Lindeman Cauliflower was born in Bree in year 2985 of The Third Age as the only son to Brett and Rosalund Cauliflower. As a child, he would listen with great interest to tales of distant lands told by his father. His father learned these tales from travellers who he met through his trade in artefacts and complemented them with his imagination.

After Lindeman's mother passed away of fever when he was 12, he and his father moved to the hills north of Archet to run an abandoned copper mine. The young Lindeman would often descent to the town of Archet to meet retired soldiers who told him stories about great battles and armies, and about captains who led their men to glorious victories.

Inspired by what he considered training by these veterans, Lindeman spent much of his freetime alone in the backyard of his father's house, practising the ways of the captain. Well into his adult years, he would shout commands to stones and trees as if they were his soldiers. His bellows of "TO THE GATES!" and "MORE ORCS COMING!" were much to the amusement of any passers-by.

It later transpired that the Blackwold brigands grew restless in Archet Dale and people in the area were recruited to makeshift militia for village defence. Lindeman joined the ranks, even though the title of Recruit was perhaps more modest than he had secretly been hoping for.

After having served the militia by killing diseased piglets with a rusty greatsword, Lindeman proceeded to bore his fellow militiamen with long lectures on the strategy and tactics of Bree-land defence. Subsequently encouraged to leave Archet in search of new enemies and battles, he travelled to Combe where he used income from the family copper mine to buy armour and other equipment. It also seemed reasonable and necessary to him to hire a squire to carry a banner.

Soon, Lindeman would no longer introduce himself as a miner.

He was now a Captain, and would travel the lands in search of adventure and any deeds he imagined a captain might do.