Hero of the Month - Edition N°23

The universe of Lord of the Rings has given us a multitude of legendary and iconic characters that we love or hate, but have made a name for themselves and marked the spirits. And here is one of them, and personally, one of my favorite Tolkien characters: Boromir.

Born in the year 2978 of the Third Age, Boromir is the eldest son of Denethor II, the steward of Gondor, and Finduilas of Dol Amroth. His younger brother, Faramir, was born five years later. The two brothers lose their mother very young. They have excellent relations (Boromir protecting Faramir and Faramir admiring Boromir), not at all tainted by jealousy, despite their opposite temperaments and Denethor's preference for his eldest son.

In June 3018 AD, when the armies of Sauron attack the ruins of Osgiliath, Boromir, captain of the Gondor, is sent to defend the city. Overwhelmed by numbers, the Gondorians must retreat behind the Anduin, after having shot down the last bridge over the river; among the last defenders, only four manage to escape, among whom Boromir and Faramir. 

One day, Boromir, representing the Gondor, went to Rivendell, to attend the council of Elrond, to decide the fate of the Ring of Sauront that was found. 

During the council, Boromir does not hesitate to express his fascination for the ring, going so far as to say to use his power against Sauron, but his idea is quickly rejected. Boromir shows himself at first as someone very sure of himself. He becomes one of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring. On another occasion, during the ascent of the mountain, he again shows his desire for the ring, but changes his mind and returns it to Frodo, Aragorn having been ready to use his sword against the Gondorian.

But during the trip, Gandalf falls into the chasm of Moria, and broken, the Fellowship must take refuge in the Lothlorien. In front of Galadriel, Boromir feels very bad and the elven witch shows him a terrifying vision: Minas Tirith in flames, ravaged by the armies of Sauron. Boromir will later confide in Aragorn and the latter, as a friend, will support him.

After their rest with the elves, the Fellowship resumed its journey on the river Anduin and made a halt on the bank of a forest. Frodo having gone away to be a little lonely, cross the road to Boromir, gone to fetch wood. The discussion ignites very quickly and Boromir, like possessed, tries to take the ring by force but fails. Realizing what he has just done, Boromir tries to be forgiven, but too late.

Later, while an Uruk troop attacks, Boromir intervenes to help Merry and Pippin against the attackers. Boromir once again shows his soldiering skills and kills several enemies, but is sadly struck by an arrow sent by the Uruk leader, Lurtz. Despite the injury and pain, Boromir remains standing and continues to fight, killing several uruks despite his injury. Two more arrows hit him, immobilizing him on his knees. Aragorn arrives, kills Lurtz and finds Boromir, dying, three arrows in his chest.

Broken, Boromir accuses himself of all the misfortunes that happened to the Fellowship, no longer recognizing himself, but Aragorn comforts him, telling him that he fought bravely and that his honor is safe. It is with the broken heart that Aragorn attends Boromir's last breath, after he called Aragorn "My brother" and "My King." So were the last words of Boromir, one of the greatest warriorsof the middle-earth.

His corpse is put in one of the elven boats for a funeral. Aragorn will sing for the memory of the late Gondorian. The boat drifted slowly down the river to the waterfalls, carrying the boat and Boromir's body away. 

Mathias, the Killmaster

Fire and Blood \m/ 

Hero of the Month - Edition N°19

For the edition N°19, we go back in the Middle Earth, to see the most badass dwarf of the Tolkien's universe: Gimli, son of Gloin.

Gimli is the son of the dwarf warrior Gloin, who was one of the members of Thorin Oakenshield's company, which reconquered the town of Erebor from the hands of the dragon Smaug. Gimli would have liked to participate in the expedition but was refused, considered too young at the time. A few years later, Gimli accompanied his father to Rivendell to attend the council of Elrond, to decide what to do with the One Ring. During the council, Gimli tries to destroy the ring but fails, the object being indestructible by ordinary weapons. Gimli does not hesitate to show his anger against the elves and says to Legolas that he would rather die than see the ring in the hands of an elf.

When the community is formed, Gimli volunteers to represent the dwarves. During the journey, Gimli will propose several times to go through the mines of Moria, to go faster and meet his cousin Balin. Because of the traps of Saroumane, the group has no other choice and goes to the mines. But when they arrive, they discover that the Moria is no more than a tomb, filled with the mommified bodies of the dwarves, and infested with goblins. Gimli will also discover, with great sadness, the tomb of Balin. In an epic battle against goblins and a balrog, Gimli manages to survive. In the Lothlorian (in a cut scene from the first film), Gimli confesses to Legolas, that he fell in love with Lady Galadriel, that he finds her more than beautiful and that he asked her, with her permission, to obtain a strand of her silver hair, which she accepted, giving him three strands, which Gimli now keep with him. During the Uruk-Hai attack in the forest, Gimli once again fights with Aragorn and Legolas, but they fail to save Boromir. Gimli now follows Aragorn and Legolas in their hunt to find the Uruks who kidnapped Merry and Pippin during the attack.

Gimli will always follow his two friends, who will not find Merry and Pippin, but will make a meet they did not expect: Gandalf appears to them, having survived the balrog and Moria. Together they went to Edoras, the capital of the Rohan kingdom, and saved King Theoden, whose spirit had been poisoned by Saruman.

Because of the growing threat of Isengard, the Rohan's people are exiled to Helm's Deep, and Gimli is part of the journey. During the Battle of Helm's against the giant Uruks army, Gimli is present, alongside Legolas and elves, and is the only dwarf present in the battle. He will once again demonstrate his thirst and skill for combat by killing a large number of Uruks and will not hesitate to throw himself alone into the fray from the top of a rampart to protect Aragorn. Gimli survives the battle, and it is during this battle that the friendship between Gimli and Legolas begins to appear a little, both having made a "contest" of the one who would kill the most enemies.

In "The Return of the King," Gimli stays with Aragorn and Legolas, his two inseparable friends, and accompanies King Theoden and his troops to a rallying camp, before leaving for the Gondor and helping them against Sauron's troops . But finally, after a revelation from Elrond to Aragorn, Gimli follows him, with Legolas, in the depths of the mountain, in search of a kind of cursed army, which could prove to be a major advantage against the armies of Sauron.

In the mountain, the three companions will meet terrifyingly an army of ghosts, the army of the dead, who in their lifetime had sworn to serve the ancestor of Aragorn, Isildur, but who had betrayed the latter, and Isildur cursed them for this, wishing that they never find rest before the fulfillment of their oath. Aragorn, as heir of Isildur, rallies the dead to his side, promising them the rest they hope so much if they help him.

During the battle of Minas Tirith, Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas arrive, the army of the dead with them, and sweep the last orc troops still present. Again, Gimli and Legolas make a contest. Legolas manages to kill an Oliphant, but Gimli considers that despite the size, it counts only for one.

After that, Gimli participates in the final battle in front of the Gate of Mordor, where his friendship with Legolas is confirmed when the elf asks the dwarf if he is ready to die at the side of a friend, and Gimli answers that yes, he can do it. Gimli fights with all his might, like all his companions in battle, and he survives, witnessing the destruction of Sauron. Gimli also attends the crowning of Aragorn, as king of Gondor.
Even if it is not shown in the films, after the defeat of Sauron, Gimli and Legolas continue to be friends, and one day, with the agreement of Lady Galadriel, Gimli is allowed to leave the Middle Earth, with Legolas, towards the elven lands, becoming surely the first dwarf to receive this honor.

Mathias, the Killmaster

Fire and Blood \m/ 

Villain of the Month - Edition N°14

For this edition of the villain of the month, we return to the Middle-earth to discover one of its greatest threats, but also one of the best dragons ever existed: Smaug.

We do not know much about childhood of Smaug, otherwise that he comes from the great northern lands, origin lands of many creatures, and already being a young dragon, Smaug had reached an upper size to normal which made him aside. He made his first appearance on the day in the year 2770 of the Third Age of Middle-earth, when he attacked the city of Dale and the dwarven city of Erebor, from where he chassed the dwarves, killing a large many of them, to appropriate their wealth. Smaug being huge, overpowering and indestructible scales, dwarves could do nothing against him. During 170 years, Smaug remains hidden underground in the abandoned city of Erebor whose he made his lair, brooding gold of his body and plunged into a sort of winter sleep. But one day, Smaug was awakened, not by dwarves, but a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who accompanied the dwarves group led by Thorin Oakenshield, eager to take back what belongs to his people. Smaug, at first, did not see Bilbo as a threat and began to talk to him, threaten him or prove being superior to him. It was after a series of traps orchestrated by the dwarves, that Smaug, feeling ridiculed, loses patience and under the influence of anger, decides to take revenge on the inhabitants of Lake Town. 

With jets of flame devastating and colossal force, Smaug cause unprecedented havoc in the city, destroyed many buildings and killed many people. Archers men shoot hundreds of arrows, but all are useless against the dragon's scales. That's when Bard, descending of the men of Dale, comes armed with a black arrow, weapon very rare but powerful, that he kept at home. While Smaug is facing him, Bard prepares the black arrow and saw what Bilbo also noticed: on the chest of Smaug, was a crack in the scales of the dragon's chest, leaving his skin exposed and vulnerable. Bard made the best he can, and after shooting, reached Smaug right into the wound, which kills the dragon. After terrified the Middle Earth for years, Smaug the mighty, great dragon and first major threat of the Third Age, fell from the sky and fell dead in the lake.

There are two kinds of dragons: those who speak and those who do not speak. Smaug belongs to the first category. Cruel, manipulative and intelligent, Smaug is considered one of the best dragons ever, and I agree, as much for its appearance as for his mentality. Smaug seems to take perverse pleasure in tormenting his victims before killing them, talking to them constantly of how he will kill them. His vanity for gold makes him even more dangerous and vicious. In one scene, he told to Bilbo to being almost tempted to let him take the Arkenstone, just to see Thorin suffer and fall into greed and madness, as his grandfather before. But one of the great weaknesses of Smaug is his too great trust in himself. Believing himself invincible, because being a great dragon, Smaug often down its guard against smaller than him, which will make him fall into the trap in the dwarves, and later, will lead him to his own destruction. Smaug is also pretentious, describing its wings like a hurricane, his fangs like swords, its scales like shields. Everyone seems to fear him, and Gandalf understand quickly that a dragon like Smaug would be a devastating weapon in the ranks of Sauron, but we don't know if Smaug would obey the Dark Lord, or if he acts only for its own cause.

For being one of the greatest dragons in the books, and later, one of the best dragons in entire cinema history, Smaug deserves his place in the pantheon of the greatest villains.

See you next time, humans

Mathias, the Killmaster

Fire and Blood \m/ 

Hero of the Month - Edition N°7

Hellcome in the traditional edition of the Hero of the Month.

This month, We will meet one of the most mysterious characters of Tolkien, and also one of the most powerful and wisest women of the Medieval Fantasy universe: Lady Galadriel.

Galadriel was born in 1362, during the year the trees, before the first age of the Middle Earth. She is a elf woman, but not just any. She was among the first three elves to receive a power ring. In the story, following the adventures of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Galadriel lived before in Rivendell, with his people. But one day, Gandalf brought terrible news, that of the return of evil forces in Middle-earth, and a proof: the sword of the Witch-king of Angmar, who was supposed being lost forever. With her great powers, Galadriel manages to guess without difficulty that Gandalf telling the truth. Soon after, she comes to save Gandalf at Dol Guldur, but was forced to duel against Sauron, who has returned. With her elven power and saw her power tenfold, Galadriel managed to defeat Sauron, who fled. But Galadriel does not come out unscathed from this fight, and half dead, she was bring by Elrond in Lorien, to keep her safe and that she can regain her forces. Galadriel therefore decided to stay in Lorien, or she reigns with her husband Celeborn. 60 years later, she met the Fellowship of the Ring, which after the loss of Gandalf, is arriving in Lorien in hope to find refuge and solace. Galadriel immediately guessed that Frodo was the ring's bearer. After resisting the temptation to want to take the ring, Galadriel said goodbye to the Fellowship of the Ring, but however, with her powers, she will remain with Frodo, through thoughts and visions, as a spiritual guide, and support him in its walking against the darkness. At the end of the third age, after the death of Sauron, Galadriel, with Elrond, Celeborn, Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf decide to leave the Middle Earth by a boat that take them westward.

If Sauron is the darkness incarnation in Middle-earth, Galadriel embodies light. She also seems to be the only person enough powerful to be able to fight Sauron and hope to defeat him. Galadriel is a Noldor, a race of ancient elves, known to be among the most wise and learned beings of all time. She is even a member of the royal line of the Noldor, which designates her as a queen. Like all elves, Galadriel is immortal, but she seems however to have a longer life than others, because she was already an adult before the creation of the ring. And all the past centuries have not affected Galadriel, physically, never seems to have aged. Galadriel is very beautiful, and a rumor says that all those who watched her fallen under her spell, and are never come back from Lorien, alive. But this seems to be just a mere rumor intended to keep away the intruders and curious people from the Lorien. 

Galadriel is among the most powerful elves. She has lots of powers, very mysterious, and is able to read people's thoughts and guess their secrets, as their deepest fears, and to see visions of the future in the minds of people. It is not known how she got all these powers, but we think it is thanks to her power ring she received. Galadriel is a wise, her voice calm and soothing is enough to give hope and courage to those who listen. She always gives advices to those who request it and is always listening.

But Galadriel also has a dark side, which boosts my power but also his anger. She endeavors to combat and control this dark side of herself not to sink into darkness and become like Sauron. She manages to resist her dark side when Frodo offers to give her the ring, as a sort of test to see if Galadriel is still worthy.

To be one of the most mysterious and beautiful figures of all the Medieval Fantasy universe, and also one of the most powerful and wise, Galadriel deserves her place among the iconic heroes.

See you next month for the new edition

Mathias, the Killmaster

Fire and Blood \m/ 

Villain of the Month - Edition N°6

Hellcome humans, for a new edition of the "Villain of the Month."
To start the year 2016, in the spotlight, the most iconic and dangerous villain of his world, an incarnation of power and evil: Sauron, the Dark Lord.

In the story of the Lord of the Rings, Sauron was a Maia, very powerful entities and endowed with many powers, originally created to do good, but Sauron is evil.

It was he who was behind the creation of the rings, to install a kind of union between the races, but it was a trap, because Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom, forged in secret another ring, much more powerful, and he poured all his cruelty and hatred in its creation. On this ring, he had engraved "One ring to rule them all." With this, he managed to corrupt the 9 human kings who got rings, and turned them into its most dangerous servants, the Nazgul.

With this Ring, Sauron tenfold hiss power and with its armies of evil creatures, he began to invade the Middle-earth and establish his reign of terror. But one day, men and elves formed an alliance to fight the armies of Sauron on the lands of Mordor. The men and elves had the edge over the orcs, but unfortunately for them, Sauron comes in person, armed, and his ring on the finger. 

Sauron begins to massacre the men and elves in his path, every blow that he gives has the effect of a shock wave that kills several soldiers simultaneously. But Sauron ends up being defeated by Isildur, the king's son, and without his ring, Sauron's body disintegrates and disappears, but the ring was able to corrupt the mind of Isildur, who kept it with him.

But despite this, Sauron had not died. With his ring, the spirit of Sauron survived and waited many years to regain its strength. As a huge eye of fire, Sauron remains protected in the land of Mordor, and sends its troops of creatures in search of his ring to regain his carnal form and all its power.

As Galadriel is the embodiment of good, Sauron is evil incarnate in the world of Tolkien.

Although he has no physical form, Sauron is everywhere. His spirit and his presence are felt all the time, hiding in the shadows and watching every doings of the Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins. That's what I really admire in the character of Sauron: even if he is not physically here, he manages to achieve a sense of fear in the hearts of people, simply by his name. Everyone fears him, even the most powerful lords and kings, and Galadriel seems to be the only person powerful enough to be able to face Sauron.

In the third film of The Hobbit, Galadriel meets Sauron and faces him. This is the face to face personally, I really wanted to see and when I saw this scene in the cinema, I was like "Oh god, the two most powerful figures, face to face!" A very intense and impressive power duel. Galadriel managed to chase the spirit of Sauron without killing him, but against the power of the evil entity, Galadriel does not out unscathed of this fight, like injured and mentally weakened.

Sauron is never seen without his helmet. When he has his physical form, he constantly wears a very badass armor and really cool, I would absolutely got it, and his head is hidden by a terrifying helmet, that is really as badass! For me, among all the villains, Sauron has one of the best outfits, EVER!

Even the main characters of the story are afraid of Sauron because they know that if he can resume his ring, they will not be strong enough to fight and stop him. With his ring, Sauron seems invincible, and this is maybe the case.

To be the embodiment of evil in LOTR, inspiring fear and awe in the minds of people just by the name, and be one of the most powerful and badass villains, Sauron deserves its place in the list of iconic villains.

See you next month for the new edition \m/

Mathias, the Killmaster

Fire and Blood \m/ 

Get one ring.....To rule them all!

Today I went into town center to go to a shop of collection toys that I love so much, where I had seen an article that I wanted for a long time, and finally I realized a dream: I got the Ring of Sauron. Not a plastic ring, I bought a true replica of the ring, with the elven engravings all around, like in the movie.
For years, I dreamed to get the Ring and put it on my finger, to become the new lord of the rings. After the dream of Game of Thrones I experienced while I was sitting on the Iron Throne, I touch another symbol of the universe Medieval / Fantasy. Sauron is one of my favorite villains, and to get his symbol is such a pleasure for the LOTR fan I am.
Sitting on the Iron Throne, I get the support and authority over other kingdoms, with my queen Daenerys of house Targaryen, and with the Ring, I get the power to create my armies and get powerful entities under my orders, as the Nazguls.

One ring....To rule them all!

Mathias, the Lordi Rider \m/