APPROVED - App: Peterpi - by Galenswerd

[Nibun]

Name: Rieslin
Game: Lord of the Rings Online
Server: Landroval
Level: 24
Gender: N/A
Race: Dwarf
Class: Guardian

Rieslin is the second son of Gunlin, former head of the Thoreksir clan, a southern nomadic clan mostly of old petty-dwarven blood. Nothing is known of his mother beyond the fact that she died before he learned how to walk. His father proclaimed that her name would remain sealed as part of his mourning for their loss; and no one in the clan would dare object to his decisions. His brothers were: Dródlin (eldest), Millin (third-in-line), Rioslin (mysteriously disappeared at the tender age of 20) and the youngest was a female that apparently died at infancy and whose name his father would not reveal to him or to anyone else in the clan for the same reason their mother's name was not revealed. Everyone assumes some tragic accident killed the mother when she was pregnant with her.

Rieslin’s old clan used to be (and perhaps still is) situated southeast of Erebor and of Esgaroth upon the Long Lake on an east line from the Mountains of Mirkwood, north of the Delta of River Running and of Wine Country. The Thoreksirs had been in the area for hundreds of years, although their precise location would change over time as would their alliances. For this reason many Dwarves from the Lonely Mountain knew little of their existence, precise location or of their ways. They lived underground in caves in an area they called Gwaneth-dûm (or Gwareth-dûm) that was rumoured to contain some ancient artifacts of lore. Rieslin once got lost in the caves and discovered some ancient scrolls of music that he managed to bring with him when he left the Clan, and holds dearly to his person: they became the incentive for him to learn to play the lute and with the help of some Lore-masters he began to translate the ancient scrolls from Khuzdûl into common speech.

The Thoreksir Clan was often just within the borders of the King’s jurisdiction, a fact that often caused problems in the past since the Clan Chiefs would decide whether they were under the King or not depending on what suited their needs best at the time. Of course there were often less evil reasons for these shifts in alliances: evil often loomed from the north (not only from dragons but sometimes also due to strife in the Iron Hills) that at times would force the Clan Leaders to make pacts with less 'respectable' tribes of Men of Western Rhûn or even from some nomadic tribes that would pass from northern Dorwinion, mostly in an attempt to pillage the area. Wherever they came from, there was never a shortage of tribes arriving either from the East or from the South, seeking large amounts of water for milling and less honourable trades. At other times, worm invasions would literally force the Clan to group with practically anyone nearby, since the King would be unable to come to their aid due to the distance involved and the presence of plateaus that would make an army visible to the worms.

It was even said that in rare cases, the Thoreksir Clan would seek help from raiders from Ereth Lithui, who were often evil monstrosities. It is believed that many strange alliances were also made with the Necromancer Sauron, a fact that may even relate to the events that led to the death of Thorin’s father. Very little contact was kept with other Dwarves from the Lonely Mountain or from the Iron Hills; although they hardly ever spoke to their brethren in Ered Mithrin and certainly not with the Elves of Mirkwood. However, it appears that at some point in time certain Dourhand tribes may have travelled east from the Blue Mountains for reasons unknown and forced to find refuge near the Delta, as they quickly came to friction with most of the citizens of the Long Lake area. It is believed that their blood also mixed with the Thoreksirs and it is possible the Clan still considers many Dourhands as brothers to this day.

Rieslin only recalls a few things from his childhood at the Lonely Mountain.

The Thoreksir Clan would treat male children who were not stout enough in appearance with contempt, adding the syllable Ries- or perhaps Eris- to the child’s true and outside name in order to indicate (in crude form) this fact (although no one knew what this syllable meant, if anything, and where this cruel custom had come from) forcing them to keep a small beard, something considered by the Clan as shameful for males and/or reserved for females only, although such beliefs are most certainly not universal among dwarves; and this is good for Rieslin is treated with some respect in Bree-town where he now lives (at the Pony, working as a barrel-master). Still, among the Thoreksirs such names were immortalised as: Rieoin, Erin and Iarin; all rooted upon the Rie-/Eri- syllable. No one is certain when this practice began or what it meant but it was an old one, and tradition was vital for the well-being of a Clan that showed little mercy for weakness and change, as survival was their first priority. And the Clan, despite the fact that it was not much noticed or discussed among honest Dwarves of Durin's folk or of the other commonly known and respectable clans, due to its shady dealings with Men of Rhûn, renegade Iron Hill Dwarves or the Necromancer, was nevertheless very old. It is certain that their name has been around for many centuries with small changes. However possibly under different names, their nomadic petty-dwarven ancestors (said to be mixed with Stonefoot and Stiffbeard blood as well), had been in the area possibly for a much longer time.

(Note: while it is generally held that Petty Dwarves became extinct after the War of the Jewels, some of their descendants (possibly together with blood from Stiffbeard and Stonefoot clans) were homogenised with the blood of what became known as the Thorekdir or later on Thoreksir clan, as well as other small nomadic tribes that wandered east of the Misty Mountains.)

It is this fact that Rieslin is most proud about: the fierce independent nature of a Clan that against all odds survived for so long. It is perhaps the only thing he can be proud of from his heritage; and heritage is very important to Dwarves. Rieslin still keeps his beard trimmed and short, respecting the Ways of the Clan, despite the other memories: his father’s cruelty (who used to beat him up often for no reason other than he was a Ries-), the mother he never knew, the few friends who soon left him alone, the environment of constant betrayal and harshness; and all this only because he has no other background to fall upon, no history. And history (particularly of his peoples) is extremely important to Rieslin, and, even though he cannot afford to learn from renowned lore-masters, he makes do with hearsay rumours and news from the visitors to the Pony. (It is there however that eventually some kind Lore-masters helped him in translating some of his scrolls for free, due to developing good friendship with him).

His father used to beat him up; and his brothers too. It seems that he would be particularly violent against Rieslin and that it would only be a matter of time before Rieslin would be killed until one bitter cold evening 60 years ago (when Rieslin was 10) one of his uncles, Eiroin the Skulking (another Ries- of the family who would however stand up to most as he had developed strong warrior techniques and escape punishment and could generally ‘skulk’ from bad situations; hence his nickname), helped him escape by taking him to the courts of Thorin’s Hall in Ered Lindon, where he took care of young Rieslin until he grew up old enough to hunt wolves and foxes nearby.

Uncle Eiroin was attempting to find some information about the background history of the Clan when he was killed in mysterious circumstances in an area called Sarnúr: only his right hand was found at the depths of this location, situated among Orc and Goblin strongholds, and that by sheer luck. It was during these difficult years that he lived as an orphan that the young Dwarf met Pierioc, the Wrath of Winter, a brave hobbit who helped him learn Guardianship techniques and eventually took him under his wing in Michel Delving (Pierioc hailed from Little Delving). Rieslin spent many years in the Shire, to the point of becoming very Hobbit-like in his ways (he still collects mathoms), although he would occasionally go to the Blue Mountains for crafting guidance and contact with old friends he had made at the Hall.

Recently, Rieslin had a blackout experience when he felt hours pass by without remembering what occurred except that he had dreamed of a location in Mirkwood; his dream was uneasy and felt very real, although he recalls nothing. What is distressing is that this could not have been a normal dream for he had neither hurt himself in battle nor fallen asleep in order to dream. At the time he was walking from Adso’s camp towards the Western Gate of Bree-town. He recalls that Pierioc told him that such an occurrence had happened to some dwarves of old under Thorin’s rule who had ventured long ago into Mirkwood (this was told to Pierioc by his Guardian trainer at Thorin’s Hall). The story goes that everyone thought this was originally some plot by the Necromancer, taking the proximity with the Lonely Mountain and Thrain’s form of demise into account (who died in the dungeons of the Necromancer in the Lonely Mountain witless and feeling lost). However (so the story goes) a few hours later their wits returned and they were again feeling normal, so no one bothered to discuss this any more. It was recorded in a scroll but never given much thought.

Upon further investigation (Rieslin personally enquired at Thorin’s Hall a few days ago) it appears that these dwarves who had the blackout had also another thing in common: they had all originally hailed from the Lonely Mountain and surrounding areas. Not much further information has been recorded on who these dwarves were or how they lived and died.

After his blackout Rieslin could not remember anything until one evening at the Pony someone teased him about his nickname and then something else emerged in his memory from the dream: the echo of “Ries-Ries-Eri-Ries-” constantly flowing like the wind around him while he was running from something.

It should be noted here that Rieslin is not his True Name, which he keeps secret in accordance with the laws of his Clan. The Thoreksir Clan, despite the fact that their petty-dwarven ancestors had shamed themselves possibly because among other things they had the custom of openly using their true names and language (songs found deep beneath Gwareth-dûm sing of “my clan of shame”), were keeping in line with other clans in this matter and kept their true names a secret.

However the Ries- syllable is not only present in Rieslin’s outside name but also in his true name; and the same is true of all weak children of the Clan. This event led Rieslin to start wondering if his true name had nothing to do with not being stout after all (despite the explanations of his Clan) but if somehow the origins lay in something entirely different: true names have power especially if magic runes are involved in their making: a Thoreksir Dwarf’s Name Day is a mystical occasion of great pomp and secrecy.

Rieslin searched the Lore in vain, finding no mention of what Ries- or a derivative could mean. He concluded it must be a distorted version of another ancient name, but which one? And what tongue? Low Dwarven dialects of Khuzdûl? Quenya? Sindarin? And did it matter?

Rieslin decided he would possibly know only if he ventured back into Mirkwood after all these years. But the road would not be easy and this would be the quest of a lifetime. But both a gut feeling and the logic of the events (all these Lonely Mountain dwarves of Thorin’s Court had had blackouts after venturing in Mirkwood and his dream had been about Mirkwood) pointed him in that location.

Of course he would have to investigate in other directions as well. One obvious one would be Sarnúr. The other one was in the Lore. What did the name of his Clan signify?

Rieslin dreams of days of glory but for now lives and works at the Pony. After his halfling mentor left for Moria, many years ago, Rieslin found himself needing to travel and to make some coin. Adso’s camp at first and then the Pony were the two locations where he worked in Bree-land. He lives at the Pony now and his life interconnects with the other cooks and maids who work there, while Barliman has proved to be a true father to him.

INTRODUCTION (PARTS I-IV) TO A LAMENT
FOUND DEEP IN GWANETH-DÛM

-- Translation and notes by Rieslin Thoreksir

I

Deep beneath the Dragon’s Lair [1]
where living is not fair

Lies darkness cold; inside these
silver halls there is no game

Nothing is the same,
my clan of shame [2],

My True Name,
honour’s flame

II

And love is bristled an affair,
without your golden hair [3]

My beard stone cold [4]; beyond these,
platinum-filled vaults I’ve claimed

Without end I’m blamed
for I proclaimed

her Renamed [5];
I’m Ashamed!

III

Miles below Dale’s gray-haired crier,
amethysts of fire

Topaz and gold; I mine for
mercury which won’t expire!

How much I desire
your love entire

Soul’s sapphire
true love’s pyre [6]

IV

And high above the Dragon’s Lair,
where our love finds its share

An iron mould [7] shapes bold
entrusted Eagles that beware

I will not despair,
without my pair

My true prayer,
my heart’s care

NOTES

[1] The locations are not precise and are often used metaphorically.
[2] This is a clear reference to the Thoreksirs' ancestors.
[3] Most likely a metaphorical reference to hair as precious as gold rather than a reference to blonde hair.
[4] 'My beard is stone cold' or 'My beard is warm' are expressions used to indicate sadness or happiness, respectively.
[5] It appears that a Dwarf male wrongly accused a Dwarf female of revealing her True Name and thus called her Renamed, which roughly translated, means: 'having lost her True Name by receiving a new Name, her outside Name, as True, for we do not recognise her claim to her old True Name'. In short, it is a way of leading someone into exile from the Clan.
[6] This may be a reference to an ancient marriage ritual.
[7] This appears to be a reference to the Battle of Five Armies ('iron mould' clearly refers to the Iron Hill dwarves) during whose times the drama appears to be taking place. It seems that the Thoreksirs' ancestors had allied themselves with the other Dwarf clans and participated in the Battle, even if briefly.

[`Tinki`]

hallo rieslin! Are you in kin yet? get an officer if you arent:)

[Harperella]

I just love the back-story! I hope you get a chance to explore it fully within our band.

--Harperella

[Kimberyl]

Hail Rieslin
Nice to have such a talented dwarf among us, welcome again!

[Nibun]

Kimberyl wrote:

Hail Rieslin Nice to have such a talented dwarf among us, welcome again!

I apologise for the delay in replying to the message board as I didn't go check the forums after I joined.

Belatedly then, may I thank you Kim and Harperella and Tinki for your kind words of encouragement =D

I will do my best to follow up the story of Rieslin over time. In fact, this version I posted was slightly old and had a few lore errors. I have an updated version that as Leomer knows well I've been meaning to send since day one but I've been a bit slack

I will go ahead now and update Rieslin's bio. For fun, I added an introduction to a lament found in Gwareth-dûm that Rieslin translated with the help of Loremasters mainly from Khuzdûl (and for some strange reason partially from a Sindarin dialect). The lyrics fit the music of "Lament of Oakenshield" (number 11 from LOTRO soundtrack). See you all in-game :)

[`Tinki`]

I suspect this recruit will pass muster for recommendation. Any seconds?

[Hammarlund]

I am proud to offer a nod to this worthy cousin from the Lonely Mountains. I have conversed with him on several occasions and also note that his behavior is befitting a kin member, which is not an easy matter for one of our race.
Denny

[Nibun]

Hammarlund wrote:

I am proud to offer a nod to this worthy cousin from the Lonely Mountains. I have conversed with him on several occasions and also note that his behavior is befitting a kin member, which is not an easy matter for one of our race. Denny

Thank you for your kind words dear friends; despite your knowledge of my shameful background. :) It is good to see discrimination fade in the presence of Music that unites and breathes life in accordance with the mystical forebearances of Ilu himself.

It is good to also see you again, dear Longbeard brother and I hope to join you in singing and writing songs from our very troubled Eastern fatherland.

((See you all in-game :) ))

~ Rieslin