Zhélruka

See also: Seven Houses of the Dwarves

Description

The Zhélruka (Zhélruka language for Iron-fists) are one of the Seven Houses of the Dwarves, counted among the eldest kindreds and reckoned in age with the Longbeards. Their ancient homeland lies far to the east of Mordor and Rhovanion, beyond the knowledge of the western peoples. In later ages they became a scattered and embittered folk, defined as much by loss and wandering as by their surviving strongholds.

In the late Third Age, the Zhélruka are ruled by King Ótek, brother of Ingor, and maintain their own customs, runes, and tongue, preserved in the Zhélruka language.

History

Destruction of the Eastern Stronghold

At the end of the First Age, the convulsions that broke Beleriand and reshaped much of Middle-earth reached even the distant eastern lands. The principal stronghold of the Zhélruka was destroyed during this upheaval, and their people were cast out into exile. Shunned by neighbouring realms and driven from place to place, the Zhélruka became a wandering folk, their numbers diminished and their former glory reduced to memory.

Tradition holds that Durin II of Khazad-dûm took pity upon the displaced Zhélruka and offered them refuge near Mount Gundabad. Yet the great Zhélruka host never arrived. Whether they perished in the mountains, turned aside, or vanished through other means is unknown. Some even theorize that they somehow found the lost realm of Thafar-gathol, and yet remain there without contact with the outside world. And so, for long ages, the Zhélruka passed out of the knowledge of the western Dwarves.

Thafar-gathol and the Grey Mountains

Centuries later, rumours surfaced of that the lost delving of Thafar-gathol was said to lie hidden somewhere specifically in the Grey Mountains. Tales spoke of vast riches, rivaling even Khazad-dûm, though no proof was ever found. Many sought it, both Longbeards and Zhélruka, but none returned with certain knowledge.

What is certain however, is that Dwarves of Khazad-dûm later uncovered an ancient delving in the Grey Mountains rich in iron but barren of mithril. This stronghold was named Thikil-gundu, the Steel Keep, or Dómekh in the Zhélruka tongue. Its rapid rise as a centre of ironworking even threatened the prosperity of the Iron Hills, and it was whispered that word of its discovery was deliberately passed east to the Zhélruka as a form of Ironfold sabotage.

The Zhélruka thereafter laid claim to Thikil-gundu as a rightful inheritance of their lost people. Whether this claim was founded in truth or born of desperation is unknown, but from that time onward the Zhélruka guarded their supposed rights in the Grey Mountains with fierce jealousy. This grievance poisoned their dealings with other Dwarves and hardened them into a suspicious and warlike people.

The Anvil of Winterstith

Among the most terrible episodes in Zhélruka history is the tragedy associated with the Anvil of Winterstith, a vast and ancient glacial formation in the northern wastes. More than one Zhélruka king perished seeking signs of Thafar-gathol beneath it.

In one such attempt, Zhélruka delving beneath the Anvil caused a catastrophic collapse that split the glacier and unleashed hordes of cold-drakes long entombed within the ice. The Zhélruka host was almost entirely destroyed in this event - only a handful escaped back to Thikil-gundu, and even that refuge was thereafter shadowed by fear.

In later years the glacier was sealed again, whether by dwarf-craft or possibly by the intervention of one of the Wizards. The truth of this remains uncertain. The Anvil endured, beautiful and dreadful, a place of watchfulness and dread, and a reminder of the cost of Zhélruka pride and persistence.

Later History

By the late Third Age, the Zhélruka remained a diminished and wandering people, defined by their ancient losses and their lingering claims. Leaders such as Bótuz Frostblood were known for their readiness to shed blood in pursuit of what they believed had been stolen from them. Though they possessed skill, endurance, and deep memory, the Zhélruka never recovered the unity or power they once held in the elder days. So when the call to reclaim ancient Gundabad rose forth, the Zhélruka seized the chance to find a true home for themselves in the western mountains.

Language and Runes

The Zhélruka have preserved their own tongue, distinct from Khuzdul and related eastern dwarf-speech, the Zhélruka language. Their written tradition employ the runes known as the Felak Karâth, used by the Zhélruka and other eastern Dwarves who never adopted the Angerthas of the Longbeards.