Rangers of the Ered Luin

Not all of Úri’s Folk live in the deep mines that still remain under the Ered Luin - some make a living above the ground in mountain villages. Their buildings are low and squat, and extend downwards instead of upwards as the buildings of men and elves do, but they spend much of their time beneath the sun. Many of these surface dwarves raise herds of goats on the craggy mountainsides, and the dangers of their lives make them expert archers, trackers, and woodsmen. They, along with the Dunedain rangers, roamed the lands of Eriador keeping the people that lived beyond these wilderlands safe.

Though the Ered Luin is far from the land of Mordor and the land of Eriador safe and prospering, it was not always so. When Arnor first fell, the land became overrun with all manner of unsavoury creatures; orcs from Mount Gundabad, wights from the ancient barrows, and unspeakable things crawling from the Witch King’s ruined lair of Carn Dûm. Trolls roamed down from the hills and in the dark, forgotten tunnels under the Blue Mountains, goblins made their twisted, petty kingdoms. Though now the Dark Lord has been destroyed and we in Annúminas live lives of plenty, we must remember that in the hills and distant places of this kingdom, even now such straggling horrors remain. The goblins of the Ered Luin were particularly insidious, and remained in their caverns while the War of the Ring was fought in distant parts, only emerging at the call of the wizard Sharku. What battles raged in the tunnels and snow-capped peaks of the Ered Luin can only be guessed at, and the dwarves tell little of it to outsiders.

The dwarf rangers, unlike many of their kin, eschew metal armour entirely so as not to alert wary ears. Instead, they wear great tunics of troll-hide that move silently but offer almost as much protection as a maille shirt. They favour longbows of yew wood, but may also bear axes for throwing or hewing. I have heard it said some even mount tough mountain ponies to range further and faster, but have not seen it with my eyes.


- From The Chronicles of Annúminas by Morwen the Chronicler, 21st year of the Fourth Age.