The characters in Minas Tirith

rteris. If you are a regular around Minas Tirith,you've probably heard the name before. Most know the antics of the clever ranger, and have come to befriend the easy-going Gondorian.
Arteris was born on Esgaroth, the Long Lake, in LakeTown. His mother died in complications during childbirth, so he was left to be raised by his father.His father was a fisherman for the town and spent most of his time out on the lake. Arteris spent most of his earlier years learning to gut fish and sail a boat. During one lengthy trip the weather turned sour. Strong winds caused high waves and torrential downpours pummeled the Baby Manatee, Arteris's father's ship. Arteris was woke up in the night by his father's first mate, Silas Orkney. Bad news was in the air. Arteris's father was thrown overboard while trying to bring in the last of the nets and drowned. He was eight at the time. The boat returned to Lake Town and all the possessions were left in the hands of Arteris.

eing only a child he did what he thought was best. He sold the BabyManatee to Silas for a small amount of money and sold the family residence to locals. He packed up what little possessions that he had and took all of his money and headed out.
His father always told him that if he became orphaned that he was to pack and head to the Lonely Mountain. His father had connections with the dwarves, being the main fish dealer. So Arteris set out onto the road towards Erebor. The road was simple and he met no troubles. Arteris reached the safe-haven of the dwarves. He was met at the gates by dwarven guards clad in plate, with shiny axes and long beards. Arteris explained who he was and the guards took him to the leader of the establishment.The dwarven king accepted Arteris into Dale. Arteris took a position as a cook for the dwarves. He learned to prepare the basics of the red meats that the dwarves loved so much. During his service of about five years, Arteris grew accustomed to drinking wine, moderately aged merlot to be exact. At the age of thirteen, Arteris desired to get out on the open roads of Middle Earth. The king gave him leave and he set out with Pobrea, a reflex bow that he had carved out himself during his toil at Dale. The dwarves wished him well before he left and Arteris was given the title of Dwarf-friend. He left Dale and set out towards the south, towards the reaches of Gondor and the border strongholds, somewhere where he could get into military action.

long the long road Arteris came upon Minas Tirith, the White City itself. He entered the glorious landmark and strolled around for a bit, not planning to stay. He traversed up to the Citadel and was greeted by a man clad in fine velvets and wearing a small silver coronet. The man greeted him.
"Good morning there. A fine bow you have there. Are you passing through?"
"Yes actually, I'm in search of adventure. Wherever fate may take me I am willing to go. I'll do whatever it takes for adventure."
"So you're saying that you're a sellsword? You work for coin?"
Arteris shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose so. If they offer it I will take it."
"Have you ever considered settling down, perhaps, joining the guard here in Minas Tirith."
Arteris considered for a moment. "Walking walls and attending meetings isn't the adventure that I'm looking for."
"Ah, but you look like such a good soldier. We have been short of archers lately. In case you don't know, I'm Mormegil, King of Gondor. I know a good warrior when I see one. You have the look of ambition in your eyes. I've seen you're type before. I usually never see them again, because they end up in a grave."
Arteris shook his head at that statement. "I grew up in Dale with the dwarves. It takes more than a few scratches and bolts to kill me. I may be human, but I'm trained like a dwarf."
"I can tell. Besides, your leather armor there is of dwarven make. I can tell by the fact that it provides a lot of padding near the shoulders but weakens as it goes down. You may be strong willed, but sellswords never live long enough to spend their coin."
Mormegil continued his persuasive talk. "Enlist here in the city. I can arrange for you to have good quarters. I can get you a good position where there's sure to be some action, like the east walls. I have nothing to offer you except my city and its benefits, but isn't that a beautiful thing in itself?"
Arteris considered a life in the White City. He answered the King, "Alright, I accept your offer."
Arteris took a knee in front of the King and swore an oath to Gondor.
The King, being rather pleased, sent servants with Arteris to assign him some quarters and guard duties.

he first two years were slow, and he was rather upset with the King for not coming through on his promise. But then things heated up when the Queen was found missing. The city was thrown in an uproar and the rangers set out. Arteris was on duty those days when war with the orcs of Mordor broke out. He took two arrows and realized that war wasn't as easy as he expected.
So he went to work in the training grounds to improve his skills. He had some vacation time so Arteris figured that he would set out west to the dwarven stronghold in Khazad-Dum, where he was sure to be welcomed by the dwarves. And he was greeted warmly by the dwarves. He was taken to the leaders of the mine and met the leaders there, Littledude and Isembard. They extended hospitality to Arteris and he spent a few days there.
Arteris had put in an order for a sword at the blacksmith. He later found out when his sword was returned to him that Littledude himself had forged the blade and inserted a ruby into the pommel. Arteris thanked the dwarves and set back to Minas Tirith.
He arrived and was appointed 3rd Bowman of the rangers. It was about this time that his superior officer, Robin, came into play.
It started one day when Robin forgot her purse and Arteris bought her a drink. They got to talking and decided that they should go shooting someday. They never did get to go shooting, but about a week or two later, Arteris proposed to her and they became engaged. The wedding has yet to take place. After Minas Tirith was stripped of its pink, Arteris went into the underground as the Pink Bandit with his birthday present, a magical stuffed pink wolf named Flade. After several foiled attempts and some heat from Mormegil, Arteris admitted to being the Pink Bandit. Mormegil sentenced him to never drink another free merlot, a crushing verdict. That about brings things to the present. Arteris, the six foot archer, will live on in Minas Tirith indefinitely.

hat will the future hold, we asked Arteris himself, here's what he said."What does the future hold for me? Well a wife for sure. Other than that I'm sure that many more adventures will come. I look forward to another promotion somewhere down the line and for the day when things were back to the lax way they were before the crackdowns."I look forward to someday there being an election for King. I figure I'll run for the position. I'm pretty sure Morm would mop the floor with me, but there's always time to find out. I would still have some fun doing a bit of campaigning.
"I'd also like to see that there be a way for me to get promoted in the rangers system. I wouldn't want to take my fiancé's spot, but then again I would.
"I'll probably write another epic tale pretty soon. I'm still trying to find a good topic to write about. Writing is such a complex process, it's all in the plot, and right now I've got nothing. These are the things I'd like to see in the future. That, and I would be amazed if I won the Plaza poetry contest, but chances of that are few and far apart." So from fisherman's son to successful ranger, Arteris is a man of diligence and success. He tries to act as a role model for the other Gondorians, and is well respected. A man of peace, and a man of war, that's Arteris.

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