[Bêthberry]

Character profile and first post for Anhelm, Orual's character.

Name: Anhelm, Captain of the Steward's Guard

Age: 28

Appearance: Tall, strong, and fit, Anhelm is every inch a soldier, and the very image of an ambitious young captain. His dusty-brown hair hangs down to his mid-neck, and his gray eyes hint at his vast stores of energy. His movements are quick and almost ceaseless, and when he must be still he has nervous habits like cracking his knuckles or drumming his fingers on tables.
As Commander of the Poros settlement, he is rarely seen in anything but his uniform. His sword, Glindraug, was passed down to him as the eldest son, and he is the sixth generation weilder. He almost always wears it.

History: Anhelm came from a long line of Gondorian soldiers, serving under the Stewards and, before that, the Kings. Under his father's tutelage he made his way swiftly up the ranks of the guard, due to the uneasy times as well as his skill in leadership and battle, and his loyalty to Gondor.
His father was an excellent soldier, charismatic and very well-liked, and close to the Steward. Anhelm fought his way up the chain of command, making his father very proud, but part of his reasoning was his desire to get out of his father's shadow, and to make a name for himself, on his own merits.
His priorities shifted when their home was attacked by Haradrim invaders, and his father was injured. Though he survived, he would never walk again. Fury fueled his loyalty to Gondor, and he became one of the best soldiers in the army, and was promoted to captain for his efforts. At twenty-seven, he was given command of the Poros settlement.

Personality: Anhelm's zeal for crown and country is what most people see when they first meet him, and it is indeed a large part of his personality. But he is also a dedicated brother, son, and uncle, and is known to his close friends as a boistrous and exuberant man. To others he appears stern and hard-working. He takes his duties very seriously, and feels intensely the burden of the settlement, and of the lives entrusted to him. He is wary and shrewd, with a brilliant tactical mind, courageous with a healthy sense of anxiety about the perilous location of his settlement. His flaws include a keen hatred of the Haradrim due to their raid on his house, which obscures his vision sometimes and skews his judgement. Also, though he is talented, he is young, and has trouble dealing with the responsibility of commanding the Poros settlement.

The first post for the game:

The sun crept slowly to meet the horizon, peering out over a grey morning and a bleak landscape. Captain Anhelm, Commander of the Poros Settlement, was already up to greet it. Dressed in his uniform, his sword sheathed and set carefully on the desk in front of him, Anhelm shivered a little and looked out of the window. He stood up and grabbed his cloak from a hook on the wall of his modest office, and went out into what was the beginnings of his village.

"Morning, Captain," a young soldier said amiably, touching his forehead in respect. He glanced at Anhelm's cloak, and his smile slipped. "You might not need that," he said, a touch of gloom entering his voice. "It's warm again today, and Telpe says not to hope for a cold wind any time soon."

Anhelm laughed, then smiled. "Take what Telpe says with a grain of salt," he suggested. "She is no more an expert on the climate here than you or I. We may get a reprieve from the heat yet." The young man smiled gratefully, touched his forehead again, and left.

"Good morning, Uncle Anhelm!" cried a young girl, running up to him. Her brown pigtails trailed out behind her, and she had a string of white winter flowers in her hand that would be made into either a necklace or a circlet. Her name was Mavi, short for Vidumavi. She was his only niece, and he loved her dearly.

"Good morning, love!" Anhelm replied, picking her up and giving her a kiss right on the top of her head. "How are you? And where are your shoes? Don't your feet hurt?"

Mavi laughed and wiggled her way to being put down. "Telpe says that she's got some tea and soup for you for breakfast, and she sent me to tell you. And my feet don't hurt. I'm like the Wild Men! I don't need shoes." She pulled a fierce face and, making her hands like claws, growled at her uncle.

Anhelm smiled. "You're a tough one, all right. I bet I could pick you up by the toes and your hair wouldn't get mussed. Let's see!" He grabbed her by the waist and tickled her until she shrieked, and at that point he put her down and kissed her on the nose. "Run along..."

She did, and Anhelm went and gathered the feel of the morning, which was fairly like the last few mornings: tense. A settlement right near the Harad Road was not the safest place, especially in these uneasy times. The Haradrim were getting uneasy, egged on, some said, by darker forces, though Anhelm was hard pressed to believe it. He was a practical man, who believed in more or less only what he could see. Some vague "darker forces" were not enough to make him nervous.

But the Haradrim did make him nervous. His father was bound to bed because of them, never to walk again; his people could not let their children stray far from the settlement proper because of them. How could he not be nervous? He was in charge of this settlement; all of these lives were in his hands.

"Captain?" An older soldier came up to him. "I have some reports from the scouts. Would you like to come read them?"

Anhelm took a deep breath. It was time to start his day; brooding would not stop the Haradrim. Only action would. He nodded. "Lead on."

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<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:57 AM January 13, 2004: Message edited by: Bêthberry ]