Tili was a weathered Dwarf, his face full of more crags and crevices than the Silvertine itself. Except for a white fringe that dangled like a curtain from the rear of his skull, he had lost most of his hair. His beard was long, thin and stringy and, like his flesh, almost devoid of color. Tili always dressed in green, a sharp contrast to his bloodless lips and pale skin. His right eye was clouded by a cataract. His left, though watery, shone with the kind of wisdom that only age could bring. Although he managed to walk steadily enough, Tili's muscles had atrophied, and he found it nearly impossible to run faster than a gentle jog. For similar reasons, he had abandoned the axe he kept at his belt in his younger days.Instead he prefered to wield a [[light short sword]] of excellent design. In years long past, Tili was something of a rogue. An excellent warrior, he was as fast with his wit as with his sword. He still saw himself this way, although his body did not always keep pace with his fanciful vision. He had more than once threatened to skin some young Dwarf, a foe who could certainly have made quick work of the old adventurer, but instead backed away in deference to Tili's age. Even bullies knew that to beat someone so old would earn them nothing but scorn.
The fact that Tili was blind in his right eye had done little to slow him down. This was unfortunate. Due to his poor depth perception, he did misjudge distances. Such instances had been to date harmless mistakes (like narrowly avoiding walking into doors), but the time would come when matters might be more serious. Tili should be careful to avoid trying to locate or leap pit traps. Generally, though, Tili was a fine companion, ready to regale the adventurers with tales of his brazen youth. Some of these stories were actually worth the listening. At the very least, they went a long way toward staving off the darkness on a cold night. Tili's major flaw was that he is ready to die, and he was looking for a fitting death. With the adventurers' help, he hoped to find it in Moria. Unfortunately, this meant that Tili wouldl be more than happy to leap into battle with the Balrog. It was be up to them to keep him from alerting the Balrog to their presence and to save the old Dwarfs life. After listening to him prattle on about how they were robbing him of his destiny, though, they may be tempted to let him experience his rightful death.
References[]
- MERP:Lords of Middle-earth Vol III: Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, Orcs & Trolls