Vital Information

Baruk Khazad News

As you've probably noticed, our website has moved. Due to the economy, GuildUniverse was forced to shut down its servers, which will go down this Thursday. Anticipating this, I have purchased a new membership with GuildLaunch and redirected our domain name (www.baruk-khazad.net and www.baruk-khazad.com) to this website. So if you're seeing this for the first time, come visit our new Home!

What is Baruk Khazad?

Charter of Baruk Khazad

The Charter of Baruk Khazad
A Dwarf-Only Kinship of Lord of the Rings Online
Landroval Server

Mission Statement: Our mission as a LoTRO kinship is to gather together mature, dedicated individuals who enjoy to roleplay as Dwarven characters. We are a Good aligned kinship whose values are those of a tight-knit family community, oriented on helping our members to enjoy LoTRO to the fullest extent.

We are not a mega-guild, nor will we ever be; Our focus is on helping eachother, and experiencing as many aspects of the game as possible. Our first and foremost principle is to be dedicated to our fellow members in whatever way possible. Secondly, to help the game of LoTRO become the best possible virtual expression of Tolkien's world, so that all may experience the glory of Middle-Earth as Tolkien envisioned it.

Origins of Baruk Khazad

When the great dragon Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain, known to the Dwarves as Erebor, and at the time their most prosperous and powerful stronghold, its people were scattered far and wide over the lands of Middle-Earth. Many of them wandered, bereft of family and possessions, and gained employment as menial laborers, blacksmiths, and miners.

Some of these Dwarves returned to the Iron Hills to live with Dain Ironfoot and his kinsmen, while others traveled back to the Blue Mountains where their ancestors had once lived. One of these Dwarves was Thorin Oakenshield and his relatives. They soon established a small settlement in Ered Luin and began to mine for lowly things like coal and iron, while in their hearts they desired the beauty of gold, silver, gems, and above all the truesilver; mithril.

Finally, after many years of toil in the dark mines, Thorin and a few others decided to reclaim their mighty stronghold from Smaug, and with the help of his cousins and friends and a hobbit from the Shire, he succeeded in driving out the dragon Smaug. Smaug was slain as he assaulted Lake-Town in his fury, and Thorin was killed soon after in the great Battle of the Five Armies. However, his people had returned to Erebor and recovered much of the treasure once thought lost to the dragon's fire.

Dain Ironfoot, who had answered his kinsman's call and brought many braves Dwarves to fight in the Battle of the Five Armies, was named King Under the Mountain, and using the vast hoard, he restored Erebor to much of its former glory. He also sent much of the gold with some of Thorin's companions to the settlement in Ered Luin, which was soon renamed Thorin's Hall in his honor. Little more than 60 years after the fall of Smaug, both Erebor and Thorin's Hall had become mighty strongholds of the Dwarves. Many of the Dwarves who had wandered for years across the land began to return to these places, and the Dwarves once again seemed to become a power in the world.

Yet despite this, many of the younger dwarves, born since the fall of Erebor, desired to restore the place of the Dwarves to what it was in the days of old, when Khazad-Dum, the Dwarrowdelf, was the wonder of the world and the Dwarven people were mighty in number and wealth. One of these was Khazor Bloodhelm, the descendant of Kharn Bloodhelm, who was driven out of Erebor along with many others. Kharn and his son, Khallim, had eventually settled in what was now known as Thorin's Hall.

Khazor soon began to gather many other like-minded younger dwarves who wished to restore the Dwarven empire to its former glory. These dwarves swore kinship to each-other and vowed to spread the influence of the dwarves far over the lands of Middle-Earth, and perhaps someday regain the jewel of every dwarf's heart, the Mines of Moria. They took unto themselves the name Baruk Khazad, a battle-cry common to the people of Thorin, which in the secret Dwarven tongue means "Axes of the Dwarves."

Together these Dwarves travel the land, searching for lost kinsmen and doing mighty deeds in the name of Durin and Thorin. They are constantly on the watch for great deeds to be done and treasures to be won, and join willingly in battle against all of the minions of the Dark Lord Sauron, who they know holds Moria tight in his grip.

Perhaps if you see one of these taciturn Dwarves on the road, he will invite you to join him in some legendary journey into the heart of darkness . . . if you are worthy.

Laws of Baruk Khazad

These are the Laws of Baruk Khazad, and Should be adhered to by all members. The penalty for breaking these Laws is at the discretion of the Lord and Seneschals, but can include expulsion from the Kinship.

First Law: To be dedicated to, and to assist, all fellow members of the Kinship in whatever way you are able. This Law is the most important and should be the guiding principle for your behavior in the Kinship.

Second Law: This is a kinship for mature and fun-loving individuals, and conduct representing this is expected. Swearing in kinship chat is allowed, as are off-color jokes (After all, we ARE dwarves!) If you cannot handle a little vulgarity and the occasional ribald jest, then this is not the kinship for you. However, excessive or abusive vulgarity in kinship chat, especially anything directed at a fellow member, is prohibited. We also expect you to maintain tolerable standards on conduct when in public chat. After all, you represent the kinship to the world of Middle Earth.

Third Law: Never back-stab a fellow Kinmate. Never eject a Kinmate from a group in favor of someone outside the Kinship. Never try to swindle a Kinmate, or otherwise cheat them. Never belittle a Kinmate in public channels - If you have a problem with someone, bring it to an Officer and it will be addressed. In all things, put your Kinmates first above outsiders.

Fourth Law: When fellowshipping in a group consisting of only Kinship members, loot goes to those who can use it most first. If an armor recipe drops, and there is only one armorer, and they need it, do not roll on it! If there are two people who can use something, let them roll on it between them. This also means there should be no lying about what you need in a Kinship fellowship. If you lie and say you need something and are later found selling it, you may be subject to disciplinary action. These rules do not apply if even one member of the fellowship is from outside the kinship.

Fifth Law: Your main character should be a dwarf, and you are encouraged to play your main whenever grouping with Kinship members. If you have an alt of another race, they will be invited to our alt kinship, the Allies of Erebor.

Sixth Law: Whenever selling services or items within the Kinship, it is recommended that you give your Kinship members at least a small discount. This is not an enforced law, but if you wish the good will and reciprocation of your fellow members, it is recommended.

Who is Baruk Khazad?

Khazor Bloodhelm, Lord

Before the attack on the Lonely Mountain, known to the dwarves as Erebor, the King Under the Mountain was the richest and most powerful Dwarf in Middle-Earth. Thror and his subjects were wealthy beyond the dreams of most humans, and Erebor teemed with Dwarves creating works of unimaginable beauty and craftsmanship. One of these was a young armorsmith named Kharn Bloodhelm. His father, Khorun, had returned to the mountain with Thror in the year 2590 of the Third Age, when the dragons had begun to descend upon the strongholds of the Dwarves in the Iron Hills.

Kharn was born only 23 years before the coming of Smaug, in the year 2747, the last of eight children. When the great dragon Smaug descended on Erebor, Kharn was walking near the mouth of the River Running, where it flowed from the front gate to the mountain kingdom. As he watched, the evil beast poured his flaming breath into Kharn's home, and he knew that all his kin had been slain. In despair, he lept into the nearby river, not caring if he lived or died.

He was washed up on the shores of the Long Lake, near the trading town of Esgaroth. The men their had long been friends to the Dwarves, and they tended to him until he was well enough to travel. Little word of any survivors of the carnage of Erebor had reached the town, so Kharn decided to return to his ancestor's home in the Blue Mountains, far to the west in Middle-Earth. When he reached the lands of Ered Luin, he discovered that many of the Dwarves there were poor and were forced to mine coal and iron to sell to the humans. He consigned himself to this lowly work for a time before he met a young dwarf girl named Zola and married her.

Kharn and Zola decided to return to the Iron Hills where he could return to his trade as an armoursmith. About this time, Thror, who had attempted to return to Moria, was slain by the Orcs, and his head thrown out of the gates of Khazad-dum. The Dwarves vowed vengeance, and the great Dwarf and Orc wars began in earnest. Kharn joined his kinsmen in avenging Thror, and left his young wife with kin in the Iron Hills while he went to war with Dain Ironfoot. After the Battle of Nanduhirion before the gates of Moria, where the mighty chieftain of the orcs was slain by Dain, Kharn returned to the Iron Hills and to his wife. He settled down to his trade, and just a few years later, in the year 2837, his son Khallim Bloodhelm was born.

Kharn had other children over the years, but Khallim was his first-born and learned the family trade of armoursmithing. He too settled down to live peaceably in the Iron Hills, helping his father each day in the forge. He soon met his wife, named Feni, and they married when Khallim was 39 years of age. Khallim was 104 years old when Thorin Oakenshield and his companions returned to the Lonely Mountain and drove out the dragon Smaug, and his father was more than twice that age, although still hale and hearty. When Thorin sent a message to his kinsman Dain Ironfoot, the ruler of the Iron Hills, asking for help in defending Erebor from the armies of the Elf-king and the men of Esgaroth, Kharn and Khallim both marched to the aid of the embattled Dwarves in the Lonely Mountain.

During the Battle of the Five Armies, father and son fought side by side all day, but Kharn fell to the sword of a mighty orc champion during the last throes of the conflict. Khallim struck down his father's killer, but too late to save him. After the battle, Khallim sent for his family to come live in Erebor, once Dain had been declared the new King Under the Mountain. His wife and his mother came, as well as all his siblings, and they aided Dain in rebuilding the mighty fortress.

After Erebor had been restored, Dain announced that he desired to send many dwarves and gold to Ered Luin, to establish a great settlement there. Dwalin, one of Thorin's companions, was put in charge of the undertaking, and several other prominent dwarves accompanied him. Khallim decided that there was much to be gained in this new settlement, and moved his entire family to Ered Luin, to the new city known as Thorin's Hall. Only a few years later, his wife was finally able to give him a child, a son named Khazor. They had been trying unsuccessfully to have a child for over 70 years.

Khazor Bloodhelm followed his father's trade, and adventured with many of the other younger dwarves in the wilds of Ered Luin, hunting goblins and wargs and trying to pacify the lawless region. As he reached his 70th year, he began gathering together other Dwarves who wished to return the Dwarven Empire to its former glory and reclaim the fabled city of Khazad-dum. Together, they called themselves Baruk Khazad, the Axes of the Dwarves.

Axes of Baruk Khazad

Dredlin Stoneaxe, Axe of the Storm
Drezen
Thradin Stoneshield
Kiligloin
Thoor
Splint
Kuhal
Khimli
Hor
Korgrin