Author's Note: This is a short but necessary interview since it was in Tar-Ciryatan's time that the Shadow came over the bliss of Númenor. Watch for any changes to the themes of thought. And guys, *cough* you haven't been very good about *cough* reviewing lately. Please don't leave this story until you've given me a bit of input! Even a minimal comment would make my day!

Tar-Ciryatan

Name(s): Tar-Ciryatan

Race: Men

Life: He was born in 1634 S.A. and ruled as twelfth king of Númenor for 160 years. He surrendered the scepter years in 2029 S.A. and died in 2035.

. . .

Talk about your early days as a ship captain. What did you do and like most?

I was born to sail and conquer the sea. The sea was like my second home; I always longed to sail, whether it was to new lands or ones already discovered. It was almost a restlessness of heart; I couldn't stay on land and be satisfied for long. The only place I did not care to go was the West. I have no idea why my father wasted all those hours staring off at it. Who cares about Valinor? No, my eyes were ever on Middle Earth.

Did you have any other strong desires besides sailing?

Yes. I had a great love of wealth, as is fitting for a king. Speaking of which, I had a natural draw to power, since it was my birthright. I was a very successful captain, leading my men through thick and thin, so it was no unrighteous desire to be the head of even more people since I was so good at it.

Is that why you took the scepter from your father before he was willing to surrender it?

Now hold on; I didn't take the scepter from him at all. I simply told him that it would be best for everyone if I ruled Númenor a littler earlier than he had intended. He was getting old, and I was ready to become king. Eventually he agreed with my wisdom. I never forced him to do anything.

What were your policies concerning the men of Middle Earth?

I taxed them. They owed Númenor everything; we deserved some of their money, even if they thought we took too much. By the Valar, we deserved all of it! You've no idea how much we sacrificed for them. I also put some decent laws into effect to keep them in their place. They were not our equals, and to treat them as such would have thrown off the whole system by which we all lived.

What did you think of the Ban, of the Eldar, and of death?

The Ban was somewhat ridiculous, but I didn't really mind all that much. The West was boring, as I've said, and so I didn't care whether or not we were "allowed" to go there.

The elves were smart; we got a lot of our knowledge and skill from them. However, when they had nothing left to teach us, we pretty much ignored them unless we had to join forces against Sauron.

Death. That's a tricky subject. Death, I always thought, was a cruel ending to a good man's life. I hated it—we all did—but I considered old age and dotage even worse, so I chose death over slow decline.

What of Eru?

Eru doesn't really have anything to do with us or life. He started the heavens spinning and made the first men, but otherwise He is unimportant. I didn't care to learn about him much.

What do you think of the claim made by some that the Shadow first appeared over the bliss of Númenor during your reign?

Ha! The Shadow? More like the glory! I brought great wealth and power to Númenor during my rule, and we rose in the eyes of everyone in Middle Earth. A Shadow indeed! That was probably made up by someone who was envious of our country. I'm sure that if one could see into Númenor's future, that claim would be exposed for what it is: a lie. I believed until the day I died that sometime soon, Númenor would be the greatest of any nation that has ever existed. If we had the ability to see what happened after my days, we would undoubtedly see the impregnable strength of my country, not a so-called "Shadow".

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