View source for Aruan

{{CharacterBox
|image=[[image:Aruan1.jpeg|300px]]
|caption=
|name=Aruan
|title=Ranger of the North
|home=Archet
|house=
|clan=
|gender=Male
|race=Human
|culture=Arnor
|occupation=
|hair=Dark
|age=
|birthdate=
|eyes=Grey
|skin=
|height=
|weight=
|player=Kan
|type=
}}

==Description==
Youth lies evident upon this man's face, hints of strife and determination etched in the fine features, mostly along the lines leading from the bridge of his nose across his cheekbones. His hair is a light dust color, wavy if not curly, uneven and shaggy as a man of the wild. His eyebrows are bushy and high set on his flat forehead. His eyes are craters set deep in his face, the irises overcast and cloudy grey, as if a storm rages somewhere behind the pupil. The nose is long and slender, ending above small mouth deeply shaded crimson. The angle of his chin is adorned with beard, following the curve of his face into a small patch running from his bottom lip to connect with the patchy hanging tuft. He has broad shoulders and a full frame, strength evident in muscles rippling beneath his tunic. The man is thin but far from frail, with commanding height.


The man is clad in typical attire of a Ranger. Covering his torso is an off-white tunic. The fabric is thick enough to protect from the elements but tight across his body so as not to be caught in the fabric if forced into battle. The top lies around his collarbone, the V-necked opening exposing a soft splash of hair. The sleeves are rolled to the elbow and a pair of chestnut colored, worn leather gloves adorns the man's weathered and scarred hands. The fingertips are cut off of the gloves so a pair of soot colored over gloves caresses the man's long fingers. Covering his chest, he wears an auburn leather vest. The edges spill over his shoulders and the front dips in a V along with the tunic. On the point of the V, there rests three small leather adornments, simply complex in their arrangement. On his waist, one finds situated a thick leather belt, about two inches in width. A dark emerald pouch clings to the belt containing only he knows what. His legs are covered in a dark brunette colored pair of pants that are neatly tucked into his boots of a midnight color and made of a dark leather material. They make their way partially up the man's shins. Wrapped around his shoulders, a long grey cloak billows out from behind him, a delicate clasp, a pointed star, rests against his jugular. The bottom of the cloak is soiled with mud and dirt having spent many nights on the cold basin of the wilderness floor. Upon his back, he carries a simple bow and quiver and a swords thumps rhythmically against his left leg.


==History==
The family of Aruan held their origins in Numenor, descendants of the Faithful. They had settled in the area around North Eriador and it was there they stayed for several generations until the birth of the boy. His mother and father had built a small house in Archet on the edge of the Chetwood forest. The soil here was rich and provided fertile ground. The family was a quiet lot. His mother stayed at home tending to the domestic duties. She had established a small farming area and took care of several animals, while his father spent a lot of time in the woods. It was there that they lived for some time, his father's work apparently keeping them in this area.


From a young age, Aruan felt a connection to the woodlands behind their home. It was not anything unusual for the boy to disappear during his morning chores, only to be found several hours later rolling about a thicket. His mother worried greatly about him sneaking off like this. He did not know the truth of his family, for fear of what trouble such a title would bring upon the boy. His father also worried that the woods may not be the safest place for the child, but he could not bring himself to forbid him from following this path.


It was for this reason that he taught the boy what he knew in the way of weaponry. By the heat of his tenth year, he had learned to swing an axe and skillfully nock an arrow, as well as wield a sword in defense. Aruan's father made it clear that the only time such skills should be utilized was in a defensive situation. After all, peace is the ultimate goal here.


Aruan was also taught the way of the woods. His father began sometimes taking him with him in the mornings, a different spot each day. The days he did not go with his father were often the ones were he snuck out on his own. He loved the woods, a nice break from the town in which he was bore. Sometimes, he would go hunting with his father who would turn to him and whisper the importance of stealth when tracking. Aruan learned quickly and took the lessons his father poured into him to heart.


And a good thing he did. While Aruan's mother did not fear so much after these lessons, she still worried about the boy. Not being very old at this point, maybe having seen just past thirteen summers, he still found moments to slip away from his parents and explore on his own. There was a specific area that the young man was confined to and he had been warned by his father not to go past this point.


As it goes, curiosity piqued Aruan's interest and this generally never ends in anything good. He wandered farther and farther out into the wilderness, much further than he had been before either on his own or with his father. It was on this journey that he would discover his family's secrets. He was wandering the trees when the snap of a twig caught his interest. He paused a moment turning towards the sound. He had had the right mind to bring a sword with him and his hand came to it at this point. Not a moment too soon, neither, because the wolf came at him from out of a nearby thicket and attacked. With raised sword, he fought the wolf. It came at him in an attack, slashing at his throat. The claws ripped through the boy's tunic and, by doing so, pulled the silver-pointed star pendant from his neck. The wolf's attention was drawn to the pendant and the animal immediately backed off at the sight of it.


It was at this time, his father came upon him. Aruan's mother had sent him after the boy since he had been missing for such an extended length of time. His father realized at that point that he could hold the secret no longer and took the boy home to have a talk. Sitting him down, his father explained their bloodline and that he was a Ranger of the North. He had sworn to keep the peace in their land and carrying on the legacy of their kind. With this knowledge, Aruan decided that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, as he had followed in his grandfather's. This was how it had been for many generations before him.


With a kiss on his mother's cheek, he left the only home he'd ever known. He convinced his father to take him to join up with the Rangers and it was there that he was taken in and taught their ways. He spent many hours with the lore-masters soaking up what they had to offer. He learned quickly and impressed many who tutored him. He showed extraordinary promise in their ways. So it was, after he completed his training, there was found a need for more Rangers to be sent back to protect the Shire, a series of disturbances nearby calling for added precaution. This is how it came to pass that Aruan was sent back to assist the Rangers in protecting this area, where he now spends most of his time.