Let’s break down The Rings of Power teaser shot by shot

Someone delved too deep

These next two images are a pair, so we’ll discuss them together. We can’t say for sure whether this character is human or elven — though the chainmail coif draped over their head looks pretty similar in design to the one Galadriel is wearing earlier in the trailer. Regardless of race or allegiance, this warrior appears to be in a bit of trouble as a monster looms up out of the darkness to chase them down a subterranean tunnel.

We’ve got no set name for this creature yet — Tolkien’s works have a pretty extensive bestiary, so it could be one of many. But it looks like it could be an ancient type of troll. We also must note that it has a beard and what appear to be shaggy shoulders embedded with gemstones. Whatever it is, we want to know more.

Next up we’ve got a quick shot of a majestic tree overlooking a waterfall with nothing but sky beyond. Several white-robed figures stand around the tree on what appears to be a platform. They look like elves to us, but this shot happens so fast it’s hard to parse out much detail beyond that.

One detail we can discern, however, is that there appears to be one figure wearing a golden cloak standing in front of what looks like a ceremonial plate near the edge of the waterfall.

Durin IV

The beautiful woodland vista fades into a shot of a dwarf looking teary-eyed. We don’t know what’s got his beard in a bunch, but we do know that this is Durin IV, played by Owain Arthur. Durin is the King of the Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm, aka Moria, and a central player in the Second Age. We expect to see quite a bit of this guy over the course of the show.

Elrond

Speaking of Khazad-dûm, our next shot is of Elrond, an Elven diplomat who is being dispatched to gain the friendship of the Dwarves at the beginning of the show. Elrond was played by Hugo Weaving in Peter Jackson’s films, but for The Rings of Power Amazon has tapped Robert Aramayo, who played young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. It’s not clear what’s going on here, but it looks like he’s holding a hammer and feeling pretty exhausted. Maybe the Dwarves are putting him through some kind of test?

The Dwarven Princess

The shots grow quicker as we reach the climax of the trailer, but before we move on from Khazad-dûm we’re given a glimpse of one more character: Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete), King Durin’s wife. We’re not sure what she’s up to in this shot, but the gold dust on her hands lets us match her to the appropriate promo poster. To hear Vanity Fair tell it, she’ll be much more receptive to Elrond’s offer of friendship than her husband. It sounds like Khazad-dûm may give us our first big dose of politicking this season.