ruby city app

[starofradiance]

PLAYER
Name: Katy
Age: way over 18
Personal Journal: naxos
E-mail: rewriteables [at] gmail
AIM/MSN/etc: allegorical

CHARACTER
Character Name: Ereinion Gil-galad
Canon: Tolkien
Age: 3581 (approx) / late 20s
Timeline: Last Alliance / Second Age
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A

Note: Gil-Galad is named as the son of Fingon in the published Silmarillion (and Children of Hurin), but Christopher Tolkien has since stated his father intended Orodreth to be Gil's dad. While I keep the majority of his Silm canon intact, the lineage is changed from Fingon to Orodreth, who is listed there as a son of Finarfin.

Links:

LoTR Wiki, Tolkien Gateway, Thain's Book and WritersGuild Bio

Personality:

Gil-Galad was an Elven king...

The last High King of the Nolder in Exile, as a matter of fact, and his reign lasted over three thousand years, from the late First Age to the end of the Second. Tall (just over seven feet), dark-haired, light eyed, and easy to look at, physically he fits the description. But it's not just brawn that makes up the characteristics of an elven king beloved enough to have ballads written about him long after his death, but brains and virtues and faults, all the facets that create a whole.

One of the most noticeable things about Gil is his exceptional bravery. Not just in battle, of which his deeds are well documented in song and by the few who were there and remember, but by facing adversity head on. He was sent away from his family at a young age, and fostered by kin of his mother, and lost his second home to when Morgoth invaded the Falas and slaughtered the majority of its residents. He was less than one hundred years old when the High Kingship fell on his shoulders, an event that might easily break others, but Gil braved his way through, learning the fine art of ruling as he went.

He is also extremely intelligent; not as flashy as some of his relatives, but astute enough to figure out what's going on by piecing together information from various sources, and he pays very close attention to everything that goes on around him. He's also a good judge of character; holding the remnants of Doriath, Nargothrond and Gondolin together through the War of Wrath, taking on Elrond as his herald and giving the ring Vilya into his care before entering the Last Alliance, being able to recognize Annatar was up to no good, even without knowing his real identity, making friends with different races. He's compassionate, having been orphaned young, and willing to protect or make treaties with the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. He's determined to see things through and does his best to keep his word. Plus, the High King is pretty charismatic, otherwise he would not have had so many disparate races willing to live under his rule (even if for a short time).

But not all his traits are necessarily positive. He shares the Finwean penchant for being self-willed: determination can turn to stubbornness, enabling Gil to keep his own counsel above others, or drive himself into the ground if he feels it's necessary. Curiosity is another fault, Gil will poke and prod and try to figure out how things work, which can turn into a distraction away from more important matters. He's reserved and quiet, though friendly, and has a tendency to keep people at arm's length. It's a protective measure - if he doesn't get close to many, then he runs less of a risk should they leave, die, or turn on him. And, because he doesn't let more than a few people into his circle, he runs the risk of isolating himself both emotionally and socially. Which leads to lack of sound, outside advise, over reliance on what he already knows, and the lack of important bonds like friendship.

History:

Gil was born around FA 450 to Orodreth, son of High King Finfarfin, and his Sinda wife, a kinswoman of Cirdan the Shipwright. Orodreth's family dwelt in Nargothrond, the stronghold of his elder brother Finrod, and included his wife, his daughter Finduilas, and Gil himself, the younger of Orodreth's two offspring. After the Dagor Bragollach, when Gil was not yet 13, his cousins Curufin and Celegorm, two sons of Feanor, came to Nargathrond and quietly began making trouble. It was decided to send both children to safety, away from the Feanorians, but Finduilas was already of age and chose to stay. Finrod left his kingship and rule of the city to fulfill an Oath, leaving Orodreth in charge. The new king promptly sent his son away to the Havens for safety reasons: "But some went aboard ship and escaped by sea; and among them was Ereinion Gil-galad ... whom his father had sent to the Havens after the Dagor Bragollach."(Silm). Gil never saw his family again - his father died in the Battle of Tumhalad, and his mother and elder sister perished in the Sack of Nargothrond, in FA 495. When High King Turgon and Gondolin fell in FA 510, the kingship passed to Gil-Galad as the last male-line descendant of Finwe: "And when the tidings came to Balar of the fall of Gondolin and the death of Turgon, Ereinion Gil-galad ... was named High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth" (Silm). He ruled the Noldor from the Isle of Balar, just across from the Havens of Sirion, and participated in the War of Wrath, at the end of the First Age, to overthrow Morgoth along with the Hosts of the West, and the elves living in Middle Earth.

After the War, when the greater part of Beleriand had been destroyed and sunk, Gil established his base in the realm of Lindon in Eregion at the beginning of the Second Age, between the Blue Mountains and the Sea, and gathered together what remained of his people who had not sailed West: "That country had of old been named Lindon by the Noldor, and this name it bore thereafter; and many of the Eldar still dwelt there, lingering, unwilling yet to forsake Beleriand where they had fought and laboured long. Gil-galad ... was their king, and with him was Elrond Half-elven..." (Silm). The lands under his control included native populations of Sindar, Silvan and Green Elves; a testament to his charismatic personality, leadership skills, and determination to rule fairly. Not all of the remaining elves desired to live under his influence. A group of more ambitious Noldor, including his cousin Celebrimbor, moved further east to the country of Eregion, where they could practice their trade under a freer government. When a stranger appeared in Eregion, offering knowledge, Gil (along with his herald Elrond) refused him entry into Lindon due to feelings of distrust: "Only to Lindon he did not come, for Gil-galad and Elrond doubted him and his fair-seeming, and though they knew not who in truth he was they would not admit him to that land"(Silm). The stranger, Annatar, was welcomed by Celebrimbor's group and he taught them arcane knowledge, including the forging of rings. Eventually, however, Annatar made his own ring and was outed as Sauron, the former right hand man of Morgoth.

During this interlude, Gil sent letters to the island nation of Numenor, founded by Elrond's twin brother Elros, and forged an alliance with several of Elros' descendants. The Numenoreans sent aid during the War of the Elves and Sauron in the mid-Second Age, but made the mistake of taking Sauron prisoner - and back to Numenor. He corrupted their rulers to a horrifying degree and had a direct hand in the kingdom's destruction near the end of the Second Age. But some of Elros' heirs survived and sailed to the mainland, where they set up kingdoms. Gil was able to further cement his friendship with their ancestors by creating an Alliance of Men and Elves (known popularly as the Last Alliance), and took the fight to Sauron who had fled across Middle Earth to his base in Mordor. The war lasted seven years, and ended in Sauron's seeming defeat, but it cost Gil-Galad his life: "But at the last the siege was so strait that Sauron himself came forth; and he wrestled with Gil-galad and Elendil, and they both were slain, and the sword of Elendil broke under him as he fell. But Sauron also was thrown down, and with the hilt-shard of Narsil Isildur cut the Ruling Ring from the hand of Sauron and took it for his own."(Silm).

He is best known for that sacrifice, as demonstrated in the Fall of Gil-Galad, a lay referenced by Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings, for the long length of his reign, and as the last High King. After his death, his spear and surviving possessions were taken to Rivendell, where they presumably still lie in state.

Abilities:

Enhanced Senses: Elves are tougher, faster, can endure more physical hardship, hear and see better than humans, and are not affected by changes in weather (such as snow or rain).

Life Span: Elves are immortal. They do not visibly age after reaching maturity at age 100, and can live forever if they aren’t killed through violent means (like battle) or lose the will to live.

The Waking Dream: Elves does not sleep the way humans or other mortal races do. They rest their minds for several hours, when necessary, by revisiting memories while in a wakeful 'dream' state.

Mind Speech: Elves are capable of telepathy, speaking mentally to one another across distances. This, like all of their abilities, strengthens with age.

Nature: Elves are attuned to nature, as their souls are literally bound to the world until it breaks, and are aware of the unique 'language' of trees, rocks, flowers, water and other natural elements.

Leadership: Gil has been the High King of his people for a very long time. He started off ruling the survivors of three different attacks and had to learn how to negotiate between warring factions and lead by example in a hurry. He believes in his people and has enough personal charisma to get the majority to believe in him. He's good at diplomacy, able to read other people and figure out most intentions fairly quickly.

Warfare: He has participated in three major wars and dozens of smaller skirmishes throughout his life. He's an expert horseback rider, and proficient with most low-tech weapons, such as sword and bow, but his signature weapon is a spear, and he is absolutely deadly with it. He's also adept at unarmed combat and has no problem wading into fights so he can stop them.




Relationships to Canon Characters:
Finwe: Great-Grandfather
Indis: Great-Grandmother
Finarfin: Grandfather
Earwen: Grandmother
Orodreth: Father
Finduilas: Sister
Finrod: Uncle
Galadriel: Aunt
Angrod: Uncle
Aegnor: Uncle
Feanor: Great-Uncle
Fingolfin: Great-Uncle


All members of the House of Finwe, and relatives of Cirdan.

First Person:

[ He's seated at the edge of the station platform, long legs dangling below, and looking fairly casual for a handsome, dark-haired elf wearing full battle armor. Aeglos, his spear, is braced against a shoulder. It appears he's studying the watch intently, as the feed turns on and off a couple of times, before he looks up and addresses whoever might be on the other end. ]

Greetings. My name is Gil-Galad, and I would very much like to know how I came to be here.

[ He turns, looking over his shoulder toward some of the posters in the distance, then back to the watch face. ]

Those are charming, but, unfortunately, not entirely helpful. Is there someone I can speak to? Whomever rules over the citizens of this citadel. There are many questions that need to be answered, as quickly as possible. I await a meeting at your earliest convenience.

Good day.

[ The feed turns off directly after. ]

Third Person:

eachdraidh's november tdm