The Kurilusa part 3, and the Battle Called Duruk-Kanesh

The Mustering of the Lord of Lords

Thus it was, that by the foresight of the scrying pan,

the Lord of Lords gathered a mighty host to relieve his beleaguered kin.

Word came by swift-footed messenger,

and the retreating columns of elves took heart.

They ceased their flight, and turned to stand,

for though they knew their numbers were few,

they trusted in their lord who saw all things.

The Stand in the Marshy Plain

Like a lone rock in the restless sea did the elf-host stand,

their spears glimmering in the morning mist.

Before the vapors had lifted,

the dwarves gave out their war-cry—

harsh, jagged, hateful to elven ears.

The phalanx of elves, weary though they were,

braced for the oncoming wave at the marshy plain

beneath the shadow of the mountains.

They knew they would soon be encircled,

yet still they stood, unyielding,

trusting fully in the Lord of Lords.

The Onslaught of the Elves

Emboldened by their vast numbers,

the dwarves pressed forward, eager to overwhelm.

Yet as they neared, a horn rang out,

and to their astonishment, the elves charged at a run.

The first ranks of the dwarves faltered,

struck by the bronze-clad giants,

and deep into their horde did the elves drive,

fearing not death, for death was certain.

Long did they stand as an island amid the sea,

a hill of fallen about them,

the blood of dwarf and elf mingling in the thirsty soil.

The Coming of the Mammoths

At last, when all hope seemed spent,

a horn resounded from the setting sun,

and lo, a thunder of mammoths came,

girded for war and mounted by fiery-hearted nobles.

Terror spread among the dwarves,

for never had their kind beheld such beasts.

Pressed in upon themselves,

they fell upon the spears of the elven host.

Then did the mammoths crash into them like storm-waves,

and the dwarves, short of stature,

were trampled into the earth.

The Breaking of Stone

Thus did the host of the Lord of Lords

stampede over the panicked dwarves.

Long did they hunt them until night fell,

and by then, almost the whole of that wretched race was slain.

A great hill was raised from their corpses,

and it was fitting, the elves said,

for were not the dwarves a people of the hills?

So was the battle named Duruk-Kanesh, the Breaking of Stone.

For in this day the race of the rock-born was broken,

and never again would they march upon the elves in force.

The Desire of the Elves

Yet the war was not ended.

For when the elves beheld the treasures

that adorned the fallen dwarves,

they knew that the mountains were full of hidden wealth.

And desire entered their hearts.

Thus did the Lord of Lords decree once more

that his warriors march into the hills,

to claim the riches of the earth for themselves.