The Order of Durin

The Order of Durin is the most distinguished and highest reward for merit and loyalty that can be bestowed upon a dwarf. Membership in the Order is by appointment only from the Queen and King of Khazad-dum. Dwarves in the Order are recognized for their achievements and services that are clearly outstanding and unmistakably exceptional. Superior performance of everyday duties does not in and of itself merit appointment to the Order. The Order is a prestigious organisation reserved for those Dwarves who consistently exceed the expectations placed upon them, and do so with the diligence and fortitude only a child of Mahal could have. The Order of Durin includes Dwarves whose goal and vision is an all-consuming loyalty and devotion to the Kingdom of Khazad-dum, its Rulers, and the harmony and welfare of each and every Dwarf. Appointees to the Order are equally concerned with the demonstration of the hospitality of the Dwarves, and show no ill-will towards friendly visitors of other races.

The Oath:
I hereby declare, on oath, that I will support and defend the integrity of the Kingdom of Khazad-dum against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear true faith and allegiance to this Kingdom, and I will stand against any divisive behaviour. I will maintain loyalty to the Rulers of Khazad-dum and I will treat all members with respect and honour as I encourage others to do the same. I will be a sustainer of the newcomer, a protector of the downtrodden, and a helper in time of need. I will show respect to all other plaza members. I will be a champion of the causes of unity, devotion and compassion. I will strengthen the weak and encourage the weary, always striving to bring out the best in others and give the best of myself, so help me Eru.

The Charge:
As members of the Order of Durin, we, the rulers of Khazad-dûm, do hereby charge you with the office of ambassador and advocate of your kingdom, Khazad-dum. You will maintain the ideals of the Order, never seeking glory for yourself, always working for your fellow Dwarves and Plaza members - for the common good of our Kingdom. You will conduct yourself with dignity and honour at all times. With this honour comes great responsibility and you will be held to a higher standard than all others.

Ranks of the Order of Durin:
The Heads of the Order are the Queen and/or King of Khazad-dum.
Mithril - The highest and most esteemed rank, a Dwarf must have been a member of the Kingdom for at least 7 months.
Gold - A noble and grand rank, a Dwarf must have been a member of the Kingdom for at least 5 months.
Silver - Honourable and highly favoured, a Dwarf must have been a member of the Kingdom for at least 3 months.
Honour Roll – When a Member of the Order leaves the Plaza, is unable to continue to contribute fully or is promoted to Admin status she or he will be placed on an honour roll of past members

These are the minimum requirements for each rank in the Order. Meeting these requirements does not of itself entitle an individual to a specific rank.

Removal from the Order of Durin:
Membership of the Order is an honour and a rare privilege. With membership comes responsibility and an expectation of the most high standards. A member who fails to continuously meet and exceed these expectations will be removed from the Order. Grounds for dismissal from the Order include, but are not limited to, treason against the Kingdom, suspension or banishment from the Plaza and offences against the Queen or King. A Dwarf who changes race will be removed from the Order.

Here follows a description of the medallions of the Most Noble Order of Durin:

The Order of Durin:
Sapphire: Wisdom, high thoughts, generosity, politeness, vigilance, faithfulness.
Outer circle: Durin in Angerthas Moria, Inner circle blessing runes:
Feoh: ; energy; hard work; spiritual richness;
Wyn: Rewards; goodness; satisfaction; achievement; harmony; cooperation; companionship; sharing;
Man: Intellect; planning; cooperation; the common good; humanity
Ger: movement; change; development; justice

Current inductees into the Order (sorted by class and date of induction )are :

Mithril Class

Narsi, you are truly the most amazingly accomplished Dwarf we have in our Kingdom. You epitomise all the best qualities of a dwarf and hold true to the highest standards and aspirations of the Order of Durin. You are Clan Leader of the Burx Uzbans, Co-Leader of DAR and Founder of the Spa. You run Behind the Beards and the Dwarven Express. You have recently become an editor of our paper, Mirrormere Reflections, designing single-handedly the most professional-looking paper at your very first attempt. Your opening posts are always immaculate in quality, style and content. Your websites for the Burx and DAR are high quality. You even make your own smilies. You are a perfectionist in all you do, always striving for the best. Not only is everything you do gorgeous to look at, you are too. You have never involved yourself in the unsavoury arguments that have arisen in our Kingdom at times in the past. Your loyalty to Throne and Kingdom is unquestioned. We name you the first holder of the Mithril Class in the Most Noble Order of Durin.Go you!

Dis Goldweaver, better known as just Dis or the Brwonie tea leaf. You've been a whirlwind since you joined us, rising through the Ranks fast. I first spotted you lurking in Lore and an infamous house in Mordor. Your potential was crystal clear evev then so we took a chance, some thought, in appointing you Big Mattock. You never once let us down, taking the Morogs to new heights along the way. Your knowledge of lore is extensive as is your knowledge of jewels. But your talents extend in many directions. You've proved to be a superb battler winning the inaugural Champion of the Crown competition to serve as Axe of the Crown. You rose fast in the Anghak to become Commander of the Berserkers and have served us well there. Last by not means least are your amazing role play skills that have entertained us all, not least when suffering from Browne addictions. We welcome you to the Order and thank you for so much honey.

Freyr Strongart, aka Freyr and (very occasionally now) Ronya. You have contributed in so many ways to KD since you joined us. You designed these very medals for us, ran the most innovative and successful RPG - The Queennapping, you're running The Retaking of Moria now. Geneology, Khuzdul-A, Mirrormere Reflections Editor and writer, Runes. I could go on and on. Thank you for everything sweetheart, you have enriched our lives with your versatility.

Geir , you are without doubt KD's Lore Master, Sage, Font of Dwarven Wisdom. Ever since I first saw you, your absolute command of lore has amazed me. You've always been there when I needed advice on any aspect of lore. You are a brilliant debater, tireless worker in all the lore Houses where your drive has meant so much to the development of the Encyclopaedia of Moria and the University. You have also contributed much to our general discussions on things like Ranks, putting your point of view fairly with no qualms of disagreeing with me if you believe me wrong. A true Dwarf. But you have another side that you rarely admit to. You have an excellent sense of humour, Pratchett style that I well recognise. That has served you well when you have rarely role played, as you did in the trial. I guarantee you that if you let that side of yourself flourish you will become just as amazing a role player as you are a lore master. You're an absolute treasure Geir and I thank you so much for being with us darling.

Marin : KD would not be the kingdom it is today were it not for you. You started one of the longest running RPGs, Kwestors and I heard of the grand days when you led the Morogs. You proved yourself to be dependable over the long haul by being ruler for a year. You managed to juggle being queen as well as being in school full time! I am on my first day of learning what a tall order that is! Your RP skills are admired by all and I especially remember the moving posts you wrote in the Queen RPG. You ruled KD with grace and humour and taught us to fear the Macarena! I've also heard the rumour that a portion of KD's male population joined because of your pretty face! You are KDs brightest jewel. Our halls seem dimmer without your presence.

Annolori : Your incredible dry wit is no doubt responsible for hundreds of computers being sputtered with an assortment of preferred beverages. I can personally vouch for water, soda, tea and hot chocolate. Your Throne Room antics made KD's TR a favourite stop with 10 or more views for each post. This began with your incredible RPing in the Queen RPG. I have heard tell of your humourous shenanigans when you were Mex clan leader and your Dragon Hunt RPG is the stuff of legend. You played two characters amazingly in that game, demonstrating your RP skills. With Marin , you helped build KD into the busy popular spot on the Plaza that it is today. The Anghak is yours and Marin 's dream made reality. You encouraged many to excel by putting faith in them. I am one who would not be where she is today were it not for the faith you put in me.

Gold Class

elvensong, aka elven, sticky fingers and a few other nicknames to friends. You caught our eye when, as a totally new Soul, you posted in the Throne Room as part of the Queennapping RPG offering basically to play a role. We were so impressed with the quality of your posts that we had no hesitation giving you what became a major role, a role in which you excelled. We found it so hard to believe that you were new to role play. Since then your role play skills have gone from excellent to more than superb.  You joined the Beginners RPG Training and Tangled very soon made you a trainer. You went on to run that thread, passing on your skills to many others. You've also done us proud in the Ravens, helping lerin get it running smoothly. In the Army you have shown the same promise changing from cluless newbie into an awesome Kapon. Overall, wherever you post, you do it with style and dedication, always interesting and amusing us. Its hard to believe that you have only been with us 5 months.  But in that time you have excelled and we thank you for choosing to grace us with your presence honey.

Silver Class

Doc , you've been on Plaza since December 23 rd 2002. You are Clan Leader of the Ankixogs and one of the editors of our paper, Mirrormere Reflections, where your insightful questions have made your interviews a must-read in every issue. Now if that wasn't enough you have also captained our champion debate team and judged final debates with supreme fairness and transparency. But folks, this master of lore has a dark secret! He loves wrestling and was responsible for starting the amazing badger fights. His latest venture in this arena is tag-team championships. Last and no means least you also co-monitor of our badger races. An eclectic mix indeed Doc. We bow to your versatility, your knowledge, humour and obvious love of our fair Kingdom of Khazad-dum.

Stormbringer aka Stormy. Known also as Winddy from a previous 'incarnation'. Giggles is another moniker because it's terribly fun to make her laugh in a voice convo. She joined KD a mere two months ago but had been a KD fixture longer than that. She was an honourary member of the Mojak clan. I'm granting a special dispensation in this case. You'll soon see why. Since coming to KD she has been a veritible whirl of activity. She's taught in RP 1-5 -a very time intensive job. She ran newbie of the month and was a member of the Anghak. She helps in DAR and is especially kind to newbies. She has worked very hard on the Council. Most of all, she has been a special help to me as a new ruler. There's an adage that one can't be everywhere at once. I sometimes wonder if Winddy can! She's spotted spammers and bad boys for me and she can round up any sort of information I ask for in double time. My adjustment to my new position would have been a lot harder without her!