Character
Name: Vingelote ([Sind.] Foam-Flower)
House: Laurelindorean
Given names (epessë): Celebloth ([Sind.] Silver Flower) & Aermir ([Sind.] Sea Jewel) - lorename after marriage; Mormenar Falathrimon ([Quen.] the Dark Fire of the Falathrim, during the First and Second Age), Mithfin ([Sind.] the Grey Haired, after his return to the Falathrim in the Third Age)
Race: Falathrim Elf
Parents: Son of Aeargalad ([Sind.] Light of the Sea) Laurelindorean and Niraeariel ([Sind.] Daughter of Sea Tears). Vingelote recently learned that his father was Cair-Cunn i Eglarest (Steward-Captain of Eglarest).
Siblings: Aearnine Serindë, a sister, died in 490 First Age during a Warg attack
Horse: Faeran ([Sind.] Free Spirit)
Pets: Thargor (Lynx), Thorontír ([Sind.] Watch-Eagle)
Class: Master of the Lore (65)
Weapons: Aglarnaur ([Sind.] Glorious Fire, staff), sword (various), former sword: Mormenar ([Quen.] Dark Fire).
Spouse: Morielen Gwilwileth of Lórien wears his golden ring
Personality:
Piercing blue eyes peer in the distance with a dark gloom. His face is crowned by silver hair, not obscured by any headwear. Standing tall but with visible burden of time resting on his shoulders. A mallorn staff is strapped to his back, Aglarnaur is its name, and a well-crafted sword covers his flank. A lynx by the name of Thargor covers his back, or in his absence, a snowcrest eagle by the name of Thorontír shrieks from the sky. The burdens of the past press heavily on his shoulders sometimes. A Falathrim Elf with a dark side, a history, a past. But determined now, one goal in mind.
Timeline:
- 473 First Age (FA): Born in exile on the Isle of Balar, where the remnants of the Falathrim fled after the destruction of the Havens during Nirnaith Arnoediad (472 FA)
- ca. 490 FA: Parents and sister Serindë were killed during a Warg raid at the Delta of the Sirion
- ca. 497 FA: Vingelote leaves Balar to fight Morgoth's foes in Beleriand
- ca. 502 FA: Saved by members of the Gondolindrim House of the Golden Flower while under attack by Wargs in Ered Gorgoroth. Allowed to Enter the hidden Vale of Tumladen.
- 502-510 FA: Lives in Gondolin amongst the Noldor and crafts the sword Mormenar with their help.He is known by the given name: Mormenar Falathrimon
- 510 FA: The Fall of Gondolin, Vingelote fights with the House of the Golden Flower, defending the Great Market and the retreat to Eagle's Cleft.
- 510-511 FA: After being carried away by the eagles, lead by the eagle King Thorondor, Vingelote remains near the home of the Eagles for some time, meeting Thorontir, a young Eagle.
- 510-545: Fights with the remants of the Noldor against Morgoths minions in Beleriand
- 545 FA- ca 1000 third age (TE): Vingelote is lost in darkness and sorrow during and after the chaos of the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age. Vingelote is a roaming shadow in the lands between the western coastline and Hithaighlin, loosing all sense of civilization and contact with his kindred. He slays numerous Wargs and Orcs with his sword and bow. He is known as Mormenar, the Dark Fire, since his sword was given that name.
- ca 1000 TE: A meeting,clouded by mystery and secrecy. After an event, a turning point, Vingelote chooses to lay down his sword Mormenar and to carve his staff, Aglarnaur (Glorious Fire) out of mallorn wood.
- ca. 1050 TE: Vingelote settles in the havens of Mithlond, where his former Falathrim Lord Círdan rules. He is known as Mithfin, the Grey Haired.
- 1050-1300 TE: Vingelote remains in Mithlond, and takes up the profession of shipbuilder, like his parents apparently were.
- ca. 1240 TE: Círdan discovers Vingelote's true identity and give hims a silver ring, saying "that it is his heritage".
- ca 1300 TE: Starts his journeys to the lands east of Mithlond, aiding those who need protection against evil forces, and returning to Mithlond inbetween expeditions.
- 2758 TE: Meets Alekz and Maldorthion Eldosar after responding to a call for aid in Rohan, Formation of The Rangers.
- 2758-3017 TE: various expeditions with The Rangers, protecting the borders of Eriador from Sauron's Evil.
Biography
Vingelote Celebloth Aermir is a Falathrim Elf from a shipbuilders family from the Elf Haven of Eglarest. His family belonged to the Teleri of Falas, the Falathrim. These were the Elves that did respond to the call of the Valar in the beginning of times and thus joined the Great March, although they did not cross the Great Sea to join the Valar in Aman. Instead, these Sindarin Elves (Grey Elves) remained at the Western shores of Middle Earth, in contrast to the Calaquendi (Elves of the Light), who went to Aman. Círdan the Shipbuilder was the Lord of the Falathrim and they were the mariners of Middle Earth and the first shipbuilders.
Vingelote's parents lived peacefully in Eglarest for many years, until Morgoth began his campaign against the free peoples of Middle-Earth. Vingelote can remember only little details about his parents, but he has heard that his father, Aeargalad Laurelindorean, was a brave Falathrim Eldar, who fought alongside the other Falathrim from the Havens during Nirnaeth Arnoediad (the Battle of the Countless Tears). His parents fled to the Isle of Balar after the destruction of the Havens in the year after Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where the remnants of the Falathrim fled, together with their Lord Cirdan. It was on this Isle and during these troubled times at the end of the First Age that Vingelote was born, one year after his parents had fled from the destruction of the Havens. His name was derived from Vingilotë, which means "foam-flower", which his mother gave to him after spending hours looking at the foam of the breaking waves which hit the shores of Balar.
On the Isle of Balar (located just outside the coastline of Beleriand, south of the River Sirion delta), he used to enjoy sitting at the high watch-towers, where he could overlook the sea. One day however, his parents and his sister, Aearnine (but he called her Serindë, for she was a weaver) sailed to the Delta of the River Sirion, where Cirdan had a strong outpost. What happened exactly was unsure, he only heard the stories, but his parents and his sister did not return from that journey. He heard rumours of a great host of Wargs being driven by Balrogs with fiery whips.
Since his parents had died and he had not come to age yet, he was raised by Golchir, a good friend of his father. Restlessness and hidden anger caused the young Elf to leave the Isle of Balar, moving to the Delta of the Sirion, but later also to roam the occupied lands of Beleriand, chasing Morgoth's minions whenever possible.
During these ventures, he was trapped in a high mountain pass in Ered Gorgoroth, under attack by Wargs. He was driven near the hidden gates of Gondolin, and the Noldor Watchers detected him and the foes which persued him. A mighty company of Noldor Elves saved him, for he was too close to Gondolin's entrance. Gondolin was an Elven kingdom in the hidden Vale of Tumladen, surrounded by high mountains and Turgon was the Noldor prince that ruled it. It was a large city with white walls and many high towers. As was their Law, he was not allowed to leave Gondolin after revealing its entrance. After initial anger, for not being able to persue his enemies anymore, he observed the might and the craftmanship of the Noldor Elves and he served in the House of the Golden Flower. Vingelote lived in the white City of Fountains and he learned the craft of weaponsmithing there from the Noldor, and with their help, he crafted a blade with a dark hilt and a bright blade, named Mormenar. The appearance of this blade was so characteristic, Vingelote was called Mormenar Falathrimon, the Dark Fire of the Falathrim. He regained hope, seeing the might, valour and beauty of the proud Noldor Elves.
At the end of the First Age, when Gondolin was under attack, he fought alongside many fair Elves against Balrogs, Orcs, Wolves and Dragons, defending the Great Market along with the Noldor of the House of the Golden Flower. Gondolins white walls were stained red with blood and black with ash. He was one of the few to escape from Morgoth's attack on Gondolin, while Lord Glorfindel died in a battle with a Balrog. Vingelote was trapped between two hordes of Orcs and would have surely been slain, if it weren't for a lynx which jumped from a hidden cave, where Vingelote could hide untill the Orcs had passed. Just as things seemed lost, Thorondor and many of his fellow Eagles came to the rescue and carried the ones in Glorfindels company and Glorfindel's broken body into safety. Vingelote and the lynx were carried by a mighty Eagle to a high peak. There, he was acquainted with a young eagle named Thorontír (meaning watch-eagle). This eagle and the lynx, who was named Thargor, remained at Vingelote's side in the years that passed. Dark was the time that followed, and Vingelote roamed the lands, hiding from countless Morgoth's minions but fighting them on various occasions.
In the period after the Fall of Gondolin, Vingelote was lost in sorrow and he was drenched in wrath due to the second major loss in his life. During all of the Second Age he retreated in the lands between the western coastline and Hithaighlin, hunting for Wargs and Yrch, day in, day out. He lost all sense of civilization, filled with bloodlust. His skills as a hunter were deadly, with his unnamed bow and his sword Mormenar as his deadly extensions. He was roaming shadow for nearly 4,500 years, feared by Yrch and Wargs who wispered of Mormenar, the Dark Fire, when they discovered their allies had been slain during the night. Being in woodlands and wilderness for many years perfected his skills as a ranger and he sought the aid of some of the aminals in the wild - learnig to communicate with them and call them to his side. Thorontír and Thargor remained loyal at his side, and they were the only continuous company he allowed during these long years.
That, however, changed in the Third Age (TE). What happened exactly is only known to Vingelote, and he never spoke about the details. What he did tell was that there was a meeting, an event... a turning point. It made him reconsider his actions, the forces driving him. He decided in the end to lay down his bow and his sword Mormenar. He was given 3 things at that meeting: a brooch from Gondolin to remind him of the past, a long straight piece of mallorn wood to carve a new weapon out of that for the present, and a mysterious key that "would inspire the Union in Dark Days" for the future. He used the mallorn wood immediately... to exchange emotion for sense. He crafted his first staff, which he named Aglarnaur (Glorious Fire). His loyal Eagle companion, Thorontír, was not pleased with the change and left, suddenly, without a warning.
From that moment on, he became a student of Lore and never used the name Mormenar again. He studied the Wild and the forces of Nature, in which he had been living for so many years. He grew weary and he re-established contact with his kindred in the Elf Havens of Mithlond, but they did not recognize him. He had been gone for a long time and he was still young when the Falathrim had last seen him, so he took another name, Mithfin (the grey haired). They did, however, accept him as a lost son and he started a new life there, under the rule of Lord Círdan.
Lord Círdan gained much interest in him and on one day, while they were privately talking, he revealed a small silver ring, with a ship engraved on it, giving it to Vingelote, saying: "This is your heritage, Vingelote. Yes, I do recognize you as the son of your father". Although Vingelote could not recall having personal encounters with Cirdan on Balar, his Lord apparently recognized the resemblance to his father. What the ring meant, Círdan would not tell at that time, nor did he reveal Vingelote´s true name or descent to the other Falathrim. Círdan treated him as a close friend from that day on. Later, Vingelote received a Helmet, in which the following text was inscribed: Aeargalad, Eglarest; and inside the engraved Tengwar symbols say: Laurelindorean, Cair-Cunn i Eglarest. There was a not attached to it, signed with the common rune for `C´ or ´K´ - revealing the close relation of Cirdan and Aeargalad, his father: He was one of Cirdan's Captains of Eglarest and the ring was his Father's, engraved with the sign of Eglarest.
Vingelote established himself as a shipbuilder, but left Mithlond often to journey east and serve the cause of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth - for he was inspired with Hope during the event after which he lay down his sword Mormenar, and he was convinced that the Union of the Four Races was the solution to counteract the threat from Orcs and other foes. Though his travels and actions were uncommon for the Elves of the Havens, Cirdan granted him absence and silently approved his efforts to unite armed forces to shield the Free Peoples of Middle Earth.
His destiny is entangled with that of Morielen of Lórien, who he met on her quest to free her lost twin brothers. They became friends, and later more than that: She currently wears his golden ring. She is the one who can counteract his mood swings and who can exchange the fire in his eyes for sparkles. Vingelote lead the expeditions leading to the liberation of Morielen's brothers, Alanlassë and Alancala from the hands of the Iron Crown. After both brothers were united with their sister, Morielen married Vingelote, bestowing him with his new lore names: Celebloth Aermir.
