[Himaran]

At the Camp

Bali was greatly relieved when the company began to pack the following morning. The campsite had been a evil nest, brooding distrust, anger and rebelliousness. Once on the road, the dwarves would move their thoughts onto the more important issue of Rhûn.

The dwarf gathered up his few belongings, cleaned his weapons, and rolled up his bedding. The others were doing the same, although clearly waiting for someone to direct them. They want an order, but they don't want someone to give it to them. Much like myself naught twenty years back.

"We leave in an hour," Bali voiced. "Be ready, long days of marching are ahead of us for the seeable future."

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Onward to Rhûn


Several weeks passed, and the dwarves had made excellent travel time. They had grown closer to the travelers, and had made better friends with one another. Grumbles remained, but on the whole the group was pulling together. For this, Bali was infinitely grateful.

Following the river, the dwarves had made a straight line for their destination. Then the day came. "Over the next hill, we may be able to see the sea!" Bali shouted happily. "We made it, laddies, we're here!"

The Dawning Moment

Then they saw it. The channel.

As the dwarves reached the hilltop, gasps of surprise erupted from the entire group; Bali included. The river suddenly became choppy, and a rapid flow of water shot into a channel. A rock channel, with walls towering over one hundred feet. It was impassible. Looking southwards, Bali could see the range of mountains extending beyone his keen vision's reach.

"Look at the map," Dwalin suddenly stated. "The mountains are on the southwest side. We are on the northwest!"

Bali just stared, stunned. The maps were all wrong. Rhûn was surrounded by rocky hills and small mountains. But how far did they extend inward? Was there no sea afterall? Maybe the whole thing had been a huge joke. No, that can't be. There must be an entrance somewhere. Without even thinking, the dwarf snapped out an order.

"We can't pass through the channel. We have no boats, and there could be a waterfall at the far end. Let us travel south, there must be an entrance into Rhûn at some point."

"And what if there isn't," snapped Haenir."

Bali looked southward, finding no comfort in the undending range of hills. "Then we have made a journey for nothing." And there was nothing else to be said.


Fordim Hedgethistle's Post

From the beginning Gortek had been joyed by the arrival of some fresh company, and the last couple of weeks had certainly not dulled that feeling. Even the apparent distrust that some of the party's numbers seemed to hold against the three companions couldn't bring him down.

During his journeys he had, of course, heard rumors and stories about the land of Rhûn. Everyone with the slightest inkling of the subject claimed that Rhûn was filled with a myriad of natural treasure, but that in it's jungles, death stalked those foolhardy enough to cross it's borders.
He wasn't worried about the potential dangers of the journey. If he had wanted a safe and secure life he wouldn't have made travelling his chosen way of life.
As for the promise of possible riches, Gortek had a hard time containing his excitement. Where ever there was wealth to be gained, he couldn't be kept out.

The simple thought of all the upcoming excitement made him want to burst out in mirth. Even now he couldn't entirely suppress a jolly cackle from escaping now and then. Completely caught up in his daydreaming, he failed to notice that the rest of the company were giving him some berth, seemingly unnerved by his mad laughter.

That was when he heard Bali call: "Over the next hill, we may be able to see the sea! We made it, laddies, were here!"

Gortek almost leapt next to the expedition's leader, eager to catch a glimpse of the fabled land of untold riches and death.
Judging by the gasps of surprise, cries of disappointment and the confused look on Bali's face Rhûn wasn't what they had expected it to be.
Gortek's own expectations concerning the place had always been vague, as news of Rhûn were for the most part very scarce. From what little he had heard though, he knew that entering the land wasn't going to be easy.

He glanced at the company.
"Well, what did ye expect? 'Course it's got to be difficult ta get in, otherwise all the riches would have been taken by now."

He joined the others as they began to trudge southward, looking for a way that would grant them passage into the land of Rhûn.
They had been travelling for several hours when they found what they had been looking for. Overhead, high in the mountains, one could see a high pass that cut it’s way between two ancient and mighty peaks. To get there, though, they would have to scale up the sheer face of the rocky cliff that arose from the earth like a natural wall. It seemed like Rhûn itself wanted to be left alone into its brooding solitude.