t know how long he had been curled up under the bed, but he eventually found himself dragged out by the heel from his hiding place, not by Grimthain as he had expected, but by two disgruntled dryhtgumas. Without so much as a word, and completely ignoring his attempts to explain his desire to stay at the keep, they hauled him to his feet and frog-marched him to the lower level of the keep, a place he had never been in. But Éomund knew what was down here - the cells. HIs eyes opened wide in horror as they entered. Was he about to get thrown into the stockade? He desperately tried to calm his rapid breathing while a multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind. All he wanted to do was stay here at Helms Deep with his uncle, not get thrown into prison! Was hiding in the keep a crime? He was only ten! He couldn’t help a whimper of fear as he and the two dryhtgumas (my they were tall!) passed through the gate.

There was no time for questions though as he was quickly shoved into one of the cells where Grimthain stood. The older man looked both extremely worried and furious. Éomund stumbled for a moment upon the sudden stop, but managed to get his footing. He chanced a glance up at his uncle, though did not dare to look him in the eyes, and he swore that at the moment Grimthain was capable of breathing fire. He quickly looked away.

Éomund stood there, hanging his head as he suddenly realised he had disappointed and frightened his uncle, neither of which he had meant to do. He bit his lip, trying to figure out how to explain what had just happened. Grimthain always understood him; he was the only person who did. Surely this was all a big misunderstanding and everything that had just happened would be quickly brushed aside. Grimthian would give him a hug and tell him everything was alright.

But that was not to be. The tone with which his uncle spoke to dismiss the dryhts terrified him and his whole body trembled. He had never encountered the harsh side of his uncle before, though he had heard tales of it. For the moment, he was thankful the words were not directed at him, but once the two soldiers left, he was alone in the cell with his uncle. For the first time in his short life, Éomund was genuinely terrified of the older man. He shivered, not from cold, but from the fear of what might happen next. He was becoming aware that his brilliant idea to hide in order to stay might have been a stupid one. He looked up and was prepared to argue his defence, but the cold look from his uncle was enough to stifle any words that may have been on the tip of his tongue.

The silence that filled the room was horrid and the only thing Éomund could hear was the sound of his and Grimthain’s breath. Then Grimthain began to speak in an even and emotionless tone. The words he heard crushed Éomund in the depths of his soul. As tears began to leak out of his eyes, his head hung lower and lower in shame. He hadn’t meant to be selfish! Yes, Grimthain had told him to prepare to head back to Sceornbeorg and he hadn’t listened, but was that being selfish? He just wanted to be happy for once. And now he had gotten Grimthain in trouble! Everyone in the keep now knew he was a stupid kid. This was the only place he had truly felt at home in and now that feeling was gone. Everyone would hate him now. He had utterly ruined this wonderful visit. He wished that Grimthain would simply yell, and scream, and call him names. It would be over faster that way and he would be able to understand his uncle. But this cold and even tone of voice was completely unnerving.

He took a deep breath, looked up, and opened his mouth to say something, to try and apologise and explain, but Grimthain gave a curt shake of his head, and Éomund snapped his jaw shut again. He was a man and would have to take his punishment as one.

If Éomund thought the first words of reprimand were harsh, they were nothing compared to what he heard next. He had betrayed Grimthain, his father, and his mother. He had heard so much about the wonderful man his father had been and now he had utterly failed him, by being a stupid, selfish boy. He sniffled, trying not to let his uncle see his tears of shame. He hadn’t listened and it had made everyone in the fortress have a bad day. And now his father, a hero! would only be known as the father of the stupid, selfish orphan. Grimthain too would be known as the caretaker for the same stupid boy.

The older man raised a hand in dismal and slowly turned around. For a moment, Éomund stood completely still. A small part of him wanted to fall down at Grimthain’s feet, to cry, to beg forgiveness from his uncle, but another nagging part of his brain told him that is only what a stupid boy would do. A man wouldn’t do such a thing.

He turned and slowly began to leave he stockade. As he exited the cell, he heard Grimthain’s final words - he didn’t belong at the keep: he didn’t belong with Grimthain. In his mind, those words carried such weight: he didn’t belong, he was useless, he was a stupid orphan from a nearly forgotten village. He didn’t deserve to be his father’s son. He didn’t hear Grimthain’s following sentence: the challenge of needing to shape his future. If he had heard those words, he might have left the stockade with some resemblance of confidence still in him. As it was, he left Helms Deep that day with his self-esteem shattered by the one person in the world he thought he could trust.

“I hate you,” he muttered under his breath as he exited, desperately wanting to mean the words, but there was no power behind them. He was too exhausted and internally downtrodden to do so.

During the long walk back to the barracks, the threatened tears finally fell in full force. Grimthain hated him, his father probably hated him, and who knew what his mother would think. But Éomund hated himself most of all. He was nothing but a stupid, foolish, selfish, reckless, half-orphan boy. He punched his fist into his hand as he clenched his teeth. Well, if the world hated him, he would prove that he wasn’t worth hating. How he would do this, he wasn’t sure. He might be stupid, reckless, and selfish, but somehow, someday, he would prove that he wasn’t.

His hands found their way to the necklace that he always wore: the only physical thing he owned that had belonged to his father. He fingered the medallion, wondering if he was even worthy to wear such a thing around his neck. His father was a hero; he was a stupid, selfish orphan. They couldn’t be more different. His father didn’t deserve to have him as a son. Éomund gripped the medallion and stiffened his arm in preparation to rip the necklace from his neck and throw it away, but something stopped him.

No, he wouldn’t throw the necklace away. He would keep it to remind himself of how unworthy and useless he was. He tried to swallow the lump that was growing in his throat. He needed to prove to Grimthain and to his father that he wasn’t stupid and foolish. If he could do so, perhaps one day they would no longer think of him as a stupid orphan. Perhaps one day Grimthain would be able to look at him with love again.

He was completely ashamed with how he had acted. And now because of his actions, he had pushed away the one person he trusted and admired most in the world. His one goal in life now was to earn that person back, and with it, hopefully, the respect of his dead father. This was something he would have to do on his own. He wouldn’t tell his mother of his shame (and hoped that Grimthain wouldn’t either). He had long thought of joining the Cavalry, but now had no idea if such a desire was possible. They didn’t accept stupid boys. Yet another reason to try and prove that he wasn’t, but how? Grimthian himself had said it. He was useless; he didn’t belong. Maybe, just maybe, he could one day prove that he wasn’t stupid and useless and then he could join the Cavalry. And then Grimthian would be able to accept him once again.

Arriving in the barrack that he had slept in, Éomund saw the packed saddlebag. He ripped it open and saw to his horror, just how neatly Grimthain had finished packing it. It must have happened while he was hiding under the bed. Besides the threadbare clothes, there were several random objects that anybody else would have tossed without a second thought, but Grimthain had packed them. Éomund lifted out the bits of stone, wood, and fur. They all represented happy memories of this trip: perhaps the last happy memories he would ever have. Without a second thought, he stuffed them back into the saddlebag and flung the bag onto his shoulder.

He marched down to the stables and quickly finished saddling the horse he was to ride back to Sceornbeorg. They wouldn’t be getting back until late and that was all his fault. The ride back to Sceornbeorg was awful and silent except for the sound of hooves and the necessary word. He swore he could feel the disgust radiating off of Grimthain. Time and time again, he tried to open his mouth to apologise, but his throat was too dry and no matter how much water he drank, he couldn’t work up the courage to speak. Grimthain dropped him off in front of his house and left with only the briefest of a farewell. Éomund slipped into the house, thankful that his mother wasn't there at the moment and collapsed onto his bed. The cat crawled up next to him and he squeezed it against his chest. And once again the tears fell. Éomund cried for the sheer hopelessness of his situation and his belief that he would be forever remembered as the stupid orphan. He cried for the loss of friendship, for the disappointment he knew he had caused, and for the fact that Grimthain thought him useless. When his tears were spent, Éomund slowly pulled himself into a seated position. Whatever happened next, and no matter how stupid and useless he truly was, he was not going to let anyone ever think that of him again.

---

Ok, time for repercussions.

Even now, eight years later, Éomund is still wrestling with the consequences of his foolish decision.

His relationship with Grimthain was severely damaged, though not irreparable. But despite all that had happened, Grimthain continued to be present in Éomund’s life, but perhaps a bit more distantly. Gone were the late night conversations about Éodred and instead their conversations (when they had them) were focused on Éomund’s lessons. It took several years before Éomund began to be able to trust his uncle again, but even then he would never admit his innermost thoughts and feelings as he still feared remnants of his uncle’s disgust. After seeing his uncle’s breakdown in the Throne Room and hearing his worries of failure, Éomund quickly realised that Grimthain had never hated him and that the moment of stern discipline had come from love and not disgust. That realisation prompted him to assure his uncle that he had never failed him, even though for years he had believed that to be the case. Hopefully now they are both in a place where they can apologise to each other for their actions at this time and find a way to move on and acknowledge the father/son relationship they have always had but been unable to voice.

Éomund became obsessed (perhaps too obsessed) with wanting to live up to his dad’s memory and to make him proud. He still wants to make his father proud and become the man his father believed he would become, but he is also learning to acknowledge that he and his father are different people.

Éomund already struggled with self-esteem, but an unintended consequence of Grimthain’s statement of “you don’t belong here” was that Éomund lost the little he had. Throughout the rest of his childhood, he was insecure, constantly worried that he would disappoint others, and berated himself to the extreme for the slightest of failings. He is slowly learning to overcome these feelings, but it is an uphill battle with eight years of insecurity to defeat. He is finally learning to accept himself despite his faults, which will hopefully help him in defeating this beast.

He learned just how far reaching a single action might be. Ever since, he has been very hesitant, perhaps sometimes too hesitant as he doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, including himself with his choices.

Éomund’s lack of self-esteem and the strong desire to prove that he is not useless are constantly at war with each other. He is quick to think the worst of himself while at the same time tries to do what is expected of him. He is not one to shirk duty and considers it to be a cowardly act.

---

(Also this little escapade has made me even more certain that Éomund is a 6 on the Enneagram and is hopefully on his way to becoming healthy)

[Windowcel]

Turns out 16-year-old me took what she thought was an easy route and made a character based nearly entirely on herself (with some upgrades). I'm not the person 16-year-old me thought I was going to be, shocking I know. I was hoping to find all of my old posts and build a composite but I can't come up with much so instead I'm here to work out the details again. I have a few other characters I might bring here once I get Windy rolling again.

Basic Track Character Beginning Questionnaire:
Name: Windhladen Bealdian Alarion
Race: Rohir
Age: 28
Appearance:
Slightly above average height, broad-shouldered and muscular. Dark blonde hair, usually sun-bleached, with grey eyes that she would love to describe as ‘piercing’ but are probably more accurately ‘judging’. Her hands carry some light scars from carelessness and heavy calluses from hard work. She has an aggressively simplified compass rose tattoo behind her left ear (probably others but we'll stick with the obvious things).
Sex/Gender/Pronouns: Female, she/her/hers
Where do they live? Is it different from where they were born?
Windy currently resides in Edoras, serving in the Cavalry. She grew up in the Westfold, where her parents had a sustainable homestead and her father raised and trained horses; she still has a home there, but although she has tried several times she doesn’t seem to have the temperament to stay there.
Do they have any living family members or close friends?
A biological brother named Shiloh who she only sees every few years, and her found family - Pele and Isolde Alarion.
If not, how long has it been since they died? Her parents died about 8 years ago.
What does this character do to survive (occupation and/or lifestyle)? How do they feel about it?
Windy grew up believing that she would be content to live on the farm forever, caring for the land as the land cared for her, but something changed; was it growing up? Was it losing her family? She serves in the Cavalry and keeps herself light and mobile, ready for the next adventure. Originally, she joined the cavalry with a plan to develop her fighting skills to help her family, combined with a sense of obligation to protect her homeland. Now in many ways it is simply the best option she has, giving her some of the activity and variation she needs to take the edge off her wanderlust.
What is their favorite way to relax? How often do they get to indulge in this?
Abstract painting, the swirl of bright colors trying to take shape. She’s not particularly good at it and supplies are hard to come by, so she is only able to play at painting every few months. Her much less expensive hobby is singing with groups, which is normally achievable by hanging out at the tavern and waiting for someone else to start.
What is the best thing that has ever happened to them?
Windy ran away from home at the age of 16 and joined up with a group of adventurers. She hardly remembers the details of the adventure anymore, besides the best stories that are retold and embellished every so often, but among that group she discovered something incredibly valuable - a found family. As her own family has faded away over the years, the sisters she adopted are the most important thing in the world to her, even though they are usually apart.
What is the worst thing that has ever happened to them?
The way her brother changed after his absence, and their relationship changed to estrangement.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

Character Name: Éomund (and Grimthain)
Track: Basic/Advanced
Prompt: Advanced 5 What is the most stupid or foolish thing your character has ever done? What were the repercussions?

Part 1
Part 2

Part 3

And finally, Part 4:-

The ride home had been quiet and awkward for them both; Grimthain could tell Éomund had been crying, and he wanted to say or do something to make it better but he had no idea what, and was afraid that if he opened his mouth and said the wrong words, that he would only make things worse. He was already afraid that he had broken the easy relationship beyond repair, and he had no desire to damage it even more. Additionally, at the same time he was also still a little annoyed and upset and disappointed in Éomund, and resolute that he needed the boy to understand his place and starting behaving responsibly, and he was no more informed as to how to explain that lesson than he had been in the heat of his emotions. He was fearful that if he gave those emotions a fresh platform to express themselves, that even if his intention was to help Éomund understand the lesson to be learned, it would simply turn into another angry lecture that would only alienate the boy even more. Grimthain knew he had done something wrong, but he wasn't exactly sure what, so he didn't know where to start to rectify this. Éodred would have known what to do, he thought to himself miserably, but they Éodred would likely have never gotten into this mess in the first place.

Thus it was that neither of them spoke on the matter again, and they reached the farmstead with only a handful of words passed between them. Even Leigh seemed to recognise a different type of melancholy hanging over the pair when they reached Éomund's home, though she didn't comment on it, and Grimthain had no intention of volunteering anything on the subject. Éomund could tell her, if he chose to, but he would allow the boy the discretion to keep it between them if they wished. Still, his heart lay heavy when he rode away from the little farm again - for the first time ever the parting had been awkward and mute somehow, his mind still desperately trying to figure out how he could possibly make things right again, and determined to find a way to do so before too much time had passed.

His intentions to contact Éomund as soon as possible were somewhat sidelined when a patrol of riders waylaid him only halfway back to the keep, providing him with a fresh horse and carrying orders for him to take command of the group and lead them in pursue a group of bandits fleeing to the East. The criminals had apparently sacked a village deeper into the Westfold and kidnapped a number of children. The next few days were a frantic chase with little rest and no real time to ponder his issues. The pursuit had ultimately been futile, and the outcome something that shook Grimthain to his core and left him a scarred and broken man.

He escorted the bodies of the fifteen youngsters back to the Westfold, though he himself was barely able to function, let alone command. He intended to return them to their home village for burial with their family, but then as they neared Helm's Deep, a cavalry patrol dispatched to meet them on their return informed him that the original village these children had come from had no survivors, no-one left to mourn or bury the dead, which incapacitated him further. He was relieved of duty, but his final command before being ordered to stand down was for the soldiers to bury the children near Sceornbeorg so that he and others could ensure their mounds were tended with respect. He was escorted back to Helm's Deep a mess of a man, haunted by the sights he had witnessed and his own imagined shortcomings, sick of heart and mind and struggling to find the will to go on. It was only his sense of duty to Leigh and Éomund that kept him from giving in all together, but it was a near thing. Struggling to find the will to do anything but lie in his bed staring into nothingness, it was eventually the memory of Éomund's laughter juxtaposed by his grief that day he had hidden away that finally roused Grimthain from his stupor. He could not rescue the fifteen lost youngsters that had died on his watch, but he could at least attempt to make things right with his sword-brother-son.

He dragged his stinking, wretched body from the stained, crumb-ridden nest of his bed, dug out a clean sheet of parchment and some old ink, and put quill to papers.


Dear Éomund,

I am sorry that I have not written sooner. I wanted to get in touch with you shortly after we parted to try and make things right between us, but I was summoned for an urgent mission before I even made it home, and the mission went badly. Very badly.

I just wanted to say that I am sorry, so very sorry, that I was so harsh on you on your last day here in Helm's Deep. That I never meant to hurt you so badly. I was frightened, nay, terrified that something awful had happened to you when you couldn't be found, and if something had happened to you on my watch then I don't know if I would have been able to forgive myself. And if Leigh had learned something happened to you while you were with me, she certainly wouldn't forgive me. And even if you had been well, if she ever decided you spending time with me was putting you at serious risk, I would likely never be able to see you again, or at the least would never be able to go away on holiday with you again.

I care. I really care about you Éomund, and your mother. I know I never really show it and I don't know how to say it, or how to bring it up, and all the words just somehow seem wrong and foolish and silly. But I wouldn't have been so frantic and panicked and disappointed if I didn't care. That's why I was angry and upset. You mean a lot to me, and our time together is precious and something I dearly look forward to. And I was scared I would lose that. Lose you. I still am, a little, if I'm completely honest with you.

But I also shouldn't have been so hard on you. You are still a young boy, and soon you will be a man. But just like the rest of us, you need to feel safe to make mistakes now and then. Its the only way to learn, in my experience.

That's something that is a valuable lesson to learn; people aren't perfect. Not your mother, not I, not even Kings and Marshals and heroes in tales. We all make mistakes, so many mistakes sometimes, and sometimes the mistakes we make are big ones, that cost us our friendships, or others their lives. I make a lot of mistakes, Éomund, and I'm not a very good teacher or warden. I know you look up to me, I'm not sure that you should, but I try and do you proud and to be a good influence on you, and try do things that would make Éodred happy; things he would have done with you if he were here. I try to support you and help you learn the things I wish I had known at your age. But I never really had parents of my own, and I don't have children, so I don't really know how to do this, and I don't really have anyone I can ask for guidance. I'm trying to figure it out as I go along, but sometimes I get it wrong.

I meant some of what I said that day, but I'm not good with my words and I said it oh so very badly. What I was trying to say was that soon enough you will need to decide what kind of man you want to become, and which ideals you will love for. Your life is your own to live, and it isn't for me or your mother or anyone else to tell you how to live it. But I want you to also understand that there are repercussions to every decision that we make, especially as adults, and sometimes those repercussions are not good ones. Sometimes we need to consider the result of our actions before making hasty decisions. For example, if you had indeed stayed in the keep that day or run away from home, do you know how you would provide for yourself? How your mother would cope without you? I know your mother is a harsh woman, but she still looks after you and provides for you as best she can; do you know how you would survive without that support? And do you honestly want to strain that relationship with her by leaving her like that? And if something happened to me, on patrol or in a campaign, how would you provide for yourself then?

Its daunting, I know. I'm sorry to say it but adulthood is daunting, in many ways one of the good things about childhood is that other people make those decisions for you. They don't always make the right decisions, they are learning too, but sometimes they can see the repercussions better than you can, because they have experienced more. It doesn't mean they are always right or good people, but sometimes its more important -why- you are doing a thing than what you are doing.

I'm not making much sense, I know. I can never find the words to explain myself... perhaps with more experience I will be better at that. At talking about things. Don't take after me, don't be afraid of talking to the people you care about, don't avoid sharing your feelings until it is too late. Be braver than that, if you can. I know it isn't easy, but we can try to talk more in future about these sorts of things, if you want. The experiences I have had recently - the mission I went on after I was parted from you, that went so wrong - has made me realise that time is precious. Right now you are young, and may feel like you have all the time in the world - perhaps sometimes you feel you have too much time and wish things would speed up. But don't; don't wish your life away focussing only on the future. Soon enough you will be a man, and you will choose the path that is right for you; and it may be the path that your mother or your father or I would have chosen for you, or it may not. But either way is ok. I know your mother would rather you become a farmer, and that lifestyle certainly has its benefits. What I would prefer... is for you to decide for yourself. But whatever you do, you would honour your mother and your father and me best if you did whatever you set your life to with courage and integrity, determination and honesty, not through fear or deceit. Now is the time to start deciding who you will become. You don't yet belong in the cavalry, any more than you belong on your mother's farm; not until you have really thought about the consequences of your decision and decided for yourself if that is who you wish to become. One day I hope we may share a home, or be neighbours, or have more of a chance to talk about anything and nothing. If you really cannot bear your mother's farm, I am here for you, if that is what you want. But next time, please, talk to me first. Don't hide from me or scare me again. And if you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me for my cruel and unnecessary words, I would really like to be friends with you again. But only if that is what you want.

I am running out of space on the paper, and this is my last sheet of parchment. So if I could make one small request of you and then I'll leave it there. There are a number of new mounds just outside Sceornbeorg; beside the road leading here, you'll likely have heard news of them as I suspect a number of cavalry people will have attended the services. If you could do me a favour and spare time to go visit them for me; lay a flower, say some words, or just visit them and see the Simbelmynë grow. There are fifteen children buried in those mounds, children who will never grow to make mistakes and learn from their experiences.

I will post this letter as soon as I can, in the hopes it reaches you soon enough that you haven't hardened your heart against me entirely, although I am a bit scared its already too late for that. When I get the chance to go shopping, I will also send ink and quills and parchments to you by another missive, so that you can reply. If you want to.

You are a good lad, Éomund, and I look forward to seeing what kind of a man you grow to become. And once again, I am sorry I am not as good a man as you deserve, but I will try to do better in future.

Yours faithfully,

Grimthain

[Lail]

@Taethowen - You know I did consider the candle thing! But I’m probably going to focus on the mead making more. Hopefully that’s where the $$ is although I’m guessing one would need a lot of honey for that and therefore a lot of colonies but I am not going to lose myself down that particular rabbit hole…!

I went on a bit of a blitz here but probably won't be keeping up soon so I wanted to get through a few. Thank you for your thought-provoking questions and helping revive an old character!

Character name: Lailyn
Track: Advanced
Prompt #7 - What moment in life did your character feel the most out of control and helpless? How did it end up shaping them? Did they grow, become stagnant, or regress?
I think she would have felt most helpless after her father died. Between grieving herself and watching her mother do the same, it would have been hard knowing there wasn’t much she could do to help. She knew the loss was different for her mother, that there would always be something missing for her, but she couldn’t really fully understand what it was like. She would have wanted to help but not really been able to.

Not long after this, her brother also left to join the Cavalry leaving just the two of them. Though it wasn’t easy for either of them to watch him leave, her and her mother grew closer and relied on each other a lot more. Lail would have grown up a lot during this time.

I think this shaped her by teaching her how to go on after something so devastating and is probably part of the reason why she is optimistic. Despite her grief, her mother was strong and had the attitude that you have to get on with life so I think Lailyn learned a lot of resilience from watching her and is still inspired by her memory.

Character name: Lailyn
Track: Advanced
#8 - If your character could go back in time to one moment in their life and change something, what moment would that be and what would they change?
This would be a toss up between enlisting in the Cavalry and what I’ve termed the Lake-town disaster but probably the latter.

I’m not sure she would actually change joining the Cavalry because she met and bonded with so many people who became like family. But she would probably take back meeting Davin, the married man from Lake-town, in a heartbeat if she could. Maybe from the moment they met just to erase it all.

I don’t think she sees anything good coming from this experience or any lesson to be learned. She might see that she should be less trusting but at the same time it makes her angry that this might have changed her or made her less open in the future. I think she’s at a point where she doesn’t want to give it the time of day but it’s still sort of there in the back of her mind (at least for now). This is her biggest and most recent regret for sure.

Character name: Lailyn
Track: Advanced
Prompt #9 - What has been the happiest moment in your character’s life so far? Are they capable of truly letting themselves be happy, or do they feel that moments of happiness/contentment are always quickly followed by something going drastically wrong? Why?
Without question, the happiest moments would have been her childhood when her whole family was still alive and together. Just all the little everyday moments that can be taken for granted. Meals together, working the farm, holidays, all those things that were never quite the same after her father died.

She is definitely capable of feeling truly happy and for the most part I doubt she feels those moments are followed by things going wrong. As an optimist I think she always thinks there’s something better around the corner if you just be patient. I think she has developed a way to appreciate the little things in life even when everything else feels like too much. This is because after everything she’s experienced, she knows the happy moments can slip away from you so fast so she tries to hold onto them while they are there before the next war/death/heartbreak/whatever. And inspired by her mother and her own experience in battle, she knows how fragile life is and wants to enjoy living it.

[Pele Alarion]

Character name: Shamara
Track: Advanced
Prompt #2: What is the most truly selfless thing your character has ever done? Was it a conscious choice or an instinctual reflex? Did other people recognize it as selfless? If it happened publicly, how did it make your character feel?

Since she has no real understanding of what selfishness is, Shamara has trouble with grasping the idea of selflessness. She considers it vain as it might endanger her well-being and thus seems very foolish. The closest she gets to selflessness, or at least denying her own desires is submission to those higher in hierarchy (though this would in a way serve her and keep her from being harmed), and obeying her brother, for her own benefit yet again. More likely than not no one would recognise any of Shamara's actions as selfless, and in all honesty she could not care less.

[Taethowen]

Basic Track, Prompt #11

What aspect of daily life does your character find most challenging?

Basically, what is their least favorite chore? Is there a reason why? What do they do to overcome it and get it done?


You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

Announcement: the Basic Track will be ending when we get to prompt #15, and from there anyone who wishes to continue should move to the Advanced Track.

[Taethowen]

Advanced Track, Prompt #11

Has your character ever truly lost control (rage, addiction, etc.) of themselves, and sabotaged some part of their own life?

What did that set of circumstances look like? If they were able to pull out of that spiral, what helped them to do so? If they haven’t experienced this, what is the closest they’ve come to doing so?


You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Taethowen]

@Windowcel Welcome, glad to have you here! If it's any consolation, I also made Taeth a pretty close copy of myself when I was 18 so. Yeah. Embarrassing at times now, lol.

To everyone: I'll get feedback/further questions to you all at some point this week. Just needed to take it easy for a while.

[Pele Alarion]

@Windowcel, @Taethowen... Are you saying that I should be embarrassed too? Pele still reflects quite a lot of me. *goes off to ponder on the next set of prompts*

[Pele Alarion]

Character name: Pele Alarion
Track: Basic
Prompt #3: What is your character's relationship like with their family? If their family is deceased/absent, who do they consider to be most like family, and why? If they have no one, is it by choice, and what was the catalyst behind that choice?

Pele's relationship with her family is quite close, she really treasures them and considers herself very lucky to grow up having a whole family unit without having lost anyone as a child. She was all but cherished by her parents, and besides that they also taught her quite a few things about healing, finding her way around forests and such. In relation to her two younger sisters Pele often felt as if she were their leader and in charge of them, though it did not prevent them from getting along quite well. However, upon her return from captivity in Umbar, she is attempting to distance herself so that she could protect her family from any revenge that might come her way, even though it hurts her to limit herself to sending only a few generalised words by letter (not so often and by trusty people only) instead of visiting the home herself.

Besides the proper family she has her adopted family with which strong ties were established during her first adventure abroad; and then there are Rangers which have also become a sort of family for her.

After the recent events, Pele struggles with being open with any of the closest people, afraid of both what they might think of her and fearing that she would bring trouble on them by associating with them; and yet her heart deeply years for friendship, and often she finds herself stuck between this need to have friends and the need to protect them from harm by staying away.

[Ercassie]

These are some very thought-provoking questions. Can I play ?

Basic Track Character Beginning Questionnaire:

Name: Addhor Raxëlilta

Race: Gondorian

Age: 42

Appearance: Dark hair that falls to his shoulder, brown eyes.

Sex/Gender/Pronouns: Male


Where do they live? Is it different from where they were born ?
Born in a small farm in Lossarnach, but his widowed mother moved with her sons to the city of Minas Tirith when Addhor was age three. Has lived in MT ever since.


Do they have any living family members or close friends ?
He has a twenty year old son, Unalmis, who has just recently moved out of home to join the Rangers. Addhor also has a best friend (since childhood), Narradir, who he now works with.


If not, how long has it been since they died ?
His father died when he was three, and his wife left after he was dismissed from the Rangers (15 years ago). His younger brother left home and has not returned (also 15 years ago), and most recently, his mother died during the upheaval of the War of the Ring (at least 5 years ago).


What does this character do to survive (occupation and/or lifestyle) ? How do they feel about it ?
He is now a carpenter, focusing on joinery and organising the business, while his business partner carries the more physically-bearing/large scale projects. They are both former Rangers, but after Narradir was kicked out for desertion and Addhor later suffered injuries which meant he could not return, they reunited and started over. Narradir has always said he is happier in this second vocation, but Addhor definitely misses the Ranger lifestyle.


What is their favourite way to relax ? How often do they get to indulge in this ?
He is never more relaxed than in the woods of ithilien, which he does not get to indulge as often these days as he would like. Although it was where he was injured/his comrades and friends were killed, he still feels more at home in the forest than he ever has in the city. He knew who he was there, and he is struggling to work that out in the city. In some way, he left a large part of himself there, and seems determined to roam there these days aimlessly, as though he might somehow find it.


What is the best thing that has ever happened to them ?
He was most happy when he became a father, and to a son no less, which pleased him even more. He can not remember his own father, and often overstepped as an elder brother trying to guide his sibling in the things he’d had no guidance in himself. He wanted to be the sort of male role model for his son that he didn’t personally have as a child, but it didn’t quite work out that way.


What is the worst thing that has ever happened to them ?
He was part of a Ranger patrol in Ithilien which was ambushed, and he was one out of only two survivors. Two of his friends were killed during this attack, and Addhor personally lost part of his leg when an Orc hewed it off at the knee and proceeded to try to beat him to death with it. Thankfully he can not remember any of the actual assault, due to a head injury, but the repercussions in every area of his life since have been hard to accept. His wife walked out on him and his infant son shortly afterwards, as she had been struggling already in a long-distance marriage with a small demanding child, even before Addhor came home and was initially dependent on her too.

What aspect of your character do you want to further explore ?
Addhor has always been a sort of secondary character, helping out my other more-used characters, ie mostly when I have RP'd as his son. But I have been trying to work him out for his own sake, as he struggles to work out who he is these days; so am I too wrestling with who that is.

[Taethowen]

@Dimcairien Luiniel

Advanced #5 - I hope that Éomund's journey into finding confidence in himself is going to a begin full-force now!

Advanced #9 - uuugh Éomund poor baby. Though the exact circumstances of my life have been nowhere near the same, I've had experiences that led to similar feelings and outlooks and wanting to be happy and allowing yourself to be happy are very much not the same thing.

@Lady of Shadow

You do not have to do all the questions for whatever characters you're using for the prompts, just fyi. Pick and choose what most apply to each one!

Basic #3 & #4 for Talina - Do you think Talina will ever pursue finding out what happened to her family, and/or trying to find any information about who they were? Out of curiosity, though, how old was she when her parents were taken? (I think you maybe mentioned before, but I can't recall right now.) It seems odd that she would have been old enough for her mother to give her a journal, but not old enough to remember much about her family.


@Pele Alarion

Advanced #2 for Pele - Selflessness can certainly lend itself to self-erasure as well, which seems to be what Pele is doing mostly. However, with this prompt, we're looking more for one particular incident than a lifestyle. Has there ever been a moment where, at Pele's own potential detriment or harm, she's put someone else first, without knowing what the outcome might be?

Basic #3 for Pele - Oh no Pele. Isolating yourself never works, not when you have bad guys after you! You've got to open up to someone!

Advanced #2 for Shamara - Has she never helped someone (or something) else without expecting anything in return? It's okay if she hasn't, but it's really rare for anyone to have never done something like this.


@Elaena Targaryen

Advanced #7/#8/#9 - It is wonderful that Lail had such a role model in her mother. And uuugh the Lake-town disaster. Poor Lail. That was so heartbreaking to read. I'm glad she doesn't regret the Cavalry (even if she might regret things she experienced in it), though.


@Someone else

Absolutely! Glad to have you! Addhor seems to have had a rough bit of life, but I can't wait to see how you flesh him out!

[Taethowen]

Basic Track, Prompt #12

What is one odd habit/quirk that your character has? Is there a reason for that habit or quirk?

This might be something as simple as biting their nails, playing with their hair, or something more odd like never eating an apple if it hasn’t been sliced first.

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

[Taethowen]

Advanced Track, Prompt #12

A12. What is one core idea your character believes to be inherently true about themselves, whether it’s actually true or not? What would it take to shake that core belief?

You may simply answer these questions, essay-ish style, or you are welcome to role-play it in a short scene, whichever helps you most.

Announcement: I have decided that the Advanced Track will be ending when we get to prompt #15 as well. At that point, I will start a new thread with all the prompts compiled into one post, and Character Dev will hopefully become mostly self-run.

[Ercassie]

Thank you @Sally. The main problem that I have with Addhor is that I have basically a list of life-changing milestones for him, but nothing of the smaller details, the day to day habits and preferences, so to speak. Which makes RPing him just going about his life a little hard, without simply referring back to his past. I anticipate that working through your clever questions may help me colour in between those lines.


Basic Track
Prompt #1 - What prompted your character to pursue their occupation ? What do they enjoy most about it ? What aspects of it do they dislike ?


Addhor’s chosen occupation was the Rangers, and a lot of the initial motive there was because he wanted to be a good role model for his younger brother. Their father had died during his tenure as a Ranger of ithilien, and Addhor didn’t want Domanol to grow up with a fear of taking up their ancestral duty in due turn. He went to prove that he would come back, so that his brother and mother would not worry, to prove that history would not repeat itself.

As it turned out Addhor got very deeply sucked in to a sense of national pride and the want to do his part and serve his country was a very satisfying feeling for him. He enjoyed the hands on approach of being a Ranger as opposed to being a regular soldier, because it involved learning what had kept his forefathers alive, in the days before they had settled cities and relative safety. He didn’t want to be a killer. He wanted to learn how to survive beyond the dangers of a fight.

One of his greatest interests in the forest was the work of trapping. The mechanics of constructing something out of the natural resources of the world which did not disturb the aesthetics of the environment were especially alluring. It felt like being a part of the world, rather than a man who lived behind high walls, afraid of the wild. The necessity of being away from home for months at a time was probably the least appealing part of the job, as it was hard for him to miss his younger brother, and inevitably this frequent absence was also a huge factor in the breakdown of Addhor’s marriage.

Afterwards, when his injury meant that he was no longer able to keep up with the Rangers, he fell (after a long period of despair and aimlessness) into carpentry. It was a combination of convenient factors which led him into this unplanned career. He was looking for a new start and his mother had been housekeeper for a mortician in the city, so her employer had the contacts to finance a woodworkers apprenticeship, to build coffins. Also Addhor’s best friend Narradir was working as a forester, harvesting the timber out of Ithilien in particular. Narradir had spoken to Addhor at great length of the advantages of the vocation, and it’s association to the forest they both loved. Addhor realised that he could put his experience of woodwork and local resources to use, aid in the cultivation and preservation measures for Ithilien, as well as branch out further into a useful skill albeit based in the city.

He enjoys in particular the finer precision of the trade, and has furthered a distinct interest in joinery. The careful shaping of wood so that it pieces perfectly together and safely supports a potentially colossal structure is something that provides him a most satisfying challenge. After his mother died, the family farm in Lossarnach was sold to an old friend, Beren Camlost, so that Addhor and Narradir could finance the establishing of their own business in Minas Tirith. The hardest part of this career now is the dealing with customers, as Addhor is not exactly a natural salesman and would far rather be left alone to work away quietly and leave Narradir to do all the talking for him. Unfortunately Narradir, for all his charisma, does not have a good head for business, so they struggle by and hope that it will become more easy with practice.

[Fuin Elda]

Basic Track Character Beginning Questionnaire:
Name: Afarfin
Race: Elf (Noldor)
Age: 124 (He is a reborn soul)
Appearance: Tall and strongly built with a strong jaw and pale hair and dark grey eyes
Sex/Gender/Pronouns: Male/He/Him

Where do they live? Is it different from where they were born? They currently live and were born in Lothlorien, in their first life they were born in Aman.

Do they have any living family members or close friends? Yes their mother and father are both still alive and well and has discovered that several of his friends from the Eldar days and the First Age are still alive and in Middle Earth.
If not, how long has it been since they died? Some of his friends have been died, and he is not sure if they are in Valinor reborn or if they were like him, stubborn until he could return to Middle earth.

What does this character do to survive (occupation and/or lifestyle)? How do they feel about it? He hasn't entirely decided yet, in his first life he worked in mines and at smelting furnaces so that is likely what he will do though he will also likely join the army. he is okay with this but there aren't many smelting furnaces in Lothlorien.
What is their favorite way to relax? How often do they get to indulge in this? Riding and hunting. He does get to do this fairly often though as darkness grows again in Middle earth it gets to be less and less
What is the best thing that has ever happened to them? Finding his soul mate in his first life, at this point he does remember it being fully matured.
What is the worst thing that has ever happened to them? Dying (Again first life) In this life perhaps a broken bone from an accident riding or something like physically, so far not being able to find his soulmate, it is like she had disappeared not realizing most knew her by a different name.

[Lady of Shadow]

Basic #3 & #4 for Talina - Do you think Talina will ever pursue finding out what happened to her family, and/or trying to find any information about who they were? Out of curiosity, though, how old was she when her parents were taken? (I think you maybe mentioned before, but I can't recall right now.) It seems odd that she would have been old enough for her mother to give her a journal, but not old enough to remember much about her family.

Talina will probably find a way of finding out the truth about what happened to her family. I never mentioned how old she was at the time, but judging by the picture I did on Doll DIvine, she looks to be in her early twenties, so she may have been in between 8 and 10 years old at the time her parents were kidnapped. It's not that she doesn't remember them, perhaps she just blocked this part out, since it causes her to become too emotional. She probably ran away or hid when the Corsairs raided Pelargir, which means that she didn't actually see what happened to them. Talina often blocks out bad memories so that they won't overwhelm her in the most inappropriate time (like in the middle of defending her kingdom, for example).

As I mentioned in my last post, the next two prompts apply more to Naelia than to Talina, so I'm going to switch characters for a bit (since I don't like to leave any answers blank, and it doesn't hurt to develop my main character further).

Character Name: Naelia (since the next two prompts don't really apply to Talina)
Track: Basic
Prompt: Basic #5 - Does your character(s) have any pets/animal companions? How did they acquire them? What do they look like?

Naelia does have a pet dragon that goes by the name of Drinch that she found abandoned near the Sea of Nurnen in Mordor. He was dehydrated and seemed to have been attacked by a swarm of crebain or similar type creature (I mentioned this in a post in the main Thief Hunt thread in Mordor). SInce Naelia thought that he would be a good companion to have (especially in interrogations), she brought him back to the Dark Tower and nursed him back to health (in the unnatural way that minions usually do this, so Drinch can be quite terrifying for such a small creature). He is of a dark green color with a yellow tummy and feet. Here is a picture I drew of him and Naelia on Hero Machine 2.5 (that I recently redid, since Naelia's original outfit was a bit too modern): https://i.imgur.com/X9khTie.png?1

Prompt: Basic #6 - Is your character known by any nicknames or pseudonyms? What is the origin of them?

Sometimes Naelia is known as the Lady of Shadow, back to the time when her mother kidnapped her and took her to live with her in Northern Mirkwood to teach her more about her Elven heritage (she wasn't trying to take Naelia away from her father, who is one of Barad-dur's greatest lieutenants, but not the Lieutenant of the Tower himself, though they are of the same race). Naelia always resented this, and the other Elves of Northern Mirkwood gave her this moniker because they either didn't know her true name, or else they could sense her true intentions. Naelia's of mixed heritage; she has the appearance of a Black Numenorean (the race of her father) with Moriquendi blood (which is why the tops of her ears are pointed, like that of an Elf, but she hides this under her long curly black hair that she keeps shorter so that enemies don't grab on to it to make her do something that she's against.

I'll leave this here for the moment, since I think the next prompt will apply to Talina (though if any other prompts apply more to Naelia than Talina, that's how I'll answer them). I'm going to try the advanced track for Naelia, so here's my initial post:

Character Name: Naelia
Link to Bio: viewtopic.php?p=30311#p30311
What aspect of your character do you want to further explore? Perhaps how she aquired her pet dragon, Drinch, and what she actually uses him for in interrogations. Also, how she would react to a situation beyond her control, like having her own half-sister, Lathana. join her in Mordor (who's currently imprisoned in the Pits, and is always trying to find a way to get back to Northern Mirkwood, regardless of Naelia's best efforts to keep her imprisoned for the rest of her born days, immortal or not).

[Taethowen]

@Someone else Hopefully they do! It's always fun to flesh out characters a bit more!

Basic #1 - You mention Addhor's younger brother early on, but not how their relationship potentially shifted later after addhor's injury and career change. What might have changed?


@CHAOS Welcome to the fun!


@Lady of Shadow

Basic #5 for Naelia - I can see how having a dragon companion (even if small) would be very handy!