| “ | How perfect is this man’s punishment. His dedication in life will be matched only by his devotion after death. Let his tortured soul hunt the leaders of our enemies. | „ |
| ~ Morgomir after he killed Carthaen and created Karsh. |
| “ | He suffered long, and now goes to his rest as a true Captain of Numenor. We have done a great thing this day. | „ |
| ~ Eärnur after Karsh's death. |
Karsh is a minor antagonist from The Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle-Earth 2: The Rise of the Witch King. As Carthaen, he was a former captain of the armies of Arnor and later as Karsh the leader of the barrow wights and one of the most dangerous minions of Angmar.
Biography[]
Carthaen was a dunedain, one of the captains of the armies of Arnor and he fought against the forces of Angmar in the Barrow Downs of Cardolan. After the siege of Carn Dúm, the forces of the Witch-king of Angmar wanted to unleash a plague that would have plagued Arthedain and the elves. Morgomir and a small team traveled to the area where the sorcerers began to corrupt the souls. However, Carthaen repeatedly tried to prevent the dark rituals with a lot of dunedain soldiers. After a thousand souls were corrupted, the forces of evil saw the captain's soul as the perfect end to the rituals and the plan, so they wanted to capture him at all costs. However, he stubbornly defended himself but after the enemy killed all of his men, he wanted to hide. Morgomir and the barrow wights surrounded the captain, who was exhausted but showed no fear and persevered to the end.
Carthaen's death and Karsh's born.
Then his opponent stabbed him with a morgul blade and so he transformed, and this is the born of Karsh. He then led the armies of Angmar, mainly the barrow wights and the sorcerers. He took part in the siege of Fornost, where he also killed dunedains and the capital was destroyed. Then, in turn, the combined armies of Gondor and the elves, led by Eärnur, Glorfindel, and Elrond, launched an attack on the captured territories of Fornost and Angmar. The first major army was led by Morgomir, but they had eventually defeated him, and the combined armies continued the march. Karsh was already waiting for the enemy with groups of sorcerers and launched a counterattack. In the final battle, however, he also defeated, freeing his soul for good, and according to Eärnur, they managed to free Middle-earth from a very strong and dangerous evil.
Personality[]
Carthaen was a brave, stubborn, heroic person. He didn't know the fear and persevered for Arnor to the end. After transforming a wight, all his previous feelings were gone and Karsh became a ruthless, brittle killing machine.
Powers and abilities[]
Carthaen was a strong and tough man who was a talented archer and swordsman with leadership skills. After his transformation, Karsh became one of the strongest fighters of the Witch King and one of Angmar’s most important leaders. He was much faster, stronger, and more enduring than the other barrow wights. A dark aura surrounded him, his enemies slowed down and were constantly wounded near to him. He was able to teleport anywhere, fly and use a special attack.
Trivia[]
- Karsh is exclusively in The Rise of the Witch King and his character is not found in Tolkien’s books.
Gallery[]
