Lorien: About: Outsiders

Although Galadhrim are largely reclusive, there are occasions in which your Elf will meet visitors in Lórien from other lands or encounter them in travel. This section gives an idea of how you would treat them.

Non-Galadhrim Elves

All elves are friends of Lórien, and are welcome here. Some of the most reclusive Galadhrim may treat foreigners coolly, perhaps wary that they'll bring the troubles of the outside world into our inviolate haven, but even these Galadhrim would never refuse a fellow elf entry or try to restrict their movements. The Galadhrim Guard will often stop visiting elves at the border before letting them pass, but this is simply to keep tabs on who's coming and going.

The Mithlondhrim are something of a special case, as Mithlond is too far west for the vast majority of us to really know about. The Noldor and some very old Sindar — for part of the Second Age, Celeborn ruled a mostly-Sindarin fief southwest of Mithlond — are the only elves for whom Mithlond would have any hard reality. All the rest of us would know is that there are tales of elves who live far to the west, at the edge of the sea.

Whether you meet foreign elves inside or outside Lórien, try to reveal as little as you can about your land. While abroad, you do not have to tell others that you are from Lothlórien if they do not ask you. While not overdoing anything, try to be at least somewhat mysterious and unwilling to share too much information about your home (especially about Galadriel).

Non-Dúnedain Humans

The Galadhrim response to humans is cool at best. Unless they are demonstrably evil, we are not hostile towards them, but neither do they interest us. Their lives are short and squalid, filled with battles and strife and petty concerns, and they are quite beneath us. We recognize that the world is changing, that the time of the elves is waning and the time of Men is coming. This is a cause of sadness for us, as we believe that humans, often wanton destroyers of nature, will never love the world as we love it.

The humans we interact with should find us to be mysterious, enigmatic folk. We are full of a deeper wisdom than they shall ever have, and are possessed of an uncanny grace and beauty far beyond theirs — which to them makes us seem magical, powerful, and perhaps even frightening. We are cautious in our dealings with them, and give little away. We do not particularly trust them. In fact, we don't even speak their language: it's a very rare Galadhrim knows the Westron tongue, and an even rarer one who is willing to speak it. If we manage to communicate, our words are truthful, yet often ambiguous, and may well not mean what the humans think they do.

If a human at the borders is behaving in a manner threatening to elves or to Lórien, or tries to run past the guards and enter the forest, he or she would be shot from our hidden flets. If a non-threatening human wanders near our forest borders, he or she should be watched carefully. In this case we would not attack, but would (while remaining hidden ourselves) try to scare them away. Non-Dunadan humans are almost never allowed into Lórien.

Dúnedain

The Dúnedain are the descendants of the Númenóreans, a branch of Men higher and more noble than the rest, predominantly because of their ancestors' interactions with elves long ago. We recognize Dúnedain as a superior sort of Man, may find them slightly more interesting, and are more congenial to them than to other humans. However, we do not trust them unconditionally, and we still would not consider them anywhere near the equals of elves. Dúnedain are permitted in Lórien, though we'd keep a close eye on them.

Dúnedain are taller than other humans, with dark hair and grey eyes. They are almost exclusively the only human Sindarin speakers; if a human fits the above description, speaks Sindarin, and is friendly toward elves, that should be proof enough that he or she is a Dúnadan. However, if you are at all uncertain as to whether or not the human is a Dúnadan, you'd be just as distrustful of them as of any other human.

If you do discover that someone is a Dúnadan, never betray that knowledge ICly to non-Dúnedain/non-Elves. Sauron would be all too glad to destroy their kind once and for all, and they keep their true heritage a guarded secret.

Dwarves

Dwarves! Pfah! Although dwarves are not evil, and not truly our enemies, the fact is that we really do not care for them at all. They are short, ugly, crude, and obnoxious. We believe that they are greedy, deceitful, even downright treacherous, and can certainly not be trusted. It was the dwarves who awakened evil in the Misty Mountains. They were responsible for the sack of Doriath (the beautiful elven kingdom Celeborn hails from, destroyed long ago) in a past era, and our memories are long. They failed to come to our aid on past occasions when we sorely needed them in the fight against evil. We will not deal with them unless we absolutely have to, and under no circumstances will we let them into the Golden Wood. We would not hesitate to shoot a dwarf near our borders if he behaved in a hostile manner (non-hostiles should be scared off).

Of course, a lot of this is nonsense: the dwarves have had their own problems, and are actually a stalwart, honorable folk. But that is not how we elves feel-- especially not we Galadhrim! To an enlightened, non-prejudiced player, such prejudice seems foolish and illogical, and it is all too tempting not to RP it. But that's not the elvish way. As an elf, you have grown up with these beliefs, and some of the things we don't like them for really did happen (although the evil Melkor or his disciple Sauron probably had more to do with instrumenting these than the dwarves-- but we don't know that). We are prejudiced against dwarves. It is not logical. It is not "reasonable". But it's how we feel. One of the great signs of the true power of the Dark One's work is in the sundering of folks who should have been fast friends.

Orcs, Trolls, other evil creatures

Evil things simply do not enter the Naith of Lórien. They may lurk outside the forest's borders-- on rare occasions, they may even venture into the portion of our woods that lies across the Celebrant river — but nothing evil would get any further, being deterred by the great power of Galadriel and Nenya as well as being shot on sight by our hidden guards. Walking into Lórien is just as terrible and deadly for evil creatures as walking alone into the middle of an orc-hold would be for us.

Should we encounter something evil well outside the Wood, we would not immediately attack it. Stealth, secrecy, and acute elven senses are usually a Galadhrim's best allies: the Galadhrim instinct is to spy, to gather information while remaining unseen; there's no shame even in running or hiding if Lórien itself is not at stake.

At no time would any elf befriend one of Sauron's minions. They are our utter enemies, and we do not hesitate to kill them in defense of our home, though the wise among us show them mercy if they ask us for it.

Eagles, Istari, Ents

Eagles: Eagles are our great friends and allies, and are always welcome in the Wood-- though communication can be difficult as not all of them speak Sindarin. They are emissaries of Manwe, the chief Vala, and as such we show them the utmost respect. While they may choose to come to our aid at need, never treat them as a taxi service or as carrier pigeons!

Istari (Wizards): Wizards should also be treated with the utmost respect, and are our friends-- especially Mithrandir (Gandalf), friend of all elves, whom we'd be happy to see. Aiwendil (Radagast) and Curunir (Saruman) are our friends as well, though we rarely see them. Note that we have no idea Curunir is evil! The other two Istari are seldom played on Elendor, and since Istari roam the world in the guise of old (but hale) men, we may mistake them for humans unless they reveal themselves to us.

Ents: Long ago, Fangorn himself met with King Amdir, and it was decided that while neither Ents nor Galadhrim would encroach upon the other's territory, either is welcome to walk in the other's land. We rarely see Ents, but would be respectful and friendly if we do.