Dwarven Envoy

Exhausted the wayfarer pauses after the testing climb to the Dwarven gate, before him a small square crowded with city traffic. Above the heads of the crowd solid facade of intricately carved stonework sparkles in the dying sunlight of the day's end. Pale, carved, bluestone entrance hall doors frame the portal to the Dwarven Envoy of Caras Celairnen. A Baruk of dwarves in full battle armour stares impassively into the middle distance. Past their ever vigilant stare, a few of the denizens of the city pass in and out on their own secretive business with the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains.

Architecture

Above ground, the Dwarven envoy looks relatively unassuming. A series of squat, stone buildings with gently sloping rooves, designed to be practical rain funnels but still maintaining the dwarvish sense of style with worked curves that flow as water down a mountain. Despite the low profile of the buildings, they are nonetheless designed to show off the craftsmanship of Dwarves, each stone is perfectly carved, ornamentations, though beautiful, are not ostentatious. However, it is not above ground that the true skills of the Dwarves are shown. Below the upper complex are several under levels of Dwarven dwellings and workshops built the style of their ancient halls.

History

In the second age, Dwarves were commissioned by Galadriel to construct the town of Cara Celairnen. During the work to create the under harbour and storage areas the Dwarves discovered some ancient ruins of halls created by their kin in the first age which had been subsequently lost during the destruction of Morgoth. These modest halls were reworked into the Dwarven envoy, from which all Dwarven business and trade, with both Man and Elf, has been conducted ever since. Indeed, the Envoy (along with the Dwarf gate, Causeway and Elf tower) is one of the oldest surviving buildings of the current form of the town.

Great Northern Halls

Of particular interest to visitors to the Envoy are the Great Northern halls. These large and ostentatious spaces are where the few privileged visitors are able to witness the true genius of Dwarven Craft. Cut into the cliff face of the Northern escarpment three large bay viewpoints allow the invitees an impressive view of the Lhun and Ered Luin beyond.
The three halls are vaulted chambers reflect some of the styles of Dwarven masonry employed in the first age and re-discovered in the second age. Each column appears to represent the bones of the land, running an unbroken flow of rock from floor to ceiling. Within each column, the masons have managed to bring into relief the luminescent colours of the rocks and crystals found within the rock. The result is that with the daylight the interior appears to glow with its a muted blue colour and at night the whole rooms sparkles with the light of a million stars,

Type

Embassy

Parent Location

Caras Celairnen