Corruption of the Eldar

[Jez]

The discussion in the Basilisk thread about introducing new monsters to the game that still work within the vague confines of "Tolkienesque" got me thinking about the corruption of the Eldar, or rather the lack thereof, by Sauron and Morgoth, and how a corrupted elf would make a fine nemesis.

Sure there's the debased travesty of the elves that gave rise to the orcs, but I'm thinking something more akin to the Black Numenoreans and the Mouth of Sauron: an elf that, by whatever deceits necessary, has given themselves over to the service of the Dark Lord but who (at least in physical form) is not totally ruined. Twisted, maybe.

I think there was one elf in the Silmarillion that was broken by Morgoth and then set free, who then betrayed his kin (it's a hazy memory), and I think that there's a passing reference to others who are set loose after a spell in Angband, who are then outcast by their kin when they return home to elven lands because they cannot be trusted (nice)... but what happened to them? Immortal, but surely wretched, how did they spend the long years? There's no real talk of suicide. But by the end of the Third Age — some what, 6000 years or more? — what have those poor things become?

[Mim]

You raise an intriguing point that I've often mulled over as well.

You're probably referring to Eöl, his son Maeglin, & his servants in The Silmarillion.

If you want to introduce these types of characters into your story, some of their servants may have survived into the Third Age - & still harbor their grudges against the Eldar & such .

[Tolwen]

Sure there's the debased travesty of the elves that gave rise to the orcs, but I'm thinking something more akin to the Black Numenoreans and the Mouth of Sauron: an elf that, by whatever deceits necessary, has given themselves over to the service of the Dark Lord but who (at least in physical form) is not totally ruined. Twisted, maybe.

MERP had lots of these as high-level antagonists - and of course every single one of them was the "unique, big exception". I guess you get what I mean
IMO this was one of MERP's less bright moments as the need and idea is obvious, but the textual situation is quite meagre in that respect. And this is not only with reference to existing examples of such characters, but even to the theoretical option.
All the characters that Giblet Blizzard named have one thing in common - despite their individual backgrounds: Not one of them served the Dark Lord(s) ever willingly. They did some quite cruel and vicious deeds and furthered Morgoth's or Sauron's goals, but it was never with the intent of serving one of them. The one that came closest in that respect was Maeglin who was coerced into betraying Gondolin. Since he didn't survive that battle, we cannot say what would have happened with him, had he survived. IMO he was serving Morgoth not really willingly, but under extreme duress. At the first opportunity to get out of that, he would probably have done that.
Morgoth and Sauron manipulated lots of Elves to further their goals, but these were just that - manipulated pawns. The others (e.g. former prisoners of Angband) were let go but they were under Morgoth's shadow. They could decide on their own, but would only - unwillingly - promote Morgoth's goals. They were mostly ardently opposed to the Dark Lord, but their tragedy was that this did not avail and they were mistrusted. Though not Elves, both Túrin and Húrin are good examples for this type of manipulation.

That said, there might be an elf serving a Dark Lord, but then the latter must have a real good leverage to press the elf into his service. It would also be a good question how long this would work (not for extended periods IMHO). And I guess this is not what you were looking for. The "twisted elf serving Sauron out of free will" stereotype that was quite prominent in some MERP modules is IMO something not really fitting for Middle-earth and quite unlikely IMO.

Cheers
Tolwen

[DavetheLost]

In Lost Tales 2 which I am currently reading there is talk of gnomes and others of the elves not being trusted because they were held captive by or lived in lands under the shadow of Melko/Morgoth. I have yet to come across any who were actually corrupted and willingly served. Those were servants were such under duress and coercion.

[DavetheLost]

Of course an Elf need not be corrupted to serve as the villain of an adventure. Witness the treatment of Thorin &Co at the hands of Thranduil in the Hobbit and the Fellowship's reception into Lothlorien. Elves are not always friendly to other folk.

I think an uncorrupted Elf who sees things very differently to the players could make an excellent nemesis. Especially as he or she would not be evil or an agent of the Enemy, but still an enemy.

[Tolwen]

In Lost Tales 2 which I am currently reading there is talk of gnomes and others of the elves not being trusted because they were held captive by or lived in lands under the shadow of Melko/Morgoth. I have yet to come across any who were actually corrupted and willingly served. Those were servants were such under duress and coercion.

I always recommend studying all of Tolkiens writings, so I'm quite happy at someone rreading the HoMe Be aware however, that these stories in the Home 1 & 2 (The Lost Tales) represent Tolkiens oldest ideas that were either never continued or further developed (e.g. the Fall of Gondolin), consciously rejected and dropped (e.g. the "militant" Valar Makar and Measse) or later further developed into much more modern and quite different versions (e.g. the Awakening legends of the Elves). Thus the content of these old tales must be viewed with great care, since they are seldomly even halfway compatible with the The Hobbit- and LotR-era writings.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Jez]

The "twisted elf serving Sauron out of free will" stereotype that was quite prominent in some MERP modules is IMO something not really fitting for Middle-earth and quite unlikely IMO.

Tolwen

Oh I might not have expressed myself clearly in the OP, I never imagined and Elf freely doing so, instead being deceived or coerced into it (I keep thinking of Anakin for some reason, heaven help me).

[DavetheLost]

As concerns "Lost Tales" Tolwen makes a good point, these are not the finished versions of these tales, some changed considerably, some were dropped. The "lost" in the title is actually a play on words. The manuscripts and thus the tales were "lost" to the reading public for years, but the tales themselves were "lost" to the inhabitants of Middle Earth by the late Third Age. These are the early forms of the myths and legends and are framed as tales told, not as strictly historical accounts.

This is, I think, a huge and often overlooked aspect of Tolkien's genius. His tales were not told from a third person omniscient narrative perspective. Rather they were tales told or manuscripts written by those living in Middle Earth, complete with errors, distortions, and lacunae. Tolkien placed himself in the role of translator, editor and annotator, not so much author and creator.

Reading HoME is most useful for picking out the threads of Tolkien's thought. It helps to determine what fits and doesn't fit with the character of Middle Earth as he saw it. I would not take any of it as "historical fact".

As for an Elf being deceived by Sauron, Elrond speaks of the Elven smiths of old being ensnared by Sauron through their thirst for knowledge. Granted, Sauron at that time wore a fairer form and was not recognized as the Enemy he became. Elves are long lived and it is likely that some who lived then yet live in Middle Earth. It is remotely possible, though I think not likely, that one or two may yet believe Sauron's lies from that time. More likely is that an Elf soured on Men and Dwarves given their failings. Even deceiving an Elf by proxy would be difficult at this late date.

[Arthadan]

Maybe an Eldar spirit is not easy to break and make him embrace the Dark Lord as his Master, probably not a Grey Elf for that matter.

But what about the Avari? Less wise, wilder, not knowing the Valar and deprived from Valinor's light... if there ever was an Elf willingly serving Saron (or Morgoth), quite likely he (or she) was an Avari.

[Otaku-sempai]

Maybe an Eldar spirit is not easy to break and make him embrace the Dark Lord as his Master, probably not a Grey Elf for that matter.

But what about the Avari? Less wise, wilder, not knowing the Valar and deprived from Valinor's light... if there ever was an Elf willingly serving Saron (or Morgoth), quite likely he (or she) was an Avari.

There may have been Noldor and Sindar Elves who Sauron seduced into corruption in his days as Annatar, rather than breaking them by torture and torment. These Elves might still be around at the end of the Third Age and into the Fourth, perhaps controlling regions in the East or the South.

I also wonder about the Avari who either remained in the far-eastern forests of Rhun or eventually made their way South to the forests and jungles of Far Harad. Some may very well have come into the service of Sauron, and Morgoth before him.

For that matter, are there Dwarf-colonies in either of those regions? Might some remnant of the Petty-dwarves have ended up in the Southern Grey Mountains in Far Harad (analogous to the Yellow Mountains in MERP's Middle-earth)? Do any Dwarves inhabit the Moutains of the East? Maybe Wild Hobbits can still be found in the river-valleys of Khund. I have a harder time imagining Hobbits migrating across the Hither Lands to settle in Far Harad, but some might have done so before the advances of the Big Folk.