Chapter one - The punch (6 entries)
1.1
*a letter arrives at Thorin's Hall, addressed to Lord Dwalin, a copy of the same letter arrives at the DFTC Headquarters in Thorin's Hall, at Lord Duinn's home and Master Hilfar's DFTC office at Othrikar*
To the esteemed dwarrows of the House of Durin and Durin's Folk Trading Company,
May it be noted, that I, Ebenizer Goldthumb, Grand Company Master of the Goldthumb Mining Company (hereafter called GMC) have ever had the greatest of respect for my the Durin's Folk Trading Company (hereafter called DFTC).
One surely will not forget how most of the Longbeards departed from the town of Othrikar and its mines, two hundred and twenty years ago, after the battle of Azanulbizar claimed so many of their young miners. A ghost-town it was then. But I remember it as if it was yesterday. For I lived through those days. A young lad I was, returned to my home town, while others left. And I worked hard there, with a handful of others. Veins we found, and we worked harder than ever before. My guidance put Othrikar back on the map. And we worked harder and harder, year after year. The riches of the North-downs provided Thorin's Halls with the ores it needed to grow. There is a reason the bank, the market, the homes, and most of the mines of Othrikar are in my property... for my blood went into them.
And what happens when I am in the grey age of my life? When my end comes near? Durin's Folk sends a company of dwarrows to mine two of their long forgotten mines. A direct insult to all that I have done for Thorin's Hall. Why do they return here after so many years? Because I put the town back on the map. If it were not for me, no one would have ever bothered with the town again. What do I do when they come here? I welcome them and leave them be. But what do they do? They sabotage my profits, steel the veins from underneath my mines. Their unprofessional mining practices could even collapse the whole North and East Mines.
But did I take offense, do I report them? No, I leave them be as on honorable trader and company master.
But events that happened this day have forced me to put a stop to these DFTC practices once and for all. For Mahal be my witness, I have been beaten within an inch of my life, insulted and threatened.
On the 13th of the Month of April an aggressive DFTC miner by the name of Tholdurin punched me in the face and left me for dead. His friends Daingorf and Thalamath helped me back on my feet only to insult me later, calling me names like "slime bucket" and "fool", in the presence of Birgir Listmaker.
Several of the miners and citizens of Othrikar witnesses the attack on my person, both of physical and verbal nature.
I have called for my trusted physician and healers, as the hurts on my body are difficult to bear at my great old age. I fear this uncalled-for attack has pushed me nearer to the Halls of Waiting.
I hereby call upon the honor of the Lords of the Longbeards to do the honorable act and grant me and my company a compensation that proves they understand the danger they have put my company, the citizens of my town and myself in by the sheer presence of the DFTC.
Therefore, I call for the immediate shut down of all DFTC activity in Othrikar, the ownership deeds of the DFTC mines of Othrikar,
and the immediate departure of all DFTC employees.
Your humble servant,
Lini Thinpen, on behalf of his master, the gravely ill
Ebenizer Goldthumb
GMC Grand Company Master
(By Midarin)
1.2
Tholdurin was beside himself with panic. Could master Thalamath be right? Had he just given Goldthumb what he wanted? How could he have been so stupid?
It was the usual business for Tholdurin unfortunately, punch first, then think.
It had gotten him in plenty of messes back in the day at the coal mines of Thorin's Hall. Yet now, this kind of mess was beyond his usual stupidity, even for Tholdurin.
When Fryjpora had heard of his acts she had called him a fool, and rightly so he now understood. Tholdurin had controlled himself all he could, but that last comment from Goldthumb about buying out miners and that vile stab at boss-dwarf Hilfar was too much for Tholdurin and he did the only thing, besides mining, he knew to do well... give a good punch in the nose. It had knocked the old Ebenizer out cold in a flash. Thalamath was furious with Tholdurin, as he knew quite well that this could have very dire consequences.
Daingorf seemed convinced that things could still be patched up, determined to find a solution.
Yet, solutions they didn't find. Tholdurin even begged at Goldthumbs very feet in apology to forget the matter. Daingorf's suggestion to offer Tholdurin as a miner to the GMC in exchange for leaving the mines open was dismissed by Thalamath, yet Tholdurin knew that he would have to do it if master Hilfar willed it so.
"How stupid could I have been", Tholdurin shouted to himself while working at a record pace in the mine, hoping it would not be his last day there.
(By Kandral)
1.3
*A letter arrives sealed with the mark of Durin's Folk to the headquarters of The Goldthumb Mining Company*
Most esteemed Ebenizer Goldthumb, Grand Master of the Golbthumb Mining Company; greetings and salutations!
The event of which you speak, troubles me! I find it disturbing to say the least but I will not pass judgement, for I know not the full details of the matter and will consult my dwarrows on the matter immediately.
The authority over these dwarrows is my own and that of the King Under The Mountain, and this requires adequate protocol! A simple plead for compensation is invalid.
Which brings me to the section of your claim to Othrikar. Let it be known that its ownership lies with the King, and under royal charter the DFTC have operational privileges and grants. I do not mock your past achievements in any way, but they do not give you, under any circumstance, the right to a monopoly, nor do give you any contractual support in this matter.
So, the right for compensation does not entitle you to extraneous rights over Othrikar and mining there!
Furthermore, the honor of the Lords of Durin's Folk is not a bargaining chip for some right of yours for excessive compensation. That being said, I must first contact my dwarrows, for consultation in the matter ere I pass any judgement, or give you any compensation, which will only cover the expenses of your grievances and not a monopoly!
You are free to call for a Law-Court to arbitrate the matter.
I shall reply to you as soon as the matter has become clearer, or if you choose a different course altogether.
The Honor to remain truly yours,
Duinn Muninn's son Frerin's son,
Lord of the Kinship of Durin's Folk
(By Duinn)
1.4
*Meanwhile in Othrikar*
Goldthumbs poor trusty servant Thinpen gives his Lord the letter sent by Duinn, as his hand is shaking, hoping his master isn't about to hit him with his walking stick if the content of the letter turns out to be worse then expected.
"You read it... I'm too frail now to be reading", says Goldthumb in a croaking voice as he lies in his bed, "well, go on!"
Thinpen coughs, straightens himself and starts to read in a trembling voice:
"Most esteemed Ebenizer Goldthumb, Grand Master of the Golbthumb Mining Company; greetings and salutations!... The event of which you speak, troubles me! I find it disturbing to say the least but I will not pass judgement, for I know not the full details of the matter and will consult my dwarrows on the matter immediately.... The authority..."
Goldthumb, sits up in the bed and abruptly interrupts his servant Thinpen: "Oh, for the love of Mahal's Pick and Bellows!, here, give me that!", ripping the letter from the hands of Thinpen and reading on feverishly.
... which brings me to the section of your claim to Othrikar..... I do not mock your past achievements in any way, but.... the honor of the Lords of Durin's Folk is not a bargaining chip ..... You are free to call for a Law-Court to arbitrate the matter..... truly yours,
Duinn....
Slowly Goldthumb crushes the letter in his old boney hand as his eyes turn to a firey glow. He crushes the letter so hard that the long sharp nails of his own hand seem to be piercing his flesh, a drop of blood dripping to the floor.
"Come here", Goldthumb says to Thinpen, in a voice that can hardly be heard as he stares in front of him. Hesitantly Thinpen moves closer, step by step, at length finally reaching the bed on which Goldthumb is sitting. "Burn it", Goldthumb says in a whisper of nonchalance, as he drops the crumbled paper on the ground, his gaze still locked in the distance.
Thinpen nods and picks up the paper, at which, in a flash, the old Goldthumb grabs his walking stick and whacks his servant hard with the gold knob on the end of it. "Who says I was talking about the paper you fool!"
"But sir... you... surely...", Thinpen says while feeling the bump on his head and scuffling away from the bed. "You know what I mean", continues Goldthumb in a croaked voice growing ever louder and more menacing, "So Duinn and his friends want to set me aside, ey? A Law Court he says.... well, we'll see about that. Do it! Tonight!".
(By Midarin)
1.5
*A letter arrives at Duinn's doormat, sealed with candelwax, yet this time without a DFTC stamp*
To honourable Uzbad Duinn son of Muninn,
It is of utmost importance this letter arrives at your desk, for much depends on it. Grave tidings I bring from our mining outpost. And I am afraid this tale cannot be told with just a few lines. The letter you received from the head of GMC was also at my desk. It was an incident that was bound to happen sooner or later, but let me clarify.
The incident
Ever since we started our operation at Othrikar, there has been strife between our DFTC workforce and that of the GMC. At first it seemed just a healthy competition. Some brawls did happen between the miners before, but that is not unusual here, let’s say it’s more of a miners custom to settle disputes. Since I wasn’t present when the incident happened, I investigated the matter. I can confirm that our hardest working miner Tholdurin punched Lord Goldthumb on his nose, and thereby wounding him severe. An unwise choice of action, but please judge when you have reached the end of this letter.
Goldthumb
It is no secret that Lord Goldthumb wants us out of Othrikar, permanent. And I guessed why. There is a gold ore vein under the ground of which the size is immeasurable. He is drawing gold from that vein for years, and we figured out that a big part of that lode is on our half of the mines. Fear drives Goldthumb to greater crimes than just a simple punch in the face. He tries to bribe our workforce to work for him, or threatens them to hurt them or their families. Skaril, Augir’s uncle fell into that trap and betrayed our kin, ran off and seeks redemption ever since. Secondly, my father Ullfar lay down his mining pick as a result of it. And now Tholdurin was provoked to hit Goldthumb, after he was bribed and insulted by him. I can’t work like this anymore. Why did I not speak of this before? The man is cunning, there is not a single piece of physical evidence I can use. I’m barehanded, until now.
The Evidence
Not a day ago an elf of Lin Giliath knocked on our door. He brought a book and a tale of 200 winters old. To be short, it’s the trade record of the family Goldthumb. They were attacked by wargs about 200 winters past. It also states that the real Ebenizer Goldthumb died during that attack. Yes, it was hard for me to believe at first. But all the evidence we need is right here. It seems it is not Ebenizer Goldthumb sitting there on the GMC throne, but some petty dwarf that stole his identity, for years and years. If this is true, he holds no right over his mines. Such right would belong to the heirs of the true Goldthumb, if there are any.
The Fire
My letter will arrive to late, for much damage had been done. During our latest office meeting we found ourselves trapped inside, the door jammed by many logs. The fire spread and we managed to escape the office in time, smacking the door with Thorin’s Bust. But I regret to announce that the office is lost. All the records, all my work is burned. Everything… Of course nobody had seen anything, the fire was lit on mid day. No clear evidence again, how cunning.
This has to stop! We cry out for aid to drag this crook before the laws of our kin. Help restore our outpost to its former glory, or else there will only be dust and ash in our caravans.
Faithfully yours,
Hilfar Ullfarul, Uzraku Asjâr Othrikar
(By Hilfar)
1.6
*A letter arrives at Hilfar's makeshift office, sealed with candlewax and bearing the insiglia of Durin's Folk*
Greetings Hilfar son of Ullfar,
These are most disturbing turn of events and requires immediate action! Firstly, all DFTC personnel are for the time being to be armed at all times, and work in no less than pairs, this is a direct command. Make sure your dwarrows understand that.
Secondly, the gravity of the matter, and from what I can only deduce as mischief, leads me to act in accordance with protocol and law. Izbad Khlosi will either personally attend or send another Sabaj, but nonetheless there will be an armed contingency of Sabaj with the authority to investigate the matter to be put before a law-court!
Thirdly, should anything else happen in the mean time, I have been sanctioned by King Dáin and Lord Dwalin to enact marshal law and suspend mining until I personally pass judgment!
Send a letter if anything happens!
The honour to remain truly your,
Duinn Muninn's son Frerin's son
(By Duinn)
