Legacy story in need of updates
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Often tell the tales of how the dwarves have fought the dragons of the north, our greatest of enemies. But whilst it is said that most worms lingered in the withered heath or in the Ered Mithrin, and only few like Smaug the Golden have travelled south in the third age, there are some who have dared to crawl or fly their way into the northern reaches of the Blue Mountains in the past. Some say it was a great dragon of the withered heath that flew over the frozen bay of Forochel straight to the holds of the dwarves in the Ered Luin. By some evil will he was sent forth from the far north to lay waste to our kings and the rings around their fingers. They devoured them and brought their royal guard to shame. Or at least, that is how some tell the tale. Many others have told different ones of how the rings of power of the Firebeards and Broadbeams were seemingly lost to time. I heard one dwarf say he strongly believed the rings still existed, but were buried under the vast hoard of their king, never to be found unless someone brave enough moved it coin by coin. Foolish rumours, for we all know that if the ring was really hidden in the dead king's hoard, we had long since found it. Why pass up the chance to regain the ring? Any dwarf would happily spend years searching the king's vault to find it. Even others say that it was the Dark Lord himself or some thief in his service who came during the night and stole the rings of power. It is odd that none know the true tale...
But talking about dragons, I have told of how my great great grandfather Bari avenged the death of his father before him by slaying the Great White Worm in the northern wastes of Forochel. Another story tells the tale of how Fruni Stouthammer, last of the Great Stouthammers, slew the long-worm Birizablag, Gold-Eater, in one of the ancient mines of our people to the north of the Blue Mountains. Fruni joined an expedition north by order of the king of the Firebeards to reclaim the ancient mines of their people that had long been lost to them. Many of them had collapsed or were submerged by water after the breaking of the world in the first age. Some vile worm had made one of these mines his own and had gathered what few treasure still lay within and had devoured it in his sleep. When the dwarves came upon him, they were terrified and dared not wake the beast, instead wishing to collapse the entrance to the mine so that he would ever remain inside until the world grew old. Yet Fruni, fiery a spirit as he was in those days, took it upon himself to face the beast along with some of his closest friends. They fought the creature for three days and three nights. At the end of the third night, Fruni had slain the beast and had carved open its belly. What he found in there surprised him, for he found raw gold inside, polished to perfection. This gold he took for his own, along with the worm's head. The dwarves rejoiced at seeing him return alive, and he thus became Fruni, Warden of the Mines. The king had his best smiths craft him a beautiful helm of the gold of Gold-Eater which he offered to Fruni as his reward.
Dragons truly make for great stories.
