The Woodsman

"The Woodsman", they say, finds his home in the wilderness, and keeps good company with the creatures there. It is said he is friend to any hard-working Bree-folk, oft seen as a distant hood bobbing through wheatfields, or at night from afar; as a cloaked figure beside a small woodland campfire. He is well-suited to slumber amongst the eaves and the dells. He is also known as "Bill"  to the Bree-landers, and many regard him as one of their own.

In Rohan, he is "Erkenstan", a trader of Eriador; bartering in silks and timbers. In Forochel, he is the "Luminen Vaeltaja", the one who arrives and departs through the biting snows, garbed in furs and leathers of many earthen hues. His bloodline can be seen clearly in his features to those that know the signs: long, shoulder-length black hair that runs from the crown of his head, and two deep-set grey eyes that sit beneath a noble brow. A tarnished silver brooch, set in the shape of a seven-pointed star, clasps his dirty cloak together across the chest in a neat fashion.

His tall, wiry form shows great athleticism, and it is clear from first glance that the man lives a rough life, making his bed in the wild and taking great distances on foot. He is chiefly armed with a sleek bow, hewn and drawn from an old yew. A dull dagger bearing the heraldry of a lost kingdom and a chipped, dull sword arm him at the waist. He oft holds a quiet gaze, also usually the faint smell of pipe-smoke.

The years come and go. The Shadow in the East darkens, but the youthful visage of this wandering ranger yet remains a welcome, if not rare sight in many of the dwindling settlements that dot the lands of Eriador.