Name: Halleth, Son of Hallec
Race: Man
Culture: Ranger of the North
Calling: Treasure Hunter
Vital Stats: 60 years, 5'10", 170 lbs.
Standard of Living: Martial
Standing: 2
Traits: Burglary, Cunning, [Foresighted], Keen-Eyed, Lore of Arnor, Story-Telling
Appearance: Halleth has traveled for many years alone in the wild and looks it--his skin is weather-beaten and lined and there is a hard, bitter look in his eyes. There is probably the blood of lesser Men is his lineage for, though not short, he is not as tall or as handsome as the Dunedain usually are. He is a bit heavy-set, though still muscular. His hair and thick beard are red and he has a large hatchet-like nose and green eyes. He wears the green and brown travel clothes and armor typical of one of the Rangers of the North. He's spent enough time alone by himself in the wild and is disdainful enough of most other folk, that he's not terribly concerned by his appearance and looks a bit unkempt, even when he has a chance to groom himself properly. For such a vagabond, however, he does have a fair amount of nice armlets, etc., discovered in his explorations of old ruins. His prize, however, is a rune-graven ring that enhances its wearer's stealth
Motivations/Background:
Halleth had a typical Dunedain childhood, spending much of his childhood traveling through the wilderness or hiding in the Rangers' cleverly crafted fastnesses. He made one trip to Rivendell as a child, where he was quite awed by what he saw. As a boy, he looked forward to the day when he could join the men in fighting the good fight against orcs, trolls, wights and the other creatures of Shadow that haunted Eriador. His early experiences doing so soon soured him though. He and his band fought a bitter battle to stop a band of orcs that had been making a beeline for Breeland, with a close friend of Halleth's dying in the battle. When they came to Bree to rest, people merely regarded them with suspicion, neither knowing nor caring about the sacrifices the Rangers had made. This left a bitter taste in Halleth's mouth.
He still believed in the mission of the Rangers, but more and more he looked back to the glory days of the Kingdom of Arnor, seeking to see them restored and the Dunedain properly honored. As such he was drawn to the service of Arafael, rightful heir of the ancient kingdom of Cardolan, who also sought such a restoration. With Halleth as one of his followers, Arafael made his way to Rivendell, making the case for an expedition to Carn Dûm that would help them recover some of the ancient relics of Arnor and lay the foundation of the rebirth of the Kingdom of the North. Elrond and his advisers counseled against this and refused to help Arafael, causing Halleth to look sourly upon the elves as well. Arafael, having seen that his young sons were well protected, bid goodbye to them and his wife as he set out on the expedition, taking Halleth and a few key followers with him. The expedition never reached anywhere near Carn Dûm. First, they stopped at a ruin, where Arafel in the past had discovered gold and left a group of his men stationed to guard it. But bandits had taken over the place and slain Arafel's guards--and now they slew all of Arafel's party, with Halleth managing to escape alive. With a heavy heart, he reported what happened, but ashamed by his own survival when his liege died, he rejected the company of his fellow Rangers and spent much of his time wandering the wild lands of Eriador alone.
Halleth was still drawn to ruins, especially those of the Dunedain, but also of the Noldor. Whenever he could he recovered lost treasures from them--sometimes items of finely worked gold, sometimes lost manuscripts, and even a few truly valuable heirlooms of the noble houses of the Dunedain. While most of these he dutifully left with the Dunedain or in Rivendell for safekeeping, a few he kept for himself, feeling he had earned them--that he was willing to go where no one else was. This selfish streak meant other Dunedain and the Noldor of Rivendell looked at him with some distaste--but they still gave him shelter when he came and counted him as one of the Dunedain, for he had committed no crime and would still help the needy when called, even if he grumbled about it. Then, following rumors of a last stand by the King's Scouts of ancient Arnor, Halleth came to an abandoned elven settlement that the Scouts of old had apparently aided in the defense of--only to fall before orcs, trolls and wights. And orcs lead by a wight still dwelt there. They had just captured a group of elves from Rivendell, of which only Thaladrim and Telurin were still alive, when Halleth spotted what was happening. As the orcs tried to drag the elves away, Halleth struck at them from ambush, slaying them all with his arrows. He found the orc chieftain wearing the treasure he had been seeking--the Ring of the King's Scouts, which greatly enhanced the wearer's stealth. Halleth cut it from the orc's finger, took up the badly injured Thaladrim on his shoulders and bore him to safety, eventually escorting the two elves to Rivendell. There, his finding of the ring and rescue of Thaladrim and Telurin won him much renown among the Rangers, despite his surly manner and his insistence on keeping the treasure he had won for himself, a point the chieftains of the Rangers decided to graciously cede, given the circumstances.
Halleth recently heard that the sons of Arafael had come of age and decided to take up their father's mantle, setting out on an expedition to Carn Dûm. Seeing a second chance for himself, he came to them and swore fealty to them as he had to their father. He was determined to protect them as he had not protected their father. Unfortunately, this expedition was an utter disaster, with undead spirits setting upon the part, scattering the mercenaries Arafel's sons had hired and slaying the two elder brothers, leaving Aravule alone alive. This did not send Halleth into the wild again, but made him more determined to stay by the young chieftain's side and aid him as Halleth could not aid his father and brothers.
Halleth is unquestionably one of the Rangers of the North--but he is not a model Ranger. He seeks to rescue lost heirlooms of the Dunedain, partly for their own value, partly to see the glory of ancient Arnor restored, but partly because of his own desire for such wealth--even if he gives most of it away. He tends to be a bit taciturn and surly (though when he wants, he can be a masterful story-teller) and looks at most non-Rangers with disdain. He sees the hobbits and Breemen as soft and unappreciative of the protection the Rangers provide and the elves of Rivendell as cowards hiding in safety, though he is capable of making exceptions for those that do venture out and risk themselves as Thaladrim did. Nonetheless, he performs the duties of a Ranger, defending the weak from the Shadow, even if he grumbles about it as he does so.
Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing
Many others of Elrond's household stood in the shadows and watched them go, bidding them farewell with soft voices. There was no laughter, and no song or music. At last they turned away and faded silently into the dusk.
