Title: Respect
Series: The Reclaiming of Khazad Dum
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings
Author: Endaewen
Rating: G
Disclaimer: None of the settings or the basic premise of the story belongs to me. All of it belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and his family.
Summary: The fifth and final in a series of short scenes concerning the re-colonization of Khazad Dum.
Note: The idea for this story/series comes from the Peoples of Middle-Earth: And the line of Dain prospered, ... until there arose again for the last time an heir of that House that bore the name of Durin, and he returned to Moria...(HOME XII.278)

Scholars note: I am gathering together an account of these important times in our past from the numerous partial records from the archives in the hope of making one volume in the form of a narrative for those who are interested in our history. I mention this here because I am starting to quote from the records themselves.
Burrin, Junior Archivist of Khazad Dum

It has now been almost two years since we arrived in our ancient home. Since then, two more groups of our kindred have joined us, bringing our numbers to nearly five hundred. With the increased numbers, our stonemasons and crafters have been able to repair the damages to the upper living-quarters and some of the main corridors, though there are still many regions which have yet to be explored, let alone repaired.

It is now believed that it was with the second group that the colonization took the final steps to becoming permanent. A number of Dwarf-women came with the group, so Khazad-Dum was no longer an entirely all-male society. This step meant that it was believed that our home was by then safe enough to house families and children.

Once the residential area was habitable, parties were sent out to find the route to the West-Gate. It was discovered some two weeks later, but the finders quickly found that the gates were blocked from the outside and couldn't be opened. This was the final piece of proof to the scholars who doubted the Red Book manuscripts. A party had to be sent out over the Redhorn Pass to unblock the gates.

Durin has proved himself to be an excellent leader over the intervening time, despite his lack of years and experience. Everyone I speak to agrees, he has a natural skill at resolving disputes and solving problems.

Records show that the author of that statement was correct. Considering the state that the records hint at Khazad-dum being in when they took up residence, our ancestors managed an incredible amount. Not only of repairing and rebuilding the devastation, but also of rediscovering the lost secrets of the mines. Within the first year, the accounts we have state that they had managed to find one of the old armories, unplundered. While that was exciting to the scholars and the weapons-smiths, everyone was apparently celebrating because many of the items within were made of mithril.

The surviving records don't say how the items remained unfound that long, but it is my belief that, having seen the alleged room, which is at the top of a flight of stairs, that the stairs, if not the room itself had been flooded at some point in the past. Certainly, it is a known fact that the early colonists had to do a fair amount of re-routing the streams supplying water to the mines. Much of the lower parts of the mines had been flooded sometime after they were abandoned. That much all of the accounts agree on. However, they don't agree on how much was flooded.

I suspect that Durin was lucky enough to have some of the stonemasons who specialized in channeling water to the desired locations with him in the original party. If not, they had to have come in with either the first or second group of arrivals. There is absolutely no way they could have gotten as much done as they did otherwise.

Anyway, I came across this one account, which is unusual because the author was apparently the the one it concerns. Usually, the records are made by those who have at best heard what they describe at second hand. The events it describes seem to me to be the perfect way to close this book. The author is retelling the tale of the discovery and restoration of the tomb of Balin, the leader of a recolonization attempt near the end of the Third Age. The events discussed seem to have occurred fairly early on in the occupation, perhaps within the first year.

...By this time the region nearest to the East Gate had been almost fully restored, save for one section only. This area had clearly been damaged by a rock-fall. The lower entrance was blocked some-way up a narrow flight of stairs. What we thought was the doorway from the upper halls was also fully blocked off by fallen rock. Possibly the roof between the two areas had collapsed some time in the past. This has not been an unheard of thing. Exploring parties have discovered several other areas where something similar had happened, usually in the uppermost areas of the residential quarters.

So far, none of the areas damaged by these events have been explored or restored due to safety considerations, after one of the explorers was slightly injured in an incident with one of the rockfalls collapsing further.

However, I was able to get permission from Durin to lead a party in attempting to clear this one. As I recall, the interview went something like this:

****

“I'd like permission to clear the rockfall on the corridor off the First Hall, Sir.”

“Why? There are enough areas of the mines that we don't have any real need for those ones that have been extensively damaged like that. The order has been given to avoid these areas. You know why, and you are asking for me to allow you to go against orders I gave for a very good reason. What reason would you have?

“Sir, I have two reasons for this request.” He nodded for me to continue, “first, given that according to the scholars, the Elessar manuscripts have proven to be quite accurate, that corridor should lead to the lower residential quarters, which would provide an extra route to the gate if needed. They say it would also be a shorter path.” I handed a copy of the manuscript passage in question to Durin, along with my projected route, assuming that both rockfalls were from the same source.

He took them and looked at the map for a second.

“And your second reason?” he asked.

So far, so good. He's still listening. “The second reason also hinges on the Elessar manuscript in combination with the alleged Book of Mazarbul. If the two are correct, the tomb of the leader of the failed recolonization is under that rockfall. I should like to see the tomb restored.

Our leader thought for a moment or two before finally saying, “if it can be done safely, you have my permission. I too would like to see Balins' tomb and see it restored if it was damaged. However, if there is the slightest sign of danger, your permission will be revoked. See to it that I get periodic updates on the project.”

I thanked him and left, planning how best to approach my job.

****

The next day I was able to gather together a small group of ten like-minded stonemasons and we began surveying the problem. It was decided that we would not work from the corridor, but instead from the upper level. There was too much danger of the rubble collapsing down the stairs onto the workers otherwise.

It took us nearly two weeks to clear out the door and the chamber itself. A large part of the time was simply spent in hauling the rubble away, much of it to outside the Gates. Quite a lot of the ceiling and even part of the level above it had fallen in, almost completely filling the chamber.

During the excavations we found a number of corroded and rusted pieces of armour and weapons. The style is unfamiliar to all who have seen them so far, and it is believed that we are looking at evidence of the orcish presence in the mines for much of the Third Age. Most of the scholars believe that the items are from the battle in the Elessar manuscript. The theory makes sense to me, because it was then that the rockfall allegedly occurred. Others say the items are from earlier, from the time of the Mazarbul manuscript and the final defense it describes.

However, it didn't take anywhere near that long to discover that the scholars were right about the pages from the Book of Mazarbul. It was genuine. We proved that at the end of the first week when we found the first side of the tomb. At that point, all we knew was that it was simply the side and corner of a great block of stone, though we were pretty sure of what it was, especially when the upper surface was noted. Though discoloured and damaged, it was clearly a block of white stone. This was the final proof of the identification of the room as the chamber of Mazarbul.

Immediately, I halted the work and sent for our leader. I felt, and the others agreed, that this was something he should be present for. Once the messenger returned with Durin, we began again, focusing on uncovering the block. Shortly thereafter, though the sides were still piled high, the flat surface had been uncovered. Badly cracked and damaged by all the rock which had fallen on it, the inscription was still readable, though it was difficult, particularly as by this time it was late in the day and what light was penetrating the shafts was rapidly going.

The inscription was, as had been recorded in the disputed manuscript, “Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria”. We were all affected by the sight, and silently stood for a moment in respect. Without speaking, it was decided that we would work no more that day.

The next day work began again, though we were all rather subdued while working in the chamber, we were able to get the rest of the room cleared and begin clearing the stairway down to the First Hall. It actually wasn't as bad as it had looked, as the rockfall had been centered on the chamber itself.

Almost the day that they job was finished, Durin had assigned the best stone-crafter in the expedition to work on restoring the tomb and the surrounding chamber. Evidently he had been as moved by the tomb as the rest of us.

It took almost a month for the job to be finished, but it was worth it. The chamber and the entranceway had been restored to an undamaged state. Although the original inscribed stone had been replaced, it was placed to one side of the tomb and the replacement was identical. Also, two stands had been placed in the room. One contained an ornate copy of the Book of Mazarbul, and the other the relevant passages concerning the Nine Heroes sight of Balin's tomb. Evidently the scholars had been busy as well, copying and illuminating these books for the room. It was fitting as the room had originally been the Chamber of Records. Now it remains a record of the attempted recolonization.

Once all this had been completed, every member of the expedition and the later arriving groups passed through the room in the fashion of a memorial. The only sounds that could be heard were the quiet boot-steps of those passing by. Not one person spoke, though there had been no request for silence.

Nobody uses the corridor much for simple travel, save in an emergency. There is something about the chamber it opens onto which demands respect.

The Chamber of Mazarbul is now known as the “Chamber of the Tomb”, and the original manuscripts placed there have since been placed behind glass to prevent further damage from handling as they are several centuries old now. Of course, they have been replaced, and as the replacements fade or are damaged, new copies are made and placed on the stands.