[piosenniel]

Welcome to Dale, Nevtalethial, Kettle of Fish, and Collette Took.

Here is the back story for Dale and a few helpful references:

Dale in the Fourth Age

To the east of the northernmost section of the Misty Mountains, just beyond the northeastern border of the great Eryn Lasgalen (Forest of Green-leaves), known as Mirkwood in the Third Age, lies the now prospering, Fourth Age city-state of Dale.

Established in the Third Age at the southern foot of Erebor, The Lonely Mountain, by the Northmen, nearest in kin of lesser Men to the Dúnedain, it became a thriving center of trade between the Dwarves of Erebor and The Iron Hills and the astute merchants of the city. Originally, the bulk of its trade was in food stuffs for the Dwarves in exchange for tools, stone-masonry, and smithy work. Eventually this commerce expanded into exportation of Dwarven handicrafts to other regions.

With the defeat of Sauron and the promise of an enduring peace, what had started out as a trading network between Dale, Erebor, the Iron Hills, and Laketown (an independent city just south of Dale on Long Lake) is now being expanded by King Bard II of Dale.

The small trade with King Thranduil of Eryn Lasgalen is hopefully to be expanded, although there are some recent disputes over the receipt of inferior quality of Dorwinion wine by said King. Such disputes will need to be rectified soon since Thranduil’s people control the passage of the forest into the western regions of Middle-earth. It would be far more costly for commerce to be routed through a southern route.

Representatives of Dale have gone southeast to Dorwinion, near the Sea of Rhûn to discuss quality control with the winemakers in the hopes of heading off further problems with Thranduil. They are also offering to expand the export of wine in greater quantities to the western regions of Middle-earth, and to open up areas of mutually beneficial trade with the newly recognized regions of Nurn, in southern Mordor, and with Harad.

Nurn, now peopled by the freed slave population of Mordor, is a very fertile region. Dale has heard they have begun the cultivation of an excellent variety of pipeweed, which might well rival that of the Shire’s finest.

Haradwaith, Sutherland, is a key entry for the expansion of the Dale network into the promising lands where coffee is cultivated. This is a rare and expensive commodity in Middle-earth at the present, and one that could well develop into a very profitable enterprise. A representative of Dale is in Harad when King Elessar’s message arrives there.

King Bard II is eager to secure the establishment of certain trading routes and to draw up contracts with the newly expanded areas of King Elessar’s realm.
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Handy references: ‘The Atlas of Middle-Earth’, Karen Wynn Fonstad, pg. 53 & 76-77.
‘The Hobbit’ – the chapters concerning Lake-town
‘The Encyclopedia of Arda’- Arda

And here is:

Dale – First Post

Drumming the fingers of his left hand silently on his knee beneath the table, King Brand II waited impatiently for the last representative from the Merchants’ Guild to finish recounting his lists of contracts, grievances profits, and expected losses. His gaze regarded the droning Master of the Weavers’ Guild briefly, and he thought to raise his hand and bring the sleep-inducing speech to an end. Instead he let the words flow over and past him while he turned his thoughts to other matters.

King Elessar and his invitation were foremost in his mind. Now this would be a rare opportunity for Dale, he mused. The ear of the King! And just when Dale had begun to push her trading network farther south and east.

He ran a short list, through his mind, of trusted men he could send to represent him, weeding out the ones whose personal interests might overshadow the needs of Dale, itself. He wished now he hadn’t sent Jarl south to Nurn and Harad. He would be the most politic choice to send to the King’s court - a trustworthy, well-spoken man, and shrewd, though not to the point of dishonesty.

Ah, well, there was no point in wishing he hadn’t sent him, it was too far to send a message to him, and too far for him to return to Dale and start on the road to Minas Anor.

And what about the road to Minas Anor ? There was a sticking point in itself. Thranduil had grown strange of late. Would he allow the representative from Dale to travel unimpeded through the forest? He turned the question over in his mind many times, seeking a way through it.

‘Ah!’ he said aloud, as the answer came to him. The startled Master, having just finished his lists, looked at him, wondering if it were a comment of approval or disapproval. The King smiled, saying ‘Well done, Masters! I look forward to our next meeting.’ He stood, bringing them all to their feet, and dismissed them with, ‘Gentlemen!’, and a brief nod.

Once gone, he called for his attendant, Grim. ‘Find Girion quickly!’ he instructed the man, ‘Bring him to me in all haste!

Alone, Brand sat back in his chair. His son would have to be the one to travel the Old Forest Road and then down The Great River to Minas Anor. He was counting on the old friendship between Girion and the son of Thranduil, Orodan to get him safely through the forest.

He called for a cup of chilled wine, hoping it would ease the nagging doubts in his mind. Sighing, he raised the cup to whatever powers might be listening.

‘Please! Let him be up to the task!’

Needed characters:

Girion, the King’s son
Girion's attendant
Jarl as the envoy to Harad.

Names are somewhat negotiable, but they must reflect the types of names likely to be found in Dale.

Please let me know who you might like to be, as there are some details concerning them I would like you to consider in doing your first posts. Thanks! -- Pio [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[ September 19, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]