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Elros Tar-Minyatur — Hiril Tári-Ecceþindë

Children of Elros:
Vardamir Nóliman — Halyamórë
Manwendil
Atanalcar
Calarinya Tindómiel — Elenlóriel Nícorimë

Children of Vardamir:
Tar-Amandil — Tári-Telemnë
Vardilmë
Aulendil
Nolondil — Lasselótë

Children of Nolondil:
Yávien
Oromendil
Axantur — Mancariel

Children of Axantur:
Lindissë
Ardamir
Cemendur — Rerindë

Children of Cemendur:
Írildë
Hallatan — Raivatamë

Children of Hallatan:
Nessanië
Hallacar — Tar-Ancalimë

Children of Tar-Amandil:
Tar-Elendil Parmaitë — Tári-Ingólmë
Eärendur — Helwë — Vëantur
Mairen

Children of Eärendur:
Caliondo — Gaerlin Lingwilócë

Children of Caliondo:
Malantur

Children of Tar-Elendil:
Silmariën — Elatan
Isilmë
Írimon Elentirmo Tar-Meneldur — Tári-Almarian Lilótëa (daughter of Vëantur)

Children of Silmariën:
House of Andúnië

Children of Tar-Meneldur:
Anardil Tar-Aldarion — Erendis Tar-Elestirnë (daughter of Núneth and Beregar, descendant of Beleth of the House of Bëor)
Ailinel — Orchaldor (son of Hatholdir of the House of Hador)
Almiel

Children of Ailinel:
Soronto

Children of Tar-Aldarion:
Emerwen Aranel Tar-Ancalimë — Hallacar

Children of Tar-Ancalimë:
Tar-Anárion — Tári-Iþiliel

Children of Tar-Anárion:
Naryalambë
Celussë
Tar-Súrion — Tári-Meletya

Children of Tar-Súrion:
Tar-Telperiën
Isilmo — Almárëa

Children of Isilmo:
Tar-Minastir — Tári-Róvandil

Children of Tar-Minastir:
Tar-Círyatan — Ciara Tári-Morivanessië

Children of Tar-Círyatan:
Tar-Atanamir — Tári-Fanyahelcë Arî-Phânkhêli

Children of Tar-Atanamir:
Tar-Ancalimon — Tári-Caumasarnë
Aicanásso — Quetindil

Children of Aicanásso:
Silquendil — Ambalo

Children of Silquendil:
Herucalmo “Tar”-Anducal — Tar-Vanimeldë

Children of Tar-Ancalimon:
Tar-Telemmaitë — Tári-Onónë

Children of Tar-Telemmaitë:
Tar-Vanimeldë Liltalissë — Herucalmo “Tar”-Anducal
Engwáro (foster child; son of Tári-Onónë and Onóno)

Children of Tar-Vanimeldë and Herucalmo:
Tar-Alcarin — Tári-Avaldë Pharâzarî

Children of Tar-Alcarin:
Tar-Calmacil Ar-Belzagar — Tári-Naltanárië Arî-Aglazôri

Children of Tar-Calmacil:
Tar-Ardamin Ar-Abattârik — Tári-Lomindillë Arî-Lôminzil
Gimilzagar — Nilûphêr Isilwendë

Children of Gimilzagar:
Arphazêl Aranel — Vóromir Abrazimir (House of Andúnië)

Children of Ar-Abattârik:
Ar-Adûnakhôr Tar-Herunúmen — Arî-Aglaril Tári-Alcarinquë

Children of Ar-Adûnakhôr:
Ar-Zimrathôn Tar-Hostamir — Arî-Azrâindil Tári-Eärindillë

Children of Ar-Zimrathôn:
Ar-Sakalthôr Tar-Falassion — Arî-Ûrîphêl Tári-Anáriel

Children of Ar-Sakalthôr:
Ar-Gimilzôr Tar-Telemnar — Indilquettë Arî-Inzilbêth (daughter of Lindórië Aphanazîrî)

Children of Ar-Gimilzôr:
Tar-Palantír Ar-Inziladûn — Tári-Eldafallië Arî-Nimirrôth
Gimilkhâd Elenquáco — Zôrzimril Naryamírë

Children of Tar-Palantír:
Tar-Míriel Ar-Zimraphêl — Ar-Pharazôn Tar-Calion

Children of Gimilkhâd:
Ar-Pharazôn Tar-Calion — Tar-Míriel Ar-Zimraphêl

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The first King of Númenor was Elros, son of Eärendil and Elwing, foster of Maedhros and Maglor, and brother to Elrond Peredhel. He fought in the War of Wrath and earned the loyalty of the remnant of the Edain, and after choosing to be counted as a Man, he and his people were granted the island of Elenna upon which to build a great kingdom of Men.

The surviving Men of Beleriand sailed for many years to find their new home, guided by Gil-Estel, the star borne by Elros’ father Eärendil. The first ship to land upon the shores of Elenna was captained by Hiril, a leader of the remaining Haladin, and the beloved of Elros. For this accomplishment he named her Ecceþindë, discoverer, and asked her to be his Queen.

Elros and Hiril were wed and crowned on the same day, taking the new names Tar-Minyatur and Tári-Ecceþindë. Their first son was Vardamir, who grew into a great scholar of ancient lore, studying the histories of his ancestors among both Elves and Men, earning him the name Nóliman. Upon the death of his father, Vardamir was nominally counted as the second King of Númenor, but he was already old and chose to immediately pass the scepter to his eldest son, Tar-Amandil.

Manwendil and Atanalcar were twins, the younger brothers of Vardamir. They were inseparable, and adored their father’s brother Elrond, himself a twin. As they grew into mighty princes, they took to hunting in the forests of Elenna and aiding in the construction of many new cities.

The only daughter of Elros and Hiril was Calarinya, better known as Tindómiel. She was a deeply spiritual woman with a connection to her elvish kin across the boundaries of time and space; she dreamed of an Elf-maiden in a river valley and conversed often with this mysterious friend in her sleeping hours. Tindómiel studied the legends of Andreth and Adanel and other wise-women of the First Age and learned under the tutelage of Elves from Aman how to enhance her foresight. She became known as a seer and prophetess, revered by her people.

In her studies, Tindómiel met Elenlóriel, a diviner of dreams and futures. Elenlóriel knew at once that Tindómiel was the mate of her soul, but waited patiently for the princess to realize this herself before revealing the depths of her heart. Great love grew between the two women, and they were wed first of Elros’ children. Tindómiel adored her wife and gave her the affectionate nickname Nícorimë, little round one. Their days together were long and happy.

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Vardamir Nóliman was the eldest son of Elros Tar-Minyatur, and nominally the second King of Númenor. He was a great scholar and student of lore, devoted more to his studies than the guiding of the realm. Upon the death of his father, an already aged Vardamir inherited the scepter of the king as a technicality, but immediately passed the rulership down to his eldest son, preferring to spend the last years of his life in his scholarly pursuits rather than leading the kingdom.

The wife of Vardamir was Halyamórë, a religious woman with a deep connection to Nienna, learned under the tutelage of Elves from Aman who visited Númenor. She popularized the Noldorin tradition of veil-wearing among noblewomen, though her choice to veil was in honor of her Vala. She was a quiet, thoughtful woman who spoke rarely, but her words when voiced were heeded by all, for she possessed great wisdom and empathy.

Vardamir and Halyamórë had four children, the eldest of which was Amandil. In his youth he was often in the company of his uncles Atanalcar and Manwendil, hunting and exploring the land of Elenna. He led a cartography project that resulted in the first complete maps of the island. Though all mourned Tar-Minyatur’s death, the coronation of Tar-Amandil was joyous, for he was well-loved by the people.

The only daughter of Vardamir and Halyamórë was Vardilmë, who inherited the great stature of her elvish forebears. From her childhood she looked up to the night sky, and with the aid of her brother Amandil she mapped the movement of the stars with a particular focus on the erratic path of Gil-Estel.

Despite his name, Aulendil was not called to the forges as had the Noldorin princes of old. Instead he put his mind to designing great palaces and castles for his noble peers to dwell within whilst not in the capital of Armenelos. It is said that the last of his buildings still stood in the days of the Great Flood.

As the youngest prince, Nolondil at first showed little care for responsibility and would often spurn his duties to spend time in the libraries. This pleased his father who, like him, was a scholar, and the two became very close. He was eager to learn from his mother’s elvish friends, but unlike her spoke often and passionately, and became known as a great orator, rhetorician, and philosopher.

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Nolondil was the youngest son of Vardamir Nóliman. Like his father, he was a scholar, and he learned from the Elves of Aman who visited Númenor. Nolondil wed the herbalist Lasselótë, and together they had three children: a daughter, Yávien, who weaved dresses for her princess cousins, and two sons, Oromendil the falconer and Axantur the horsemaster.

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Axantur was the youngest son of Nolondil. He settled in the pasturelands of Hyarastorni, where he bred and raised horses. His wife was Mancariel, a merchant who became enamoured first of his horses and then of himself. Mancariel and Axantur had three children: Lindissë, an accomplished flautist, Ardamir, a jeweler, and Cemendur, who inherited his father’s lands.

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Cemendur was the son of Axantur, a lord of Hyarastorni. Though he was the youngest of his father’s children, his brother Ardamir preferred life in the city and his sister Lindissë moved to Forostar with her spouse, allowing him to inherit his father’s lands.

In his childhood he befriended Rerindë, the daughter of one of his father’s farm-workers, they were wed as soon as they came of age. Cemendur and Rerindë had two children: Írildë, a lace-maker who studied under her great-aunt Yávien’s tutelage, and Hallatan, who became involved in politics whilst on a visit to his uncle Ardamir in Armenelos.

Hallatan represented Hyarastorni in the Council of the Scepter, where he was known as the “Sheep-lord” for his rural holdings. He befriended Prince Anardil, and after the prince inherited the scepter and became Tar-Aldarion, he entrusted the regency of Númenor to Hallatan while he was on his voyages to Middle-earth.

Írildë grew very close to her dear friend Raivatamë, another lace-maker taught by Yávien. It was through Írildë that Hallatan met Raivatamë, and he swiftly fell in love. Though Raivatamë was originally reluctant to accept his suit, they were eventually wed, and had two children: Nessanië, a student of the heavens with a special interest in weather, and Hallacar, who followed in his father’s footsteps as a politician.

In truth, Raivatamë loved not her husband, but his sister; her marriage grew cold and distant after the birth of their children, and she abode more often with Írildë, with whom she was truly happy. Hallacar was raised seeing his mother only infrequently, and this rift in his family of origin would foreshadow an unhappy marriage of his own.

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Tar-Amandil was the third King of Númenor, inheriting the scepter upon his grandfather Tar-Minyatur’s death and his father Vardamir’s immediate abdication. He was a beloved ruler, kind and wise and focused on the needs of his people. In his youth he had been a cartographer, mapping the whole of the island of Elenna, and as King he sponsored more projects of that ilk.

The wife of Tar-Amandil was Telemnë, a member of the Guild of Royal Seamstresses. She found young Amandil very fair, and insisted on outfitting the prince in the finest clothing she could design. Over time they grew closer, and eventually wed; she was crowned alongside him as his Queen.

Tári-Telemnë and Tar-Amandil had three children: Tar-Elendil, who would inherit his father’s crown; Eärendur, who sailed the seas alongside Vëantur, Captain of the King’s Ships; and Mairen, a capricious princess who counted herself a magician equal to the Elvenkings of old.

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Tar-Elendil was the fourth King of Númenor. He received the scepter after his father, Tar-Amandil, passed the kingship onto him a few years before his death. He was a scholar like his grandfather Vardamir Nóliman, and loved to make books from the legends and lore Vardamir had recorded, earning him the name Parmaitë.

Tar-Elendil’s sister Mairen was also a student of lore, though her interest lay in the mystical, and through her forays into magic she met another sage known as Ingólmë. As her friend was interested in the legends of elven magic her brother was collecting, Mairen introduced Ingólmë to Elendil, and the two had an instant connection. Within a year, they were wed, and in time she became his queen.

Tári-Ingólmë bore Tar-Elendil three children: two daughters, Silmariën and Isilmë, both of whom inherited their grandmother Tári-Telemnë’s silver hair; and a son, Írimon. Silmariën was fascinated by gemcraft and metalwork, and with the aid of her cousin Ardamir she devised a mithril fillet that would become a symbol of her house. Isilmë was a scholar like her father, focusing on linguistics and dedicating herself to preserving the language of the dwindling Drúedain. Írimon was a student of the stars, and built a tower in Forostar to watch their movements.

When it came time for Tar-Elendil to pass his mantle onto his heir, he was pressured by the male-dominated Council of the Scepter to name Írimon as his successor rather than Silmariën. Still wishing to honor his eldest how he could, Tar-Elendil created the royal House of Andúnië and gave its leadership to his daughter and her husband Elatan, and passed on the Ring of Barahir to her rather than the newly-crowned Írimon Tar-Meneldur.

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Eärendur was the younger son of Tar-Amandil and the companion of the mariner Vëantur. Eärendur was a sailor from a young age, neglecting any princely duties he may have been given and preferring the carefree life of a crewmate at sea rather than the responsibility of a naval commander. His father granted him his own ship, but Eärendur was never very serious about being a captain.

Vëantur was the child of commoner parents, and when they refused to accept him when he asserted himself as a man rather than the girl he had been mistaken for at birth, he fled his home to join the royal navy. Eärendur took the young man under his wing and was gratified when Vëantur’s ambition saw him rise to the top of the ranks, proud of his friend and glad to be relieved of the pressure on himself to lead.

When Tar-Amandil purposed to name his seafaring son the Captain of the King’s Ships, Eärendur instead suggested he choose Vëantur, a more capable commander and his bosom companion. In gratitude, Vëantur named Eärendur his first mate, a position that suited him much better, and the two turned their sights to lands far beyond Elenna. Vëantur became the first Númenórean to return to Middle-earth in his ship Entulussë. He met the Elvenking Gil-galad and the shipwright Círdan, as well as twelve Men from Eriador who came to see “who had returned from death in the deeps of the Sea.”

Upon returning from this momentous journey, Eärendur wed Helwë, a fisher’s daughter who yearned for greatness. Vëantur too loved Eärendur, and had wed him in an unofficial ship-board ceremony, and together they welcomed Helwë into their relationship. Eärendur fathered children with both his spouses; Helwë bore him a son, Caliondo, and Vëantur a daughter, Almarian, though for political reasons Almarian’s true heritage was obscured even from her.

Eärendur died at sea, saving Vëantur’s life in the midst of a storm. His loss was mourned deeply by his family, and in the aftermath, Vëantur married Helwë. A man’s friend or brother taking to wife his widow was not uncommon at the time, especially among sailors, and thus the transition into a more “official” family unit was not remarked upon even in Tar-Elendil’s court.

Almarian was raised alongside her half-brother Caliondo, and both youths loved and admired their cousin Prince Írimon. In time, Almarian’s affection for Írimon grew into a deeper love, and they became betrothed. This was the only time Helwë and Vëantur considered telling her that Eärendur was her father, making her and Írimon first cousins, but after Almarian confessed she was already carrying the prince’s child, her parents decided not to spoil her happiness with the truth. Cousin marriage, though uncommon, was not unheard of, and with Eärendur dead for many years they did not wish to revisit old hurts.

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Caliondo was the only son of Eärendur and his wife Helwë. Upon his father’s untimely death, Eärendur’s dear friend and secret lover, Vëantur, took Caliondo under his wing and introduced him to the life of a mariner. Caliondo grew into a strong naval commander, battling pirates from the mainland in defense of Númenor’s ever-expanding fleet of trade ships.

For years, he chased the fearsome Sea-serpent, a pirate queen known for striking fast and taking all the enemy crew hostage. Her true name was Gaerlin, though the Númenóreans fearfully whispered her title in Quenya: Lingwilócë. At last Caliondo surprised her and, after a pitched battle, took her captive himself.

On the journey to Númenor, where Lingwilócë would stand trial, Caliondo surprised himself by how much he liked the strong-willed pirate queen. She too was surprised at his kindness and charm, and by the time they arrived at the island, they had fallen in love. Caliondo married her in a ship-board ceremony, pleading for mercy for his wife in her trial, and she was pardoned so long as she remained with him and never returned to her pirating ways.

Gaerlin and Caliondo sailed the seas together, bringing more pirates to justice, though never in quite such a romantic way. They had one son, Malantur, who for a time was the heir to the throne of Númenor, but the law was changed to allow for Tar-Ancalimë to inherit instead. For this Malantur was grateful, as he, like his forebears, preferred a life on the sea.

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Tar-Meneldur was the fifth king of Númenor. He was born Írimon, the youngest child and only son of Tar-Elendil. Though he had two older sisters, the law of Númenor at that time prevented women from inheriting, and thus Írimon was named the king’s heir.

From his youth, Írimon turned his gaze toward the heavens, and to study the movements of the stars he built a tower in Forostar where the sky was clearest. For this love of the stars he became known as Elentirmo, the star watcher.

Though he had no love for the sea, Írimon was nonetheless drawn to the daughter of Vëantur, Captain of the King’s Ships, and wed her while they were still in their youth. Her name was Almarian, and she possessed exceeding beauty and a fondness for flowers. For this he named her Lilótëa and looked back down to the earth for her, though he always returned to his own passion for stargazing.

Almarian bore Írimon three children: a son, Anardil, and two daughters, Ailinel and Almiel. Though their daughters were fond of the land, with Ailinel painting beautiful landscapes of locations across Elenna and Almiel exploring the depths of the forests and the heights of the mountains, Anardil inherited his maternal grandfather’s love of the sea. He sailed often with Vëantur, even to Middle-earth, and even when Írimon was crowned Tar-Meneldur, fifth King of Númenor, he only remained upon the shores of Númenor for a short time.

Strife grew between Anardil and his father, though he still had the love of his mother, but nothing could deter him from his voyages. At last, he delivered a letter to his father from Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor, warning of a new Shadow in the East. Tar-Meneldur pondered this danger, and deciding that his son was better equipped to handle this menace, he stepped down as king long before his due time, passing the scepter to Anardil Tar-Aldarion many decades before his eventual death.

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Ailinel was the elder of Tar-Meneldur’s two daughters. She was a painter of landscapes, and loved the land of Númenor as her brother Aldarion loved the sea. She wed Orchaldor, son of her father’s friend Hatholdir of the House of Hador, and together they had a son, Soronto.

Though Orchaldor was a humble man most fond of his horses, Soronto was a cunning politician and a member of the Council of the Scepter. As the first cousin of Tar-Aldarion, whose only child was a daughter, Soronto advocated for the changing of the law to allow for inheritance of women, and through the mother’s line, thus putting him next in line for the throne after Tar-Ancalimë. However, Ancalimë disliked her cousin, and though she was reluctant to wed, she did so in part to spite Soronto. Her marriage resulted in one son, Tar-Anárion, who took Soronto’s place as heir.

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Tar-Aldarion was the sixth King of Númenor. He was born Anardil, the son of Tar-Meneldur the elder brother to Ailinel and Almiel. From an early age he loved the sea, and he accompanied his maternal grandfather Vëantur on many voyages, though this displeased his father the King, who commanded that no trees should be felled in Númenor for the purpose of shipbuilding. When he was grown, Anardil established a Guild of Venturers and led several expeditions to Middle-earth, establishing the haven of Vinyalondë at the mouth of the river Gwathló and aiding the Elvenking Gil-galad against the rising threat of Sauron.

Anardil was beloved of Erendis, one of his mother’s handmaidens, the daughter of the wise-woman Núneth and Lord Beregar, a descendant of Beleth of the House of Bëor. Tar-Meneldur had forbidden any of the royal family from blessing his son’s voyages with boughs of oiolairë, as was the tradition for departing mariners, and so instead Erendis performed this honor. In thanks, he gave Erendis a diamond she would come to wear upon her brow.

Though his journeys delayed their marriage, Anardil and Erendis were eventually wed. Together they had one daughter, Ancalimë, but their love was ever difficult in the face of Anardil’s love of the sea.

When Anardil delivered a letter to his father from King Gil-galad requesting further aid against the Shadow, Tar-Meneldur relinquished the scepter to his son before his due time. Anardil was crowned Tar-Aldarion, thus named for his efforts to plant new trees in Middle-earth after felling forests for lumber. Under his rule, the Drúedain warned that interfering with the mainland would lead to the downfall of Númenor, but Tar-Aldarion did not heed their warnings, and the Drúedain began to migrate from Elenna to Middle-earth.

As Tar-Aldarion only continued his voyages and was frequently away from home, he and Erendis became estranged. She took the name Tar-Elestirnë, the lady of the star-brow, for the jewel she wore on her forehead, refusing the title of Tári reserved for the Queen in favor of the kingly Tar, since her husband was not at court to rule. In time she grew frustrated in her attempts to manage Tar-Aldarion’s court, and retired to her family’s holdings in Emerie where she raised her daughter to bitterly resent men. Ancalimë would eventually be crowned Tar-Ancalimë, the first Ruling Queen of Númenor, inheriting her mother’s iron will.

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Tar-Ancalimë was the seventh ruler and first Ruling Queen of Númenor. She was the only child of Tar-Aldarion, though she was raised by his estranged wife Erendis in the hills of Emerië. Ancalimë inherited her mother’s resentment of men, and as she came of age she retreated to the countryside, rejecting any suitors who sought her royal hand. Here she became known as Emerwen Aranel, or the Princess Shepherdess.

Ancalimë befriended the shepherd Mámandil, but in time he revealed himself to be not a simple shepherd, but another noble suitor: Hallacar, a descendant of Nolondil. This angered her greatly, and she rejected him also.

As he had no male heirs, Tar-Aldarion changed the laws of Númenor to allow for inheritance through the maternal line and for women to inherit, thus putting Ancalimë next in line for the throne. However, in order to block her scheming cousin Soronto from taking her place, Ancalimë chose to wed Hallacar despite his betrayal, though there was little love between them. Together they had one child: a son, Anárion. After his birth, Ancalimë and Hallacar lived apart.

Tar-Ancalimë was the first woman to be crowned the ruler of Númenor, taking as her mother had the royal prefix Tar rather than Tári. She was strong-willed, choosing to neglect her father’s policy of aid to the elves of Middle-earth, and to forbid her serving-women to marry, though her husband arranged their weddings in secret, much to her chagrin. Tar-Ancalimë reigned for 205 years, longer than any other monarch save Elros Tar-Minyatur.

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Tar-Anárion was the eighth King of Númenor and the only child of Tar-Ancalimë. Unlike his mother, he was of a gentle nature, and preferred to spend his time exercising his body in athletics rather than combatting Tar-Ancalimë’s policies. In the first truly happy royal marriage since Tar-Meneldur and Almarian, Anárion wed the poet Iþiliel and treasured her greatly.

Iþiliel bore Anárion three children: two daughters, fraternal twins named Naryalambë and Celussë, and a son, Súrion. Though the new law allowed for the possibility of Naryalambë, the elder twin, to inherit, both of Tar-Ancalimë’s granddaughters disliked and feared the Queen and refused the scepter.

For her part, Naryalambë was a hopeless romantic and romance writer who hated her grandmother’s rule against marriage; when she came of age, she ran away from Armenelos with a young mariner, and did not return until Ancalimë’s death. Celussë was less headstrong than her sister, and suffered from a chronic illness that left her bedridden more often than not; Ancalimë was harsh in her words to her, leaving Celussë wishing only for peace and quiet, not the tribulation of rulership.

Thus it was that when their father was crowned Tar-Anárion, their younger brother Súrion was named the king’s heir. In time, he would become Tar-Súrion, the ninth King of Númenor.

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The life of Tar-Súrion, son of Tar-Anárion and the ninth King of Númenor, was fated to be overshadowed by his female relatives. Like his father, Súrion was mild-mannered, though he took after his mother’s bookish tendencies and became a scholar. He married Meletya, the daughter of one of his grandmother Ancalimë’s handmaidens, and was happy to let her direct his rule. Tári-Meletya did not take the Tar prefix of other strong-willed queens, preferring a façade of distance from the crown’s policies, but it was known to all that she was the one who ruled Númenor in truth while her husband was King.

Tári-Meletya and Tar-Súrion had two children: a daughter, Telperiën, and a son, Isilmo. Isilmo was the younger sibling, and unlike his elder sister had no interest in politics. He instead turned his focus to the stars, laboring to divine their meaning and effects on those below, modeling himself after his ancestor Tar-Meneldur Elentirmo. Isilmo wed Almárëa, a priestess of Eru Ilúvatar upon Meneltarma, and together they had one son, Minastir.

In her youth Telperiën was fascinated by the chemical makeup of the world, and studied alchemy at the royal university, but as she grew older she became more and more interested in the art of ruling. She was proud and willful like her mother and her ancestress Tar-Ancalimë, and with Tári-Meletya’s guidance she would become the second Ruling Queen of Númenor. Tar-Telperiën refused to wed, preferring the company of women, and did not interfere with the troubles of the mainland. She did not, as had all rulers prior to her, surrender the scepter a few years before mortality claimed her, instead waiting until she was on her deathbed to pass inheritance to her nephew Tar-Minastir.

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Tar-Minastir was the eleventh King of Númenor and the nephew of his predecessor, Tar-Telperiën. He was taught by his mother, the priestess Almárëa, to love the elves, though he also envied their immortality. He built a tower in the west of Elenna in order to look towards Aman, but his gaze was drawn east as Sauron’s threat grew. Tar-Minastir sent an armada to Vinyalondë to aid Gil-galad in the Battle of the Gwathló, resulting in a sound defeat of the Dark Lord. Once the land was made safe, some Númenóreans began to establish permanent settlements in Middle-earth.

The wife of Tar-Minastir was Tári-Róvandil, a palace guard who grew close to the prince in his youth. Early in their relationship they were deeply in love with one another, but as Tar-Minastir took the throne and his policies leaned toward friendship with the elves, his relationship with his wife grew cold. Róvandil’s envy for elvish immortality was greater than her husband’s and untempered with love, and she passed this dislike to her only son, Círyatan.

Círyatan inherited his mother’s pride, pressuring his father to surrender the scepter to him against his will, for though Minastir had no other heirs he feared his son’s inclination towards empire. And indeed he was right to worry, for as soon as Tar-Círyatan was crowned he scorned any alliance with the elves and sent a great fleet of ships to the mainland and began to oppress the men of Middle-earth, looting the coastline and bringing treasures back to Númenor.

The greatest of these treasures was his wife, Ciara of Dunland, who he named Tári-Morivanessië for her “foreign beauty.” She hated and feared her husband, but was powerless against his great force of will, and bore him one son, Atanamir. Yet Morivanessië never loved the elves, and as her shorter life waned she cursed them and her Númenórean subjects for their lengthy lives, stirring up resentment against the Ban of the Valar in her husband’s people.

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Tar-Atanamir was the thirteenth King of Númenor, one of the most powerful and prideful. Much like his father Tar-Ciryatan, he explored and conquered the lands of Middle-earth, holding the Middle Men in subjugation and bringing spoils back to Númenor. Following the example of his mother, Tar-Atanamir resented the elves and spoke against the Ban of the Valar, the first king to do so openly. This spurred messengers from Manwë to arrive in Armenelos and explain that even should the Númenóreans find their way to the Blessed Land, they would not escape death, but Tar-Atanamir would not listen. He was the first king to refuse to pass the scepter to his son before his death and give up his life peacefully, choosing instead to reign into old age and senility.

Instead of abducting a wife from the mainland as had his father, Atanamir found himself a woman of Númenor who matched his greed and glory. Tári-Fanyahelcë was among the loudest voices speaking against the Valar amidst the new divide between the King’s Men and the Faithful, going so far as to found a society known as the King’s Women for ladies who wished to support that cause. She took the Adûnaic name Phânkhêli as a symbol of abandoning the old ways of the elves, one of the first among the nobility to do so.

Fanyahelcë bore Atanamir two sons, Ancalimon and Aicanásso. Tar-Ancalimon inherited the scepter upon his father’s death, and his brother Aicanásso became his chief spymaster, surveilling the Faithful and ensuring the King’s Men retained their loyalty to the throne.

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Tar-Ancalimon, the fourteenth King of Númenor, was less warlike than his predecessors but still a force of imperialism upon Middle-earth. He was more interested in cartography and exploration, leaving the conquering to his wife, Tári-Caumasarnë. She was a vicious warrior and the general of his armies, loyal not to her husband but to her own ambition.

Caumasarnë and Ancalimon had only one son, Telemmaitë, but their marriage was not one of love and after his birth they were happy to spend time apart. She gravitated instead to Aicanásso, his brother, and they began an affair, though this never came to light nor resulted in any children. Aicanásso was his brother’s spymaster, using the information he gathered to advance his own political career alongside keeping the King’s Men in line and persecuting the Faithful. He was jealous of Ancalimon’s kingship, and on his deathbed urged his grandson Herucalmo to take the throne through whatever means he could.

Tar-Telemmaitë was even less interested in war than his fathers, letting his generals do as they wished, so long as they searched always for mithril, his deep obsession. He was so lost in his love for silver that he paid little attention to his wife, Tári-Onónë, not even when their daughter Vanimeldë was born. Frustrated, Onónë turned to her twin brother Onóno for comfort, and the two engaged in an incestuous relationship resulting in the birth of a small and sickly child, Engwáro. This only furthered Telemmaitë’s distaste for his wife.

Vanimeldë loved and nurtured her young half-brother, though due to his frailty Engwáro lived only to age twenty. Tar-Telemmaitë had before been reluctant to name his elder child his heir, for she was a woman, and did not raise her to rule. He had hoped to convince her to cede the crown to her brother, but upon Engwáro’s birth Telemmaitë reversed his decision and reluctantly allowed her to inherit despite her own lack of interest in queenship. Upon his death, she took the scepter as Tar-Vanimeldë, the third and final Ruling Queen of Númenor.

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Aicanásso was the younger son of Tar-Atanamir, and became the chief spymaster of his brother Tar-Ancalimon. He was responsible for surveilling the Faithful of Númenor and ensuring the King’s Men retained their loyalty to the throne, but also used the information he gathered to advance his own political career. He was jealous of his brother’s kingship, and though he remained outwardly deferent to Ancalimon, Aicanásso did all he could to undermine his rule for his personal gain.

Though Aicanásso was married to the woman Quetindiel, a speech-writer for the King, neither his vows nor his daughter Silquendil prevented him from seducing Tári-Caumasarnë, his brother’s wife and the general of his armies. Ancalimon and Caumasarnë were never close, having only wed upon discovering Caumasarnë was with child, and though in truth her faithlessness meant little to Ancalimon, Aicanásso took great pleasure in cuckolding his brother. No children were born of this affair, and it never came to light within their lifetimes, but from Caumasarnë’s indiscretion Aicanásso learned many state secrets Ancalimon would rather have been kept hidden.

Silquendil adored her father, unaware of his darker side, and when she bore a son to her husband Ambalo she made sure Aicanásso was involved in little Herucalmo’s life. Aicanásso discovered he much preferred being a grandfather than a father, and as his own political prospects grew less and less feasible, he devoted his attention instead to building up his grandson as a potential king.

After Ancalimon’s death, the prospective heir to the throne was Tar-Telemmaitë’s daughter Vanimeldë, who showed little promise as a Queen, and here the aging Aicanásso saw an opportunity. On his deathbed he urged Herucalmo to claim the throne from Vanimeldë by whatever means possible, and in devotion to his grandfather, Herucalmo swore he would fulfill his grandfather’s legacy. Indeed, Herucalmo would go on to seduce and marry Vanimeldë, and when he grew impatient of waiting for a descendant of Aicanásso to take the throne he had her slowly poisoned and seized the crown himself upon her death, declaring himself Tar-Anducal, King of Númenor.

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Tar-Vanimeldë was the sixteenth ruler and third and final Ruling Queen of Númenor. She was her father Tar-Telemmaitë’s only heir at the time of his death, thus inheriting the scepter from him despite his reluctance to pass leadership onto his daughter. Vanimeldë was not raised as an heir, as her father hoped for a son, and thus she was inexperienced and uninterested in queenship. When her cousin Herucalmo, descendant of Aicanásso, declared his love for her, she was easily won over by his promises to care for her and her kingdom.

It soon became clear that Herucalmo cared less for Tar-Vanimeldë and more for her throne, but even so she was glad to have someone else take on her responsibility. Vanimeldë preferred to focus on music, theater, and dancing, sponsoring the arts and even enjoying a different kind of fame under the stage name Liltalissë.

Tar-Vanimeldë and Herucalmo had one child, Alcarin. As his son grew and showed, like his mother, little interest in governance, Herucalmo’s greed and ambition only increased. He plotted to gradually poison his wife, killing her slowly before her time, and upon her death he seized the throne and declared himself Tar-Anducal, seventeenth King of Númenor.

Alcarin cared more for food and wine than for his rightful kingship, and was content to let his usurping father rule in his stead until his wife Avaldë began to pressure him to avenge his mother. In truth Avaldë wasted no tears on Tar-Vanimeldë, but wanted the throne for herself. She was one of the King’s Women, the society first founded by Alcarin’s ancestress Tári-Fanyahelcë, and chose for herself the Adûnaic name Pharâzarî, the golden queen.

At her bidding, Alcarin dosed his father with the same poison he had fed to Tar-Vanimeldë, and Herucalmo met the same unfortunate end as his wife. Tári-Avaldë celebrated the occasion by promising her son Calmacil, a man as cunning and vicious as herself, that if necessary, she would help him dispose of his father in the same manner. In the end such lengths were not necessary, but Calmacil would meet a similarly ghastly end mirroring that of his grandfather “Tar”-Anducal...

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Tar-Calmacil was the eighteenth King of Númenor. His mother Tári-Avaldë raised him to disdain the will of the Valar, and though he was crowned with his Quenya name, he was an ardent member of the King’s Men and conducted his court in the Adûnaic tongue, and his supporters called him Ar-Belzagar.

Ar-Belzagar renewed Númenor’s focus on imperialism, further expanding their influence in Middle-earth. Though this resulted in Sauron retreating further to the east, it also brought great turmoil and suffering to the Middle Men, whom he pillaged and plundered on his conquests.

Calmacil married young, to his sweetheart Naltanárië, and they were madly in love for many years before politics came between them. Naltanárië was of the Faithful, and though she hoped to influence her husband to soften his persecution of her people, her attempts proved unsuccessful as Ar-Belzagar grew more and more wicked, forcing upon her the name Arî-Aglazôri and threatening her life should she continue to defy him.

But Naltanárië would not be cowed. She went behind her husband’s back to preach faith in the Valar, friendship to the elves, and compassion for the Faithful, not truly believing that Tar-Calmacil would make good on his threats. Alas, Ar-Belzagar grew so wrathful that he arrested her and promised to execute her as a public example should she not repent of her words. True to her values, Naltanárië met her end with pride, burning at the stake in a horrific display of Númenor’s decline into darkness.

Even the King’s Men looked askance at this atrocious act, turning against Ar-Belzagar and to his sons Abattârik and Gimilzagar. Though both young men were, like their father, haughty and ambitious, they loved their mother and refused to accept her execution as just. Abattârik hungered to take the throne as early as he could, that he might, as he saw it, better the nation, and using their grief at Naltanárië’s death he manipulated his younger brother into avenging her with the sword.

Upon Ar-Belzagar’s murder, Gimilzagar was now the target of the ire of all Númenor. With false sorrow, the newly-crowned Tar-Ardamin, known to the King’s Men as Ar-Abattârik, held a trial for his brother and declared that he also would meet his end. Betrayed, Gimilzagar spoke against Abattârik, but the people were satisfied that justice had at last been done, and he was lawfully executed before a great crowd of Númenóreans, including his wife and daughter.

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Following his bloody ascension to the throne, Tar-Ardamin abandoned the use of Quenya as the state language of Númenor and declared himself Ar-Abattârik, nineteenth King of Anadûnê. He was an adept politician, skilled at shifting blame and keeping his enemies quiet, and though on the surface the Faithful received a reprieve from his father’s harsh policies, Ar-Abattârik’s subtler laws would come back to harm them in the future.

Abattârik married the dancer Lómindillë, a soft-hearted woman who was happy to enjoy the luxury of royalty without examining its cost. He named her Arî-Lôminzil, and they lived in contentment with their son Adûnakhôr, feeding his ambition with lyrical promises of exaltation beyond what the Valar could offer.

Before he died taking the fall for his brother, Elenmacil Gimilzagar wed Isilwendë, a painter who saw him as her muse. Known as Nilûphêr when she moved to Armenelos with her husband, she bore him one daughter, Arphazêl, but soon their happiness was cut short when Gimilzagar slew his father the king at Abattârik’s request and was in turn slain himself.

This dreadful series of events left Nilûphêr and Arphazêl deeply shaken, and they removed themselves to the west of Elenna to mourn in privacy. There they turned to the ways of the Faithful, blaming the King’s Men for Gimilzagar’s death. Eventually Arphazêl took the Quenya name Aranel and wed the thirteenth Lord of Andúnië, becoming an ancestor of the future queen Inzilbêth.

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Ar-Adûnakhôr was the twentieth King of Anadûnê, and the first to be crowned with an Adûnaic name, though his Quenya name Tar-Herunúmen was still recorded in the Scroll of Kings. This name, meaning “Lord of the West,” properly referred to Manwë and showed Adûnakhôr’s arrogance in challenging the lordship of the Valar. Ar-Adûnakhôr outlawed the speaking of the elven tongues in his presence and continued his grandfather’s practice of persecuting the Faithful. He wed Aglaril, a poet whose work spoke out ardently against the elves, and upon his death the scepter passed to his son Zimrathôn.

Though Ar-Zimrathôn was less involved in the affairs of running his kingdom than his father, he let his counsellors do what they wished, and during his reign the elves were officially barred from Anadûnê, though a few ships still came in secret to Andúnië in the west. His queen was Arî-Azrâindil, a swimmer who passed her love of the sea onto their son Sakalthôr.

Ar-Sakalthôr was a swimmer like his mother, and met his own wife, Arî-Ûrîphêl, through athletics. She was a distance runner, and in their youth they pushed their physical limits together, winning titles in various races. Ar-Sakalthôr saw the decline of the Númenóreans’ physical health, manifesting in lesser life spans, and wanted to lengthen his own years; nonetheless, he died at the age of only 226 and after a reign of 69 years, being succeeded by his son Ar-Gimilzôr.

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Ar-Gimilzôr was the twenty-third King of Anadûnê, and one of its most corrupt and tyrannical leaders, surpassed only by his grandson Ar-Pharazôn. He styled himself as a “second Elros,” as the first king’s Adûnaic name would have been translated as Gimilzôr, though their Quenya names Elerossë and Telemnar were very different. Ar-Gimilzôr proclaimed that under his reign he would re-establish the traditions of Men and bring Númenor to new and greater heights.

To do this, he refused to ascend to the Meneltarma and to tend to the White Tree, as well as completely outlawing the use of the elven tongues and punishing those Faithful who still welcome the few elven ships visiting from Tol Eressëa. While still his father’s heir, Gimilzôr personally took part in this persecution of the Faithful, travelling to Andúnië to demand its lord swear fealty to the crown and reject the ways of the Valar. The Lord of Andúnië was at the time actually Lady Lindórië, for Silmariën’s line had always allowed women to inherit, but in this time of bigotry her brother Eärendur posed as Lord for public situations such as this confrontation.

While in Andúnië, Gimilzôr fell madly in love with Lindórië’s daughter Indilquettë and declared he would make her his queen. At this Eärendur and Lindórië were grieved, but they hoped that if Indilquettë accepted the prince’s suit he would be less harsh in his policies toward their people when he became King. Many Faithful had already sailed to Middle-earth to escape persecution by the King’s Men, and Gimilzôr threatened to exile the rest entirely.

Indilquettë was gifted with foresight showing her that Númenor’s future could be swayed back to the light if there was a Faithful influence upon the next king. With some reluctance, and at great cost to herself, she agreed to marry Gimilzôr and in time became Arî-Inzilbêth, forfeiting her right to become Lady of Andúnië upon her aging mother’s retirement. Instead the title passed to Eärendur’s child, Minasdil, who led the Faithful east to Rómenna at Gimilzôr’s command. Though this put them under his surveillance and removed them from their ancestral lands, he at least permitted them to stay on the island instead of banishing them fully to Middle-earth.

Though Gimilzôr’s infatuation with his wife faded after discovering their political differences, he nonetheless desired her for her beauty. Inzilbêth bore him two sons: the elder she named Palantír in hopes that he would fulfill her vision, while his father called him Inziladûn; the younger was named Elenquáco, though he preferred the Adûnaic version, Gimilkhâd. Inzilbêth taught her children in secret of the ways of the Faithful, but only Palantír took her words to heart.

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Tar-Palantír was the twenty-fourth and penultimate King of Númenor. Though his father Ar-Gimilzôr despised the elves and the Valar, his mother Inzilbêth taught him the ways of the Faithful in secret. Gimilzôr thus would rather have had his second son Gimilkhâd inherit, but he could not change the laws of the kingdom to exclude Inziladûn, nor convince him to cede the crown to his brother.

When Tar-Palantír took the scepter, he returned as best he could to the ways of the Valar, taking his name in Quenya and nurturing the White Tree, for he foresaw that its death would spell the end of the line of kings. Yet the King’s Men were still a powerful force in Númenor, led by Gimilkhâd himself, and this attempt to repent from wickedness was met with great backlash from his people and little sympathy from the Valar. Filled with sorrow, Tar-Palantír began to spend more time in the tower of Tar-Minastir, gazing West in the vain hope of catching a glimpse of Tol Eressëa or an elven ship.

Late in his life, Palantír fell in love with a maiden of his court named Nimirrôth. Though her parents were not of the Faithful, neither were they of the King’s Men, and they loved the old stories of the elves, naming her in their memory. Nimirrôth was flattered by the attention of the king’s heir, but her love was focused ever on his brother Gimilkhâd. Yet Gimilkhâd had already wed the leader of the King’s Women, Zôrzimril, and was indifferent to her.

Nimirrôth thus agreed to be Tar-Palantír’s queen, taking the name Tári-Eldafallië which her husband gave her. Though she still loved Gimilkhâd, she bore Palantír a daughter, Míriel, a year before Gimilkhâd and Zôrzimril had a son, Pharazôn. After her husband was crowned King, Nimirrôth broke down and confessed her feelings to Gimilkhâd, and though he did not love her he saw an opportunity here to manipulate the Queen of Númenor into his favor. They began an affair, and Nimirrôth, who had before cared little for politics, soon became a secret supporter of the King’s Men.

Gimilkhâd died before his plans could come to fruition, but Nimirrôth, Zôrzimril, and Pharazôn would work together in his name to bring down the Faithful once and for all. Pharazôn had gone to Middle-earth as a conqueror and warrior against Sauron, but returned to Elenna to take up his father’s mantle as the leader of the King’s Men. When Tar-Palantír died, Míriel should have inherited the scepter and become the fourth Ruling Queen of Númenor, but she found herself betrayed by her mother and forced into marriage with her cousin, who took the throne as Ar-Pharazôn and renamed her Ar-Zimraphêl, using the prefix Ar rather than Arî to emphasize his right to rule as the husband of the last king’s heir.

Ar-Pharazôn soon returned to Middle-earth with a great force to humble Sauron and claim the kingship of all Men. When Sauron perceived that he could not defeat the Númenóreans in battle, he feigned humility and allowed Pharazôn to take him as a servant to Númenor where he quickly became chief advisor to the king, known as Zigûr to the people. He corrupted Pharazôn’s heart even further by encouraging him to worship Melkor, Lord of Darkness.

When Isildur of Andúnië stole a fruit from the White Tree, Pharazôn was angered and at the advice of Zigûr he tore the tree down and burned it in a great temple he had constructed to Melkor. He sacrificed many of the Faithful upon the flames in the hope that Melkor would grant him and his supporters immortality, and this practice spread to Middle-earth. Yet age still crept upon Pharazôn, younger than it had any of his predecessors, and he became ever more desperate to escape death.

Zigûr steered the king toward building a great armament to attack Aman itself, preaching that only after conquering Valinor and defeating the Valar could he achieve his goal. At last Ar-Pharazôn set sail, but upon setting foot in the city of Tirion the Valar called upon Eru Ilúvatar for aid. Seeing the wickedness and pride of the Númenóreans, Eru broke the world and made it round, preventing Men from ever again reaching Valinor. In the destruction, Pharazôn’s fleet was destroyed and buried in the underground Caves of the Forgotten, where he and his soldiers await the Dagor Dagorath where they will face Morgoth in order to repent for their sins.

At this time, Númenor was drowned beneath the sea with all its people save those Faithful who had escaped in seven ships led by Elendil of Andúnië and his sons. Zigûr was consumed by the storm and perished laughing, and though he would return to menace Middle-earth once more, he was diminished ever after and could no longer take a fair form.

As the waves rose, Tar-Míriel ascended the peak of the Meneltarma, the highest point on Elenna, and was thus the last Númenórean to take breath upon its soil before she, too, was drowned in the bosom of the vengeful sea.