Arnadil Erwoen, Captain of the 5th Gate of Minas Tirith

 Arnadil Erwoen

Title: Captain of the 5th Gate of Minas Tirith

Ethinicity :  Dunedain.
Birthday: 14 June

Physical Traits

Arnadil is a man of strong built, with a booming voice and a confident smile. He has been leader of men of Gondor for the last 20 years, and was Lieutenant of the 3rd gate during the siege of Minas Tirith. Has Arnadil be from a noble family, he probably would have become a scholar, but this was not meant to be. Arnadil has a keen interested in Elves and Elf culture, can read and speak both Quenya and Sindarin and is knowledgeable in many topics of history. He is occupying the highly prestigious position of Captain of the 5th Gate, which is one of the highest honor for officers from the gentry class. 

Early Life (age 0-14, year TA 2992 to TA 3006)

Born of a family in the gentry class, Arnadil was schooled in young age and literate by age 8 or so. His family owned a flat on the 2nd level of Minas Tirith, and a small estate in the foothills of Mount Mindolluin, a dozen league south west of Minas Tirith. At the estate, the family was producing a decent regional wine and selling their wares to both Minas Tirith and exporting to southern Gondor. Arnadil had the chance to go in hunts in the hills, help with the harvest and wine-making and with shipping over land of the family wine. 

Skills: Animal Handling [2], riding [2], literacy (Common Language), Profession (winemaking) [3], swimming [4], bow [4], Area knowledge (Gondor) [2], Area knowledge (Minas Titrith) [2], short sword [1], farming [1], fishing [2], Masonry [1], Naturalist [1]

Traits : Cultural Familiarity (Gondor) [1], Honest Face [1], Status 1: Gentry [5], Honesty [-10], Curious [-5], Fit [5]

Page of Gondor (age 14-17, year TA 3006-3009)

At the ripe old age of 14, the Erwoen family sent Arnadil to Minas Tirith to live with his aunt and Uncle. He began working for the King's court. Because of his literacy, Arnadil was assigned to the Royal Library as a page. There, he spent three years in a damp, cold and dark antechambers fetching material for the library's patrons. He wasn't getting along with the clerks at the time, and eventually decided to leave the library and join the City Watch as soon as he turned the legal age of 17.

Skills: Literature [2], Research [4], Sindarin read/write @ broken level [2], Administration [1], Bookbinding [2], law [1], Search [6],   

Watchmen of Gondor (age 17-20, year TA 3009-3012)

Arnadil enlisted in the City Watch in 3009 and was assigned to a number of posting around the city. During this time, he got a chance to build a network of friends throughout the service. Basic training was not as demanding as he thought, but he was told that the regular service was more demanding and more glamorous. What kept him in the watch is that he had plenty of free time to spend reading and discussing elven literature with others of alike interests. Because of his affinity for letters and numbers, Arnadil took on some overtime work as a clerk of the watch and befriended officers and NCOs. 

Skills: Allies Watchmen of Gondor [], soldier [4], spear [4], crossbow [2], shield [2], tactics [2], Sindarin @ accented level [+2], literature [2], Knowledge (History of Numenor) [2], Search [4], Streetwise [2]

Sergent the watchmen of Gondor (age 20-24, year TA 3012-3016)

At the age of 20, Arnadil was promoted to the rank of Sergent. After a brief stint in the mounted service, he settled back into the a fortification branch and took on a day watch based in the first rampart. During this time, he adjusted to the night life cycle and learned to function with little sleep. His free time almost vanished as he sank into his position in the watch. With the rumors of war in the North, it became obvious to the Watch that the service would require replacement armor, while none was forthcoming from the stewart. Arnadil became actively involved in the illicit purchase of mail shirts and other pieces of armors. His ring was uncovered by an officer, who demanded that he cease smuggling. The officer was moved by the intention, however, and diverted some of the meager resources to the watch, and put Arnadil forward for promotion.

Skills : leadership [4], soldier [2], riding (horse) [3], engineering (military) [2], tactics [2], spear [2], broadsword [4], Sindarin @ Native [+2],  Intimidation [4], Interrogation [2], Search [2], First-Aid [2], Smuggling [2], Merchant [1]

Trait: Less Sleep 1 [2]

2nd Lieutenant of the Night Watch, 3rd Gate (age 24-25, year TA 3016-3017)

The war is about to happen. Arnadil is assigned as a commander of the Night Watch on the 3rd gate of Mina Tirith. The main difference with this new assignment is that he is also commanding a battery of trebuchet. Arnadil is also responsible for training new NCOs. During this time, he also marry Lwellyn Maisk, the daughter of the Captain of the Day Watch on Pelenor's field. Arnadil is soon invited to most officer's functions due to the sponsorship of Captain Maisk. Arnadil begins using his expandable income to acquire book and documents of historical and linguistic value: the Steward has lost touch with the realm, library clerks are selling books to compensate for their missed salaries.  Arnadil and a number of other individuals felt that they had a duty to rescue as many of the books from the royal shelves. Some of these individuals will become pro-eminent in the Palentiri Commission, such as Tarquillan the Seer.

Skills: Leadership [2], engineering (military) [2], wrestling [4], shield [2], broadsword [2], First-Aid [1], Administratrion [2], tactics [1], Intimidation [2], Interrogation [3].

Trait: Library (linguistic, history) [5]

War of the Ring (age 26, TA 3018)

During the war of the ring, Arnadil was a second lieutenant at the same post since TA 3016. This was a time of chaos and tumult in Minas Tirith. A parallel chain of command from the official chain lead by the Steward of Gondor was in operation, where Captain Maisk played a predominant role. By day, Arnadil was to keep an eye on the Royal library as a civilian patron and report crooked clerks to a secret court. When the forces of Sauron overtook Osgiliath, he had to divert his attention to the defense of the city. During this time, Tarquillan gave Arnadil a small "Treatise on Enemity" which explained how to develop a keen sense to foresee foes and dangerous situations. Arnadil devoured the treatise and acquired some rudiment of thaumatology, but did not achieve the mastery of foresight in time for the siege of Minas Tirith. On the eve of the battle, with Lwellyn heavily pregnant, Arnadil lead his family to the relative safety of the inner keep where she joined a number of families associated with the secret court of Gondor. Among the others were Tarquillan and other seers. Arnadil was overrun at the third gate and lead a small group of watchmen and about 100 civilians to safety in the sewer system until the Oathbreakers swept the orcs off Minas Tirith. 

Given the decimated ranks of the City Watch, his heroic action on the day of battle and association with the secret court of Gondor, Arnadil was cited for bravery and promoted to the rank of first Lieutenant shortly following the siege. He did not participate in the battle of Morannon Gate as he volunteered to participate in a sweep against the remnants of Haradrim forces fleeing to the South.

Arnadil's son, Emer Erwoen, was born a few weeks after the siege of Minas Tirith.

Skills: Leadership [2], shield[1], broadsword [2], ridingar (horse) [2], crossbow [1], animal handling [1], armoury [1], hiking [1],  Thaumatology [1]

Trait: Less Sleep 2 [+2], Dislike (Orcs) [-1], Dislike (Harad) [-1],

Notable Possession: 

1. "Treatise on Enemity", Intro to Thaumatology and foresight of enemity. 
2. Chip of a Oliphaunt tusk, later carved into a small Oliphaunt.
3. Bravery Pendant, Battle of Pelenor Fields.
4. King's pendant, Battle of Pelenor Fields.

Lieutenant of the Day Watch, Pelenor Gate (age 26-29, year TA 3018 - 3021)

With the city in shamble and structurally unsound, Arnadil sent his wife and son to the family estate. He volunteered for a prestigious post at the gates of Pelenor fields. Arnadil, assisted by an insufficient skeleton staff, became an efficient manager of Tax and Fares as well as a leader in the rebuilding of the shattered outter defenses. Durign this time, Arnadil befriended a large number of craftsmen from all over Gondor that were flocking to Minas Tirith to seek opportunities in rebuilding the capital. The position was rather lucrative and Arnadil managed to step up his lifestyle significantly: carousing with more important people and the higher echelons of the watch.

Skills: engineering (civil) [2], Administration [3], Merchant [3], Quenya @ accented (written only) [2], Sense Foes (spell) [1], Law [2],  

Traits: Allies (craftsmen of Gondor), Status (2) [10], Rank, military (1) [5], 

Captain of the Ithilien Gate, Osgiliath (age 29-34, year FA 1-5)

Upon the coronation of King Elessar, a wave of promotion was enacted mainly on the basis of merit rather than birth. Arnadil leveraged his network of contact to get promoted to the rank of Captain, with the initial assignment to command over the derelict gate of Osgiliath, on the Ithilien side of the Anduin. This assignment was very demanding: with raids from marauding orcs, Haradrim and Easterlings regularly attempting to pilfer the material and food ferried over the river for reconstruction. Arnadil took on the excavation work of a ditch and a temporary pallisade. 

Increasingly over these 5 years, Arnadil spent time patrolling the wilderness in an attempt to uproot the encampment of the marauders. By then, he had mastered the foresight of Enemity from the Treatise and put it to great use. He got the reputation to be able to zero in on any camp, no matter how well concealed it was. He got the nickname "the hound of Osgiliath", and was instumental in the pursuit of the Treaty of Osgiliath which took effect on FA 5. 

Skills: Intimidation [2], diplomacy [4], riding  (horse) [2], soldier [2], leadership [2], Area Knowledge (Ithilien) [4], engineering (civil) [2], broadsword [2], shield [2], Administration [1], Sense Foes (spell) [3], Thaumatology [1], Detect Lies [2], Hiking [2]

Traits: Cultural familiarity (Orc of Mordor), Cultural Familiarity (Harad), 

Captain of the 3rd Ithilien Lancer Company (age 34-38, year 5-9)

The treaty of Osgiliath stipulated that all former forces of Mordor and their families would be ensure safe passage to the East IF they remained on the road to the Black Gate heading North, or within a league of the Ash Mountain heading East. Arnadil transfered from the watch to the army and took on the role of commander of the 3rd Ithilien Lancer Company. The lancer were based off the Black gate, tasked to patrol the evacuation route, and prosecute any orcs and Easterlings not on the road. 

The most interesting assignment was in FA 8-9 when Arnadil volunteered to explore the pass of Cirith Ungol and secure the fortress itself. The regions was desolate, and mostly free of orcs. These orcs didn't recognized the treaty of Osgiliath and had to be pushed deeper into Mordor by force. Arnadil discovered a large volume of documents, weapons and other mundane orc artifacts which were destroyed on site (except for the documents, which were cataloged and sent to Minas Tirith). The constant presence of ash and dust in these parts caused Arnadil to develop a respiratory condition. He eventually had to return to Minas Tirith for health reason.  Arnadil remembers this time as both filled with dread and adventure.

Skills: Climb [2], diplomacy [1], leadership [1], Mordor @ accented (written only) [2], Area Knowledge (Ithilien) [4], Area Knowledge (Ephel Duath), [2], riding (horse) [2], tactics [1], Intimidation [1], Interrogation [1], Sense Foes (spell) [3]

Trait: Affliction (asthma) [-4], Rank (military) 2 [5]

Captain of the 5th Gate (age 38-44, year 9-15)

A weakened Arnadil returned to Minas Tirith. Upon his return, his family returned permanently to the City. His son was then 13 and got enlisted as a page at the Royal Library, under the supervision of Tarquillan. Arnadil transferred back into the Watch and assumed a command position on the 5th level of the City. In FA 10, Arnadil was put forward by the Lord Chancellor as a member of the Palantiri Commission and started to take an active role in the quest to recover the artifacts. Arnadil's health will probably always remain a bit frail, and he avoids exertion when necessary. At the time of the beginning of the Campaign, Emer is now 19 and employed as a clerk of the library. Arnadil is the obvious leader for an expedition: he is a Nominee of the Lord chancellor, but was strongly supported by the King's Seer. He is seen as one of the main player and an avid student of anything that would allow them to recover the master stone of Osgiliath.

Skills: Research [3], Knowledge (History) [2], carousing [4], Literature [1]