Nᴀᴍᴇ: Wolfgang Bane Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇs: Bane Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: Male Aɢᴇ: 31 Rᴀᴄᴇ: Human/cursed Pʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: Strong and scarred, Grey hair even though is young looking. Aᴛᴛɪʀᴇ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: Warrior leathers an armors Sᴄᴇɴᴛ: Forests and fur Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ: Lone wolf type, but a warrior at heart. Holds honor and the lives of others above his own life. Sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜs: combat, tracking, stragety Wᴇᴀᴋɴᴇssᴇs: Reckless, doesn't take limits, unable to control temper after the change Aᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏɴ(s): Freeing his people and finding a cure from his curse Wᴏʀsᴛ Fᴇᴀʀ(s): Unable to control the monster side Cʀᴜsʜ: Unknown Lᴏᴠᴇʀ/Sᴘᴏᴜsᴇ: None Cʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ: (ɪғ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ) Pᴏᴡᴇʀs: Wolf senses and stregnth Pʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs: Broad Sword Sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs: Short blade Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ: Bane was the captain of the guard in his village before it was run over by creatures that only Mordor could have made. The villagers were able to escape thanks to Bane and his men but the down side was they were killed or taken captive. Bane was taken captive and then bitten by one of the creatures, cursing him to become like them. Half man half monster. But before the final transformation could happen, he was rescued by a woman with bright silver eyes and magic. She told him to come with her and she would help him find a cure. Her name was Lady Shade, Mage of the Shadows.
Nᴀᴍᴇ: Serena Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇs: Mage of the Shadows Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: Female Aɢᴇ: Unknown Rᴀᴄᴇ: Human Pʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: Lean but strong, silver eyes Aᴛᴛɪʀᴇ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: Wizards robes and a silver staff. Sᴄᴇɴᴛ: Herbs and sage Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ: Quiet but deadly, listens more then she talks. She tends to act on her own actions then wait for others to. Sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜs: Magic, combat, wisdom Wᴇᴀᴋɴᴇssᴇs: Energy drain, can be overwhelmed in a fight. Aᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏɴ(s): Protect and truth Wᴏʀsᴛ Fᴇᴀʀ(s): Losing and Becoming useless Cʀᴜsʜ: Unknown Lᴏᴠᴇʀ/Sᴘᴏᴜsᴇ: None Cʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ: (ɪғ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ) Pᴏᴡᴇʀs: Magic Pʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs: A staff Sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs: Twin blades Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ: Serena has been on the road trying to find the source of a new darkness that has been trying to take the land. She searches for answers as she has been tracking a new kind of creature that has come from Mordor. She found Bane while tracking this pack, and now feels she must warn the leaders of Middle Earth before more lives are lost. She has be a student of the magic arts from both Human and Elf alike, her father being Human and her mother an Elf. She is known to anyone who she doesn't know personally as the Mage of the Shadows.
Nᴀᴍᴇ: Meliya Nimrodel Ardorion Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇs: Goes most often by the name Mel, which is the way she prefers to be addressed, however she is often called by several other titles such as Miss, My Lady etc. due to her status. Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: Female Aɢᴇ: 2160 (I'm by no means a complete expert on Elvish ages either, however I'm basing mine on rough estimates made by those who have analysed Tolkien's work, who estimate that Legolas is between 2000-2500 years old, and as Mel is only a decade or so older I kind of picked from there XD), has the physical appearance of a human 21 year old Rᴀᴄᴇ: Silvan Elf Cᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴏɴs: Braigel (horse) Ialon (eagle) Pʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: A tall and slender she-elf of typical height for her kind (I'm not an expert on elvish heights but I would have a guess that they're usually somewhere between 5'8" and 6', though I can't back this up with any certainty so for this I think it's better to remain vague to say "average height" or "tall" or "shorter than usual" XD), appearing steady and strong in frame despite her slenderness. Blonde hair and pale ice-blue eyes typical of the rest of her kin, however her hair is rather distinctive in that it isn't straight as the rest of her kin's. Instead, Mel's hair forms distinctive, albeit loose waves. In the way of scars, she has received a fair few in her lifetime. Though many of them have faded, two still remain visible. The first and largest, a jagged line of pale pinkish-white raised skin, running from her right shoulder and diagonally downwards to stop at her opposite hip. The majority of this scar is generally well-hidden behind her clothing though the beginnings of it can often be seen at her collarbone just above the neckline of her attire. She wears it rather proudly and is not ashamed to tell those who ask that it was a battle scar she received from a brush with near-death whilst weeding out the "matriarch" (as it were, anyway) of a large spider nest a few centuries ago. The spider's claw had torn through the light armour she had been wearing at the time and straight through her skin, and indeed it was only thanks to the talented lead healer of Mirkwood that the princess did not bleed out there and then. However it left a lasting scar and there is a possibility that it may have damaged her badly enough that she will never be able to conceive, but she does not know this for certain and will not know until later in her life if or when she marries and starts her own family. Her other significant scar is rather more obtrusive, spanning from her eyebrow and down across the bridge of her nose. This was a slightly less damaging mark from a face off with an orc in her slightly younger years as the elves of the Greenwood attempted to save their capital (now Dol Guldur) from invasion by Sauron's forces, sadly of course they did not succeed and they were forced to retreat and abandon it, leaving it to then become overtaken by darkness, renaming it Dol Guldur.
Aᴛᴛɪʀᴇ Dᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: As far as "daily" or otherwise "practical" clothing, Mel is typically seen wearing a pale brown or cream cotton undergarment, over which she wears a leather and deerskin tunic embroidered delicately by patterns of gold thread on the sleeves and neckline, and deerskin leggings. Also wears a leather belt at all times which carries her sword scabbard and a medicine pouch where she keeps essential herbs, tinctures/mixtures, and fabric for healing wounds. A set of rapiers criss-crosses over her back beneath her quiver and bow, which never leave her sight; they are precious to her beyond measure, as they previously belonged to her deceased father. And finally her feet are covered with standard leather boots that are surprisingly plain given the delicate adorning of the rest of her clothing.
Her armour is not necessarily classed as "heavy" but provides considerably more protection than simple leather armour. The armour she wears now was specially crafted to give her more protection than her previous suit, but still be fairly light to allow her swift movement. In design it is somewhat similar to her cousin Legolas', made of tinted metal with silver edging and adorned with silver leaf-like patterning at the shoulders and chest. Underneath this she wears an equally light but tightly-woven chain mail vest that resembles overlapping leaves in design. Even her arm guards, made of tough leather stained to be almost black in colour, are heavily adorned with bronze, etched into the pattern of overlapping tree branches and leaves, which leads up into the tightly woven branches symbolising Thranduil's kingdom. She prefers not to wear gloves, and through years of rigorous training her hands have toughened in such a way that the friction of the bow string no longer causes them to bleed or become injured when she shoots.
Sᴄᴇɴᴛ: Dewy leaves, and other forest-y type smells Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ: Mel is a witty, fairly sharp tongued and often sarcastic individual, she is wary of strangers and will take quite some time to trust most she meets, though those who have a child-like innocence about them seem to find her trust a lot easier. However her tough exterior does hide a soft and loving side deep down. To her family and close friends she is devoted and gentle, and would do anything for them. Losing someone that she cares deeply for affects her more than most perhaps, and it would take her a good few centuries on most accounts to reach the point where she can accept it fully and "move on" from it as well as she is capable. Indeed she still feels melancholy at thoughts of her passed relatives but can push it aside if the situation calls for it. Her sense of duty is unparalleled to most, and many a Mirkwood soldier who has served under her command has been known to describe Mel as "hard headed and as determined and foul-tempered as a Warg keeping hold of the last scrap of meat at mealtime". Once she has a job to do, she will not abandon it for any cause, no matter the consequences, until the task is completed.
Mel is extremely wary of dragons and would sooner attempt to kill one than converse with it, regardless of whether it approached her in a friendly manner or not. She has seen the ruin and death that dragons can bring, and indeed she will never forgive the beasts for tearing apart her family, to ask her to befriend one will be met with only contempt, bitterness and hate on her end. Other than dragons, there is very little that sparks enough fear in her to reduce her to a blubbering mess, as Mel is a particularly tenacious individual which is to be expected from someone who has grown up in a forest which has been steadily taken over by darkness and evil. Having to slay and fight with nests crawling with extremely large spiders on a daily basis means it's not exactly a "good idea" for lack of a better way to phrase it, to be afraid of them. However, anything larger than those spiders which she has experienced in Mirkwood is highly likely to leave her rather bemused and more than slightly concerned, as she has never confronted any arachnid of a larger size before in her life. In regards to how she responds to fear, even when Mel is scared to death she is not the type of individual to stand there literally quaking in her boots, whimpering and bawling. Instead she typically takes on the "rabbit in the headlights" kind of approach and tends to completely freeze up, totally unsure of whether to run away or fight whatever puts her in that position.
While she is by no means a "damsel in distress", nor does she necessarily act like a "spoilt princess", however she does occasionally act at rather 'high and mighty' as some may describe it, because of her well-off upbringing. Mel isn't a tantrum thrower by any stretch of the imagination, but she does at times react to things which displease her by pouting and/or sulking and then proceeding to make some sort of snide comment on the matter. Snide comments and sharp remarks are something Mel is never short of, which may come as a shock to some as they would expect someone of her upbringing to be "polite and lady-like", though she is far from it. She is not inherently rude all the time, and due to countless lessons from her aunt and uncle in her younger years she is perfectly capable of acting in a civil manner to form treaties, alliances and other such things, and is indeed even rather capable of sitting in on many political matters and being rather persuasive towards her own or her kingdom's need and win the opposing party over - even if it bores her to death! She does not take lightly to insults towards either herself or her family or kingdom, and unfortunately it doesn't take much to get her riled up. Mel is not unknown to take a swing or two at someone who overstepped their mark with her, though for the most part she tries her best to keep herself controlled and will usually just respond in turn with some other cutting remark towards the person who started the whole affair.
Sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜs: An excellent and swift fighter with both bow and blade, fiercely loyal and devoted to her family and loved ones, will always stand up for her beliefs and friends Wᴇᴀᴋɴᴇssᴇs: Headstrong and stubborn, does not always listen. Often impulsive and rushes into things before thinking of consequences. Aᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏɴ(s): Marry and have a family of her own, to at least help contribute to ridding Middle-earth of Sauron's influence once and for all Wᴏʀsᴛ Fᴇᴀʀ(s): Dragons, being barren (unable to have children Cʀᴜsʜ: most likely Haldir, we shall see though... Lᴏᴠᴇʀ/Sᴘᴏᴜsᴇ: none yet Cʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ: none yet Fᴀᴍɪʟʏ: Isthelwen (mother, deceased), Ardor (father, deceased), Thranduil (uncle), Eloria (aunt, deceased), Legolas (cousin) Pᴏᴡᴇʀs: just the "normal powers" most elves are considered to have e.g. increased speed, strength and agility when compared to a human. She does have what she calls an "improved sense of intuition", which is in fact a weak form of Futuresight which she inherited from her mother. Mel's is considerably less powerful however, and presents itself as only inklings or "feelings" that something has or is going to happen, or occasionally as a hazy dream in the night, the events of which usually occur a day or so later after she has had said dream.
Pʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs: Mel has two weapons which she relies on primarily, a bow for ranged attacks and a rapier for close combat.
Her bow is Mel’s most treasured possession, as it was once her father’s, given to her by her uncle when she came of age to start using it. A weapon of absolute expert craftsmanship (or elfship? haha XD), carved out of deep ebony wood, and painted with turquoise accents taking the shape of leaves being blown in the wind. Aptly named “Fothaes”, Sindarin for “Cloud of Nails”, the bow is highly durable and to date in all the years since its creation has never snapped (though the same cannot be said for it’s string, however).
Her sword was specially crafted for Mel also when she came of age, and it was presented to her with the title “Maure” by Thranduil, who had chosen the name based on Mel’s tenacity and fierce desire (or need) to please and become the best warrior. Crafted from the best steel Mirkwood possessed, it is not as heavily adorned with patterning as her uncle’s, but does have an elegant knot of bronze patterning at the base of the blade before the hilt. The hilt is fashioned of lightweight but durable bronzed metal, which was then wrapped in leather to make the grip more comfortable.
Sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ Wᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs:
Mel’s secondary weapons of choice are a set of finely crafted elvish fighting daggers. The blades are unpatterned, with a black leather hilt. The hilt however is rather decorated, set with gold at the base and many fine facets of silver, so tightly joined that they look almost like scales.
Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ: (now I may have the timelines for stuff /slightly/ jumbled up here but I think I can take a wee bit of artistic license here with it and jumble it up a teeny bit XD)
Her mother Isthelwen was an elf from Lorien who possessed great talent in the fields of healing and Futuresight, while her father Ardor was the youngest son of the great King of the Greenwood, Oropher and younger brother to the Elvenking Thranduil. Sadly, her birth was a difficult one and her mother did not survive the ordeal. Isthelwen lost too much blood and even the greatest of Mirkwood's healers could not staunch the bleeding nor strengthen her enough to keep her from fading. Though devastated by her mother's death, her father Ardor still treasured his new daughter above all else and raised her himself, until she was a young child (the equivalent of a human 2 1/2-3 year old), when the battle of Angmar in the North occurred, meaning both her father and uncle had to leave her and her cousin Legolas in the care of her aunt while they fought in the war. Being young and as a consequence of her age fairly naive, Mel had no inkling of the horrors of war and expected that both her Adar and uncle would soon return in a grand procession all fine and well. But the reality of it was far from what she had imagined, and it would horrify the little elfling and change her perception of the world and war forever. Despite Thranduil's orders and his wife and the healer's best attempts to keep the elfling away, Mel managed to slip under the radar of her "guards" and witnessed the horrific damage that had been done to her uncle's face; seared straight down to sinew and bone by dragon fire. Her aunt Eloria managed to catch up with her and attempted to pull Mel away but it was too late and the young she-elf had already seen her father's body. The effect it had on her enabled Eloria to scoop her up and take her away. But from that day Mel's fairly laid-back and gentle personality changed forever. As she grew she was more and more insistent that she would join Legolas in the Mirkwood guard, she would not sit still for many book studies or other such lady-like things and would instead steal away, throwing herself vigorously into combat training, tracking classes and other such methods, determined to become a warrior which would make her father's name as mighty and worthy as he had been.
Though he tried to convince her that as a lady she should focus on her "real" studies, and they butted heads on the matter a few times, Thranduil eventually realised that the attempt to turn Mel into a lady was fruitless and let her pursue her desires. She moved quickly through every session and took an incredible shine to it, quickly proving to be an elf of great skill. Soon she and her cousin Legolas were the best warriors Mirkwood had to offer, second only to Thranduil himself; and many times they accompanied Thranduil when he met with the captains of other realms, including Haldir of Lorien. During one of his visits, the March Warden even took the time to help the prince and princess sharpen their shooting skills, seeing the potential in them. Though they haven't spoken very much since Mel has always looked up to him and is still eager to learn more from him.
Mel was hit yet again by tragedy as she turned 1000, as the Greenwood began to take ill her aunt Eloria seemed to deteriorate with it (much like Arwen's connection to the One Ring, as the Ring grew stronger she grew weaker, so as the forest grew weaker so did Eloria). Unfortunately, no matter what was tried no remedy or treatment could save the ailing Queen and she faded away, leaving Thranduil so devastated that Legolas and Mel for a time had to take many of the leadership duties between them. This included relocating the Kingdom to underground once the spiders settled in and flushing out any nests that reappeared throughout the forest, doing their best to keep as much of the forest as possible under elven control. A few years later the troubles with Erebor began, and Mel was indeed surprised when decades later Thorin Oakenshield and a company of thirteen dwarves turned up practically on their doorstep. When the dwarves escaped Mirkwood’s dungeons, Mel and Legolas were the first on their trail to discover what their motives were, and why the Orcs were so intent on pursuing them. There they chased them to Laketown where they pursued Bolg and discovered the beginnings of the Orc army that would participate in the Battle of the Five Armies. By the time they arrived to warn the others, Legolas and Mel found Thranduil’s forces already fighting alongside the Men of Laketown and the Dwarves. They threw themselves into the battle also, and later after it had finished Mel then discovered that the dwarf’s company had been freed from the dungeons by a Hobbit of the name Bilbo Baggins.
After that battle she returned to Mirkwood with the rest of the army and resumed her usual duties. Sixty years later, on an errand for her uncle in Lothlorien she encountered the wizard Gandalf once more, who approached her with a request to escort a Hobbit which he said carried “Important cargo” safely from the Shire to Bree, as the Nazgul would likely be hunting him. Wary as to why that would be, but concerned for the hobbit above all else, Mel agreed and thus we find her in the story now.
She has a constant companion in the form of a hawk named Ialon. She found him as a nestling who had fallen from the eyrie on one of her many diplomatic forays between Mirkwood and Rivendell. With an injured wing as a result of the fall, he was unable to fly and so the elf picked up the young hawk and nursed him back to health. The hawk then imprinted on her and refused to leave even though she attempted to let him go free many times. Accepting that he would not go and wanted to stay with her, she gave him an Elvish name, meaning "crying male", due to his tendency to cry profusely if he loses sight of her, much like a lost kitten would cry for it's mother, and he has travelled with her constantly ever since.
