Author's Note: We're past the halfway point (in terms of pages)! You guys better enjoy this; Tar-Calmacil will be the last interviewee with "Tar" in his name for a while. I hope you enjoy the chapter; please leave me a review! What stood out most to you about Tar-Calmacil?

Tar-Calmacil

Name(s): Tar-Calmacil; Ar-Belzagar

Race: Men

Life: He was born in 2516 S.A., and when he became Númenor's eighteenth king, he ruled for 88 years until his death in 2825.

. . .

So, you were apparently a renowned captain in your youth. Could you talk about what you did during your campaigns?

I accomplished many great feats during my years as a captain. I drove back the hordes of Sauron, and eventually the Dark Lord withdrew from the shores completely, though I always doubted that he was truly defeated. When all the orcs were eradicated, I set up many permanent ports and cities along the coast to expand Númenor's dominion. I gained many hundreds of miles of territory for my country.

Why was it that you desired to conquer so much land in Middle Earth?

The people of Númenor soon became dissatisfied with the small space they had always lived on. Our skill and majesty eventually became too much for our little land, and we needed to expand. Since the West was denied us, we had only the coasts of Middle Earth to colonize and rule. We received much of our wealth from Middle Earth; once we started bringing shiploads of supplies, we could not stop without an economic recession. Besides, our rule was good for the indigenous men, who needed a firm and wise hand to keep them from acting like savages. We were superior to them, and no one can rightly condemn us for exercising our birthright to rule.

Only the Faithful sailed to the lands of Gil-galad during your time, while the King's men always journeyed south. Why was this?

Gil-galad and all the other elves were not my enemies, but they were not my friends either. They liked the Valar too much, and they possessed what Númenóreans deserved: life without death looming ahead. They had nothing to offer us except foolish advice to submit like dogs to the Valar. So we avoided them, at least I and the King's Men did. The Faithful, as they called themselves, still revered the Eldar, and they thought that the elves should be our closest friends, and even our counselors. I suppose they sailed north to gain wisdom from the Eldar, though I hardly see how they could have been successful.

Númenóreans were clad in silver and gold, and they feasted; their power and majesty were greatly increased during your lifetime. Why this change in culture?

Well, we had a lot more access to wealth through our settlements and journeys in Middle Earth. We were skilled in crafting beautiful things, so we began to dress and live in accordance with our wealth. With so many resources, we were always trying to make better and better things; it just became a part of Númenórean life to display our country's prosperity.

We also did a great deal of feasting. And why not? We had the means, and just as we became great craftsmen and tailors, we found ways to create a great variety of wonderful foods. Feasting was just a way for us to rejoice in our wealth.

To summarize, we enjoyed ourselves because we could, and also because it simply felt good. We lived always under the doom and shadow of death; we had to live our lives to the fullest before we were taken forever from the world that we loved.

Were not the men of Middle Earth hungry and poor?

Not all were, and those that did lack some things were not our problem.

What would you say to the phrase: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die"?

That sounds like a good summary of our philosophy. You only live for a few hundred years, and even that number was ever decreasing. If life is not to be enjoyed, what point is there in living? We had no proof that anything was waiting for our souls when we died, and so it was only logical that we spend every minute of our lives having fun.

Did Númenor not once have hope in something beyond the circles of the world? What of trust in Eru's goodness?

That is a foolish, unfounded trust. I never saw Eru, and nor did my father, or his father, or his father, or his father. In fact, no one has ever seen Him. And why should we believe in something that we cannot see? And if there is no Eru, then there is no promise of any other fate besides extinction at death.

Why did you allow your title to be spoken in Adûnaic by the King's Men instead of using the old Quenya?

What's wrong with Adûnaic? Everyone seems to know it far better than Quenya or even Sindarin, and it's not as if I defied all tradition. My official title was still Tar-Calmacil. Besides, I was just trying to make it more convenient to my people. And you know what? I'm not an elf, so why should I use an elven name all the time?

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