(( PLEASE NOTE : HEAVILY OUTDATED : Re-Write In Progress ))
Many greetings, one and all.
I introduce myself to you as a fellow-adventurer in Middle-Earth; Lore-Master, Historian, Kin-Leader and, most importantly, steadfast opponent of the Shadow in all its many forms.
I am Demelza of Lórien, Elf of the Forest and Noldor of many centuries; nay, it must be millennia. In my mind, the years are of no significance; instead, it is each passing Season that I watch, growing up as I did amidst the beauty of Lórien's great Forest, for the wonders of Nature change so greatly and yet with subtle harmony, as Spring passes brightly into Summer, then Summer drifts into Autumn's gilded woodlands, and finally comes the frozen glory of Winter's sharp frosts and snow-mantled mountain peaks.
I am the co-Founder and Leader of the Kinship known as Genesis of the Free, having first spent many months as a Kinswoman and then an Officer (Caun) of a larger, but, for me, unsatisfying Kinship, which I joined when I first arrived in Ered Luin, seeking to set out upon my chosen path - that of opposing the Enemy with all my strength. Being then but little experienced and quite lost in what was, to me, a foreign region at that time, I was glad to be invited, soon after I arrived in the beautiful port of Celondim - a place I still hold dear, and re-visit often - to join a group of fellow-travellers. The bustle of the town was strange to me after the peace and seclusion of my Forest homeland, and it was unfortunate that the Kinship I first joined offered me less than I had hoped in the way of companionship and support. Still, between my arrival in Ered Luin and my feeling the confidence to establish a new Kinship, named Genesis of the Free, where the hand of friendship would always be open to all of Middle-Earth's good-hearted Free Peoples, and where novel ideas would be welcomed, enthusiasm appreciated and returned, and initiative acted upon and rewarded, I have been lucky to find many friends amongst Middle-Earth's fellow-adventurers of all Races, who have welcomed me with open arms and who now walk beside me and fill my heart with new hope. Some of them have joined us here in Genesis of the Free, whereas some choose to walk alone, and others may yet join us in the future ... time will tell.
To speak more of my own personal history, then, so that any of you whom I may chance across in my travels may come to know me better, even before we meet in Middle-Earth...
My first marriage ended in tragedy when my first husband fell in War of the Last Alliance, in the very same battle during the Siege of Barad-dûr which saw the ever-mourned passing of the last High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad, noble hero and warrior, so long ago now, and yet still so sad to me that I care not to recall it. In that battle my own father also fell, so our household mourned in double misery; triple, even, for all the Noldor grieved heart-deep for Gil-galad, and our family were no exception. Even now his loss echoes down the years and lessens the joys of all the Eldar, although I, for one, try my hardest not to allow the losses and sadness of the past to dim the glories of the present and the potential of the future, which, with goodwill and courage on the part of all of us, will bring forth much to be celebrated in song and legend, I have no doubt.
For long years without count, I dwelled almost alone with my mother and my twin sister, Taemar, also now a Sister of our Kinship, in the mighty Golden Wood of Lothlórien which was my childhood home, as it was my mother's, and still is to this day. Taemar and I are her only children, and we had no other family, so we clung to each other for comfort in the dark times that followed our shared losses, carrying our burdens together, wandering the great Forest arm-in-arm and gaining solace from the beauty and peace of the mallorn-trees and elanor flowers which still grace my secluded homeland now as then, even in these days of Shadow.
Indeed, the weight of grief has never left my mother, and in her eyes there is always to be read her undying loss, and her misery to see around her the growing destruction and corruption of the beauty and peace of Middle-Earth, which we Eldar so long attempted - and, I regret to say - failed to guard against the Enemy's renewed assault. For this reason my mother will soon depart from fair Lórien, to sail with the White Ships to Valinor; there, she and I both hope, she will finally find peace for her troubled mind and healing for her broken heart. Strongly does she urge me to travel with her, but my journey in Middle-Earth is not yet at an end... I know that it is laid before me to take up arms against the Enemy and to fight, with my Kin Sistren and Brethren, and with all of the Free Peoples who will join us, against the darkness that would destroy all that we have ever created and held dear.
And there is yet another reason why I stay; after so long spent alone that I had long since despaired of ever finding new love, I was blessed to find just such a love, and, as is rarely known amongst our kind, I married again. My new Eldar husband, by the name of Astraion and also a Member and Officer of our Kinship, is highly trained to fight as a Guardian, and my Lore-Master's learning and knowledge, combined with his mighty strength and courage, have together proved a winning combination in battle. And so there followed a time when, fighting side-by-side against the Enemy's servants in every corner of Middle-Earth, and working hard to improve our experience and skills, my husband and I were too strongly set upon the path of warfare to consider widening our family; but as the years have passed, with I having achieved as much as is possible in the way of my Scholarly studies and my, and my husband having grown a little weary of the ways of the warrior, we have been more inclined towards seeking at least a little domestic comfort together, and I have lately - in Elven terms, at least, although many years ago by mortal reckoning - borne my husband three beautiful children, a boy and two girls, the light and greatest joy of our lives. My husband's wishes and destiny are, as mine, also to stand and fight against the Shadow, and I will stand beside him, though ever mindful of my children's safety, for a mother's duty comes above all else. Such is the way of Nature and all of the world, as willed by the Valar. We can but obey.
By trade I am a Historian, in particular a Scholar, with the honest and satisfying handiwork of Farming also one of my favourite pursuits, seeking and making use of the many scattered remnants of ancient lore which bear sad tribute to long years of destruction, warring and loss, and finding time also to tend crops, in their season, whilst passing the time of day with the kindly and Nature-wise Hobbit-Farmers of the Shire. By careful study of age-old texts, gained by searching ancient ruins and gathering aged fragments of text and other precious relics held by slain enemies, some of the ancient wisdom I discover can be deciphered and recreated, and I provide what help I can for the brave swordswomen and huntsmen of our Kinship, be it by crafting potions, scrolls and warding magics, or by offering any other useful Scholarly item I manage to piece together from the broken relics I retrieve. Likewise, I am always more than happy to provide fresh produce for the use of our Kinship's Cooks, and many are the feasts we have enjoyed together, combining the riches of the Shire with their culinary skills to good effect! My physical prowess in combat is not so mighty, for I am a Lore-Master and not of strong build, yet I can wield a powerful Staff and Sword when needed, and can call upon many natural forces and arcane mysteries to strike down our foes, as well as benefiting from the aid of willing and helpful Creatures of Nature, to fight the Shadow as best I can.
Having now reached the pinnacle of advancement in my chosen trade, being now granted the titles of Westfold Master Farmer and Scholar as well as holding the status of Master of the Scholar's Guild, my Scholarly and Farming skills are broad in range, and are, naturally, ever at the service of my Kinship. Should any of my Kin Sistren or Brethren have need of my aid, be it in Crafting healing or restorative potions, inscribing scrolls to aid in their own Crafting of useful and beautiful items, brewing colourful dyes to enhance the appearance of clothing and armour, or perhaps distilling the oils of Fire and Light which can so greatly damage the darkly evil creatures and fell undead wraiths which our warriors often must face, I will always be at the Kinship's service, with pleasure. I have, similarly, plenty to offer the Kinship as a consequence of the many years I have spent taking the counsel of the wise Hobbit-folk of the Shire, from whom I am delighted to finally have learned enough of the honest tilling of the soil and tending of crops to be entitled to call myself a Westfold Master Farmer and to be able to nurture to hearty strength the fruits of Nature which I have always found so beautiful. If there be aught which a Farmer can grow and harvest, I am more than happy to share it freely with any of the Kinship who might have such need. I can frequently be found in Bree-town, where my children are kept safe within that town's stout walls and I can visit them often; also in Duillond, seeking the wise advice and peaceful counsel of my fellow-Elves there; in the darkened deeps of Moria, seeking ancient Relics; in Michel Delving, amidst the peaceful beauty of the Shire and where the soil is the richest in all of Middle-Earth and brings forth abundant crops, ensuring that my fields bring forth fair and plentiful produce; or in Rivendell, too, where I commonly visit to make use of Lord Elrond's wondrous Library in order to pursue my Scholarly studies and to share the company of my honoured Elven kindred residing in the beautiful Vale of Imladris. Of course, I can also be contacted in many other ways... via our Kin Chat conversations, when I am there; by letter in Middle-Earth; or by personal message through our Kinship Library, where I also hold the position of Chief Librarian (Demelza@genesisofthefree.com).
Perhaps my happiest ability is my skill in communing with Nature's Creatures; not the corrupted and foul beasts of Angmar or Moria, but the wise and ancient animal races which inhabited Middle-Earth long before ever did Elf, Man, Dwarf or Hobbit. I am lucky enough to be able to call upon their aid in battle, to augment my own skills, and then also fortunate enough to travel and rest with them afterwards, sharing a meal under the stars on a wooded hillside, reminiscent of my Forest home, watching the sun set and the moon rise to gladden the night sky. Those of you who meet me in Middle-Earth will, I hope and trust, be pleased also to meet my most usual companion, a swift and strong Lynx whom I have named Pandora... I named her thus for a character in a tale of Men which I have heard and the sentiment of which greatly appealed to me, and seemed suitable, for Pandora, although capable of unleashing destructive fury, is also a source for me of great comfort and Hope. Indeed, in closing, allow me here to repeat another saying of Men, which, in a slightly modified form which I find reflects our Kinship's aims, and my own beliefs, the most strongly, I hold very dear and which I hope you will all understand and appreciate as I do, in these often apparently hopeless and desperate times..."Three Virtues there be; Faith, Hope and Charity; and the greatest of them is Hope".
Let us never despair in the face of the Enemy, and always look, with Hope, as I am so frequently heard to say, To The Future!
Fellow-adventurers in Middle-Earth's broad realm, I greet and salute you.
I am at your service.
Demelza of Lórien - Friend of the Wild and Lady of Streams
