The ancient bloodlines of
Númenor flew true in the veins of
this stern-eyed scholar from Umbar.
He spent his youth exploring Umbar’s
ancient ruins, and there found lost
legacies of the Black Númenoreans.
When older, he practiced the arts of
sorcery and took the name Válëcarnë
(Q. "Red Power", S. "Balcarn", Ad. "Avalkar"), eventually seeking
out Saruman and asking for admittance
to the Heren Istarion. He
was already a gifted magician, and
the store of ancient grimoires he
brought as gifts won him a place as
Saruman’s apprentice.
Válëcarnë was obsessed with sorcery
and spells of shadow and illusion.
He longed to look into the palantír
and gazed upon the past glories of
lost Umbar, but Saruman had forbidden
it. After twenty years, the White
Wizard still refused to name Válëcarnë
a Wizard, delegating him to lesser
tasks. As his patience waned, Válëcarnë
was soon to act on his own accord.
With the invasion of Rohan nigh and Saruman's great victory to be had, the White Wizard felt it time to scout out new locations for breeding and training. Válëcarnë, Saruman's magician apprentice, and a few of Sarumans other overseers were chosen to complete this mission. They left shortly before his army departed for Helm's Deep and Isengard's destruction. When word came of the White Hand's fall, they and their underlings scattered to the wind. Válëcarnë returned to Umbar and the comforts of his wealthy and powerful family's home. There he accumulated ancient texts and influence over the people for he had learned much from Saruman about the ways of influencing others. A crafty and great speaker was he (though not as skilled as his teacher) and moreso once he was able to charm some old noble out of an ancient tome. While poring over his most recent prize, Válëcarnë came across a mysterious reference to a sorceror named "Carangul". Scouring his library Válëcarnë was unable to find any more information on this mysterious and dark figure. Intrigued, he sought out more information from without but found nothing more than cryptic letters or brief encounters. Unable to find anything solid on object of his obsession, Valecarn instead attempted something quite dangerous: he took Carangul's name. His plan was to draw out the sorcerer, hoping that stealing his name would prove an insult, and confront him. Alas, for him it was not to be, as the original was no longer. In an attempt to bring forces to back up his exceptional mind, the newly renamed Carangul sought out the others with whom he escaped the destruction of Isengard, using what contacts and influence he still had in the orkish society. He soon found that other overseers were still alive, hiding in the Misty Mountains, in the crags of what remained of Mordor, or scattered abroad in the East or South. He invited them to the ruins that lay outside Umbar. There they devised a most devious plan to regain lost power. Since King Elessar hunted the Orcs endlessly, they were scattered and, without leadership, they were easy prey. However, united they could prove a powerful force. Distrustful as they were, the overseers saw few other options and the hope of mortally wounding the Gondorians was too sweet to pass up. Carangul sent them to gather up all the Dunlendings, Orcs, Uruks and Half-orcs that they could find and gather them in secret to the ruins. While waiting for the scattered minions to resurface, Carangul traveled North to the Shire in search of any of Saruman's remaining treasures. Arriving at the borders to The Shire, he was thwarted in progress as King Elessar had declared the land of the Hobbits off limits... thwarted, yes, but only for a moment. Putting all his powers to work, Carangul slipped past the guards and into the land of the Hobbits. There he found Saruman's Ring of Command in the property of a silly hobbit farmer. Upon stealing the ring from the hobbit, he returned south to his home in Umbar. Using all the eager servants at his disposal, the ruins were rebuilt into a large fortress with a tall central tower. He called it Minas Caraband, the Tower of the Red Fortress, for he had all of the building stones dyed crimson. The Halforcs, Haradrim and few Dunlendings worked during the day and the Orcs and Uruks worked during the night to keep quiet his true motivations. The place of his power complete, Carangul set up the hierarchy of his forces. Dúach became lieutenant of the Tower and Mog became General of Carangul's forces. Urnach, Lughur and Radluk all retained their old positions, working in the labyrinthine structures that were built as the basement beneath the massive fortress. Eventually Carangul gained great favor among the Umbareans because of the way that he had strengthened their proud city with his mighty fortress, and they made him their Mat P'tan, or "High Chief". He soon sent out spies and agents in an attempt to destroy the West through subterfuge, encouraging, or instigating, riots, feuds and other mischief. With the forces of the West distracted with their own problems, they were to busy to pay attention to what transpired in the South.
References[]
- Hall of Fire ,The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Webzine Issue 44 August 2007, Vacelarn by ZehnWaters
- the Lord of the Rings Role-Playing Game: Isengard (Sourcebook)
Notes[]
Original form: Valecarn = Válëcarnë = Balcarn