There are links for various sources of Tolkien Dwarves' information in Post # 5 of this thread.

I believe there is a short entry about Dwarven Mortality in the Encyclopedia of Arda link in the afore mentioned post.

~*~ Pio

Okay. I looked at a couple of the links (the ones I thought would have the info I needed) and didn't find it. I'll look again and then ask if I still don't find my answer. :) Thanks, Pio.

EDIT: I found it... Thanks again and sorry for bothering you all and cluttering the thread.

I have been under the impression for some time that 250 is an average dwarf lifespan. I imagine, then, that they would begin to be considered old when they reach 180 or 190? The stages of length (youth, middle-age, etc.) get drawn out, of course, since the life as a whole is much longer than a human's.

How Dwarves Age

So, I dug a little further into the question about Dwarves ages and found this reference in a book by two well respected Tolkien scholars:

The Lord of the Rings, A Reader’s Companion by W. Hammond and C. Scull; pages 709 – 710 (About “Appendix A” of LotR) – Under the entry: Dwalin 2772 – 3112:

____________________

So for the average Dwarves who live to be 250:

Until the age of 30, they are considered too young for hard work or fighting.

From 40 to 240, they are fully mature in looks and physique, remain very hardy and capable of hard work and are battle-ready.

From 240 to 250 (the last ten years of their normal lifespan), they begin to "age" - they become wrinkled, and their hair (which they do not ever lose) turns white.

~*~ Pio

Oh, that makes sense. Thanks pio.

First, thank you kindly for the invite, and I am signing up. :D

Second, quick question, would it be alright if my character was a messenger from Erebor? I know there was contact between the two places, and it stopped, but I'm not sure if there was an exact date given of when contact between Erebor and Moria stopped...just wondering.

Just an FYI (for future reference), though I know it’s been agreed that the woman Dwarves in this RPG are without beards:

The Lord of the Rings, A Reader’s Companion by W. Hammond and C. Scull; pages 710 – 711 (About “Appendix A” of LotR) – Under the entry: ...there are few dwarf-women . . . other peoples cannot tell them apart:

___________________

(Bolding in the above quote by me....)

So, it looks as if Dwarves are born bearded, both male and female.....

~*~ Pio

Do you want my female character and her 2 children to be bearded?

I don't really mind, since it is what Tolkien wrote for his Dwarves.

Ho-ho, welcome, Boro! I really see the people are coming... great!

As far as I know, and I dare to say that, there is no exact datum on when the contact ceased. I find it quite possible that there was some messenger right then when "the incident" happened.

As for the beards, this only supports what I wondered about all the time - but I thought this is just some special rule for this time, that the Dwarven women have no beards.

Welcome Gwathagor, Dim, Kath and Boromir88, we are so glad that ya'll could join!:D This is shaping out to be a merry band of players, ten already.

This is a splendid idea. Over twenty years had elapsed before Gandalf and the Fellowship traveled through Khazad-dum, so we could take the point of view that somewhere within those twenty years the attempts at communication had ceased. You may feel free to have your character Boromir88.

The wheels are turning in my head, this could give the defenders the false hope that Dain might come to their rescue. Oh this is thrilling!:D

Lilly, Lommy and I have made our first sin against Tolkien and went along and purposely ignored that very explicit detail simply because it would be rather uncomfortable to have women with beards. :p

OK, here's the set up for how the game will begin. It is recorded that Balin was killed standing next to Mirrormere by an Orc archer. The game will start at Balin's death, a small group of his most trusty subjects will be standing a short distance away and will witness his death and the coming of an army of Orcs up the Silverlode.

Everyone elses charcters will be within Khazad-dum itself when the news of an attack has been spread. This will mean that Ori, Oin and Tror will definately be with Balin when he dies. I'm not sure if Frar will be with him, seeing that he's merely a great warrior (ya, only a great warrior), and if Boromir88's character has arrived a couple days before that day he might also be with the group. Although it would be thrilling to have Boro's character just escaping the clutches of the Orcs.

Pass on by.....

Since there's still room to play I'd would like to take up one of the roles that's left open, a Dwarf child if possible. I can get up a character bio later today or early tomorrow.

Just one question: when will the game actually begin? (I'm being a little restless and excited about all this, you see;)). Oh, and Kath, Lommy, Dim is fine, Dimtury is also fine, whatever you decide to call me is fine with me:D.

Yehaw, welcome to the game Kittana! Sorry I forgot about you Folwren, glad you could make it!:D Wow, already we have the minimum number of players, this is turning out better than I thought!:D

If you want to take up a male character for a short time, Kitanna, Loni and Nali are open for the taking. Just note that they die off rather quickly in the game (In the Twenty-First Hall to be precise).

As to your question, Dim (I'm so glad we abreviated your name;)), I don't know when we are going to start. Pio has a post up in the game thread saying that she'll move it when all the players have posted in the Discussion Thread, so I'm assuming we'll get things started when everyone get their character bios in. Whenever it begins I hope it will be soon.

If Loni or Nali are just secondary characters I can take up one of them until they are killed.

Once all the Character Bios are on board, I'll open the RPG Thread for play when the game owners give me the 'okay' - that they are ready.

~*~ Pio

Whatever you want to do with them.;)

Fantastic!:D Lommy, still has to get in her secondary character that she wants. Legate, are you going to pick up a secondary character or are you going to stick with just Oin?

Well, the communication obviously ceased around the time when the Dwarves were wiped out ;) Or attacked, for that matter. Obviously, because nobody knew about Balin's demise. The last words from the colony were that big labours began and such. Positive news. Boro's character - or so I understood it - would be just a messenger who happened to be around in the bad time, and ended up stuck here with the rest of us.

Well, if there is a possibility - I thought with the list being full, that's it. I would have taken a secondary character, but the other things is, we don't want a horde there (although there was a horde, of course). I pity a little Lóni and Náli - or maybe just one if Kitanna's going to take one of them - for when they are named, I'd have expected them to show up (although when I was thinking about taking a second, I would have had preferred another one, too - just because Oin himself dies earlier than most, too, so having only early-dying characters won't be that much of help).

Very late to the game, alas. Is one of the secondary characters still up for grabs? I'd take Loni or Nali, since all the other spots are now filled.

If Ilya wants to take Loni and Nali I'll happily relinquish the role.

Bah, get over it. ;)

I definitely would not mind to explicity give my female dwarf a beard. I only skirted the issue cause I wasn't actually sure if that was actually canon or not.

Yay, Boro! It will be great to RP with you again! And I really hope you can play, Ilya! I'd love to RP with you again

I'd also like to second Gwathagor's statement...this is lot of dwarves! I hope I can keep up with everyone...

Groin and Lommy

Please check your PM's.

~*~ Pio :)

Name: Iari
Age: 10
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Female
Weapons: A slingshot, but she constantly misplaces her pebbles thus making the slingshot useless.
Appearance: She's about two feet tall, very stocky build. She wears long dark brown hair in one thick braid.
Personality/Strengths/Weaknesses: She's shy and can be a bit flighty at times, but she clings to her older brother. However, she's terrified of her grandfather because of his temper and often seeks to hide from him.
History: Iari is the younger sister of Kéni. They hailed from Erebor and are the children of Kéndrin and Ai who migrated from the Blue Mountains after the Battle of Five Armies. Ai died shortly after Iari's birth so the girl has no real memory of her. For two years Kéndrin, son of Kénan, raised his children alone delighting in their presence yet silently grieving for his dead wife. Kéndrin died under mysterious circumstances leaving his daughter to only have faint memories of her father. After Kéndrin's death her grandfather Kénan took Iari and Kéni in, eventually moving them with him to Khazad-Dum. Iari has never been particularly close with her grandfather. Because of her shyness she's always found Kénan's temper terrifying, though Kénan rarely directs his anger toward the young girl she still feels that somehow his anger is meant for her.

------------------

(Secondary character with Folwren)
Name: Kéni
Age: 20
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Male
Weapons: Kéni inherited his father's ax after Kéndrin's death, though his grandfather does not feel he is old enough to use it. He also retains a slingshot and bag of pebbles, as well as keeping his sister's bag in his keeping.
Appearance: He has the same thick brown hair as Iari. He keeps it long enough to keep it in a short braid. He is continually growing and has the stocky build of his family.
Personality/Strengths/Weaknesses: He is a protective older brother, but can be overbearing to Iari and often acts much older than his age.
History: He has better memories of his parents than Iari, but his memories of Ai are not as clear as his memories of Kéndrin. In the first few years after Kéndrin's Kéni was a bit unruly and was quite the troublemaker. His behavior caused Kénan to lose his temper on several occasions. Kéni grew accustomed to Kénan and his temper, under his grandfather's wing the young dwarf began to learn discipline. Kéni is much closer to his grandfather than Iari and is often acting as a go between for his shy sister and grumpy grandfather. He often imagined Kénan's temper toward him in their first years together had a profound effect on Iari and that was why she feared their grandfather.

--------------------------

Folwren and I have been working out a plan for our characters. We were thinking of having Kéni die at some point before the untimely end of the rest. We haven't figured out how yet, so we're waiting to see how the story progresses.
___________________________

LINKED TO PLAYER - CHARACTER LIST ~*~ Pio

Alrighty. Here I am with my character bio. As Kitanna has stated, she and I have been doing some plotting behind the scenes. We are sharing a minor character, 20 year old Kéni and already have plans for him. (erm...) Anyway, here is my ol' chap. Hope you all like him.

Folwren’s Character

NAME: Kénan son of Kénor

AGE: 210

RACE: Dwarf

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: A large, double bladed battle axe. He can use a bow and arrows if necessary, but the axe is his favorite weapon.

APPEARANCE: Kénan is an average sized dwarf, slightly stooped now with age, but scarcely the less strong because of it. His shoulders are broad and still muscular. His beard is a light gray, almost white, and his eyebrows are long and bristly. His brows are bent far down over his eyes which are often not seen except in moments of keen excitement, during which they flash fiercely, then their gleam is only caught at brief moments, for his brows are often drawn down further in such moments of excitement or anger. He wears a chain-mail shirt over a leather tunic in battle with a broad belt to carry his axe when not in use.

PERSONALITY: Kénan is a very opinionated old fellow with a swift and furious temper. He has a keen sense of duty and loyalty to his family and his people. He’s a staunch character and would never break his word nor betray anyone. He’ll fight do the death for anything he thinks worth it and for anyone who he is loyal to. If anyone disagrees with him, it is just about impossible to convince him of something other than what he already believes.

HISTORY: Kénan was born in during the exile of the dwarves, between the time that Dale was destroyed and they migrated to Ered Luin. His earliest memories were those of his father going off to fight in the Battle of Nanduhirion, when he was around 13 years old. His father survived the battle and moved him and his mother to the Blue Mountains with the rest of their kin. There, the family lived in relative quiet. Kénan married and he and his wife had one son, Kéndrin. When Thorin Oakenshield left and defeated the dragon Smaug at the Lonely Mountain and Dale was freed again, Kénan with his wife, and his son and his wife, along with many other Dwarven folk, migrated from the Blue Mountains to Erebor.

Eight years previous to the time of this story, Kéndrin died, leaving his two children orphans. Out of his deep sense of duty to his family, Kénan took the children. Three years later, when he decided to go with Balin to Moria, friends tried to persuade him to leave the children in Erebor, but he would not be dissuaded from his sense of duty, and so took them along. He was helped by some motherly dwarves on the journey in the care of the children, especially the young Iari.

Since then, they have lived in relative peace in Moria.
_______________________________

LINKED TO PLAYER - CHARACTER LIST ~*~ Pio

Nicely done old guy, Folwren!

I could do that. ;)

-------------------------------------------

Name: Gror

Age: 95

Race: Dwarf

Gender: Male

Weapons: skilled with a long bow, carries a two-handed poleax from his father

Appearance: Gror is slightly below average height, but stout and broad-shouldered. His dark-brown hair (as well as his beard) hang down below his waist. Prefers wearing a leather cap rather than a steel helmet.

Personality: Like most dwarves Gror does not easily forget past grievances. He distrusts Elves, but most of all hates Orcs. He is not the fastest dwarf, but is still quick (according to dwarvish standards), and a high endurance that has not been matched by any dwarf in Erebor. However, some of Gror's ideas are unpopular amongst other dwarves. For example, Gror has taken a particular liking to Men (especially their women), and loves to talk amongst Men every chance he gets. In fact, to other dwarves, it appears that Gror would rather be akin to Men, than his own kind.

History: Gror was born in 2899 of the Third Age. He has no siblings and his father Bror served in King Dain's personal guard, up until his death two years ago; because of that, Gror's family was wealthy and well respected. After receiving word Bror had died, King Dain offered Gror the chance of serving as a messenger of the King. Gror, gladly accepted the position. Even though some would grumble the reason he got the opportunity was because of his father, no dwarf could argue Gror was not capable of performing his duties well. In fact, a lot of dwarves in Erebor would probably tell you Gror was the best dwarf for the job.

However, Gror's own personal ambitions were to follow in the steps of his father. His ultimate dream would be to serve in King Dain's personal guard, but he knew even though he was quite the marksman, he would have to learn to wield an axe better if he had any chance of that dream. So, he took out his father's axe and would practice with it everyday.

Until one day, King Dain approached Gror with some new orders: Go to Moria and speak with the Lord Balin. Then return to Erebor and report back to him on the colonization of Moria. It seemed to Gror like a pretty straight forward task, but he saw it as his first real chance at proving himself to the King. Before this opportunity, Gror had mostly been sent, as an emissary, to Dale. But now he would be making a journey all the way to Moria, and would be speaking with the Lord Balin himself.
_________________________

LINKED TO PLAYER - CHARACTER LIST ~*~ Pio

Goodness I'm losing track of players and characters but I'm so glad we have so many so great players! Welcome everybody.

Well, to elaborate, I asked Groin about the issue and he said we can take everything that is said in the histories of M-E of Dwarves with a pinch of salt since history is always written by Elves or Men. I considered that as a valid point. But if a majority of the players prefers women with beards, we can change it. My main objection to Dwarf males and females looking alike is not that I would have anything against bearded women (such exist in the real world too, anyway) but rather that I cannot quite take for granted a description that says that the males and the females of a certain race are appearance-wise identical. (Although... hmm... that's kind of very equal, isn't it? But bah, if women differ from men by having less freedom and power in the Dwarven society, let them differ by appearance too. I cannot say it's very fair that their life is more restricted and that they are as ugly. ;)) Okay, I'll stop rambling now. :D Whatever we decide is fine with me.

As soon as we're ready... ;)

Yes. Just one thing concerning them. I might be mistaken but I think they would be in some way important that they should be named that way in the book. So not maybe by rank, but they could be related to King Dáin, or something.

Yes, I'm debating about that. I have a tempting idea for a Dwarf woman, but on the other hand, I would love to have one really old Dwarf around... Maybe I will just pick one of these ideas for my character and use the other for an NPC because I think there will be those as well... I will have to think a little more. But I promise to be ready as soon as everybody else is - I can write a bio for either of those characters in half an hour.

I've created a pretty old dwarf, Lommy, so if you wanted to, you could have your Dwarf woman.

Pass on by.....

Well, we can forget about having a nice small RPG here. I thought that we could have small RPG but noooo everyone had to get in on the fun!:D:p This is really fantastic, I never dreamed that Dwarves were such an attraction to RPGers.:D

Thanks for keeping that list up to dat Pio, and great job on your new characters Folwren and Kitanna. Nice job with sharing your characters I love it when people do that!

Would you? That would be splendid if you did, but once again it's your character and I don't want to make it sound as if I'm pressuring you.

Bang on job with your character, yours is probably the most original out of all of them.

Very good point Lommy. I was also thinking that due to the similarity in names that they might be related. Like Fili and Kili, Loni and Nali aren't that much different when it come to pronouncing them

Hello everyone!

This looks like a fantastic game in the making; I look forward to playing with all of you. A special thanks to the benevolent owners for letting me in at late notice!

I will have that bio up as soon as possible.

- Himaran

My goodness, Lommy, I hope you mean distant relatives. I won't go for any more uncanonicity! :eek:

Something that I think is interesting
 

I was looking at everyones characters in hopes of getting better acquainted with their looks and personalities before the game actually begins. I enjoyed looking through them all again and I am glad that we have such enthused players.:D Something struck me in Boromir88’s description of Gror. Since his father was in such a high position as to be part of King Dain’s royal guard it would be probable to have Gror mixed up in the higher society of Erebor. Anyway, the point that I’m getting to here is that it would not be at all unlikely for Gror to have met some of the characters that now dwell in Khazad-dum, especially the military figures such as Ori, Oin, Tror and Frar.

Also, if we could get those character biographies in as soon as possible that would be grand.:) I’m rather anxious to get started. ;)

Oh I'm so delighted to have a canonicity watcher of our own with us here... ;) But yes, obviously I meant that. You may be at peace. ;)

Yes, pretty old, but I mean really old. :) Like 240-250. Oh well, I'm still thinking about it...

Obviously, I will hold that post with responsibility ;) And good to hear that. ;)

Oh, great. That would be actually somebody older than Ori, at last. :)

Character Bio
 

Name: Dalin

Age: 100 (Estimated.)

Race: Dwarf

Gender: Male

Weapons: Dalin carries a large single-headed ax, complemented by a walking stick which is very dear to him.

Appearance: Dalin is a middle-aged dwarf of average height and small build. His hair is of a light brown hue, and his beard is short for his kind. Not considered particularly attractive amongst other dwarves, he has puffy cheeks, a furrowed brow, and a deep, booming laugh.

Personality: Dalin is friendly, boisterous, and proud. He believes that he can take on any task, no matter how great, and is rarely proven wrong because he has actually done very little in his life. Never having fought in a battle, he nonetheless considers himself a skilled warrior. He often boasts (or outright lies) about various exploits to compensate for his insecurity regarding his lack of combat prowess. He is very loyal to his friends, but has never had to put himself in harms way to protect them. He may be a coward at heart, or may possess a deep inner strength; only time will tell. Dalin is, however, a relatively skilled craftsmen of arms and armor, prefering to spend his days in the forge rather than hunting or exploring.

History: Dalin was born on an uncertain day to parents unknown. To the best of his knowledge, they either died or disappeared when he was too young to remember. He grew up as an orphan in the Iron Hills, and was cared for by a number of different families. Unfortunately, he never grew close to any of them; the forge was always his home. He did make many friends while growing up in the Hills, and eventually migrated to Erebor. Failing to marry (though not for lack of trying), Dalin has yet to father any children. As his friends slowly drifted away from Erebor to travel and seek better fortune, he decided to follow Balin to retake Moria. He has worked mostly repairing the arms and armor of Balin's force, and has thus far yet to kill a foe in battle. With rumors growing of orcs in the region, Dalin is beginning to worry that his decision to travel to Moria was a faulty one.

____________

Can't wait to start playing; let me know if any edits are required/advised.

____________________

LINKED TO PLAYER - CHARACTER LIST ~*~ Pio

Great job Himaran, a good looking character!:)

This means that Kath, Ilya and (yes, you) Lommy need to get their biographies in.:) Loni and Noli are still up for grabs, if anyone wants them now is the time.

Name: Adela
Age: 52
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Female

Weapons: Kitchen knives and a wit just as sharp.

Appearance: Adela is of middling height and lean build with a hungry face and thick black hair. While her cloth is poor and her dress is plain, the fierce spark in her brown eyes ensures she never goes unnoticed.

Personality: Proud, willful, and distrustful, Adela doesn't give the best first impression. Her tongue is biting, mocking the very things most dwarves find most admirable -gold, spirits, the virtues of the mine. Her penchant for "borrowing" things gets her into trouble, though not as often as it used to. She's slow to trust, and nurses a grudge with an heated iron unquenchable by air or water. But her pride in equal measure drives her to continually better her craft and her mind. No one judges Adela more harshly than she does. Once she trusts, she trusts with her whole soul, giving of her kindness and loyalty to the utmost measure. She's especially gentle with children, although she does a good job of trying not to show it.

History: Though she wasn't alive at the time, Adela was in a way a casualty of the Battle of Five Armies. Her father, a lieutenant in the service of Dain, was felled by a warg and her mother died in childbirth on the same day. Shifted around from one set of relations to the next, she earned repute for being a hellion and a pickpocket. Her escapades punted her from the Iron Hills to Erebor to even Esgaroth for a little while. When an elderly uncle with a sardonic sensibility to match her own offered her a place, though, she stayed. Adela found a home in his kitchen, where one could slice and press and roast things with delicious consequences, where taking an extra apple from the larder never ended in a beating. She learned fast, becoming quite the cook for only an apprentice, although she was often jokingly told that she was far too skinny for her profession. After her uncle's death there wasn't much to hold her in Erebor, and even though she stayed on to serve the cousins who moved in, it was a great relief to both her and their nerves when the expedition to Moria was announced.

Although she still has something of a reputation for willfulness and a checkered youth, Adela has thrived in Dwarrowdelf these last six years, finally able to breathe in a new place away from her kin and with home for herself. So dear has it become to her that she stubbornly refuses to see the danger she might be in if she remains.

_____________

LINKED TO PLAYER - CHARACTER LIST ~*~ Pio

I can't wait! This game is going to be so much fun!

-- Foley

If Lommy can get her new character typed up and put it up by tonight (I'll PM Kath:)) then we can get the game underway it seems like forever to get started.;)

Lommy, and all you other players who want to have a say in it, who do you think should be with Balin when he dies? Should it just be military leaders, or should we include some of the craftsmen as well? If it is just going to be military leaders then I'd say that Tror, Oin, Ori and Frar would be the only ones with him. What do you think?