Thread:Eras of Arda Team/@comment-51.37.140.169-20170805002536

Hello, this is my application for the character Galathil. At the time of the server Galathil is a Prince of Doriath, and he is related to Thingol through his Grandfather Elmo, the younger brother of Thingol, making him the Great nephew of Thingol. It is worth mentioning that Tolkien created Elmo and his son and grandson in order to link Celeborn to Elwe, but later in his life he wrote that Celeborn was actually related to Olwe, and never said any more about Elmo or his descendants. However, seeing as Tolkien didn't (as far as I know) publish any writings about the revised lineage of Celeborn, and also didn't refute the existence of Elmo, I'm going to operate under the assumption that Elmo and his descendants are considered canon.

History: Since Tolkien never expanded much on the back story or character of Galathil, aside from mentioning that he existed and was the brother of Celeborn, I've decided to take a few liberties with lore if that's OK with you guys. Galathil was born in the third century of the first age, the year Glaurung was defeated on the plains of Ard Galen. He grew up in Doriath and spent much of his childhood wandering the woodland paths and streams, and also loved lying by the fire listening to his grandfather and great uncle tell tales of the days before the exiles came from across the sea, of the journey from the distant shores of Cuivienen, and especially of the glory of the Dagor Aglareb and the beginning of the siege of Angband. Galathil was always eager to prove himself in battle, and even before he was truly considered an adult he was permitted to ride north with hunting parties to track down bands of orcs that had come down from Thangorodrim. From this early age he proved himself a capable warrior, and longed still for a chance to earn glory in a great battle. But he was born during the long peace, and no such chance would come. Thus, Galathil was content to enjoy the peace while it lasted, riding freely in the woods, learning the ancient lore and songs of his people, and honing his skills for when the siege of Angband would be broken. By the year 400 of the first age, he had grown to be liked within Menegroth and would often attend the court of his Great Uncle to learn the ways of leadership and the intricacies of politics within Beleriand and the Northern kingdoms. He had grown to favour the spear and staff in combat, and was also skilled with a sword as all nobles usually were. Hunting game in the woods kept his archery skills sharp, and frequent training and the occasional mock fight with his brother did the same for his melee ability, though by elvish standards he was still young and inexperienced. As for his personality: Galathil is quite young, and is eager to prove himself and longs for battle. He is fiercely loyal to his people and to his king. Galathil has an adventurous and daring personality, he is prone to take risks and will usually choose the most interesting option over the most sensible. Lastly, he enjoys above all else merriment and song, and has a love of the old lore and stories of his people.

Why I want to play as this character: It took me quite a while to decide which character to claim. Originally, I thought of Voronwe but then I heard something about Gondolin characters being closed, or something like that, so I decided against it. My thoughts immediately turned to Doriath, my favourite Elven kingdom alongside Gondolin. At first I intended to claim Daeron, but decided not to. Next, I thought of claiming Celebrimbor, but decided against it because a) he's probably already taken and b) There seem to be complications over where he actually lived at this time, seeing as his wife appears to live in Nargathrond. Also, I wanted a character whose lore I could at least partially make up myself. Seeing as I still wanted an elf of Doriath, I read a bit about Celebrimbor and discovered his little mentioned brother who fits my requirements perfectly. His back story is practically nonexistent so I could make it up myself. I tailored the back story and personality to fit my personality and play style; he is in the faction of Doriath, but isn't tied to any specific area and can wander freely. There is plenty of room for role play, which I hope to do a lot of, and of course he is very adventurous and often reckless. Like I said, he usually chooses the more interesting option over the more sensible.

A bit about yours truly: I was a character in the SA server briefly, before it shut down, and to be honest I didn't really do so well due to relative inexperience. But, hopefully now I can learn from my failings and start over with a clean slate in the form of Galathil. I will be on as often as I can, probably more consistently after the end of summer, and hopefully will get on better than I did in SA. I love the work of JRR Tolkien, but I so rarely see people who actually bother to go deeper into the unbelievably vivid and extensive lore of the Second and First ages, and before, and it's great to see a community of people who do - and furthermore, make a Minecraft server devoted to experiencing it! Thanks for considering my application, hope to see you all in the First Age. That is, when I finally get my laptop fixed! (sorry if there are any grammar or spelling errors, had to write this on my phone.) 