#evromord

        Quennar and Rúmil were elves of the Tatyar who awoke upon the shores of Cuiviénen. They befriended one another upon the Great Journey, and once they settled in Tirion they fell in love and married in a private ceremony, never ones for inviting the outside world into their lives. Yet they both became renowned scholars whose works were highly influential upon all the Eldar, and soon became esteemed teachers among the Lambengolmor, the society of loremasters. Among their many students were Pendelótë, Ailios, and Avamordo, each of whom earned distinction of their own in after years.           Rúmil was particularly interested in linguistics, and strove to create a visual representation of speech. It was he who created the first elvish alphabet, known as the Sarati, for which he earned the name Saratitamo. When the Teleri at last arrived in Valinórë, Rúmil was the first to note the divergence in their language from what was spoken among the Noldor, and set about to studying the different evolutions of Common Eldarin into Vanyarin Quendya, Noldorin Quenya, and Telerin.           The great works of Rúmil were many, for his interests were broad. He recorded the Ainulindalë, the story of the Music of the Ainur learned from the Valar themselves; the Lambessë, a study of the development of spoken language; the Ambarkanta, a treatise on the shaping of Arda; and the Annals of Aman, the history of the Eldar in Valinórë co-written with his husband Quennar. His wisdom was also recorded by his students and compiled into the collection i Equessi Rúmilo, “the Sayings of Rúmil.”           Rúmil always shied away from the attention of the academic community, and was glad when Prince Fëanáro took his place as the most interesting scholar in Tirion. He did not begrudge Fëanáro’s advancements and improvements of the Sarati into the Tengwar, and indeed was honored to advise Fëanáro in his many writings.           The work of Quennar was more focused upon timekeeping and measurement, earning the epessë i Onótimo, “the Reckoner,” though he dabbled in linguistics and indeed had been the one to coin the word menel, “heavens,” at Cuiviénen. He collaborated with his husband on the Annals of Aman, but his greatest work was a labor of many years, and would not be completed before the Darkening of Valinórë.           Amid this tragedy and chaos, both Rúmil and Quennar were compelled to follow the Princes of the Noldor into exile, but after the Doom of Mandos was proclaimed, Rúmil was overcome with grief and horror and turned back with Arafinwë. Yet Quennar did not, pressing onward with Ñolofinwë, and the parting between him and Rúmil was one of great sorrow. In Beleriand, Quennar was awed by the rising of the Moon and Sun and reinvigorated to complete his master-work, the Yénonótië or “Reckoning of Years,” a comprehensive analysis of chronology from the early days of the Valar in Arda and through the current Years of the Sun.           But once his work was published, Quennar found himself deeply unhappy and missing both the land of Aman and the husband he had left behind. He followed his former student Penlod to Gondolin, and hid away quietly among the House of the Pillar. Only a handful of people knew he lived in Gondolin, but two of his most faithful students cared for him in his grief and solitude: Ailios, a peer from Cuiviénen who had taken the name Gilfanon, and his dear friend Avamordo, who was now known as Evromord.           Gilfanon and Evromord had learned from Quennar and Rúmil in Aman, and now as full-fledged loremasters themselves they were responsible for the preservation of ancient writings, with students of their own—most notably young Pengolodh, who would go on to revise and continue much of Rúmil and Quennar’s work in later Ages. Evromord and Gilfanon ensured Quennar’s survival amid the Fall of Gondolin and the War of Wrath, protecting him through many dangers, and sailed with him back to Aman at the end of the First Age.           Rúmil had left Tirion for Tol Eressëa, looking west for Quennar’s return, and their reunion was great and glad. Quennar woke from his stupor and became active and joyful once more, and together he and his husband dwelt on Tol Eressëa for many Ages, founding the Cottage of Lost Play. Evromord and Gilfanon remained close by, and when they at last were wed to one another it was Quennar who officiated their marriage. By the end of the Third Age, Rúmil and Quennar returned to the mainland, passing down their responsibilities to Evromord and Gilfanon, and they settled in a small home outside of Tirion, where they yet dwell in peace.

          The Cottage of Lost Play was a house upon Tol Eressëa where grand stories of the Elder Days were preserved and shared among those who came to listen. It was founded by Rúmil and Quennar in the Second Age, after Quennar returned from exile and reunited with his husband. The two loremasters spent many years compiling tales of Cuiviénen, the Great Journey, the Days of Bliss, the Flight of the Noldor, and the Lays of Beleriand, and when their work was completed they welcomed others to their cottage to share in these stories of the past.           These tales were not only recorded in writing, but shared through music and mind-pictures and theatrical productions. In the mainland of Aman, much of this history was swept aside as exiles attempted to make new lives for themselves and forget the horrors of the past, but Quennar and Rúmil believed in the preservation of history and in sharing the stories of hope and woe their people endured. Thus the Cottage earned its name, for it truly was a place where Lost Play thrived, where elsewhere it would be forgotten.            By the end of the Third Age, Rúmil and Quennar were satisfied with their role in the Cottage’s purpose and thus they retired to the mainland, turning over their responsibilities to their apprentices and friends Gilfanon and Evromord. Though they yet dwelt in Gilfanon’s nearby House of a Hundred Chimneys, under their care, the Cottage expanded into a school as well as a museum, and drew in more visitors than ever before. To this end, Evromord invited his nephew Lindo to become the Cottage’s keeper, while he took up the position of door-ward. With Lindo came his wife Vairilmë, and the two couples worked together in harmony to fulfill their duties as lore-keepers and teachers.           In time, Evromord bore his husband a son, Ausir, and Vairilmë and Lindo had a child of their own, Vëannë. The two children were cousins, fast friends and just as firmly rivals, and their presence brought much joy to the Cottage and its inhabitants. Vëannë and Ausir’s favorite teacher was Ilverion, foster-son of Voronwë and a master storyteller in his own right.           Of all the Cottage’s guests, none was more remarkable than Eriol, a mortal who was guided by Ulmo to Tol Eressëa to learn the history of the elves. Eriol learned eagerly from anyone who had aught to teach him, from Unbegotten Gilfanon to his impetuous son Ausir, from young Vëannë to Meril-i-Turiqi herself, Queen of the Isle and a personal patron of the Cottage. Eriol delighted in the company of the elves, even taking Vairilmë’s niece Naimi to wife and with her bringing forth a half-elven child, Vorindo Heorrenda, who would grow up admiring his elder cousins Vëannë and Ausir.           In his old age, Eriol departed, returning to his homelands and bringing his son with him, and once more only Firstborn dwelt upon the Isle, but his mortal life left a great impact on those elves who had known him, especially his wife Naimi, who now dedicated herself to incorporating more Mannish tales into the Cottage’s programs in honor of Eriol’s heritage.

          Pendelótë was a Noldo of Valinórë, an architect and historian who learned from Quennar Onótimo and Rúmil. Though those mentors remained in Aman, Pendelótë was caught up in Fëanáro’s promises of freedom and adventure and joined in the Flight of the Noldor. Pendelótë marched across the Helcaraxë with the Host of Ñolofinwë, growing close to Princess Írissë, and often accompanied her on hunts and journeys when they arrived in Beleriand.           Still, Pendelótë did not have the same wanderlust as Írissë, and settled in Vinyamar to found a library and begin rebuilding the stores of knowledge lost in the journey to Middle-earth. At the Mereth Aderthad, Írissë introduced her friend to a lively group of Sindar who had given her the name Aredhel Ar-Feiniel. Among these folk were several edhel who were neither ellith or ellyn, and in meeting them Pendelótë realized that they also were neither nís nor nér. Emboldened by this discovery, they adapted their name to Penlod and embraced their new identity.           When Turukáno began to plan for his hidden kingdom, Penlod was one of the first elves he approached to aid him in building a city in the memory of Tirion-upon-Túna. Along with Turukáno himself, Penlod was the chief architect of Ondolindë, and oversaw the construction of many great towers and manors.           In Ondolindë, Penlod became the Lairde of the House of the Pillar. Among this House were many scholars, writers, historians, and architects, some of whose work survives to this day. The most renowned of these was Pengolodh, who at this time was but a young ellon serving under more established loremasters such as Evromord and Gilfanon. These three were responsible for the preservation of ancient writings, rescued from Gondolin’s fall, that make up the primary body of the history of the Elder Days.           Penlod was often in the company of Aredhel and her folk of the Tower of Snow. Though they were less fierce than those hunters, they enjoyed a good chase and spending time with their friends among that House. Thus, when Aredhel departed from Gondolin to visit her brother Fingon, she passed leadership of the Tower of Snow to Penlod to lead in her absence, anticipating she would return in a decade or two.            But Aredhel went not to Dor-lómin as her brother had instructed, instead turning toward Himlad where her friends Celegorm and Curufin dwelt. Along the way she was lost in the treacherous forest of Nan Dungortheb, and try though they might, her escort could not find her. They returned to Gondolin in sorrow, eventually Turukáno granted permanent leadership of his sister’s House to Penlod, and all of Gondolin mourned her as dead.           Thus great was their surprise and joy when Aredhel returned unlooked-for—and with a son! For a day there was feasting and merriment, welcoming the indomitable Lady of the Tower of Snow back home, but soon the celebrations were cut short upon the arrival of Aredhel’s wicked husband Eöl, who when faced with the King’s decree that he may not leave Gondolin, slew his wife and was slain in turn.           Though its Lady perished, the House of the Tower of Snow endured under Lairde Penlod’s leadership. They were still bound to their duties as the Lairde of the Pillar, but they were well-liked by the folk of the Tower of Snow and delegated responsibility to their deputies in a manner that pleased everyone.           Though Penlod was not an active military commander, they did lead their Houses to the Fifth Battle and acted as an organizer behind the frontlines. When the battle turned ill, they fought their way through the Gondolindrim’s retreat, returning to the hidden kingdom blind in one eye and with a third of the Tower of Snow slain. The Pillar suffered less heavy losses, and set to work recording the events as soon as they were safe within the confines of the Echoriath.           Though many of the folk of the Pillar escaped the Fall of Gondolin, preserving much of the city’s history, Penlod themself perished in the fighting with their back to the wall, and all the remaining folk of the Tower of Snow were slain. Evromord, Gilfanon, and Pengolodh survived and continued their lairde’s work in the Havens of Sirion, where Pengolodh gathered tales and histories from the other kindreds there as well. When the War of Wrath came to a close, Evromord and Gilfanon, wearied by the sorrows of Middle-earth, sailed to Tol Eressëa, but Pengolodh joined the folk of High King Gil-galad and labored diligently in his historical records. Eventually Penlod themself would be reborn, and though they remembered Pengolodh as a cheeky youth, they would marvel at his work and express their pride that one of the House of the Pillar had made such an impact on the histories of Middle-earth.