[*Varda*]

Therin gazed around him as the dwarves gathered in the square. The architecture in Annuminas was truly magnificent, and Therin noted the other dwarves were equally enthralled. As the dwarves spread out, gathering stone, Therin picked up a large piece of stone. He felt the craftmanship involved in making this one stone, his fingers feeling out the carving so carefully etched into the surface. This rock was once part of what had been a majestic city.

Moving on, Therin pushed his wheelbarrow in front of him, as it jolted and bumped against small pieces of stone. Slowly filling the wheelbarrow, the dwarf was surprised and slightly bumped as it came to a sudden stop in front of him.

"Another rock," Therin grumbled to himself. "A city so beautiful, now reduced to ruins and crumbled stone. What a waste." He moved round to the front of the wheelbarrow to dislodge what had caused it stop so suddenly. He picked up a large grey stone, and looked at it carefully, it feeling strange to his experienced hands. The stone was dented in several places, as though someone had tried to carve into it, and missed, the chisel unsteady in their hands. In a corner, however, was a slightly more precise carving, as if the person had become used to both the stone and the tool.

Looking around him, Therin saw several more attempts of this, evidence of someone trying to work on the old ruins of the city. It was messy, crude, and Therin wondered who had been here last, and tried to do this. His eyes scanning the area around him, he saw an intricate carving on a pillar a few metres from him, and looking back down at the stone he held in his rough hand, realised that whoever had attempted this had been trying to imitate the old style of architecture in Arnor.

Dropping it into his nearly full wheelbarrow, he began to trundle it back to show the other dwarves. They would be very interested in who had tried to make this poor imitations.

[ November 09, 2003: Message edited by: *Varda* ]