Pitfalls of the Palantir

Halmir the Dunedain led his party of five men and horses over the plains of Wilderland. Word had reached Gondor that a palantir has been found in the Cold Waste and then lost in Bree. King Estel was anxious to discover whether the rumour was true or false, and Halmir had been dispatched to Bree to see what could be determined.

Halmir's party was on the Greenway, halfway between Minas Anor and Bree, when a bone-weary messenger stumbled upon them with the news that there had indeed been a palantir recovered, only it had somehow gone to Moria.

Halmir led his men east from Bree, intending to stop in Rivendell, when a dwarven messenger caught them. The elusive palantir had been in Moria but was now on its way to Erebor. That was their new destination. Halmir had to wonder if he would actually manage to reach this one before being ordered elsewhere.

They Dunedain rode towards Dale and the Lonely Mountain at the same time that Inglor and Haleth were discussing travel arrangements to get to Lake Town.

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Froi hefted his pack. At first he had accepted the loss of the palantir, the gold channel and all the extras that it had brought. But soon he had thought better of it. He and eight of the lads had decided to retrieve the palantir. They reached Erebor shortly after Inglor's stay there. The dwarves of the Mountain were still wondering about King Nain's recently departed guest; an elf who had spent several days working at a forge. Such a thing had not happened in over an age.

After days of patient watching and asking questions in Dale, Froi's party of dwarves had learned enough of the story to realise that their palantir was likely on its way south. It was not difficult news to learn; Dale was still in an uproar over a theft and attempted murder by a group of men known as the Hosluin. Humans were far too dangerous to have artifacts like a palantir. Froi rationalised that he would be doing everyone a favour by returning it to the dwarves.

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Lithul the Cold Drake slithered east and then south, following Inglor and Haleth's trail. He knew nothing of the palantir and would not have cared if he had known. One thing drove him onwards; the burning desire for revenge.