You want to know about the Dagger of Dale eh?! Ol' Grimmbryt...heh...a man of any sense, such as me'self, knows that any information of a magnitude such as what you wish to know doesn't come cheap...but of course, if you've got the coin...
Oh! You do?! Well then, I'll tell you what...put that jingle in your pocket on the table and I'll deal you in...you'll get what you seek over a good card game! Say... you may even get your money back! Do we have a deal? Well then! Pull over a chair! I'll deal you in...
Well let's see...where to begin? I guess we'll start with what people "hear" about that man...more like a shadow that bites if you ask me...
They say he was in the Dwarven king's service! When our folk lived at The Lonely Mountain's doorstep! Yes, they say he was in the service of the Old King Thror, when the task to complete called for more, subtle execution. That's where we gained the title "The Dagger of Dale". They say he pleased the king with his work so much, the king gave him an ancient stone...that blessed him with as much of a lifetime as Durin's folk...but his heart became that of a dwarves...bullheaded and stubborn...not to mention a craving for shiny metals and gems! After the dragon dug himself into the hoardes of the dwarven city...pushing what remained of the longbeards out...Grimmbryt stayed behind with the other dalemen such as himself...eventually settling laketown...but he never gave up his trade...being a sellsword to anyone with the right coin...One job of his took him to the Oaken Halls of the Elves of Mirkwood...but he never made it...he became lost...eventually stumbling upon the old fortress of Dol Guldur...he came back to laketown...raving and ranting on about dark spirits and giant spiders! Not a soul believed him...save one...a messenger...hailing from the North Downs...he spoke to Grimmbryt of stirrings in Carn Dum...and orc hordes coming down from the lands of Angmar...laying the men-farms to waste...