Harnack

Frustrated with Krimruk's swings between defiance and nonsense, Hrundis yanks the chair out from under her brother's murderer (although, keeping her wits about her, she sets it nicely on the other side of the room rather than breaking it over his fool head).

The Dwarves grimly march their traitorous prisoner into the tower, in order to interrogate him in their own tongue away from the pointy ears of the Elves of Lósengriol. But although he is clever enough to deduce that Hrundis is related to the slain Vigfús in some fashion, this proves to be a rare moment of lucidity for him; he keeps lapsing into strange babble -- notably talking of a "huge ingot" and stating repeatedly that "In gold we are all one." His motive for slaying Vigfús also makes no sense, as Hrundis points out.

Flanked by Harnack -- most recently of Hrimbarg -- on her left, and Ulvoin of Vindurhal on her right, Hrundis, sister of the slain Vigfús, enters the Lósengriol halls and meets Branalph, Glorfingwë, Melumatyar -- and her brother's murderer, Krimruk Dourhand.  Harnack, who cared deeply about his slain friend, has a simple question: if Krimruk is kept more or less intact for the journey back to Erebor to stand trial, is it acceptable to cause some "cosmetic damage"?

On a cold night as firith readies its exit and rhîw its entrance, members of the House gather to discuss the repercussions of the mission to aid the Dwarves of the Hithaeglir, and especially to learn what Harnack would wish done. The ice of winter will make travel over the High Pass inadvisable for a short time to come. What will be done with the evildoer, who is now an involuntary guest of the Eldar? Harnack insists that merely recovering the heirloom of the slain Dwarf's family is insufficient.

In the cramped quarters of the Dwarven shelter at Hrimbarg, near where Vigfús met his sorry end, the Elves and Harnack plot how to approach an entire outpost -- and get justice for the slain Dwarf's family -- without having to commit mass slaughter that would only spark more violence (although Harnack frankly wouldn't mind making the likely suspect a head shorter).

Rare is the day when the doughty Dwarves of the Northern High Pass must seek help from Imladris. But Master Harnack has braved the journey and finds himself pleading his case to friends in the halls of Lósengriol. The theft -- indeed, the violation -- of an artifact priceless only to a single Dwarven family, but nothing else of value, not even the poor fellow's armor, is enraging and confusing.