Barad Duin
a kingdom within the High Fantasy Society, located in Austin, Texas.
Heraldry
The device of the Grand Duchy of Barad Duin was a white banner adorned with a Black Tower with cresent moons and stars over a blue river.
History
One of the first Amtgard groups outside of El Paso, the Grand Duchy of Barad Duin was founded by Nithanalorn in late 1987. By 1990, Barad Duin reached a population that many felt they should be recognized as a separate kingdom from the Burning Lands. The Burning Lands refused to negotiate on the issue and maintained that Barad Duin could not advance past it's Grand Duchy status. Out of frustration, the population of Barad Duin voted to leave Amtgard and found its own group, the High Fantasy Society, using a similar but distinctly different ruleset and creating a game where they could find greater freedom of self-rule. Read first hand accounts of the Barad Duin split here.
Though the vote was in the majority, many players wished to remain loyal to the game of Amtgard. They left Barad Duin, and formed the Brightlands and later Tori-Mar, which went on to be one of the main groups of the Celestial Kingdom. Together with two of other smaller amtgard groups in the area, Turris Lunae and Bifost they remained in Amtgard and went on to form the Celestial Kingdom.
People
His Most Aquatic Majesty King Fish I, was the last true ruler of Barad Duin.