In the days following the incident overlooking the cliff above the Prancing Pony with Finiar much had happened within the guild, including a meeting gone awry and a scene that, for the sake of the sanctity of the dead I will spare the details of. That said these events are still resounding with shock waves all across the guild, as I write this I begin to suspect that old disagreements among the veteran members of the guild shall soon leave lines in the sand being drawn as resentment begins to brew among the rest of the guild. Still, I firmly believe it is best not to look too far to the horizon.
Such was the mindset I began with during my search for the second of the six conspirators. a foul little dwarf named Stalgrim. If I understand correctly Stalgrim is a member of the Dourhand clan sent to spy on the Longbeards, but he has recently been found out and exiled from Thorin's Hall. My work with him occurred during that time when he was still spying on Lord Dwalin's folk. At the time I thought nothing of the dwarf, perhaps he could have been described as an unsavory fellow, but his pay was good and his requests reasonable. All that changed when he showed his true colors when he murdered and mutilated my sister with an axe in the name of this vendetta against me.
Knowing Stalgrim plays the powerful and mighty warrior yet is coward at heart, I was able to discern exactly where he would go once he found out I was coming for him next, the forests in the Low Lands of Ered Luin. Stalgrim knew the forests like the back the back of his hand and thought he could lose me among the trees. Sadly for him I had been studying his every trick that he would use to evade me. I was able to follow him all the way from Bree into the Shire and Ered Luin, only to realize the trail had gone cold days ago. That is until I regained hope when I rediscovered the trail just outside Hobbiton.
I was weary and tired from the long and hard ride through the wilderness and countryside of Bree and the Shire, and seeing as I was just outside Hobbiton I frankly had no reason not to stop to rest both Hawthorn ((Tarth's horse)) and myself. Deciding I needed to get some lunch I stopped at the Ivy Bush inn to get some food, unaware at the time that that lunch stop may have just saved my life, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I had sat myself down in the Ivy Bush and imagine my suprise to see my apprentice Ceiliy there as well. We exchanged words briefly and eventually expressed intrest in joining me on my mission after I told her about what he had done to my sister, she has a good heart and I must say I am proud to call her apprentice. Welcoming the extra hand the two of us rode north into the Blue Mountains to put an end to Stalgrim.
Upon reaching the borders of the forests in the Low lands Ceciliy and I had to leave our horses behind at the nearest outpost as the snow and the forests were ill suited to them. I was relieved to see the trail was still fresh upon reaching Ered Luin, just as suspected the trail Stagrim left behind was easily followed to the trained eye and it was relatively easy going as I pursued Stalgrim's trail, seeing his pace quicken it became more and more apparent we were getting closer to him as we encountered some of Stalgrim's scouts in the wake of his trail. I had hoped it would thus prove easier then I first thought it would, that was until we had run straight into A Dourhand camp. It was then that I realized Stalgrim wasn't hiding, he was fortifying himself. Waiting for a fight in an advantageous situation.
I was at this point that I stood at the gates of the Dourhand camp. The Dourhands had holed themselves into a rather narrow mountain pass under the ruins of what was once and old dwarvish causeway.Fortunately the Dourhands proved little threat individually as we were able to pick them quietly or sneak around them. At one point we had gotten the drop on a group of Dourhands sat around a fire and managed to pry some information of where Stalgrim was before his passing. He waited for us at atop the causeway overlooking the camp, waiting to spring his trap. Upon reaching Stalgrim we found ourselves surrounded by Dourhand soldiers as we were both forced to fight to survive. That said I was not ready to end my life there, I darted across the field, climbed the tower connected to the causeway, and dropped down to do battle with Stalgrim and his personal guard.
As I think back on it now the battle was impressive, but short as Stalgrim's guards in the end proved no match for me or even my untested apprentice, the same could not sadly be said to Stalgrim, we clashed for a brief while, sword against axe, but he eventually got the upper hand as he very nearly threw me off the causeway had I not caught myself at the last second. In fact I fear it may well have been the end of me had it not been for Ceciliy, she had reacted in the last moment and stabbed Stalgrim in the back while he was trying to force me down. Those seconds were all the time I needed to finish him off. The objective we came here now completed and Dourhand reinforcements closing in it was about time to make a run for it, we escaped the camp as fast as we could, stopping only to dispatch Dourhands when absolutely necessary, we did this until we were well beyond the range that the Dourhands were willing to pursue us.
When we had at last stopped to catch our breaths I had come to the realization that Ceciliy was tearing up slightly as I remembered this was the first time she had ever killed someone before. I did what I could to console and comfort her but we could not stay long as the Dourhands would soon be sending search parties. Just as I was about to turn around Cecily hugged me tightly before we left. From the forests it was short stop in Gondamon where we restocked our supplies before reclaiming our horses at the outpost as as we rode non stop back to Bree. The deed was done but I fear things will only get worse from here, for Stalgrim in his dying breath confirmed my worst suspicions, the ringleader of the whole conspiracy is none other than my own father.
