Bestowal dialogue
You convey Dorthaneth's warning about the Heirs of Castamir and the one they call 'The Scourge'. Lothíriel frowns, deep in thought.
'I will take Dorthaneth's warning to heart, but I do not know a great deal about the people of Umbar or their leaders. Every child of Gondor knows the tale of Castamir the Usurper, of course, but his is a name from long ago and I thought his line was ended. I do not know.
'My father has always said the finest way to combat a new foe is to learn as much of his history and temper as you can, before facing him on the battlefield. I think this is wisdom. To that end, I ask you to go to the libraries of Dol Amroth and speak to Pethebir, the master of the archives. He was my tutor, when I was just a child, and he believed I neglected my studies. This will not change his mind! But now I need information, and he will know where to find it. Learn from him everything you can about the Corsairs and their masters. Perhaps in so doing you will discover something we can use to our advantage.'
Background
You have given Lothíriel the message from Dorthaneth, and she wants to prepare for the coming of the Heirs of Castamir by acquiring as much knowledge about them as possible.
Objective 1
Pethebir is at the libraries of Dol Amroth.
Lothíriel believes the best way to prepare for the threat of the Corsairs of Umbar is to learn as much about their ways as you can, and to that end she has sent you to the libraries of Dol Amroth.
- Lothíriel: 'Go to the libraries of Dol Amroth and speak to Pethebir, the master of the archives. Learn from him everything you can about the Corsairs and their masters. Perhaps in so doing you will discover something we can use to our advantage.'
- Pethebir: 'Lothíriel seeks information? What a wonder! She has never sought our knowledge before this. Perhaps she has begun to take seriously the duty with which she has been charged? At last. When I was her tutor she was the very picture of inattentive boredom. It is one of my greatest regrets that I was unable to impress her upon the importance of study.
- 'That is ancient history! What matters now is the present need. The scholars here are at your disposal, of course! Allow me to guide the course of your study.
- 'Naremil and Nosseth have travelled extensively throughout the kingdom of Gondor, and can tell you a great deal about the land and our rich history. Nosseth has a particularly keen insight for the lineages of the Kings and Stewards, and the political intentions of various Lords and Ladies. Cirhael can tell you a great deal about the Corsairs, and the port from which they hail: Umbar, to the south across the Bay.'
Objective 2
Pethebir has given you the names of several scholars who may be able to help you.
- Pethebir: 'Naremil and Nosseth have travelled extensively throughout the kingdom of Gondor, and can tell you a great deal about the land and our rich history. Nosseth has a particularly keen insight for the lineages of the Kings and Stewards, and the political intentions of various Lords and Ladies. Cirhael can tell you a great deal about the Corsairs, and the port from which they hail: Umbar, to the south across the Bay.'
- Nosseth: 'If you wish to learn about Prince Imrahil, his children, or the swan-knights at his command, I can tell you much.'
- <name>: 'Tell me about Prince Imrahil.'
- Nosseth: 'The Prince of Dol Amroth is a good man and loves his daughter, Lothíriel, but he has sworn oaths to the Steward and could not refuse the call of Gondor. Once the beacons were lit, Imrahil had no choice but to leave for Minas Tirith. Now his daughter must rule in Belfalas, and the war threatens to come here as well.'
- <name>: 'It seems so.'
- 'What can you tell me about the Swan-knights?'
- Nosseth: 'They are Prince Imrahil's personal fighting force and guard, highly-skilled and respected. Most of the swan-knights departed for Minas Tirith with the Prince, but he commanded some remain behind in Dol Amroth to protect Lothíriel. It is my understanding that she immediately sent most of them away to scout the land for anything that might pose a threat to her people.'
- <name>: 'One I met.'
- 'What is wrong with Lothíriel's betrothal?'
- Nosseth: 'I will tell you what I think, but please do not convey my words outside these walls. I do not wish to find myself in trouble for speaking in this way. But here is what I know.
- 'I have heard that the Steward of Gondor, Denethor II, awoke from his slumber one night with the vivid memory of a dream. What the dream may have been I never learned, but whatever it was compelled him to propose that Imrahil command his daughter Lothíriel to wed the Steward's son, Boromir.
- 'This rightly gives good folk pause, for Lothíriel and Boromir are first cousins, and such close marriages harken back to the dark days before the fall of Númenor, when kin married kin, and much harm was done. Imrahil disapproves of the notion, and I understand that Boromir does as well, but neither man can refuse the Steward his request.
- 'Lothíriel has stated she will consent to the marriage, if she must, but the prospect makes her unhappy, and I have heard she has been stealthily leaving the city to seek the advice of the Elves.'
- <name>: 'I see.'
- Nosseth: 'Lord Imrahil is the Prince of Dol Amroth, and he is the wise ruler of the city and its surrounding lands. He has gone to Minas Tirith with many soldiers, but he has left some of his swan-knights to serve his daughter Lothíriel, who now rules the city during his absence.
- 'Imrahil is well-loved by the people of Belfalas, but his daughter is untested and unproven. Númenorian tradition allows women to rule, but not all folk in Gondor remember such things; I have heard some dissatisfaction that she was chosen to rule the city while her father is away.
- 'But Lothíriel is loyal and complies with her father's wishes, despite her young age and a tendency towards recklessness. She recently disagreed with an arrangement of marriage, but it is my understanding she will go through with the proposed match, despite her feelings, or the feelings of a great many of her people. Some things are not meant to be, and I fear there will be a reckoning for it.'
- Naremil: 'If you wish to learn about the geography of the kingdom or its history, I would be glad to share my knowledge.'
- <name>: 'Tell me about the geography of Gondor.'
- Naremil: 'There is great variety in the lands of Gondor, from the wooded slopes of Blackroot Vale to the coastal cliffs of Belfalas. Many folk till the fields of Lamedon, and work the fertile ground through which flow the Five Streams, further to the east in Lebennin. The land of Anórien lies beyond the White Mountains, and at their eastern foot stands Minas Tirith, greatest city of Gondor and Tower of Guard, from which the dark lands to the east are watched.
- 'Prince Imrahil has gone there with many hundreds of his finest warriors, for war is certain to be joined in the coming weeks.
- 'If that is so, war will first come to Ithilien, the lands beyond the River Anduin, on the very border of the Black Land.'
- <name>: 'Most likely.'
- 'What can you tell me about the Stewards?'
- Naremil: 'Ever since the line of Kings came to an end with the disappearance of Eärnur, Gondor has been ruled by the hereditary line of Stewards. The Steward that sits now in Minas Tirith is Denethor II, a wise man much like his own father, who was Steward before him. Some forty years ago, Denethor married Finduilas, the sister of Prince Imrahil, and she bore him two sons. They are noble men, but they come rarely to Dol Amroth and I have not seen them in many years.
- 'Finduilas loved Denethor, but some say that the tower of stone in which she dwelled was not to her liking, and she died after a dozen years, far from the seaside cliffs she loved.
- 'Denethor dotes now on his sons. The eldest, Boromir, will become Steward when Denethor dies. He is betrothed to Lothíriel of Dol Amroth, a match some find troubling.'
- '<name>': 'I see.'
- 'I heard Lothíriel disapproved of the match.'
- Naremil: 'It is not my place to speak of it. Perhaps Nosseth will wish to tell you more. She has more interest in such things than I.'
- <name>: 'Very well.'
- Naremil: 'I will tell you what time allows about our kingdom, but that is a rich history and there is much of which I might speak!
- 'The kingdom was first established in the wake of disaster. The land of Númenor fell beneath the waves; only fast ships could save the household of Elendil and bring them to these shores. High King Elendil's sons ruled the kingdom together, but when the Dark Power returned to Middle-earth, Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion were slain. The line continued by way of Anárion's son through many years, until Eärnur, the last king of Gondor, disappeared into Minas Morgul and was never seen again.
- 'For more than nine hundred years, rule of the kingdom has passed down through the hereditary line of the Ruling Stewards, charged with maintaining the peace and welfare of Gondor until the line of Kings is restored. Few believe that can ever happen. Any claimant would need to prove an unbroken blood-line, a task that seems insurmountable to this poor scholar.'
- Cirhael: 'I can teach you about the city of Umbar or the Kin-strife that gave rise to the Corsairs, if you care to listen.'
- <name>: 'Tell me about the Kin-strife.'
- Cirhael: 'It is a sad portion of our history, and not pleasant to talk about, but in the name of Study I will do so.
- 'More than a thousand years ago, the King of Gondor sent his son Valacar to the lands of Rhovanion as an ambassador of peace. While in this place, Valacar met and fell in love with a woman of that people who bore him a son, Eldacar. In time, Valacar succeeded to the throne of Gondor.
- 'Tensions began to grow in the southern reaches of the kingdom: what would happen when Valacar died and his son came to the throne? Eldacar did not possess purely Númenorian blood, but a lesser proportion due to his Northern mother. Eldacar did not sit the throne for long before much of Gondor erupted in open revolt.
- 'A relative from a distant branch of the family seized the throne: Castamir, the Usurper. The Men of Gondor fought among themselves. Those were dark and bloody days.
- 'Castamir was slain when, after ten years, Eldacar returned at the head of an army. Castamir's sons fled to Umbar, where they became the first of the Corsairs.'
- <name>: 'Foes indeed.'
- 'Are the Corsairs to be feared?'
- Cirhael: 'The Corsairs of Umbar have harried our coastline for many years, but the fighting force of Gondor has always been sufficient to drive them away. It may be different now, for our attention must be split between the Corsair raiders from the South and the shadow that moves toward Minas Tirith from the East.'
- <name>: 'It may.'
- 'Who are the Heirs of Castamir?'
- Cirhael: 'I do not think any true heirs of Castamir still live. That was long ago, and the soldiers of Gondor could conceive of no mercy for the sons of Castamir: I am certain they were all slain.
- 'I am troubled by this title, however, for it means whoever is using it knows how to manipulate the Corsairs. Evoking the name of Castamir in this way is a highly-effective means of mobilizing the enemies of Gondor. There is more behind this increase in Corsair activity than there has been seen in the past. These Heirs of Castamir may not be heirs in truth, but they certainly intend to continue the legacy of trouble he began, so long ago.'
- <name>: 'No doubt.'
- Cirhael: 'South of Dol Amroth, across the Bay of Belfalas, the city of Umbar stands. Its large harbour provides the mooring for many great ships, and a mighty fortress was built there. It was an important port for the Númenoreans, but when strife split the loyalties of that people, Umbar became a contested land.
- 'It remained so throughout history, at times taken by Gondor and at others occupied by Black Númenoreans and their Haradrim allies. One of the most devastating losses of Umbar occurred following the Kin-strife, one of Gondor's darkest periods. The sons of Castamir the Usurper, chief architect of the Kin-strife, escaped from Gondor and named themselves 'Corsairs of Umbar.'
- 'Castamir's sons were all slain, but their legacy remains. The Corsairs have caused much hardship along the coastline over the years.'
Objective 3
Pethebir is at the libraries of Dol Amroth.
Lothíriel believes the best way to prepare for the threat of the Corsairs of Umbar is to learn as much about their ways as you can, and to that end she has sent you to the libraries of Dol Amroth.
- Pethebir: 'Ah, did my scholars help you learn anything of use, <name>? It seems to me that the Corsairs are a dangerous threat, and Lothíriel would be wise to recall the Swan-knights she sent from the city. I hope the information of my scholars proves helpful to you and to Lothíriel, and awakens her to the uncertain future that awaits.'
- Pethebir notices your expression, and sighs.
- 'I see that Nosseth spoke to you of Lothíriel's betrothal to Boromir. I should have counseled her to exercise restraint! None are happy about this match, save Denethor, and as he is the Ruling Steward there are none willing to speak against his wishes. All I know of this is that he had a dream of some sort that convinced him of the rightness of this match, but I do not know what it could have been.'
- You decide not to tell the earnest archivist that you know Boromir will never wed Lothíriel, but the young ruler of the city should be told of the fate of her intended.
Objective 4
Lothíriel is in the Great Hall of Dol Amroth.
You have learned that Lothíriel is unhappily betrothed to her cousin Boromir, and should tell her of her intended's fate.
- Pethebir: 'It seems to me that the Corsairs are a dangerous threat, and Lothíriel would be wise to recall the Swan-knights she sent from the city. I hope the information of my scholars proves helpful to you and to Lothíriel, and awakens her to the uncertain future that awaits.'
- Lothíriel: 'You have returned from the library archives, <name>? Have you learned anything that will help us defend against the attacks of Umbar? Why do you appear so sorrowful? What is wrong?'
- There is no easy way to give such tidings as you have of Boromir, but you do the best you can, and tell Lothíriel that he fell in battle protecting those who could not protect themselves. Her face betrays a confused mixture of emotion.
- 'I do not know what to say, <name>. Boromir was a good man. He always had my love and respect, and I would have married him for Gondor. His father the Steward dreamed of the triumph of the kingdom, and in the dream I was a garlanded queen in Minas Tirith, beneath a fair and golden sun. My father, too, had a similar dream: he dreamt that I was in a high place, wearing a golden crown.'
- Lothíriel wipes at the dampness in her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
- 'I mourn for my cousin, <name>, and for Gondor. I was unhappy with the marriage match, but now that he is gone I am sad for his passing, glad that he attained glory, and angry for my relief. I do not know how I feel.'
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