Ok then, for players at both locations- really the new guys, as the older players have heard this a few times already- here is the deal with King Arvedui.
The line of Kings of Men is an interesting one- it throws up the great and the good, but also many many bad ones to. To use an allegory from Roman times, it was said of the Imperial Claudian family thatits family tree bore two fruit, the sweet and the sour- and the sour outnumbered the sweet.
So, those Proud Kings who destroyed Numenor were bad. But Elendil (and for that matter, his father, whom few remember) was good. Obvuoyusly, a thousand years hance, Aragorn is good. Two thousand years ago, Isildur... well... I think people put him in the 'tried hard but ultimately cocked up' area.
Likewise, the sons of the King who broke Arnor into 3 were bad- and Gondor slid into civil war also, and that as not even the direct line! A troubled Royal family to be sure. But there are the Elendil, and Aragorns. And right now, there is Arvedui.
Few can doubt that Arvedui is the best King of Arthedain, maybe even since its founding. Arthedain has grown strong and vigorous again under his leadership. He has assembled a Council of very capable Dunadan Lords (though the players don't seem to be able to get on with them- which is a problem. Must be said, players in this game seem to have had terrible difficulty sseeing other points of view, which is a disastrous liability- let alone there being a problem with showing respect. With any luck, this will improve in future) and ruled with both strength and wisdom. Arvedui himself is also energetic and enthusaistic, friendly and keen. Gandalf himself has singled out Arvedui as a Dunadan who could perhaps perform the long-awaited unification of Man- and Elrond is willing at least to give him a fair chance.
But it is not jist the forces of Angmar that Arvedui is up against. He has a far greater worry, one that has nearly consumed him all of his life- the Prophecy of Malbeth the Seer. Malbeth was a Dunadan also, and, as the very occsasional Dunadan is capabale of so doing, he could see glimpses of the future like the powerful Elves have- the gift of foresight. Malbeth was a trusted advisor to the Court at Fornost-Erain. He knew that Arvedui, when born, was a man destined to great things- but he made a chilling prophecy to Arvedui's father. Because it was Malbeth who named Arvedui- the name means, literally, 'Last King'.
"Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dunadain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become King of a Great Realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dunadain arise and are united again."
Malbeth's Prophecy was clear. Arvedui would be the Last King of Arthedain. Any why could there possibly be any reason for that... other than it coinciding with the end of Arthedain itself?
As the other playees can tell you, since their encounter with the Barrow Wights, Malbeth- who died during the winter- is no charlatan. His Prophecy is true- Arvedui will be the Last King. But his sowrds spoke of small hope- what could they mean?
Arvedui knows, and he has sought to achieve it all his life. He knows he will be the Last King of Arthedain- nothing can stop that. But he plans to tuen this apparent doom into, instead, the birth of a new hope for all the free races of Middle-Earth.
Arvedui plans to create a NEW Kingdom of man. And he will indeed be the Last King of Arthedain- and the FIRST King of the reborn Realm of Man.
To this end, Arvedui has been making vigorous diplomatic contact with all peoples. After two millenia of isolation, he opened up diplomatic contact with Gondor. The two Kingdomd spoke again at last. He married a Gondorian Princess, to seal the new friendship. And then when Gondor lost its King in battle, and had no heir, Arvedui saw his chance to create the new Kingdom. He offered himself as King of Gondor, on two counts- that, by his marriage to his wife, he was next in line, and second, that in origin he was Gondor's true King anyway.
Gondor refused him on two grounds- that this claim was invalid, and that the succession could not pass through a woman. Arvedui sent a polite refutation, showing clearly why his claim was valid, and also why there was NO legal reason for it not to pass through the female. But the Gondorians ignored him. The truth was, they did not want a straner as King, and they did not care what arguments he could bring forth. They put a more distant relative on the throne instead. and Arvedui, as Tolkien says, had neither the force nor will to press his claim- not only could he not invade Gondor, he, obviously, was not prepared to fight his fellow man for a throne.
And so that chance was lost. But now Arvedui sees another- in Cardolan. Arvedui plans the seemingly impossible. If he can get all the remaining Lords of Cardolan to unite and accept HIM as their King... then the division in Arnor will end. Arthedain and Cardolan will unite into one new Realm- the new Arnor, and Arvedui will be the First King, as he was Last.
And more than that- it will be a symbol of unified resistance against the Witch-King. Arvedui plans to make this the first stage of a Grand Alliance of ALL the free peoples of Middle-Earth- Man, Elf, Dwarf, and even Hobbit, who, after all, currently lie inside his protection.
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"And that is why we are all here now," finished Baranar. "It seems Arvedui has chosen me as the first step of his plan.
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"It's but a faint hope," says Gandalf. "But it might just work. And if Man could be seen to be coming together instead of coming apart..."
Elrond raises his hand.
"I have already told my emissaries of my view on this," he says. "IF Arvedui can form his Alliance. If the Realm of Man comes together again... then Rivendell will stand by him against the Witch-King. For then, there would be something of hope and value for us to stand besides."