In An Age Before – Part 287
Chapter One hundred sixty-eight
Biraikhgirul-Uslukh of Gunûdu-Uzbad – The Third Age of the Sun
Now following his demise, Narag-Bagd continued to liquefy. Because he lay on the bank of the stream, the juices from his carcass trickled down to taint the water. In her mind's eye, Helluin imagined the watercourse lined with dead creatures all turning into jelly after drinking. The Noldo had no certainty of how far or for how long the stream would remain a hazard, but she walked a ways upstream ere washing her greaves clean of the Dragon's excrement.
Thereafter Helluin took her leave of 'Urdazhâr ere she signaled for Smoca and the bird. She walked two leagues downhill and reached the lowlands just after dawn broke. In the early morning sunlight of 26 Urui, she blazed with the Light of Aman as a signal to her friends.
The 'most wonderful bird' arrived first, having winged its way the nine leagues from the forest in the half part of an hour.
Done so soon? it asked after landing beside her. T'would seem that this Dragon was more easily slain than the last two.
'Twas so indeed and now it dissolves outside of 'Urdazhâr, its poisoned fluids polluting the stream that runs down from the gate, Helluin said.
Verily, that sounds dangerous and most disgusting. So, I reckon 'tis unfit for consumption?
I would not drink of it, though I know not for certain how far or long the waters shall remain unwholesome. I also highly recommend that thou not eat of the carcass as by now 'tis likely reduced to a toxic chyme.
The bird tilted its head to regard her with a questioning glance, but Helluin deigned not to elaborate on chyme and instead enquired after the stallion.
Is Smoca on his way hither?
Aye, he is, but lacking wings, I reckon it shall take him another hour or more.
Helluin nodded, accepting this calculation and then began walking south, figuring that the sooner they met, the lesser the chance of him drinking from the tainted water coming from 'Urdazhâr. The bird took wing and circled o'erhead, occasionally alighting ahead of the Noldo and awaiting her to engage in further conversation. So passed most of the next two hours, and at the third hour after sunrise the stallion came into view, cantering towards them.
Five days later, on 30 Urui, Helluin rode Smoca through the gates into the Lonely Mountain with the 'most wonderful bird' circling o'erhead. The road before the gates and the wall walk above had been crowded with a throng of cheering Dwarves. Within the entrance hall stood a great portion of Erebor's population, already boisterously celebrating. They must have gathered when word came from the watch that we had been sighted rounding the southwestern spur, Helluin realized, ere are they eager to embrace a cause for feasting. At the back of the hall stood King Thrór with his counselors, and after committing Smoca to the stable hands, Helluin came and bowed before him.
"My Lord Thrór, the Cold-drake Narag-Bagd is slain and the treasure of 'Urdazhâr is free to be reclaimed by the Sons of Durin," she declared. If the king had said 'aught in reply, his words were drowned out by the cheering of the host.
Another three days of celebration and feasting ensued and a caravan of wagons guarded by a company of soldiers was dispatched, (with warnings not to drink from 'Urdazhâr's stream), to return the treasure of Mountain Home to Erebor. Again, Helluin endured the gorging and the drinking, and the seemingly endless accolades of the kingdom, but she did so with grace and the Ereborrim came to esteem her even more highly.
'Twas also well regarded for guests of honor to circulate amongst the attendees during victory celebrations and this too Helluin did in deference to the traditions of her hosts. As she passed from table to table, she came upon several whereat the diners appeared more jovial and boisterous than the rest. They drank and ate with gusto of course, but also spontaneously burst into comical songs, (oft vulgar as well), and spontaneously devolved into bouts of hilarity.
The only unusual factor that Helluin marked was their sharing of a pungent smoking herb whose scent seemed vaguely familiar. The Dwarves passed 'round a salver of dried and crumbled flowers and a peculiar pipe for their consumption, a long tube with a short stem and bowl branching from its side that they held vertically. The gurgling of water sounded from within as the smoker lit and sucked down a small quantity of herb. Each smoker would hold in the smoke 'til they well 'nigh passed out whilst the rest guffawed and snatched away the pipe lest he drop it. Then the smoker would exhale a great pale cloud, cough, choke, and with reddened, watery eyes, join his fellows in unrestrained mirth.
"'Tis the most potent of our raktmajâd¹," one of the smokers had explained, "pray join us and try a toke, most honored Bazgûnsulûkhu."Helluin had graciously declined. ¹(raktmajâd, pipeweeds (of various species) Khuzdul)
The Noldo had ne'er seen this aspect of feasting amongst the Khazad aforetime and resolved to ask Kallfelak about it. She would also search her memories whence came her familiarity with the herb's scent. Yet 'twas not the time for introspection or analysis and she passed on to other tables to greet other celebrants, and eventually, she returned to the high table and the company of the king, for they had much to discuss. During that time, Helluin spoke her account of the defeat of the Black Wind and all wondered what strategy she would create to o'ercome the Reeking Dragon Biraikhgirul-Uslukh that lurked in Gunûdu-Uzbad.
"Again, I have not a plan as yet, my lord king," Helluin told Thrór and his council. "I deem t'would be a great boon if Biraikhgirul-Uslukh slept when I attack. Ere then, I have some avenues I would explore."
"I too would deem his wakefulness a great jeopardy," Thrór agreed, "and perhaps patience shall serve as an ally in our cause. Pray take such time as thou reckon is required, O Bazgûnsulûkhu, for rather would we delay than suffer a defeat and already thou hast done great deeds on our behalf. Our gratitude shall not be diminished if thou foresee the passage of months or even years ere thou feel the time is right to strike."
Helluin bowed her head to the young king and said, "My thanks for thy forbearance, O King. So as to test some possibilities, I would request the use of a secure chamber, some apparatus, some materials from the forges, some mice, and some lizards."
Despite a momentary look of surprise that he swiftly suppressed, King Thrór nodded 'aye' and said, "'Aught thou require shall be thine, O Bazgûnsulûkhu, and if thou wouldst have one to aid thee in thine undertakings, thy friend Kallfelak craves to assist thee. The mice and lizards we shall have to catch though, as alas, they do not acknowledge my rule." He had said the last with a chuckle and Helluin smiled and dipped her head in gratitude.
To her surprise, King Thrór rose and addressed the throng on a topic unrelated to the Dragons.
"Now we are gathered tonight to celebrate the destruction of Narag-Bagd, the third Dragon that slew our folk and stole our treasure, and the Realm of Erebor is enriched and its security increased thereby," he began.
For a while, cheers and applause forced him to pause and smile in acknowledgement of his peoples' happiness, but when they began to quiet, he continued.
"For these same reasons, the coming months shall see the expansion of our realm. Our prospectors have found rich lodes of iron ore and other metals to the east, in the ancient mansions of the Emyn Angren. These resources the House of Durin shall reclaim!"
Again, the king's voice was drowned out by renewed cheering and again he was forced to desist a while, yet the tidings of new mines had been circulated in Erebor, and so eventually the throng stilled.
"A mixed force of miners, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and administrators shall depart to establish a colony thither with more to follow once the wealth of the Iron Hills has been proven. To lead this expedition and establish its lordship in the name of the Sons of Durin shall go my brother, Prince Grór. They shall take their leave of us a fortnight hence."
At that, the cheering and applause was deafening and it continued long enough that Thrór was obliged to smile, wave, and finally resume his seat.
'Twas then 3 Ivanneth, T.A. 2589 and the Dragon had occupied Gunûdu-Uzbad for but half a year. Yet if past habits held true, sometime during the next few years, Biraikhgirul-Uslukh would perfect the treasury to his favor and then lapse into the gold sleep, drowsing peacefully thereafter atop his hoard. Narag-Bagd had been sound asleep after occupying 'Urdazhâr for only seven years and that was not too long to wait.
To immortals like Helluin, and to the long-lived Gonnhirrim, the delay of a few years to ensure that the Reeking Dragon slept when she came to slay him was a trifle. It had been 'nigh three decades since 'Urmuakhshâm had attacked and occupied 'Anshâkalathuk and the Ereborrim had been jubilant to recover the treasure of Riverbank Mines from the Long-wyrm. The patient enduring of Dwarvish vengeance would accept decades or even centuries of delay if required, but they would not forget.
Helluin and Kallfelak conspired thereafter to encompass the Reeking Dragon's fall, but amongst the questions that the Noldo asked was the seemingly tangential query about the smokers she had seen at the feast.
"By a freak accident were the properties of the kánnabis¹ herb discovered," the Dwarf said. "Long we have harvested the fibers for rope making, for those tasks where the greater strength of chains are not required. Upon a time, the rope-maker's cat upended a lamp and set fire to his workshop, and the flames spread to the dried plants. The smoke they produced left the firefighters laughing hysterically as they extinguished the flames and they claimed to have ne'er aforetime enjoyed their trade so greatly." ¹(kánnabis is the oldest attested name for the hemp plant, coming from ancient Greek and probably based on earlier Thracian or Scythian names. Hemp has been used for fibers for at least 50,000 years.)
At first, Helluin looked at him in surprise, but then with a nod, bid him continue.
"Upon investigation, 'twas deemed that the smoke of the kánnabis flowers was the source of the intoxication, and e'er since, the growers have doubled their revenue, selling the stalks as aforetime for rope making, and the flowers for recreation and festivities."
Somehow, the Noldo was not at all surprised that the accident of discovery had been embraced as a business opportunity. She deemed it a natural aspect of Dwarvish culture, but then she continued on to another question.
"Whyfor were they smoking this kánnabis through a water-filled pipe as I saw at the celebration?"
"That is a recent innovation," Kallfelak explained, "for it filters and cools the smoke allowing it to become moister and denser, and thereby more concentrated in its effects and more effective in sticking to the lungs. We call that one by the colloquial name 'bong', for it clobbers the psyche the more thoroughly than a regular pipe." He chuckled at that and added, "The production of such applicators has also become a pocket industry and source of commerce."
Helluin nodded to him, understanding that the Dwarves were inherently inclined to perfect whatsoe'er technologies they created, whether they were weapons, tools, or pipes.
For a while, she searched her memories, for the scent of the smoke had seemed familiar. It took a while, but eventually the Noldo recalled a night in the early Second Age, her first and only night spent in the terrifying house of Iarwain Ben-adar.
'Twas the evening of 23 Ivanneth, S.A. 1261 and she had just spent a pleasant afternoon finally speaking at length with Dálindir whom she had first met following the 3rd Kinslaying at the Havens of Sirion, and whom she had just learnt was the grandson of King Lenwë of Belfalas and by default, the current King of the Laiquendi. On that fateful day, she had been introduced to his company, Gérorn the bodyguard, Celegaras the scout, and Beinvír who came to fore'er hold her heart.
That night they had repaired to the home of Iarwain Ben-adar, the strangest person that Helluin had then met in Middle Earth. The company had shared a meal laced with many psychotropes and met his necromanced beloved, Goldberry. Afterwards, they had relaxed before his hearth where yet more psychoactive herbs were burnt. The fire had been kindled with bundled poppies, but it had been Celegaras who had proffered a pipe filled with pungent herbs. Helluin had experienced that spicy scented smoke herself, inhaling deeply along with the others and falling 'neath its influence whilst preoccupied with hearing their tidings. Several peculiar experiences had followed.
For o'er forty-seven centuries now, some of the Laiquendi had been smoking kánnabis and who knew how ancient that practice had already been in S.A. 1261. Helluin had been wholly disinterested in the herb and had ne'er inquired about it. She was as yet unsure of why the same practice amongst the Dwarves and their water pipe 'bong' had claimed her attention, but perhaps t'would become clear in time.
Now true to his word, the young King Thrór provided the Noldo with not merely a secure chamber, but a guarded hall in which to conduct her experiments in martial science. Two sentries stood in the hallway outside, admitting none without the approval of either Helluin or Kallfelak.
At first, Helluin was amazed at the grand parcel of real estate she had been granted, deeming that her needs required less than an eighth of the available area. Kallfelak prevailed upon her to dispense with any protests as, he said, "The Lonely Mountain has far more space than all those currently in residence require, and few undertakings are of greater importance or are dearer to our king's heart than the defeat of the Dragon."
Taking his advice, as she found herself doing in an increasing number of affairs, Helluin simply thanked Thrór for his generosity. She gazed at the single worktable the carpenters had built, standing at the end of the empty hall near the door, and shook her head. Eventually, she would be glad for the accommodations though, for a smaller chamber would have likely resulted in them both being asphyxiated ere her plan was perfected.
As the king had said at the feast, "'Aught thou require shall be thine, O Bazgûnsulûkhu…", and so the Noldo felt no guilt when she requested six sturdy panes of glass and several stone weights of potter's clay. With these, she built a transparent enclosure of six sides, each removable, and within it she sculpted a scale facsimile of the treasure chamber of Gunûdu-Uzbad so that it could be viewed through two of the glass sides. She had enjoyed consultation with masons and wrights of Erebor in determining the dimensions and the placement of the light shaft that pierced the ceiling, as well as the size, placement, and inclination of the entrance and its tunnel.
By that time, she had also been forced to create a limited menagerie of cages for housing mice, gerbils, and various species of lizards, all gleefully provided by the children of the Lonely Mountain. They had been only too eager to aid in the Bazgûnsulûkhu's destruction of the Reeking Dragon. 'Twas just as well that she had begun her preparations in the autumn, for by the time she was ready to commence her experiments in Girithron, such vermin had become rare with winter's chill.
Now a vessel was constructed of steel to house a small bed of coals taken from the forges, and this vessel was vented through conduits top and bottom such that air could be admitted for combustion and the exhaust produced could be safely extracted. Above Helluin's glass enclosure, an old, patched bellows hung from the high ceiling to simulate the constant north wind o'er the Ered Mithrin. A long and massive pendulum slowly swung to and fro, and by an arcane arrangement of levers, rods, and wheels, powered the bellows constantly without any further attention.
Above the vessel, Helluin and Kallfelak had rigged a diminutive pinwheel, its axel attached to an equally small fan of six curved blades that was inserted into the upper vent so that air was slowly forced through the vessel of coals to create a forced downdraft. The exhaust had no choice but to exit downwards through the scale model's light shaft and into the treasury. Both lizards and mice gave their lives to prove the concept, that with sufficient coal and a directed draught, a Dragon might be suffocated as he slept upon his hoard, ne'er waking and only falling into a progressively deeper sleep 'til death took him.
As with all experiments, proof of concept was merely the first step. To create such a fatal mechanism in reality would be a far more laborious task. The first and most obvious difficulty was the location. The architects of such delvings were well versed in frustrating potential thieves and invaders. The openings of light shafts were notoriously difficult to find or approach from the outside, as Helluin had found when closing the Ennyn Durin of Moria in 2003.
A second consideration that was impossible to test was whether the placement of such a furnace o'er the light shaft would wake the Dragon when the light suddenly vanished as the shaft was blocked. Then too, there was the heat of the exhaust and the smell of burning coal. Either of these might be sensed and bring Biraikhgirul-Uslukh to wakefulness.
Long did Helluin and Kallfelak ponder these problems 'til finally they called for consultations with the greatest academicians, engineers, and architects of Erebor.
"From the burning of coal come two predominant mal-airs," proclaimed Gafrûn¹ the Master Fumeologist, "and their ratio depends on how well breathes the furnace or flue." ¹(Gafrûn, Gas-Man (s. masc. n.) Khuzdul)
'Twas a new tiding to the Noldo for whom the burning of 'aught produced smoke. With a questioning quirk of her brow, she bid him elaborate.
"When cleanly burns the coal, a non-combustible mal-air is produced that is heavier than wholesome air, and the removal of such is required lest deaths result in the forge. That mal-air will snuff out a candle or lantern as easily as the life of 'aught that breathes. If the burning is unclean, a different mal-air is produced, barely lighter than wholesome air but flammable and so even more hazardous if allowed to accumulate. Neither mal-air can be seen or smelt." (This is the origin of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, both deadly when sufficiently concentrated in a confined space.)
"But I have e'er seen the smoke of burning and smelt it as well, though I would choose not to breathe of it," Helluin said, confused as she thought of her smokehouse at Norðr-vestandóttir Bý. The Academician nodded indulgently.
"What thou smelt was the byproducts and traces of incomplete burning, O Bazgûnsulûkhu," he said with certainty. "In our forges and furnaces, the burning of coal is far cleaner than in any open fire of wood. Yet with coal too there are some fumes and gases that may be smelt, the Air of Brimstone¹ being the most prevalent amongst them." ¹(Air of Brimstone is almost certainly sulfur dioxide, a known pollutant from coal burning.)
To this, Helluin could only nod in acceptance as she was ill versed in the burning of coal, having experience almost exclusively with wood or charcoal. The problem she foresaw would be to remove any scent from the burning coal that the Dragon might mark whilst retaining the lethality of those airs that it could not detect.
"O Gafrûn, dost thou deem it possible to retain the deadly mal-airs from burning coal whilst removing all scents that might wake a Dragon?"
The Fumeologist scrunched his brows in thought for a short span, but finally smiled, for he did have a solution to offer the Lady Dragons Bane.
"I would recommend a two-stage filtering for all of the exhaust released from the coal-burning furnace. First, the flue airs should be passed through a column of water and secondly, through a bed of activated charcoal. Such filtration shall remove Airs of Sulfur, either by changing it into a liquid acid or by absorbing it. The result would be a blend of mal-airs, both deadly."
"Such filters would also cool the exhaust from the furnace, would they not, honored Academician?" asked Kallfelak.
"Indeed so, noble Kallfelak, and depending on the coolness of the water, perhaps to the same heat as the surrounding air."
Helluin and Kallfelak grinned at each other, for the solutions to two of their doubts had been addressed. Now, there were new experiments to undertake.
Soon, at the Bazgûnsulûkhu's request, coal was ground to pea-sized particles and heated in a clean burning furnace to activate the carbon. A watertight vessel was fabricated, its inspiration taken directly from the 'bong' that Helluin had seen at the celebration, and when all was prepared, a test was made. 'Twas by then Nínui of 2590.
Pipes of iron joined the flue of the coal-burning vessel to the filtering vessel and the fuel was ignited. With the bellows to provide the draft, the exhaust was forced through the water and activated carbon filters. 'Twas then forced down the model's light shaft and into the treasury where more mice and lizards succumbed to the invisible killing mal-airs.
In the aftermath, Helluin opened the glass enclosure to remove the small cadavers. She smelt 'naught within, but almost at once she felt light-headed and vertiginous. She staggered and listed, finally sagging onto a bench as black speckles swam before her eyes. It fell to Kallfelak to drag her out into the hallway and then seal the doors 'til their laboratory could be purged of the mal-airs intended to slay the Dragon. It seemed the concept had been proven valid yet again.
Following her narrow escape from the mal-airs, Helluin took the precaution of having a permanent exhaust fan installed to vent the hall and then set to work on a scale model of the apparatus that would allow her to asphyxiate the Reeking Dragon, Biraikhgirul-Uslukh. During the year 2590, the glass enclosed miniature of the treasury expanded 'til it encompassed a vast representation of the Halls of the King, the stream that ran down from the heights of the Ered Mithrin before its gates, and the surrounding topography. This model was as accurate as could be created and filled the third part of the hall well 'nigh from wall to wall. It encompassed a square mile of upland with altitudes varying from four hundred forty fathoms above ground to fifty fathoms underground.
Twice Helluin had gone to the flatlands at the foot of the upland whereon stood the Dragon's lair, and there with her viewing tube from Rhûn she had produced scale drawings of the environs upon which to base her modeling. The course of the stream she reproduced, its water volume estimated so that a recirculating pump could provide a miniature flow. The winds o'er the summit of the ridges behind the mines were simulated in precise detail by a series of bellows. All that was lacking was the diminutive reek of the foul wyrm.
Now on her first scouting expedition, Helluin had well 'nigh been suffocated by the putrid stench of the Dragon. To aid her, the engineers of Erebor modified a Dwarvish battle mask, attaching a miniature of the filters that scrubbed the furnace exhaust so that the Noldo's e'ery breath passed through an elaborate 'bong'. 'Twas quite laughable to look upon and she felt ridiculous wearing it, yet she found that on her second scouting trip the combination of water and activated carbon filters indeed diminished Biraikhgirul-Uslukh's reek 'til 'twas barely to be marked.
With a full miniature of the Halls of the King and the surrounding landscape, vetted for accuracy by architects and masons who had delved and built there, some amendments to Helluin's plan became necessary. The opening of the light shaft was located forty fathoms up a sheer face of granite with no approach for engineers and no purchase for equipment. There was no feasible way to locate Helluin's furnace and filters 'nigh the window on the mountain and Helluin groaned in exasperation. She and Kallfelak spent weeks pondering various solutions.
'Twas finally with the aid of the Master Fumeologist and several engineers that they accepted the only alternative. The furnace and filter, fans, and windmill would have to be located outside the broken gates of Gunûdu Uzbad, literally on the Dragon's front doorstep. From there they would force the mal-airs through a conduit and into the tunnel leading down to the Dragon's lair. A secondary benefit was that the stream could provide fresh water for the filter and perhaps power by using a waterwheel as did the gristmill and smithy at Norðr-vestandóttir Bý.
Helluin and Kallfelak spent the year 2591 in designing and building scale prototypes of the new furnace and filter configuration utilizing the stream. From the first, they had accepted that the attack would proceed slowly, taking days or even weeks to fill the Dragon's lair with a sufficient quantity of mal-airs to cause the monster's asphyxiation. With that being the case, the furnace needed to be neither large, nor the volume of coal burnt at any one time very great.
"Coal produces slightly more than double its weight in the heavier mal-air when 'tis burnt," Gafrûn had informed them, "and that mal-air weighs roughly one quarter stone per cubic ranga."
Based upon the known dimensions of the treasury, the engineers calculated that t'would require 'nigh two hundred thousand pounds of mal-air to completely fill that chamber alone, which dictated one hundred thousand pounds of coal, fifty tons. But, they needed not to fill the treasury or the tunnels leading to it with pure mal-air. Less than one part in ten of mal-air would prove fatal in an hour, and so they reckoned that somewhere 'twixt five and ten tons of coal would serve to poison the interior of Gunûdu-Uzbad and slay the Dragon. Yet even this might prove unnecessary.
"The lighter mal-air can kill at a concentration of but one fiftieth part of the heavier mal-air," warned Gafrûn, "and simple adjustments of the air inlet on thy furnace can produce mixtures of those airs that will kill and yet also sink down shafts or tunnels to collect in low places 'neath the ground." (Lethal exposure to carbon dioxide is around 100,000ppm for an hour. Lethal exposure to carbon monoxide is under 2,000ppm for an hour.)
"More coal must be burnt to render equal weights of the lighter mal-air than the heavier mal-air, but with so much less required to provide a lethal concentration, the amount of coal shall actually be far less," reasoned a second engineer.
"With proper management of the furnace, three tons of coal shall certainly provide sufficient mal-airs to fill the treasury and the tunnels leading to it at a deadly concentration," explained one of the engineers. Three carts could easily haul a ton of coal apiece.
A box of light steel plates riveted together and lined with firebrick containing a firebox sufficient for the combustion of twelve stone of coal was deemed a sufficient sized temporary furnace. 'Twas equipped with an adjustable air inlet and a top mounted exhaust stack. The squat, cylindrical brass housing for the two-stage filtration held fifty gallons of water in its shallow lower chamber. The exhaust from the furnace was drawn in through a tube on one side as if t'were a giant 'bong'. Well above the water reservoir was a compartment separated by a mesh screen on which a thick layer of activated carbon pebbles was laid to absorb the Airs of Brimstone. Finally, above the layer of carbon was an outlet that would connect to the blower and conduit conducting the poisonous mal-airs through the gates and entrance hall, and many fathoms down the tunnel descending to the treasury.
The furnace and the filter were each less than two rangar in height and half that in width and breadth. Together they weighed but four hundred pounds. Accompanying them were a hundred and fifty feet of cunningly fabricated, flexible steel ducting, light and formed like an endless interlocked coil of thin sheet-metal ribbon, sized in diameter to fit both the furnace and filter outlets. Along with several large tin canisters of extra activated carbon, (their lids sealed airtight with gaskets of grease-impregnated suede), a single cart would carry all of this apparatus.
There was one final component of Helluin's installation. This was the constant blower required to draw the mal-airs from the furnace, through the filters, and deliver them down the flexible conduit and into the tunnels of Gunûdu-Uzbad.
The engineers of Erebor created a rimless, lightweight, steel-alloy, undershot waterwheel two-fathoms diameter, with four-dozen curved blades shaped to scoop water of shallow draught. 'Twas mounted in a frame with four, telescoping steel legs to be set into the streambed, and its axel bore a drive pulley a fathom in diameter. The driven pulley was one and a half feet in diameter providing a 4:1 ratio of speed increase. That driven pulley was attached by a common axel to a secondary drive pulley of three feet in diameter, again multiplying the rotations to the blower's driven pulley that measured a half-foot in diameter and created a 6:1 increase in rotations. The rotation of the blower was thus two-dozen times the rotation of the waterwheel.
The blower was a centrifugal cage design in which a cylinder, open on one end and pierced by many bladed louvers spun within an enclosure that allowed intake through the open end of the cylinder and exhaust from a port on the side. 'Twas designed for high pressure/suction and would be located at the outlet of the filter housing so that t'would draw cooled and cleaned mal-airs out and force them through the flexible ductwork and into the tunnels. The blower's size would provide a volume capacity sufficient to extract the furnace airs and expel them at low pressure into the Dragon's lair.
All of these devices had been engineered to create the least possible noise, and that meant that they needed to function at the minimum possible speeds. Efficiency was high for each component, but the total output would be low so that poisoning the underground at Gunûdu-Uzbad might take a fortnight. This was reckoned to be no problem once the Dragon truly slept. 'Twas the autumn of 2593 ere all of Helluin's devices had been fabricated, the coal and activated carbon produced, and the team to operate them chosen and trained.
'Twas then a matter of determining if the Cold-drake Biraikhgirul-Uslukh had succumbed to the gold sleep. Short of entering his lair and viewing him directly, there was no absolute assurance that his waking could be determined. By Narbeleth of 2593, some four and a half years had passed since his attack. Narag-Bagd had been asleep seven years after his conquering of 'Urdazhâr, (ere Helluin came to poison him with Ungolúróg's venom), and so 'twas deemed likely that the Reeking Dragon might yet be wakeful. Only could the Ereborrim keep a watch on their fallen Halls of the King and count each day when no sounds or tremors came forth from 'neath the ground.
Helluin hoped that she would not have to wait another three years ere slaying Biraikhgirul-Uslukh, but King Thrór counseled her to patience.
"I reckon one chance only shall we have to employ thy strategy, O Bazgûnsulûkhu," the young king said, "and rather would I wait a hundred years than see thee in jeopardy o'er treasure and vengeance not thine own."
All Helluin could do was dip her head to honor her host's wisdom and accept his counsel. She waited as scouts went in rotating companies from the Lonely Mountain, wearing the filtering battle masks and keeping watch o'er Gunûdu-Uzbad. The year 2593 passed to 2594 and still she waited, enjoying the hospitality of the Dwarves and trading much lore with their craftsmen and historians. Not since her first stay in Khazad-dûm had she spent so long dwelling amongst the Sons of Durin and she counted each day in peace and honor.
During that time, Smoca traded his own peculiar wisdom with the traders' draft horses and the two-faced pony. Soon, all were devotees of the riddling games and charades and elocution. The stable hands were greatly entertained, though they knew not what passed 'twixt the creatures in their care. Also during that time, the 'most wonderful bird' feasted well and continued to increase in size. 'Twas the pride of Erebor that it now weighed ten stone, stood taller than the Noldo, and its wings encompassed a span of six fathoms from tip to tip. The metallic hues of its plumage were as bright and scintillating as upon its arrival and 'twas regarded as a great source of awe by all. Remarkably, it ne'er shed a feather.
During the late summer of 2594, the tremors from Gunûdu-Uzbad grew infrequent and by winter, none had been heard for many weeks. Returning companies of scouts attested that the Halls of the King lay quiet, and even the stench of the Dragon seemed reduced. The Dwarves hoped that this signaled the sleep of Biraikhgirul-Uslukh upon his hoard of stolen gold. By then, it had been just shy of five years since his attack.
Through that winter, the scouts kept watch despite the frigid weather, and with each week that passed, silent and still, their hope grew. No longer could they mark any tell tale vibrations in the earth or bellows in the air that told of further destruction in the depths of the treasury. It seemed the Reeking Dragon was satisfied with the comfort and security of his lair at last.
"Come the snow melt of spring, the stream shall be at its height with water rushing down to power the waterwheel and cool the filter," Helluin told the king. "Save any future renewal of Dragon sign from Gunûdu-Uzbad, I would propose to assail Biraikhgirul-Uslukh in the month of Gwaeron."
King Thrór nodded in agreement with Helluin's timetable, for by then, six months would have passed since his scouts had heard the last evidence of activity.
"If the signs continue to verify the Dragon's placidity, then I concur," he replied. "The conditions would be best in spring, for summer is dry and in autumn we may be short of time to recover the treasure ere winter is again upon us."
So 'twas decided that the expeditionary force from Erebor would depart in the first week of Gwaeron, expecting a journey of ten days' duration ere they began to install their equipment.
The way 'twixt Erebor and Gunûdu-Uzbad ran one hundred seventy miles, but Helluin had learnt that the head of the same road she had followed 'twixt Zudrâathuk and 'Anshâkalathuk lay at the foot of the headland to the east of the Halls of the King. Using it would ease the way for the carts and draft horses, though t'would add five leagues to the distance traveled. The greatest advantage of that way though, was that any traveling upon it would remain unseen from the entrance to the mines 'til the last league as the way ascended alongside the streambed to the gates. The company had decided to favor that way, for what Dwarf did not appreciate a well-laid road?
Six carts, each drawn by a two-horse team, would make that journey. Three would carry a ton of coal apiece. The fourth would haul the furnace, filter, and flexible conduit, whilst the water wheel and blower would be mounted upon the fifth. The sixth cart would be laden with rations, spare filters for the battle masks, spare weapons, tools, and a portable forge for repairs. Hitched behind it was a smaller cart mounting a large arbalest, that giant, four-limbed crossbow known by Men as a Windlance. 'Twas the Dwarves' best defense against Dragons.
Along with Helluin and Kallfelak would go two dozen engineers and a hundred soldiers who would be called upon to stand watches, assist in the labor of installing the furnace and its accompanying devices, and worst came to worst, provide a defense. All of these eager participants prepared themselves to take their leave of Erebor on 7 Gwaeron, 2595.
On 3 Gwaeron, the last scouting company returned to the Lonely Mountain with 'naught to report. There had been no sounds or tremors of life from Gunûdu-Uzbad during their tour. So far as they could tell, the Dragon slept on peacefully as it had slept for the past half-year. That evening, Helluin and Thrór agreed that all portents augured for the good and there was no reason not to go forth and attempt to slay a Dragon.
To Be Continued
Artalicous: Thanks for your reviews of Chapters 45 and 63. Thranduil, (and to a lesser extent Oropher), are recurring characters, so they get further mentions from time to time. Stay tuned!
Hadrian nicolas: Thanks for adding "In An Age Before" to your Favorite Stories list. I hope that you'll continue to enjoy the adventure.
Kebi the cat: Thanks for adding "In An Age Before" to your Favorite Story list and for following new updates.
I noticed that we are reading some of the same stories in the JRRT fandom, "Strange Gifts", "The Hammer", and "All Those Who Wander" most notably. I look forward to them being updated. Being completed, I also have "From Across the Sea", "Nerwen the Green and the Search for the Entwives", "The Other Ranger", and "A Shield of Stars" in my favs list. I saw some other stories in your list that I'd like to read if I can just find the time.
Artalicous: Thanks for your review of Chapter 145. You're reading fast! The whole business of Galor and Lainiel will have repercussions far into the future.