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#idk why they didnt address her by that name during the instance in question
rohirric-hunter · 3 years
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I have additional thoughts on Lheu Brenin, specifically on his betrayal. (Fair warning: I’ve played through this questline once and it was almost a year ago, so I may have forgotten some details. But this was very much my impression a year ago.)
So Lheu Brenin tells you, directly, that he made the decision when he learned how strong Saruman’s influence is in Dunland and he fears he won’t be able to stand against him in open battle. Théodred agrees, although, as with most Rohirrim, his opinion on any Dunlending ought to be taken with several grains of salt.
The thing is... I rather think Lheu Brenin already had the possibility in his back pocket when you showed up. If he made the decision in response to the news you bring about your travels in Dunland, then everything was already prepared when you returned to Tûr Morva. When you walk into the city most of the Dúnedain are conveniently in the lower caves and the prisoner has already been moved to a lower level, to lure you deeper in and make it easier to ambush you. This is all far too convenient to really be a spur-of-the-moment decision. It’s a simple plan, but still one that requires preparation.
Based on the reactions of the members of the clan who don’t turn on you, I very much doubt he had discussed it with any of his people (except possibly Mair) before you initially arrived. I think when Saruman first began to overtly extend his influence in Dunland, Lheu Brenin really thought he was going to remain independent. I think he was proud, and he didn’t realize how invested Saruman was, and how much offense he would take at any sort of resistance. And because the Falcon Clan is settled into such a defensible location, Saruman almost certainly had them on the backburner. If he did end up having to take them by force, it would be a concerted effort almost on the same level as Helm’s Deep, so for a long time they were left alone, and they became secure in that.
But the rest of Dunland began to topple, clan by clan, town by town, and maybe a little doubt started to creep into his heart, and he began wondering about ways to backtrack, because maybe, just maybe, publicly labeling yourself an enemy of Saruman is not wise, when you live right next door to him. And when a group of Rangers from the north wander in his front door it just might be the opportunity to get back in the wizard’s good graces. Perhaps. He does want to be quite certain before he makes his move, and an outsider’s perspective is always useful, so he sends you to gather information, and in the meantime he’ll have his use out of them regardless, so he puts them to work.
Mainly I think this because he was pretty eager to curry favor with the Rangers when they showed up. His generous offer of immediate grisly murder over a measly thrown rock is... telling, on multiple levels. Aside from the obvious, I think it indicates that he wanted the Rangers to like him. And the second the Rangers indicate that maybe that would not exactly impress his goodwill upon them exactly the way he wants it to, he backs off, which is more telling, since the way he deals with his own people after the betrayal indicate that that’s just... how he handles insubordination on the regular.
So he sets himself up in a position where if the news you bring back is bad, he can sell you out and gain favor with Saruman, and if it’s good, then he can presumably not do that and carry on and pretend like he never even considered it. And, as Théodred and he himself put forward, the final decision is made when you return to Tûr Morva with the news.
As for his final appearance -- I think that Lothrandir and the PC were a more valuable offering than he ever properly realized. No matter what personal headcanons and slight AUs I make for my characters, the PC does canonically know at the very least that the Ring is in the possession of one of the four hobbits. And while I don’t think Saruman ever believed Lothrandir was Aragorn, he clearly did know that Aragorn was beginning to make his move, and Lothrandir was at the very least a valuable link with possible information. At first, I really do think Lheu Brenin mostly wanted to be left alone. But after he unwittingly delivered such valuable prisoners to Saruman, accidentally currying quite a lot of favor, he got a little power drunk with it. Combined with the loss of his home, which he seemed to expect to keep control of, and his daughter, who I assume he had some sort of affection for, the bitterness seems to have consumed him and left him interested in exactly two things: money and revenge.
This went on longer than I expected but those are my thoughts. I think he’s in general the kind of guy whose backup plans have backup plans. Unfortunately those backup plans do absolutely nothing against an unexpected child with a knife.
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