The Doors of Durin

''We are here, brother, but you heard these elves and dwarves — our map is possibly useless.''

Silently, most of her features hidden beneath her dark hood, the elf observes the speaker, noting the frustration in the Man's voice, the accent of his Westron. "But we have no choice," his companion replies. "We were forced to turn back from Dunland — we barely escaped with our lives. Moria is our last option."

So. Here are others who intend to cross Hithaeglir by journeying through Moria.

Even so, the elf reasons, Círdan the Shipwright has not seen fit to send her on this task with companions. She whispers a few words of parting and comfort to her steed, then entrusts the horse to her kinsman Rinneldor with a nod of thanks. She means to leave at once, and alone, but as she passes by the Men, greetings are exchanged, and the map in question produced, an authentic-looking document plainly depicting a vast kingdom as it once was — but now cannot be. The caverns, halls and paths drawn perhaps no longer exist, or else new ones have been unearthed by the Naugrim expedition lately entered.

And yet, the elf reasons, a map, however ancient, is altogether more than she has. The Men need never jeopardise her task if she is careful ...

So, Minnwen of Edhellond joins Forvonir and Harvonir, brothers of Gondor, on foot towards the dwarven realm of Moria.

Their path meanders across groves of holly that soon grow sparse. A parched gully is all that remains of the mighty Sirannon that once crossed Eregion, but whoever or whatever has dammed the river has caused a foul lake to flood the valley, blocking off their approach from Stair Falls.

Another path, happily, takes them around the very rim of the stagnant waters, until finally they face the entrance itself, only recently cleared of rubble and of uprooted, waterlogged tree trunks. Minnwen traces the ruined stone, rehearsing tales of the Doors of Durin from days past, when the friendship between the Naugrim of Hadhodrond and the Eldar of Eregion was yet unbroken.

Stepping through the archway, they become accustomed to the gloom — it is not as oppressive as they expect. Faintly glowing crystals cast shadows around a cavernous hall where indeed the rudiments of a dwarven outpost confirm the expedition's progress. Directly ahead, a magnificent stone stairway beckons. What will they find beyond?

#DoorsofDurin #DurinsThreshold #TheBlackPool #StairFalls