User:Ardra/Ardra Ruthanakhas

Ardra Ruthànakhàs
Ardra Ruthànakhàs
The Green Company
World:	Landroval
Vocation:	Tinker
Class:	Burglar
Race:	Man
Region:	Gondor (Posing as Bree-lander)
Age:	Unknown
Height:	5'5"
Sex:	Female
Skin:	Caucasian
Hair:	Brown; Ponytail

Description

Physical Description: Ardra appears to be somewhere in her mid-twenties, and its no suprise that the wary citizens of Bree-land refer to her as a Ranger. Despite her young appearance there is a maturity in her eyes and about her person that is difficult to explain, and she bears scars of war and torture- most noticeably one running down her face close to her eye. Unless in the company of Elves, she usually opts for the course protection of a brown robe of dwarf make, and when seeking secrecy often wears a hooded cloak.

Personality Description: Ardra's seriousness and personality varies greatly according to her company. In Bree, she often stays out of the way and says little, not wanting any more attention from the locals than she needs... However, in The Shire and outside the peering eyes of skeptics, she's friendly and well-humored, gladly taking to laughter and merry-making. In the presence of Elves and other noble-folk, she usually opts for respectful maturity, saying little. Since her first visit to the Shire she has taken to the smoking of pipeweed, and despite her reputation amongst unwelcoming Bree-landers, she enjoys a good ale and listening to tale-tellers.

Accent: By modern standards, Ardra's accent would be comparable to a Scottish brogue.

Bio

During what she believes were her late teens, Ardra woke up in an inn in Gondor with no memory of her past beyond her name. Bewildered and unable to find out how she arrived, she began working as a tavern-hand. When a group of prolific local brigands showed up to extort the inn-keeper, a humble man unable to pay such tributes as were demanded, Ardra was taken against her will as payment. Shortly after leaving the inn, however, she tried to fight them off and found that somewhere in her forgotten memories, she had combat skill enough to do so. She killed two of their kin before escaping. Knowing she was marked, she survived in the wilds, but it was not enough to protect her. The villains pursued her relentlessly, and she was forced to head north-west, towards Rohan and the mountains. She found no safety and no welcome in Rohan, and hunters allied with the brigands chased her north, past the woods of Lorien all the way to the Misty Mountains.

It had been many months since she'd been forced out of Gondor, and there seemed little hope of returning to learn of her past. In the cliffs and peaks, he thought she had evaded her pursuers, but it was not so. The price placed on her hide was more than she had expected, and a hunter nearly caught her while she was resting. She fled into the night, weaving through the peaks and hills until she miscalculated a step and fell down a slanted shaft into a dark series of caverns... and found herself lost in the wicked darkness of the Mines of Moria.

She speaks little of what occurred during the ten days in the mines, only silently indicating it was too terrible to speak of. At the mention of Moria, even at times when she's been silent as a wraith, she will often speak out suggesting the name not be uttered in the Kingdoms of Free Men. Some have suspected she may have been captured by orcs and tortured for a short time, perhaps thought to be a spy. What she has shared with a select few are visions she began having after her tumble into the caverns: strange dreams and nightmares of a great and terrible struggle between men and orcs... Young and elderly fleeing and a village burning near a vast lake and green fields... The wind tearing at her face as she speeds on a horse...

She escaped the mines only barely with her life, and was fortunate to have found refuge and aid in the secret elf haven of Rivendell (elvish scouts came across her passed out body in the mountains after she attempted to head north), though she did not stay long after her recovery. Though she treasures the kindness of the folk of Rivendell, she has always had an uneasiness in their presence, and is a quiet visitor whenever she returns. During one such return she studied scrolls telling of Numenor, and adopted a surname from the language she was so drawn to: Ruthànakhàs, meaning "Scar of the Chasm". At times, she alters this name when visiting distant lands to maintain secrecy (ex. Ardra, Daughter of Ruth; Ardra Thanak; Ardra, Daughter of Khàs, etc.).

Since then she has lived in the Bree-lands, where her wanderings in the wild have gotten her the label of "Ranger" by Bree standards. She has always shrugged this off as a term wary and suspicious townsfolk came up with for those who don't live under a proper roof, and has thus never considered the implications or identities of other labeled 'Rangers'. During her explorations, she came upon the Shire, where she made companionship with some of the little folk (Tooks, naturally), and has since felt a great pull to protect them from the evils growing close in the world around.

Secret Truth

The visions Ardra began having after the tortures of Moria were more than mere nightmares. They are memories of her past; of the last hours before her memory was lost. She is no mere Gondorian, but was rather a member of the Dúnedain Rangers who remained in the land, a descendant of the blood of Numenor. The event she sees flashes of was a battle where that small group of Rangers stood against a party of Orcs that had rampaged through the region, burning villages and massacring townsfolk. She had been injured in the battle along with her kin, who sent her to bring word to the other Dúnedain companies (who would later annihilate the Orcs). However, while fleeing into the forest on her horse, weariness distracted her and her head collided with a low hanging branch. She was knocked from her steed and dragged to a nearby village, where she passed into anonymity, the members of her company captured or slain. This event took place nearly thirty years ago, which is the physical indication of her bloodline. While she has been drawn to study the history of Numenor, she has no assurance she is even from Gondor, a notion she purposefully hides for fear of her old pursuers and nameless evils.

Journeys and Tasks

• Has completed a pilgramage to Rivendell
• Has seen the evil-wastelands of Angmar
• Has stood at the peak of Weathertop
• Has braved the peaks of the Misty Mountains, reaching the brigands camp at the North Bruinen Source

Trade Items

Commonly Ardra has for sale or can provide:

• Ingots : Barrow Iron, Copper, Bronze, Steel (High, Low, and Dwarf Grade), Dwarf Iron, Rich Iron, and Platinum (rare).
• Jewellry : Her primary trade - Amethyst, Silver, Gold, Ruby, and Bloodstone Rings; Copper, Opal, Sapphire, and Gold necklaces. Can also polish jewels. Has recently also gained skill in the production of Fine Amethyst Rings and other critical success apprentice items, along with glittering copper rings and necklaces.
• Produce : Her travels throughout the lands have brought Ardra across many wild fruits and produce. Many of these are traded to her friend Laera Fairwyn, but she commonly has Taters, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Rhubarb on hand.

Friends and Enemies

Friends:

• Scorric, Her closest friend, A Man of Rohan
• Jaraak, An Elf who wishes he were a dwarf
• Panamon, A Prospector she often makes trade with in Rivendell
• Laera Fairwyn, A struggling farmer and musician Ardra helps
• Borrhavan, Leader of The Green Company and fellow tradesman

Enemies:

• The Brigands of West Gondor and their allies

Gossip

((Please use this section to post IC reactions and reflections concerning this character.))

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