Dear wise and ever honourable Dwalin,
I am sure you have heard the recent news that I have been promoted to Uzbad of the order of Durin’s Folk. And I am sure this news was greeted with many visits to the tavern and the drinking of copious amounts of ale. And rightly so! I cannot pretend I don’t have a certain reputation for mischief. But I like to think working alongside my kin in Durin’s Folk has taught me to be a better Dwarf. I know we have had our disagreements, but I assure you I have good intentions for what I plan to do with this esteemed order that has been for some reason entrusted into my hands. Good intentions you may even like!
I intend to shift the focus of our order away from war and towards craft. With the recent defeat of a certain Dark Lord and the rise of a promising new king of men, Middle-Earth is entering a new era of peace and prosperity. I intend, through the work of our order, to ensure that us Dwarves have an important role in this new era. An important role that involves our craft and trade. An important role that shall make us very rich! Of course we will still have need for the axe. Even I can’t deny that we have a warrior heritage, even if I’ve never been much of a warrior myself. And we’ll need to protect the riches we acquire and the things of beauty we create in this new era of peace and prosperity somehow. But I like to think us Dwarves are first and foremost craftsmen, whether the tools of our craft be words, axes, or hammers. Or as in my case overly contrived trade deals! That is how Mahal made our ancestors long ago, with the purpose to build and create beautiful things for the glory and honour of Middle-Earth. And it is the solemn duty of our order to honour this purpose. This purpose is illustrated by our people’s ancient relationship with gold and gems. Gold and gems are the birthright of us Dwarves, as so decreed by Mahal. And what are gold and gems if not things of beauty to be made even more beautiful by the skilled hands of our craftsmen? You won’t find much use for gold and gems on the battlefield! The value of gold and gems lies solely in their beauty which is brought to its fullness by the skill of our craftsmen. So naturally with such an aesthetically inclined birthright, the hands of a Dwarf are meant to create, not destroy. And if we happen to get rich in the process of our creating, that is certainly most welcome too!
But I also intend to shift the focus of our order to lore. Having made so many great works throughout the centuries, our people have accumulated quite the rich history that deserves to be remembered. And it is up to our order to do this remembering! With the sacred name of “Durin” in our order’s title, naturally we have to have at least some focus on the lore of our people. Durin is a most honoured name of lore after all! And in renewing our charter, the King Under the Mountain has ordered us or rather reminded us to excel in every aspect of Dwarven life and help our kin do the same. I see this as a kind of lore, as what is lore if not the chronicling of life? And as the King Under the Mountain is the rightful heir of Durin, an order invoking the name of Durin had better do as he says! And since our order’s beginning we’ve been protecting and preserving the Way of Durin, and if the ways of Durin isn’t a matter of lore I don’t know what is. And I am not about to be the first Uzbad of Durin’s Folk to fail in continuing to protect and preserve this ancient tradition we have had such the high honour of inheriting. We shall preserve and protect our traditions no matter what it may cost us. You can count on that!
Now I shall get into the specifics of what I have planned! You know better than to trust any bold claim I make without me giving the specifics to back it, so I shall concisely list those now. First I would like to renew our existing alliances with other orders, whether they be Dwarven or not. And what better way to renew an existing alliance than making new trade deals? This new era of peace and prosperity will require cooperation with our friends and allies of the surface, and I can’t think of a better way to cooperate in such a matter that also improves our craft than increased trade. In addition to that I should like to increase the production of our forges in Thorin’s Hall. If this new era of peace and prosperity is to be peaceful and prosperous, everyone is going to need quality Dwarven made goods at fair prices! So we had better see to it that it is our forges that are making them. The forges of Thorin’s Hall are among the best in all of Middle-Earth, by now they are easily just as productive and efficient as those in the Lonely Mountain and the Iron Hills. I also want to expand the trade of Durin’s Folk Trading Company into new markets. This new era of peace and prosperity should include everyone, and Dwarven skill and resourcefulness will ensure that everyone is included. But we also must keep an ear to what Prince Durin is doing. I’ve heard he is fighting the good fight in the Grey Mountains, and I have a feeling as he reclaims our ancient holds he is going to need the help of our scholars to fulfill his vision. And it is our order’s duty to help him in fulfilling this vision, whatever it is. We can’t call ourselves Durin’s Folk without being willing to work with anyone claiming to be Durin! We have been entrusted with protecting and preserving the Way of Durin after all. Naturally I think Prince Durin would have quite an interest in the Way of Durin and will have many uses for it. All in all, under my leadership the order of Durin’s Folk will see to it that all Dwarves are happier, richer, and more skilled as this new era of peace and prosperity dawns. And perhaps we can also make our friends and allies happier, richer, and more skilled in the process!
Yours Truly,
Uzbad Frimsi Gembeard
