#arathor

Migraines give me the time to finally sit down and reply to all my inbox but they don’t give me the skill so bare with me but FUCK I’m glad to know there are more Denethor/Aragorn shippers. ANyway, getting to it-

I’m iffy on how much of a relationship Denethor and Thorongil had all those years ago. Denethor’s married to Finduilas early on in that whole timeline, there isn’t much space for anything but a VERY hot and heavy and quick affair. But that definitely does suit them I suppose. 

I think I might go for a sort of… they’ve been dancing around each other for a few years and perhaps there’s a very sudden and surprising moment where Aragorn kisses Denethor- man perhaps… just before that last siege on Umbar. They’re both miles and miles from home… this whole intense thing between them is much starker after spending all this close knit and dramatic time together, and Thorongil knows he’s going to be leaving after this, essentially abandoning Denethor. 

It all gets too heavy, there’s an illicit kiss in the Captain’s quarters of Denethor’s ship, it lasts too long, they both come out of it knowing for a fact that the other feels the same way. Aragorn’s purpose is achieved, Denethor knows he loves him, and Aragorn knows he’s loved in return. But Denethor is married and this is not something he can do- it’s not even something he can explore! Think about! Despite how important Aragorn has become in his life, how oddly vital his company is, how strangely he’s stepped into this role of a confidante that understands him in a very specific way- Finduilas is also all those things, and she deserves so much better from him. They part ways, it’s more of a goodbye than anything that happens later.

Which makes a meeting between them after the siege at Minas Tirith all the more intense. In this kind of timeline it works best if Boromir was just saved at Parth Galen and followed the three hunters (meaning Denethor never even thinks Boromir’s dead), so you can also add in a juicy little nugget of ‘Aragorn actually did get there in time to save Boromir and took a few arrows for him to boot because it’s Denethor’s son of course he will! He has too!’ So now you have a great deal of emotions to get your teeth into. 

Denethor’s suspicious of Aragorn first, but that gets conflicted with tales his son tells of Aragorn saving his life later. And then Aragorn goes and saves Faramir too, it makes it difficult. Aragorn hasn’t changed at all, he even looks like Denethor remembers him. Which adds another knot of discolour to this picture, Denethor does not, Denethor looks ragged, rough edged, powerful but battered and old, despite only being 2 years older than Aragorn. I think there’s a little guilt to it for Aragorn, Denethor’s given up so much of himself just in the defense of Gondor, a kind of sacrifice that Aragorn hasn’t known. Aragorn hadn’t overestimated him precisely, but he’d underestimated how much of a toll it would all take. Perhaps… he should have been here, could he have? Could he have helped? Somehow? He’s not used to doubting himself overmuch, but this… 

So they start off with confusion that Denethor decides to deal with by not dealing with it. First they have to make plans for the battle at the Black Gate, which Denethor comes to by the way, ‘At the end of the world, I care little for the will of Kings’ he says. Looking Aragorn in the eye. As he shucks his robes of state and reveals the chain mail he still wears every day. And then there’s a beat where they fight and lead and battle together. Again. It’s like he never left, which is infuriating and uplifting and heartbreaking for the both of them. All this lost time. Yet they still know each other this well. Dreadful!

But it all feeds into that slow break down of barriers for them to finally start talking to each other. They have to discuss the whole kingship thing next, which is just so much time spent together and they’re arguing so much, it’s almost WORRYING, they sound like they’d get to fists at any moment but it never gets there. And Imrahil is never worried, ‘no they were always like that, it’s just how they communicate’ and he’s right, there’s more being said in these fights about policy than either of them want to admit. 

So… yes I do think eventually there’s some… ‘emoting’, as much as Denethor hates it. There’s some… hurt. There’s some tenderness. There’s a little hurdling over the inherent heteronormativity. There’s even some… ‘you were missed’ (I missed you) OH it’s so slow. OH it takes so long, way into Aragorn’s kingship and their partnership as King and Steward. Long enough for Arwen to go from curious to confused to shocked to confused again to bored to frustrated and then she falls for Denethor as well to boot. But in the end it settles out, and Denethor eventually decides he’s old enough to allow the wound to his pride of being a ‘secret lover’. Though he’d never admit it. 

As for Boromir’s reaction. Hm. I think it would be a shock for Denethor to realise how insightful Boromir is about him. He’ll be trying to hide the relationship, it’s his very personal life, no one needs to know and he doesn’t want them too. Not to mention he has no idea how Boromir would react. Despite the somewhat tolerant period they’re experiencing, it’s not easy, even he struggled with it. Even he’d had prejudices to reject. 

But Boromir, who developed his ability to read his father as almost a survival mechanism, can tell something has changed in his life and in his relationship with the king and queen. He wouldn’t pry, but it would be on his mind, it would confuse him, and Denethor would be aware of that. And I do think probably… he would come to realise that the extent of Boromir’s loyalty to him and all the things he carried for him, this very strange relationship they fell into where the war effort was their priority to the exclusion of all else- There’s a realisation that they both know each other too much and yet not at all. Boromir knows exactly what Denethor would advise, how to support him, how to win his wars, but they don’t know how to talk about the things that matter to each other. Denethor has no idea about either of his son’s passions, Boromir least of all since Faramir does tend to be loud about what he feels. It’s wrong. And he wants to resolve it. 

So I think in the end he does actually just… tell him. Submit to this mortifying ordeal in order to try and signal that he wants things to change between them. He’s aware it’s a risk, but if he wants Boromir to be open about the risky things, then this is what he has to do. 

And oh BOY what a doozey of a conversation for the both of them huh? It’s made an addendum to the end of one of their debriefs, a situation they’re both very comfortable in, even if it means Boromir’s standing before Denethor’s desk in his study when he speaks. Denethor just gets it out in his clear and decisive way that doesn’t brook interruption, but Boromir is in no position to do that anyway. And despite Denethor’s apparent confidence, he begins to worry with how long Boromir has to just stand there, hands clasped behind his back, expression neutral as usual, but obviously struggling with something if his prolonged silence and micro expressions are anything to go by. 

In the end Denethor has to just ask if Boromir has some issue with this. Which breaks through his knotted thicket at least, and he answers no, honestly, and yet there’s something… else… Denethor can feel behind it all. Boromir’s ability to simply withstand and rebuff Denethor’s prying has only gotten better with age but there’s still something. Boromir seems somewhat lost, things he wants to say but obviously doesn’t know how to say them to his father specifically. He wants to… comfort him, help him somehow, but there’s something else too. Which again clearly pushes home the realisation that they lost touch somewhere, they stopped knowing each other. Boromir is struggling with something and Denethor couldn’t even begin to tell you what it is. Although later, as he’s considering it, some logical answers come to mind, answers that could change a lot of how he views his son, things that are hard to see him as. 

Boromir’s going through the same thing but at a different angle. He’s only surprised at Denethor’s reclamation of a romantic life, and that surprise turns to a strange kind of gladness quickly. He never imagined Denethor would ever be able to live this way again and it does change his view of Aragorn rather dramatically, but he can reconcile to all that especially if his father is actually… happy. 

What’s more difficult is reconciling the father’s he’s known all these years, who’s said this and decided that, with this man he’s presented with now, in a relationship with a man, a relationship he told him about too. Quite apart from Gondor’s strict cultural disapproval of digging into people’s private romantic life, the concept of telling his father of his own relationships had never even come to mind. Boromir’d assumed he’d be dead before this would ever be in question. 

BUT after a long protracted period of time where everything appears the same but there’s some frisson to Boromir and Denethor’s conversations that literally drives Faramir up the goDDAMN wall. He knows it’s there, he can’t explain it, he has no idea what it could be and he HATES it so much. 

After that, Boromir does tell his dad. Surprisingly he chooses a not-professional setting, they’re just talking in Boromir’s quarters after a rare family dinner together. But woof it has to be eeked out of him still. He starts them off with just the clear acknowledgement that he’s been strange since Denethor’s revelation. And then tries to word ‘it was a shock to know we had this in common, that you were like me, though perhaps not entirely’ in as infuriatingly neutral a way as possible. But he still doesn’t look at Denethor as he says it. And the silence then isn’t so long, just a pause for a ‘ah, so I was right’ kind of sigh from Denethor. A little longer for him to let the big perspective shift start in his head. He starts running the numbers- how long had Boromir kept this secret, what was his life like because of it, what else did Denethor not know? Denethor’s mind is an analysis machine, he can’t help it.

And when he takes his shoulder and Boromir looks at him in just a little surprise at the affectionate gesture, he notices the slight tug down of Boromir’s ear lobes, where he’d used to wear the stately earrings common among young unattached noble men of wealth, but that Boromir had forsaken. Long ago, Denethor realises, when he thinks back. And he wears the more austere tunics and sashes and regalia that are usually reserved for older men, no, married men. Denethor and Gondor as a whole had assumed the slow change in style had been another mark of Boromir’s dedication to Gondor’s defense above all else, but it happened long after he’d made that commitment. Suddenly it all has a thoroughly different and more poignant meaning. Suddenly Boromir is standing there, a man with a life and a past and a family that Denethor had never even considered before. Suddenly there’s a stranger before him. 

The year following Orazio Garibald’s death and the conspicuous absence of Lordaeronian forces with the Draenor campaign has left Eastfold in an assertive state that would be surprising only to those not aware of the province’s past. If the former battle-mage’s arrival facilitated a revival of Hasican wealth and pride, his fall allowed its explosion into something no single man or woman has yet been able to control.

Orazio’s death was mourned across Eastfold, at least for the lack of a certain future his death brings beyond a wave of sentiment. Public works were funded all across the province from his pocket, and the revival of the merchant class was deftly controlled from the first moment of his arrival, making sure that all money and energy spent in forging links with the rest of the restored Lordaeron passed through his office first. All the while the nobility who had fled Eastfold were allowed to purchase their titles and return--making everyone of any worth dependent on Lord Garibald’s patronage. This not only brought about a huge influx of wealth, but political stability as all factions brought into the fold were kept too weak to make any meaningful resistance.

The Free League, however, still lived on, and as the viscount was increasingly pulled away from his home province they pushed against his bureaucracy. His sudden and violent death prevented any member of the rankling middle classes to curse his name, but they soon found a new avenue to push for recognition.

In the year since Orazio Garibald’s death to Kovis Zarrin, leader of the Golden Banner, there have been no less than thirty resolutions passed by the Free League requesting a war against Stonesmeet. The story of the duel between the two lords has been conflated to the point where nearly everyone in Hasic now believes the strange horse-lord used black magic to murder his opponent, only serving the powerful bloc of Hasican merchants. Not only do their protestations paint them as patriots honoring Orazio’s memory, but also carry the torch of expansion into Arathor. The resulting militant nationalism, paid for with merchant gold, has grown the small professional militia in Hasic into a mixed band of well-motivated mercenaries and forward-thinking, vengeful republicans.

While the city of Hasic has a common enemy, cracks are beginning to show across Eastfold. The nobles, forced to lower themselves among the upstart urban class, are a minority in number and in wealth among the Free League and present a less-than-united front. The speaker is still Segelin DeBrill, a knight of House Garibald, but his powers of veto have become nothing more than formalities now as the merchants have gained the power to simply overrule him. Decentralization has led to the merchant houses taking greater control of local policy.

And this fractioning of the Free League has caused even the middle classes to cross blades. Business as usual has resumed in Hasic without a strong central presence to control the merchant houses--without one clear dominant power, gangs of bravi and sellswords stalk the streets of Hasic to fight in their patrons’ name. The city still presents a united front, but enough blood is seeping out from the underworld that now all Hasicans know the usual anarchy and gang violence is afoot.

Another consequence of greater representation of the middle classes: repression of Pandaren rights. Lord Garibald brought a small cadre of refugees from Pandaria, mainly experts who guarded his person or allowed the breakthrough for his massive poppy plantations. However their numbers grew over time, and the Pandaren became a somewhat protected class in Eastfold. Few natives, especially Hasicans, hold any love for the strange and irritating folk; and so with Orazio’s death did their protection fade. While many still work the poppy fields, in recent weeks even that job, too, is soon being denied to them. Only the black market still thrives under their initiative--another necessary business, but nonetheless looked down upon in Eastfold.

A year has brought great change to Eastfold, if not in visible progress then in potential. Rhetoric towards the nobility has grown ever harsher, though the rural Eastfold lords are not the target so much as vaguely-defined power players from Blackmarsh and other territories. Opium production is still strong, but unemphasized as old Eastfold industries such as wool, wine, and high-end smithing are controlled by the political elite. Merchants vie for power in the streets but stand united against a target of equal parts vengeance and convenience. The people, not yet caught in the middle, still believe the Free League honor Orazio’s memory and yet also depend on royal institutions such as the Church of Lordaeron for spiritual and temporal guidance. If one were naive, they might say that Eastfold has settled into a sort of equilibrium.

But most would not wager the peace to last long.

EASTFOLD is changing, though open rebellion is still an open question. Eastfold is home to an array of diverse characters who all have different views on its current status. If anyone wishes to RP with an NPC from the region then feel free to contact me through tumblr, AIM, or Skype.

HERE is a list of known players

Sir Segelin DeBrill, knight of House Garibald and speaker of the Free League.

Master Alessio Rossi, patriarch of House Rossi and old Garibald ally in the Free League.

Dame Patrizia Rossi, knight of House Rossi

Sister Anair, Garibald appointee and key sister in the Cathedral of Hasic.

Lord Anwyl Clyff, lord of Firstpass in the Ducal Lands. Descendant of the Arathi conqueror Doukas Harwyn.

Sir Grigori, apparent leader of the Sons of Harwyn, a pro-rural noble movement.

Master Enzo Vicenze, chief petitioner of the Free League and master of the docks.

Master Franco Borza, merchant and petitioner of the Free League, and general of the Black Band Army.

Zay Daravshan! - The Golden Banner

Like the noble retinues of Blackmarsh or the militias and mercenaries of Eastfold, the military of the Golden Banner is an extension of the society it protects. Though much has been done to assimilate and pacify the clans with one another they are still distinct entities, and therefore must be united by greater purpose to create a coherent army. In the centuries since their inception the Five Banners accomplished that goal, but the Golden Banner perfected it.

The sub-banners recruited under the gold standard must disband and reform into companies, led by captains either elected from within the ranks or directly appointed by the general. Clan and banner allegiance is not forgotten, however, and the best Zarrins knew to avoid rivalries and group soldiers together according to both their purpose and their local ties.

Whenever the banners are called the Zarrin selects the best knights from among the nobility and the common mercenary companies to personally serve him as champions. Most are wise enough to accept the honor and take Zhaydan as their surname. Either forming his elite bodyguard or leading his companies, the Zhaydan serve their general alone, forsaking everything but unswerving allegiance to the Golden Banner. This is a recent invention, only occurring after Daravsh-i Zarrin was isolated from her sisters by Doukas Harwyn. At first the clans resisted fitfully; but after Clan Fulcala willingly lent their knights to prove loyalty, the rest acquiesced to greater centralization.

Though the Golden Banner does not resist fighting on foot when necessary, their home is an open plain and as such they make their living on horseback. Required to train and register to the Banner in order to carry any weapon, the vast majority of Stonesmeet recruits are unarmored herders or farmers wielding bows from their agile ponies. Knights do not neglect the bow either, and the masses are supported by well-armored archers and lancers in the second rank. When the auxiliaries withdraw behind them the knights charge and scatter the pursuers, braving arrow and shot with greater success. The final reserve is something only Clan Adrys and the Zarrin himself can provide: armored from head to toe, riding a fully-barded Raksh steed and wielding a great lance, the greatest Adrys knights and the banner’s Zhaydan perform the role of cataphracts, able to sweep aside any and all opposition in a final, lethal charge. Their heaviness precluding them from disengaging after the charge, these ponderous knights are said to behave much like crazed berserkers in the shock of combat. Even against the most organized resistance they remain “stuck in” until victory or death ends their rampage.

Do I use: “We are Arathi; that alone is all the identification we need.” Which I came up with.

Or: “If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better find another flag.” Which comes from an unknown author on quotegarden.