The Merchant of Valinor by Tehta

Silmë Nuquerna (Starlight reversed – so, ëmlis)

Eventually, I heard of a Sinda of sense who lived nearby, a master craftsman and trader by the name of Eol. Mablung, a local huntsman, agreed to guide me to him in return for my last tune, a rather racy drinking song I had not dared sing in Luthien’s presence, for fear of intensifying her enchantment.

Light struggled to pierce the dense canopy of Eol’s woods, lending them a gloom that reminded me of Menegroth’s caves with their fake starlight, and yet my encounter with that strange, rude man proved most illuminating. In his workshop, I saw many wonders, such as lightweight armour fashioned of metal and unlight-webbing (truly, it is a most useful substance!), but it is the introduction to his Dwarven visitors that truly changed my life. Such a practical people, and so inventive with their economics; several quickly became my close friends and, even better, business partners.