Iandil

Iandil was a dwarf born towards the end of the Fourth Age, being the second and last child of Alrik, the 23rd King-In-Exile. Through his father, Iandil is descended from the Dwarf Kings of Duorendain and it's founder, Duor Greatbeard, and by extension Neandir Goldenbeard and the very first Dwarf Lords.

Iandil was twin brother to Alrik's other son, Hrandir. Due to cases in the past where twins had fought each other over who should claim the throne and all the powers that this would give, there was a lot of tension between the two brothers for a very long time. However, Iandil let the title of King-In-Exile fall to his brother, as he believed that Duorendain would never be remade, and therefore there wasn't a chance to be made King.

Instead, Iandil gathered many dwarves and began his own dwarven colony underneath Catas-minor, one of the mountains that exist within the Midpoint Mountains and just north of the ancient ruins of Nargesh-Kuun, in hopes that he would instead become a powerful Dwarf Lord. This citadel he christened Dilendain, translated as the domain of Dil, the 'dil' coming from his own name in the same way that his ancestor Duor Greatbeard used his name when christening Duorendain.

For years, Iandil tried to make a claim that he was a Dwarf King- as he was of the proper lineage and had his own settlement. However, he knew this wouldn't be possible until Dilendain was transformed from a regular settlement into a fully-recognised dwarven citadel of majesty and prosperity. He therefore sent messengers to all of the remaining Dwarven Realms, hoping to boost the ranks of his citizens. Many of the Greatbeards, the people of Iandil's father and forefathers, ended up residing in Dilendain, though others swore their loyalty to Hrandir and the Kings-In-Exile and refused the hospitality.

At some stage, Iandil had two children. A son, Iodil, and a daughter, Isil. It wasn't long before his son replaced him as Lord of Dilendain. Special attention must be brought to Iandil's naming of his son, for Iandil had created the concept of the, 'Dil lineage,' which would be the leaders of Dilendain. In this idea, Iandil expected his ruling descendants to have the prefix or suffix 'Dil' in their names, in order to show their royalty and loyalty to their own home. However, Iodil would go on to swear his loyalty to the Kings-In-Exile, and disrupt the idea of the Dil lineage by naming his children Hethmar and Alrik II.

Many years later, Iandil was the victim of an ambush in the mountains, where he and his men were seized by an unknown enemy. After three days, the severed head of Iandil was placed outside the doors of Dilendain, with a spear slicing through his skull and propping the bodypiece up. It was quickly discovered that this was the beginning of many violent attacks by the Dungeon Master, and this act launched the people of Dilendain into open war with the being.