[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

But it doesn't make sense relative to the journey they have already made...It doubles it.

Again, as I said before, from the time the dwarves saw that things were worrisome (the arrival of Sauron's first emissary) to the time Gimli arrived in Rivendell, there was plenty of time to check on the status of Moria. Especially since they hadn't heard from Balin already for years; Balin, himself, was killed in TA 2994- 24 years before the Council of Elrond.

Gimli could have left earlier and checked it himself, enroute- maybe not the best plan. Or Dain could have sent another party- a better plan. It just seems odd that Gimli went all the way to Rivendell and, only because Caradhras was impassible, was finally the first dwarf to scout Moria after Balin's colonists.

Yes they are interested in Balin but it isn't their top priority.

I've always thought family was a priority.

Dain took 500 warriors to the Battle of the five armies. There were probably more left in the Iron Hills but some would have been killed in the Bo5A . We know that some had decamped to Moria and Dwarves are slow breeders so Dain doesn't have that much manpower to spare on a non vital errand especially through such dangerous territory.

All the more reason to check on them, I say. Slow breeders, few in number, and family members. Think about how some people now fret if they can't get an answer on someone's cell phone, and they hadn't heard from Moria for years. It doesn't seem sensible.

I don't see what the Moria colony could have brought to the table to use albeit appropriate management speak. It would just have been a complete waste of time and resources merely to satisfy curiosity.

Dain couldn't have known that. You do because you have metaknowledge as a reader. And I'm only talking about a small party of dwarves. I'll bet for the right price, some Beornings or Dalemen could have accompanied them. The dwarves certainly had wealth to spare. I know they're a bit xenophobic, but really... Besides, Erebor and Dale had good relations.

Dain surely knew Bilbo was at Rivendell. In fact Gloin says he was sent to warn Bilbo. If you go to warn someone you do not take a detour for a fact finding mission especially if it will take you twice as long... and we are talking extra weeks not another hour or day.

Once again (hopefully the last time), sending Gimli enroute was one possibility. Others could have been sent and/or earlier.

We don't know that Gimli and Gloin travelled alone, in fact they probably didn't since otherwise Gimli might not have left his father to travel alone . Dain would have had to send a larger party to Moria since the route was more dangerous and he must expect danger at its end.. I don't believe it was a logical option to waste warriors on what he must have guessed would be a wild goose chase, especially when they could not return in time. Even if he had sent them after the first messenger visit I don't think it would be a sensible use of slender resources.

I think you're only guessing about how slender Dain's resources may have been. He brought 500 warriors ("skilled veterans" as described here) to the Bo5A. Skilled veterans would make up a minority percentage of any army, and a small percentage of any race/nation's population. Somewhere there were also dwarf children (growing and born) and women, even with their slow reproduction rate, and nonwarrior men.

The Bo5A was in TA 2941, and the Council of Elrond was in 3018. 77 years is a lot of time to harness a peoples' strength, even among long-lived races like dwarves.

Anyway, this seems to be descending into a debate I didn't intend to spend this much time on.