K21 - The standing ovation

Over a month ran its course since the Emerald-Unit left Sarn Goriwig in the capable hands of Dwar Ogreaxe. Mirkwood was a mess to traverse, but the old road had been improved by the Ardacer. The transit occurred without significant delays. Under the leadership of Bain, Viceroy of Khazad-dum, and his son Gror, millitary leader of the Emerald, the dwarf army arrived in the foothills of the Misty Mountains by the 4th of Ceveth (July). 

Staring at it in the eyes

As the emerald was heading down the Anduin, their elf ambassador went ahead to make contact with Lothlorien. She came back empty-handed, with the bad news that no contact were made and that something was wrong with the Silverlode river. Bain sent her back to seek Celebrant, the elf King, and report when this was done. 

The Ardacer-attack arrived about a week ago. They secured the Dale and blockaded the East Gate through which there was evidence of orc traffic. They bid farewell to the tail elements of Battlegroup-West as they crossed the Redhorn pass. The silver attack (best unit of the four) arrived next and were ordered to stand down in preparation D-day.  The Bronze attack was deployed to the mountains around the Dale to provide area defense. The Bronze-Attack was understrenght because two of the Lot were left behind to guard the gates of the underdeep in Sarn Goriwig. Finally, the Mithril-Attack was sent to rest along the Silverlode river. The morale in this unit was low, discipline problems were common. Thordar suggested to send Mithril first as they were the most eager to go underground. 

Something strange was going on with the watershed in the Dale. The Mirrormere, a sacred pool that is said to reflect no one but Durin himself, was completely lifeless. No one looked into the mere, but rather inferred by the similar state of the Silverlode river. There was no fish, no algae, no insects nearby. Gesdrek suggested that this may be treachery from underground. 

The Viceroy sent Khazek's rangers to comb the Dale. The ranger did relatively well and identified the dynamic of the area with a good perceived level of accuracy. Khazek discovered that the tracks converged to the East Gate and consisted in small orcs hunting parties supported by wargs. The latest sorties dated to just prior the arrival of the Ardacer. 

The Viceroy also sent his right-hand dwarf Thordar, to discreetly get the pulse of the mood in the Ardacer. Thordar concealed his identity with a hood and journeyed through the camp. The mood there was distinct from the ambiance in the other units of the Emerald. The leader, of the unit, Drolf, was a self-made dwarf who had bankrolled the entire units from the Iron Hills until King Thorin III integrated the unit into the Emerald. Thordar found out that the attitude in the Ardacer was that of a mercenary company: there must be good spoils or else there would be a lot of grumbling. Thordar also found that Drolf had a wild streak and profusely promised riches to his soldiers. Thordar left the camp, largely ignored, and reported to the Viceroy. 

Halin Mithrilheart, Fatherless.

Biography
Birthday: 4 July

Early Life (age 0 to 50, year TA 2836 - 2886)

Halin was born son of Garad Anvilheart, descendent of a long line of master metallurgists in the mountain home of Iron hills. The gift that was to define the first half of his life was his inordinate physical strength. It must have been that his built and sheer strength overshadowed all of his other attributes because he soon was famous in the craftsmen circles as a the "strong one". This reputation caused a conflict as the guard wanted to recruit him while his family intended to make him their eldest son the new generation of master founder. As a result, a strange agreement was struck between the Captain of the Citadel where Halin would train a a militia member in order to pursue the family's traditional trade. This arrangement was unusual because very few of the dwarven nobility is member of the militia. 

skills:  Metallurgy [4], warhammer [4], brawler [4], Geology [2], tactics [1], first-aid [1], Politics [2], lifting [2], battle-axe [2], spear [2] 

Traits: Status 2 [10]

Life in the Iron hills (age 50 to 105, TA 2886 - 2941 )

Upon his coming of age, Halin had to make a decision as what his trade should be. He took on the extreme decision to break with the family trade and join the Army. He was then accepted as a ward in the royal family of Dain II, King under the Mountain of Iron Hills. To celebrate the adoption into the family, the King commissionned the royal weaponsmith to create a war hammer that only Halin could wield. Thus "Krorden" was created: a 45lb behemoth of masterwork quality which could not be wielded by more than a few of the strongest living dwarf in the land. Halin was then assigned as a private in the kingdom watch deep into the heart of the mountain. This turned out to be a sharp dissapointment as the only warfaring that Halin did for some 20 years was sparing with his peers and drink inordinate quantity of ale. 

Things turned up for the better in TA 2906 when, feeling forsaken by his adoptive family, he requested to be transferred to the royal guard. After the third and more forceful request, he was granted a position in the Keep Watch, still the least prestigious branch of the royal guard. Halin had the chance at this time to reunite with his original family: his brother Kren was now the family heir to the master founder position. Halin's bitterness did not receed.

Skills: soldier [4], tactics [2], leadership [2], cooking [2], singing [4], Musical Instrument (drum) [4], gambling [6], warhammer [4]

Trait:

Battle of the five armies (age 105 to 108, TA 2941 - 2944)

When Thorin Oakenshield begged Dain II for help to protect the lonely mountain, Halin ceased the opportunity to distinguish himself and regain the glamour that his legendary strength strength had gained him in his early life. As Halin was a member of the Royal Family, he was given a small command as a Captain. His unit distinguished themselves well enough during the battle, and he personally performed multiple feats of strength and bravery. After the Death of Thorin Oakenshield, Halin took on a command role as in the Watch of Erebor, where he performed with distinction in structuring the new defensive forces.

Skills: soldier [2], leadership [4], Warhammer [4], brawling [2], singing [2], administration [3], 

The Kingdom Dale ( age 108 to 141, TA 2944 -2977 )

By the time that Bard was crowned King of Dale, Halin was ready for a new challenge: the royal family, although it had adopted him formally some 50 years ago never warmed to him and he found himself on the sideline most of the time. Halin figured out that he stood a better chance to distinguish himself as a dwarf emissary to Dale. He put down his soldier's boots and donned fine fur and fancy robes and moved into Dale as a diplomat and advisor to the court of Dale. There, his knowledge of metallurgy was much sought by the reconstructing city. Halin became the link between the architect and engineers of Dale, and the metalsmith of Erebor. After about 20 years, he started his own small scale foundry where he refined formulae for high grade steel and quality bronze. 

skills: merchant [4], metallurgy [4], diplomacy [4], fast-talk [2], intimidation [2],

At Dain's table in the Kingdom under the Mountain ( age 141 to 182, TA 2977 - 3018 )

A minor plague decimated the royal family in Erebor. Dain II demanded Halin to leave Dale and rejoin his adoptive family in Erebor. Halin, reluctantly, passed the operation of his foundry to a human apprentice, but kept the ownership. Back at the court, Halin was asked to become the royal vice-accountant. He disliked the position with passion, but complied with the royal edict. During this time, Halin made contact with his old family and expanded his foundry in Dale further. His foundry was now the only supplier of steel and bronze for the Kingdom of Dale, a situation that caused tension with the business interest of Erebor. However, Halin masterfully pulled the royal familu card to maintain his monopoly. As the war of the ring was drawing near, the dwarves of Erebor were increasingly focus on building their own defenses.

Skills: Administration [2], accounting [3], merchant [3], warhammer [1], weaponsmithing [2], Politics [3]

War of the Ring (age 182 to 183, TA 3018 - 3019)

By the time that the Easterlings were drawing near Dale, Halin had shutdown his foundry and either moved or destroyed its infrastructure. He joined the King's personal guard as a family member and revive the legends of his notable strength. He was nearby when Dain II died in battle, but could not intervene. Thorin III, heir to the throne, rapidly takes over. A prophecy stipulates that Thorin III's eldest son will be the reincanation of Durin. The consequence of this prophecy is that Thorin III moves to "clean up" the family roll and push aside all relative not related by blood to the royal line. Halin is for the last time sidelined and is ordered to leave the family. 

skill: warhammer [1], tactics [1], brawl [1], siege engine [2], solider [1], 

The Quest for Mithril in Moria (age 183 to 185, year 3019 - 3021)

Abandoned, Halin volunteer for a folly of a quest where some 130 dwarves vow to bring back some mithril from the dept of Moria. Halin, returns to Krorden and his own steel boots. Once in Moria, the dwarves conduct a masterfully planned operation to force their way to the lower levels of the fortress and causing cave-ins to cut the pursuit by the orcs. They manage to reach the Mithril vein and extract a few kilogram over a period of a few months. When the ammunition and food stores ran low, they mined a series of shafts, exited Moria by a new exit and returned to Erebor. Thorin III rewarded each of the returning 88 dwarves with 1000 large silver pieces (equivalent of a Gondorian silver lord). Halin took the money and turned his back to Erebor, and has yet to set foot in the kingdom under the mountain yet.

skills: warhammer [2], engineering (mining) [3], singing [1], leadership [2]

Rebuilding Esgaroth (age 185 to 188, year TA 3021 - FA 3)

With lots of silver in his pocket, Halin decided to leave Erebor and try his chance in Esgaroth. The lake-city was then still in shamble from the war with the Easterlings. Unfortunately, Esgaroth by virtue of being on stilts was not a very good location to establish a foundry. With the wilderness around still teeming with brigands and Mirkwood creature, Halin decided nonetheless to spend a few years in Esgaroth, importing dwarven ware and selling them in bulk to to either importers from Gondor, or other commercial interest in lake-city. Halin vision also suddently plummeted: a genetic inheritance from a family that he has long forsaken. He now has to wear spectacles to cirrect his vision. All of the money got spent one way or another. These few years were a low point in Halin's life. 

Skills: merchant [4], Area Knowledge (Rhovanon) [2], Survival (prairies) [2], brawling [2], gambling [3],  streetwise [2]

Trait : Bad sight, Nearsighted [-25] (corrected with spectacles).

The Glittering Halls year (age 188 to 195, year FA 3 - 10 )

Gimli, son of Gloin and newly appointed Lord of Glittering Hall, was looking for companions to revive the lost Glittering Halls, located behind the Hornburg of Helm's deep. Gimli personally paid visit to Halin to ask him to join him in his quest. Halin accepted gladly and left Esgaroth. In the Glittering Hall, Halin took on the role of Captain of the Night watch of the deep halls, a position which called for more engineering than soldiering. Halin became enthralled with lore and history, which becoming a skilled architect and mining engineer. 

Skills: Geology [2], Engineering (fortifications) [6], engineering (mining) [4], leadership [3], History (Gondor) [2], research [2], literature [1], tactics [1] 

The Gate of Mina's Tirith (age 195 to 200, year FA 10 - 15 ) 

In FA 3, Halin was sent to Minas Tirith to contribute his fortification engineering skills to the reconstruction of the city defenses. Halin found in Minas Tirith an unlikely soulmate. He rapidly took on the beat of the city and made lots of new relations. One of which was with Arnadil Erwoen, an important Captain of the watch. Arnadil introduced him to the other members of the Palantiri Commission and encouraged Halin to participate as a "dwarven erudite".  Halin also deal in gemstones that he imports from the Glittering halls and for which he keeps a healthy percentage. 

Skills: Merchant [2], Engineering (fortifications) [4], History (Gondor) [4], research [4],