Theoden Galanodel

Childhood
From a very young age, Theoden was an idealistic and patriotic elf. He would spend his childhood playing soldier, king of the hill, elves vs dwarves, etc. When he finished his beginner schooling and it became time to choose his career path, there was only one course he would accept: enlisting in the military and fighting for his country.

Training
However, doing so is no easy task. As it is usually necessary for an elf to be an adept magician to join the military, Galanodel spent decades trying to learn and master magicks that would get him noticed and accepted. Unfortunately, he had no talent and throughout his years of training in the magical arts, was only able to learn a few academic spells. Realizing that this route was closed to him, he decided to devote himself to training his body. Swords, spears, fists, tactics – all of these were the tools that he would delve into and learn. If magic could not be his weapon, then he’d simply discard that crutch and train his mind and body to be sharper, stronger, and flexible.

Career
And his efforts finally paid off! He was successfully enlisted into the Elven Corps of Lyveria. His optimistic attitude coupled with his unrelenting work ethic made him a being that his fellow men rallied behind, training, eating, sleeping, and even fighting together. Through the support of his allies, he’d quickly rise through the ranks of leadership and would lead the very men that aided him.

Retirement
However, attrition would spell the inevitable darkening of his optimism. Through forced suicide missions, abandoning men due to financial impracticality, and viewing of soldiers as nothing more than pawns on a chessboard changed Theoden's optimism to do all that he could for his country into a jaded leader that taught his men that survival was more important than the mission. This caused him to fall out of favor with the military’s leaders and they would soon after relieve him of his duties and would give him an honorable discharge of his tenure.

Future
Jaded, yet determined to press on, Galanodel has become a wanderer who will answer people’s requests, as long as they are within his ability. He spends his money on food and shelter and very little else. His money is stored in the various banks of the kingdoms he has traveled to so that thieves have little reason to harass him when on the road.