The Noegyth Nibin

Aka: Petty-dwarves; (S. “Nibin Naugrim”); (S. “Nibin-noeg”); (Dun. “Ta-Fa-Nilch”); (Beffraen “Cam-Pryf-y-er”, “Crooked Worms”); (Beffraen “Byan-Hager-Barf-y-er”, “Little Ugly Beards”).

The Noegyth Nibin are a lesser branch of the Khazâd, banished from the great Dwarven cities of the east in the elder days. Mistaken by the Elves of Beleriand for evil creations of Morgoth, the Noegyth Nibin were for many years hunted and slain. This time of persecution weighed ever heavily in their hearts, and from it grew bitterness and a hatred for all the Quendi. Only the Orcish tribes were more scorned by the Petty-dwarves.

History of the Noegyth Nibin

Long before the Black Enemy was released from his chains to walk the hills of Valinor, a Dwarf-lord in the city of Tumunzahar embroiled his clan in a feud. His name was BrórGrimfist, and the cause of the quarrel was the great warhammer called Morsereg. Many fell beasts had it slain in the hands of Brór’s grandfather, from, and many more in the grip of his father, Zrim, Brór coveted the mighty weapon, yet his elder brother, a Dwarf-mage named Brórin, gained the right of ownership at their uncle’s death. Br& requested the warhammer as a gift since Brórin was no great warrior, but the mage angrily refused. Brór asked again, and Brórin cuffed his younger brother while muttering a curse, Then the Grimfist’s blood mounted to his head, and he slew his elder sibling with one strong blow of a closed hand.

Amid sorrow and rage, Brór was banished from Tumunzahar. His sister’s sons, Orn, Zorn, and Fóli, went with him. Their comrades, Khîm, Zrór, and Ibír also left the city. Most grievous of Brór’s sister’s daughter, Thíst, followed the exile into the Wilderland. It would be long before Thíst’s mother spoke a word to Brórin or to any of his children.

Then Grimfist and his companions travelled west for many months, looking for a place of refuge which they could make their home. At last, on a winter’s day when the light of Telperion shone in the cold, western horizon and frost silvered the ground, the exiles made camp at the confluence of the Ringwil and Narog Rivers. Thíst wandered some distance from her companions in search of long-desired solitude and discovered an entrance to the caverns formed in the limestone there. Columns of ivory and palest apricot rose into twisted, fluted shapes to meet the polished marbles of the arching roof. Folded stone, translucent and opalescent as a shell, draped the glistening walls. Dark pools mirrored by silence and stillness reflected the grandeur of pillared courts and formal avenues. Brór made a halt to his wandering here.

Nulukkizdin was this underground palace named. Slowly and with caution, its passages were widened, its chambers made accessible, its treasures released from the night beneath the hills. As the work went forward, other outlawed Dwarves joined Brór’s community. With them, they brought tales of tall, fair enemies whose eyes shown like stars and whose bows loosed deadly arrows from the forest’s shadows. Many of the Dwarves had fallen beneath Elven weapons, never reaching the safety of the caverns.

The Sindar, observing the furtive behavior of the exiles and noting their strangely stunted stature, had taken them for creations of the Black Enemy, a variation on the Orcs, perhaps. The Elves hunted Brór’s folk ruthlessly, determined to stamp out this latest menace to their homelands. Not until the Dwarves of Tumunzahar and Gabilgathol sent formal embassies to Elu Thingol did the Sindar learn of the Khazâd and realize their mistake. The knowledge came late, and the Nibin-noeg (the first name given the outlaws by Thingol’s people) never forgave the Elves their eagerness to kill nor found charity in their hearts for the any of the Quendi.

Eventually, the Noegyth Nibin (a later name given the exiles by the Sindar) abandoned Nulukkizdin in favor of the more secret halls beneath Sharbhund or Amon Rûdh. There, they might come and go as they pleased, unobserved and undisturbed by all. Reclusive and evermore scornful of outsiders, they dwindled, losing their smith-craft and mage-skills, forgetting the might and majesty of their past. The community fragmented: quarreling clans departed to live in small forest holdings, there to scratch a meager subsistence from the woodlands. They came at the last to deserve their name: Petty-dwarves.

Centuries later, long after the Valar set the sun and the moon in the skies, only three Petty-dwarves yet abided beneath Amon. Mîm and his sons, Khîm and Ibûn. During a rare foraging expedition into the forest for roots, they chanced upon Turin Turambar and his outlaws. Turin’s watchman bid them halt, but the Petty-dwarves scurried away into the night, hoping to avoid prolonging the encounter. The outlaws chased after them, and one, named Androg, shot arrows at their grey-cloaked forms. Ibûn and Khîm outdistanced their pursuers and came swiftly to their hidden halls, but Mîm, being old and feeble, was captured. In exchange for his life, the Petty-dwarf agreed to share his home with the outlaws, who sorely needed shelter.

The next morning, Mîm led Turin’s band along no marked path, but by a way known only through secret signs and ancient custom. Long after day’s end, they entered into Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom, as Mîm now called his cavern home. Ibûn greeted his father with ill news: Khîm was dead, pierced by an arrow; not all of Androg’s shafts went astray. Then, pity rose in Turin’s heart, and he promised a ransom in gold to Mîm, a token of sorrow, though it could not gladden the Petty-dwarfs grieving heart. Thus Bar-en-Danwedh was truly named.

As winter brought snows and icy wind to Amon Rûdh, Turin spoke much with Mîm alone, learning the lore of the Petty-dwarves and finding friendship with this old and forgotten relic of the race. The worst of the season’s storms brought Beleg Cuthalion to the caverns’ shelter. With him he carried the Dragon-helm of Dorlomin, hoping to sway Turin from his life in the wilderness. Turin would not return to Doriath, but he ceased his long talks with Mîm, and, in the springtime, put on again the Helm of Hador. Many who were leaderless sought him and joined his growing company of warriors. Mîm’s hatred of the Elves, and of this particular Elf, Beleg, grew in silence. He sat for long hours with Ibûn in the deepest shadows of his house saying nothing. Turin took a new name: Gorthôl, the Dread Helm. But Morgoth laughed, for Húrin’s son was revealed to him again by the helm, and the Enemy sent spies to encircle Amon Rûdh again.

When Mîm and Ibûn sallied forth once more to gather roots in the wild, they were captured by Orcs. For a second time, Mîm promised to guide his enemies to his hidden cavern home. Thus, was Bar-en-Danwedh betrayed. The Orcs entered its portals by night, unannounced, and killed many of Turin’s company as they lay sleeping. A few, fleeing up an inner stair, came out onto the hilltop and fought there until they fell. Over Turin, the Orcs cast a net and carried him away in its entangling folds.

As dawn lit the silent, bloodied hill, Mîm crept from the shadows of the caverns to view the slain. Not all lying there were dead: Beleg the Elf returned the Petty-dwarfs gaze. Then, in the madness of long-stored hatred, Mîm snatched Beleg ‘s sword from where it had fallen and thrust its point at the prone Elf. Though sorely wounded, Beleg was a proven warrior. He seized the blade from the feeble, old Dwarf and threatened him. Wailing, Mîm fled the hill-top. Nor did he ever come to Amon Rûdh again.

For many years, Mîm wandered the moors, eating roots and berries from the heather-planted turf. Toiling beneath the sun bleached his grey hair white, and the winds carved deep furrows in his wrinkled visage. The Petty-dwarf crept into the caves of sacked Nargothrond after the Dragon Glaurung had departed them. There he rested, fingering the gold and gems, waiting for old age to end his days. None sought to despoil his treasures nor to evict him, for all feared the Dragon and avoided his lair.

Then, one did come and stand upon the threshold: Húrin son of Galdor. Mîm challenged the stranger, but Húrin would not abide the petty-dwarf’s right to do so. Mîm declared that his ancestors had delved the Halls of Nulukkizdin long before the Noldor came over the Sea, and that, as the last of his people, he had returned to claim his own. Recalling aloud Mîm’s betrayal of his son, Turin Turambar, Húrin slew the Petty-dwarf before the portals of Nargothrond. So, it is recorded that the last of the Petty-dwarves perished in ignominy.

But Mîm was not the last of his kind. Carrying a sack of stores and other valuables, his son Ibûn left Amon Rûdh less precipitately than did his father. He too so journeyed in the wilderness for some time; but Ibûn’s forethought rendered his travels more comfortable. He rejoined Mîm in Nargothrond after years of wandering. Wiser than his father, Ibûn stayed only long enough to claim his inheritance, a king’s ransom of Elven jewels, before departing the accursed caverns. He sought his mother’s kin and persuaded them to leave their forest-holding in search of a more isolated dwelling. The clan quarreled amidst their journey, half departing east to settle at Cameth Brin in the lands that would become Rhudaur Thin continued south, reaching the Rast Vorn in the realm-to-be of Cardolan. Neither colony flourished, both stretching the last days of the race of Noegyth Nibin into a bitter and ignoble end.

The Nature of the Noegyth Nibin

The Petty-dwarves are perhaps the ugliest of all speaking peoples, except those bred by the Enemy. They are short in stature, standing only as tall as a Harfoot Hobbit (3 – 4’), their heads are overlarge, their limbs are gnarled and twisted, and their posture is stooping and craven. All too often, their wispy beards are tangled and full of crumbs, twigs, nut shells and other debris.

Nor are their personalities much more attractive. Warped by hatred and hardship, the Petty-dwarves see themselves as a race wronged by all the world, and especially by the Elves. When possible, they shun strangers, skulking through the shadows with unusual stealth if forced to journey from their underground holdings. Their dealings with outsiders are characterized by suspicion, irritability, and rancor. Few have ever caused a Petty-dwarf to laugh with merriment.

The Petty-dwarves possess far less skill in stone and metal¬working than do the full-blood Khazâd, but they can accomplish much given more time. They compensate forth is lack by excelling in herb cultivation and lore; although crusty, a wise woman of the Noegyth Ni b in can almost always save her patient from death by disease if summoned early enough. The Petty-dwarves are also learned in the ways of tracking, foraging, and concealment in the wild. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and foxes never notice the passing of one of the Noegyth Nibin if he moves with care.

Like the Khazad, the Petty-dwarves have produced no pure mages, but they are skilled at imbuing the inanimate with enchantments by channeling power. Unlike the Khazâd, they have crafted no great artifacts. Rather, they manufacture trivial potions, luck charms, and amulets against undead. The latter is their specialty. The more potent of these n of only ward ghosts, wraiths, and spectres away from the bearer, but allow him to command the undead to do his will.

The Noegyth Nibin characteristically wear a knee-length tabard over a short tunic (to mid-thigh), woolen leggings or hose, and suede boots embroidered with goat’s h ai r or rough flax and beaded with nuts, seeds, and bits of flint. The men put a sleeveless shirt woven of bronze wire, cat gut, or willow wands over this attire and don a helmet of bronze-plated horn. The women commonly wear a belt braided of leather and flax ornamented with pebbles, ands wimple covers their hair. The typical weapon is along knife tucked into one boot.

Petty-dwarves have retained the burial practices of their ancestors, interring the dead only in stone, whether in a crypt underground, under a cairn beneath the skies, or within a simple urn. Their reverence for their forefathers has grown stronger over the centuries, and most prayers and rituals address the dead rather than Odahl or Mahl, the names given to Eru and the Vala Aulë by the Noegyth Nibin. In the autumn, when the leaves are wrinkled mid brown on the trees, Petty-dwarves hold a festival called Hohl-ar-qahb to honor the spirits of the long dead. Wreaths of wild grasses are woven and placed on the ends of ashen staves which the Noegyth Nibin carry in formal procession beneath the full moon to a clearing or hill-top near their home. Masks carved of wood, bone, and horn cover their faces, and cloaks of wild goose feathers hang from their shoulders. Monotonous chanting accompanies their slow steps into the night. When at last they stand quiet and still in the moonlight, the oldest member of the clan delivers a wild harangue to the spirits presumed to be gathered before him, detailing the awe and fear and respect the tribe offers to the dead. At the end of the elder’s speech, the procession sweeps home, wailing and shrieking, to place bowls of cracked grains on their doorsteps.

Like the Khazâd, the Noegyth Nibin prefer to live in caverns of limestone to be tended like flower gardens or of granite and quartz hewn into majestic pillared halls. In the beginning, their skills equaled their desires, and the caverns of Nulukkizdin emerged into a splendor to rival Khazad-dûm. But as the race dwindled, so did their dwellings. Bar-en-Nibin-noeg (the first name of the halls beneath Sharbhund) grew under their hammers and chisels to be stern and severe and beautiful, but never so fair as their former home. Over the centuries, the smith-crafts were further neglected, and those tribes who departed Amon Rûdh lived in rude caves ornamented by the textile arts tapestries woven of wool, flax, goat hair, and willow wands; cushions stuffed with rushes; rugs fashioned of linen and dyed with nuts and berries; and furniture misted from green wood into chairs, tables, and divans. Their last residences losing comfort as well as dignity were moist and oozy and smelled of worm ends and mold or were dry and sandy with nothing in them.

Petty-Dwarven Character Glossary

Brór*

Lvl: 25. Race: Noegyth Nibin (Petty-dwarf). Profession: Warrior/Fighter. Home: Tumunzahar, later Nulukkizdin. Aka: the Grimfist.

RM Stats: St-100; Qu-90; Em-74; In-77; Pr-99; Ag-78; Co-94; Me-93; Re-88; SD-74, MERP Stats: St-100; Ag-78; Co-94; Ig-; It-77; Pr-99. Appearance: 67.

Skill Bonuses: Climb30; Track90; S&H72 ; DTrap94: Perc50; Lead68; Arch78; Cave86; Lyre88; MetLr62; Mine30; PSp40; Rapl35; RMas45; SetTr56; Masonry35; Stone Carving50,

Legends of ancient times fascinated Gror as a child, especially one relating the deeds of Côl Thunderfist and his bout of fisticuffs with a bear. Brór strove to emulate his hero and found himself challenged to numerous schoolboy fights to prove his prowess. His skill was less innocently demonstrated after he came of age; his older brother Brórin struck him in response to the request that Brórin make a gift of the warhammer Morsereg to Brór. Brór’s return blow killed his brother.

Brór’s ability to inspire loyalty and liking in his friends and acquaintances was so strong that seven Dwarves of Tumunzahar left the city with him when he was banished. Despite his flaring temper, he possessed the skill to lead, and his small band reached their new home in the West safely. Other wanderers were not so fortunate, falling prey to the Sindar in their journeys.

Once settled in the caverns of Nulukkizdin, Brór’s fame grew, and word of mouth carried rumors of the security to be found under his rule. As the years passed, his clan was joined by other companies of Dwarven outlaws. The underground holding was expanded with elegance and splendor to accommodate them, and the community prospered throughout Brór’s lifetime.

Brór’s Principal Items

Helm: 25% protection v s. head and neck criticals, ruby set in crown of True-silver at the brow makes wearer aware of all sentient beings within 10’.
Axe: +25 Axe of Warg-slaying.
Shield: +20 round shield with a Spell Shield True symbol engraved on the front, permitting the bearer to subtract 10 from all frontal attack spells cast at him.
Hammer: +15 Hammer of Orc-slaying.
Greaves: +15 DB, 20% protection vs. leg criticals.

Ibûn

Lvl: 20. Race: Noegyth Nibin (Petty-dwarf). Profession: Ranger. Home: Bar-en-Danwedh* then Bar-en-Ibûn.

RM Stats: St-97; Qu-92; Em-84; In-99, Pr-77; Ag-91; Co-90; Me-83; Re-95; SD-87. MERP Stats: St-97; Ag-91; Co-90; Ig-89; It-99; Pr-77; Appearance: 37.

Skill Bonuses: Climb30, DTrap40; S&H80 ; Perc66; Amb20; Appr40; Cave50; For76; Stone50; S&T54 ; Subd60; Track88; TrapB60; Wea68.

Ibûn was old before his days beneath Amon Rûdh were disturbed by Turin Turambar and his outlaws, and thus his saga begins there. As he gathered roots in the wilderness with his brother Khîm and even more aged father Mîm, Turin’ s men spotted the Petty-dwarves at dusk and, believing their business to be suspect, peppered the three with arrows. Ibûn hustled his companions homeward to no avail: Mîm ran too slowly, and Khîm took a fatal shaft in his chest.

When Mîm’s capture led the Petty-dwarf to extend hospitality to Turin, Ibûn grieved Khîm’s death all that winter with Mannish intruders walking their halls. He spoke little, blaming his father for his loss of both brother and privacy, and sat in the shadows brooding. Spring pulled him outside again in Mîm’s company to harvest the roots from which earth-bread was made. This time he was captured along with Mîm by Ores. As ransom for their lives, Mîm led their captors along the secret way into Bar-en-Danwedh.

Turin was captured, the outlaws routed, and the Petty-dwarves left unharmed in possession of their home. Ibûn watched while Mîm made his jealous attack on Beleg the Elf, still silent while his father fled Amon Rûdh. The secret of the Petty-Dwarves’ hold had been broken by the Black Enemy. Ibûn packed a sack provisions and left the now vulnerable halls later that evening. He sought his mother’s kin, and dwelt with them for many years.

Ibûn saw his father once more. Hearing rumors of an Orc or a Troll living within the caverns of lost Nulukkizdin, he traveled to Nargothrond to discover Mîm lurking there amidst the abandoned treasures of Valinor. Over the course of seven days, he repeatedly urged his father to depart the fouled lair before the Dragon’s curse returned to roost. Mîm refused, and Ibûn bid him a stern farewell, claiming a share of the Elven jewels rolling under the stalactites as wergeld for his father’s certain death. With this inheritance, Ibûn founded the holding of Petty-dwarves in the Rast Vorn.

Ibûn’s Principal Items

Sword: +15 Elf-slaying, glows brightly when Elves are within 100’, dimly if within 1000’.
Cape: +20 to stalk and hide skill.
Boots of Far Travel: allow wearer to travel twice as far as normal in a day without additional fatigue.
Sling: +10, 120′ range without penalty.

Ibûn’s Special Abilities

Spells: 40 PP. Ibûn knows Path Mastery, Moving Ways, Nature’s Guises, and Nature’s Ways to 20^th lvl, Inner Walls to 10^th lvl, and Lofty Movements to 5^th lvl.

Read Sil 203, 205 – 6: UT 96 – 102. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 4, 21, 31.

Khîm

Lvl: 18. Race: Nogoth Nibin (Petty-dwarf), Profession: Shaman/Animist. Home: Bar-en-Danwedh.

RM Stats: St-92; Qu-94; Em-93; In-100; Pr-96; Ag-94; Co-85; Me-83; Re-84; SD-95. MERP Stats: St-92; Ag-94; Co-85; Ig-84; It-100; Pr-96. Appearance: 41.

Skill Bonuses: Climb30; S&H40 ; Perc98; Rune50; S&W56 ; Chan78; AnimH68; Dipl90; FAid78; For-56; Lead88; Med84; Flute96; PSp82; Star-64; Track98; Calligraphy90.

Little mention of Khîm was made in the histories of the proud ones, as the Noegyth Nibin called the Elves. His life, or more accurately his death, intersected but briefly with the deeds of Turin Turambar, a man given much honor in Elven memory. Yet Khîm was an enduring figure in the stories of the Petty-dwarves. Visions afflicted him from youth onward, revealing secrets of lore and wisdom usually reserved for immortals. Why the stars wheeled in the skies, the sun rose in the east, the earth grew warm at its depths, and the seas rose and fell: all this and more was shown to the Petty-dwarf. The hobbits of the Kelvar, those who creep and crawl and fly and swim, the nature of the Olvar, those that bear roots and leaves, and the spirit behind the passions of Men and Elves and Dwarves: these too were made known to Khîm. And, in one awful and glorious tumult, a fragment of the divine music, the Ainulindalë, burst upon Khîm’s awareness. Few truths could then be unknown to him.

The usual bitterness found in the Noegyth Nibin was not present in Khîm’s character, but his serenity and calm manner set him apart from both Mîm and Ibûn. Neither father nor brother looked to him as a comrade, but their love for him grew strong nonetheless. The wisdom behind his eyes, the strength in his gentleness, and the loyalty within his heart drew liking from most who spoke with him. When Androg ’s arrow pierced Khîm’s breast and killed him, Ibûn and Mîm mourned not only a brother and a son, but a revered guide in the spirit world.

Khîm’s Principal Items

Mace: +25 Of Slaying when wielded against any creature allied with the Black Enemy, carved of black Dirwood.
Belt: x4 spell multiplier, +25 DB, woven of willow wands and cat gut.
Helm: Grants wearer understanding of the tongues of the Olvar and the Kelvar, carved of bone and inlaid with horn.
Flute: Captivates Kelvar as a 5^th lvl Charm spell.

Khîm’s Special Abilities

Spells: 54 PP. Khîm knows all the Base Shaman lists to 20^th lvl, and all the Closed Channeling lists to 10^th lvl.
Wisdom: Khîm is always aware of the best course of action in any given situation because of his heightened spiritual awareness.

Read Sil 203; UT 96, 101 – 2.

Miffli*

Lvl: 30. Race: Nogoth Nibin (Petty-dwarf). Profession: Mage. Home: Valley in the Misty Mountains, then Cameth Brin, AKA: the Undying,

RM Stats: Qu-89; Em-99; In-101; Pr-94; Ag-87; Co-98; Me-92; Re-91; SD-97. MERP Stats: Ag-87; Co-98; Ig-92; It-101; Pr-94. Appearance: 13.

Skill Bonuses: Climb25; DTraps60; PLocks60; S&H13 ; Perc80; Rune90; S&W60 ; Chan40; Amb20; Speed60; Strength50; Appr80; Cave80; Cont50; Cook40; Fals56; FAid64; Flet60; For68; Lead70; RMas68; Sig6S; Smith70; Star68; Stone122; Subd68; Track134; TrapB86; Trick68; Wea66.

The clan that would one day settle in Cameth Brin wandered the wilds for centuries after quarreling with Ibûn and leaving his band. They camped amidst the woods, high on rocky ledges in the mountains, deep in shadowed ravines by rushing rapids, and crouched beneath meadowland honeysuckle. Sometimes they sheltered for years in shallow caves abandoned by bears or Trolls. They always sought an isolated site where they might delve deeply and live hidden from all outsiders under the earth.

Miffli was horn while the clan traversed a steep ridge in the Misty Mountains. He grew up among the peaks, cliffs, and caverns there, conquering unclimbed summits, exploring mysterious boulder fields, and crawling through tunnels frequented by Goblins. He was bolder than the typical Petty-dwarf and more curious. How much hidden knowledge he uncovered in the heights and depths of the mountains is open to speculation, but it is certain that he came in time to possess a ring of great magical powers.

When he came of age, Miffli led his clan to the twisted hill of Cameth Brin and found the entrance to the caverns lacing its haunted stone. The Petty-dwarves labored long to delve the halls they called Armoq-al-Wang, but their numbers were few. Settled at last in a home of their choosing, they died, one by one. But Miffli lived on, far past the lifespan natural to his kind. His ring granted him immortality — at a price. Although undying, Miffli did not cease to age. His limbs grew evermore withered, his hair thinner, and his voice more cracked.

Tales and legends suggest different origins for his ring; one recounts Miffli ’s heroic efforts at a forge long forgotten by the Khazâd, another tells of his challenge to the Dragon Angurth, and eta third suggests that Sauron may have hidden beneath Cameth Brin during the centuries after the War of Wrath which ended the Elder Days. Whatever the truth, Miffli’s ring preserved the Petty-dwarf through the ages and gave him the power to command the undead spirits of his former companions, renamed the Ta-Fa-Lisch by the Dunlendings.

In the spring of T.A. 164, Miffli aided the Hillman Mong-Finn in a Dunnish rebellion against the Dúnedain. Eldacar, the Crown Prince of Arnor, crushed the Hillmen and took Cameth Brin to be a royal fortress. Homeless and severed from the ghosts of his clan, Miffli survived the conflict to wander across Endor once more.

Miffli’s Principal Items

Ring: A simple band of a strange blue alloy, it is invisible when worn; x6 PP spell multiplier; allows +40 Spirit Mastery (RM: Mind Domination) attacks (range 200’); imbues wearer with immortality by preserving body in semi-decayed state and allowing wearer’s spirit to remain in Wraith form,
Crown of Armoq-al-Wanu: Made of crude iron and inlaid with bronze symbols, it is an ancient artifact: +50 RR vs, Channeling spells; +5 DB; 5^th Fear spell (range 100’); controls the iccronite nuggets and the Ta-Fa-Lisch (Petty-Dwarven ghosts).
Chain shirt: Composed of primitive bronze ring mail, it is crumbling to dust; +15 DR
Stave of Apparitions: Carved of gnarled wood; +7 spell adder; wielder may create 1 – 5 identical images of himself which will move as he does (100’ range) or, if wielder concentrates, any one can move independently (others become static).
Sword of Elf-slaying: +25 short sword made of steel and inlaid with mithril symbols.

Miffli’s Special Abilities

Spells: 60 PP. Miffli knows all the Base Alchemist lists (RM) to 30^th lvl and all the Open Essence lists to 25^th lvl.

See ICE’s Hillmen of the Trollshaws 26 – 30.

Mîm

Lvl: 23. Race: Nogoth Nibin (Petty-dwarf). Profession: Rogue. Home: Bar-en-Danwedh, then Nulukkizdin. Aka: the Petty-dwarf.

RM Stats: St-95; Qu-93; Em-79; In-88; Pr-72; Ag-76; Co-97; Me-¬99; Re-84; SD-83. MERP Stats: St-95; Ag-76; Co-97; Ig-92; It-88; Pr-72, Appearance: 23.

Skill Bonuses: Climb94; DTraps84; S&H78 ; Perc88; Rune50; S&W132 ; Chan30; Amb20; Appr32; Cave86; For56; Lead68; Rapl68; RMas54; Smith56; Stone62; Track74.

Though stunted and twisted like most of the Noegyth Nibin, Minn. had rather more pride than his brethren. When Turin’s men captured him, as is recounted in the history above, and tied ropes around his ankles, the Petty-dwarf withdrew his promise to lead the outlaws to his hidden halls. The shame of the bonds made him willing to risk death rather than conciliate his captors. Only the force of Turin’s will compel Mîm to bring the wanderers to the halls beneath Amon Rûdh.

Turin’s oath to pay a ransom of gold for Mîm’s son, slain by the outlaws’ arrows, caused the Petty-dwarf to compare the Man to a Dwarf-lord of old. Through the long autumn storms, his respect for Turin grew into liking, and he shared much of the lore of his people. All that changed when Beleg Cuthalion joined them at Bar-en-Danwedh. Mîm felt the typical Petty-Dwarven hatred for Elves, and his regard for this new Mannish friend suffered with the discovery that Turin’s closest comrade was a Sinda. Worse, Turin ceased to spend his evenings with Mîm in favor of discussion with Beleg.

When Orcs captured Mîm in the spring, his scorn for Turin’s friendship with Beleg made the Petty-dwarf less reluctant to betray the location of Bar-en-Danwedh. And when the Orcs were gone from the bloody hill-top, leaving only the Petty-dwarves and Beleg alive, Mîm raised Beleg’s own sword to slay the wounded Elf. He did not succeed and fled howling.

Mîm’s pride had one more foray before his death. While dwelling in ruined Nargothrond after Glaurung the Dragon had left its caverns, the Petty-dwarf challenged Húrin, Turin’s father, at the threshold, claiming the Elven hold as his own. Húrin chastised Mîm and reminded him that Turin, whom the Petty-dwarf had betrayed, had slain Glaurung. Mîm died of his pride, cut down by the enraged stroke of Húrin’s sword.

Mîm Principal Items

Belt: Prevents wearer from dying of starvation, no matter how long he goes without food, woven of dried flax embossed with bits of flint.
Cloak: +10 DB, wind- and water-proof.
Sack: Although only a cubic foot in volume, it will carry four times that amount within, woven of un-carded wool.

Read Sil 202 – 6, 230; UT 96 – 104, 148.

Thíst*

Lvl: 18, Race: Nogoth Nibin (Petty-dwarf). Profession: Animist. Home: Tumunzahar, then Nulukkizdin. Aka: the Gentle.

RM Stats: St-77; Qu-89; Em-97; In-99; Pr-98; Ag-88; Co-92, Me-87; Re-93; SD-91. MERP Stats: St-77; Ag-88; Co-92; Ig-90; It-¬99; Pr-98. Appearance: 77.

Skill Bonuses: Climb30; Swim30; S&H50 ; Perc98; Chan68; S&W72 ; AnimH74; Cave40; Cook76; Dance86; Dipl94; FAid58; FloraL100; For64; Mandolin94; Sing86; Spinning76; Track96; Weaving78.

Thíst dwelt more comfortably in the great city Tumunzahar than did her brother Zorn, whose friends and kin urged him with every conversation to learn the noble arts of smith-craft, stone lore, and warfare. Like Zorn, Thíst loved the Olvar above all, but more tolerance was accorded to her choice of study than to his. In the long afternoons, she would stroll the alpine meadows outside the caverns tending, planting, and harvesting the herbs and flowers.

The scorn accorded to Zorn grieved Thíst sorely, but she bore it quietly so as not add her own distress to her brother’s tribulations. Her mother’s brother Brór alone accepted Zorn’s peculiar vocation and frequently brought strange plants from the faraway places he visited to both herbalists. Thus, it came to pass that when Brór killed his brother and was banished for it, Thíst followed Zorn away from Tumunzahar.

Thíst’s Principal Items

Necklace: x5 spell multiplier, casts Befriending 3x/day, 15% protection vs, head and neck criticals.
Dagger: +15, any hit will be an A critical at minimum.
Mandolin: Acts as a Calm spell while played.

Thíst’s Special Abilities

Spells: 36 PP. Thíst knows all Base Animist lists to 20^th lvl, Locating Ways, Calm Spirits, Creations, Symbolic Ways, Lore, Nature’s Law, and Weather Ways to 20^th lvl, and Detection Mastery, Spell Defense, Purification, and Sound’s Way to 10^th lvl.

Petty-dwarven short description glossary

Dheben*: Lvl: 5. Aka: Arrowheart. A young scout under Rhotti, Dheben longed to travel at least once beyond the confines of decaying Bar-en-Ibûn. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Dhemim*: Lvl: 5. Aka: the Young; Seeker. Companion to Dheben, Dhemim was bolder than the typical Petty-dwarf. He wished to leave his home altogether for adventures in the wilds. Only loyalty to his clan kept this youngest of the Petty-dwarves of Bar-en-Ibûn from wandering far beyond the horizon. See ICE’s Raider of Cardolan 23, 29.
Dheo*: Lvl: 3. Severe arthritis crippled Dheo’s hands at a young age, but did not prevent his mastery of warrior’s skills. As a youth, he wished, like Dhemim and Dheben of later years, for excitement. His father’s departure for parts unknown changed this outlook, and Dheo became staid and conservative. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 24, 29.
Dibin*: Lvl: 3. The solitary work of mining never appealed to this Petty-dwarf despite the training of his youth. Wielding his pick as weapon rather than mining tool, Dibin served willingly as bodyguard for clan leader Zeddik. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Dintam*: Lvl: 7. Aka: Farsighted. Dintam retained his mental faculties undiminished into old age and, without usurping her authority, gradually took up the responsibilities Harnekil let slip. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Fóli*: Lvl: 10. Aka: the Oath-holder. When BrórGrimfist was banished from Tumunzahar, Fóli took an oath to follow his uncle into the wildlands. The beauty of Nulukkizdin more than recompensed his loss of home and family, in his eyes, and he never regretted his choice nor longed for old friends and familiar places. Since his brothers and sister took the journey west as well, his contentment was a less astonishing accomplishment than if he had traveled without them.
Ghamim*: Lvl: 4. Aka: Death’s Head. Ghamim grew so shriveled with age as to resemble a living skeleton. His obsession with completing the tombs at Bar-en-Ibûn gave further weight to the rumor that he was a spirit returned from the dead. Among the Petty-dwarves, this gave him status rather than the reverse. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Ghar*: Lvl: 4. Ghar possessed the wretchedness, rancor, and fear characteristic of the Noegyth Nibin beyond even the measure normal for those of his race. He carved the stone for his own tomb burning with the desire to lie there dead as soon as possible. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Harnekil*: Lvl: 10. Aka: the Crone. So wizened by age that she appeared to have been treated with the mummification process used by the Haradrim, Harnekil led the ruling clan of Bar-en-Ibûn during the settlement’s last days. Ill-treated in her childhood, she encouraged obsequious fawning from her followers and fanned their awe with displays of her magical powers. Senility clouded her mind for some years before her death, but she retained enough clarity to act wisely when faced with a Sea-raider attack. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 22, 23, 29, 30.
Ibír*: Lvl: 9. Aka: the Golden. Fiercely jealous of his older brother’s affections, Ibír refused to remain in Tumunzahar while Khîm accompanied Fóli into the wilds. He was frequently in the way and often much resented. Yet the hardship improved his character, removing the whine from his voice, and transferring his attention from supposed personal slights to survival amid uncertainty and danger. Once settled in Nulukkizdin, Ibír grew into an accomplished orator with a gift for inspiring apathetic listeners with enthusiasm and purpose.
Khîm*: Lvl: 16. Aka: Steadyhand. Khîm viewed Fóli, to whom he was distantly related by blood, as another young brother. Fóli’s impetuous decision to travel west at Brór’s heels raised much concern and apprehension in Khîm’s heart, and he decided to forsake Tumunzahar as well. He forbade his own younger brother to follow his example, but Ibír left the Dwarven city by stealth.
Khorni*: Lvl: 4. Aka: Pickhand. Enthusiasm for mining dominated Khorni’s thoughts, despite the scorn many of his companions felt for the old Dwarven crafts of stonework and smithcraft. He hoped that deeper tunnels and longer hours spent them might bring gold or even true-silver to light beneath the Rast Vorn. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29, 30.
Nedilli*: Lvl: 3. Aka: Kindheart. Old and talkative, Nedilli convinced the clan leader, Zeddik, that the slaves of Bar-en-Ibûn should go free. Under Zeddik’s direction, he stirred the caids to rebellion several times, trying to bring Harnekil’s clan and Rhotti’s clan into agreement with this project, See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29.
Obun*: Lvl: 4. Tired muscles and a sleepy mind overcame Obun’s old age and contributed towards his desire to wait for forthcoming information before determining the fate of the Elenibun, the last of the Elven jewels brought to Rast Vorn by Ibûn of Bar-en-Danwedh. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 24, 29.
Omim*: Lvl: 4. One of the oldest warriors of Bar-en-Ibûn. Omim’s eyesight was weak and watery, and his legs trembled beneath him. But his skill with the whip remained unrivaled to the day of his death. Sec ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 24, 29.
Orn*: Lvl: 15. Aka: the Single-eye. Orn lost one eye in his youth, but it was not from this accident that he received his epithet. Rather the persistence and concentration he displayed while at the forge or in pursuit of any goal earned him the appellation “the Single-eye.” His loyalty to Brór was as tenacious as his labors elsewhere, so he quit Tumunzahar with stoic reserve, pledged to serve his uncle.
Rhomin*: Lvl: 4. Aka: the Cruel. Meanest of the slave masters within Bar-en-Ibûn, Rhomin caused his brother’s death through carelessness, but blamed the accident on a slave. His angry leadership put strength into the fading warriors of his clan. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29, 30.
Rhotti*: Lvl: 8. Aka: Captain. Rhotti possessed unusual skill, cunning, and bravery as a warrior, qualities which made him the most feared Petty-dwarf of his time. The fine chain hauberk and mighty war mattock he used further added to his prowess in battle. Yet, his lack of foresight and strategy diminished his capability as Captain of the Guard. Rhotti could not control the factions within his clan, using the inadequate policy of responding to trouble only when it could no longer be ignored. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 23, 29, 30.
Zeddik: Lvl: 6. Aka: the Withered. Born with a withered arm, Zeddik mastered the art of administration early. This skill combined with longevity made him leader of his clan. Preparing for the death that old age would soon bring to the dwindling colony at Bar-en-Ibûn was the only concern of Zeddik’s later years. He plotted a slave rebellion to distract the other clans while he seized the Elven jewel that would help him achieve his goal. See ICE’s Raiders of Cardolan 22, 23, 29, 30.
Zorn*: Lvl: 12. Aka: the Briar-crowned. Zorn left Tumunzahar in his uncle’s footsteps with no regret. Love of willow trees, rose vines, sage grass, and all the Olvar filled his heart instead of the more usual Dwarven appreciation for marble, quartz, gold trinkets, and weaponry of true-silver. The stone magnificence of the city seemed more like a prison, and Zorn embraced life in the wilds with eagerness and delight. His sister Thíst shared his interests, and often they would walk together, gathering herb bouquets, chains of flowers, and grass-woven wreaths. Among the outlaws who later came to Nulukkizdin, there grew a subtle acceptance and affection for Zorn’s peculiarities.
Zrór*: Lvl: 11. Aka: the Loyal. Steadfast friend to Orn from their boyhood together, Zrór departed Tumunzahar with grief. He loved the city: its stalactite gardens, mine tunnels of ruby, sapphire, and olivine avenues flanked by king’s statues; and courts lit with flashing lanterns of diamond and alabaster. But his friend’s example was too clear to be ignored; Zrór followed Orn, who would not forsake Brór Grimfist. In Nulukkizdin, Zrór’s smith-craft won renown, for his genius guided the sculpting done to this new cavern home.

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