When Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, escaped the fall of Nûmenor with their 'faithful' followers, they founded the twin Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor, the Realms in Exile, with Elendil as High-King. Elendil and Anárion died fighting in the Last Alliance of Men & Elves, but Isildur survived, striking the One Ring from Sauron's hand and in so doing destroying the Dark Lord's fana. Claiming the One Ring as his rightful prize, Isildur placed his brother's son Meneldil on Gondor's throne, intending to rule as High King from Annúminas in Arnor, but was attacked and slain by Orcs as his party traveled along the banks of the Anduin River (2 TA). From then on, the two kingdoms were ruled seperately, and sometimes were completely out of contact.

Arnor, in the wide plains of Eriador, fared less well through the centuries than Gondor. When King Eärendur died in 861 TA, the dissent that existed between his three sons split the kingdom into three parts, and the old capital was abandoned. Afterwards the kingdoms of Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur vied with each other. When the darkness of the Witch-King came into Angmar (c.1300 TA). Rhudaur soon fell under the sway of Angmar, and Cardolan effectively ceased to exist in the war of 1409. Arthedain managed to hold out until 1974 TA, when a massive army drove the Dûnedain over the River Lune into Lindon, sacking the capital at Fornost. The last king of Arthedain, Arvedui, drowned while trying to escape via the frozen Bay of Forochel. An army of elves led by the Noldo hero Glorfindel threw down Angmar, but they were too late to save Arthedain.

Aranath, son of Arvedui, gathered the surviving Dûnedain of Arthedain and Cardolan about him, and founded the Rangers of the North, who secretly protected the land thereafter. Their chieftan's heir was always fostered in Imladris under the tutelage of Elrond and Glorfindel. In secret they served the north, waiting until the time was right for the heirs of Isildur to return.

The Rangers were of the Dûnedain, and as such they were a tall, dark haired people, typically with blue or brown eyes. Their complexions tend towards a tanned hue; their lifestyle and their mission left them more often in the wilds of the world than in safety.

Attributes:				Adûnaic The language of the Edain of Nûmenor and it's successor kingdoms-in-exile. While heavily influenced by Elven languages, it was the influence of the Avari and the Nandor that had the most effect, not the Sindarin of Beleriand. However, both Sindarin and Quenya had an effect. Quenya was the language of the educated, while Sindarin was the most common second language of Nûmenor, with many Nûmenoreans bearing names in the Sindarin mode. Westron, or Adûnie, a derivative of colloquial Adûnaic, is the common speech of north-west Middle-Earth.
	Roll	Avg.
STR	2d4+10	15
CON	2d4+10	15
DEX	2d6+6	13
SIZ	2d6+10 {m} 2d6+8 {f}	17 14
INT	2d4+10	15
POW	2d4+10	15
CHA	2d4+10	15
Age	(2d8)x5	45 years old
Background Points: 2

Skills
Agility Skills = POW+DEX Communication Skills = INT+CHA Knowledge Skills = INT	Manipulation Skills = STR+DEX Perception Skills = INT+POW Stealth Skills = INT+DEX-SIZ
Animal Lore = Knowledge x3 Elf Lore = Knowledge x2 Hobbit Lore = Knowledge x2 Human Lore = Knowledge x2 Move Silently = Stealth x2 Navigation = Knowledge x2 Orc Lore = Knowledge x2 Plant Lore = Knowledge x3 Spot Hidden = Perception x2 Tracking = Perception x2 World Lore = Knowledge x2 one melee attack = Manipulation x2 one melee parry = Agility x2 one missile attack = Agility x2	Westron (spkn) = Communication x3 Westron (r/w) = Knowledge x5 Sindarin (spkn) = Communication x2 Sindarin (r/w) = Knowledge x3 Adûnaic (spkn) = Communication x1 Adûnaic (r/w) = Knowledge x2 Quenya (spkn) = Communication x1 Quenya (r/w) = Knowledge x2 one other language (spkn) = Communication x2 one other language (r/w) = Knowledge x3
Background Options
Languages (1 point) Literacy (1 point) Stat Boost (1 point per increase) Skill Boost (1 point per increase) Status - Wealthy Family (1 point) Status - Noble Family (2 points) Status - Royal Lineage (3 points) Wealth (1 point per roll)	High Quality Items (1-3 points each) Minor Magical Item (3-5 points) Crafting (2 points) Healing (2 points) Foresight (1 point) Presence (2 points) Sense (2 points)

Outfitting Ranger Characters
Ranger characters begin with two weapons (one is usually a bow), two sets of clothes, well made travelling gear (pack, waterskin, etc), a suit of armour for when battle is anticipated, and 20 silver pieces.
Clothing The Rangers wear pratical clothing, woolen or linen underthings, linen or cotton shirts, leather breeches, a leather vest or jacket, and a hooded woolen cloak. When at rest, they prefer the Sindarin style of Lindon and Imladris; they are rarely at rest.		Weapons Battleaxe, broadsword, composite bow, dagger, halberd, lance, longbow, mace, quarterstaff, shortsword, spear, greatsword, warhammer.
		Armour The Rangers rarely wear armour heavier than stiff leather. They move far and fast, and armour only serves to encumber. However, when they know they face battle, they prefer to wear mail.