Legolas Thranduilion

[OOC]

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( [IC StE] )

( [IC Ryslig] )

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"Hey, you've got Liam.
Leaf me a message and I'll get bark to you!"

PLAYER
Name: Mark
Age: 31
Personal Journal: marcuswolf828
E-mail: marcuswolf828 [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM/MSN/etc: marcuswolf828

CHARACTER
Character Name: Legolas
Canon: Tolkien
Age: Real: around 2000, apparent: Mid 20s
Timeline: After the War of the Ring, Approaching Fangorn forest with Gimli.
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A

- - -
Personality:
There is an almost ethereal quality about Legolas that comes in part from being an Elf. He is graceful, agile, and a master of his own body. He is both filled with sorrow and joy at the same time, and can be a bit child-like in wonder as well as have a wisdom of someone who has lived for thousands of years.

However, though long lived, he is a bit unworldly, not having traveled much outside of Mirkwood. (His father, King Thranduil, tends to keep a tight hold on the people of Mirkwood, which might tell us why he hasn't left home much.) It is clear that before the events in the Lord of the Rings, he had not yet been to Lothlórien, or Imladris (Rivendell) before this time despite his ample time to have done so.

Interestingly, Legolas never refers to himself as a prince, and between characters it is very rarely mentioned. His everyday actions tell us that he doesn't usually consider himself particularly entitled - this may be in some part cultural, as Elves are immortal, and it is very possible that he'd never have to succeed his father.

That is not to say that he is in any way uncouth, or ignorant about the matters of being a King's son. He is also very loyal to his father, though not noticeably close with him. He has referred to his father as "My Elven-lord" when talking about his idea regarding moving part of their people to Ithilien.

On a related matter, Legolas is at least half Sindarin on his father's side of the family. Yet, he says things like "...to us of the Silvan folk" which shows he in some way identifies with the Silvan or Wood Elves - the majority of the people his father rules over. As he was likely raised entirely in the Greenwood/Mirkwood, this doesn't seem too odd.

Due to his age and overall Elven nature, Legolas sometimes feels a sense of superiority over those of other races. While he is generally respects other members of the fellowship, he considers them "children" whose hearts might be in the right place, but are in some ways immature. That is not to say that he doesn't think they have merit, in fact, he readily follows Aragorn as he leads the fellowship after Gandalf's death. He recognizes that Aragorn is more worldly, and an experienced tracker.

Ironically, sometimes Legolas himself can appear a bit like a child in his inquisitiveness, and lack of experience in the world outside of Mirkwood. This curiosity is especially peaked at historical or legendary sites. Sometimes as the Fellowship encounters such places, if it is safe to take a moment and stop, he asks to do so. For example upon reaching the river Gilrain, he stops to enjoy it and sing a song about the Elf Maiden Nimrodel to whom the river was an important place.

When it comes to Dwarves, due to long-standing troubles in the relations between Elves and Dwarves (Doubly so with Mirkwood Elves - Of which his father played a part,) He found them particularly distasteful before the events of the The War of the Ring, and even treated them unkindly.

However, over his time in the Fellowship he forms a particularly strong bond with Gimli, which shows his ability to learn and overcome prejudice. The friendship between Gimli and Legolas is considered to be "greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf."

Otherwise, Legolas is able to make friends easily, and keeps a light heart when things are going well. Considering how long Elves live, and how little time he spent with the Fellowship of the Ring, it's surprising that he became close to many of them. Also, Legolas also appears to have no problems with occasionally joking around or gently teasing his friends. He made fun Aragorn and Boromir when they had trouble walking through snow, and on one occasion he called Merry "Master Sluggard" for being lazy. His exchanges with Gimli are often humorous or lighthearted, including having a kill-count contest with Gimli on at least two occasions. He is also loyal to his friends, and was once ready to kill Eomer for threatening Gimli's life, despite being completely outnumbered by the Riders of Rohan.

Nature is something he takes joy in, and is able to draw strength from. He once comments; "Ah! the green smell! It is much better than sleep!" He is also often admiring trees, and was thrilled to see the mallorn-trees in Lothlórien. He was also awed by the age and atmosphere of Fangorn forest, and made plans to re-visit after the war was over. He also mentioned that Minas Tirith could use more gardens, and said he would help make the place green again.

Like most Elves, Legolas does not usually feel comfortable venturing deep underground. When Gimli mentions that Dwarves would pay gold for just a brief glance of the Glittering Caves, Legolas responds by saying "And I would give gold to be excused, and double to be let out, if I strayed in!"

One thing that makes Legolas stand out a little among other Elves we see in the series is his tendency to show emotion a touch more readily. When he is angered his reaction is quick, strong, and brief. He often has an expression of wonder when it comes to nature, and he smiles regularly with his friends.

Sadness and sorrow are things Legolas feels a bit deeper. When it comes to deaths of people close to him, or losses that follow a battle, the grief that he feels is almost painful. He, like most Elves, is a being of deep feeling, and his reverence for life would make the loss of it all the more difficult. After Gandalf's death, Legolas refused to translate the lament to him, saying that for him the grief was still too near; "A matter for tears and not yet for song."

Towards the end of the war, after hearing and seeing the gulls at the ports at Pelargir, Legolas' sea-longing began. This is an innate desire in all Elves to sail across the sea to Valinor/Aman. While Legolas would delay this trip for another 120 years until after Aragorn's death, this feeling of wistfulness began at this time. His experiences in the War of the Ring had likely contributed to this, as many Elves in history have felt called by the sea after traumatic events.

- - -
Background:
Legolas at the LotR Wiki
Sections on The War of the Ring, After the War, and The Hobbit Trilogy (Films) are most relevant to history.

- - -
Abilities:

Archery:
Legolas is an expert with the bow and arrow. At peak performance, it is very rare for him to miss a target, even one moving and from a great distance away, or in a dim/dark environment.

Melee skills:
At close range Legolas is deadly with a knife or sword, though he prefers knives. He has also been shown to have some skill with hand-to-hand combat, but it's not his usual go-to strategy.

Tracking:
Legolas has hunted game for much of life, so he's an expert at tracking typical forest animals.

Small Craft Boating:
As pointed out by Galadriel in Fellowship of the Ring (Book): "There are some among you who can handle boats: Legolas, whose folk know the swift Forest River..."

Elven Sight: Enhanced Eyesight, See longer distances, and better in the dark.

Elven Hearing: Enhanced Hearing.

Elven Agility/Lightfootedness: Elves are more agile than humans, and have a cat-like grace. They leave very little imprint on the ground as they walk, and can easily walk over snow without sinking into it

Agelessness: Elves do not age, due to immortality.

Immunity: Elves "do not suffer sickness," They can, however, be poisoned or magically influenced to render them unwell. (AKA plot related incidents.)

Elven Stamina: Elves have a greater stamina so that they can endure traveling long distance with little food or rest.

Elven Reverie: They do not require traditional sleep, only a restful meditative state.

Elven Vitality: Elves are "hard and resistant to hurt," so that they do not need as much clothing to protect themselves against the elements as humans. They also are quicker to heal from injury, and may survive injuries that would normally kill a human.

Elven supernatural senses: Elves can sense when something decidedly evil or tainted is about - however they might not be able to pinpoint it. Mostly it just makes them feel uneasy. (AKA the "My Elf senses are tingling" skill.)

Affinity for Nature/Animals: The ability to commune with nature/animals in a supernatural/magical way. They can sense the mood of trees and the environment in general, and Elves can communicate with at least some animals - horses would be one example. I will be going with movie-verse's more vague approach with nature/animal communication, more of a feeling than words.)

- - -
First Person:

(Video)

[When Legolas' face appears, it's clear that he's in a wooded area by the trees behind and around him.]

I have heard tell that one must take care if they wish to go into the eastern forest. Some say there are fell creatures that dwell here, yet I have seen none. What more can be said of these dangers? Is the wood under an enchantment?

[Legolas reaches behind with his free hand to take his bow from it's place on his back. He doesn't look particularly concerned at the moment, just curious.]

I intend to hunt game at twilight, and If I am to go much further under these branches I would much like to know.

[Suddenly Legolas pauses and turns away from the communicator, listening for a moment. When he speaks next his voice is a whisper.]

Something draws near.

[His face fades from sight as the Elf turns off the device.]

- - -
Third Person:

So much death.

The events of the last two days had been trying for them all. The road to Helm's Deep had been perilous, and many of the Men died in the Warg attack. Worst of all, they had nearly lost Aragorn - in fact, for a moment, they all thought that they had.

When he plucked the necklace of the Evenstar from the dead Orc's hand. Legolas' heart had sunk into his stomach. He had been certain that the evil creature had told him the truth. He had been fortunate to have the opportunity to return the treasure to the ranger, but others had not been so lucky.

Perhaps that is why he fell briefly into despair. There was such a disparity between armies. Three hundred against ten thousand... it was an impossible task to hold back the siege. How could Men manage such a thing? It did not help that most of them too young or too old, and hindered by fear.

Legolas tried to brace himself for the oncoming loss of life, but at first he could not find the calmness he sought. Words of frustration had slipped from behind his lips while the Men made preparations in the armory. Seeing Aragorn's reaction, he was immediately filled with regret.

However, Elrond had rightly chosen 'Estel' as the ranger's childhood name, for hope is what he gave them all. Somehow, he always seemed able to pull them through. That thought, along with the arrival of the Elven army had renewed Legolas' spirit. Perhaps they stood a chance after all.

The night brought rain, lightning, and the thundering of the enemy's march towards the keep. The victory was dearly paid for in the lives of both Elves and Men, and even valiant warriors such as Haldir had fallen.

Now, sifting through the wreckage for intact arrows to return to his quiver, Legolas looked up from an Uruk-hai corpse to see Gimli contentedly puffing on his pipe. The sight of him relaxed Legolas somewhat, and helped him put the night's events behind him.

The Dwarf looked at him expectantly, and that was when the Elf remembered that they still had a score to settle. He approached.

After a moment of discussion, it seemed terribly convenient that his friend's score was just one above his own, and the Elf wouldn't have put it past Gimli to cheat. He was a bit annoyed, and was about to call the Dwarf out on it - but instead he laughed. The tension pent up inside Legolas burst free like water breaking through a dam.

He was overcome with relief - Gimli was alive. It was hard enough to see the piled corpses made of a strangers, let alone that of a friend. Legolas wasn't sure if he could have withstood the sorrow.

"Well, you sound surprisingly pleased with your own loss," said the Dwarf, confused.

"I mind not the score," He said, grabbing a firm hold of his friend's shoulder. "For the joy for me was in the game, and to have this chance to speak of it with you."

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