View source for Cargûl

[[File:Cargûl.jpg|thumb|right]]
'''Cargûl''' (meaning "Red Wraith")<ref group = note>In Black Speech and/or Sindarin. ''car(a)n'' is Sindarin for "red" [https://www.elfdict.com/w/caran], while ''karn'' is its neo-Black Speech equivalent [https://www.thelandofshadow.com/black-speech-dictionary-bs-english-k/]. (Note that while ''c'' is used for Sindarin and ''k'' for Black Speech, this is only a convention of the translation and they represent the same letter within Tolkien's world.) ''gûl'' is Sindarin for "lore, deep knowledge", by extension "sorcery, necromancer" [https://www.elfdict.com/w/guuul] and is also used in Black Speech to signify "wraith".</ref> are lesser [[wraith]]s enslaved by the [[Nazgûl]]. Most are likely victims of the Nazgûl's Morgul-blades, a terrifying supernatural weapon that saps a person's life. Those wounded by a Morgul-blade will find themselves fading from the mortal world and drawn into the wraith-world, a spiritual plane just beyond our perception of reality.<ref name=MM>J.R.R Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', ''"Many Meetings"''</ref><ref name=TaRA>[[Quest:Instance: To a Ranger's Aid|Instance: To a Ranger's Aid]]</ref> Once the transition is complete, the person is transformed into a wraith and, like the Nazgûl themselves, is invisible to mortal eyes, save for whatever they are wearing or carrying. The Cargûl are hapless souls that have fallen victim to this calamity.<ref name=UtT>[[Quest:Instance: Unravelling the Thread|Instance: Unravelling the Thread]]</ref> [[Frodo Baggins]] nearly succumbs to this condition himself when he is stabbed by the Witch-king at [[Weathertop]].<ref name=MM/><ref group = note>Though J.R.R. Tolkien establishes the transformation that a victim of a Morgul-blade undergoes, he does not use the term "Cargûl". The name is an invention of the game.</ref>

Some of the Cargûl were once knights of Eärnur who accompanied him when he went to [[Minas Morgul]] to challenge the [[Witch-king]]. [[Orolang]] is one of these,<ref name=AMoL>[[Quest:Instance: A Matter of Lineage|Instance: A Matter of Lineage]]</ref> and it was rumoured that the Cargûl of [[Dol Guldur]] were also among Eärnur's company.<ref name=SoDG>[[Quest:Sentries of Dol Guldur|Sentries of Dol Guldur]]</ref><ref name=TWotD>[[The Warden of the Dungeons]]</ref> However not all Cargûl share this origin. Not only are there many more Cargûl in the world than the "small escort of knights" Eärnur brought,<ref name=AotKaR>J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers</ref> but there is an observed case of a newly-transformed wraith joining their ranks.<ref name=UtT/> Most Cargûl wear scarlet robes with a golden pattern, though a grey robe with red gloves is also common. Some wear a black robe with a red cowl. They do not typically carry Morgul-blades themselves,<ref name=SoDG/> though they have been known to be involved in their creation.<ref name=TGf>[[Quest:Instance: The Ghost-forge|Instance: The Ghost-forge]]</ref>

Known Cargûl:
<categorytree>Cargûl</categorytree>



Many other [[:Category:Wraiths|wraiths found in Middle-earth]] are likely Cargûl, but the above have been specifically identified as such. Other wraiths, including [[Lúmithil]] and the four wraiths of [[Fornost]], are known to have been transformed by Morgul-blades but are not identified as Cargûl.

== Notes ==
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== References ==
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[[Category:Wraiths]]
[[Category:Cargûl]]
[[Category:Disambiguation Pages]]