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P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: the scarlet
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chimney
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: overrrr
Email + IM: eisrequiem(at)gmail(dot)com; lacqueried@aim
Characters Played at Ataraxion: legolassie
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Mairon, possibly with Artano or Aulindel as a 'surname' if forced to provide one. it might be his real name, it might be an epithet, but it's the closest/earliest one we have.
Canon: the silmarillion/tolkien legendarium
Original or Alternate Universe: original
Canon Point: during the drowning of numenor
Number: --- » 018 » 001
Setting: Arda; quite literally the entire planet, as well as some bits outside it in the very beginning
History:
'Years' are counted in Valian years unless otherwise noted, one year passing in Valinor being 144 years passing in Middle-Earth.
Long before The Lord of the Rings and the forging of the One Ring, the world was made. The tale that tells of this is called the Ainulindalë, that is 'the Music of the Ainur'. The Ainur were (are) divine beings, made of the thought of Eru, the One, or He that is Alone, who before Time existed composed a Great Music that would be the template for the creation of the History of Arda (Middle-Earth).
The Ainur are split into two 'categories'; the higher beings and the lesser beings, the Valar and Maiar respectively. Mairon was of the latter, a Maia though he was more powerful than many of his fellow Maiar and of a higher order than the Maiar who came into Middle-Earth later, such as the more well-known Gandalf and Saruman. All of the Ainur with the exception of Melkor possess only the knowledge of a few concepts or themes, but in interacting with the other Ainur would come to understand more and become a collaborative; only Melkor remained alone with his own thoughts, in thinking that he had the full knowledge of Eru (he did, almost).
So when the Song was sung, Melkor's singing did not altogether harmonize with the other Ainur, who had worked to understand more than what they knew so that they could collaborate, and create a song that everyone could support. Melkor sought to disrupt it, to make his own themes that did not blend with what Eru was directing. In the end, this themes are also incorporated into the Song, making it ultimately better than what it might have been without Melkor.
After the Song is sung, Eru shows the Ainur a bit of a sneak-peak of what the world is to be, so that they know much of the past, present, and future of the Universe and its history, but not all of it, leaving them restless. With this music, Eru brings the Universe into existence and the Ainur (or the Valar primarily) are to aid in building from scratch what it will be in the future.
When the Ainur enter the Universe, Melkor claims the Earth as his own and begins to do as he wishes against the design of Eru, and wages war against his brethren. It is at this time that Mairon chooses to follow Melkor's path, though for a while (which could well be some tens or hundreds of years) he kept up the pretense that he was still faithful to the other Valar (and to Eru) and in a sense worked for Melkor as one of his many spies, feeding him information about their doings.
The Valar establish their first physical 'home' on Almaren, an island in the Great Lake in the middle of Arda, and make two great Lamps to provide light for Arda at the north and south ends. Almaren's existence is leaked to Melkor by his spies and it is destroyed along with the two Lamps. The Valar then make a new land, Aman; and because Mairon went with them, he was never suspected of treachery. But at some point, he left Valinor and went to the central continent of Arda where Melkor had established his stronghold of Utumno.
From then on, Mairon had a part in everything that Melkor did.
By the time the Elves were woken by Eru, Mairon had been appointed Melkor's lieutenant and was given command over Angband, a newly build stronghold, and with Melkor set about corrupting the Elves they captured, giving birth to a new race of Orcs. This lasts 10 Valian years (1440 solar years), until the Valar re-enter Middle-Earth on behalf of the Elves and lay siege to Utumno for 7 years. Melkor is captured and sentenced to 'prison' in the Halls of Mandos in Aman for three Ages (which comes out to be about 300 Valian Years and a long ass time to be forcibly divorced). Utumno is destroyed, but Mairon escapes to Angband where he continues to breed Orcs and Trolls. (for all 300 years christ he is devoted. on the other hand, he's never bored.)
What else happens in between is left unsaid, except that 180 Valian Years later, Orcs had spread out from the north and down into the neighboring land of Beleriand where the Elves had moved into. After Melkor's imprisonment is ended, he stirs up some more trouble in Aman before fleeing back to Angband with 3 Silmarilli (hereafter referred to as Simlarils, because Quenyan is weird). These are the most beautiful creation by an Elf, gems of immense might that are said to resemble stars. And they came with a shitload of trouble.
Feanor made the Silmarils, and his father was killed by Melkor when they were stolen. So he takes it upon himself (partly because Melkor had tried and somewhat succeeded in corrupting him) to swear an oath between himself and his seven sons that they would retrieve the Silmarils and slay any and all that stood in their way. That includes their Elven cousins who wouldn't share their boats with them, but that's another story. The point is that Melkor returns to the main continent of Arda, back to Angband, and Feanor and the Noldor are coming after him. (Good job Melkor.)
Melkor, with Mairon, then tries to take the entire region of Beleriand. Feanor arrives and is slain by Balrogs under Melkor's command. One of his sons, Maedhros, is taken captive, and later rescued from where he was hung by his hand on the slopes of the mountain of Thangorodrim. The Valar hide Valinor, and by the time the rest of the Noldor army arrives, the Valar have made the Sun and the Moon.
An Elf, Fingolfin, beings the Siege of Angband. Melkor discovers Men and goes MFA (Missing From Angband) to meddle with them, converting them away from Eru. When Melkor returns 400 years later, he breaks the siege on Angband and kills Fingolfin. Mairon then launches an attack on the isle Tol Sirion, home to the tower of Minas Tirith, and turns it into Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves.
Upon orders from Melkor, Mairon sends out minions to find and kill Barahir. To do this, he captures one of Barahir's companions, Gorlim, and promises to set him and his wife free in return for information. Under "the terror of Sauron's eyes", Gorlim spilled and thus Barahir was found and slain. And Gorlim too, because Mairon lied.
Beren, the son of Barahir, promises to take revenge for his father. He manages some great deeds in Dorthonion, and Melkor puts a price on his head; so Mairon sends a great army of werewolves and fell beasts to find him. Though Beren and his companions are disguised by magic as Orcs, Mairon realizes their trickery and, in a fight in songs of power against Finrod, triumphs and strips them of their disguises. Unfortunately, he doesn't know who they are, so he has them thrown into a pit to be devoured one by one by a werewolves. Ultimately only Finrod and Beren are alive; Finrod defends Beren against the werewolf and dies of his wounds.
Luthien then arrives with her pet wolfhound, Huan. Knowing that she is the daughter of the Sindar king, Thingol, and Melian (a Maia and something of a 'relative'), Mairon seeks to capture and present her to Melkor. He sends wolf after wolf, but they are all killed. Drauglin, the first werewolf, is sent out and returns nearly dead, and tells Mairon that Huan was here. With the prophecy in mind that Huan would be slain by the greatest werewolf ever lived, Mairon transforms himself into a werewolf, the greatest the world has ever (yet) seen, but is also defeated by Huan (receiving a rather nasty bite to his neck). He yields Tol-in-Gaurhoth to Luthien and flees to Taur-nu-Fuin in Beleriand and fills the forest with terror.
He returns to Angband to find that Beren and Luthien have made off with a Simlaril stolen right off of Melkor's crown. Beren lost the Silmaril to Carcharoth, a werewolf guarding Angband, who bit off his hand. It's likely that there were attempts made by Melkor to retrieve it, but since the pain of the Silmaril drove Carcharoth to attack Elves, Men, and Orc alike, he was left alone. Huan later slays Carcharoth, allowing the Simlaril to be retrieved, then dies of his own wounds.
Some decades later, Maeglin the Elf is captured outside Gondolin and brought to Angband. Melkor promises him both the kingdom of Gondolin and Idril, Maeglin's first cousin and the woman he loved, and Maeglin reveals to Melkor the location of Gondolin. Melkor's armies overrun the city; Maeglin fights with and is slain by Tuor, who would be the grandfather of Elrond.
Near the end of the First Age, Melkor destroys the dwellings of the Feanorians. Not long after, the Valar arrive in Beleriand. Melkor and the Valar fight a war that lasts some 40+ years; in the end he is defeated and captured, the Silmarils stolen, and the entire region of Beleriand is shoved into the sea. Melkor is sentenced to the Void and prophesied to remain there until Dagor Dagorath, the Battle of Battles, the coming of the End of the World.
As for Mairon, he was urged by the Maia Eonwe to return to Valinor to receive punishment for his deeds and repent for them. He was willing to repent, if only out of fear; but he was not willing to return to Valinor, as Melkor's magic and influence over Mairon was still strong, so he fled and hid himself in Middle-Earth.
After being hidden for about 1000 years, Mairon begins building the tower of Barad-dur in the land of Mordor, a relic of the devastating works of Melkor, formed by volcanic eruptions. The tower itself would take 600 years to build; in the mean time, Mairon went to the lands in the west in a 'fair form', speaking first to Gil-Galad, the soon-to-be last High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth. When he is distrusted and rebuffed by Gil-Galad, Mairon appeals to the kingdom of Eregion some years later, presenting himself under the name of Annatar (Lord of Gifts), Aulindel (Friend of Aule, the Valar of smithing and Mairon's former instructor), and Artano (High Smith). Coincidentally, Celebrimbor who would become the Lord of Eregion and befriended by Annatar, was the grandson of Feanor.
Under Mairon's instruction, the Noldor of Eregion forge the Rings of Power, 7 for the Dwarves, 9 for the Men. Mairon's intention was to forge a ruling ring, the One Ring, to control the minds of those who wore the Rings of Power, by putting much of his own magic and strength into the ring. While he was forging his ring, however, the Elves of Eregion made 3 more that were untouched by Mairon, but used the same design as the first 15 and thus just as susceptible. The moment Mairon finished the ring and put it on, the Elves who wore the 3 Rings of Power perceived his influence and removed them, and did not used them for as long as Mairon wore his One Ring.
Mairon waged a great war against the lands in the west. He overran Eregion, tortured and eventually killed Celebrimbor after interrogating him as to the whereabouts of the Rings of Power. He managed to retrieve the 7 and the 9, but the 3 had been given away for safekeeping, and Celebrimbor did not reveal the location of these rings. Mairon attacked Imladris (Rivendell), Moria, Lothlorien, and pushed into Lindon, the realm of Gil-Galad, and overruns the land of Eriador. A year later, however, the armies of Numenor come to the aid of Gil-Galad and drive Mairon out. It is said that of his original army, little more than Mairon, his bodyguard, and a handful of Orcs made it back to Mordor. Gil-Galad's power after the war was such that Mairon did not dare strike out of Mordor for a while.
While the Men of Numenor established settlements in Middle-Earth, Mairon extends his power to the east and south, and distributes the Rings of Power among Men and Dwarves. Though the Dwarves are largely resilient to his influence, the Men obtained near-immortality as Ringwraiths, but were also enthralled by his power and servants bound to power of the One Ring. One of the Ringwraiths, or Nazgul, is an Easterling, and three are 'great lords' of Numenor.
When the Numenoreans withdrew from the coast back to their island, Mairon began assailing their strongholds on Middle-Earth and assumed the titles Lord of the Earth, and King of Men. Of course, this didn't sit well with the Men of Numenor. 1700 years after his defeat in Eriador, king Ar-Pharazon lands in the southern port of Umbar and marches to Mordor in order to contest for the title of King of Men. Mairon, however, surrenders willingly, and in his arrogance Ar-Pharazon takes him as hostage back to Numenor. Tolkien writes that Sauron "was of course a 'divine' person ... and thus far too powerful to be controlled in this way."
There in Numenor, Mairon quickly grows from captive to Ar-Pharazon's Court Advisor, known as Tar-Mairon. Some accounts say he did not bring the One Ring with him, but Tolkien writes that Sauron "naturally had the One Ring, and so very soon dominated the minds and wills of most of the Numenoreans." He corrupts and converts them to worship Melkor, Lord of the Dark, and tells of Eru as an invention of the Valar used to justify their (the Valar's) decrees. Soon, the worship of Melkor is spread through Numenor and, just as in Mairon's own temples honoring him in Mordor and to the east and south, human sacrifice become mandatory.
Besides this, Mairon also helps the Numenoreans design greater engines and amass great wealth; with him behind the scenes, Ar-Pharazon becomes the mightiest tyrant since Melkor himself. In spite of this, however, Ar-Pharazon eventually becomes fearful of his approaching death. Mairon convinces the king that he is powerful enough to take the immortality that is rightfully his. Manwe sends his 'eagles', storms, thunderbolts, and Mairon from the roof of Melkor's temple defied the lightning, and the Men called him a god.
Upon his suggestion, Ar-Pharazon takes with him a great army and sails to Aman. He would land on its shores and demand from the Valar his due immortality. But then Manwe called upon Eru; and Eru opened a chasm that would drown the ships of the Numenor, he would bury Ar-Pharazon and his warriors and "there they lie imprisoned... until the Last Battle and the Day of Doom." Eru would remove Aman from the world and send back the Great Seas in a wave so that he could make the world round.
39 days after the fall of the ships, the island of Numenor, and all the people that still remained on it (including Mairon) are sunk beneath these very waves.
Personality:
GIVE ME A NAME
Names, for the Ainur, are.. strange. For most of the first generation of things, really. 'Mairon', 'Melkor', 'Manwe'-- these are not their 'actual' names. Their actual names are in another language, Valarin, but as The Simlarillion is an account told by Elves, these Valarin names were translated into Quenyan, and then later into Sindarin when that language came about. Additional epithets/names for Mairon include Artano, high-smith; Aulendil, friend of Aule; Annatar, lord of gifts (which he presents himself as to the elves of Eregion); Tar-Mairon, Lord Mairon (or Lord/King Excellent/Admirable). Of the less than savory, he was known as Gorthaur, the cruel; the Dark Lord; the Deceiver; Zigur, the wizard; and later the Necromancer, when his Ringwraiths (undead spirits of Men) are found in Dol Guldur.
It is said in the account of the Ainulindale that Melkor's name was forfeited, though it is unknown whether it was he himself who forfeited it. Probably not; the Noldor named him Moringotto in their tongue, Morgoth in Sindarin, and that is how he is known throughout the history they tell in The Silmarillion.
Mairon also is referred to as Sauron, rather than Mairon, and it is never said when he started being called Sauron instead of Mairon. The name Sauron, meaning 'abhorred' or 'filth', is as good as an insult, and no one likes to be insulted. If the world deemed him forfeit of the name 'Admirable', he, in any case, still thought of himself as Mairon, and still insisted on being addressed as 'Tar-Mairon' until after the fall of Numenor.
ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND OCD
"It had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall ...) that he loved order and coordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction... it was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him."
He started out well. As stated by Elrond, nothing starts out evil, not even Sauron. In the beginning he was Mairon, the Admirable, Excellent one, derived from the root maira, meaning "admirable, excellent, precious" or "splendid, sublime, only [used] of great, august or splendid things", which all prove to be apt descriptors. He rejected Melkor during the Ainulindale because he did not like the chaos Melkor's singing created; instead he focused on harmonizing himself with the singing of others, to keep that coordination and reduce the chaos.
Before his alliance with Melkor, Mairon was an 'apprentice' of Aule the smith, learning from him the metaphysical structure of Arda (the earth, the rocks, the metals and minerals). He was among the mightiest, if not the mightiest, of the Maiar associated with Aule. And when he turned to Melkor, he quickly became the greatest and most trusted servant, using the knowledge he had gained from Aule.
Whatever morals he has (or had), it isn't the same type of right and wrong that we have. It isn't based on the overall scheme of good vs. evil, whether their perceptions or ours; it's more like his side, or the side he chooses, against.. well. Everyone else. He chooses the Eru's allegiance first, because that is how he was created to be, and it followed what he wished to have and do, for the most part. But Melkor's abilities and powers were ultimately what would be able to do what Mairon wanted-- that was, to do things quickly, effectively, to achieve coordination and order. It didn't matter that Melkor's path to it would result in domination of the world and Elves becoming Orcs. It didn't matter that Men were being corrupted into fearing Eru.
All it mattered was (it seemed, perhaps) that Melkor could do it, that he could bring everything on Arda under one union, one command. There would be order then, and once all wills were dominated, there would be no chaos. And that is what he loved (loves?) most, which in itself is not entirely a bad thing. We'll get back to that last part.
PRIDE (AND PREJUDICE)
It might be pride. It might be arrogance. It might be the fact that he did partake in making the template for the world and, oh, helping physically shape it. Whatever it was, it prompted him to think that perhaps he could atone for his sins during his servitude of Melkor, that he could return to Middle-Earth and heal the hurts that had been done to it. But in witnessing all the damage done and how the Incarnates, the people of Middle-Earth, were, perhaps, so slow and inefficient in affecting and repairing the world they lived on, perhaps in seeing how disordered Arda had become, he took it upon himself to fix it.
By building the tower of Barad-dur, populating the country(?) of Mordor, and making the ruling rings so he could control the minds of the leaders of every race, and therefore bring order to the damn planet. (do you see a running theme yet.)
Unfortunately, during his attempts at playing plumber to a drastically leaky pipe, he came to really, really hate Elves. And Men. And everything on Middle-Earth. Because they wouldn't submit to his rule, even though he just wanted to help them and still wanted to help them if only they would just give in. In the end, though, the power of controlling others through the Rings would lead him to gain more pride; only this time it isn't pride in being able to help Arda, but in simply ruling it.
"Now Sauron's lust and pride increased, until he knew no bounds, and he determined to make himself master of all things in Middle-Earth, and to destroy the Elves, and to compass, if he might (which he did...), the downfall of Numenor. He brooked no freedom nor rivalry, and he named himself Lord of the Earth."
INFALLIBLY FALLIBLE
"..in the view of this tale and mythology, Power, when it dominates or seeks to dominate other wills and minds (except by the assent of their reason) is evil."
So says Tolkien of the portrayal of Evil in his works. The basis of Tolkien's myth is that all things are susceptible to evil, to corruption, to falling. His 'angelic' creations are no less. Though Mairon began as one of Eru's staunch believers, he was tempted and awed by Melkor's strength, his power, his ability to get things done quickly and efficiently.
Whatever it was, Melkor "seduced" Mairon to his side, and perhaps it is poetic, then, (if not purposeful) that Melkor would corrupt Orcs as mockeries of Elves, Trolls as mockeries of the Ents, werewolves to mock wolves, and that he would have Mairon become Sauron in a mockery of Melkor himself. He is said to be only 'less evil' than Melkor, because for a while he served another lord instead than himself, that he used power to control others for someone else, rather than for his own purposes. Only later when he sought to make himself master of Arda did he truly begin to sit on the same level of Evil as Melkor.
As mentioned before, Mairon started out the Second Age wanting to help Arda, to fix what had been damaged. But therein lay the problem; that as a being of Aule's household, with duties that required much skill and craft, and thus, power, which can easily lead one to corruption, he was already predisposed to the temptation of power. And, having fallen to such temptation before, and in needing power to undo what had been done to Arda, he fell into the same cycle once again. At his point in time, Mairon would be, in this sense, 'evil', in that he seeks to and has succeeded in dominating the wills of others, for no reason other than because he wishes to. Whether these bonds of Melkor can be 'undone', however, is left to be seen.
"..in after years he rose like a shadow of Morgoth and a ghost of his malice, and walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void."
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
abilities
weaknesses
- susceptible to grand displays of power
- by which i mean liable to chinhand and make doe-eyes at
- (✔) no, really, he would sooner seek someone with lots of power to follow than strike out on his own on the ship, if such a person existed
- (✔) likely pathological liar of some sort. or he just lies a lot
- that or a bad case of dissociative identity i mean is he mairon or sauron or annatar or what the hay
- so ronery
- THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF RONERY
- (✔) prideful asshole
- (✔) his morals are kind of shit
- shinies
- (✔) almost OCD about being OCD
- (✔/✖) melkor-sempai notice me
- pet giant hounds and large bodies of water
power limitations
re: shapeshifting - can and likely will if he really needs to, but likely won't. that is unless he's forced to stay in one fleshsuit and not be able to shift/disincarnate and return to spirit form at all (aside from dying).
re: magic in general - naturally limited and diminished, as tolkien has stated that he "expended enormous energy in the corruption of Númenor." whether by restriction of the 'body' or otherwise, he is unable to exert the power he may have had in his better days, including shapeshifting.
re: telepathy - will be limited via the power of a permissions post.
Inventory:
1 set casual robes, pants, shoes, and undertunic, numenorean design but mostly plain
1 leather apron, work gloves
Appearance:
As this is the most that is said about him relevant to the point in time I'm taking him from, the rest will be filled in with some speculation. Long black hair, light brown eyes, striking but not outstandingly fair, and a faint scar on his throat. The average height of a Numenorean at the time was over 6'4", with Elendil being 7'11". Mairon would likely be a little less than 7'. it wouldn't do to tower over your captors, after all.
Age: so fucking old. older than the earth. to be accurate? 3909 years of the sun and 5000+ valian years, of which is already equal to anywhere between 50,000 to 720,000 solar years. yeah let's just stick with really old.
AU Clarification:
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
He is Ainu. He is Maia. Servant, not slave. He has never felt a slave to any, not in the way of being forced to serve without choice. He chose this path, to follow this being, and it is his own pride and fear that keeps him from turning back. He is a horse-drawn carriage whose coachmen has been taken, a horse with a coach to pull and only one known path to pull it on. He pulled it. He pulled it far, he pulled it hard; he tried to turn around, he did. He turned and the darkness pulled him back, because he could no longer stand to face the light.
The Ring is missing.
Mairon perches himself at the edge of the bed, smoothing a folded up leather apron over his lap. It isn't new, but it isn't completely worn down either. Half a century it's been since he went near a forge to do any smithing, half a century spent dallying in Tar-Calion's royal court, advising one thing or another. Half a century, and all he can recall now is the crashing of waves upon the shores of Numenor, Ulmo's deafening roar riding the wave that swamped the island. He had laughed in the face of chaos before silence drowned them all.
He wrings his hand while his laugh rings in his ear, and laughs again to himself. There's nothing to rule here, no country, no town, no village. Just a gathering of Men and creatures as miserable as he. There's no benefit in lording over them when they have no method for returning.. home.
But the shadows whisper to him, and there is a darkness lingering somewhere upon this vessel that is asking to be touched. He is a coachless carriage that has mired itself in a swamp, and decides (delights in, perhaps) to push deeper rather than face the judgment of the world. Passengers be damned.
Comms Sample:
[the face on the screen is.. mannish, as can adequately be said. dark hair, light brown eyes, dark clothes. his skin is not so light to be sickly pale in contrast. some might say healthy and olive in colour.]
I have never much liked the stars. [congenial, and firm. he's sure of what he's saying, and he's sure he wishes to say. this is not someone struggling to find words to fill in the gaps. he speaks with a purpose, even if his tone is soft and pensieve, his gaze distant and nostalgic.] But I loved their maker, and I loved the darkness they dwelt in. It is a pity to no longer have them within sight.
[once upon a time. it was all once upon a time. he fixes his gaze on the screen again; raises a bare hand and touches his forehead in a gesture of greeting.]
Mára yomentië, Tranquility. [he speaks with the slightest alveolar trill, sharply softened t's. trrahn-quility.] Hail, and well-met. I am named Mairon, one of the newly arrived. I understand that we are, for all intents and purposes, stranded aboard this vessel; I would not deign to ask if there was a way off, for if there were I would think it would be less crowded in the showers.
But I would offer my services, as it were. I am a metalworker, smith, jeweler, and crafter. I have been an architect in my time, or had the practice of one, if there is need of such skills here. In return I ask for naught but company, perhaps, of those who have it to spare.
[he offers a smile at the end, still but not quite serene; dips his head in a gesture of farewell, and reaches out to turn off the feed.]
Your Name: the scarlet
OOC Journal:
chimneyUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: overrrr
Email + IM: eisrequiem(at)gmail(dot)com; lacqueried@aim
Characters Played at Ataraxion: legolassie
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Mairon, possibly with Artano or Aulindel as a 'surname' if forced to provide one. it might be his real name, it might be an epithet, but it's the closest/earliest one we have.
Canon: the silmarillion/tolkien legendarium
Original or Alternate Universe: original
Canon Point: during the drowning of numenor
Number: --- » 018 » 001
Setting: Arda; quite literally the entire planet, as well as some bits outside it in the very beginning
History:
melkor wants to be god, mairon worships him, except not really, and somewhere along the way the powers that be sink a cumulative of a few thousand square miles of real estate (twice)"
'Years' are counted in Valian years unless otherwise noted, one year passing in Valinor being 144 years passing in Middle-Earth.
Long before The Lord of the Rings and the forging of the One Ring, the world was made. The tale that tells of this is called the Ainulindalë, that is 'the Music of the Ainur'. The Ainur were (are) divine beings, made of the thought of Eru, the One, or He that is Alone, who before Time existed composed a Great Music that would be the template for the creation of the History of Arda (Middle-Earth).
The Ainur are split into two 'categories'; the higher beings and the lesser beings, the Valar and Maiar respectively. Mairon was of the latter, a Maia though he was more powerful than many of his fellow Maiar and of a higher order than the Maiar who came into Middle-Earth later, such as the more well-known Gandalf and Saruman. All of the Ainur with the exception of Melkor possess only the knowledge of a few concepts or themes, but in interacting with the other Ainur would come to understand more and become a collaborative; only Melkor remained alone with his own thoughts, in thinking that he had the full knowledge of Eru (he did, almost).
So when the Song was sung, Melkor's singing did not altogether harmonize with the other Ainur, who had worked to understand more than what they knew so that they could collaborate, and create a song that everyone could support. Melkor sought to disrupt it, to make his own themes that did not blend with what Eru was directing. In the end, this themes are also incorporated into the Song, making it ultimately better than what it might have been without Melkor.
After the Song is sung, Eru shows the Ainur a bit of a sneak-peak of what the world is to be, so that they know much of the past, present, and future of the Universe and its history, but not all of it, leaving them restless. With this music, Eru brings the Universe into existence and the Ainur (or the Valar primarily) are to aid in building from scratch what it will be in the future.
When the Ainur enter the Universe, Melkor claims the Earth as his own and begins to do as he wishes against the design of Eru, and wages war against his brethren. It is at this time that Mairon chooses to follow Melkor's path, though for a while (which could well be some tens or hundreds of years) he kept up the pretense that he was still faithful to the other Valar (and to Eru) and in a sense worked for Melkor as one of his many spies, feeding him information about their doings.
The Valar establish their first physical 'home' on Almaren, an island in the Great Lake in the middle of Arda, and make two great Lamps to provide light for Arda at the north and south ends. Almaren's existence is leaked to Melkor by his spies and it is destroyed along with the two Lamps. The Valar then make a new land, Aman; and because Mairon went with them, he was never suspected of treachery. But at some point, he left Valinor and went to the central continent of Arda where Melkor had established his stronghold of Utumno.
From then on, Mairon had a part in everything that Melkor did.
By the time the Elves were woken by Eru, Mairon had been appointed Melkor's lieutenant and was given command over Angband, a newly build stronghold, and with Melkor set about corrupting the Elves they captured, giving birth to a new race of Orcs. This lasts 10 Valian years (1440 solar years), until the Valar re-enter Middle-Earth on behalf of the Elves and lay siege to Utumno for 7 years. Melkor is captured and sentenced to 'prison' in the Halls of Mandos in Aman for three Ages (which comes out to be about 300 Valian Years and a long ass time to be forcibly divorced). Utumno is destroyed, but Mairon escapes to Angband where he continues to breed Orcs and Trolls. (for all 300 years christ he is devoted. on the other hand, he's never bored.)
What else happens in between is left unsaid, except that 180 Valian Years later, Orcs had spread out from the north and down into the neighboring land of Beleriand where the Elves had moved into. After Melkor's imprisonment is ended, he stirs up some more trouble in Aman before fleeing back to Angband with 3 Silmarilli (hereafter referred to as Simlarils, because Quenyan is weird). These are the most beautiful creation by an Elf, gems of immense might that are said to resemble stars. And they came with a shitload of trouble.
Feanor made the Silmarils, and his father was killed by Melkor when they were stolen. So he takes it upon himself (partly because Melkor had tried and somewhat succeeded in corrupting him) to swear an oath between himself and his seven sons that they would retrieve the Silmarils and slay any and all that stood in their way. That includes their Elven cousins who wouldn't share their boats with them, but that's another story. The point is that Melkor returns to the main continent of Arda, back to Angband, and Feanor and the Noldor are coming after him. (Good job Melkor.)
Melkor, with Mairon, then tries to take the entire region of Beleriand. Feanor arrives and is slain by Balrogs under Melkor's command. One of his sons, Maedhros, is taken captive, and later rescued from where he was hung by his hand on the slopes of the mountain of Thangorodrim. The Valar hide Valinor, and by the time the rest of the Noldor army arrives, the Valar have made the Sun and the Moon.
An Elf, Fingolfin, beings the Siege of Angband. Melkor discovers Men and goes MFA (Missing From Angband) to meddle with them, converting them away from Eru. When Melkor returns 400 years later, he breaks the siege on Angband and kills Fingolfin. Mairon then launches an attack on the isle Tol Sirion, home to the tower of Minas Tirith, and turns it into Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves.
Upon orders from Melkor, Mairon sends out minions to find and kill Barahir. To do this, he captures one of Barahir's companions, Gorlim, and promises to set him and his wife free in return for information. Under "the terror of Sauron's eyes", Gorlim spilled and thus Barahir was found and slain. And Gorlim too, because Mairon lied.
Beren, the son of Barahir, promises to take revenge for his father. He manages some great deeds in Dorthonion, and Melkor puts a price on his head; so Mairon sends a great army of werewolves and fell beasts to find him. Though Beren and his companions are disguised by magic as Orcs, Mairon realizes their trickery and, in a fight in songs of power against Finrod, triumphs and strips them of their disguises. Unfortunately, he doesn't know who they are, so he has them thrown into a pit to be devoured one by one by a werewolves. Ultimately only Finrod and Beren are alive; Finrod defends Beren against the werewolf and dies of his wounds.
Luthien then arrives with her pet wolfhound, Huan. Knowing that she is the daughter of the Sindar king, Thingol, and Melian (a Maia and something of a 'relative'), Mairon seeks to capture and present her to Melkor. He sends wolf after wolf, but they are all killed. Drauglin, the first werewolf, is sent out and returns nearly dead, and tells Mairon that Huan was here. With the prophecy in mind that Huan would be slain by the greatest werewolf ever lived, Mairon transforms himself into a werewolf, the greatest the world has ever (yet) seen, but is also defeated by Huan (receiving a rather nasty bite to his neck). He yields Tol-in-Gaurhoth to Luthien and flees to Taur-nu-Fuin in Beleriand and fills the forest with terror.
He returns to Angband to find that Beren and Luthien have made off with a Simlaril stolen right off of Melkor's crown. Beren lost the Silmaril to Carcharoth, a werewolf guarding Angband, who bit off his hand. It's likely that there were attempts made by Melkor to retrieve it, but since the pain of the Silmaril drove Carcharoth to attack Elves, Men, and Orc alike, he was left alone. Huan later slays Carcharoth, allowing the Simlaril to be retrieved, then dies of his own wounds.
Some decades later, Maeglin the Elf is captured outside Gondolin and brought to Angband. Melkor promises him both the kingdom of Gondolin and Idril, Maeglin's first cousin and the woman he loved, and Maeglin reveals to Melkor the location of Gondolin. Melkor's armies overrun the city; Maeglin fights with and is slain by Tuor, who would be the grandfather of Elrond.
Near the end of the First Age, Melkor destroys the dwellings of the Feanorians. Not long after, the Valar arrive in Beleriand. Melkor and the Valar fight a war that lasts some 40+ years; in the end he is defeated and captured, the Silmarils stolen, and the entire region of Beleriand is shoved into the sea. Melkor is sentenced to the Void and prophesied to remain there until Dagor Dagorath, the Battle of Battles, the coming of the End of the World.
As for Mairon, he was urged by the Maia Eonwe to return to Valinor to receive punishment for his deeds and repent for them. He was willing to repent, if only out of fear; but he was not willing to return to Valinor, as Melkor's magic and influence over Mairon was still strong, so he fled and hid himself in Middle-Earth.
After being hidden for about 1000 years, Mairon begins building the tower of Barad-dur in the land of Mordor, a relic of the devastating works of Melkor, formed by volcanic eruptions. The tower itself would take 600 years to build; in the mean time, Mairon went to the lands in the west in a 'fair form', speaking first to Gil-Galad, the soon-to-be last High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth. When he is distrusted and rebuffed by Gil-Galad, Mairon appeals to the kingdom of Eregion some years later, presenting himself under the name of Annatar (Lord of Gifts), Aulindel (Friend of Aule, the Valar of smithing and Mairon's former instructor), and Artano (High Smith). Coincidentally, Celebrimbor who would become the Lord of Eregion and befriended by Annatar, was the grandson of Feanor.
Under Mairon's instruction, the Noldor of Eregion forge the Rings of Power, 7 for the Dwarves, 9 for the Men. Mairon's intention was to forge a ruling ring, the One Ring, to control the minds of those who wore the Rings of Power, by putting much of his own magic and strength into the ring. While he was forging his ring, however, the Elves of Eregion made 3 more that were untouched by Mairon, but used the same design as the first 15 and thus just as susceptible. The moment Mairon finished the ring and put it on, the Elves who wore the 3 Rings of Power perceived his influence and removed them, and did not used them for as long as Mairon wore his One Ring.
Mairon waged a great war against the lands in the west. He overran Eregion, tortured and eventually killed Celebrimbor after interrogating him as to the whereabouts of the Rings of Power. He managed to retrieve the 7 and the 9, but the 3 had been given away for safekeeping, and Celebrimbor did not reveal the location of these rings. Mairon attacked Imladris (Rivendell), Moria, Lothlorien, and pushed into Lindon, the realm of Gil-Galad, and overruns the land of Eriador. A year later, however, the armies of Numenor come to the aid of Gil-Galad and drive Mairon out. It is said that of his original army, little more than Mairon, his bodyguard, and a handful of Orcs made it back to Mordor. Gil-Galad's power after the war was such that Mairon did not dare strike out of Mordor for a while.
While the Men of Numenor established settlements in Middle-Earth, Mairon extends his power to the east and south, and distributes the Rings of Power among Men and Dwarves. Though the Dwarves are largely resilient to his influence, the Men obtained near-immortality as Ringwraiths, but were also enthralled by his power and servants bound to power of the One Ring. One of the Ringwraiths, or Nazgul, is an Easterling, and three are 'great lords' of Numenor.
When the Numenoreans withdrew from the coast back to their island, Mairon began assailing their strongholds on Middle-Earth and assumed the titles Lord of the Earth, and King of Men. Of course, this didn't sit well with the Men of Numenor. 1700 years after his defeat in Eriador, king Ar-Pharazon lands in the southern port of Umbar and marches to Mordor in order to contest for the title of King of Men. Mairon, however, surrenders willingly, and in his arrogance Ar-Pharazon takes him as hostage back to Numenor. Tolkien writes that Sauron "was of course a 'divine' person ... and thus far too powerful to be controlled in this way."
There in Numenor, Mairon quickly grows from captive to Ar-Pharazon's Court Advisor, known as Tar-Mairon. Some accounts say he did not bring the One Ring with him, but Tolkien writes that Sauron "naturally had the One Ring, and so very soon dominated the minds and wills of most of the Numenoreans." He corrupts and converts them to worship Melkor, Lord of the Dark, and tells of Eru as an invention of the Valar used to justify their (the Valar's) decrees. Soon, the worship of Melkor is spread through Numenor and, just as in Mairon's own temples honoring him in Mordor and to the east and south, human sacrifice become mandatory.
Besides this, Mairon also helps the Numenoreans design greater engines and amass great wealth; with him behind the scenes, Ar-Pharazon becomes the mightiest tyrant since Melkor himself. In spite of this, however, Ar-Pharazon eventually becomes fearful of his approaching death. Mairon convinces the king that he is powerful enough to take the immortality that is rightfully his. Manwe sends his 'eagles', storms, thunderbolts, and Mairon from the roof of Melkor's temple defied the lightning, and the Men called him a god.
Upon his suggestion, Ar-Pharazon takes with him a great army and sails to Aman. He would land on its shores and demand from the Valar his due immortality. But then Manwe called upon Eru; and Eru opened a chasm that would drown the ships of the Numenor, he would bury Ar-Pharazon and his warriors and "there they lie imprisoned... until the Last Battle and the Day of Doom." Eru would remove Aman from the world and send back the Great Seas in a wave so that he could make the world round.
39 days after the fall of the ships, the island of Numenor, and all the people that still remained on it (including Mairon) are sunk beneath these very waves.
Personality:
"I CAN MAKE THE WORLD BETTER I CAN TAKE CARE OF THE EARTHLINGS oops went too far can't turn back now"
GIVE ME A NAME
Names, for the Ainur, are.. strange. For most of the first generation of things, really. 'Mairon', 'Melkor', 'Manwe'-- these are not their 'actual' names. Their actual names are in another language, Valarin, but as The Simlarillion is an account told by Elves, these Valarin names were translated into Quenyan, and then later into Sindarin when that language came about. Additional epithets/names for Mairon include Artano, high-smith; Aulendil, friend of Aule; Annatar, lord of gifts (which he presents himself as to the elves of Eregion); Tar-Mairon, Lord Mairon (or Lord/King Excellent/Admirable). Of the less than savory, he was known as Gorthaur, the cruel; the Dark Lord; the Deceiver; Zigur, the wizard; and later the Necromancer, when his Ringwraiths (undead spirits of Men) are found in Dol Guldur.
It is said in the account of the Ainulindale that Melkor's name was forfeited, though it is unknown whether it was he himself who forfeited it. Probably not; the Noldor named him Moringotto in their tongue, Morgoth in Sindarin, and that is how he is known throughout the history they tell in The Silmarillion.
Mairon also is referred to as Sauron, rather than Mairon, and it is never said when he started being called Sauron instead of Mairon. The name Sauron, meaning 'abhorred' or 'filth', is as good as an insult, and no one likes to be insulted. If the world deemed him forfeit of the name 'Admirable', he, in any case, still thought of himself as Mairon, and still insisted on being addressed as 'Tar-Mairon' until after the fall of Numenor.
ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND OCD
"It had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall ...) that he loved order and coordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction... it was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him."
He started out well. As stated by Elrond, nothing starts out evil, not even Sauron. In the beginning he was Mairon, the Admirable, Excellent one, derived from the root maira, meaning "admirable, excellent, precious" or "splendid, sublime, only [used] of great, august or splendid things", which all prove to be apt descriptors. He rejected Melkor during the Ainulindale because he did not like the chaos Melkor's singing created; instead he focused on harmonizing himself with the singing of others, to keep that coordination and reduce the chaos.
Before his alliance with Melkor, Mairon was an 'apprentice' of Aule the smith, learning from him the metaphysical structure of Arda (the earth, the rocks, the metals and minerals). He was among the mightiest, if not the mightiest, of the Maiar associated with Aule. And when he turned to Melkor, he quickly became the greatest and most trusted servant, using the knowledge he had gained from Aule.
Whatever morals he has (or had), it isn't the same type of right and wrong that we have. It isn't based on the overall scheme of good vs. evil, whether their perceptions or ours; it's more like his side, or the side he chooses, against.. well. Everyone else. He chooses the Eru's allegiance first, because that is how he was created to be, and it followed what he wished to have and do, for the most part. But Melkor's abilities and powers were ultimately what would be able to do what Mairon wanted-- that was, to do things quickly, effectively, to achieve coordination and order. It didn't matter that Melkor's path to it would result in domination of the world and Elves becoming Orcs. It didn't matter that Men were being corrupted into fearing Eru.
All it mattered was (it seemed, perhaps) that Melkor could do it, that he could bring everything on Arda under one union, one command. There would be order then, and once all wills were dominated, there would be no chaos. And that is what he loved (loves?) most, which in itself is not entirely a bad thing. We'll get back to that last part.
PRIDE (AND PREJUDICE)
It might be pride. It might be arrogance. It might be the fact that he did partake in making the template for the world and, oh, helping physically shape it. Whatever it was, it prompted him to think that perhaps he could atone for his sins during his servitude of Melkor, that he could return to Middle-Earth and heal the hurts that had been done to it. But in witnessing all the damage done and how the Incarnates, the people of Middle-Earth, were, perhaps, so slow and inefficient in affecting and repairing the world they lived on, perhaps in seeing how disordered Arda had become, he took it upon himself to fix it.
By building the tower of Barad-dur, populating the country(?) of Mordor, and making the ruling rings so he could control the minds of the leaders of every race, and therefore bring order to the damn planet. (do you see a running theme yet.)
Unfortunately, during his attempts at playing plumber to a drastically leaky pipe, he came to really, really hate Elves. And Men. And everything on Middle-Earth. Because they wouldn't submit to his rule, even though he just wanted to help them and still wanted to help them if only they would just give in. In the end, though, the power of controlling others through the Rings would lead him to gain more pride; only this time it isn't pride in being able to help Arda, but in simply ruling it.
"Now Sauron's lust and pride increased, until he knew no bounds, and he determined to make himself master of all things in Middle-Earth, and to destroy the Elves, and to compass, if he might (which he did...), the downfall of Numenor. He brooked no freedom nor rivalry, and he named himself Lord of the Earth."
INFALLIBLY FALLIBLE
"..in the view of this tale and mythology, Power, when it dominates or seeks to dominate other wills and minds (except by the assent of their reason) is evil."
So says Tolkien of the portrayal of Evil in his works. The basis of Tolkien's myth is that all things are susceptible to evil, to corruption, to falling. His 'angelic' creations are no less. Though Mairon began as one of Eru's staunch believers, he was tempted and awed by Melkor's strength, his power, his ability to get things done quickly and efficiently.
Whatever it was, Melkor "seduced" Mairon to his side, and perhaps it is poetic, then, (if not purposeful) that Melkor would corrupt Orcs as mockeries of Elves, Trolls as mockeries of the Ents, werewolves to mock wolves, and that he would have Mairon become Sauron in a mockery of Melkor himself. He is said to be only 'less evil' than Melkor, because for a while he served another lord instead than himself, that he used power to control others for someone else, rather than for his own purposes. Only later when he sought to make himself master of Arda did he truly begin to sit on the same level of Evil as Melkor.
As mentioned before, Mairon started out the Second Age wanting to help Arda, to fix what had been damaged. But therein lay the problem; that as a being of Aule's household, with duties that required much skill and craft, and thus, power, which can easily lead one to corruption, he was already predisposed to the temptation of power. And, having fallen to such temptation before, and in needing power to undo what had been done to Arda, he fell into the same cycle once again. At his point in time, Mairon would be, in this sense, 'evil', in that he seeks to and has succeeded in dominating the wills of others, for no reason other than because he wishes to. Whether these bonds of Melkor can be 'undone', however, is left to be seen.
"..in after years he rose like a shadow of Morgoth and a ghost of his malice, and walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void."
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
abilities
- the ability to change his 'form'
ainur cloth themselves in a 'body' much as we put on clothes, so that they change it to something that better suits them and their needs.
mairon's forms include vampire (bat-like creature), werewolf (giant wolf), a serpent, and various 'fair' mannish forms. he could also look completely hideous and terrible and evil if he wanted to. - able to 'live' without an actual 'body'.
his natural state is an incorporeal 'spirit', in which he enters the plane of the Unseen. this renders him invisible (and supposedly formless) to those who cannot see spirits or ghosts, unless garbed in clothes that give form (enchanted robes? or maybe just clothes in general? who knows.)
this also means he's practically immortal. in the sense that if he does die he can just make himself a new 'body', though he'll be weakened. - magic
it's vague, but the ainur did literally shape and design the earth (physically; i.e. making valleys, raising mountains, or throwing down mountains and raising up valleys, in melkor's case), and he did make a ring that could entice people into making Bad Life Choices. lots of rings and lots of Bad Life Choices. - telepathy
described as 'communication of thoughts', not at all like mind-reading. distance is a non-issue, and the presence of a foreign 'invader' can be perceived by the receiving mind, especially those with magical abilities.
not unsimilar to legilimency and occlumency in the world of harry potter, except it's not so much magic as it is something 'natural' (or maybe it is magic, who knows 6_9).
one can willfully close their mind to the intruder and have absolute protection, though perhaps requiring some skill and practice. this 'unwill' cannot be overcome, but can be 'removed' if the reader 'befriends' the mind of the receiver before it closes to them , or convinces them otherwise, such as by using actual speech. - really good memory
they can recall the contents of the Ainulindale, which would have been.. many hundreds of thousands of years in the past. they're spirits, brains don't work the same way.
weaknesses
- susceptible to grand displays of power
- by which i mean liable to chinhand and make doe-eyes at
- (✔) no, really, he would sooner seek someone with lots of power to follow than strike out on his own on the ship, if such a person existed
- (✔) likely pathological liar of some sort. or he just lies a lot
- that or a bad case of dissociative identity i mean is he mairon or sauron or annatar or what the hay
- so ronery
- THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF RONERY
- (✔) prideful asshole
- (✔) his morals are kind of shit
- shinies
- (✔) almost OCD about being OCD
- (✔/✖) melkor-sempai notice me
- pet giant hounds and large bodies of water
power limitations
re: shapeshifting - can and likely will if he really needs to, but likely won't. that is unless he's forced to stay in one fleshsuit and not be able to shift/disincarnate and return to spirit form at all (aside from dying).
re: magic in general - naturally limited and diminished, as tolkien has stated that he "expended enormous energy in the corruption of Númenor." whether by restriction of the 'body' or otherwise, he is unable to exert the power he may have had in his better days, including shapeshifting.
re: telepathy - will be limited via the power of a permissions post.
Inventory:
1 set casual robes, pants, shoes, and undertunic, numenorean design but mostly plain
1 leather apron, work gloves
Appearance:
"..a man, or one in man's shape, but greater than any even of the race of Númenor in stature... And it seemed to men that Sauron was great, though they feared the light of his eyes. To many he appeared fair, to others terrible; but to some evil."
As this is the most that is said about him relevant to the point in time I'm taking him from, the rest will be filled in with some speculation. Long black hair, light brown eyes, striking but not outstandingly fair, and a faint scar on his throat. The average height of a Numenorean at the time was over 6'4", with Elendil being 7'11". Mairon would likely be a little less than 7'. it wouldn't do to tower over your captors, after all.
Age: so fucking old. older than the earth. to be accurate? 3909 years of the sun and 5000+ valian years, of which is already equal to anywhere between 50,000 to 720,000 solar years. yeah let's just stick with really old.
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
He is Ainu. He is Maia. Servant, not slave. He has never felt a slave to any, not in the way of being forced to serve without choice. He chose this path, to follow this being, and it is his own pride and fear that keeps him from turning back. He is a horse-drawn carriage whose coachmen has been taken, a horse with a coach to pull and only one known path to pull it on. He pulled it. He pulled it far, he pulled it hard; he tried to turn around, he did. He turned and the darkness pulled him back, because he could no longer stand to face the light.
The Ring is missing.
Mairon perches himself at the edge of the bed, smoothing a folded up leather apron over his lap. It isn't new, but it isn't completely worn down either. Half a century it's been since he went near a forge to do any smithing, half a century spent dallying in Tar-Calion's royal court, advising one thing or another. Half a century, and all he can recall now is the crashing of waves upon the shores of Numenor, Ulmo's deafening roar riding the wave that swamped the island. He had laughed in the face of chaos before silence drowned them all.
He wrings his hand while his laugh rings in his ear, and laughs again to himself. There's nothing to rule here, no country, no town, no village. Just a gathering of Men and creatures as miserable as he. There's no benefit in lording over them when they have no method for returning.. home.
But the shadows whisper to him, and there is a darkness lingering somewhere upon this vessel that is asking to be touched. He is a coachless carriage that has mired itself in a swamp, and decides (delights in, perhaps) to push deeper rather than face the judgment of the world. Passengers be damned.
Comms Sample:
[the face on the screen is.. mannish, as can adequately be said. dark hair, light brown eyes, dark clothes. his skin is not so light to be sickly pale in contrast. some might say healthy and olive in colour.]
I have never much liked the stars. [congenial, and firm. he's sure of what he's saying, and he's sure he wishes to say. this is not someone struggling to find words to fill in the gaps. he speaks with a purpose, even if his tone is soft and pensieve, his gaze distant and nostalgic.] But I loved their maker, and I loved the darkness they dwelt in. It is a pity to no longer have them within sight.
[once upon a time. it was all once upon a time. he fixes his gaze on the screen again; raises a bare hand and touches his forehead in a gesture of greeting.]
Mára yomentië, Tranquility. [he speaks with the slightest alveolar trill, sharply softened t's. trrahn-quility.] Hail, and well-met. I am named Mairon, one of the newly arrived. I understand that we are, for all intents and purposes, stranded aboard this vessel; I would not deign to ask if there was a way off, for if there were I would think it would be less crowded in the showers.
But I would offer my services, as it were. I am a metalworker, smith, jeweler, and crafter. I have been an architect in my time, or had the practice of one, if there is need of such skills here. In return I ask for naught but company, perhaps, of those who have it to spare.
[he offers a smile at the end, still but not quite serene; dips his head in a gesture of farewell, and reaches out to turn off the feed.]