The origins of the Guild of Elements (SW Av. "Iuie-yî-Engnîni") were shrouded in the uncertainty which clouded many events in the First Age. The few surviving records which told of the Three of Ty-Ar-Rana and the Darin Tesarath were silent on the subject of the Guild. Rumors, however, abounded. Ruins there were too, scattered all about the Mûmakan (in a wider sense) in hidden vales and glades, seemingly placed without pattern or purpose.
According to popular belief, the Guild was organized early in the Years of the Sun by five Elven lords. Its purpose was apparently to organize resistance to the forces of darkness. So the Guild flourished for several centuries, eventually forming an alliance with other organizations to combat, now more specifically, the coalescing Court of Aranórë. This was the time of greatest power for the Guild, as it had many members, and possessed artifacts created by Cirissë Menelrána.
The attack of the Luingon Alliance upon the Citadel of Aranórë (simultaneous, in fact, with attacks on several other Aranórëian holds) saw the end of many powerful lords, including five of the founding six. But a few years later came the War of Wrath: the fall of Morgoth, the changing of Middle-earth, and the disruption of the Court's power base. Many believed it was the end of organized evil forces in the world. Cirissë, however, saw farther than most and perceived the danger of Aranórë rising again. Early in the Second Age he supervised the construction of nine secret places, each adjacent to one of the now abandoned places of Aranórë, with secret access to those holds. He thus founded the organization known as simply "The Watchers" to man the installations and monitor any activities of remnants of the Court - to ensure that it did not rise again. Then, after setting his son Laurë in charge of the Watchers and placing many of the artifacts of the Guild in secret vaults in the pentagrams and the Watcher installations for future use, he sailed into the Undying Lands, his exile lifted due to his labors against the Black Enemy.
The Watchers continued diligently in their task for many years, but in S.A. 755 Laurë vanished without trace, and after several centuries their vigilance failed. One by one the installations were sealed and at this time the Lords of the Court began their return. Then, at last Fëatúro and Lyerin discovered Laurë trapped in a magical sleep at Guinarnen and freed him. The three forged an alliance and elected to re-establish the Guild of Old, for its time had come again. But Elves and Men of Power for the cause of good were few and scattered, so it was decided that the Guild should be a secret organization so as not to alert the Court. Thus it was only five: Fëatúro, Laurë, Lyerin, Ilidîaond, and Raun who arose to stand against the Court. The place of the sixth element remained empty. They moved covertly, foiling many an Aranórëian plot, although in many things they lacked the power of old; they watched the destruction of the Isle of silent Wind, totally helpless. The fall of Ilidîaond in T.A. 1120 was a severe blow, simply in his loss, for he was wise and powerful. Iarillë, being no fool, realized that something was afoot since Eldarion was able to enter Nirlann-dôl unnoticed. She (rightly) feared the return of the Guild, but was unable to convince the Council of any danger, primarily because of Fëatúro's derision (the male attended this meeting, disguised as his sister, of course) and scorn for her concern. If she had only known that it was indeed a lord of the Guild who so spoke to her. . . At any, rate, Kläen the Minstrel was chosen to replace Ilidîaond, due to his great information-gathering talents and his ability to be unnoticed. It was in this time that the wandering wizard Lineris first appeared. He labored in his own way against the Court and the Shadow in general and soon was granted with the sixth place in the Guild. Beginning in this time the situation slowly began to deteriorate, despite the best efforts of the Six, and they perceived that the next eclipse was nearing. Awakening the infant Morrána, they prepared for the final crisis.
Strongholds of the Guild of Elements[]
- Place of the Watchers
- Tûmulîni
- Ty-Ar-Rana
Members of the Guild[]
Carnil Ravírië Cirissë Menelrána Ilidîaond Iliryâr Fëatúro Kläen Laurë Menelrána Lyán Lyrin Lysá Ralian Raun Tilimm Taran the Construct
References[]
- MERP Fan Modules: The Mûmakan
- MERP: The Court of Ardor in Southern Middle-earth