Eagerness for the Wilderness - A Guide for Wandering Dwarrows (An Introduction)

Post date: Sep 19, 2015 11:43:1 AM

---by Thalamath Stoutarm---

Sadly, we dwarves have a long history of displacement.When Beleriand crumbled, Belegost and Nogrod, proud settlements of Firebeards and Broadbeams, were largely lost beneath the waves, most of their intricate architecture and incredible weaponry lost with it.

As all dwarrows will know, the shadow thrown over Khazad-Dûm in 1981 of the Third Age by the demon that is Durin’s Bane, caused the exodus of the mightiest and largest of dwarven halls. Urging the dwarves that lived there to begin a search for a new homeland, where they could start their lives anew. A permanent home in the Grey Mountains proved sadly impossible to hold on to for most, and many years dwarves spent battling drakes and orcs as the majority of the Longbeards attempted to find a land where they could establish their civilization once again.

At length, after a time of wandering, this new homeland came in the form of Erebor. Though the Lonely Mountain had been a colony of the Longbeards since the first age, the impregnable mountain stronghold was now enlarged and stood as a capital for Longbeards and other clans alike. It was a beacon to the lands around, a sign of hope and prosperity to all that the years of hardship were at long last at an end.

Sadly, once more, this was not to be. The savage attack on the mountain by Smaug, a fire-breathing dragon from the North, shattered the peace of Erebor... the “impregnable” mountain falling to the beast.

This once more drove the Longbeards and their allied clans from their hard-earned home. For long years wandering the wastelands of Middle Earth, desperately searching for somewhere to lay their heads. The Blue Mountains proved their saving grace, largely uninhabited and suiting their needs. Though many Longbeards have since returned to Erebor, a large community of dwarves (Longbeards, Firebeards and Broadbeams alike) still enjoy their existence in these Blue Mountains near the Lune. For many getting up in the morning, going about their daily lives, and returning to the same bed at night is all the comfort they need.

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However, for some, who feel life is a gift that demands more each day, living in peace and daily routine is not enough. Deep in their hearts their dwarven spirit cries out for a new way to live, away from the everyday routine. This feeling is what I like to call “Eagerness for the Wilderness”. I must admit that I myself suffer from this affliction. I cannot stay in one place for long, and continuously hunger for the joy of the road. I believe that largely because of the history of our folk, it is somehow ingrained into our very souls. I believe Mahal, the Great Smith, gifted us our sturdiness and resistance for a reason. We are well suited to travel, so travel we must!

But the wild is a treacherous place for both the skilled traveler as the novice on the road. Many unprepared explorers have stepped out of their front door to have their innards ripped out by wolves, their bodies hacked to pieces by orcs, or stumbled into a pit in the far North of the world to end up frozen as a block of ice.

In the weeks and months to come it will be my pleasure to, through this column, give you the skills and tricks you need to not only survive in the wild, but thrive in it. Everything a dwarf will need to know in order to be successful on his travels and face the wild head on.

We’ll cover clothing, supplies, routes, training, equipment, and more! So, keep your eyes glued to the Tablets of Khazadgund... so you know, when you step out that door, you’ll whack that wolf on the nose, hack those orcs to pieces and burn your way through the ice without breaking stride.