Ardaz

Ardaz Ipt, Chieftain of the Western Kingdom

Ardaz Ipt, Chieftain of the Warrior Clan, elected Servitor to the peoples of the Tinwael Galéth, is King Over The Land of the Western Kingdom. Note he bears no title as such, even with such a detailed description, and is addressed by his first name or by the title Chief Ardaz. The elves of the Western Kingdom are thick and stalwart, almost human-like in size and gait, yet still elven. They speak the Common tongue of men in the style of the Northmen in addition to their own dialect of Elvish common to the Tinwael Gaeléth. They therefore elect their king or queen, or rather, their chieftain, for a term until he or she is no longer fit to serve as determined by debate or combat, with challengers approved by the Senate and the Loremasters, who also call for challengers in the case where the sitting king cannot or will not.

Chief Ardaz is young for such a post, aged only 190 years and in his prime of physical prowess. As such, his leadership style uses more actions than words, and he minimizes the reach of law in his kingdom with regards to pointless transactions or concepts of wealth and ownership. This gives the entire culture a very social-hive feel where each tribe operates with great care and consideration for the forest and the other tribes around. Some tribes have effectively intermingled for decades before the Loremasters hear of their integration to form a new tribe, and songs must be written to follow the names of their kin. Little of their recent lore is regularly written until it is sung, and eventually the songs are recorded for posterity. Ardaz sees that oral tradition continues to beat as poetry and music are the heart of the elvish peoples.

Ardaz' skill in combat is legendary. It was said that when Maecas first came to the Western Kingdom when he was banished, Ardaz challenged him for the position of commander in the Western Edge, under command from the king at the time to test Maecas' skill. After 16 hours of battle, neither could move and the contest was suspended until healing and recuperation were ordered. The contest would continue for 8 hours each day until resolved. After the 37th day, Ardaz and Maecas, who had grown to respect and admire each other, telling stories and singing songs together both on and off the battlefield, stopped the contest and Ardaz supported Maecas in the command position. A decade later, Maecas would be vocal in his support of Ardaz for Chieftain and his ascension was unchallenged. Such were their skills that they taught the new High Guard to watch the Senate and Loremasters, and then created new commanders to replace them when Maecas would later attain General of the Western Edge appointed by Ardaz and unchallenged by any elf.

Ardaz is a very good listener and is not known for speaking at great length, preferring to listen to the thoughts of others and bringing their ideas forward to the conversation. However, he did sing a song for the loss of his sister (Noátha Ipt, in a sortie against the Frost Giants) that lasted for a good three hours, which could be heard through the forest, and all listened in awe at its beauty and sadness. It is these acts of soulfulness that endear his people to him. It has been some 20 years since Maecas has stood in Ardaz' presence, but it's likely that Afath may have spoken to Ardaz recently.