Biografia
Born on a winter night under the Iron Mountains, Hwel, second son of the Mask Bearer Rhys, grew near the forges and his father tools and his natural ability working metals were visible ever in these early days. His infancy was normal for and artificer son, and his first memories of that time was running errands, gathering tools and tendering small fires for his father.
When he turned 20, he began his apprenticeship as an Ardent. Some will misunderstood this time as one of easy, although hard, work, but they forget that every dwarf apprentice is competing with all others for a few positions of masters, and very few of them will have the will and ability to became a master artificer. For Hwel, these were rough days of hard work and unnecessary social disputes.
Finally he was allowed to test for a Tyro Artificer and began his time working on the forge. At first, nothing more than basic rough iron tools, but at leas his ability with the hammer and the forge grew up as did his knowledge on tend the fire and on how to blend his will with the iron.
After his promotion to Artificer, he married and lived well for near 50 years. Unfortunately, his wife was killed during a raid when an arrow found an imperfection on her mail. How a dwarven-made mail could have an imperfection? For a natural artificer like him, that question was unthinkable. It melt with his pain and drove him since that day. It grew inside him, changed, and changed him. His faith on the dwarves artifices shattered and mended as a renewed disposition to improve his knowledge on the dwarf technics. He knew that the Dwarves had to be … no, that they are the best artificers of the Middle Earth, and if they were falling back, he had to do something to restore, and even improve, their grandiosity.
Lost on his studies on ancient techniques, he barely acknowledge when the time for his Mask Bearer rite arrived. Nothing he did were sufficient good for him, even if they were better than anything his comrades produced.
Four years later, Hwel still on the same place, unable to bring up a mask he believed good enough for the greatness of the Dwarves.
At this point, Dáin formed an army to ride with him to join Thorin and take back the Lonely Mountain and he saw his opportunity to access the secrets of that old dwarf hold. As any Dwarf, he was trained on the war arts, not as much as a warrior, but sufficient to allow him a small position in the army, mostly mending the weapons of the soldiers. He fought there. His part was a very small one, but he survived it and even saw when Thorin died.
After the battle, he followed Dáin back to the Lonely Mountain and the little he was able to find there improved his confidence on the Dwarves and in himself. He made his mask, a masterwork worthy of the ancient dwarves. He put Thorin´s shield in it, a meticulously made representation of it in black steel, to bring fear on the dwarven enemies hart.
With his life divided between his work as Mask Bearer, and his searches for the secrets still guarded by the Lonely Mountain, no time left for a new family. Nevertheless, visits to the city of Dale were frequent, to trade and gather information for other races there.
On the edge of the new millennium he was accepted as Master of Forges and built his own workshop. Where other masters built a hold to pair their status, he did a simple, but good, house at the side of the workshop and filled it with anything he thought could be an ancient artifact or scripture. Although small, his workshop was well know, due the quality of his work. Even his competitors, from bigger workshops, swallowed their envy and called him when they had very special commissions. And finally he got something, almost. It was there, so close, 100 years before, on the Smaug treasure. But he don´t knew it then, and it is not there now. Who got it at that time? Where was it taken? 3050 a new clue 205 At least, a new clue. Old, but solid. I know where the search for the Telchar´s Mask will begin. And I will find it and I will use it to create new techniques for the Dwarves glory. This, I sworn.
Introdução
Durante seus anos em Erebor, Hwel criou laços de camaradagem com vários comerciantes de Eriador, que compareciam às feiras de Dale. Depois que Minas Tirith caiu e os orcs se multiplicaram, as feiras deixaram de ser realizadas, e só uns poucos corajosos continuaram a enfrentar os riscos de comerciar com Erebor. Um destes corajosos é Ringal, que a cada dois anos vem a Dale para vender peças de marfim e de âmbar gris, que ele adquire dos baleeiros de Estoriand, além das Ered Luin.
Hwel sempre pediu aos seus contatos que ficassem de olho em notícias sobre máscaras de guerra dos anões. Em sua última visita a Dale, Ringal trouxe informações sobre uma máscara de guerra, de grande antiguidade, e da qual se dizia que tinha, em sua face interior, uma mensagem cifrada, escrita em runas angulares.
A máscara foi encontrada em Belegost, por renegados que há anos tentam encontrar relíquias antigas dos anões. Ringal soube que a máscara mudou de mãos diversas vezes, antes de ser vendida por um bom preço para um chefe de clã dunlending, que a ofertou como tributo a Saruman. O comerciante que a vendeu ao chefe bárbaro contou a história a Ringal, em uma taberna de Tharbad, onde estava comemorando o bom negócio. O dunlending, procurando se fazer de importante, tinha contado de suas viagens a Orthanc, descrevendo tudo o que vira lá --- inclusive as masmorras, onde viu dois hobbits prisioneiros.
A descrição de Ringal fez --- embora de segunda mão ---, bem como o local de sua descoberta, indicam a Hwel que esta pode ser uma máscara feita por Telchar, ou pelo menos por um de seus aprendizes. Porém, Hwel não pode invadir Orthanc e enfrentar Saruman e suas forças. Melhor procurar aliados… e os elfos podem se interessar em saber destes hobbits aprisionados em Isengard.
Imediatamente Hwel começa seus preparativos para uma longa jornada. Arrenda sua oficina para um primo de sua falecida esposa que vem demonstrando habilidades como artífice e junta-se a um grupo de viajantes indo para o sul. Depois de algumas intempéries ele finalmente chega ao seu destino, Lindon, no final de Setembro de 3050, e consegue ser recebido pro Glorfindel e expor o que sabe e suas intenções.
18 de Setembro de 3050 Finalmente consegui ser recebido por um dos elfos capaz de tomar decisões por aqui e ele pareceu ficar interessado na minha história e nas informações que eu trouxe. Prometeu levar isso ao Conselho e me avisar do resultado o mais rápido possível.
2 de Outubro de 3050 Duas semanas já se passaram e não tive nenhuma notícia de Glorfindel. Ringal já havia me falado que o tempo dos elfos é diferente do nosso, mas a cada dia que passa a informação fica mais velha e as chances de encontramos a máscara ou os hobits diminui. Pensei eu tentar uma nova audiência, mas fui aconselhado a tomar mais umas canecas e ter paciência.
17 de Outubro de 3050 Um mês esperando. Minha paciência acabou uns dois barris atrás. Quando eu já estava desistindo, recebi uma mensagem de Glorfindel, me chamando para nova conversa daqui a 3 dias. Finalmente.
20 de Outubro de 3050
29 de Outubro de 3050 Chegando à baia “A” em Minheldolath