Kingdom of the Longbeards
| Kingdom of the Longbeards | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the House of Durin |
The Kingdom of the Longbeards is the political entity under wich most of the Dwarves of Middle-Earth live in.
Summary
Main article: History of the Dwarves
Three of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves awoke in this part of Middle-earth. The Firebeards and Broadmeans awakened in the Blue Mountains and built the cities of Nogrod and Belegost during the First Age, while Durin, father of the Longbeards, awakened north of the Misty Mountains and founded Khazad-Dûm. After the War of Wrath and the fall of Beleriand, the two cities of the Blue Mountains were ravaged and many of their inhabitants went into exile to join their cousins in Khazad-Dûm. In this city and under the guidance of the kings of the House of Durin the dwarves prospered for millennia and founded a colony in the Iron Hills. In T.A. 1980, a Balrog was awakened in the mines. It ravaged the city for a year and killed the kings Durin VI and Nain I before the city was abandoned. The people settled in the Grey Mountains and Erebor for a few centuries before being driven out by dragons. The Dwarves then wandered before settling again in the Blue Mountains. Sixty years ago Thorin and Company's quest for Erebor succeeded in reclaiming the solid mountain from the dragon Smaug. Since then, King Dáin Ironfoot has ruled his people and rebuilt Erebor.
Regions
The Kingdom of Longbeards does not form a continuous territory but gathers dwarven population centres in several mountain ranges. These are the following:
- Ered Luin (Blue Moutains)
- Erebor (the Lonely Mountain)
- the Iron Hills
Cities
Dwarven cities include:
Ruins
- Gundabad
- Khazad-Dûm (Moria)
- the Grey Moutains
Climate and ecology
Architecture
Infrastructure
Roads
In the north of Middle-earth, dwarven roads are the main axes of communication and trade. The Great Eastern Road was built in its first form by the dwarves of the First Age. These roads are rarely paved and have often had their infrastructure renovated by other peoples, but it is not uncommon to come across caravans travelling between the Blue Mountains and Erebor.
Bridges
Sewer / Waste management
Almost every Dwarven community has a bathhouse, which requires extensive infrastructure. The larger communities have dams and reservoir systems in their upper levels to ensure a constant flow of clean water.
Wastes are usually sent to incinerators which help to feed the forges.