Chapter 2

Departure
Upon leaving Ceven, the Song of Earth, the four adventurers meet up with Eles and Amath outside. Amath explains that the symbol on the rings Toben found are of the Balrog, Gawlûtharonoded. Thanking him for the information, and additional knowledge of other Valaraukar, the group heads northwest seeking the dwarves in order to save the Maiar.

Minas Morgul
The road takes them to a canyon between some high, craggy mountains, the Mountains of Shadow. There they find a white tower, empty and foreboding. The door in is wide open, but the way forward is shut. They find a series of complicated gears, but with some trial and error, manage to open the gate. Whatever they did, wakes something terrible. They barely manage to make it through the gate with their wagon as it swings shut. Their flight is swift enough that they do not find out what is inside.

Gondor-Arnor
Coming out of the mountains they encounter a patrol from the kingdom of Gondor-Arnor. The patrol tells them the name of the pass around the tower was Cirith Ungol, or more informally, the Pass of the Spider. The tower itself is the Tower of Dark Magic, or Minas Morgul. In ancient days, though, it was referred to as Minas Ithil.

They leave the guard and find supplies in the river town of Osgiliath, rebuilt since the end of the third age. The learn a few names, Barct, Quartermaster Nander Vane, and High King Hithanann Telcontar, who seems to be having visions of the end of the world. Everyone is frightened and there are rumors of monsters from the days of legend. They stay the night and in the morning, a scout comes back into town having barely survived Minas Morgul. The group is interviewed and asked to leave, implications that they are somehow involved in the scouting party's demise.

As the group prepares to leave, Osgiliath gathers a large group of soldiers to handle the tower. That night, as the party camps, the sounds of battle and screams of the dying can be heard from the tower echoing through the mountains. Whatever they encountered there is more than a match for the soldiers.

They pass by the ruins of Cair Andros and eventually arrive at the small trade outpost town of Gobeloen. They spend a few days seeking information about the dwarves and earning a bit of coin. Eventually they learn the name Gandamir Saberhorn of the Rangers. A young guide calling himself Xar offers to lead them to Gandamir. However, the young man leads them into an ambush at the Roaring Falls. Having underestimated the group, the ambushers die, but Xar gets away.

Moria
The group decides to press on, but Eles begins to feel his age climbing the rough terrain. He eventually leaves the group to explore some tower off to the west. With the pace quickened, the group begins to explore the Misty Mountains. Their efforts seem pointless, but one evening, Gandamir finds them.

With the help of the ranger, Gandamir Saberhorn, and his mute companion, Candys Vythe, the heroes found their way to the Chasm of Doom and the larger kingdom of Moria. There they found the dwarves, or the Gonhirrim as they call themselves. The Gonhirrim were behind fortified walls with the kingdom of Moria partially restored to its glory. Durin VII, the last of his line, is dying and his daughter, Durina, runs the kingdom for the most part.

One secret revealed is that the Gonhirrim travel in the world of men, pretending to be men themselves and saying nothing of their dwarven home or heritage. One such is Fori Goldwright, a craftsman, trader, and supremely wealthy Gonhirrim. When Durina's patrol captures the heroes, Fori speaks for Gandamir and by extension those with him. When the heroes relate their mission from Ceven, to find a dwarf named Telchar to free him from his earthen prison, Fori agrees to help.

He gathers a small group of very talented dwarves, Saris Morian the Healer, "Laffin" Baffin the Warrager, and Xardu Gûr -- or Xar -- a shadowy scout, whom the others take great pains not to refer to as a Gonhirrim. There is some trepidation at the coincidence of names with the boy who betrayed them outside, but Xar proves to be trustworthy and a boon to the group. The dwarves lead the four heroes, and a strange little creature called a Warthyrch and calls himself Ok, down into the depths of Khazad-dûm to a lair of an ancient evil destroyed long ago. Baffin is lost alone the way and many Valaraukar are encountered, orcs, goblins, and greater evils. They also encounter Ok's people, the Warthyrch, who send Ok along as a representative to prove the Warthyrch have chosen to side with good.

Eventually they find Telchar battling a creature called a hydra. He claims they ruined his testing, some kind of explosive device, but he reluctantly joins them after their tale.

On the way back, they encounter a fire drake whelp, Kornari, who claims to be a descendant of Smaug, the last great dragon of note from the Third Age. Kornari claims great power, but condescends to let the travelers pass for a toll. It is soon discovered, that Kornari is actually trapped by the great pillar in the room filled with lava where he resides. The heroes free the whelp as the room seeks to destroy them. Klale, in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, saves Ok from being consumed by the lava...only to learn that the boots he discovered in the ancient lair, protect him from heat, at least up to temperatures the lava reaches.

As they make their way back toward Moria, the group runs across a larger group of Valaraukar that looks like a raiding party. The decision is made to speed their ascent in order to warn the outlying towns of Moria.

Continue to Chapter 3: Dark Hearts.

Story Chapters
Prologue: The Legacy of Men

Chapter 1: Song of the Earth

Chapter 2: Digging up the Dwarves

Chapter 3: Dark Hearts Chapter 4: Dying Forever
 * Chapter 3.1: Ourn's Story

Chapter 5: Rebirth of a Star

Chapter 6: Return to the Duchies Chapter 7: Tempest of Fire
 * Chapter 6.4: A Bard's Tale (Ryland's Story)
 * Chapter 7.1: Rise of a Paladin (Galad's Story)