Social:Order of the Tower Guard
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This article is a Kinship information page The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official LOTRO history or occurrences which are accurate for all worlds. The kinships and events listed are of an independent nature and applied for roleplaying, fictional, speculative, or opinions from a limited playerbase only. |
OOTTG
Website: Order of the Tower Guard
The Order of the Tower Guard is a Kinship on the Landroval server, founded in October 2007; it is one of Landroval's longest running Kinships, with a loyal, cohesive member and leadership roster.
Many members have a long-time interest in Tolkien's works and context, and "lore-play" is a central activity. Members have the resource of a well-developed Kinship-lore with a sizable body of contributed writings, an active, mature, and respectful member-body, and a well-tuned raiding corps that actively pursues the most challenging end-game content. Kinship-chat is OOC; members are held to the standard and expectations of the Order Charter.
OOTTG has kept accurate records of their raiding activities. As of April 2013, the Order had over 300 documented 12/24-person raids on their books.
The Order maintains website, forums, wiki, Teamspeak, and IRC services, in addition to being seen hither and thither about Middle Earth. The Order has traditionally recruited by internal reference, and is a kinship devoted to the game, and the friendships forged in a love for adventure and good times.
Officers:
Casandir Amdirim, Leader
Minbur Pike, Executive Officer
Artemir of Lorien
Hart of Rohan
Palandhir Galadhrim
Saedir Ainumacil
Serendrel of Lorien
Seridwen of Rohan
Edinellion of Edhellond (Emeritus)
Keita of Gondor (Emeritus)
Oweyn Theowar of Rohan (Emeritus)
Victory of Gondor (Emeritus)
Lore and Context
The Tower Guard at Minas Tirith guards the White Tree and the King, and operates by the mission of the Order.
The Order of the Tower Guard is dedicated to maintain and advance the cause that would preserve the scions of Telperion. At the end of the Second Age, an Elven Lore-master was tasked to inculcate the insights of the Heren Ecthelion, an old Elven mystical group, into the mission of the Tower Guard, and initiate the Gondoran "Guard of the Citadel" into the mysteries of the Heren. The Minas Tirith Tower Guard draw from that insight as their motivation to ensure the security of the White Tree of Gondor, the King, and the lands.
While there are some members of the Order who also have served in the Tower Guard, many members of the OOTTG are otherwise unaffiliated with Gondor. Members of the OOTTG understand the transition of the Third Age into the Fourth as the critical junction of Elven and Human lore and virtue, of the past and the future, and understand the White Tree of Gondor to be the symbol and mechanism of this particular transition.
For most of the Third Age, the Order was a small, mobile entity of the Tower Guard organization. As the Age draws to a close, the Order expands to meet the needs of the time, bringing in warriors and sages from all corners of Middle Earth and of all honourable persuasions. The OOTTG operate throughout Middle Earth, as agents of the Guard of the Citadel, and of the Heren Ecthelion.
History
In 3430 of the Second Age, the Last Alliance gathered in Rivendell, and prepared for the Battle of the Dagorlad and the siege of Barad-dur. In 3431, Isildur, son of Elendil entrusted the scion to the granddaughter of Amdir, Casandir, charging her to preserve the scion of Nimloth during the war of the Last Alliance. It was thus held for 7 years before Isildur planted it at Minas Ithil, in memory of his brother Anárion, fallen in the Battle of the Dagorlad in the war of the Last Alliance.
The Order, and their military extension, the Tower Guard, were established in the year 2 TA, charged to preserve the mission of those who have protected Telperion's scions throughout the ages. For many centuries, the Order consisted of a small circle of advisors to the Captains General of the Tower Guard; they moved throughout Middle Earth as intelligence gatherers and diplomats. The structure of the Order began to change in the late Third Age, as the forces of Mordor and Sauron's armies began to strengthen. In recent times, the Order has become an elite unit of the Tower Guard, functioning as a highly-trained special operations unit.
In 2872 of the Third Age, the 21st Steward of the Gondor Kingdom Belecthor II, Son of Beregond, died; with him died the scion of Nimloth - the White Tree at Minas Tirith. The Tower Guard keep watch, and the Order has begun training for the final battle, but until Gondor has a new King, the lifeblood of Telperion does not flow. Cries can be heard during rallies, about the Tower of Ecthelion and about the Court of the Fountain, "By the Scions of Telperion - the Spirit of the Fountain Dies Not!"
Guards of the Citadel
"Elite military unit of Gondor. The Guards of the Citadel were the last line of defense for Minas Tirith. They were responsible for defending the Citadel on the seventh level where the rulers of Gondor governed and lived. They also guarded the White Tree in the Court of the Fountain which was a symbol of Gondor. At the end of the Third Age, the Guards of the Citadel were the only unit in Gondor's military to wear the livery of Elendil - the first High King of Gondor and Arnor. Their colors were black and silver. They wore black robes and they had black surcoats emblazoned with the White Tree under a silver Crown and Seven Stars.
The helmets of the Guards of the Citadel resembled the Crown of Gondor, which in turn was derived from a war-helm of Numenor. The Guards' helmets were made of mithril and they were tall with long cheek-guards and white sea-bird wings on either side. Pippin Took was given a helmet with raven-wings when he became a Guard of the Citadel but the reason for the distinction is unclear. The Guards of the Citadel were highly respected in Gondor. There were at least three companies of Guards. The companies were referred to by number such as the Third Company in which Beregond was a man at arms.
Each company had its own storehouse, buttery, and mess hall in the Citadel. The Third Company's storehouse was below ground level on the north side of the Tower of Ecthelion. In wartime, the Guards rose and breakfasted before dawn, ate nuncheon at noon or afterwards depending on their duties, and had the daymeal around sunset. The Guards of the Citadel could not leave the Citadel without the permission of either their Captain or the Lord of the City. They were forbidden on pain of death to abandon their posts while on duty.
Beregond left his post at the citadel-gate when he learned that Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, intended to burn his son Faramir alive. For this reason - and because he killed Denethor's servants in the Hallows - he was removed from the Guard of the Citadel by the chief of the Guard. After Aragorn became King of Gondor he judged that Beregond's life should be spared and he reassigned him to the White Company of Faramir in Ithilien."
From: https://www.tuckborough.net/groups.html"
Gameplay
We're a casual, friendly, drama-free Kinship. All members are held to the values of the Kinship Charter, and are expected to nurture our mature and respectful environment. Members are expected to "carry the honour of their Kinsmates in their every step", and advance our long-running tradition of selfless devotion to each other and our Kinship.
Our general gameplay style has been steady since our inception: weekly "lore-play" sessions, and raids on the weekends. Throughout the week, members are highly skilled adventurers and crafters, devoted to strengthening the collective. We run all end-game instances - together - with a tradition of excellence and coordination. We encourage creative immersion and extension of "the game" where possible, with roots in classic table-top D&D style adventuring; players are encouraged to develop the context of their characters, "linked to a majestic whole" of Tolkien's world, and of the Kinship and its roots.