Fade Rift Application

[hallabackdir]

Player

Name: nurfhurrdurr
Age: 28
Contact: PM or Nurfhurrdurr 
Other Characters: N/A
Interests: Super excited to RP! I'm pretty down for any sort of RP scenario. I love Dragon Age and LOTR, but I drink the Koolaid pretty easily no matter what. I've done a lot of table top RP, but this is my first time trying online RP. So let's go on an adventure! 

CHARACTER

Name: Haldir

Canon/OC: Canon-Lord of the Rings/Tolkien

Canon Point: After the battle of helms deep, right after his "death".
Journal: hallabackdir  
Age: 6000 (give or take)

Canon World

Tolkien pretty much spawned the original high fantasy world. Men and Elves come together to fight Orcs and the powers of darkness. It's got wizards, it's got upity elves who sometimes give a shit, and tiny people who get high all the time and live it holes in the ground. The races in LOTR and Dragon Age are similar (although there are no Qunari) Dwarves, Elves, and Men make up the primary races in the world. Dwarves and Elves have a tenuous past, and there is animosity and resentment on both sides. And nobody gives a shit about humans. Elves are viewed as a high point in the society, and are revered in the world, unlike in Thedas.

The elves have been battling against the Morgoth, a 'god' who created all of the evil in the world. Men, who have been around significantly less than the Elves, have also joined together to fight against Morgoth's evil. Sauron, one of Morgoth's generals, has been using Morgoth's power to corrupt the world. He abducts elves and twists and tortures them into becoming Orcs, uses power and greed to corrupt the hearts of men, and seeks to ultimately destroy and enslave everything in Middle Earth. Lothlorien serves as a center for the resistance against Sauron.

Sauron was defeated several thousand of years ago, when a great force of Men and Elves banded together in one last desperate stand against him. But part of him, which he sealed away into a magic ring, survived. Sauron has been slowly regaining power ever since. But, until he is able to find the ring, he will be unable to assume physical form.

By chance, the Ring was found, and a Fellowship of Nine people have been tasked with destroying it. Unfortunately, the only way it can be destroyed is if it is taken to Mount Doom, the volcano used to originally forge the ring, which happens to be deep in the heart lands controlled by Sauron.


History

Haldir is a somewhat minor character, so much of his personality and history will be mostly be me RP using what little facts are available for me to base it off of. Haldir is a Silvan Elf, one of the High Elves, essentially the most privileged classes among all of the elves. He lives in Lothlorien, the largest elven stronghold in Middle Earth. He was in command of an elite task force called the Galadhrim, who guarded the forest's northern borders, and they all were trained extensively in using stealth and strategy to take down forces quickly. They were the Seal Team Six of the elven warriors.

There has been long stretch of lessened conflict over the last few thousand years, but Galadriel, one of the oldest and most powerful elves ever, has felt evil starting to amass again. They are bracing for another wave of war, against an enemy that could wipe out the whole world if they loose. To make matters worse, the race of men, who they sought help from in their last conflict, has become fractured and leaderless. They cannot count on them for aid, and must try to weather this storm alone. 

The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in Lórien seeking refuge while in possession of the Ring of Power. His whole purpose over six thousand years has been keeping this evil out of his home, but now he is faced with an impossible decision. Does he keep the party tasked with destroying the Ring out of Lothlorien, effectively leaving the party to die, or does allow them refuge, but risk the evil within the ring to corrupt his home. Haldir eventually decides not only to let them into Lothlorien, but also guides them to Caras Galadhon. 
 

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Haldir not only leads the fellowship through Lothlórien, but leads his company of elves to the Helm's Deep, a human fortress that has been overwhelmed by a large force of orcs, where he was killed in battle. This is the cannon point he would enter from.

Personality

As mentioned above, there is very little history or information about Haldir. In the books and movies, Haldir portrayed as a stoic and loyal guardian of Lothlorien, and I would like to keep that while adding my own head cannon. He is relatively young compared to most elves around him, and I would like to add that "youthfulness" into my RP. Overall he is quiet, and usually will watch a situation from afar before taking any sort of action, but compared to the older elves, Haldir makes some very controversial and somewhat odd decisions.

Haldir has two brothers, Rúmil and Orophin, who were with him when the Fellowship was guided through Lórien (although nothing else is written about them). My own personal head cannon his that Haldir is the youngest, but most respected. Haldir was one of the few Elves of Lórien who could speak Westron, and this, along with his success and favor from Galadriel, has caused great animosity between the three. This animosity has lead to Haldir being pone to internalizing his thoughts and feelings, and has lead him to distance himself from others. He threw himself into his position, as it gave him a sense of purpose, but he is altogether rather lonely. Aside from Galadriel, he doesn't seek council from others, and has a hard time initiating friendship.

His decision to bring the Fellowship not only into Lothlorien, but also to their capital, would have been seen as an incredibly stupid and risky thing to do, and something completely against what the Galadhrim where tasked in doing. I believe would have lead to many arguments within the men he had command over, especially his brothers. Ultimately, I believe, Haldir trusted Galadriel, and believed that she needed to see if they were worthy of the task set before them. If there was any chance of the party failing, alternative decisions would have been made to ensure the ring didn't fall into their enemy's hands once more.

Haldir is unblinkingly loyal to Galadriel. He is her right hand, and will put her will and safety above all others. She represents everything that the elves used to be. They have been declining, their powers diminishing over time, and although Haldir wasn't born when they were at their height, being in Galadriel's presence allows him a small glimpse at who they were. In my head cannon, Haldir is striving to get his people back to that height. Preservation of Lorien is at the foremost of his goals, but he also wants them to flourish. Right now, they are surviving, not flourishing. 

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths:  Haldir is part of the Galadhrim. They are the elite troops, masters of both bows and swords, and they will kick you ass to Valinor and back. They are masters of stealth, and have grey cloaks that will hide and camouflage them when they wish. He's keen eyed, sharp earred, and is so light on his feet he doesn't leave footprints. He has been a soldier and commander for thousands of years, so he has a keen understanding of battle strategy and warfare. He can lead people, and thinks himself pretty good at inspiring courage in others.

Weaknesses: Haldir has a bit of a prejudice against dwarves. He may go out of his way to mess with one if he's bored, or will likely not acknowledge them unless directed to by Galadriel. Even then, he complies begrudgingly. He also has issues with his stupid brothers. They are even worse than him when it comes to dwarves, men, and pretty much everyone other than the high elves. Comparatively, Haldir is embarrassingly accepting of other cultures. They refused to learn the tongue of men, something that Haldir learned readily, so that has created some animosity between them. 

His rocky relationship with is family has made him almost obsessively devoted to Galadriel, which could be seen as both a strength and a weakness. His trusts her with all of his being, which makes him easy to rile up, and even easier to provoke. 

Suggested Nerfs

I've talked over nerfs with other Tolkien elf players, and their standard nerfs would apply to Haldir. But, he'd be susceptible to cold, hunger, etc. 

Arrival Inventory

Half Plate armor-Haldir would have on medium leather armor, with sections of plate that cover his chest, upper arms, hips, thighs, forearms and shins. The plate was formed from the finest metals available to the elves. 

Grey Cloak-He has a grey cloak that conceals the wearer from unfriendly eyes, mask their presence while moving if they wish, and they are resistant to tearing or burning. making infiltration and stealth even easier for him. 

Bow and Sword- The Galahdrim were know for having the finest weapons ever made. Haldir would be equipped with a bow, quiver with arrows and a long sword with a two handed haft. 

Tower Shield- Elven shields extended from neck to shin and thus offered premium protection from weapons that could be swung and thrown/fired

Various small combat equiptment.

'Human'ization

Haldir resembles a elf, so he would fit into the world easily enough. The only exception is that elves in Middle Earth are taller than men, rather than shorter. So he would probably be a giant among the dalish, or city elves. He's 6'3.

Fit

Haldir's arrival into Thedas wouldn't be an easy transition for him. His devotion to Galadriel would have him searching for her obsessively, and if finding her became hopeless, his lack of purpose would be devastating. But with time, his unflinching desire to root out and destroy Morgoth's evil would become his primary motivator in this world. He would associate the blight with this evil, and funnel all of this strength and resources towards its extermination. He would have an aversion to Red Lyrium, especially because it's been described to "sing" and anything that sings Morgoth's dissonance should be eradicated. At first, he would likely not even recognize the elves in Thedas as being elves at all due to their short stature, tattoos, and their social standing within the world, which would be drastically different from his own physique and experiences. Over time, it's possible his opinion of them would change, but he would simply consider them the lowest rung of the species. He would in all likely hood, turn to men for assistance in combating the blight.

SAMPLES

Sample 1:

Unfamiliar birds sang unfamiliar songs in unfamiliar woods. He was unsure of how long it had been since he had found himself here, but he was sure this is what madness felt like. He his footing faltered, and he sank to his knees, hope ebbing out of him. The trees didn't sing, and the stars above him were not his own. He was lost in every sense of the word. 

"Lost and alone..." he thought to himself. "I'm alone." He wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to fight off the chill wrapping around his heart. Despair ate at him, biting and clawing at his thoughts at every turn. If he could just find his way back.

He flexed his fingers, marveling in the feeling the elements had on his body in the forsaken place. His body let out a tremor, out of cold or fear he knew not. His body ached, and was slow to obey his commands. He heard a wolf howl in the distance, and he straightened himself.

"I have to find her. She will know what to do." He forced his body up, and moved forward. "She will know what to do." 



Sample 2:

"I require an explanation." Haldir strode up to the Aravel with the pink squirming creature locked in his grip. 

"How may I help you, Haren?" The keeper asked cautiously as she turned around. She looked at the animal in his hands, which he quickly trust out towards her, jiggling it a little.

His brows furrowed, and his lips set in a think line. "What sort of creature is this?"

"Tis a called a Nug, Haren. They are common in this area." The corner of her lips tugged upward, as he turned the animal in his hands. "They are no danger. Some say they make excellent pets, although I've never tried."

"It has hands." He said with a quirk of his brow. "I find it disconcerting."

The one they call the Keeper's First snickered behind her, which only frustrated him more. He didn't like not knowing about the creatures that inhabited his forests. If a creature such as this existed, what other horrors might they find on their travels.

The Keeper finally cleared her throat, and continued. "You are not alone in those feelings. But, they are timid, sweet creatures, and they have been known to foster some admiration if you spend more time with them. I've also heard they can grow large enough to become mounts in some areas."

Haldir shot her a frown, and then looked over the squeaking rodent in his hands. People RIDE these?! Whoever attempted to ride them must have considerably shorter legs that he-

"Dwarves" He sneered. "I remember one of them was said to ride a boar into battle. Most undignified."

He turned the animal over in his hands, and looked into it's beady black eyes. It gave a soft little coo and a little wiggle that made one of it's ears flop to the side. Haldir's heart was immediately lost on the creature. It gave another coo followed by a chortle, and with a sigh he gave the underside of his chin a scratch. 

"You will show me what they eat?" Haldir looked to the Keeper. He was met with her smile, and a nod. "Come along then, Uvanima."