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[woodlander]

P L A Y E R   I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Kerry
OOC Journal: halfbloodly
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Email + IM: kerrylee.morrison@gmail.com + mysterytourist @ aim
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C H A R A C T E R   I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Tauriel of Mirkwood
Canon: The Hobbit trilogy (movie version)
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Just after she's healed Kili, when she and everyone else in Dale begin to hear the sounds of the battle with Smaug on the mountain.
Number: 027 » 052

Setting: The Hobbit film series. Of these, Tauriel specifically appears in the latter two: The Desolation of Smaug, and the as yet unreleased There and Back Again.

History:

The Elves of Middle Earth are divided into several distinct races. Of these, Tauriel belongs to a group known as the Silvan Elves. They are commonly called Wood Elves, and the majority live in the woods of Lothlorien and Mirkwood. They are considered to be a lower order of Elves, compared to other groups such as the Noldor and Sindar. Indeed, in both Lothlorien and Mirkwood they are rules by Elves from the higher orders; Lothlorien is ruled by the Sindarin Elf Celeborn, along with his Noldorin wife Galadriel, and Mirkwood is ruled by the Sindarin King Thranduil. Silvan Elves are in general considered to be less wise and more dangerous, and they are known for their love of woodland.

In An Unexpected Journey, it is shown that the Elves of Mirkwood, led by Thranduil, were once allied to Thorin's people when the Dwarves ruled in Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. However, when the Mountain was taken by the Dragon Smaug, Thranduil led his people away from the fleeing Dwarves, refusing to enter the battle. Later, in The Desolation of Smaug, it is revealed that the Dwarves appealed directly to Thranduil for aid, and he refused. This led to the development of distrust between the two races, with the Dwarves angry that the Elves had abandoned them, and the Elves blaming the Dwarves for the goldlust which drew the dragon to them in the first place. However, Thranduil's people are shown to have a reasonably friendly relationship with Men, as they seem to have trade agreements in place with the Men of Dale.

It is into this environment that Tauriel was born. At only 600 years of age, she is considered to be young for an Elf, some of whom count their years in the thousands. However, despite both her relative youth and the fact that she is a Silvan rather than Sindarin Elf, Tauriel has managed to achieve the rank of Captain in Mirkwood's Elven Guard. Although her social order is clearly - and stated explicitly to be - lower than theirs, Tauriel has earned the favour of both King Thranduil, who is shown to speak personally with her on more than one occasion, and of his son Legolas with whom she appears to be friendly. As the Prince, Legolas outranks Tauriel when they are both fighting with the Guard, but both of them are shown to hold positions of leadership. In addition, Legolas appears to respect and like Tauriel.

We first meet them when Thorin and his band of Dwarves enter the forest of Mirkwood, en route to the Lonely Mountain. The Dwarves soon get lost in the forest, and find themselves captured by a horde of giant spiders. The Elven Guard appears, led by Tauriel and Legolas. They save the Dwarves, and Tauriel is shown to save the life of one Dwarf in particular - the dark-haired Kili, whose attention she seems to capture. Given that the Dwarves are technically trespassing on Thranduil's territory without his permission, the Guard takes them captive, and they are taken to Thranduil's palace.

Once there, Tauriel as Captain of the Guard is responsible for securing the prisoners. While walking amongst their cages, she and Kili talk to each other and begin to develop a rapport. Kili seems to show signs of attraction to Tauriel, who in turn begins to soften in her attitude towards him. Legolas seems displeased by this development, and gives the impression of having some interest in Tauriel himself - though she gives no sign that she returns that interest. In addition, King Thranduil speaks to her about his son, indicating that he also believes Legolas has some romantic interest in her. Tauriel mostly avoids the issue, saying only that she does not believe Thranduil would allow his son to be promised to an Elf of a lower social order like her. Thranduil agrees with this, and tells her not to give Legolas hope where there is none. However, the issue is not addressed with Legolas himself. While talking to Thranduil, Tauriel also indicates a seeming disagreement with her King as to how the Guard should treat the spiders and Orcs which keep appearing in their territory. Thranduil's mindset is defensive, focused on protecting his borders, where Tauriel advocates taking a proactive approach and trying to eliminate the danger at its source (its source being Dol Guldur, the home of the sorcerer known as the 'Necromancer' - the creature that would eventually be identified as Sauron, the Dark Lord returning to power). Tauriel displays a concern that the Elves' activity is only pushing the dangers out towards other lands, but Thranduil remains understandably focused on his own territory.

While Thranduil attempts to discover what the Dwarves were doing in his forest, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, invisible thanks to his use of the One Ring, is making his way to them. Eventually Bilbo is able to steal the keys to their cages and is able to free the Dwarves, before leading them to hide in a stack of barrels which are to be sent downstream. As the Dwarves escape, Tauriel and Legolas give chase. However, they are interrupted by a raiding party of Orcs, who are chasing after the Dwarves, and the Elves are quickly drawn into fighting the Orcs. In the ensuing chaos, the Dwarves are able to escape - though in helping them to do so, Kili is struck in the leg by an arrow. The Elves are unable to retrieve their captives, but Legolas manages to capture one of the Orcs.

The Dwarves continue to float downstream until they are found by Bard, who takes them to the town of Dale which is ruled by Men. Meanwhile, Legolas and Tauriel bring their captive Orc before King Thranduil. At first, all three of them are present for the interrogation. However, when the Orc boasts about having shot Kili with a Morgul blade, Tauriel begins to lose her temper and eventually Thranduil dismisses her. Unknown to Thranduil and Legolas, she goes out into the forest and begins to follow the path of the Dwarves to the river. Back with the Orc, Thranduil continues his interrogation until, eventually, he kills the Orc and gives the instruction that no one is either to enter or leave his Kingdom. Legolas, disturbed by what he has seen and heard, nevertheless moves to obey his father.

However, when he discovers that Tauriel has already left, he chooses to go after her. When he finds her, she is visibly upset, and she argues that it is wrong for the Elves to shut themselves away and ignore what is happening around them. Legolas tells her that it is not their fight but she disagrees, telling him that the Dwarves had been their prisoners and yet the Orcs had been allowed to attack them. Legolas tries to convince her to come back to Mirkwood, telling her that his father will forgive her; she responds by saying that she could not forgive herself. She chooses to go after the Dwarves, and after the band of Orcs which still chases them. Legolas, unwilling to let her go alone, goes with her.

By the time they reach Dale, Thorin has already left for the Lonely Mountain. However, Kili's worsening wound has meant that he has been left behind, and by this stage it is clear to his fellows that the wound has poisoned him. His brother Fili, along with Bofur, and the group's healer Oin, have also been left behind. They have found shelter at the house of Bard, the Man who brought them to Dale. Although the Dwarves and Bard's family are doing what they can for Kili, they seem unable to help him; though, eventually, they realise that a plant such as 'Kingsfoil' is required to draw out the poison from the wound. It is upon this scene that Tauriel and Legolas arrive, having fought their way through the Orcs which have now entered Dale. They kill a number of Orcs, and the rest begin to flee. Legolas moves to give chase and calls Tauriel after him, but she looks at Kili's dying form with indecision. As she moves to the doorway she comes across Bofur, who has just returned with a clump of Kingsfoil in his hands. Suddenly relieved, Tauriel identifies the plant by its Elvish name, athelas, and states that she is going to heal Kili.

Using her knowledge of Elvish medicine, Tauriel prepares the athelas leaves and treats Kili's wound, while murmuring words in Elvish to banish the dark magic which is poisoning him. While she works, Kili begins to regain consciousness, and he perceives an aura of light around Tauriel while she heals him.

Outside the room, Legolas, now fighting alone, continues to chase after the Orcs and particularly their leader, the Orc known as Bolg. At the Lonely Mountain, the dragon Smaug has awoken from his slumber and is attacking the Dwarves. As the film ends, the dragon is shown turning away from the Mountain and flying towards Dale instead. As the film ends, Tauriel is shown again with a recovering Kili, while they consider what might happen next.

Personality:

As Captain of Mirkwood's Elven guard, Tauriel has a ruthless, clinical approach to fighting. She kills her enemies without hesitation and in the most efficient manner possible. In battle she is forthright and brave, displaying a certain ruthlessness that speaks of her dedication to the protection of her people. She is shown to work well with others, fighting naturally alongside Legolas and the rest of her guard. She appears able to trust them to hold their own, and to support her when needed.

Despite this, however, Tauriel also displays a certain amount of independence. It is clear that she has gained the respect of her fellows and of her King, having achieved the rank of Captain while still considered to be a young Elf. Given this, it might be expected that Tauriel would be a paragon of obedience, fulfilling her orders without question. This is not the case. On the contrary, she is shown to chafe against orders that she does not agree with. She is willing to speak out to both Legolas and to King Thranduil when she believes that something different should be done, in spite of the fact that they are the royal family to whom her service is sworn. Although, in general, she does eventually obey, it is made clear that she has a mind of her own and that she does not always agree with her superiors. That she is willing to let them see that shows that she is a strong and thoughtful person, able to draw conclusions for herself and not simply agree with what she has been told. However, it also indicates that she as a reckless side, and that she is willing to push against the boundaries of her social class to an extent.

That she is able to strike up a rapport with Kili while he is her prisoner also shows her independence. When she first encounters the Dwarves she appears as distrustful of them as any of the Elves, telling Kili that she will not give him a weapon to defend himself against the spiders. However, she begins to look past the historic distrust between their races as she speaks to Kili. She seems genuinely interested when he talks to her. He talks about his family, and his mother in particular, while she tells him of her desire to see the stars - which, thanks to Mirkwood's dense canopy of trees, she cannot currently do. Although he is her captive, she develops enough of a liking for him that she seems genuinely upset when she discovers that he's been poisoned, and after that point she is set on chasing after the Dwarves and helping them. She is willing to make her own mind up about whose side she should be on. It is as a result of these events that she finally decides there is an order she will not obey, and she follows after the Dwarves rather than staying in Mirkwood. The impression is given that the Dwarves' quest has opened her eyes to a wider battle that is beginning, one that she does not believe her people can afford to ignore. Even though she is the Captain of the Guard, and even though her King instructs otherwise, Tauriel chooses to enter that fight because by her own reasoning, that is what is morally right. She shows that she will follow her heart rather than her orders, where there is a strong enough conflict between the two.

However, making this decision also means that Tauriel is willing to abandon her post, and disobey the direct orders of her King, in order to follow her instincts. What consequences there may be for that have not yet been shown. However, Tauriel does not spend a great deal of time worrying about those consequences, or in considering what her decision may mean for the Guard she has left behind, or for the Prince who chooses to come with her. Although her actions speak positively of her independence and strength of spirit, they are also reckless, brash, and potentially very dangerous. In addition, her actions seem partially motivated by her desire to help Kili, as shown by her willingness to abandon her chase of the Orcs to heal Kili's wound. In doing this, she essentially leaves Legolas alone to fight while she stays behind to help a person that she has only just met. Her impulsiveness could well lead to Legolas being overwhelmed, harmed, or even captured by the Orcs - but Tauriel allows her personal feelings to take precedence over her sworn loyalties.

This reckless, impulsive attitude is very different from what is seen among older Elves in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films. Elves such as Thranduil, Galadriel and Elrond are far more careful, less willing to make quick decisions and tending to look ahead to the future rather than focusing on the present moment. Tauriel is not like that. That is not to say that she is unreasonable or foolish; rather, she is younger and more immature, more willing to take calculated, personal risks, and more willing to act on instincts. Silvan Elves in general are said to be less wise, and more dangerous than other Elves, and Tauriel is very much an example of that.

Despite this, however, she is not entirely thoughtless. While her worry for Kili is a clear motivator in her decision to follow the Dwarves out of Mirkwood, it is not the sole reason. Hints that she was dissatisfied in Mirkwood had been shown before the Dwarves escaped at all. She had already displayed a concern for lands beyond Thranduil's borders, and had indicated that she believed the Elves had a responsibility to the world rather than simply themselves. It is perhaps because of this belief that the Dwarves and their Orcish pursuers strike a chord with her; she is unable to abandon them to their fate, feeling that they have the same enemies as the Elves and that there is danger in walking away from that fight. As she had earlier indicated to Thranduil, she is unhappy at the idea of simply driving danger away from Mirkwood and letting it flow out to other lands and other people instead. Essentially, she believes that by chasing after the Orcs, she is fulfilling her responsibility as an Elven Guard - a responsibility which her people are ignoring by focusing only on their own borders. In this way, it is probable that Tauriel does not see her actions as a betrayal of her post, but as part of her duty. It is clearly important to her that she satisfies her own expectations of herself before considering what anyone else might think - even if those other people just so happen to be her superiors.

These attitudes tend to bring Tauriel into conflict with the people around her. However, there is also a side of her that is curious and thoughtful, imagining the world outside and what her place in it may be. Her developing rapport with Kili indicates a willingness to look beyond the prejudices that she has been taught, and make up her own mind about the people and places she encounters. She is the kind of person who seeks the wisdom of others, who will talk to her superiors and those older than her, but will ultimately be responsible for her own choices and beliefs. This attitude also speaks of her youth, since it gives the impression that despite the respect she has earned and the position of responsibility she as achieved, she is still trying to find her place in the world. Rather than seeking the comfort of home, she is interested by the unknown and keen to see how she fits into a larger world than the one she knows. Whether or not the choices she has made will mean a bad ending either for her, or for her people, remains to be seen.

Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:

By comparison to humans, Elves of Tolkien's universe are stronger, faster to heal, and far more agile. Tauriel displays certain abilities or traits which are common to all Elves, as follows:

➳	She is immortal in the Elvish sense - meaning that although she grows older, her body does not appear to age and she looks always like a young woman. Additionally, while she can be wounded, she heals quickly from most wounds and can survive wounds that would be fatal to mortal mean. However, she can still be killed by a serious enough injury (for example, beheading, or by a wound that kills her before she has time to recover).
➳	She is very agile and has a light, easy step; she can run easily along tree branches and would walk on top of snow rather than through it. She could walk across a tightrope with ease and can scale and move across rough terrain as easily as though it were flat. All Elves have an easier time with this than an untrained human would, but this ability is also honed for Tauriel through her work with the Mirkwood guard. She is therefore used to running through forest land, scaling trees and moving silently through branches, and the ease with which she does this is a honed skill as well as a natural ability.
➳	Her eyesight and hearing are more sensitive and acute than that of a human. She can therefore detect movement quite easily, and would hear sounds that a human could not. Again, her work as a Guard means that she would have honed these abilities and used them frequently.
➳	Elves are in general stronger than they look; tall and slender, they do not appear to have a huge amount of muscle mass, but they wield heavy weaponry with ease and are able to push their bodies to move more quickly than humans.

In addition, Tauriel personally exhibits a number of notable skills, particularly with regards to fighting, and she shows some skill at healing as well:

➳	In battle she has been shown to wield an Elvish longbow, in the use of which she is proficient. She has excellent aim and is able to draw and release with remarkable speed.
➳	She has also been shown to use a pair of long knives in close combat. She can comfortable switch between her knives and her bow.
➳	As a fighter she is quick and ruthless, willing and able to chase down and dispatch her enemies. She doesn't hesitate to kill her enemies (such as Orcs and spiders), and she is able to take on (and win against) multiple enemies by herself as well as performing well as part of a larger unit.
➳	She is the Captain of Mirkwood's Guard, displaying a certain amount of leadership skills with regards the Elves under her command. However, she is herself subordinate to Prince Legolas. Additionally her independent and curious nature can lead her to acting on her own, without the rest of her guard if she must.
➳	She is shown to have some knowledge of Elvish medicine, which combines the use of medicinal herbs with an obscure form of 'white' magic which seems to combat the dark taint that is given out by weapons carried by the Orcs. She used this knowledge to heal the dwarf Kili from a wound caused by a Morgul blade, which otherwise would have poisoned him. While tainted by the dark poison from the wound, Kili saw Tauriel healing him and perceived that she was surrounded by a bright and shining aura. To heal him, she murmured words in Elvish while applying crushed leaves from the athelas plant to his wound.

Weaknesses and Limitations

Tauriel is young for an Elf, and her youth is reflected in her personality. She is more reckless and impetuous than older Elves, such as Thranduil or Elrond. She is less wise and more dangerous, more willing to take action and equipped of a mentality that is more offensive than defensive. These traits can serve her well in battle, but they are also notable weaknesses. They make her potentially more susceptible to manipulation than her fellows, and her decisions are sometimes rash as a result.

Although she is stronger and more agile than the average human, her preference is to use weapons such as bows or knives, rather than heavier axes or swords. In close combat, character bearing heavier weapons would therefore have an advantage. Her style of fighting additionally favours speed and agility over brute strength, and it's possible she could be overpowered by a style that was more blunt and forceful.

Additionally, as a Wood Elf, she has an inclination towards natural places, particularly to forests and woodland. Putting her onto a predominantly enclosed, metal environment such as the Tranquility, will take her straight out of her comfort zone. She will find it difficult to deal with this environment and will try to spend as much time as she can among the plants in the Oxygen garden. She will not by no means be useless away from the trees, but she is used to fighting among them, used to being camouflaged by them, and for the most part the Tranquility will take those advantages away from her and put her at a disadvantage when faced with enemies who do better in the ship's metal world.

Inventory:

➳ A Mirkwood bow with a quiver of arrows;
➳ Two long knives in their sheaths;
➳ Her uniform, as seen in the picture below.

Appearance:

Tauriel shares the physical traits which are common to Elves in Middle Earth, and to Silvan Elves in particular. She is tall and willowy, with long limbs and a graceful frame that belies her strength. She is built for agility and speed, and wears closely fitting, multi-layered clothing that allows for ease of movement. Her ears are markedly longer than those of a human, and are clearly pointed at the top.

She has pale green eyes and bright red hair which falls to her knees. She generally wears her hair braided back away from her face, so that it stays out of her eyes when she runs. She dresses in the green and brown garb common to all members of the Mirkwood Elven Guard, of which she is the Captain.

Age: Approximately 600 years old (young for an Elf!)

AU Clarification: N/A.

S A M P L E S

Log Sample:

She didn't know where she was. Ever since she'd woken up in the strange, viscous water that was not water, she'd been confused and frightened, all the more so because trying to remember what had happened to her was like looking through a fog. At first she hadn't even been able to remember her name, though the number on her arm had been unfamiliar and had frightened her all the more. It shouldn't be there. None of this should be happening, and yet it was.

But that was the strange thing. Fear did not make her panic. Instead, it made her focused and very, very angry. By the time she'd found the blue jumpsuit, and her weapons in the locker, she'd remembered enough to know that her name was Tauriel, and that she did not belong here. She belonged among the trees, in the open air, and not surrounded by metal as she was now.

Where she had been last, and how she had gotten here, she still could not recall - except perhaps that she thought she was with other people, and that there was something she was supposed to be doing.

Now, however, she had found her way to the oxygen gardens. This area, with its tangle of trees and plants, was the first place that gives her comfort of any kind. She climbed high, and ran along the branches with as much ease as though she were still on the ground. She was light of foot and agile, stopping at the slightest sound and crouching. An arrow could be notched in her bow before most humans could even think to draw. Even so, her reactions seemed sluggish to her, and every so often she had to stop and rest against a tree. Instinct told her that this was wrong, that she should be faster, that her movements should be perfect, that she was better than this.

She didn't understand. Catlike and wary, she moved through the jungle in search of answers. Her own mind remained fogged, the details of her life returning only very slowly while she tried to get her bearings in this new world of metal.

Comms Sample:

[ Tauriel stands close to one of the Shuttle Bay's windows, looking out at the stars. The ship's artificial light casts a sheen over her long, braided red hair. Through it, the points of her ears can be seen, and her skin seems pale and cold compared to the darkness she's looking upon. ]

For so long, I dreamed of starlight. To walk under the the night sky, to see the heavens clearly exposed and not sheltered by the leafy canopy that shielded them...

I imagined watching them from far away. Now we are flying among them, and yet I am as far from them as ever. Now metal and glass holds them back. I could not have imagined that.

[ Her focus seems to shift then, eyes focusing more on her communicator than the window. The device is still strange and new to her, and she feels strange talking to it. Knowing that hundreds of people could be listening to her, even if they're at the other end of the ship. Technology is strange, new.

But fascinating. ]

Tell me about your worlds - you, who are from places so very different from mine. The sky is larger than I ever conceived. I would like to know what else hides among the stars.