Birth Name:

Nienna Elensar (Name Meaning: “Neptune’s Moon”)




Nickname or Title:

Witch of the Black Forest (Mirkwood)



Race:

Elven




Height:

Average (About as tall as Arwen)

Weight:

130lb




Age:

Unknown, may have lived as long as Elrond of longer

Culture:

Eryn Lasgalen, or Greenwood, Mirkwood, Elves of Rivendell

Appearance:




Description:

Nienna is gentle and quiet. She is a natural nurturer. She will fight for the life of plants and the land’s life force. She feels a deep connection with middle Earth and will often communicate with the Earth itself. She also seems to have a similar connection to the moon, often referring to the moon as “The Great Moon”. She is braver than a league of men against 3 leagues of orcs and will fight just as hard. She can strike fear into the hearts of others with the strength of her power and will. Nienna is in all her ways fair and beautiful. Never aging and may have lived as long as Elrond of longer. She is most wise and always looks before she leaps. She, even in battle, wears a gown. It doesn’t seem to affect her skills and combat readiness in the slightest for some odd reason.




Flaw(s):

Nienna can sometimes be a bit elitist in demeanor towards Dwarves not unlike other elves. She has spent so much time in Mirkwood that she has forgotten some of how it feels to first-hand experience the other joys of Middle Earth outside of the forest. She can become very curious about things that are unfamiliar to her, which can lead her into investigating situations that she ought not to. Her reputation precedes her as the Witch of the Black Forest, thus many humans fear her when they find out who she is. Somehow people tend to instinctively know that she is the fabled witch of the Black forest/ Mirkwood which causes people fear her and flee before they actually find out how gentle and non-threatening she is.




Weaponry:

An enchanted staff, an strong enchanted Elvish long bow and arrows. Nienna’s enchanted staff of mahogany wood appears when she wills it to. She often carries a bundle of enchanted leaves that are tied with Elvish theads. These leaves sense things like Orcs or other dark beings/ occurrences and change color sometimes glowing in reaction as a warning.

Armor or clothing:

She usually wears flowing elegant gowns. She doesn’t seem to wear any visible armor even during battle. Her gowns are durable and she has been granted some measure of grace that guards as body armor. It is invisible but not impenetrable so she must still take great care to avoid taking hits in battle.

Miscellaneous:



Skills and Abilities:

Lady Nienna wields strong magic that is rooted in the power of the wood. She is not the older of a ring of power, yet being an elf with the blessing of a maiar to cast true magic, she is not be taken lightly. She has been known to summon creatures of the forest to her aide, cast curses rooted in wrathful forest magic, healing and simple elemental earth based spells. Nienna is known for having control over plant life. She is mostly magical and will only resort to physical violence when there is no other option for her.

She is a skilled archer like most elves. She can shoot just as accurately as Legolas or Aragon. She can wield a sword but prefers staffs and Elvish weapons because they are much lighter than human weapons typically. She will use her enchanted Mahogany staff to cast spells that are of a stronger level, and to engage in close quarters combat. Nienna is highly nimble and swift. She is an adept fighter and can hold her own in battle very well. Her physical punches aren’t very strong, but receiving a blow from her while she wields her Mahogany staff will cause considerable damage to the recipient. She would rather play the role of a long range mage in a battle so she tends to hang back when in a group.



Other:

She is on good terms with Gandalf the Grey and they are both aware of each other’s origins although they are both equally quiet about the subject matter. She is familiar with Legolas and is close friends with him. She has also met Aragon on occasions and hold great respect for the rightful heir of Isildur. She has a very curious closeness with Gandalf the Grey, and will later come to fancy the Human Lord Faramire son of the Steward of Gondor.



History:

Nienna Elensar ‘s history is tied to that of the Greenwood commonly known as Mirkwood or the Black Forest. Mirkwood was a dense and heavy woodland that made up much of the eastern part of Rhovanion or the Wilderland, that has maintained its borders and relative shape for many ages. Its other natural land features include the Mountains of Mirkwood (Emyn Fuin, formerly the Emyn Duir or "Dark Mountains") and a small river both which were in the northern part of the forest. Its climate was relatively mild. Save for ways through the thickets of the forest, there were very few traversable routes through Mirkwood and the only known ones were the Old Forest Road and Forest Path. Approximately it is 600 miles from north to south and 250 miles from west to east at its longest. It is home of giant spiders and the kingdom of King Thranduil of the Elves. The water found in it has magical properties which induces anyone who comes into contact with it into a long slumber and forgetfulness. Nienna has been known to be a Guardian of the forest since the Elves settled in the nearby region. It is uncertain where her actual origins lie before then.



Mirkwood, and possibly Nienna, date back to the earliest days of Middle-earth and the Elves passed through it on their Great Journey from Cuiviénen into the Far West, and where they made their first long-term stop at before continuing onward. The Elves that passed through the wood encountered her and were granted her blessing. From then on Mirkwood had been the dwelling of the Wood-elves for many thousands of years Nandor elves descending from the wandering Teleri elf Lenwë had begun living there. The Sindarin elf Oropher, the grandfather of Legolas established the Woodland realm proper, which had become the primary settlement of the elves from the Second Age onward. It was around this time that Men, possibly ancestors of the Northmen began making permanent settlements in and around the forest. However this was not done before they received clearance and blessing from the Guardian of the wood. The first human settlers in the Mirkwood were initially terrified of legends surrounding the “Witch of the Black Forest.” However upon encountering her they realized that she was not of a malicious nature. When Oropher was killed in the War of the Last Alliance, the kingship passed to his son Thranduil and he ruled there ever since.



Nienna had originally been known as the Lady of Greenwood before her later ominous title. Mirkwood , likewise, had been called Greenwood the Great until around the year TA 1050 of the Years of the Sun, when a shadow of the Dark Lord Sauron fell upon it, and men began to call it The Black Forest, Mirkwood, or Taur-nu-Fuin and Taur-e-Ndaedelos in the Sindarin tongue. From then onward, Mirkwood had become a haunted place inhabited with many dark and savage things, subsequently Nienna had begun to be called the Witch of the Black Forest due to Sauron’s effects on the land being associated wrongly with her. Sauron established himself at the hill-fortress of Dol Guldur on Amon Lanc, and drove Thranduil and his people ever northward, so that by the end of the Third Age they were a diminished and wary people, who had entrenched themselves beyond the Mountains of Mirkwood. The Old Forest Road or Old Dwarf Road crossed the forest east to west, but because it was so close to Dol Guldur the road was mostly unusable. The elves made a path farther to the north, which ended somewhere in the marshes south of the Long Lake of Esgaroth or Laketown. It was Nienna that kept the forces of Sauron in the forest at bay and from spreading beyond their current point of influence.



Bilbo Baggins , along with Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves, ventured into Mirkwood during their quest to regain the Lonely Mountain or Erebor from the dragon Smaug. There, the Dwarf Bombur, after seeing Nienna “The Witch of the Black Forest” and fearing being cursed, fell into the Enchanted river. Later, they came across many great Giant Spiders. Shortly after the Dwarves' escape, they were captured by the elves. After or during these events Nienna and the White Council attacked Dol Guldur, and Sauron fled to Mordor, and his influence in Mirkwood diminished for a while. Years later, Gollum, after his release from Mordor, was captured by Aragorn and brought a prisoner to Thranduil's halls. He escaped during an orc raid, and fled south to Moria.




RP Sample:
The trees shifted ever so slowly the appeared still in the calm forest of Mirkwood. It was a quiet and the dancing of sunlight through the old contorted trees of the forest could most audibly heard by one such as an elf. What a welcome sound it was indeed. The forest, to an outsider to which many were, would seem dark and dangerous, shrouded in mystery. However for Nienna and the elves of the Woodland Realm proper, Mirkwood was still a place of life.

There was a sudden disturbance in the wood. To the ordinary ear it was nothing of note. A footstep upon the earth, rustling the leaves of the forest floor. With this footstep, the branches of the old trees began to creek and leaves slowly rustled. The smaller creature of the wood began to flee. The forest was whispering, warning it’s protector that an intruder or visitor was in its midst. A voice of a particular elvan elegance and beauty floated about the wood, the sound echoing from tree to tree, leaf to leaf. The Witch of the Black Forest was alerted. Her task, to gaze upon the eyes of the visitor to the sacred realm and judge their intentions. If the visitor have ill will for the Forest and Woodland realm they would be cursed in a manner deemed fit by the call of the Moon and middle Earth itself. If the visitor was pure in intention they were granted a blessing and safe passage through the wood.

Nienna slowly glided through the forest, softly placing a hand on the trunk of the old trees as she passed them. The visitor was tall and cloaked heavily. Nienna could not see much detail about the traveler but she could feeL something most familiar and extremely rare about them. The stranger’s head remained tilted downward. Nienna with a curious look stopped short but a few paces away from the visitor. “Who treads upon the soil of the Mirkwood. For The great Moon of Middle Earth watches from her slumber in the heavens, and the Sun burns with curiosity for this traveler’s intentions to be made known. Speak your name and raise your eyes to the lady of the Mirkwood, may mercy or atonement go before you.” Nienna spoke softly yet her voice could be heard in the mind of the Visitor.

The figure stopped and his eyes slowly became visible. They were kind and elderly, adorned with bushy grey eyebrows. The man’s voice echoed strongly yet familiarly toward Nienna. “May shame rain upon the lady of the wood, for it has been so long since she has seen her old friend that she does not recognize his voice even if it hasn’t changed a decibel in years.” The visitor only showed his eyes however Nienna could feel the smile that was concealed beneath a layer of grey cloth.

Nienna smiled like a little girl and placed her hands over her heart. “Gandalf my dear friend!! How I have much missed you!!” Nienna said as she drew up her dress into her hands and skipped toward Gandalf to hug the wizard. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was very openly affectionate for an elf. She cared for Gandalf in a way that not many quite understood. It was almost as if Gandalf were her lover returning after a long absence. She then then reached up and tugged lightly twice on the drooping point of his wizards hat. “Also, Oh... is the Great Moon upset with you Gandalf! You haven’t uttered a word to her in years and you know better when most others don’t. You should be ashamed.” Nienna gave a fussy look that failed to mask her smile of joy.

Gandalf blushed a little and a squiggly smile crept across his face. “Oh… I am most apologetic to you Oh Great Moon, I’ve been quite absorbed in a few matters as of lately.” Gandalf said in a chuckling manner as he looked upward. It was daylight but he and Nienna spoke to the moon any way knowing that it would hear. “I apologize to you as well Lady Nienna. I come with a bit of a motive today.” Gandalf said with a curious pause, then he continued. “Middle Earth is on the brink of much peril. I know you can feel it in the earth my dear.” Gandalf’s tone became exponentially more serious in nature.

Nienna’s smile and laughter faded. She looked at a bundle of leaves tied together by threads on her hands. The leaves were beginning to fade into a beautiful array of Autumn shades. Nienna looked saddened. “Yes, I can feel the Earth tremble with expectation. I feel it in the leaves, the wind carries worry in it’s wake. The trees whisper about it all the time. The creatures are restless trying to prepare for something they don’t quite understand. The land is at unrest, Mirkwood is restless. Gandalf what has happened? The Great Moon had given me a vision most perilous a few nights past. The eye of Sauron has begun to move rapidly. Gandalf, what of it’s focus? What of the One Ring?” Nienna’s soft voice floated on air to Gandalf like petals from a flowering tree in the breeze.

Gandalf looked Nienna gently but firmly in the eyes. He paused as if he almost couldn’t bring himself to speak the words. “The one ring has found a new bearer. Sauron has now begun to move his forces in search of the Ring and in conquest of all… The One Ring Greatly desire’s it’s true master. Middle Earth has called the Lady of Mirkwood to now protect others not belonging to the forest yet still important to the fate of the land nonetheless. Will the Witch of the Black Forest lend her grace and blessing to supporters of Elrond’s Fellowship?” Gandalf extended his hand to Nienna gently beckoning to her.

Nienna smiled gently at Gandalf and placed her hand in his. “Of course dearest Gandalf, what grace has blessed me with shall now be sown back into Middle Earth as she see fit.” Nienna slowly and elegantly drew close to the Wizard and hugged him tightly. She knew that what lay before her was truly a journey of the ages.


"What's taters, Precious?"