The endless Mordorian hordes are a cruel and harsh place to earn a living. Day after day soldiers die, new ones take their place and then these ones in turn die as well. It is a difficult position in life. Yet some there are who rise above the countless Minions are able to make a name for themselves and are known by the masses. By their strength of arm and mind, cunning, and their unwavering service to the Dark Lord, these Minions have become great, become infamous, and forged a reputation which burns through the Free Lands like a wildfire. Their names are a whispered fearfully behind closed doors, their mention is like a nightmare. They are mighty, they are intrepid, they are champions, Champions of Mordor.
The Champions of Mordor are as follows:
Narguzir,
Rohanna,
Túrin,
Inzilbeth,
morgorth,
Winddancer,
Akilah,
Mandallah,
Morgoth Bauglir,
Min-Hiddêth,
Grishnak,
Tarín,
Aure
Narguzir
(Mouth of Sauron)
Look...I am not sucking up to you because frankly we have a love hate relationship. I love to hate you and you are totally fine with it. It works well for us both, but the reality is that you kick major freaking butt! You are awesome with the Drill team and you are always there to support the members and help in practice. You are running a great practice questions game now and this is the first time we have ever made it to the playoffs. I do not think that Mordor would have made it without you there to lead us to it. You are a champion and a great leader and you deserve this title more than most.
You just joined Debate and made one of the most kick but main arguments I have ever seen for a first time debater and you are always in the lore forums offering your support and helpful answers along with quotes to those in need. It is so rare to find people who love lore and Tolkien enough to share his workings even on a site like this which is very sad. This is the first time Mordor has prevailed and I think that you are a major part in keeping that alive.
You kick major butt in the mini drill organization and I think that is awesome. It allows people to learn lore and that is one of the most important things for those who love the magic of Tolkien and who want to keep it alive in the minds of those who may not know as much. It challenges them and it teaches them. That thread has brought the Drill League so many great players who have wanted to expand their minds and try out for harder and more challenging questions and I think that freaking rocks! I wish that I was allowed to join that thread, but alas perhaps I can just help out when you need it. It is commendable and you are a champion for it.
I know that finding questions for Drill is not always an easy feat and you are constantly coming up with original ideas and questions. This is what keeps these threads interesting and challenging. Without you there to ask them...then who would answer them? You are definitely an asset and a champion. If there were two champions allowed, then you and Turin would be it. I do not think that people understand the difficulty of doing what you do, but I can say that I do and I commend you for it.
You are always making great banners for the team and making us look cool and you take your time with people who are trying to learn in the lore forums. You answer questions without sounding like a "know it all" and you always have supporting quotes and helpful tips. The practice games always benefit the team and I don’t think that we would be in the playoffs if it weren’t for you. So I will nominate you as the champion as well.
Disclaimer: Anything nice said by Rings is simply due to the plain and simple fact that someone is trying to decontaminate her in another thread and it has affect her brain cells. Submitted by ~Rings
Rohanna
Wow, I don’t think I can even begin to describe all the things Roh has done for the plaza. She ran Route666 for almost a year, while keeping up interest in it each time it was ran. She helped in Word Sleuth with the Mordor team as well. Roh was the pub wench and even before she became a minion she was storming through the pubs and keeping things in there alive. Then she tried to steal my fiancée, but we don’t talk about that. Because of her the Mordor Olympics was brought to life, making Mordor more interesting than it had ever been and let us show the plaza that Mordor wasn’t a place to be looked down upon, but competition. She was (and is) willing to answer any questions us minions had about anything, and she always seemed to know the answer. Even now she is running a thread in Mordor for newbies to help them with RPing skills. Through new ideas and liveliness, she brought Mordor to its peek during her rulership. As the purple Witchking, she made a lot of us remember that we were here to give tribute to Tolkien and his works by RPing a male Witchking and encouraging others to be a real minion, not just some mamsy pambsy dark elf.
Her dedication is amazing and the quality staggering in everything she’s done. While she was a ruler, she changed the forum heading into what it is now, and it was awesome to have Mordor “remodeled” the way it was. Especially because she had to put up with us yelling at her for changing it this way and that. Horrible little brats we were (are). Which brings me to another point and that is that she did put up with all of us. If it wasn’t someone asking a question it was someone complaining- and she was calm about it.
Throughout her time here she encouraged so many people to join Mordor. I don’t think she knows this (and let’s not tell her, or she might stop being so darn humble!) but she kept me in Mordor during her rule even though I was about to bound off towards the shire...and can you imagine DR a hobbit? Say yes and I will make sure your death is slow and torturous. Anyways, I know it wasn’t just me she kept around, it was many people, and she also brought people to Mordor, which is just as important. She’s a champion because she has done as much or more for Mordor than anyone. How could anyone live up to her? They couldn’t. Um, the end.
~ Sumbitted by Inzilbeth
Túrin
Since I have recently come to Mordor, there is one minion who is outstanding, and amazing. This minion is Turin, or Elk as many of you older minions know him as. As soon as I even thought about joining Mordor, I immediately went to the Minion Contact Thread, and looked up Turin’s IM. I did this because even as another race, I admired him, as a plazite, RPer, and Loremaster. He has been willing to answer any questions I have had, including the stupid ones, and has talked to me when I am sure he would rather not. He is very welcoming, and well, he is just a great minion all around. Of course, none of these above aspects are good for any minion, but you do realize I mean them OOC, not IC, where he is the most evilest, vile creature I know.
On to the Lore aspect of things, Turin is the best Loremaster anyone could ever wish for. He has a grand knowledge of al of the aspects of Tolkein’s lore, even some of the ones which are a little less boring. I have read many of his debate posts, and they are unbelievable. I can not imagine how he has such a great grasp on the lore, when someone wuch as myself struggles to understand what exactly Thangorodrim is. I have not been in Mordor that long, nor been on the Drill team for anymore than a week or so, but by looking through old threads, I can see Turin contributes greatly to the Lore, especially IK, were Mordor feels it the most. There is no doubt in my mind Mordor will win the playoffs in any lore competition with Turin behind the helm. It is not hard to see why he is the debater with the highest point average in the league.
Moving on to the army and RPing, he is amazing. I have never seen a commander of such a large force be able to Role Play like Turin can, and keep things running all at the same time. His descriptions of his surroundings are fabulous, and his personality, special traits, and all those little things about his character, come out in every post. He is consistent with what he says as well, not like some people *ahemmyselfahem*, who would one day say their eyes were brown and normal, and then the next day they were purplish green and on top of their head . As wel he is realistic in his RP, I have seen many army higher ups make posts which do astonishing feats, which are not possible for their race but I have yet to see Turin do one. As well, I check out the Derndingle of Mystery all the time, and I can see he is an active powerhouse in there, RPing like none have ever RPed before. He is just an all around great RPer.
There has been many a time in the twenty days that I have been here that I felt like returning to Khazad-dum, because I missed my duties, my friends, and stuff like that. But as soon as I felt this way, I would read one of Turin’s posts, Debate or RP, and I would be in awe. I would change my mind because I want to stay in a kingdom where I would be on this guy’s team, not against him, for he would demolish me. He is a great role-model to have, for he is mine. As well, I think he is the reason that many newbies don’t join Mordor, because they just don’t want to try and live up to his reputation or expectations. I almost didn’t come because of that, but I did, and I met a great guy in Turin. It is for all these reasons above that Turin, formerly known as Elk, deserves to be a Champion of Mordor.
~ Submitted by Ufthûk
Look I am not normally nice enough to give anyone but myself credit for any given thing, but in this case Turin deserves to be called "Champion". I prefer the term "Over worked and under paid", but hey...whatever they call it...he is it. He runs the army and does an exceptional job and he is always on time when it come to debate unlike some other dumb minions who have missed the last two games and should be actually working on debating right now *whistles innocently*
He helps the Drill team and he is always gathering quotes and keeping the lore of Tolkien alive. His threads are kept up and he never slacks. Not that that is really respectable or anything, but hey...
Keeping the power of Tolkien’s writings alive is the most important part of this forum and he is always on top of his game. He is never rude and mean like some minions *ahem* and although he really could work on his maggot breeding techniques, I still think that he is the best suited for this position. There are many more nice things that I could say, but I am already totally screwing up my reputation here.
Ok so Turin is the leader type and he always is helping others in finding quotes and what have you. He always makes rebuttals to help out the debate team and he is a complete team player. I think that he goes beyond the call of what is actually required to be a team member in all aspects of the word. Turin also works hard in the lore forums and is always helping others when it comes to questions that they may have regarding Tolkien. I think that Tolkien is the reason why we are all here and it is a shame that there are not more people who actually practice the lore.
Turin is always showing people how its done and helping research to come up with the best arguments and he even runs the thread for lore regarding the different species of the dark creatures of Mordor. This is the kind of stuff that we need in Mordor. This keeps Tolkien alive, lore alive and best of all it help to keep the forum alive for all of us. I think he is a great asset. he has great RPing skills and I know that we would all like to see more of that, but I know very well that he is totally busy with debate and Drill constantly. He stepped up to the plate when he was needed in Drill and that was valiant. He is always around to kick me when my debate post is not on time (always). If he was not here our debate team would never have made the plaza.
I don’t think that the Mordorian army has ever done better and the best thing about it is that Turin enjoys doing it. He likes to be there to show people things and that is great! There are few people around these lands that actually hold up their end of the bargain when they decide to be responsible for something so it is refreshing to see him in action. He is never lazy and he always has ample quotes (with quote sources mind you) to back up his part of the argument weather he is showing you something or simply just proving his point. I think that it is rare and commendable.
I am sure that I am missing a whole bunch of things that he has done to make Mordor an over all better place. However the rulers know and we all know that he does a lot here and he deserves this title.
Disclaimer: Anything nice said by !Rings is simply due to the plain and simple fact that someone is trying to decontaminate her in another thread and it has affect her brain cells. Submitted by ~Rings
Inzilbeth
The amazing job that she has been doing as the Witchking. No explanation needed, but I will anyway. There’s been times when I’ve caught her online and pestered her with Plaza questions (so that you all don’t see my asking them on the plaza, nyah) when she was busy or would rather not be talking. Plus she put up with my incredibly witless and horribly inane and slow self as I mucked through what I needed to talk to her about. The War Council is supposed to be anonymous, but I’ll let you know one thing she said in there - I needed to ask her something, so I changed my MSN name to be asking if she was around. And ya know what? She saw that and came online so that I could toss my questions her way, and then she answered them even though she was short on time. How great is that? Who would want a ruler who was never or rarely available? I’ve had one or two during my time and it’s kind of annoying. That she is there to be ruler when it suits her subjects needs, not her own personal schedule, speaks worlds to me.
Dedication. Pure and simple, DR has been in Mordor for...well...as far as I can remember - ever. She was running the Training Grounds for how long? She was Black Captain of what I believe was the best of the old Garrisons in terms of size, activity, and skill of RPers. I speak from experience here, running an army is no simpleton’s task or something you can show up once a week to do. It’s heavy duty and DR’s dedication is proven by that alone. Then the army was restructured and and took over the role of Prime Minion for Parliament and then Maugan of the Army in the short time before she became Witchking. This army gal is untoppable. I don’t care who you are, that sort and length of dedication to the army is simply amazing.
Look who she took over for - Rohanna; who was an incredibly hands-on ruler. I won’t lie to you, I had my doubts that DR could successfully step up (though again I must not lie, I didn’t think anyone really could). But look at DR’s track record as ruler and you’ll see that DR has been as far from a letdown as one can possibly imagine. She’s an awesomely evil Witchking, hands down. I feel the same about her as I did about Roh - if she steps down, she’ll be the one that nobody wants to come after.
DR is a Champion not only of Mordor, but for Mordor. Whether the deciders decide to award her the title or not doesn’t matter. In my eyes, DR is and always will be a Champion of Mordor. She’s earned that title in every way. Kudos, DR. I applaud your diligent work.
Addendum since the time of writing: I have now had the pleasure to rule alongside Inzilbeth for going on six months and I can do naught but echo and affirm all which I said earlier. The moment she took the robes, yes, I had my doubts. Now, I would be concerned if she resigned. She truly is one of the best rulers Mordor has ever had, if not the best ever. The day she steps down will be a dark day in Mordor.
~ Submitted by Túrin
morgorth
(Mo)
What can I say about the ultimate in evil? Mo was on the Plaza about what a month before he became ruler? Why was that? Anyone around during his rulership would know. He was the king of RPing evil, he had the most grand sense of humor imaginable, and he was so knowledgable in lore and so dedicated to keeping the dream alive, especially dedicated to keeping the evil dream alive.
His contributions to Mordor are too numerous to mention, and certainly number way more than three. However, I shall try and narrow it down as best I can.
1. Role-playing of evil. Mo brought Mordor into a Golden Age of RPing, and not just RPing, the true RPing of evil, yet he made it so fun that many of us pathetic free peoples were drawn to him like flies. It was because of him that I came to Mordor and that I forced myself to learn to RP (though I would never think I was on the same level as he). He brought many others here too, because he didn’t just preach, he DID. I wasn’t here when he was the Witchking (or was he Gothmog? or both?) but he was the ultimate Sauron when I first ventured to Mordor 1-1/2 years ago. And he seriously was Sauron to me. Atrocious spelling notwithstanding *hides* he truly showed all minions as well as all free peoples that one could RP an evil being and still do so with incredible style and killer (sometimes literally) sense of humor. He didn’t allow elves and all those wussy woos to live in Mordor, and while that was a different era, it was something that kept Mordor truly canon from a Tolkien sense, and for that I think we owe him a great deal. He taught many of us how to do it, just by doing it so well himself.
2. Parliament. Is there a better thread anywhere on the Plaza? No I don’t think so. Think about it, this is a "what do you think" thread basically but yet it’s in an IC format. This goes right along with my reason #1 for nominating him, he always wanted minions to be minions. No points gained for chatty spammy "oh yes I agree with so and so" OOC type posts in his kingdom, but yet he did want to hear the opinions of his subjects. Thus Parliament was born, a thread that is truly a Mordor original.
3. Word Sleuth. How many people come up with original games on the Plaza? I mean really? Yes there have been a few over the years, but generally every "new" game is simply a rehash of another game from another kingdom. Word Sleuth is of course based on the RL game Scrabble, so not totally original, but as far as plaza games go, it is truly original. It’s a game that combines lore knowledge (or at least the ability to find quotes) as well as letter unscrambling and word-building knowledge. He put that all together and made it fun, again from an IC standpoint, when he then undertook the huge project of the IKWSL (Interkingdom Word Sleuth League). Many on the plaza now wouldn’t remember it and many of those who played are now gone, but for those who still remain, the memories of the friendships made in a true team game and the fun had goes far beyond Mordor and spreads across the entire Plaza.
I could go on and on - the Lorien/Mordor war, the way he popped into every thread to tribute good posts, the many people he recruited to the dark kingdom, and the artwork. Most Mordor threads and most threads in other kingdoms now all have banners, but at the time he was ruler that wasn’t the case. His beautiful artwork made Mordor truly stand out, and while most of it has been replaced, there are still some banners that were created by him, this long after he stepped down as ruler, just because they are so good. Even the Mordor forum header bears his artwork (the beautiful ring background) and while the KPs are outdated (through no fault of his) what is there have been used by other kingdoms in droves because at the time he made them they were so good. He’s built templates for GRaBT and for the Plaza newsletter. He’s created illustrations for both those publications as well, and I’m only talking now about when he was Sauron, not all the things he has since done as Aule/Mandos/Melkor/Morgoth. I don’t really know where to end this, if I could I would just keep coming up with things he has contributed to Mordor, but I’m quite sure I’m over 400 words and well I know you don’t want a novel, so I’ll just end now by saying that in my mind there is no one who has contributed more to this kingdom.
~ Submitted by Rohanna
Winddancer
Does anyone deserve the title of Champion of Mordor more than this minioness, who’s been a foundation of Mordor as long as I can remember? Granted, I can’t always remember that long ago *ahemyesterdayahem*, but she still continues to amaze me, even after the 175+ days that I have been here. Not only was she a former ruler of this land of Shadow, she was one of the best ones! From what I hear, she made numerous contributions, was nearly continuously logged on and helping people, and made a lot of friends.
Unfortunately I didn’t see her as caring and as devoted as she is until very recently. Before now I thought she was just taking threads away from younger members. Now I realize that she earned those privileges, and in reality I couldn’t do it. Sometimes I’m put off by my limited responsibilities, and she has many times over them. That’s why I’m in such awe of her. Because she seemingly never sleeps!
She has been one of the most tireless recruiters of young minions that I have ever had the pleasure to see, from Mordor or anywhere else on the Plaza. She at one time ran both the Newbie Spawning pool and the Recruitment office in the Newbies forum. Those tasks in themselves would be so trying on most Plazateers patience that they would shortly resign. Not Winddy, though. She had the patience of a lonely giraffe in heat. A newbie would ask a stupid question, and in the guise of a fierce minion-like answer, she would kindly point them in the right direction.
Another area that Winddy excelled at was the GM one. It seemed like she was always involved in some sort of RPG, be it the Annuals of Angmar, or be it some learning one in the newbie forum. Apparently, before my time, she was also a great warrior in the Old Army. Unfortunately, some differences arose and she resigned from the new system.
When I first arrived, it seemed her icon was always changing. At first I didn’t know why, but then I figured it out. That was an award! Every month she seemed to have an SCR or an ATR or something. I’m still impressed. In short, I believe that though I’m not capable of putting her accomplishments in eloquent words, she deserves to be in nonetheless.
~ Submitted by Ghashabau
The first thing that people think of with this great minion is of course her tireless work welcoming newbies to Mordor and to the Plaza in general. However, as that has already been mentioned I will add on some other things.
Ideas. Winddy brought Mordor so many threads it boggles the mind. The Minion of the Month is one that I believe was her idea (I hope I’m not wrong on that, I wasn’t around when Winddy was ruler). This is a great idea and something that sets Mordor apart. Other kingdoms have rulers chose who to honor generally, but Mordor lets the minions vote to honor who they wish to. Power to the people! Okay Power to the orcs if you prefer. What is important about this as that while she was ruler Winddy listened to people and tried to give them threads where they could have a voice.
Another thread I believe she created was Keepers of Ancient Lore, a most wonderful idea that had fallen by the wayside until revived by DR (with a few deaths and revivals along the way) but again, it was Winddy’s foresight to see that all the great things happening in Mordor needed to be recorded somewhere so people could know about them a year down the road, when possibly all the players had changed. She was of course right on the money as most in Mordor now have no idea what happened here a year ago, two years ago, or three years ago. Keeping records was truly visionary as who would have thought the plaza would have grown like it has?
~ Addendum by Rohanna
Akilah
Although indisputably cruel, mean, nasty, and all around horrid, she still has her bearable moments and if I can be so bold as to say, slightly nice times as well. Anyone can be mean or nice, but I think it takes some talent to be able to properly balance the two-especially if one claims to be a hard core minion, like she supposedly is.
Besides that, which I know really isn’t a plausible reason for nominating her, there are so many more reasons. Since the plaza is in essence, a forum where the only way to communicate with others is through posts and…posts, I think that’s a good place to start with in exalting Akilah. To contribute good posts which actually say something of importance, I readily admit, is an art. Not all plaza people have that talent, not all aim for it, and not all use it if for some reason they had that talent. Akilah’s role playing skills are quite admirable, always impressing me, and brandishing the ‘minion’ style boldly while at the same time incorporating something of interest in what she says. In short, she says more than throw insults and witty words at others-she actually tells something at the same time.
Ok, enough about the whole ‘role playing, posting’ bit. Let it suffice with me saying I really respect her posts and think that she does an excellent job in that arena-and in my humble opinion, that’s an important area to have down-especially if one’s going to give off the aura of some slave of Sauron. Which brings me to the whole topic of Sauron himself. Her efforts and dedication to plaza were, no doubt, noticed by others of higher standings than myself, since she was chosen Witch King of Mordor for a season and then ultimately given the position to be Lord Sauron of Mordor. I had the privilege of being under her rulership from the beginning of her reign until just lately when she resigned, and I have to say I loved every minute of it. She put so much time into making Mordor great, Mordor the best kingdom, and ultimately, fun! Her fairness and generosity was always gratefully noticed not only by me but as well as others in Mordor; as well as her new ideas, and always enjoyable threads were a great hit!
As Sauron, she kept good control over her subjects and punished or kindly rebuked those who needed a little nudging. But when others were good, her favor, in a cruel way of course, shone with a dark light upon all. And just because she was ruler, Akilah did not, except for play or when need be, flaunt herself as being too high and mighty and above everyone. She got down to even the lowest minion’s level, welcoming the newbies, helping in the inter kingdom competitions, and participating in the Role Play threads around and about the kingdom. She was the epitome of the perfect ruler-lofty and terrible, and yet kind and caring, never shirking her duties and going at her job and responsibility with enthusiasm and joy.
Continuing on the subject of her immersing herself in the various projects of her charge. I had and still have the fun opportunity to be able to be on her team and work with her in the Junior Drill Inter Kingdom competitions. She was (and is) a great team member, more than doing her share and helping our team out countless time and time again. Also, she is a good sport, never bragging of her talents over anybody else but playing the game with enthusiasm and making it fun for everyone else. She’s a great team player, helping the jr. drill team to work smoothly and together, and prodding us always onward to victory.
Now that Akilah has stepped down from being ruler, I still think she’s just as wonderful as before, if not better! She’s stayed active and not faded away into the background like could easily be expected since she doesn’t have such a great responsibility anymore. Akilah is, as always, still pushing herself forward (partially because I think she’s forgotten she’s not in charge anymore *g*) and is continually doing things around Mordor to help it stay alive and menacing. A lot of people fade on and off with plaza, either leaving it for good, or not doing anything-and that hinders the productivity of a kingdom. Contrary to this, Akilah has stuck around with a vengeance and her presence is always welcomed and enjoyed. She’s a wonderful minion, as well as person-I’ve had the pleasure of having some fun discussions with her on and off plaza when she wasn’t hiding behind her cruel exterior. Of course, like previously stated, she’s well balanced-making sure too much sweetness is never present at one time so as to not make her fellow minions sick. Now isn’t that so thoughtful of her?
~ Submitted by Nessila
I first met Akilah in one of the Mordor pubs, back in my recently-passed Lothlorien days, and even then I was impressed - not just by her RP skills, but by a simple comment in the OOC thread that pointed out an error I had made (and that’s the last time I’m admitting to making mistakes), which was both well written and presented. Although our paths crossed infrequently for a while after that, in recent months they have crossed more and more, to the present level of non-stop all-day rambling on IM - she’ll say I’m the one that rambles, and I’ll kick her, but my point is...even now that she has stood down as Ruler, Landy is always there - to listen, to comfort, to berate, to insult, to laugh with/at, and so on. She is always there, both on the plaza and off, for the newbs and the veterans alike, from the lowliest snaga to the grandest (ie. me) or most vile (you lot). For the longest time now she has been a dedicated plaza member, and a dedicated minion, from being the Maugan of the Army, to the Jr Drill team, some Debate, MAUL, the Post Office...the list goes on. She breathes minion from her every blackened pore, and the foul place is all the better/worse for it.
It was no surprise to see Akilah rise to become WitchKing, and thence to Sauron, and she was as dedicated a ruler as any who came before, demanding much of her subjects and urging them on to greater (ie. more bloody) things. Akilah was never willing to let anyone rest on their laurels, or let her kingdom drift aimlessly along, and actively pursued and promoted a course of all things dark and evil - Mordor as it should be, and in the face of a deal of lethargy and apathy too, it must be said. The Black Land now thrives once more, and it is to Akilah’s great credit that it is so. She was ever willing to set the tone, and leave those who thought that they might stroll around here in peace, under no illusions that they were now in Mordor, and subject to the vagaries of it’s scabrous citizens. Yet she was generous also, to both those who pleased her black heart, or who wrote well, or played their parts well, or proved imaginative or resourceful (sometimes all of those things) -each were (un)kindly rewarded for their efforts, thus encouraging their future contributions to the greater evil. Fortunately for me, I resisted the lure long enough that I only had to suffer her rule for a short time, and so I cannot claim to be as wretched as the rest of you. Oh wait, I married her - guess I’m the more wretched now...
In other words, Akilah - Landy to most - is dedicated, demanding, kind, communicative, friendly, funny and wickedly smart (she may be cute too, but I couldn’t possibly comment, and it’s not like that’s a pre-requisite to being a Champion, given some of the uglies that have been granted that position previously...woops - did I say that out loud?), and she ROCKZ - she did give us Rock ’n Roll Mordor for Halloween (and thus we shall forgive her fixations with The Labyrinth and Peter Pan), lest we forget. Both as a plaza member and as a minion she stands (well, sits mostly) as an example to us all, and so I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Akilah as a Champion of Mordor.
~ Submitted by Amalric
Mandallah
Champions of the newer days will come, and those who are and will be shall heed their works and reward them with the accolades they deserve. Without wanting to be nostalgic I would like to bend my memory a little further, seeking recognition for those whose names may be mere rumor or legend to the current crop of minions infesting every dark place of the Plaza, furthering the infamy of Mordor across these lands.
Mandallah. He who remained faithful to his own trollishness, despite opportunities to shed that skin of stone and take on other guises. Reverent, irreverent and revered. Captain of the army of the Morannon, striking fear not only into the hearts of the free people but also into the heartless cavities of minions themselves. Twice Ruler of this foul land, upholder of lore in Mordor at a time when the knowledge of what made us minions was in danger of being lost in the chasms of Orodruin. He captained the army of Mordor as we lay siege to the terrible woods of Lothlorien, and fell in battle providing leadership and example to a host of darkness at a time when guidance was needed. He brought a freshness to this land at a time when it was threatened with stagnation, and moved us forward with sheer brute force when the occasion demanded.
There was a time when Mordor was not the thriving, vibrant land it is now. It was faltering under an attitude that sought to drag us all back to what were comically referred to as "the good old days" by a self-elected group of older minions who resisted change and sought to prevent the kingdom from progressing as it should have. Mandallah not only enforced that progression, but he did so while at the same time earning the respect of those minions who refused to respect anything that did not fit their own vision of what Mordor should be. He ruled this kingdom fairly and ensured that those who showed loyalty and dedication received the recognition they deserved. He was not the only ruler to rule this way, and Mo and Rohanna have already been recognised as Champions for their tireless work in the name of the Dark Lord. The name of Mandallah deserves to be spoken alongside these as a Champion of Mordor. His dedication to the debate team saw it survive, and go on to thrive after a time when the words Mordor and debate in the same sentence evoked laughter from the other kingdoms of this place. His roleplay was entertaining, intelligent and comprehensive. His contribution to this kingdom is as valuable as any I have seen, and if any doubt, I have trawled through the archives to find some examples:
To the best of my knowledge, the following was the first Interkingdom debate Mordor ever won, and Mandallah was instrumental in this victory, anchoring the team and providing an excellent rebuttal post:
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=120151&PagePosition=4
Mandallah’s embracing of the discontent amongst one group of minions and turning it to the kingdom’s advantage in the form of a roleplay was inventive and shrewd, shown in the following threads:
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=117941&PagePosition=6
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=118534&PagePosition=5
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=119888&PagePosition=4
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=124396&PagePosition=3
The Assault on Lothlorien was a debacle by any definition, yet Mandallah’s presence stood as a beacon, showing how a good roleplay can be conducted, as shown in the Balrog’s final moments.
There are many others, but to be honest although reading through the archives is like a visit with old friends, it is also taking me from other matters that demand my attention. I’ll leave it at that and let my nomination of Mandallah as a Champion of Mordor be noted.
http://www.lotrplaza.com/archive2/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=52&TopicID=108309&PagePosition=11
~ Submitted by Loke
Morgoth Bauglir
(Moggy)
Morgoth Bauglir, more affectionately and recently come to be called and known as Moggy, is one who, in my opinion, wholly deserves to be recognized as a stalwart champion of Mordor. He began his plaza life in Mordor, has stayed wholly devoted to Mordor, and is now doing a great job ruling Mordor. His dedication to plaza and to his kingdom has been continually seen and his presence acutely sensed and known.
Let’s start with his posting. Though he doesn’t role play often, when he does they are annoyingly in keeping with that of the minionish standard-cruel, haughty, and ever so irritating. But not only that, even his OOC posts are well written, based on the circumstance either holding up to Mordor’s posting standard or else quite witty, entertaining, or helpful and informative.
Not everyone bothers to take the time to welcome newbies and introduce them to the horrors and expectations of Mordor, but I have watched Moggy take the time to do that. Personally, I think that’s a very commendable action, because the whole point of plaza is to be a place of friendly fellowship and encouragement in the one driving passion-Tolkien. And when one comes to choose a kingdom of residence, they’re usually lost and afraid-and especially as they should be when choosing to join Mordor. Moggy has been one of those who’ve greeted, pointed out various places of interest and welcomed, in his cruel way, those who’ve made the decision to become part of Mordor and it’s dealings.
As the next ruler of Mordor, he has jumped into his newest responsibility with the same enthusiasm as he has tackled other challenges and has, so far, done a great job! (I’m sure he’ll continue to…*g*) And as if that job wasn’t enough, he has also joined the Inter Kingdom BA team as well as finally sign himself up for the Debate team. I am looking forward to working with him in that area, knowing how his debates will be quite confusing to me but very well written.
On the subject of Inter Kingdom Competitions, these ‘games’ have been a stressful yet fun and enjoyable activity of plazaers in every kingdom, with Mordor definitely not an exception. Mordor always strives to be the best and foremost in the competitions (as it should be), and the Drill Team would not have been where it was and is had it not been for Moggy. His time commitment and dedication to Drill have been astounding, far surpassing any expectation of what one team member should do. Although I never had the privilege of working with him, I did enjoy keeping tabs on the goings on of that team, knowing I would never have what it takes to be a part of it. From what I observed, it seemed to me that for a while he was the only one who truly kept the team alive and going. He did not slack off once but ever pressed onwards to keep Mordor’s Drill team competing, even if that meant having to do a solo job at certain times. Now I’m not saying that because I want to put down the other team members, because I think it’s brave of anyone to even join regular Drill let alone actually being able to continually set aside the time commitment required to search for the answers 24/7. But, like any competition or sport, to be the best one needs to make their game the priority-and Moggy did that with fervor.
With that said, Moggy is one of the few in Mordor who devotes so much time to lore period, and to the deeper intricate meanings of Tolkien’s works. I don’t know how many times he’s read his books (and he has a lot of them) but I know it’s been a horrendously mind boggling number. Not only that, but he actually remembers what he reads! He’s done a great job moderating the lore thread about Tolkien and has given many insightful and helpful information about the man behind the classics. Also, his posts in and about the lore forums in general have been a help to many people, including myself. With his knowledge of lore, he is a great asset to any Inter Kingdom competition he joins and Mordor should be and is proud to call him theirs.
But since we’re talking about why he should be a champion of Mordor, let it suffice to say that he’s an important inhabitant of an important kingdom doing important things. He has done so much for Mordor-I think it only fair that Mordor recognize him and applaud all his hard work. (not to say that he can’t be the essence of true minion and be lazy at times)
~ Submitted by Nessila
Min-Hiddêth
Though my submission will not be half so wordy and erudite as the others in the thread I would like to nominate Min-Hiddêth for Mordor Champion. While not originally a minion, the woman had the lowliest of all beginnings- a dwarf, she’s truly the epitomy of what Mordor is, when she’s not digging up rocks.
In her characters alone, Min managed to represent fboth the glamourous and lovely side of evil as the death dancer, and the hideous side of it that makes you want to vomit... as Gorshelle, everyone’s least favourite female except possibly for Rings. Being able to see and play both aspects is something most people, myself included, never manage and it takes a depth of creativity few posess. Her posts are inspirational and fascinating, and the prospect of rping with her again is a large part of why I came back to the plaza.
Her creativity hardly stopped at her characters though, when Mordor was at its slowest and saddest it was Min who managed to come up with hysterical threads that people loved, like Who Wants to Marry a Minioness? She’s run the Spawn Thread and the Pub in her time, and has volunteered for more different activites than I can remember, much less count.
Truly the list would go on for pages, where I not so lazy and tired from studying for exams to do more research.
~ Submitted by Aure
Grishnak
I am going to nominate Grishnak for this almighty honour. Who else besides the “GREATEST MINION EVER!!!” deserves such a distinction, really?
Ion, or even a Plaza member, during Grishnak’s legendary reign as the Witch-king of Angmar so I cannot speak from experience ab was not a Miniout that aspect, but the simple fact that he was a Ruler of Mordor speaks for itself. I have heard things of his tenure at the helm of the Black Land, and they are all good. But even besides being a Ruler, Grishnak was a central part of Mordor for a very long time. He was one of the very best pub masters Mordor has ever seen, coming up with creative ideas and making the entire pub experience in Mordor back then one of the best around.
Unfortunately, Grishnak fell into a semi-Plaza retirement there for a while though, and the Plaza missed his foul presence. Upon his return though, Grishnak jumped right back into things straight away, and did not hesitate to get back to his former evil self. He was quite actively engaged in the Black Market and Mordini, the pub once again (though he was not heading it up and the Georges were, sadly, absent).
One of the best characteristics of Grishnak though, I believe, is that he is a true Minion. It is for this that I think he deserves this honour. Grishnak has always, always, always been a Minion. Except for that stint in Gondor… But anyways, the point is, whenever Grishnak role-plays, it is always at the pinnacle of Minion style. Even when he came back from a long absence, and was stuck with the Spawn of Ungoliant rank, he role-played that masterfully and with such a great Minion touch that you couldn’t help but be surprised by his writing. In a good way.
Grishnak did not obtain his title of greatest Minion ever by mere chance. I’m sure there are other people who are more familiar with Grishnak’s earliest exploits than I am, so I will leave that to them. However, wherever he goes, Grishnak to this day manages to role-play with the true Minion spirit. He is the epitome of a Minion on the Plaza, and none should receive this award above him for that sole reason alone.
Grishnak is THE Champion of Mordor.
~ Submitted by Narguzír
Grishnak’s rule of Mordor was, as it was for Narg, largely before my time here. But I would like to lend my voice to his, in fact it was my intention to nominate Grish anyway but I have been too slow in putting forward my nomination, but that is no reflection of my respect for this minion. Narg has encapsulated Grishnak’s qualities perfectly in the words "true minion". Grish is indeed that, and I can only add that he is long-serving and unswerving in his loyalty to the Dark Throne. His dedication to the welfare of Mordor is surpassed by few, if any of its members, past or present and I have seen him time and time again throw his weight behind the rulers of this foul land, asking not what the kingdom could do for him, but what he could do for the kingdom. In this he is, and always has been a true champion of Mordor. I am sure Grish needs no award to know his value to Mordor, but if anyone deserves to be recognised in this way, then Grish is without doubt more than qualified to stand among this group.
Addendum by Loke
Tarin
One who should without question or argument be placed up and paraded as a champion of Mordor is without doubt Tarin. The reasons could go on and on and fill the pages of a good sized novel-but unlike a novel, this is reality and truth. Not only has this girl been helpful to me in real life, but she’s been a tremendous support on plaza as well-to others I’m sure as well as to me. She has been a great pillar of support to so many people and seeing all she’s done in Mordor puts me, and should put others, in awe and in total respect and gratitude.
Her posts are good-seriously-beyond good. (So what if I’m mentioning posts again, it happens to be a pet peeve of mine) Anyone with half a brain can see that she takes time with her posts and truly thinks through each worded response. She writes in the true minion style, like one who has lived in Mordor for a while should-full of conceit, biting retorts, and sassy pride. Her posts are, when need be, written from the perspective of one who’s quite genuinely evil, her satiric comments and cold sarcasm coming through bright and clear. And yet, as with any good minion in my opinion, there are times to be decent and she knows when those times are as well, adding a fun light and atmosphere to various threads, and putting others at ease-making them comfortable around her.
Participation in Mordor is one very key and important factor when choosing to uplift one out of many candidates to be branded with the title of champion. Although people in the past have done what they can to make Mordor special, some have not always stuck around, or shown their loyalties when it’s the most important. That at least, is in my humble opinion, and so in my view and limited perspective of the now, I feel that those are not ones for me to flower eloquences upon. Tarin, on the other hand, has since I’ve been on plaza, and definitely throughout my time in Mordor, has actively taken part in the various activities of Mordor and it’s doing ons with a zest and zeal, wholly devoted the Kingdom she is part of. She has put in so much quality time and commitment to plaza, which is a lot more than most of us here can boast of. And I’m not talking about devotion for just a month or two. No-she’s been there for plaza as often and as much as she can-without totally losing contact with real life. She’s a dedicated member to Plaza, and a great asset to the kingdom of Mordor.
Tarin’s contribution in the IK poetry competitions, and her work on Mordor’s IK poetry team is undeniably great and should be and is very much appreciated. Although she may not participate much in the other IK lore competitions, from first hand experience I know that she is far from shabby in her knowledge of lore. And as this is a site celebrating the works of Tolkien and his accomplishments, and as Mordor is a by product of the imaginings of this man, a well versed knowledge in his works and the books are, I think, an important factor to take into consideration.
As a ruler of Mordor she has done an outstanding job in the heavy responsibility placed upon her shoulders. She’s always working at keeping Mordor alive and running smoothly-making the kingdom enjoyable for all who either ’dwell’ there or visit. (Though at times the visitors may not feel especially welcomed, it’s Mordor after all!) Her thread ideas are always a hit-people love the games she comes up with, me included. Tarin has worked well with the rulers that have come and gone, and what she does on and off stage-the behind the scenes work-has helped Mordor to thrive. I don’t think she gets enough credit or thanks than she deserves. It’s not like we could ever hope to be as devoted-or put that much brain power, commitment, or enthusiasm into our posts and ideas for Mordor, let alone directing the whole kingdom and keeping the clockworks running well. The administrators made a good choice when they gave her the ruler ship, and Mordor is lucky to have her within it’s borders.
I think Tarin should be up there with the list of Champions, for the reasons I’ve listed as well for those ones I didn’t. But any other reasons I failed to put up should already be understood without saying and implied and accepted in the minds of others if they have even half a brain. She’s been such an asset and vital member of Mordor-giving so much-it’s only right that Mordor gives back. (especially since Mordor is a cruel kingdom full of really nice people)
~ Submitted by Nessila
Aure
And following on the theme of the very short list of famous Mordorian pubmasters, I would like to nominate Aure as a champion of Mordor. For well over a year, she kept the Mordor pub at the high level of death and destruction that we are used to, and she did it primarily by herself. She learned the ropes from the great Grish, then was assistant pubmistress to the equally great me (Roh) but I have to honestly admit that half the time I was Pubmaster I didn’t have to do anything because I always knew Aure was there. She was there to catch the tiny non-plaza friendly things people would hide in those long verbose posts, she was there to make sure that everyone got served and if the pub employees weren’t around, she was there to always fall into whatever mischief the pubgoers could make, she replied to everyone, she made everyone feel as unwelcome in a Mordor pub as they should be! She had two wonderful hunky elven slaves she could bring out (Tyndel and oh gosh what was the other one’s name?) as NPCs to liven things up - okay so technically they were my slaves, but she trained them and gifted them to me, so it seemed only fair to give her the leash every now and then. The point is, if you gave her the tiniest bit of action in the pub, she could go with it and make it fun and exciting for everyone. She always had ideas for menus and pub events, but again most especially she never once left the thread unmanaged - not once, and for more than a year! And this was in the day when we could go through 100 posts in the pub in a day or two - so it was especially important to have someone truly dedicated to the job, and that was Aure.
Aure also was the riddle mistress for the original Route 666 - something that we had never tried on the Plaza before. We both learned a lot during the process, but again she was always there. No matter what was thrown at her, she was always there. She went head to head with Sauron and she went head to head with the lowliest snaga. Her standard of excellence helped Route 666 earn its place in Mordor history. Her standard of excellence helped Mordor itself earn its place in Plaza history.
~ Submitted by Rohanna
.. . . . Page created by Túrin, Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs
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Created on ... October 27, 2007
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