A Long-extended Party presents The Heirlooms of Men, a look into the lore behind two new cards in Blood in the Isen, the upcoming community-created Adventure Pack in the Oaths of the Rohirrim cycle. Written by Bobbymcbobface, ALeP Lead Lore Expert.

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“Here is the Ring of Barahir,” he said, “the token of our kinship from afar; and here also are the shards of Narsil. With these you may yet do great deeds; for I foretell that the span of your life shall be greater than the measure of Men, unless evil befalls you or you fail at the test. But the test will be hard and long. The Sceptre of Annúminas I withhold, for you have yet to earn it.” — Elrond, The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, The Lord of the Rings Appendix A

One of the greatest sagas of Middle-earth is the tale of the rise of the House of Bëor, the eldest House of the Edain. From its beginnings in the epic love story of Beren and Luthien, to disaster in the Fall of Númenor and the slaughter at the Gladden Fields, to the crowning of the first king of Arnor and Gondor after 1000 years of separation and exile, the noblest house of the Edain was at the center of everything. 

Their stories are connected by ancient artifacts and relics, reminders of what the forebears of the past had experienced and a hope for the future. These objects were symbols of a people, and there are four in particular that bore immense significance among the Dúnedain – the Ring of Barahir, Narsil, the Sceptre of Annuminas, and the Elendilmir.

The Ring of Barahir was a relic dating back to the First Age, symbolizing the friendship and eventual kinship between the First House of Men and the Noldorin Elves. Up until now, this was the only one of the four items to be featured in the Lord of the Rings card game. A Long-extended Party is thrilled to introduce two more of these key relics of the Dúnedain!

Narsil/Andúril

Narsil, the sword of Elendil, was a formidable weapon with an elaborate history. It was forged by Telchar, the dwarven smith, for Thingol of Doriath. It is believed that it then passed to Dior, the son of Beren. It became an heirloom of the kings of Númenor and eventually passed to Elendil the Tall. Many tribes of men swore an oath upon it to come to the aid of Elendil and his people whenever he called them. It was shattered by Sauron in the Battle of Dagorlad, where the hilt with a small length of blade still attached was then used by Elendil’s son, Isildur, to cut the One Ring off of the Dark Lord’s hand.  

The pieces of the blade were gathered after the battle by Isildur’s squire and taken back to Rivendell. They rested there for almost 3000 years, until Gilraen brought her son to the safe haven after her husband Arathorn was killed. Perceiving that this child would brave many perils, the Lord of Rivendell gifted Aragorn the shards of Narsil, along with the Ring of Barahir when he left Rivendell to pursue his fate. 

When Aragorn returned to Rivendell with Frodo, Elrond saw that the time had come for the blade to be used again. He had it reforged by his greatest smiths, and it was named Andúril, the Flame of the West. Aragorn bore it throughout the War of the Ring, even enabling him to command the oathbreaking Army of the Dead, who had sworn upon the same sword an age before.

The Andúril card is equally powerful. It can only be wielded by those who are leaders and respected by many, and it makes its bearer stronger in every way. We hope you enjoy your adventures with the Flame of the West!

The Elendilmir

Elendil established the two primary kingdoms of the Númenóreans in exile, Arnor and Gondor, and his symbol of kingship was a white, star-shaped jewel called the Elendilmir. It was worn by Isildur at the Disaster of the Gladden Fields, where it gave him away, for not even the invisibility granted by the One Ring could hide its light. It was lost with Isildur as his body sank to the floor of the Anduin.

The smiths of Rivendell made a second Star of the North for Valandil, Isildur’s son, which was then passed down to the members of his line. It eventually came back to Rivendell where it was given to Aragorn as he left for the Quest of the Ring. He finally showed it when he revealed himself as king at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

To the great surprise of all, Gimli and Aragorn actually discovered the original Elendilmir in the tower of Orthanc after the War of the Ring. It had been discovered by the servants of Saruman as they scoured the river for the One Ring.

The light of the Elendilmir will shine in your games as well, giving heroes the power of kings, to use their abilities more than once! 

We hope you are as excited for these relics, and the other amazing cards in the latest adventure pack from A Long-extended Party, Blood in the Isen!

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