men of middle-earth ∿ misc. númenóreans ∿ headcanon disclaimer
The Guild of Venturers was an organization of mariners formed by the great Númenórean adventurer Tar-Aldarion while he was still a prince. Its headquarters were on Aldarion’s ship Eämbar, anchored off the island of Tol Uinen in the bay of Rómenna, but its sailors steered their vessels all across the Great Sea to the distant shores of Middle-earth. At its height, the Guild was hundreds of men strong, but only a few were close to its Master, Aldarion. Among these select few were Henderch of Andustar and Ulbar of Emerië. They accompanied their prince to Middle-earth on the massive ship Hirilondë, and upon their return they journeyed with him to the White House of Erendis his wife. While Ulbar rode on to his own home, Henderch remained with Aldarion and witnessed Erendis’ cold greeting to her absent husband. Finding himself unwelcome in his wife’s home, Aldarion left earlier than he had planned, heading on to the lands of his cousin Hallatan of Hyarastorni. Ulbar had been a shepherd on one of Hallatan’s farms before he joined the Guild of Venturers, and upon his return his wife Êlukî threw him a gladsome homecoming party, overjoyed to have him home. When Aldarion and Henderch arrived in the midst of the celebration, the prince grew increasingly bitter in his jealousy of Ulbar’s happy marriage. When Ulbar’s son Îbal asked how old one had to be to go to sea, Aldarion snapped, giving him a bitter answer. In his anger, Aldarion decided not to ride on to Hallatan’s house, instead returning alone to Armenelos despite Henderch’s protestation that a prince should not ride unaccompanied. Before he left, however, Aldarion gave Êlukî a ring with a fiery red jewel that had been gifted to him by the Elvenking Gil-galad—a present that had originally been intended for Erendis. Êlukî treasured this gift, and impressed upon her son to always treat the royal house with honor. It was counsel given too late, for two years previously Îbal had come to the White House of Erendis on an errand and met the young princess Ancalimë, who had never before seen a male and thought him a “noisy thing.” His visit prompted Ancalimë to ask questions of her servant Zamîn, who first told her of her father Aldarion. Zamîn would remain a faithful companion of the princess, aiding her when she went into hiding under the name Emerwen Aranel to escape the attention of suitors who desired her hand for the power they would gain. In the centuries following the height of Aldarion’s power, the Guild of Venturers was slowly absorbed into the royal navy of Númenor. While they remained a powerful force of exploration, individual mariners became less prominent as their tasks turned to a primarily military role. The last great explorer of what remained of the Guild was Círyatur, who in his youth sailed far and wide, updating the maps made by Aldarion to reflect changes in the land nearly a thousand years later. For his greatness, Ruling Queen Tar-Telperiën named him the Chief Admiral of Númenor’s navy, a title held in name only for many years, as she was uninterested in meddling with the affairs of Middle-earth. Her nephew and heir Minastir, however, was concerned about the growing threat of Sauron, and convinced his aunt to send aid to the elves of Lindon besieged by the Dark Lord. Telperiën allowed this so long as Minastir oversaw the operation, leaving her out of it, and suddenly Círyatur found himself forced into a military role. Yet with Minastir’s support, Círyatur rose to the occasion and commanded a great fleet in the Battle of the Gwathló, resulting in a resounding defeat of Sauron and his forces—and embittering him against the Númenóreans, desiring to bring about their ultimate downfall.
