Dwarves of Khazad-dûm

''Durin, Eldest of The Seven Fathers (first awoken of the Children of Aule), founded Khazad-dum, the Dwarf Mansions, the heart of our ancient realm. Since the First Age we had thrived and prospered in these halls, for here we found mithril! Here was also our greatest friendship with the elves - in their kingdom of Hollin - and our part in forging the Great Rings. In this wonder lay our undoing, as we dug too deep and awoke Durin's Bane, the spirit of fire and shadow and flame - Valaraukar - a Balrog of Morgoth! A thousand years have passed since Durin's Bane drove us from our ancient home, and now our travel-worn expedition stands inside the Dimrill Gate, the doors of Moria, and the words of friendship are revealed under the moonlight once more. Be aware: evil lurks in the depths, and Durin's Bane still haunts the deepest reaches of Moria.''

''It falls to you, lord, to return these great halls to their former glory. We are all stout veterans of many battles, but the possibility of reinforcements are slight and we have few or no friends on our borders. We must count on our martial prowess, hard earned against a many of foe, and subtle diplomacy to secure our right to settle once more in these great halls of our forefathers. To the East, we face the Silvan Elves, who still blame our hunger for mithril upon waking the Balrog, fiercest of their ancient foes. They will not forgive us easily. Despite our enmity in these dark times, it would be wise to ease the tension and gain their favour, but the decision remain yours, lord.''

''To the West and the North, there are great Mines and Halls of Khazad-dum and the wonders of the Mithril Forge where once our forefathers' hammers rang as our songs were sung and, from our deep breweries, there flowed rivers of our finest ales. By Sauron's will, those are now in the filth-ridden claws of the Goblins, our hated foe; cowards who will never have forgotten our axes and our battle wrath from the war of Vengeance and the slaughter of Azog upon the stairs of Azanulbizar. There will be no peace with those who slew our great King, Thror, bearer of one of the last of the Seven Rings. Our axes cry out to drink the sweet nectar of hatred - to feast in the black poison of goblin blood. With war, pain and wrathful war-mask our axes' thirst for revenge shall never be sated - 'til the scourge of the Misty Mountains is complete, the last shield is smitten, the last severed goblin-head mounted upon an upthrust stake.''

''It would be wise to reconquer these regions, as many of the forges and storerooms remain in working condition - that will be of the greatest help reforging the armour and weapons for our mightiest warriors. Northward along the Misty Mountains lie strongholds infested by wretched Goblins. One day - when we have regained our former strength - we shall move against these creatures and slay them, cleaning their festering corpses from under and atop those fine mountains!''

''Until that day lord, we have to endure many battles while working to restore the halls of Durin and our greatest Sires. Your loyal Dwarves stand ready; awaiting for your orders - ready to follow our quest to surpass our former glories, striding forth into the next chapter of our histories, striking out boldly against those who would arrest our great march through the pages of the histories of Middle-earth.''

''The time has come to reclaim our rightful home so a trilateral meeting has been called in the town of Dale with the Elves of Thranduil's Realm, the men of Dale and our fellow kin. We will discuss a plan and then gather volunteers for our quest.''

We must move to the town of Dale my Lord, or we shall be late!

''Baruk Khazad! Khazad ai menu!''

Starting Situation/ Expedition to Moria
The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm start with no lands as well as no units (besides Highlord Balin) and must rely on the kindness of others for aid. It is only until you reach the town of Dale, do you receive units. Made up of mainly volunteers and laborers as well as one unit of Dragonslayers, these are the only units you receive, so use them wisely (You may recruit some mercenary units along the way). Once you have left Dale you must travel to Moria, through two paths; Under hill or over tree. The path to the north is much safer and you will not lose many units. The path to the north is also longer and you may alert the Goblins that you are coming. In this path you may be called upon to help settlements and factions that are in need and require aid. The other path takes you through the forests of Mirkwood. This is the more direct and time saving route, but you will face much more opposition. Although on neutral terms with the Elves, they send you 2 units of Woodland Sentinels as reinforcements to guide you through the forest. Be advised they leave you once you leave the Woodland Realm, so use them wisely. Once again, you may be called upon to help those that require aid (all of your units will be replenished after these battles, as long as they still exist after the battle).

Once your journey is over, you must take back Moria, which depending on the route, will decide how tough the garrison is. Be advised, if you do not take Moria back in time, King Dain of Erebor will recall the expedition. Once Khazad-dum is reclaimed, your first thoughts should be to reclaim Western Moria as soon as possible, to establish some breathing room and extra cash but beware of the doomstack that will spawn once you take it.

Military Overview
As most Dwarven factions go, Khazad-dûm is a heavy infantry faction, boasting the best quality armor and fantastic pike/spear units. Their selection of archers is small with only having two dedicated archer units (one more may be acquired later game, but is limited in recruitment) neither of which are really that good. They must rely on mercenary units for cavalry as they have NONE. You must rely on the brute force of your infantry to win battles. They are much better in siege battles than on an open field.

Special Features

 * Expedition to Moria
 * No Cavalry
 * Highest Quality Armor

Rare Units

 * Hammers of Gundabad (Mt Gundabad)

Tips & Difficulty
Once you established yourself in Khazad-dûm East, you will be bordered by the Elves of Lothlorien to your east, by the Vale of Anduin to the northeast and the Goblins of Moria to your west and north, the latter being your main adversary for most of the campaign. Their poor quality troops can't keep up with your superior infantry, though they do have the advantage in numbers so make sure you pressure them and take away their recruitment capabilities as soon as you can, otherwise the amount of Goblins coming your way might become too large to handle. Make sure to also read all of the script messages so you don't miss anything.

As for your economy, building mines in Khazad-dûm East will solve all of your monetary issues for most of the game and money in general is not an issue for the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm.

Pre-Barracks Units

 * Dwarven Labourers
 * Khazad Volunteers
 * Khazad Sentries
 * Dwarven Travellers
 * Zenith Guard (General Bodyguard Unit)
 * Dwarven Ballista

Post-Barracks Units

 * Legion Deeping Guard
 * Legion Shieldguard
 * Legion Hammerguard
 * First Legion
 * Khazad-dum Reclaimers
 * Sons of the Fallen
 * Hithaeglir Beast Hunters
 * Khazad-dum Guardians
 * Dwarven Catapult

Units from Buildings/Locations

 * Dragonslayers (Grey Mountains)
 * Hammers of Gundabad (Mt Gundabad) *Requires Hall of Durin
 * Ered Luin Militia (Requires Hall of the Seven)
 * Ered Luin Pikemen (Requires Hall of the Seven)
 * Erebor Infantry (Requires Hall of the Seven)
 * King's Axes (Requires Hall of the Seven)
 * Blacklock Engineers (Requires Hall of the Seven)