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Folwren · 09-19-2005, 10:57 AM

There was a long silence that prevailed over the Dwarves of the underground city of Khazad-Dum. The fire light flickered on their grim faces, and no one said anything. Finally, a thick set, black bearded Dwarf pushed himself forward.

‘My lord King,’ he said standing towards the front, ‘and my people,’ looking about him with dark, fierce eyes. ‘We have all heard rumors of this. Many of us have ignored it, hoping, and sometimes maybe believing that it would pass like so many shadows have in the past. But this time, the shadow has materialized and become larger as the time went. We have done little - next to nothing - to prepare for the war that has been being whispered in our ears. We can no longer sit in idleness here in our halls of stone, nor can we ignore the cries for help coming from the Elven city from without. It is not the lord Celebrimbor alone that asks our help. It is his people. There are wives and children there, no less precious than our own. If we go and fight, we run the risk of losing our own lives - leaving our families perhaps never to return, but at least our families will be safe after our deaths.

‘But if we do not go and fight, if we do not lend aid to our allies, we run the risk of an army so great that we can not conceive it even in our minds, turning again upon us and tearing us from our halls as a bird will a snail from its shell. We face the thoughts of cowardice and fear if we do not go out - forever reproached by the knowledge that we were afraid. Haunted until we go to our graves by the thoughts of the thousands of innocent women and children slaughtered in their burning homes by the hideous armies from Mordor because we didn’t go to help.

‘We have every reason and every ability to go out and help destroy and scatter the orcs and men under Sauron. I think that everyone one of us knows that there is no real reason to stay back, behind strong, safe walls of stone - safe for only the time being. We have only this one chance. If we do not go out now, there will be no chance of our surviving the attack that will surely come once the elves in Eregion have been destroyed.

‘I say we should go to the Lord Celebrimbor’s aid,’ the black bearded dwarf said, looking straight at the king. ‘And we should not delay.’

09-19-2005, 10:57 AM	#136
Folwren Messenger of Hope Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a tiny, insignificant little town in one of the many States. Posts: 5,076	There was a long silence that prevailed over the Dwarves of the underground city of Khazad-Dum. The fire light flickered on their grim faces, and no one said anything. Finally, a thick set, black bearded Dwarf pushed himself forward. ‘My lord King,’ he said standing towards the front, ‘and my people,’ looking about him with dark, fierce eyes. ‘We have all heard rumors of this. Many of us have ignored it, hoping, and sometimes maybe believing that it would pass like so many shadows have in the past. But this time, the shadow has materialized and become larger as the time went. We have done little - next to nothing - to prepare for the war that has been being whispered in our ears. We can no longer sit in idleness here in our halls of stone, nor can we ignore the cries for help coming from the Elven city from without. It is not the lord Celebrimbor alone that asks our help. It is his people. There are wives and children there, no less precious than our own. If we go and fight, we run the risk of losing our own lives - leaving our families perhaps never to return, but at least our families will be safe after our deaths. ‘But if we do not go and fight, if we do not lend aid to our allies, we run the risk of an army so great that we can not conceive it even in our minds, turning again upon us and tearing us from our halls as a bird will a snail from its shell. We face the thoughts of cowardice and fear if we do not go out - forever reproached by the knowledge that we were afraid. Haunted until we go to our graves by the thoughts of the thousands of innocent women and children slaughtered in their burning homes by the hideous armies from Mordor because we didn’t go to help. ‘We have every reason and every ability to go out and help destroy and scatter the orcs and men under Sauron. I think that everyone one of us knows that there is no real reason to stay back, behind strong, safe walls of stone - safe for only the time being. We have only this one chance. If we do not go out now, there will be no chance of our surviving the attack that will surely come once the elves in Eregion have been destroyed. ‘I say we should go to the Lord Celebrimbor’s aid,’ the black bearded dwarf said, looking straight at the king. ‘And we should not delay.’