Crown of Iron by admin
CROWN OF IRON
by
Jack Bullions
FADE IN:
White titles appear against the black screen.
"The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep."
- Legend of Moria
The letters fade, like wisps of smoke, into darkness. We
suddenly HEAR a soft chorus of deep-throated voices...
strong Dwarven music accompanied with distant booms of a
drum... the effect is serene, yet full of brawn when suddenly
we...
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. MITHRIL MINE - TIMELESS
A pick-axe SLAMS into solid rock, breaking off a chunk.
The dwarf lowers his axe and wipes sweat from his brow,
smearing soot in the process.
Muscled arms, olive complexion, a stout body, proud face
partially covered by his thick golden beard. His eyes are
intense, eager for the minerals and metals hidden in the
quarry. Dwarven names are never shared so for now, we will
refer to this dwarf as BRONIN.
Bronin hefts his axe again and gets back to work.
SUPERIMPOSE: KHAZAD-DUM, YEAR III 1980
Behind him and up the shaft, more DWARVES like Bronin work
the metal mine -- muscles with sweat, bags of rock slung over
broad shoulders, moving carts of dirt, iron ore, all working
in unision. The area is claustrophobic, and dark but they
don't seem to mind. The veins of the mine are the veins in
their bodies. These guys are the complete opposite of what
Disney saw with his Seven Dwarves.
A group of DWARF ENGINEERS go over charts on an oak table, a
continuously-changing representation of the mines as they
chart new tunnels and shafts. Another group studies and
analyzes the iron ore from passing carts.
We follow the shaft of the mine up to an immense space deep
in the bowels of the mining operation.
Vaguely circular, the room is carved out of the very rock
of the mountain Zirakzigil with giant stairwells and ramps
that spiral up and up to incomprehensible heights.
In the center, there's an enormous pit.
Flames are visible over beveled edges descending to the
depths. On one wall, a complex series of twin-ducts, gears,
large bellows, and fans made of PALM FRONDS flow oxygen from
the mountain cliffs into the furnace area.
INT. LOWER MINE SHAFT
A DWARF MINER breaks through a wall, exposes a vein of
glimmering mithril. He lowers his axe, draws closer.
DWARF MINER
(in awe)
Mithril.
The word echoes from other dwarves, and they swarm to the
discovery.
BACK ON BRONIN
Another Miner nudges him with an elbow, prompting him to
stop. Bronin looks back, sees the commotion, hearing the
word 'Mithril' repeated over and over. He follows the group
out.
INT. BLAST FURNACE (CONTINUOUS)
Bronin and the group make their way across the ledge. Their
figures backlit by intense heat from the FLAMES of the
furnace.
INT. LOWER MINE SHAFT
DURIN VI, the Lord of Khazad-Dûm, powerful regal features,
beard braided in gold and silver rings covering a barreled
chest, sees the new group approach. Resting on his shoulder
is his axe, and gripped in his other hand a tiny CANARY.
Miners use these little birds to test quality of air inside
tunnels.
DURIN
A new vein was discovered. A joyous
occassion. Come join the throng!
BRONIN
How far deep does this vein run?
DURIN
Quite deep. Look at his work. His axe
sheared more rock than a fist of Aule
and yet we see but a small portion of
the prize.
The dwarves nod in agreement.
DURIN
Deeper! Onwards, I say! We've struck
the motherlode!
Footsteps. Durin turns just as a red-bearded DWARF MINER
appears from the tunnel heading away from the furnace. His
face doesn't share the same enthusiasm.
DWARF MINER
Hold fast, fellows. There is something
else to see. The walls down here are
lined with mithril, yes... enough
mithril to fill Kheled-zâram but...
(beat)
... there is something else down here.
Follow me.
CUT TO:
INT. TUNNEL - DEAD END
The Dwarf Miner leads Durin and the group lower into the
depths of the mountain. At the end of the tunnel is a
FISSURE, wide enough for a dwarf to squeeze through.
DWARF MINER
We came upon this. Look there.
Bronin looks through. Perpetual darkness on the other side.
His eyes narrow and we start to see through his --
BRONIN'S POV: Dwarven night-vision. The tunnel around almost
as bright as day, lurid white, and smooth gray. Beyond it is
the remains of a TEMPLE DOORWAY, ancient, incalculable age,
and in the state of heavy decay. Debris and crumbled brick
are everywhere.
Bronin is struck by the sight. He looks back at Durin.
BRONIN
What is that?
No answer. Durin leaves the group, climbs through the
fissure...
INT. TEMPLE ENTRANCE (CONTINUOUS)
... and instantly wrinkles his nose.
DURIN
Fire... a strong one.
The Miners fan out. They nervously examine the walls,
studying the strange HIEROGLYPHICS (RUNES) carved intricately
into the temple entrance. Gone is the excitement and
euphoria of the mithril discovery. Several Miners cast
nervous glances through the doorway. This design... these
walls... they feel different, alien to them. Something in
air just doesn't sit right.
BRONIN
These symbols and patterns do not belong
to any of the Longbeards. If there was
a clan before us, we would know it.
Durin takes a few steps ahead of the group, has a gander at
the new tunnel... then his eyes wander down, and down, and
his face becomes ASTONISHED.
Durin enters the Temple, Bronin following behind.
INT. TEMPLE - DECLINED PASSAGE
The camera makes a hundred and eighty degree turn as we
suddenly SEE where they are heading towards...
AN ENORMOUS ABYSS
with no end, plunging God knows how deep into the murky
depths below.
Durin at the ledge, stares out. He looks back at Bronin who
waits by the incline.
DURIN
Do you see that, Bronin? Look yonder.
It appears to be light but not daylight.
It is red.
Bronin joins his side.
HIS POV: far off into the distance, a LONG WALL OF FLAME,
left to right, straight center across the blackness like a
horizon.
Durin releases the canary. It flutters to the ground, hops
around a few seconds, and then jumps and flies off towards
the light. Durin turns to Bronin when suddenly --
THE DARKNESS spits something back at their feet. The two
recoil. They look down in horror. The little bird, it's a
tiny chunk of charred meat.
A LONG OMINOUS BEAT. And then, like a slow-motion
earthquake, cracks form on walls and ground, dirt begins to
shift in the temple. DWARVES yell in the b.g. Something is
coming alive.
Durin and Bronin look back at the wall of fire where a large
section of the DARKNESS BEGINS TO MOVE TOWARDS THEM, its
contours incongruous with the rest of the black. Both
Durin and Bronin scramble back up the tunnel.
INT. TUNNEL - DEAD END
Durin and Bronin burst through the fissure in panic. Behind
them --
THE ENTIRE TEMPLE EXPLODES OUTWARDS b
EXT. BLAST FURNACE
Durin and Bronin make it out of the shaft.
The entire area violently SHAKES. EQUIPMENT fall and
clatter. Showers of DEBRIS and ROCK fall on the Miners.
Dwarves are thrown about. Lots of YELLING.
And it stops shaking. Everything goes dead quiet except the
crackle of flickering flames. Confused eyes share terror-
filled looks. A SOUND is HEARD coming from the lower mine
shafts, like wind MOANING.
The Dwarves are stunned, look around for the source of the
sound, then the moan stops and is replaced by a distinct
ROAR... OVERPOWERINGLY LOUD... and --
THE BALROG EXPLODES OUT OF THE MINE SHAFT
