"Du Bekâr!" – A Reclamation of Moria AAR

[Koweth]

"Upper Armouries of the Deep" by Joona Kujanen



"DU BEKÂR!" — A RECLAMATION OF MORIA AAR

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Hey all! I had recently discovered the Lord of the Rings: Realms-in-Exile mod for CK3 while writing for my ongoing East Anglian AAR, and I couldn't resist playing it. I'm a massive fan of the Dwarves of Middle-earth, and upon realising I could play as Balin and reclaim Moria for Durin's Folk, I jumped right into trying to change the course of Arda's history. The first chapter will be very similar to what is written in the first three pages of the Book of Mazarbul, and then will continue in the same style as I write the alternative story that Realms-in-Exile spins for me.

The way I'll be fashioning this AAR is through the lens of the Book of Mazarbul; the chronicle that Gandalf discovers in the hands of Ori's body. This'll be the first time I'm trying to write in perspective of a particular character, so it'll be fun to see how I go!

This AAR will be, hopefully, quite short, but sweet, covering up to the point when Durin's Bane is slain. Please let me know what you think about the first chapter, I'm always keen to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!

MODS USED:

Spoiler: Mods

LotR: Realms in Exile by Owlcoholic, Arsonium, Jamie-san, Vierwood, MattTheLegoman & VectorMaximus
More Interactive Vassals by perl
Debug Toggle (Less Invasive) by Hans Gruber
CK2 Style Colorful Lifestyle Traits by Aj
CK2 Style Brighter Attributes by Aj
CK2 Style Colorful Education Traits by Aj
Clearer Marriage Icons by Valkyrie Render
Better Face Textures by Glup
Better Barbershop by Agami

THE BOOK OF MAZARBUL, PAGES 1 TO 10. T.A 2989 – T.A 3002
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[3]

We drove out the orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom and took the First Hall. We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. Flói was killed by an arrow. He slew the great chieftain. Flói is buried under the grass near Mirrormere [...] We have taken the Twenty-first Hall of North End to dwell in. There is good air, and the halls can easily be watched. The shafts are clear. Balin has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul [...] We have gathered gold, and have found Durin's Axe and helm — Balin has taken them for his own [...] Balin is now lord of Moria [...] We found truesilver relics. A well-forged helm and a coat made of all purest mithril [...] Balin has sent Óin to seek for the upper armouries of the Third Deep, then go westwards to Hollin Gate.​

[5]

It has been six years since we have settled in Moria. Balin, Lord of Moria wishes to gaze in Mirrormere — Óin and Ori accompany him [...] Yesterday being the eighth of February, Óin and Ori fell in Dimrill Dale. An orc shot Balin from behind a stone, but had not been a killing blow. We slew the orc, but many more came up from east up the Silverlode [...] we rescued Óin and Ori's bodies after a sharp battle [...] we have barred the gates but doubt if we can hold them long. If there is no escape it will be a horrible fate to suffer, but I shall hold.​

[6]

We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and the Second Hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fought and fell there bravely while the rest retreated to Mazarbul. We still hold the passage and Balin is preparing for a defence of the twenty-first hall and Mazarbul [...] Farin's party went five days ago but only four returned [...] The pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Farin. We cannot get out — our only hope is to defend the Chamber of Mazarbul. The end comes soon.

We hear drums, drums in the deep.

They are coming...

[The text is written quickly in Tengwar, appearing almost like scribbles. There is a next page, however...]​

[10]

We have driven the orcs from Mazarbul and the twenty-first hall — Dolgur held a desperate defence from the horde coming from the crumbling halls. Nár and Dari were slain in the attack [...] We do not dare exit through Hollin Gate or the Great Gate [...] we believe orcs still dwell in the first and second halls. Dolgur wishes to chase our attackers through the crumbling halls and into the tunnels the orcs have dug into the collapsed burrows, but Balin is hesitant to chase after the retreating orcs...

Dolgur's host went and pursued the orcs for at least eighty leagues through into the iron pits and slew many [...] Though the orcs from the west have gone silent, many more come from Durin's Way in the north [...] Dolgur crossed the long halls and fought with a great orc host at Durin's Way [...] The drums continue to ring, ring in the halls, with tremors and roars coming from the depths of the mines [...] People are disappearing in the night. We fear there is something that dwells within the deeps beneath our dwellings... The Nameless Fear may still live in Moria.​

"The Last Stand" by ncorva​

 

[Nikolai]

Well, that is bleak. Properly bleak for the circumstances.

 

[Koweth]

Well, that is bleak. Properly bleak for the circumstances.

Certainly. Balin's Expedition has a terrible fate set for them, unless they can somehow eek out a living in the once-great kingdom. Soon, they will also meet Durin's Bane, which will not bode well for colonisation efforts...

 

[Koweth]

LORE: MORIA
I remember in the AAR Mead and Blood by The Kingmaker that they provided a good deal of information concerning the Anglo-Saxons in between the chapters containing story, and I couldn't resist doing the same thing for this one! I'll put these in after every chapter concerning the story of Balin's Folk.

Return to Moria concept art by Brad Hill

Recommended Music
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The Vala Aulë had placed the first Dwarves—the Seven Fathers—throughout various locations in Middle-earth, set to be released from their slumber after the first Elves awoke on the banks of the Cuiviénen. The eldest of these Dwarves—Durin—was placed alone under Mount Gundabad in the Misty Mountains. When the Seven Fathers stirred, Durin woke and walked alone. As laid out in the "Song of Durin" He travelled south along the Misty Mountains, naming the nameless hills and dells, and drank from untasted wells. Stopping at Dimrill Dale, he looked into the lake Mirrormere. Gazing into this lake, he saw a crown of stars appear above his head, and took this as a sign to found the city of Khazad-dûm.

Those who chose to settle with Durin in the caverns near Mirrormere prospered under his direction, delving further into the Misty Mountains; creating many wondrous structures beneath the ground. As the Dwarves dug further, they discovered a precious metal like no other—Mithril, or Truesilver. It was light, and malleable, yet was unparalleled in its strength. The veins underneath Caradhras (Carath-ras) made Durin's Folk incredibly wealthy, and continued to attract attention from the wider world as the greatest of the Dwarven holds in Middle-earth.​

The Great Gates of Khazad-dûm (Left) & Durin's Bridge (Right), both created during the reign of Durin the Deathless

"Nár at the gate of Moria" by Joona Kujanen & "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" by Alan Lee​

The reign of Durin was the longest of any of the Kings of the Longbeards, with many people soon referring to the Dwarf-lord as Durin the Deathless. Despite the epithet Durin was given, however, he was still a mortal—passing away just before the end of the First Age, being likely more than 2,300 years of age. However, his line continued, being prophesied that Durin would return to his folk six more times—but it is unclear whether it is through the same body, or through a new Dwarf of Durin's line who resembled him in both appearance and manner.

Khazad-dûm continued to prosper under the House of Durin well into the Second Age, forming a close bond with the Elves who settled in Eregion, west of the great hold; the Doors of Durin (the West-Gate) were a collaboration between the Elves and Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and Eregion, thereafter creating a second entrance into Durin's city. However, the prosperity of the Longbeards was not to last. The Lord of Eregion, Celebrimbor had crafted nineteen Rings of Power under the direction of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts (who was secretly Sauron in disguise)—after Sauron had revealed himself and demanded the Rings be given to him, Celebrimbor denied the demands of the Dark Lord, and thus began the War of the Elves and Sauron. Ultimately, Eregion was razed by the Dark Lord's armies, with the Half-Elven Elrond attempting to make an escape for the north. Sauron pursued, but was thwarted by Durin III and his armies charging forth from the West-Gate and disrupting the rear of Mordor's armies. While Durin III was ultimately defeated, he shut the Doors of Durin and prevented any assault from the Dark Lord. Thereafter, Sauron had garnered a burning hatred for Durin's Folk, and sought to harm their good fortune wherever possible.​

The seven Dwarf-Lords obtaining the rings, likely at their meeting place in Mount Gundabad — as seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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Shortly after Sauron's war to seize the Rings of Power, orcs captured Mount Gundabad—a meeting place of holy significance for the Dwarves, and began swarming the Misty Mountains with their vast numbers later in the Second Age. While Sauron was ultimately defeated in the War of the Last Alliance, bringing forth the Third Age, goblins and other foul creatures still inhabited the caverns of the Misty Mountains. This did not deter Durin's Folk, however, delving deeper and deeper for the metal all people desired most—Mithril. This, however, would be the great kingdom's undoing, as their greed for the precious metal awoke a Balrog of Morgoth in T.A 1980—a relic of the First Age—a demon of shadow and flame which destroyed all in its path.

The Balrog razed the elaborate halls of the Longbeards, slaying Durin VI in the ensuing chaos. The King's son, Náin I, was killed less than a year later, and the Dwarves soon fled Khazad-dûm en masse, naming the creature that destroyed their home Durin's Bane, or the Nameless Fear. Thereafter, goblins under the command of Sauron occupied the crumbling halls of the once great kingdom, with the hold named evermore as Moria, or the Black Pit. Dwarrowdelf remained uninhabited by Dwarves for over a thousand years—save for Thrór's fated travels to the hold in T.A 2790—until it was again settled by Balin's Expedition in T.A 2989, colonising the Chamber of Mazarbul and the twenty-first hall for Durin's Folk once more.​

Map of the Misty Mountains, Third Age
​

 

[Nikolai]

Mirroring the lore updates of @The Kingmaker is a great idea! Very interesting read too.

 

[The Kingmaker]

LORE: MORIA
I remember in the AAR Mead and Blood by The Kingmaker that they provided a good deal of information concerning the Anglo-Saxons in between the chapters containing story, and I couldn't resist doing the same thing for this one! I'll put these in after every chapter concerning the story of Balin's Folk.
​

Well, that is immensely flattering. I've done lore updates in each of my three active AARs and I'm very chuffed that it inspired you to do your own.

I've always loved Tolkien's works, so I am definitely here for this. The deep and complex backstories and world-building have always been a component in Middle-Earth's appeal. (BTW, who is keeping the records in the Book of Mazarbul if Ori was slain before the "drums in the deep?")

I'm excited to see how your dwarves progress. Restore Khazad-dûm!

 

[Koweth]

Mirroring the lore updates of @The Kingmaker is a great idea! Very interesting read too.

Well, that is immensely flattering. I've done lore updates in each of my three active AARs and I'm very chuffed that it inspired you to do your own.

These small chapters containing lore are an excellent way of providing useful information, and for this AAR, I just had to try it out for myself!

I've always loved Tolkien's works, so I am definitely here for this. The deep and complex backstories and world-building have always been a component in Middle-Earth's appeal. (BTW, who is keeping the records in the Book of Mazarbul if Ori was slain before the "drums in the deep?")

I'm excited to see how your dwarves progress. Restore Khazad-dûm!

There are only a few named Dwarves mentioned in the Book of Mazarbul by Ori — all of which had died by the time he had scrawled on the paper about the drums, so my best assumption is another Dwarf had taken up the mantle of record-keeping in the journal. In this case, since Ori is Balin's chancellor at the beginning of the game, it would likely be Balin's new chancellor, Nýi.

 

[Lord Durham]

Huh. I was looking at this mod the other day, along with some of the other fantasy creations. I like what I've read so far. I'll be curious to see how this turns out.

 

[HistoryDude]

I like this idea. I'll follow.

Who was playing the drums in the deep? Durin's Bane? Orcs?

I like the Lore Updates here. They should be useful.

Will Sauron's anger at the dwarves be relevant later?

 

[Koweth]

Huh. I was looking at this mod the other day, along with some of the other fantasy creations. I like what I've read so far. I'll be curious to see how this turns out.

The Realms-in-Exile mod is quite entertaining, with a number of interesting starts (Balin's Expedition most certainly among these). Mordor, it seems to me, is a little overtuned, but the developers of this mod have done quite a smashing job so far, in my opinion.

I like this idea. I'll follow.

I'm glad!

Who was playing the drums in the deep? Durin's Bane? Orcs?

The most likely culprit for the drums in the deep are the orcs, using war-drums or something similar for some nefarious reasons.

Will Sauron's anger at the dwarves be relevant later?

Sauron's anger at the Dwarves, although it may not seem obvious, is affecting the Dwarves currently! The settlement of orcs and other foul creatures in Moria, the capture of Mount Gundabad and the goblins' assault at Dimrill Dale are — while indirect — all results of the Longbeards provoking the Dark Lord's ire.

 

[jak7139]

I love what I've read so far. Great work!

 

[Chac1]

Reading between the lines, I see you are going to juggle two AARs! Good luck to you, as I don't want to see your first one sidelined.

Discovering this after my 3rd quarter sabbatical was one of the great finds of my return. Looking forward to more of this. Your lore offering is quite a straight forward rendering, a bit easier to understand than some of Tolkien's appendices (yes, I said that).

Would very much rather read what you have produced here than watch that muddle of a series The Rings of Power. I struggled through the first season of that and won't be going back for more. (Perhaps they misread those appendices?)

Very much love Tolkien's originals (the stories not the appendices) and the films. So far, this has the perfect touch. Well done.

 

[Koweth]

Reading between the lines, I see you are going to juggle two AARs! Good luck to you, as I don't want to see your first one sidelined.

Discovering this after my 3rd quarter sabbatical was one of the great finds of my return. Looking forward to more of this. Your lore offering is quite a straight forward rendering, a bit easier to understand than some of Tolkien's appendices (yes, I said that).

Would very much rather read what you have produced here than watch that muddle of a series The Rings of Power. I struggled through the first season of that and won't be going back for more. (Perhaps they misread those appendices?)

Very much love Tolkien's originals (the stories not the appendices) and the films. So far, this has the perfect touch. Well done.

Certainly — but I simply couldn't resist making an AAR after seeing this CK3 mod . But you are right — for me, however, the Legacy of Eadmund does take precedence.

I tried to make these lore snippets digestible, because I'm fascinated by the lore of the Dwarves and I had to find an excuse to share tolkien's lore somehow!

I personally haven't watched Rings of Power, but as a fan of the Silmarillion, I don't think I'd particularly enjoy it — though no shame to those who do, of course!

 

[Chac1]

Not trying to hijack the thread to make it a discussion concerning The Rings of Power. If folks enjoy that series then they are welcome to it. I struggled with the first season and disagreed with many of its choices and outcomes, although it is lush in its production.

I will stay with the other cinematic Tolkien fare. There were certainly many critics who disliked those when they debuted. When Peter Jackson returns with a series or film, I'll be there for that. Apparently he has several in the works as a producer including the Gollum film.

And this new AAR you have started is certainly in the right vein for me, so good luck as I hope this continues.

 

[VILenin]

Very cool to see an AAR about Balin's expedition! Hopefully this one won't suffer the same fate. Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!

I loved the lore post and your choice of images to use with it - it makes me want to pull out my own copy of the Atlas of Middle Earth. I haven't played CK3 so far but I have to say this mod makes it very tempting!

 

[Koweth]

Very cool to see an AAR about Balin's expedition! Hopefully this one won't suffer the same fate. Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!

I loved the lore post and your choice of images to use with it - it makes me want to pull out my own copy of the Atlas of Middle Earth. I haven't played CK3 so far but I have to say this mod makes it very tempting!

Thank you! The mod is certainly fantastic — and my first CK3 conversion mod (if that's what you call it). Would highly recommend Realms-in-Exile .

 

[El Pip]

Saw this in the authors signature and decided to give it a look, very glad I did.

It is not often one says this, but I hope this work continues to depart from the source material and Balin's expedition meets with great success.

 

[Koweth]

THE BOOK OF MAZARBUL, PAGES 13 TO 25. T.A 3004 – T.A 3015

Return to Moria concept art by Job Menting​

[13]

Dolgur's party left to chase the great orc host through the long halls but has not returned in four months — we fear the worst has happened to them [...] Dramir saw another great throng gathering at Durin's Way [...] Balin prepares for a defence of the passage once more with the little we have left from the upper armouries [...] The roars coming from deep within the mines grow ever louder [...] fires engulf our homes and burn our kin — much of the twenty-first hall was set ablaze by something we have not seen [...] Balin mentions of a darkness which watches from the depths, monitoring our every move. Olni believes this is a sign of Balin's age.
​

[15]

Dolgur and Dufur returned last winter to bring news of the great host's defeat underneath Redhorn [...] the orcs had slain a great deal of our kin in their retreat further in the mountain [...] Balin led a mighty throng to the long halls underneath Redhorn and slew the orc chieftain Garg in battle. We have been blessed with many spoils, including the finest precious metals and gems [...] Balin intends to pursue Garg's successor, Garny into the mithril mines beneath Redhorn but the last battle was of great cost. The number of able bodies decreases each winter. Dari and I suggest that we seek an audience with the few men that are left in Eriador for supplies and assistance, but we fear that Hollin Gate is still occupied by The Watcher in the Water.​

[20]

Our kin continue to defeat the orcs in battle underneath Redhorn. The mithril mines have been settled by the few who survived the great battle [...] goblins entered from the East Gate and slew those who had settled near Durin's Bridge. Dolgur gathers a force at Mazarbul to defend the homes remaining underneath Silvertine [...] Dufur was slain in the defence of the Chamber of Mazarbul, but the marauding orcs were repelled to the Halls of Durin.
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[25]

It has been thirty years since we have settled in Moria. Orcs attempted to slay Balin in the night in his quarters. This may be the herald of what is soon to come [...] people continue to disappear in the night, and another fire raged in Durin's Way in the fall [...] Few voices speak of returning to Erebor, but I shall remain with Balin [...] the walls of our homes are scrawled with mentions of Durin's Bane, with claims of both our salvation and doom. Olni believes this is the work of goblins from deep within the iron pits emerging once more, but Dramir argues that only our kin would be proficient in the writing of Cirth [...] The host from the Silverlode emerged from Durin's Halls last week. They had slain Dramir in his home and sacked the twenty-first hall. Dolgur returned from the long halls with a host of our kin, and had pushed them back into the depths of the iron pits.​

 

[Chac1]

It seems this is a long slow slog of attrition against the orcs... what hopes do the dwarves have?

Good to see you continuing this AAR and giving more basis to the lore.

 

[Koweth]

It seems this is a long slow slog of attrition against the orcs... what hopes do the dwarves have?

Good to see you continuing this AAR and giving more basis to the lore.

Certainly. Although things are much brighter than years five to ten, the Dwarves can do little against the unrelenting hordes coming their way... not to mention the "unlikely" (though we know it to be true) presence of Durin's Bane.