Introduction Instance - Dwarf / Ered Luin - Dwarf
- Location
- Netherlands
Introduction Instance - Dwarf
"While about to begin your long day of work at the Silverdeep Mine, an old Man beckons for you to come near. He is a close advisor of Thorin Oakenshield, the master of these halls. What could he have to say to a simple miner such as yourself?"
Since there's a lot of overlap, I figured I'd have a quick look at what the dwarves actually do in the parts of the questline that we don't see in the elven introduction and prologue. I'll be honest, I think I prefer the elven side of things...
My newly created dwarf for this occasion, Dinkonek the Unfortunately Necessary, starts his adventure at the courtyard entrance to the Silver Deep Mine - for some reason the narration makes it into a single word when it's two everywhere else. It's a familiar location by now, since the elven introduction also includes it. The first thing I see is the old man described in the narration. I approach him, and he jovially greets me, asking for my name. When I give it to him - a fine name, of course - he says that if I don't know who he is, He's Gandalf. He's also Gandalf if I DO know him, of course! Gandalf the Grey. He asks me to humor him, and walk with him for a spell. He's quite tired, and could use the company.
As we walk and we pass through a gate, Gandalf informs me that my lord Thorin is getting ready to go on a dangerous journey, and while he asks Gandalf to advise him, he never listens. Wisdom is a curse!
We approach a pair of dwarves who are waiting in the courtyard - Dwalin and Balin. Gandalf tells them it's time, and they immediately respond. Balin says he'll get ready to leave, while Dwalin proudly proclaims that the Lonely Mountain awaits. Gandalf turns to me and notes that since Thorin doesn't listen to him, he'll have to give things a little nudge. You see, they need another party member for the company that departs for the lonely mountain - thirteen just won't do!
As Balin and Dwalin walk off, I follow Gandalf further in. Sure, I have work to do, but he's not done talking! He explains that Thorin won't like his choice, as he intends for the final companion to join the party to be a burglar - a hobbit! I give him a look, and he shakes his head, swearing that Bilbo Baggins will make a better burglar than even he knows! Thorin will balk at it, but he'll need Bilbo before the end. But hush now - let's say no more of the matter. Thorin is near!
We walk closer to the mine, until we meet with Glóin and his son Gimli. Gandalf greets the former, telling him that the others are getting ready to depart. Glóin cries out that this is good news - he's weary of all the planning and waiting. There's a dragon to be bested, and treasure to be reclaimed! Gimli wishes his father a safe journey, and Glóin promises he'll see his son when he returns, and much honor shall be restored to their family. Glóin sets off, while Gimli tags along with us as we walk up the rest of the way to the doors of the mine, where two more dwarves await.
These are Thorin Oakenshield, lord of these halls and leader of the company heading west, and his trusted friend Gormr Doursmith. Gandalf greets Thorin, telling him that the rest of the company is assembling at Frerin's Court as they speak. All but one, of course! Thorin is pleased, and recalls that the last is this mysterious warrior of whom Gandalf speaks so highly. He looks forward to meeting him - though Bilbo is an awfully strange name for a dwarf, isn't it? He should be an interesting fellow. He turns to Gormr, appointing him Steward of the halls in his absence. Gormr bids Thorin a safe journey and a prosperous return. Afterwards he leaves to join the others, and Gandalf goes with him, leaving me alone with my fellow young dwarf Gimli and our superior, Gormr.
Gormr almost immediately tells me off for dilly-dallying around instead of getting to work. Hasn't my foreman given me enough to do? He tosses a satchel full of equipment to the floor, and moodily tells me to grab it and get ready for the day's work. I grab my weapon, but sense something is amiss. Suddenly the area begins shaking, as if an earthquake is happening, and there's a loud rumbling as dust and debris wafts around us. What the hell? Gormr cries out that the mine is supposed to be stable - what could be causing the ruckus? Gimli points out that it didn't really sound stable just now, and he asks me to help him get the miners out before the place comes down on their heads. Gormr tells us that he'll quickly go get help, while we head in to save what we can.
Before we can actually get anything done, though, Gimli asks me if I have a weapon on me - and asks for a quick practice bout before heading into the mine, as we can never know what evils might appear when mountains tremble! Really not the time, dude, but sure. Gimli takes a couple hits, but soon enough I manage to whittle him down, and he tells me that it'll do. Let's go in! Inside, various miners are still hard at work, and Gimli tells me to take the main passage and gather the miners there, while he takes a side passage to find others - it's one that's blocked off to players, but I guess it doesn't matter to NPCs.
I head in and find Kapall only a short distance in, and he complains that the mountain sure is grumpy today - that can't be good!
He heads out and I move on to find Vitnir around the corner, who agrees that it's best to leave - the cave-claws must have weakened the mine with their nosey burrowing! A bit further in Monsi is happy to leave, since it sounds there might be a troll on the loose! I run further in and come to a closed gate, where Foreman Otur is busy smashing a cave-claw to bits with a stick, cursing out the cursed thing. After it goes down, Otur is happy to hear the order came down to clear out - if he didn't know any better, he'd think there was a troll stomping around the mountain! There's one miner left down this way, he says, so he proposes we go fetch him.
I follow Otur deeper in, and he tells me that a miner named Tvistur should be just up ahead. He warns me though - Tvistur won't come easily. He's a little hard of hearing, you see… We run into the large central room with the barred bridge, and find that it's locked from the other side, so we'll have to take the side-path, the long way around. We head that way, following the sound of Tvistur's mining pick from somewhere up ahead. As we get closer, though, it turns out that the side-path has crumbled due to the earlier earthquake, but we can see Tvistur just across the way, merrily smashing away at some rocks with his pickaxe, none the wiser. Hum dee dum!
Just then Gimli pops out from one of the side passages and runs up to Tvistur, crying that he should get away from where is, that the mine isn't safe. Doo dee dum. Gimli, exasperated, wonders if the dwarf is even listening to him. Suddenly Tvistur smashes his pickaxe into the wall just so, sending it crashing to the ground as its weakened supports fail. There, that's done it! Wait, what's that shaking? A huge troll comes lumbering from beyond the broken wall.
In what must be either stupidity, Tvistur brandishes his pickaxe and roars back at the troll, telling it that he's not afraid of it, and it needs to get out of his mine! Gimli tells him to run, but it's too late. With an almighty swing of his club the troll flattens Tvistur, which is when Gimli provokes the troll, calling it an oversized sack of stone and luring it around the corner and deeper into the mine, out of sight.
Foreman Otur tells me we should go help Gimli - we have to be quick, since he doesn't know how long Gimili can keep the creature busy before it overpowers him. He tells me to follow, and we hurry back to the bridge - he'll just have to break the dratted lock! Just a moment… There, that's got it! Otur tells me I should take the new passage that just opened to try and head off Gimli and the troll, but that I should watch out for cave-claws in these unexplored tunnels. The mine is beset with perils today! He promises he'll go get help, and runs off. Can you go ask Gormr where his assistance is, while you're at it? Thanks.
I cross the bridge and follow the tunnel, discovering that there's something strange going on in there - apparently I've uncovered some kind of old ruins made by ancient elves judging by the construction. And among them lies a body, surrounded by curious red flowers. I examine the corpse, observing that it's a fancily dressed dwarf in armor, and he's perfectly preserved. He's ancient but unchanged despite that, and he bears a strange rune on his chest…
Anyway, I've got a job to do, I'm not here to sightsee. I leave that curiosity behind, moving further in and slaying cave-claws to learn how to swing my axe, eventually reaching a more open area. In the distance I can see the troll fighting Gimli.
Gimli is having a great old time, bellowing dwarven war cries - Baruk Khazad! Khazâd ai-mênu! - while he swings his axe at the enormous hulking beast. He promises he shall cleave the beast in two, if only it came closer to his axe! The troll manages to get a lucky swipe in with its club when I come around the corner to intervene, but it's unnecessary but while the creature lifts its weapon high to finish him off, Gandalf and Gormr Doursmith suddenly rush out from a side-passage. Gandalf commands the beast to stand aside, then raises his staff when the troll turns towards him, declaring it shall trouble us no more.
He slams the staff into the ground which sends out a minor tremor which - just coincidentally, I'm sure - causes a small section of the cave's roof to collapse, allowing sunlight to stream in. The troll, quite caught off guard, raises one hand to ward off the light, only to slowly begin turning to stone, its shock frozen on its face forever, which is how I found it in the introduction, which takes place decades later.
Gimli thanks Gandalf greatly for his assistance, and the wizard says he's most welcome. Gimli wonders how long that troll has been roaming around these old elf-ruins, and wishes Tvistur had not been so careless as to release it! Gandalf just says he was glad Gormr fetched him in time - he has no doubt in my courage, he reassures me, but he thinks the foe would have overwhelmed even me and Gimli together.
Nearby, Gormr bends over and grabs something sparkly off the floor. Oh my, what's this? Gandalf asks him what he found there, and Gormr says he found an interesting little trinket underfoot. Gandalf is not surprised, as there are surely many trinkets and forgotten artifacts here - for these are the ruins of lost Ehdelion! (Did Gormr just pick up one of the things Elrond hid from some random place on the floor? Stellar job hiding it, half-elven, real fantastic.) Gormr recognizes the name as the place where Skorgrím (actually misspelled as just Skorgrim), his great ancestor, was murdered in ancient times. Gandalf observes that the elves remember it differently, but no matter. He turns to me, as if expecting me to have anything to add.
I tell him about the dead dwarf I found on my way here, and Gimli hopes that this is not an ill omen regarding his father's journey with Thorin. Gandalf relays my discovery to Gormr, wondering to himself if I found the body of Skorgrím lying under the collapsed ruins where he was smote by the elf-warrior Talagan? But, that is a matter for years long passed. Gandalf's business is with Thorin today, so Gormr may look into the grave of his ancestor while he is Steward of this land in Thorin's absence.
Epic Prologue - Dwarf
Picking up after the shared Dwarf/Elf introduction section, our dwarf finds himself at Thorin's Gates. Another dwarf named Skógi tells me to get a move on - I don't want to keep the Captain of the Guard, Unnarr, waiting! He has been looking for me for an hour at least, and what's worse, he's already angry due to a guard abandoning his post! Unnarr is actually fairly pleased I showed up, though - at least someone knows their duty! Come, we must speak of dire and worrisome circumstances!Unnarr tells me that he has received unsettling news - one of the armories was left unguarded! Vitharr has been a stalwart and dependable guard, but he's apparently abandoned his post. Outrageous! He wants me to investigate the unguarded treasury and confirm Vitharr isn't there. If anything is missing, he'll have the man's armor! He was next in line for a commendation, but after this he won't see praise for thirty years! He instructs me to go the Arming-cave to the northwest, near the great statue of Thorin carved into the mountain. It's more a building than a cave, really, at least from the outside.
I head over and discover an unconscious Vitharr inside the cave, who isn't sure what happened - he was standing outside when suddenly… somebody must have clubbed him and dragged him inside while they robbed the place bare! This is terrible! There's a caved-in passage in the Arming-cave which Vitharr presumes is how the thieves got in - they must have spent a lot of time digging that tunnel. He tells me to hurry back to Unnarr and tell him what happened, and that it won't happen again. He's sure it won't help matters, but he asks me to assure him Unnarr wasn't sleeping at his post. He doesn't know how this could have happened, and on his shift no less!
Unnarr is aghast that there was a burglary - there was a lot of valuable gold and weapons in that cave, and they can't replace it any time soon. There's hardly anything of value to mine in these mountains! He figures the cave-in might be a clue - the burglars can't have gone far. They might even be trapped beneath the rubble, and the gold too! He tells me he'll order some dwarves to move the rubble, a good assignment for Vitharr to give him time to think. For me, he's got a more urgent task. Judging from the location of the treasury, the burglars must have dug their passage from the Silver Deep Mine (of course) and that points to goblins. Goblins crawled into the mine two years ago, shortly after the events of the dwarven/elven introduction, so he wants me to go in and look for the other side of the cave-in. Maybe I'll find some stolen goods or a burglar - I should bring back whatever I find.
I visit the Silver Deep again, and after some exploring I discover the passage, along with a dead Dourhand, though none of the stolen gold is there. I take the sword-hilt from the dead dwarf, bearing the insignia of the Dourhands, and return it to Unnarr. This is not good - bad enough we've been burgled, but worse still, by Dourhands! Dwalin won't be happy with this - there's troubles with Dourhands elsewhere in the mountains, but he was sure they were out of Thorin's Hall forever. To steal Longbeard gold from the treasure is unbelievable!
He tells me to head into the throne room in Thorin's Hall and show Dwalin what I found. Dwalin admits that if it were coming from anyone else, he would not believe the grim tidings that the Dourhands had returned to bother Thorin's Hall, but I have always proven myself an honorable dwarf. He too thought the Dourhands were gone for good, but it seems they still had designs for our gold, so they will have to be taught a hard lesson. They will rue the day they suck into Thorin's Hall like brigands! We'll discover where the gold was taken, and deal with them, by Durin's beard!
Dwalin notes that we'll need to find out where the burglars took the gold, and he believes he knows a way to do it. The thrushes of the Vale of Thráin have long served as the eyes of Durin's Folk in the air, so if the Dourhands tried moving the stolen gold, one of the thrushes must have surely seen them. Nos Grimsong is a friend of the thrushes who has long been loyal to the Lonely Mountain, and he understands their language. He's currently in Noglond to the south, so he tells me to get to the stable master and ride there as soon as possible. Wíli, the stable master, is happy to oblige and tells me to speak to Rothgar when I arrive, as he's surely got things for me to do.
Arriving in Noglond, Rothgar greets me and says this way-station has a storied history nearly as rich as Thorin's Hall, and he'd be honored to tell me - Oh, I'm actually in a hurry? I'm here on business? You'll never find a truer Longbeard than our Steward, he argues, and Thorin's Halls are maintained with the dignity that befits - oh, right, I was going somewhere? Finally he listens to me without blabbering on, and I ask him where Nos is. I'm told he mentioned heading in the direction of the Thrushstones, northwest of Noglond, so I leave immediately.
I find Nos easily enough, and before I can even mention anything, he notes he already knows about the Dourhands sneaking into the halls - the thrushes told him all about it, and he wrote it down to show Dwalin. He's about to give it to me when we're suddenly interrupted by a bunch of lynxes, always hungry to eat the little birds. After several waves of combat as lynxes storm across the nearby hills to attack, we finally manage to fend them of, and Nos thanks me. He then gives me the notes and tells me to show them to Rothgar. Back in town, Rothgar confirms that the notes say the thrushes saw the Dourhands bringing their stolen gold into the Vale of Thrain, but they insist that they then returned to their old stronghold in the mountains next to the Vale. He was sure that old place was infested with goblins now. Still, there were goblins in the Silver Deep as well, and the Dourhands passed there as well. Something weird's going on here…
I head out to the old Dourhand fortress, and find mostly goblins there - but apparently some kind of deal is happening. When I interrupt that, the single Dourhand burglar I can see tries to argue that this is business between Dourhands and the goblins, and does not concern me. Fighting breaks out, of course, and as I fell my enemy, they cry out that goblins have proven to be better allies than the Longbeards - and that while their end draws near, the war follows close behind! After he dies and I take his gold, the goblins are furious they haven't yet received whatever they were promised, and a bunch of them pour out to attack me. They fall to my attacks in short order, and I head out with my spoils.
Rothgar promises he'll return the gold to Dwalin, but says it sounds like I've got a more urgent errand to undertake. The burglar apparently promised to pay the goblins in exchange for something, and implied they and the Dourhands were working together? Mathi Stouthand, Lord of Gondamon, must be given warning that they are up to something - war could be brewing, and the forces of Gondamon must be prepared!
I head off towards Gondamon at full speed, and Mathi is happy to see me, telling me that I could not have arrived with this news at a better time - you see, an elf-prince has gone missing, and the elves are convinced the dwarves have abducted him and refuse to believe otherwise. And they've just learned where the elf is being held - at an encampment of Dourhands to the north-east. My information tells him a great deal about the elf's fate (apparently) and he hopes it's enough. The elves sent an emissary, and she insists we should save Avorthal as a sign of goodwill - as if the Longbeards need to prove anything! He considers himself an even-tempered dwarf, but this emissary has gone too far. They'll need someone who is neither a dwarf nor an elf to organize this rescue, and he has just the right person in mind!
This is where our prologue joins up with the elves again...
Last edited:
