IKV 'Iw ro' - The IKV Bloody Fist
of the
Imperial Klingon Battle Fleet

When the night is still and quiet, you feel your heart pounding in your chest, the sound of your blood rushing through your veins fills your ears, and the only way to silence it is to slip out into the night and, like the hunter that spawned you, join in the struggle of life and death.

You crave the feel of cold steel in your hands and dream of glorious battles, of vanquishing your enemies, of an honorable death, with a blade in your hand, in battle against a worthy foe.

You speak not of these things, for others will not understand. Even now, do you know why you can never relent or repent or confess or abstain? Why you long for battle while those around you wish only for peace and to die in their sleep?

Within you beats the heart of a warrior. taH pagh taHbe’! To be or not to be. You are Klingon!

The Imperial Klingon Vessel ‘Iw ro’ --literally, "Fist of Blood" or "Bloody Fist"-- is a ship or chapter of the Imperial Klingon Battle Fleet --IKBF-- an all-volunteer costuming, performance, science fiction fan group located in the Baltimore-Washington, DC, area. As the name suggests, IKBF members costume primarily as Klingons from the Star Trek motion pictures, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Star Trek: Voyager, and Enterprise.

We seek glory and honor for ourselves, our ship, our houses, and the Empire through public appearances at community and charitable events and science fiction conventions throughout the area. In our many glorious campaigns, we have appeared at

IKBF members and the crew of the ‘Iw ro’ regularly test themselves in masquerade competition at local conventions like Balticon, Farpoint, and Shore Leave. In addition, our members appear regularly in regional Star Trek conventions from New York City to Myrtle Beach, from Philadelphia to Detroit. At Shore Leave, IKBF hosts a Klingon Feast with celebrities who have appeared as Klingons on television and in the movies.  At Farpoint, we entertain during the convention's opening banquet.  We also operate the popular Klingon Jail as a fundraiser for such charities as Toys for Tots.

The IKBF has six chapters, or ships,  from Hartford County, MD to Hampton, VA:

IKV Bat’leth, Hampton, VA

IKV baS ro', or "Iron Fist", Baltimore, MD

IKV bortaS Yan, or "Sword of Vengeance", Fairfax, VA

IKV ‘Iw ro’, or "Bloody Fist", Anne Arundel County, MD

IKV qeyleS tIq Du', or "Hearts of Kahless", Carroll County, MD

IKV SangwI’, or "Obliterator", Harford County, MD

To be Klingon is not easy, but if we wanted easy, we would be Romulans instead! Anyone can put on Starfleet pajamas. gagh Sopbe’. They do not eat gagh.

Do you have what it takes to be Klingon? Feel the warrior’s heart beating in your chest. Hear the warrior cry out.