Thread:Eras of Arda Team/@comment-26172435-20170715215115

Character

 * Player IGN: AlteOgre
 * Name: Garmahyó
 * Type: Male Laiquendi elf.
 * Lore: Custom.
 * Born: YT 1144, as firstborn son of Telerin elves Berôwë and Alarië.
 * Whereabouts: Ossiriand.

Character background
Garmahyó’s father Berôwë was one of the Lindar that stayed behind in Rhovanion when the company of Elwë and Olwë crossed the Hithaeglir in YT 1115, the stage that marked the second sundering of the elves. Together with their leader Lenwë, Berôwë travelled south and settle in the south-western part of the Greatwood, Eryn Galen, the part that would later become known as Lórinand in Nandorin.

In YT 1144 Garmahyó was born to Berôwë and his spouse, Alarië. Roughly a decade later, in YT 1155, his brother Ealcahyó would see the light of the stars above Arda.

Garmahyó was an outgoing youngster, and his explorative and inquisitive nature would bring him both into trouble at times and make him learn a lot of their environment. He specialised in herblore, tracking and hunting, and in the study of the construct of nature, notably trees and the foundations they would root into. These learnings would later form the basis of his contributions to his people, as a ranger in their military, and as an architect for their settlements and infrastructure. For about a century the Nandorin of Rhovanion prospered and inhabited in settlements spread out in Eryn Galen and the neighbouring lands. They befriended the Naugrim of the Hithaeglir and were contended. But gradually more and more fell creatures from the barren north, remnants of the hordes that defended Melkor’s fortress Utumno, poored into Rhovanion, forcing all the Eruhin in the area to retreat into defensive positions and significantly work on their combat skills and gear.

Throughout the next decades, raids became more severe and the threat of death became ever more imminent as the relative weak gear of the Nandorin proved unfit to successfully fend off the evil intruders. The Nandorin of Eryn Galen eventually sought refuge in large caves under the densest woods.

Upon word of the dwarves, Lenwë’s son Denethor and a fair part of the more able Nandorin, decided to head west, to find a route in order to reach their kin in Beleriand, and the anticipated safe haven in the realm of King Thingol (Elwë). Garmahyó was one of the scouts in that company and he, Denethor and a few others of the most seasoned nandorin rangers guided their people, across the Hithaeglir and the Ered Luin, to their new home in Ossiriand. They arrived there in YT 1350, settle by allowance of King Thingol, and become known as the Leagrim, or Laiquendi.

For about a century, the Laiquendi would thrive in a few scattered settlements along the banks of the rivers of Ossiriand. One of which, Tol Galen, had become the seat of Denethor, crowned King of his people.

The threat of orcs and other foul creatures had already reached Beleriand and Ossiriand before their arrival and as they forged their alliances with the Sindar of Doriath and the dwarves of the Ered Luin, they were better prepared for armed conflict. Yet, when Melkor launched an invasion into both western and eastern Beleriand, and their protector Thingol requested their assistance in repelling the dark lord’s forces, they suffered heavy losses at the battle of Amon Ered in YT 1497. Denethor would also perish, and despite the successful counterattacks by their allies, leading to the retreat of the orcish hosts back north, the Laiquendi were prostrated.

After the loss of ‘Dan’, they swore to never name a King again, and adopt a meritocratic form of governance. They also decided to retreat into self-sufficient strongholds scattered throughout the densest of forests of Ossiriand. Tol Galen would still remain one of the few hubs they would hold in order to channel any contacts with the other elves and Eruhin of Arda. But to many peoples, they had almost vanished and become as illusive as the Drúedain, a people they would bond ever closer ties with as the centuries passed ever since the Sun and Moon shone upon the canopies covering their secretive dwellings.

Garmahyó was among the few who survived the ordeal at Amon Ereb. He spent most of the next decades ensuring his people would find safe haven and sufficient resources for the centuries to come. For this purpose he also travelled much of the Taur-im-Duinath and the lands south of the Adurant. Eventually, he would settle among his family in one of the Laiquendi ‘Sad’ and take a position as ‘Golwen’ in the local elder council, or ‘Makwa’. Sometimes he would represent their sad in the central council, the ‘Makwat’.

An intricate network of informers and travellers enabled the Laiquendi to keep track of the main events in Beleriand throughout the first four centuries of the First Age. Garmahyó himself sometimes sets out for a longer journey to the west or north to hear about the situation there, and he also trains scouts among both Laiquendi and Sindar for expeditions in the east of Beleriand and Ossiriand. Contacts with the dwarves had grown very scarse and contacts with men and the newly arrived Noldor have mainly been kept via envoys of the befriended court in Doriath or, in later times, the men inhabiting Estolad, who proved to be so kind as to not settle in Ossiriand upon the laiquendi’s urgent request.

Gameplay intentions and expectations
I prefer to roleplay in a strict manner, so I intend to act in-character at all times, avoid or possibly ignore any meta-info, and I will minimise OOC communication. Both as a player and as a character I will focus on survival building and roleplaying with other Laiquendi and affiliated characters along the lines of the background story as presented above.

I will not avoid staged pvp for the sake of faction roleplay. When staged properly (using the SiegeMod for example), I will gladly join in, but I will not spend any purposeful efforts in gathering means and developing player skills that give me a better chance of winning a pvp combat situation. Note that I don’t even gather the best gear for pve combat. And although I do enjoy the most common survival pve challenges by fighting invasions or roaming hosts of foes, I never bothered to go to Utumno or hunt for rewards by going to Tauredain Pyramids, enter barrows or summon a mountain troll chieftain. So, I do not wish to be forced into pvp and spend time preparing for things I do not aim to do. Consequently I prefer and insist on consented pvp only. I will consider any unplanned, involuntary pvp as harassment and report it accordingly because I believe any player should consider the value of gameplay experience of other players just as much as they value their own. This to me, implies that consented pvp should be mandatory. Unfortunately, not many share this point of view and the server rules (or 'pvp mode' support) do not meet my desired standards. Yet, I do not wish to refrain from joining the FA gameplay for this reason. In case too many players appear to not respect my personal gameplay experience and incidental harassment turns into a drag and general undermining of my motivation to even log in, I will simply stop playing.

Despite the obvious possible, relatively small (!), hideout areas for Laiquendi characters in Ossiriand, in the patches of Nandorin Realm in the area, I expect players to respect the lore and consider the Laiquendi illusive and ‘no easy prey’, in terms of both tracking and assaulting, especially not when among other Laiquendi. No individual orc or swarthy man, and not even squads, will simply walk into the densest of Ossiriand’s forests to raid a laiquendi sad and its inhabitants. I assume any player will use common sense when roleplaying and consider this. To me this also implies a general avoidance of use of /tpa for any (non-)Laiquendi character in the realm of Ossiriand. 