I am Gloig, of the Blue Mountains. I am a miner by trade, but I am also the toughest of my bretheren around, often earning me the job of Guardian when we encounter trouble, shielding my friends from harm. My lord Thorin was to go on an expedition to the lonely mountain, and I was introduced to his Steward, Gormr Doursmith. As we were meeting, a terrible shaking caused the nearby mine to threaten to collapse! Gimli, son of Gloin, and I went into the mine to evacuate the miners, but happened upen a deaf miner called Tvistur. He, while not hearing or heeding our calls to evacuate, broke down a wall, which expelled a troll upon the mines. It got Tvistur in its rampage, but Gimli managed to distract it, while I closed in from behind. Alas, the foe proved to mighty for us, and only the timely arrival of our new Steward with Gandald the Grey in tow, saved us – Gandalf caused a rift to appear in the mining shaft, letting in sunlight directly on the troll – turning him to stone.

It turned out we had dug right into the ruins of an elf sanctuary called Edhelion, which was buried in the mountains. I found an odd looking dead dwarf, who did not seem marked by the passage of time, despite being locked away dead for many years. Gormr, our new Steward found an artifact belonging to his ancestor, Skorgrím Dourhand.

Well, that was all about 75 years ago. Now Thorin is dead, and the halls have been ruled by the Dourhands since that day. The rumors are that they are up to no good, and I have decided to return to my masters hall, to quell any unrest, at the behest of the King under the Mountain, Dain.