Wednesday 9 September 2009

The Mistress, Chapter III: The Betrayals

Hence somewhere between T.A. 2050 and T.A. 2900 Amarthiel regains her position as Champion of Angmar, now assigned to Mordrith, Regent of Angmar in the absence of the Witch King. For a long time, her position is stable – a champion, Angmar’s servant, Mordrith’s fetch-n-bring girl. Even deprived of Narchuil, her power is remarkable and she is able to use some magic when she assumes the form of Sara Oakheart (and later of other people she killed). There is a lot of desire for power in her, probably fueled by the fact that while she was captured by Laerdan, someone else took her place. Mordrith. We know she at least desired to overthrow him as she reveals in words You’ve done me a great favor in Carn Dum when players, led by Golodir, strike The False King down. She was actually on her way to his throne room, most certainly to steal the palantir in his possession, but who knows if not for something else as well? Not that Amarthiel doesn’t let her true feelings show before: while The False King resides in Carn Dum, she dwells in Barad GĂșlaran, the tower of the Witch-King, true lord of Angmar. But before that happens, she’s a servant with some side projects, a leader her followers obey blindly. We know she is the one who orchestrates the summoning of Udunion, a Rogmul called forth in Barad GĂșlaran: when she tricks heroes into meeting her in her tower, she approaches the Castellan saying that she brought two relics that will help calling the devil; one can only guess that she retrieved them from Garth Agarven (either Staff of Dark Shadows of Scroll of Ruin) and Fornost (probably the Horn of Arnor, lore-wise it would fit), with the help of the players…

After Mordrith is stricken down, Amarthiel takes his place as Regent of Angmar, with the blessing (and warning) of Sauron. She also sets out to reclaim her lost ring, Narchuil. She and Elrond race against each other, a race which Elrond wins and both halves are delivered securely to Rivendell. However they don’t stay there in relative safety but are reclaimed by Narmeleth’s father, Laerdan, who – while being captured by her forces – was bewitchered by her and led to believe that his daughter can only be freed from the shadow of Sauron and from the control of Amarthiel with the power of her lost ring reforged. And thus, Laerdan brings the pieces of Narchuil to Mirobel. With no more use for him, Amarthiel leaves him to die at the enterance of the forges, and herself restores Narchuil.
But she does not enjoy her regained power for long, for Mordrith enters the scene again, arriving to Mirobel on a Wyvern to reveal that Amarthiel has lost the favor of Sauron because her ambitions were reaching too far. Mordrith throws her down and offers Mordrambor, a Black Numenorian who players have encountered numerous times before and who was a traitorous servant of Champion of Angmar, a reward for his service – the ring Narchuil; Mordrambor cuts of Amarthiel’s hand and takes his reward of her finger, but before strikes her dead, Laerdan arrives and instead she is left alive, in misery, seeing her father die.
Elrod imprisons Amarthiel, who now claims to be her fair self again in Delossad. After Glorfindel, on his request, tests her heart and judges her intentions to be true. He also foresees that only her hand can strike Mordrith down. And again, he is right – with the help of the heroes of Eriador, against whom she before – as Amarthiel – have fought, and whom she used in her dark plots, she sets off against Mordrith. She reveals a secret passage to Mordrith’s chambers (something she might have found out as Amarthiel, while already plotting against him) and she deals him a killing blow with the very same sword Golodir has wounded The False King before.
And there, in Angmar, her story ends. Was that deed enough to redeem her for all the evil she has done..?

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