Duildin Hill

Duildin Hill was a moderate-sized  hill, partly  wooded  with a  mix- ture of broadleaf and pine trees.It was the  tallest of several hills in the area, standing some 300 feet high, and it was steep enough in most places to make the going difficult when one was not on a Dwarf path. A little gully  trickled  around the southwest rim of the  hill, fed by underground water from  several of the  nearby  hills. During rainy times that area got swampy, making  passage  more difficult.Years ago a small  group of Dwarves had journeyed through the East-wood in  search of a metal-rich land which they could mine. A few miles from the edge of the wood they found a group of rocky, lightly wooded hills which looked promising.After making a successful foray into the largest of the hills, they decided to make a permanent home there. On each side of the hill they built small sleeping quarters, and at the top they built a combination forgehouse and eating place which had an above-ground lookout room on top. From each structure they began mining toward the center of the hill, eventually linking up all of the tunnels. For several years this small  party of Dwarves — eight in all, led by the venerable  Duildin, after whom  they named the hill — prospered in their new location, mining and working copper and iron. With various items of worked metal they were able to trade for food and coin from  nearby farmers; in  addition,  they  fished and hunted small game. When the Dwarves first arrived in the area there had been a small hold of Orcs in the  hills a little to the north; but they immediately drove the  Orcs away. No other dangerous creature had been seen since. Because of this they became lax in their security measures; they began to walk around the woods unarmed, they  stopped covering up their trails and eventually they no  longer posted a lookout at the top of the  hill.It was after the Dwarves had reached this state of carelessness that two hungry Trolls wandered  into the area one night in search of food, and discovered the little community.The Trolls, following a trail of broken branches, dried animal blood, discarded arrows and other clues, spied the  Dwarven buildings nestled in the hillside.They moved quickly  toward the  hill, excited by the prospect of both killing and eating Dwarves (their favorite  pasttime and their favorite food). Once on the hill, they felt and heard the sound of digging  going on not too far below  the surface. After a few minutes of  searching they found the source of the digging — a  place high on the east slope where the Dwarves were making a new shaft.They waited outside the entrance and then ambushed the Dwarves one by one as  they climbed out of the hole. Seven of the Dwarves met an ignominous fate at the hands of the Trolls that night.One, however — the  youngest, Duildin's son Daldin — was busy in  the cookhouse preparing food for the work party. When the failed to show up he went out looking for them. To his surprise, and utter dismay, he discovered them in the clutches of the two Trolls, who were building a fire near the base of the hill, over  which to cook their prey. He tried variousstrategems to get the Trolls away from the fallen Dwarves, but it was no use — they guarded their victims too jealously. He could soon tell that he was too late to save his companions anyway. So, he slipped away to secure the Dwarf dwellings as best he could from Troll attack, and to plan revenge for his fallen riends and family. When Daldin saw the Trolls turning the Dwarves' latest mine shaft into a Troll hole, he decided to tunnel up to it from the middle of the hill. His hope was to kill the Trolls in their sleep. After several weeks' work, Daldin broke through the ground  into the back of the Trolls' treasure room. This was during a night, when the Trolls were out hunting for food, and he was able to steal some of their treasure before they got back.In the room was a large chest which he used to cover up his tunnel after he left. When he tried to enter their hole during the day, however, he encountered an unusual pair of sentries — two young wolves — who sounded an alarm and chased him back into his tunnel.Because of these wolves, he was forced to give up his plans for killing the Trolls, and had to content himself with pilfering pieces of their treasure at night when the hole was empty. One night Daldin's luck finally ran out.The Trolls returned early from their hunt, and the wolves, as they headed to the back of the treasure room (where the hole was  least  foul) discovered the Dwarf before he could  cover up his  tunnel.They grabbed him and dragged him  out.When the Trolls arrived on the  scene they  were ecstatic.Full as they were of pork and chicken from a farmland raid, they  till  ound room for a dessert of Dwarf. Thus was the end of Daldin, last surviving member of the  miners of Duildin  Hill.