: Well, I think he was VERY im-poah-tant. Elrond sent him out all by his lonesome against the Nazgul....

But it could be that he went out himself it seems to me that he was capable of taking his own counsel and yet he served and abode with Elrond. It could be that he niether sought advice nor reflected and thought on his own so he went out on his own heedless and reckless. Of course the problem with this is that he didnot seem the kind to do this.

He did seem able to defend himself against the Nazgul. I say defend because he wouldnot take the offensive against them because of the story of the End of Angmar, he said "It is not by the hand of any man that the Witch king shall die." Of course he was not a man but an elf and it could be that he and Elrond didnot know that the Witch king was the chief of the Nazgul. But of course Gandalf knew who the Witch king was so it is very probable that Elrond and his chief captains knew because of the close relationship of Elrond and Gandalf.