I was a fresh recruit in the ranks of Bar-en-Vanimar when disaster struck the House, and two of its soldiers were slain in lands south. We buried them on a hill in the Valley, overlooking the waterfall. I knew them not, but my heart was sore aggrieved to see their slashed and bloodied bodies. The Lord Tindir was wounded terribly, and if he still lives to walk these lands is a mystery, for we rode out from the Valley to seek our revenge and there has been no word of his condition. After a long march through the Valley and beech forests, we entered the land of Eregion and made camp amongst one of the many white ruins that dot the land. As soon as we set up our tents, my captain, the Lord Vorongwë, sent me to spy out the land: that we would know what sort of land it is now, and find trace of the Wildmen who so brutally slaughtered the soldiers of the Order of the Hammer.
Never had I been to this land before, but I could tell immediately as we crossed its borders that it had fallen into wildness and decay. I did as my captain commanded, and searched the land north and east of Echad Eregion. As I was nearing another crumbled ruin, I heard voices that were not fair, yet not foul. Stealing up through the holly-wood, I laid eyes upon two heavily armed Naugrim. I followed them for a short distance through the trees listening to their talk before revealing myself, and springing out from behind a holly, I demanded news.
They had seen no Wildmen, and urged me to hide myself, but I was not afraid of the orcs. They spake of moving closer to the ruins, and seeing what could be found there. I did not need to move any closer. I knew what was waiting there: death and dereliction, for many accursed orcs were crawling around that broken and long-abandoned place. They seemed to be searching for something. My captain the Lord Vorongwe bid me to search, not slay, and I would go no nearer.
I gave my advice to those Naugrim, and said it was folly to attack the orcs, who outnumbered us, and doing so would give away our position, and compromise our camp, because the Foul Folk would surely rise up and fall upon us with greater numbers. I was in a great haste; rain was coming, and would wash away what remained of the Wildmen’s trail. I must find signs of the Wildmen who killed my people, so I sprinted away south with the Naugrim following at a far distance. I dread to imagine any of my people seeing me run across the fields of Eregion and think that I was fleeing from that stumpy-legged folk!
A common foe hath drawn us into a strange, if fragile, alliance with the Naugrim. One of them (I know not his name, for he did not give it and I did not ask) was saucy-tongued, and took delight in throwing insults, but the one called Asudrom was courteous, though before we parted company he did grumble and complain about leaving the orc-infested ruins, and said that we could have learned much by spying on them, or collecting orders carried by their lieutenant, and that we should not have quit that place. As I said to him earlier, I would not make war upon the orcs if it could be avoided. They would have surely heard the Naugrim clanking up in their heavy armour and be alerted to our presence. Asudrom advised that I return to our camp, and tell the House of the orcs at the ruins.
News of orcs ravaging the land is stale news - what lands have these creatures not infested? I told Asudrom that I would not return to the Lord Vorongwë without report of Wildmen. Yet their threat to Durin’s Folk is not clear. Asudrom said that his people offered to aid ours, and admitted that his lord doth not wish the Iron Garrison’s supplies to be stolen; though I doubt the Wildmen would venture deep into the Naugrim’s black mine pits. Then again, the Wildmen were bold enough to attack my people, so I suppose it is possible. Extreme times such as these cause us to join forces against what stands in the middle, but it seems that there is more to this than meets the eye.
