Author: Old Tommy B.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Everything above the word Introduction is out of story explanatory/introductory text. Those who are not interested in the (out of story) author's words would be quite right to skip this section and go straight to the bottom of the page.
This set of stories deals with the dwarves, and their legends among their own people. I have (and will) add elements which Tolkien himself did not include, but it is my goal in this work to avoid at all points any contradiction of his writing. I have for this purpose assumed that all information provided in LotR, The Hobbit, and the Silmarillion is accurate, and that all information in Lost Tales, Unfinished Tales, and the HoME series is accurate unless it contradicts the first 3 sources. I have treated Tolkien's Letters as matter of opinion, but have tried to stay loyal to his words there nonetheless.
It is my tentative hope to add new chapters every 2-3 weeks (I am a very deliberate author, so I tend to post slowly), and tell in this work the major events of Middle-Earth's history, as recorded by the dwarves. I also, however, would like to include events which the elves might not have recorded in their own tales, regarding the heroes, legends, etc. of the dwarven people.
Please leave a review if you read, if only so I know that you were here. Criticism is graciously accepted, but flames are not; if you don't like my work, fine, but please tell me how I could make it better.
Thank you.
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Introduction
The stories which follow are taken from a book, known only from a single source, titled Of the Dwarves. This book is written in Westron, using the mode of Tengwar common to the end of the Third and beginning of the Fourth Age. However, there can be no doubt that it was produced by a dwarven hand, and under its title are recorded the words, "I, Ibaun, wrote this."
The stories (and there are many) which are told in this tome record the histories of the dwarves, from their race's creation to the heretofore unknown tale of Durin the Seventh and Last. Ibaun appears to be familiar with the elvish tales of the First Age, and of the Red Book of Westmarch as well; he references them, and does not often bother to write of what is already told in those tales. This may have been an effort on his part to save time; indeed, the entire book appears to have been written in haste, and is in some places barely legible. The author's familiarity with these sources, however, allows us to date the work to sometime early in the Fourth Age. It could not have been written much later, for the dwarves appear (from the writings of men of the time) to have all but vanished by about 600 F.A. for unknown reasons. It is possible that the later chapters of the book will allow for a more accurate dating, but only the beginning has thus far been translated. Chapters will be posted as soon as English language texts become available…
The author occasionally makes reference to the "present time." I have endeavored to leave the original writing style as little changed as possible, and so it would behoove the reader to remember that the "present time" is still the distant past, so far as we are concerned. Also, the dwarves occasionally use names unfamiliar to us. For example, there are passages throughout where Eru Illúvatar is named the "Great Over-Ruler." Again, I have chosen to leave the language unaltered.