Just wanted to post a quick note with something I noticed, and meant to comment on, but forgot. Basically a couple of facts and a bit of speculation based on them.

Roac, the raven from The Hobbit, is able to speak with the Dwarves. We also know that there are several fathers to the dwarven race; four of which are located in the East, near where Elves and Men awoke. After Thror's death his son Thrain calls for a war of vengeance against the orcs in T.A. 2790, the battles begin in T.A. 2793 - three years later. Lastly, the War of the Dwarves and Orcs included members from all seven lines of Dwarves.

Did anyone else notice the implication though? That the Dwarves may have a form of air mail express communication through the use of the Ravens? The seven dwarven lines may have stayed in contact with each other, to some degree, through many centuries. We have no idea when it started (although it must have been some time prior to Smaug taking Erebor) nor if or when it ended. (Roac states he's a clan elder and that most of his clan is elsewhere.)

Having sent out a call to war for vengeance, the dwarves managed to gather a large contingent of warriors from these houses, who were able to assemble in three years.

Just thought I would post the idea in case anyone was interested.

I have had similar thoughts also.

HN

It seems perfectly reasonable to me Garn. After all, armies in WW1 were still using pigeon post. I suppose the only difference is that the Raven passes it's message on verbally.

A nice observation though.

Ravens are not only carrion eaters, but also quite effective predators. They are strong birds and would be capable of flying long distances without the dangers that lesser birds might face.

I am not sure how common the ability to speak is amongst the ravens, but even with just a few the Dwarves and ravens could establish a wide network of communication. It would make great sense.

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the idea.

Ooops, I didn't finish this thought.

Starting from the unit that was farthest away, I imagine that each dwarven unit merged en route, taking time to rest as needed. The dwarves would be pacing themselves since they're traveling to war. Fast travel would result in exhaustion. Difficult terrain would be avoided.

By comparison the Ravens' flight will be quicker because it does not need to contend with very many terrain issues (mountains, deserts, food and water sources), but it would have taken several months, one-way. I'm assuming the bird over-winters somewhere before making the return trip. If Hope is an issue, it would likely need to find Sanctuary periodically, extending the travel time.

This reminds me of a character background I created for a PC in one of my Middle-earth d20 games. He was a Dwarf that posed as a merchant, plying the Great North-South Road between Minas Tirith and Bree. He was essentially a spy setup in business by King Dain. He received instructions and reported any information he deemed noteworthy back to Erebor via a half-dozen or so ravens.