Khazek had just returned to the Glittering Halls from his trip accompanying some craftsdwarves who were to deliver a new Mithril and steel gate to King Elessar in Minas Tirith. While he enjoyed being out on the road, Khazek did not prefer the lands of Gondor. Too many roads, too much farmland. The years following the War of the Ring had been good years to Gondor. He was happy for this, but he prefered to be somewhere else. If he had to travel in the lands of Man, let it be Rohan at least. The rolling hills and forests of the land of the Horselords was much more to his liking. Plenty of places to be and enjoy the day.
His arrival back at Aglarond was met with no fanfare, the way he liked it. He was tired from the long trip. A month and a half there with the train of wagons and horses carting the gate and craftsmen, then just less than a month back. He could make much better time traveling on his own. He was quicker, could hike longer, take more shortcuts and required far fewer supplies.
He was immediately summoned to one of the small meeting chambers to meet with his Uncle, Lord Gimli. When he arrived, his father, Erek and uncle, Kalin were both there as well.
Gimli smiled wide and bellowed, “Welcome home, young Khazek! We are glad you have returned safely.” Khazek hugged his kin in greetings and quickly Gimli got down to business. He explained that the word from Erebor had finally arrived that the King was ready to begin his grand plan to re-take Khazad-dum and that he had requested those gathered to join his court and help him prepare. Gimli had already made some plans and arranged for a small caravan to travel north to Erebor with them. He could provide several carts and horses to pull them and enough food to get them at least part way there, though the group would have to supplement through foraging, fishing and hunting and he encouraged them to trade with any settlements along the way that they could.
Khazek is excited to join this expedition and quickly adds his two cents in. He expresses the desire to make some sort of arrangement with Rohan when they pass through Edoras on the way out. Having some sort of ground work laid regarding supplies for a future endeavor would be very beneficial. No details would be shared with the Rohirrim at this time, of course, but just to let them know that the Dwarves may be in the market for supplies in the coming months and that it would be a good trade agreement for all involved.
He also express desire to communicate with the Elves in Lorien for some pre-arranged details regarding this as well. Gimli thinks this is a good idea, being an Elf-Friend, but Erek speaks out against it, knowing that the Celeborn and his Elves might not be as happy to know that the Dwarves are going to be stirring up trouble in their backyard.
Kalin is immediately baffled by his nephew’s thoughts to bring in the help of the Rohirrim or Elves, and makes sure that his nephew is aware of his thoughts on the matter. Kalin is an extremely xenophobic and a chauvinist of the Dwarven race; bringing in the help of any non-dwarf is something that has always been a thing rather avoided to this Dwarf. Rather than wishing to let his nephew down and give him a bad impression, Kalin lets the matter fall.
Plans are made and a contingent of about 30 Dwarves will make the 70 day journey north to Erebor. Khazek suggests traveling east from the Glittering Halls to Edoras then turning north to cross the Entwash at the Entwade ford. From there, Khaz suggests the party travel east across the Wold to the Argonath to cross the great river Anduin. Their path from there would be north along the river for a few weeks until the South Undeep was reached. At that point, the route would veer to the north east, skirting the Brown Lands and heading for the southern border of Mirkwood. The route would then follow the edge of the wood around and to the north until breaking off to the northeast toward the River Running. From there they would follow the river to the north and west, passing through Lake Town, Dale and then to the Halls of the Mountain King.
Khazek would use his knowledge of the lands and skill with maps to plan the route as best as he could. He would copy maps of the route and make sure several key members of the group had them. Khaz explained that he would frequently travel out in front of the caravan, scouting for danger, hunting, fishing, and searching for good campsites. He would leave signs for the caravan to follow as well as any important notes about the route as he discovered them.
Kalin is pleased with his nephew’s thorough analysis and preparation for the journey. He praises him for the astute work and initiative he has shown and makes sure to promise him that he would supply the group with any armor or weapons that may be lacking, as he is quick to rush to his friends’ needs when it comes to work at the anvil.
Eventually the caravan agreed upon a route and the Dwarves were on their way. The brief stopover in Edoras produced mixed results, but still, some groundwork had been established.
The rest of the journey went just as planned. Khazek spent much time ahead of the party, scouting and hunting, and this proved invaluable as it kept everyone fed and in much better spirits. His scouting also allowed them to avoid several pitfalls in the road and shaved off nearly a week of travel time overall. Kalin watched the rear and made sure to provide entertainment in the form of his drumming when the party was stopped.
Several times, Khazek brought up the Elves of Lorien and each time, his father, Erek and his uncle, Kalin, put a stop to it. Erek was adamant that the Elves not be entered into this endeavour without the express indication of the King, though he did add that if the King so desired to involve the Elves, Erek would push to have Khaz included in the deal. This was enough for Khazek. He often didn’t win when it came to his father, but this was victory enough.
Finally, some 2 months after leaving Aglarond, the lone peak of Erebor could be seen in the distance. Just a bit more travel up the River Running and they would be once more in the Halls of the King Under the Mountain. The lands of Lake Town and Dale were even more prosperous than he remembered. This made Khazek pleased. His father had spent much time dealing with these Men, as well as with the Elves to the west.
Khazek was happy to be in Erebor again. He lived to serve his King, but first, he wanted a beer. Kalin, similarly, loved this place and was secretly extremely pleased to have finally arrived; stoically, he outwardly kept going in stride.
what it would take if we packed food for the whole trip:
30 Dwarves x 70 days
6300 meals = 6300lbs = 4.2 carts
will consume 4200L of water = 210 jars = 8.4 carts
at least 2 carts for luggage, camping gear and tools
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