Editor's Note: The following excerpts were retrieved from a journal found in Mithlond. It is believed that the journal originated on Númenor and was brought from there to Tol Eressëa on Ar-Pharazôn's massive fleet. From Tol Eressëa it was carried over to Mithlond and was later discovered hidden in the Library by Círdan. The maker of this journal was named Arnuzîr, and it is my belief he was the Steward of the King.
The 29th of Cerveth, 3255 S.A.
I have served many kings in the past and I hope to do so again. I served Ar-Gimilzôr when he took the Sceptre in 3102. I aided Tar-Palantir when he began his rule in 3177. I even served Tar-Miriel (or Ar-Zimraphel as we must now call her) for her regrettebly brief reign. But, never before have I served man quite like Ar-Pharazôn.
Recently, my dear friend and master, Tar-Palantir, passed away from grief and despair that his realm had fallen to a level so depraved it resembles the rotting kingdoms of the lesser men we once assisted. He passed the Sceptre unto his daughter Tar-, no wait, Ar-Zimraphel. However, his brother, Ar-Pharazôn, had long followed the mind set of his grandfather (Ar-Gimilzôr), that all lands belonged to the people of Númenor, who were the rightful masters of the world.
In order to fulfil his dream, Ar-Pharazôn required the Sceptre. And to get his hands on the Sceptre he was forced to do a depraved thing: marrying inside his house. Perhaps in the wild stretches of Endor this is a common practice, but here in Númenor such a marriage should be illegal. Many would have tried to stop him, but Ar-Pharazôn had been a man of great rank in our Army and Navy, and any who dared speak against him were swiftly silenced by the men he commands.
Today is the day of his wedding, and also the day of his coronation. Both will short ceremonies, requiring only an oath taken in the name of Eru. Even the festivities will be short, for our people have never been given to excess and celebration. Our only holiday is in celebration of Eru and is mostly a quiet ceremony.
I fear what will happen to our realm once Ar-Pharazôn gets his hands on it. Back in the old days, a man named Ar-Gimilzôr had come to the Throne. He become the greatest enemy of our once friends and allies, the Eldar. He forbade the so-called rebels, the Faithful, from teaching any of the beautiful elvish tongues and utterly forbade any of the Eldar to set foot on Númenor. He was not entirely successful in this former task, as I was taught Sindarin and a little Quenya.
His wife, on the other hand, was secretly one of the Faithful. She bore two children to Ar-Gimilzôr. The elder of these two children, Inziladûn, took after his mother and was friendly to the Eldar. The younger child, Gimilkhâd, was more alike to his father, and Ar-Gimilzôr would have prefered him to inherit the Sceptre. But, since Inziladûn was the elder sibling, Inziladûn was the inheritor.
He took the name Tar-Palantir, meaning "The Far-sighted", in the hitherto unused tongue of Eldar. His brother became a leader of the King's party, a group resisting the Faithful and became the father of Ar-Pharazôn. He instilled the belief into Ar-Pharazôn that the Númenorians were superior to all other races and that they deserved to rule all of Arda, even the undying lands.
Tar-Palantir, meanwhile, undid most of his father's work. He allowed the Elven tongues to be taught and spoken again. He also tried to mend the diplomatic bridges with the Elves that Ar-Gimilzôr had destroyed. Most of his efforts were too little, too late, and the majority of the Númenorians remained how they had during Ar-Gimilzôr's rule.
Ar-Pharazôn then became a great captain in our fleet. He started the Days of War. To the people of Endor we were no longer a helpful, yet superior group. Now we were an outright evil monarchy, committed to murder and plunder. During these times Ar-Pharazôn built many fortresses to contain the ever growing might of Sauron, which, will earning back the favor of some of the wild-men, did nothing to endear himself to the Faithful.
The Elves claim that Sauron was formerly of an order like the Valar, but of less strength. They say he was persuaded into evil by some "song", and in return was made lieutenant of the fallen Vala Morgoth. I personally believe he was formerly one of Eldar themselves until seduced by Morgoth's promises of great power. They tell their story out of shame.
Ar-Pharazôn hearing of his uncle's weariness, hastened back to Númenor, hoping to take the Throne. Alas, controlling the majority of the military, and being vastly popular with both the lords, and the common masses, he was able to take control of the Kingdom with ease.
It is my sad duty to serve every ruler of ours, being Steward of Númenor, but I for once am not enjoying it, for I fear this may be our worst leader yet.
Arnuzîr
The 30th of Cerveth, 3255 S.A.
I took a walk in the public gardens today, as I frequently do when I have nothing else to be doing. As I walked, I noticed that already the statues of Tar-Palantir had been replaced with statues of Ar-Pharazôn. It made me miss the old King. He had been one of the smartest people that I knew, and it was really only with him that I ever found an equal in mind.
I am growing to be quite friendly with the gardeners, and have learned much about plants from the Head Gardener.
The First of Urui, 3255 S.A.
Ar-Zimraphel is adjusting to her new position well. I inquired to her the other day as to how she was handling the stress of being married to her cousin and political oponnent and she replied "While I am Queen and married to the most influential man of this day, I can influence the lords like I never could have before. I will better serve my country this way".
I believe she will continue aiding the Faithful, who, ever since Tar-Palantir died, have faded back into anonymity to avoid Ar-Pharazôn's men. Indeed, almost as soon as Ar-Pharazôn returned, the elves flees back to their lands, and the land was worsened for it.
In the short time he has ruled, already several changes have been made. Ar-Pharazôn has reinstituted several of Ar-Gimilzôr's laws persecuting the Faithful and the Eldar. He has also instituted a special task force to hunt down any 'insurgents' as he termed the Faithful.
Some people, I believe are helping the Faithful hide. Many of these people are descendants of the Lords of Andúnië, for they have always been elf-friends. One of these men, Amandil, I have judged to be a good man. I recently confided in him one Tar-Palantir' prophecies (for "Far-sighted" was not just a fancy name!), that only I had been around to hear.
"The lineage of both Tree and Scion are linked. If one falls, then the other will fall shortly after. If there ever comes a day when neither Tree nor Seed, nor Scion or Scion's Scion live, then the world shall no the true meaning of grief ". I know not what it is that inspired me to share such words, but I feel they will be useful one day. Amandil in return confided he was hoping to marry some nobility in hopes of recapturing the King's favor.
I have not conferred much with our new King. Hopefully, if I am to perform the same duties as I did with my former master, then I can send a servant up with my reports, and only interact with Ar-Pharazôn at Council meetings.
Ah, I just received a message from the King confirming my previous suspicions. This means I will be responsible for reviewing the quality of the legislature passed (as in the phrasing, not the moralitu), signing forms for the king, handling taxes, and handling our funds and resources. And, of course, the primary duty (and my favorite duty!) of a Steward: To record the events happening at the time.
Arnuzîr
The 26th of Urui, 3257 S.A.
I have always been a very private person, with no one loyal to me, no friends, no lovers. Many times, people have attempted to attach themselves to me in various ways, thankfully not in the literal sense. However, these people always are looking at me because of my status, not because of my personality. Usually, when those kinds of people get to know me better, they leave me.
However, some people truly see me for the person that I am, and for that I am grateful. People such as Amandil and Ar-Zimraphel, who are used to seeing clearly into people, being skilled politicians both of them. Also, Ar-Pharazôn, in his own cunning way, knows what kind of person I am and what I am like.
I have sought a lover in the past, someone to whom I could confide in, and would share my interests. Perhaps it was my lack of devotion to this search, but I never found such a person. Now, as I grow older, I feel I will never find such a person.
Arnuzîr
15th of Narbeleth, 3257 S.A.
It is quite lovely out here in Númenor. The trees' leaves are turning from their verdant green hues into beautiful reds and golds and yellows. Of course, this does leave a lot of work for the gardeners to do, but I think that they are not much overburdened by it.
I took advantage of the fact that Ar-Pharazôn had assigned me with no duties for today to take a little vacation and head into the city. I spent lots of time at the market, picking up some rare books. I obtained a copy of Wind and Waves for a ridiculously low price. Then, I had lunch in a local tavern. The meal was far worse in quality than those I was used to, but I relished it anyways.
It is my belief that those higher in power should associate more with those lower in power, so as to understand what problems plague the majority of the people they rule. I am trying to get a feel for how Ar-Pharazôn's new policies are affecting the people. So far, while I see lots of grumbling, the policies seem to have had no ill effects, to my surprise.
21st of Hithui, 3259 S.A.
Around this time of year, my desk is always swamped with paperwork! Not only does this month seem to be the main month in which inventories and taxes are handled, but also many letters are passing between various heads of state at this time. This year especially, things are busy, as the rulers of the various Elven realms are trying to arrange a meeting with Ar-Pharazôn, welcoming him as the new King.
The meeting will no doubt be tense, as both parties have little liking for each other. Ar-Pharazôn follows mainly the policies of his grandfather, so he likes the Elves not at all. The elves, knowing him from his time spent as Admiral in Endor, do not trust him.
Some good news though: I have discovered someone else very interested in these kinds of subjects. Her name is Vanilmara, and she is a fellow scholar like me. I am very impressed by her knowledge of certain subjects, plus her ability to get such a good education when her sex is often prevented from doing so. We are meeting together in a few months, which hopefully goes well. I would meet with her sooner, but we are both very busy.
29th of Cerveth, 3260 S.A.
It has been 5 years since Ar-Pharazôn came to the Throne and his rule has not been as bad as I, or others, feared. Other than creating some silly bits of legislature the kingdom has been run the same as before. However, some of these laws and acts Herald a changing time. I will show some examples of these new laws.
"Númenorian Expansion Act: Azrukhôr the Mariner is the new Grand Admiral of the Númenorian Navy, now that Ar-Pharazôn has became the King. Effective immediately, he is to invade several good areas of the coast along Middle-earth and establish ports there.
Númenorian Group Act: Any group or party that is to meet with more than five members must be certified by the Agency Bureau. All groups thus cleared must reverting each year. The Agency Bureau has the right to demand that a group show proof of their certification.
Second Ship Act: Any non-commercial boat is to be turned in to the Shipping Bureau, where it will be repurposed as a military vessel. Additionally, all commercial fishing boats must be outfitted with cannons and their crews must be trained in combat (both hand to hand, and strategy) in case of War. A few of the military vessels will be given over to the Exploration Bureau, for the purpose of defending the vessels that are to see if there is a way to sail around Endor and into Valinor.
Gold Act: All gold mines are to be converted over to the Standard II so as to increase production. Other mines shall be converted to Standard I to minimalize risks to workers. We will attempt to capture slaves to replace the workers, to ease the burden on our men and economy.
Male Lineage Act: The Sceptre will be passed to closest related male, instead of the closest relative, as was the previous law regarding inheritance of the Sceptre. If there is no such male successor, or the question of succession is in doubt, the Sceptre shall instead be passed to the highest amongst the lords.
Pure Lineage Act: It is now legal for members of the Royal House to marry one another. This practice is encouraged, to keep the pure blood inside the house. The law also applies to the lords as well.
Port Act: All ports are to be run by the Port Bureau (See Section 5 of "The New Executive Bureaus") . The Lords of Andúnië shall have no legal duties anymore."
Arnuzîr
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