Character Study – Arabelle Shadowfire
Arabelle Shadowfire stood near the edge of a cliff overlooking a small, unnamed village in Rohan. She had been traveling for days, pursued by a band of orcs. Her dark brown hair bound tightly against the fierce winds of the Riddermark, she could just make out a flurry of activity in the village below, nothing more than a small market square.
A descendant of the Dúnedain, she was currently 84 and still in her prime. Arabelle's long life had been difficult. She witnessed the death of both her parents when she was only18. They had both been killed in the same battle, the battle that cost her people their home, unusual though it was. A small town near Lake Evendim and the ruins of Annúminas, it had always been a target for the roving bands of orcs, remnants of those who had escaped the great battles of the First Age.
Since the death of her parents, Arabelle had taken over leadership of her people, mostly a band of Rangers, like the orcs, a relic of days long gone. Standing here in Rohan, she debated whether to go down to the village. She had friends here, though if the orcs knew she was there, the village would be attacked and most likely decimated. Arabelle had always been tracked and hunted like this. No one was quite sure why. Some said she had something in her possession of great value, others believed there was some kind of dark secret lurking in her family's past. Whatever the case, it didn't change her current situation. Her position on the cliff was vulnerable and the orcs were close.