Khazad-dûm

**Khazad-dûm**, commonly known as **Moria** or the **Dwarrowdelf**, was an underground kingdom beneath the Misty Mountains. It was known for being the ancient realm of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk, and the most famed of all Dwarven realms.

## History - Lore

### Years of the Trees

The Dwarrowdelf was founded by Durin 'the Deathless' in the far distant past, long before the creation of the Sun and Moon in the Years of the Trees. Durin had awakened at Mount Gundabad not long after the Elves first awoke, and as eldest among the Fathers of the Dwarves was acknowledged as preeminent among them, a status subsequently inherited by his descendants, the Kings of the Longbeards.

From Mount Gundabad, Durin made his way south until according to legend, Durin ultimately found "a glen of shadows between two great arms of the mountains, above which three white peaks were shining". Within this heavily wooded valley, a long series of short waterfalls led down to a long, oval lake, which appeared to have a magical quality: "There, like jewels sunk in the deep shone glinting stars, though sunlight was in the sky above". Perceiving these stars as a crown glittering above his head, Durin took this as an auspicious sign, and named the lake Kheled-zâram, the Mirrormere.

The three peaks overshadowing the lake he named *Barazinbar* 'the Redhorn', *Zirakzigil* 'the Silvertine' and *Bundushathûr*, 'Cloudyhead'. The icy cold springs below the lake he called *Kibil-nâla* (the source of the Silverlode), and the valley itself he gave the name *Azanulbizar*, the Dimrill Dale. Durin chose the eastward-facing caves above Kheled-zâram as the earliest beginnings of his new stronghold.

The long reign of Khazad-dûm's first king was a golden age, remembered as Durin's Day (this name was also applied to the Dwarvish New Year). During that period Khazad-dûm grew continuously in size and population, until it became the "greatest of all the mansions of the Dwarves", even before the return of the Ñoldor to Middle-earth. By that time, Khazad-dûm was already "a name and a rumour from the words of the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains" to all the Eldar of Beleriand.

After his death, the reputation of Durin's realm continued to grow, not merely due to his spiritual ascendancy over the other Fathers of the Dwarves as their eldest, or to Dwarrowdelf's growing size, but to its great wealth founded upon the uniquely precious metal *mithril*, which was universally prized yet found nowhere else in Middle-earth.

### First Age

Khazad-dûm played no part in the wars of Beleriand, and in fact gained a respite from Orc attacks throughout the First Age, "when Morgoth needed all his strength" elsewhere.

The eventual death of Durin 'the Deathless' occurred before the end of the First Age. He was buried in a tomb in Khazad-dûm.

### Second Age

Early in the Second Age, Khazad-dûm's realm of Longbeards was enriched in culture, skills, and population by large numbers of refugees from Belegost and Nogrod, cities ruined at the end of the First Age along with most of Beleriand in the cataclysmic final battle against Morgoth. The Dwarves of Belegost and Nogrod were not Longbeards, but Broadbeams and Firebeards. Whether they remained separate clans or groups within their new home, or became merged with the Longbeards, is not known.

With the foundation of the Ñoldorin realm of Eregion to the west of Khazad-dûm around SA 700, friendly relations between the Longbeards and the Elves were firmly established.

This friendship also resulted in a massive westwards extension of the subterranean realm of Khazad-dûm. Its habitable parts remained in the eastward side, but passages were delved through miles of rock that terminated at a gigantic stone portal—the West Gate. This stood on the borders of Eregion. Celebrimbor, the Lord of Eregion, used *ithildin* lettering on this gate on behalf of its builder: his friend Narvi, a great craftsman of Khazad-dûm. The inscription read, *Im Narvi hain echant. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin*: "I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Eregion drew these signs."

The West Gate allowed the Elf lady Galadriel and her followers to pass eastwards through Khazad-dûm and settle in Lothlórien, downstream of Azanulbizar. Galadriel's presence enabled Silvan Elves to return to Lothlórien; they had earlier evacuated the area to escape Khazad-dûm's growing power.

During the War of the Elves and Sauron Eregion was destroyed and the survivors, along with a relief army led by Elrond were in danger of being overtaken and destroyed. But Durin III sent an army of Dwarves which attacked Sauron's army in the rear, allowing the Elves to escape. Following the battle the Dwarves retreated into their city and closed the gates. It is unclear if the Ring of Power possessed by the House of Durin was given to them by Sauron, as the Dwarves themselves held that it had been given by Celebrimbor himself directly to Durin III, although it had certainly been created by the Dark Lord.

Afterwards, Sauron harboured deep hatred for Khazad-dûm and ordered his Orcs to trouble Durin's folk at every turn, even though "the halls of Khazad-dûm were too deep and strong and filled with a people too numerous and valiant for Sauron to conquer from without". Despite this, "its people began to dwindle" from this time. In the reign of Durin IV, the Dwarves joined the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, fighting against Sauron in the Battle of Dagorlad and Siege of Barad-dûr.

### Third Age

Throughout the early Third Age, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm expanded their treasure, but their numbers continued to dwindle. The majority of their wealth was based on their hoards of mithril, which they mined in their deepest tunnels, and as the centuries went by the Dwarves delved ever deeper for the precious metal.

In TA 1980, they dug too deeply and greedily for mithril and to their loss they unearthed a nameless terror in the depths beneath the city. This dreadful creature wrought destruction throughout the city wiping out most of the Dwarves and slaying King Durin VI. Thereafter the creature was named Durin's Bane. The Dwarves tried to fight but the following year Durin's son Náin I was also slain, forcing the Dwarves to abandon their home for good. After the Dwarves had left, Khazad-dûm gathered dust and stood dark and empty, but for the sinister creature that lurked in the depths. This was when it was named **Moria**, the Black Pit.

The monster, later revealed as a Balrog of Morgoth, dwelled alone in Moria for nearly five centuries until it was populated once again, but not by Dwarves. The goblins, fleeing from the north, began to raid the abandoned city of its treasures and occupied it. They came upon the Balrog but established a sort of uneasy coexistence with it. Sauron started to send out troops of Orcs and Cave-trolls to populate Moria, making the abandoned city a stronghold for them to multiply. During the Battle of Azanulbizar, many of these Orcs were felled in the valley beneath the eastern gate of Moria in TA 2799, and the numbers were reduced dramatically. But the Balrog still remained and many Orcs and Trolls with him, and so Khazad-dûm remained a stronghold of evil.

## History on the server

In february of 2944, the future king Obi I Molobi reached the western gate and tried for two months to clear its western part. Near the end of April a strong force of goblins attacked Obi; although he won the battle, he preferred to leave the place, since an open war wasn't his desire.

The 20th of September, with autumn at the doors, Obi finally reached the foots of mount Fanuindhol and set up an encampment. He sent swift messengers to the Beornings, offering friendship and asking for food and commodities to trade with iron, steel and gold. He founded two settlements Khazad-basn (Dwarffoot) and Zigilnala (Silverstream).

In late 2945, Obi found a small door on the side of mount Fanuindhol and launched another guerrilla campaign, clearing the northern section of Khazad Dum and one of the three peaks. Establishing quick diplomatic ties with the North Dunedains, Iron Hills, Blue Dwarves and Gondor he used his connections to gather an army of mercenaries and used them to clear more parts of the city. With the dwindling numbers of goblins and the renewed strenght of the dwarves, soon all Khazad-dûm was retaken

## Rulers

Renewed kingdom:

* Obi I Molobi (ign: Molo97)

## Settlements

### Province 108:

#### Zigilnala - Dwarven city

The city of Zigilnala (Silver stream), was originally a small mining settlement near the capital. It was restored and occupied by Obi while he was trying to recapture Khazad-Dum. It still produces a good amount of silver, which is crucial to sustain the mercenaries and trade expenses that the kingdom has to sustain.

#### Khazad-basn - Dwarven village

"Dwarf-foot", it was founded by Obi to house the first warriors that came with him from the first journey through the misty mountains. The small profile is the key to not being detected by the orcs and it is usually the first place where that the immigrants come after reaching the surroundings of Khazad-dum.

### Old Jade Temple

This old settlement was once part of the main city. South of Mount Cebedil, it was the home to the dwarven warrior monks. The halls were destroyed after the attack from Durin's bane and the corridors that led to it caved in. Now a small group of dwarves lives near the entrance of the once huge temple.