The Red Arrows are messengers and errand-riders in Eriador, spreading the word of the coming war against the Shadow in the East. Since October of 3018, however, they have begun gathering valiant Men, Dwarves, Elves and Hobbits into an army to oppoose the Witch-king and his countless minions out of Angmar.

We are a Heavy RP Kinship on Landroval server, notable for our open officer policy, our emphasis on teaching the lore, and for our unique explanation for In-Character Kinship and Fellowship chat channels. We date back to the first day of Open Beta.

At A Glance

What is the Red Arrow?

The Tale of the Red Arrow is long and not known in its entirety, even to the Wise. What is known is that the Red Arrow is an actual arrow, steel and black, with sharp barbs and a tip painted red. It is kept by the Steward of Gondor, the Lord Denethor II and it is the token of alliance between the people of Gondor and their neighbors to the west, the Riders of Rohan. In times of utmost need, when entire kingdoms are in peril and no lesser recourse will avail them, the lords of Gondor are empowered to send this token west to the King of Rohan. When the lord of horses recieves this arrow, he is compelled by oath and by duty to ride to Gondor with all haste and with as many spears as he can. The Red Arrow is the ultimate call for aid.

While only the Lord Denethor can send the Red Arrow, he as yet shows no sign of doing so, and he has unveiled his mind and thoughts to none.

The History of the Arrow

Although the lore of the northmen, who dwelt once among the eaves of northmost Mirkwood and in the Anduin Vales, is little known, some say that among them was the tradition of the War-Arrow. According to this custom, when a lord of those people decided that war must be waged against a common foe, he would cut with his own hands many arrows which would then be sent to his lesser lords. By this token, his vassals would know to call up all available warriors and meet with the great lord at a common place, there to wager life and death in battle.

But if this custom was practiced among the Northmen that came to be known as the Rohirrim, or if it is still known among the Dalemen, the Beornings, and others who speak the northern tongues, it is not known.

The Ride of Last Hope

It is said that the Red Arrow dates to the Rochon Methestel, the legendary Rider of Last Hope. It was during the time of the reign of Cirion, Steward of Gondor, that the South Kingdom was attacked by large numbers of the people known as the Balchoth. Cirion was hard pressed to defend his lands, and he was in need of aid, and he knew that in the North there was a valiant people who had once come to Gondor's aid during the troubles known as the Kin-Strife. And so he sent six of his riders, two by two by two, to the northern eaves of Mirkwood bearing tokens of the Steward and a plea for help.

But the lands between Gondor and the home of Eorl the Young were hunting grounds for many Orcs who, allied with the Balchoth, had overrun the east, and all of Cirion's errand-riders save one was killed. This last, one Borondir Udalraph, called "the Stirrupless", was the only one to survive the Orc hunters. When he came before Eorl his plea fell on unbelieving ears, for none of the northern men believed that orcs had come that far. But Borondir produced the black orc arrow which killed his companion on the ride, and by this token, and the fresh blood that stained its tip, Eorl was persuaded, and he bid his hosts ride south.

Of the many battles against the Balchoth little need be said here, but Eorl was triumphant and Cirion knew that he owed this man and his golden-haired kin a kingdom. And so he granted to the northmen all the land called Calenardhon, which lay north of the White Mountains from the Gap of Isen to the Anduin River. And in exchange for this land Eorl swore an oath that if ever Gondor was in need, Rohan would come. And the Red Arrow became the token of this oath, and by its bestowal upon the King of Rohan would the need of Gondor be made plain.

Of Folcwine and Turin II

The Red Arrow was last seen over 130 years ago, in the reign of the Steward Turin II. In his time Gondor was beset by a host of Haradrim and Turin's forces were not strong enough to oppose them. But to the west lay the mighty host of Folcwine, one of the greatest of Rohan's kings, who had recently retaken the West-march from his old foes the Dunlendings.

When Folcwine recieved the Red Arrow he rode east at once with his elder sons Folcred and Fastred as Marshals of the Mark, each leading vast companies. They intercepted the Haradrim host to the south of Minas Tirith, but in the battle both Folcred and Fastred were slain. Gondor had been saved, and the Oath of Eorl observed, but at great cost. Folcwine returned to Rohan with heavy heart and was eventually succeeded by his surviving son, Fengel. Turin continued to keep watch against Mordor, but when Orcs and other forces moved into Ithilien later in his reign he had no choice but to withdraw troops and cede this land to the enemy.

The Founding of the Company

The Red Arrow

The seed of the Company of the Red Arrows was planted in 3017 when Imraheth, cousin to the Prince of Dol Amroth, returned home after a winter spent in Minas Tirith searching for a husband. What she found instead was a city drained of life and hope, and withering in the face of the great shadow of the East, which hovered always over the nearby mountains. Her lack of a husband earned her a poor reception at home, and she was ashamed of both this and Denethor's refusal to seek aid. She therefore resolved to flee to Eriador, where she hopes to gather allies previously unlooked for.

Her first stop was Minas Tirith, where she gathered maps and records of Eriador to aid her in her quest. There she had a brief encounter with Gandalf, who encouraged her in her plan. She then rode to Pelargir and there took ship bound for Lond Daer. But the ship was wrecked in January storms and Imraheth would spend the next six months wandering from Tharbad to the Eryd Luin. Along the way, she spread the message of the Red Arrow to the Dwarves of Thorin's Hall, the Hobbits of the Shire, the Men of Breeland, and the Elves of Lindon.

The first muster of the Red Arrows came in September of 3018, when Imraheth learned that her cousin Boromir had ridden to Rivendell to unravel a strange mystery. At the First Muster, officers of the Company were named and its early policies were decided. The Red Arrows were still a loose gathering of errand-riders and messengers, but they had a common purpose and began to take arms against the Shadow wherever it was found.

The Blessing of Fionwe

In the first days of October a band of Arrows on patrol spotted lightning on the summit of Amon Sul in the late hours of the night. Riding hard to investigate, this band intercepted a force of Orcs and Wargs under the leadership of a great Uruk and a Rhudaurian sorcerer. These minions of the Witch-king had been sent to Amon Sul for the express purpose of ensnaring a powerful spirit of the wind which had dwelt there since the end of the First Age. Although Imraheth and her allies on the hill's peak were nearly killed, the unexpected arrival of a second band of Arrows proved enough to disrupt the assault and the wind spirit -- whose name was revealed to be Fionwe -- was saved from bondage.

In exchange for this timely aid, and also out of a desire to thwart the forces of the Witch-king and his master Sauron, whose greater master Fionwe had battled in the War of Wrath, Fionwe agreed to lend his aid to the Arrows. Due to his fallen nature, and the many centuries he had spent sleeping in Amon Sul, he could not leave the hill. However, all the winds of Eriador were his to command. Once he had blessed a member of the Company, that Arrow need only speak, and the winds would carry his words across the leagues to the ear of his allies.

The Blessing of Fionwe has made the mission of the Arrows much easier, allowing them to communicate over great distance and to coordinate their movements. The complete tale of the Blessing of Fionwe can be found in the Black Book of Borondir.

The War in the North

By late October Councils of War had been held both in Rivendell and in the North Downs, which had become the front line in the Witch-king's invasion plans. Imraheth was forced to admit some difficult truths: contrary to what she had thought upon coming here, Eriador was not a place to recruit an army which would help the South Kingdom. Indeed, Sauron's arm had grown long enough to threaten even this land and, if Imraheth were to lead its defenders away, she would be leaving the Shire, Bree, and the Elf and Dwarf lands of the West defenseless. She could not, in good conscience, continue with her mission as originally planned.

The Second Muster of the Red Arrows was thus held in the last days of October, and at this meeting it was resolved that the Company would remain in the North at least long enough to blunt the Witch-king's assault. Since that Black Captain had long relied upon the cold of winter as a weapon in his arsenal, it was judged that the next few months would be key to resisting him. If Eriador could be defended through the winter, then the crisis may have passed. The Company would use this time to strengthen its ranks, train its troops, and improve its fighting organization. It was at this time that the first Bands were formed within the Company.

The Great Goblin Massacre

In early November, Imraheth was captured in Goblin-town and held prisoner in the dungeons. While there, the Ring of Iron Mist was taken from her and fought over by the goblins. An emissary from Angmar was also present and recognized the ring. Imraheth escaped, but does not know the fate of the ring. She believes it must have been taken by one of the goblin champions present at the time and brought back to a goblin tribe somewhere in Eriador.

Upon her return to the company, Imraheth called the Third Muster to alert the company to the danger posed by Anghithya. It was critical that the ring be recovered before the Witch-king gains it, lest Fionwe be put into bondage forever. To this end, the Arrows have been dispatched to all the lands of Eriador. There, they are hunting down Goblin leaders and searching Goblin camps to find the ring. More on this can be found elsewhere.

The Relics of the Arrows

The Red Arrows keep several relics of great value to the Company. These include.

• The Black Book of Borondir. In October Imraheth collected her various notes and journals regarding the Company and bound them into a single volume, which was named for Borondir Udalraph and kept alternately at Rivendell or at Bree. The Black Book is the journal of record for the Company and all its official writings are included in it.
• The Star of Cardolan. This token, a bright jewel in the shape of a star, was given to Imraheth by lord Whaylen, the leader of the Waywatchers of Cardolan, when the two companies forged their alliance. The star is kept by Imraheth, who typically wears it as a brooch to fasten her cloak. It was lost for a time after her capture and imprisonment in Goblin-town, but was later recovered by two elves of the company, Silhann and Silana.
• Anghithya is the Ring of Iron Mist. This lesser ring of power was forged by an unknown servant of Sauron or the Witch-king for the express purpose of binding Fionwe and making him a slave. It was worn by the Rhudarian sorcerer known as Lagasuk-najor before it was cut from his hand by a member of the Company. Imraheth kept it for a time, but when she was captured by Goblins it was lost to her and a great hunt was conducted to recover it. Now that Anghithya is back in the possession of the Arrows, it has been entrusted to Synnova for safekeeping.

The Nature of the Kinship

Admissions and Recruits

The Red Arrows is committed to a policy of slow expansion. Sometimes we gain members so quickly and suddenly that we are forced to put a pause on recruitment so that we can all get to know each other again. It is also important that the officer corps expand at the same rate as the overall membership, so that the workload on any individual does not become too onerous. However, these recruitment pauses have been thankfully rare and always end as soon as possible.

Interested parties should go to the Red Arrows website and begin with the Recruitment Forum, where a brief application can be found. In addition to the application (which is intended to give you a chance to tell us about yourself, and is not in any way a "test" or interview), there are two primary requirements for new members: Sponsors and a Lore-Appropriate background.

Sponsors

Every new applicant to the Arrows must have a Sponsor, listed in her application. Sponsors do not need to vouch for you personally; their sole function is to verify that you do indeed Roleplay, or are at least trying to learn. A sponsor is in no way responsible for the applicant after admission. If you turn out to be a jerk, the sponsor does not get heat.

The best way to find sponsors is to come to social events or quest with us. To find every Arrow online at the moment, type the following into your chat line:

/who the red arrows 1 50

Lore Appropriate

We have a Naming Policy which requires that all characters be Lore Appropriate. There are three individuals who serve as the gatekeepers on this policy: the Captain-General (Imraheth), the Master of Recruits (Rodwensael) and the Master of the Tomes of Lore (Balariond). If two of those three people think your name or background fails the Lore test, you will be asked to re-roll your character. Note that this does not mean you cannot join the kinship, it just means your current character cannot join the kinship. If you are willing to start over again at level 1, we are happy to have you.

Officers

The officer policy among the Red Arrows is different than that of most kinships. In the Red Arrows, anyone who wants to be an officer can become one simply by volunteering for a duty. Although some officer positions are traditional ones -- Recruit Officer, Webmaster, Social or Martial Event Coordinator, Crafting Supervisor -- virtually anything can be made an office and the Red Arrows have had Master Musicians, Lore Experts, and other offices at various points in time.

The current officer status of the kinship includes:

• Captain-General (leader): Imraheth
• Master of Recruits: Rodwensael
• Master of the Craft Hall: Melthanwen
• Seneschal (webmaster): Baelan Norfalcon
• Master Scribe (creative writing coordinator): Oendir Arrowheart
• Master Historian: Dadrihad
• Mellon Mithrandir (Friend of Gandalf, Epic Book and Big Instance Event coordinator): Lorindrel Whisperwind
• Master of Fireside Tales (coordinator of the Red Arrows book club!): Adeleric
• Sergeant-at-Arms (martial events coordinator): Synnova
• Lady of the Revels (social event coordinator): Nenuvyiel
• Chamberlain (aide to the captain-general): Nimorian
• Bannerets: Turbarad (Rin Thangail), Landuin (The Company Armoury), Onua Brooks (the Red Guard), Grazili (Counsels of Recruits)

Bands and Missions

As a relatively small group of errand-riders and messengers, the Arrows have so far avoided a too-strict military structure. However, individuals within the Company can get together to form groups of their own for specific purposes. These groups are called Bands and their leaders are Bannerets, officers among the Company.

There are currently five active Bands within the Arrows.

• The Rin Thangail is a class-based Band of Guardians devoted to protecting the other members of the kinship. Their leader is Turbarad.
• The Company Armoury is a Band based on crafting weapons, armour, and other equipment for the Company. Their leader is Landuin.
• The Red Guard is a Band which operates in the Ettenmoors and trains interested Arrows who may not be strong enough to travel there yet. Their leader is Onua Brooks.
• The Counsels of Recruits is the Company's Mentor Corps. The Counsels are assigned to new recruits on a rotating basis and help integrate those new members into the company as a whole. Its leader is Grazili the Dwarf.
• Finally, the Knights of the Noss Tirith are a special Honour Guard of Arrows whose service has been especially exemplary. Knights are selected by the Captain-general and are knighted by her in a special ceremony. Unlike other Bands, membership in the Knights does not preclude membership in another Band. Imraheth is the leader of the Knights of the Noss Tirith.

Allies

The Red Arrows have many friends and few foes among the Free Peoples. Among their allies can be counted:

• Waywatchers_of_Cardolan: Or visit their Guildportal site.
• League of Elders: The Arrows cooperate with the League on Raids and other endgame content.