Grey Dwarf

Long ago the Dwarfs were the indisputable masters of the lands now called the Old World. Their vast labyrinthine holds delved deep into mountain ranges. Their miners extracted enormous wealth from the earth and Dwarf merchants dealt with elven traders to their mutual enrichment. Such halcyon days are gone. Friendship with the elves soured to the point of a long and costly war. The Dwarfs eventually emerged victorious, but were left vulnerable. Before they could recover their strength a volcanic upheaval wrecked much of their underground realm and their enemies fell upon them. The deeps of their holds were assailed by night goblins and skaven, whilst armies of Orcs attacked from above. Outposts and fortresses that had held strong against the might of the elven armies fell to these barbaric invaders, each a bitter blow to the proud race of the Dwarfs. They recorded each of their defeats in the pages of the Books of Grudges. So important to them were the records of their grievances that they wrote them in the blood of their kings.

One such hold is that of Black Crag, which was overrun by greenskins some 469 years before the birth of Sigmar. For three millennia no Dwarf has sat on the throne of Karak Drazh; instead it is occupied by the mightiest of the local Orc warlords. The Dwarfs bear particular resentment towards these warlords. Even the name Karak Drazh has passed from use, today it is referred to, in the most bitter and desultory of tones, as The Black Crag. The current Squatter King is Gorfang Rotgut, notorious for the strength of his choppa arm, his hatred of the Dwarfs and the audacity of his atrocities against them. In 2503 IC he led an expedition against Karak Azul whilst King Kazador and many of his household were absent on a hunting trip. Gorfang’s Orcs defiled the sacred places of the hold, murdered many of its defenders and led the survivors back to The Black Crag in chains. Most infamously Gorfang subjected the son of King Kazador to a ritual humiliation, leaving him nailed to the throne of Karak Azul shorn of his hair and beard. For this insult King Kazador has vowed a mighty reckoning against his Orc enemy, but as of yet Gorfang’s Orcs have weathered all that the throng of Karak Azul can throw at them.

The ravages of Gorfang are but one example of the pains suffered by the Dwarfs since the decline of their empire, but even in these troubled times some hopes of renewal exist. The Grey Mountains have become the site of newly excavated holds, populated by the descendants of those Dwarfs who fled the destruction of holds in the World’s Edge Mountains. These new holds are not plagued by the Orcs of the badlands, nor are they invaded from below by hordes of skaven. The denizens of the Grey Mountains holds are known as Grey Dwarfs, and they are largely the descendants of refugees from broken holds. To those Dwarfs who remain in the World's Edge Mountains the Grey Dwarfs offer hope of a regrowth of their ancient power, but are also a painful reminder of how far the Dwarfs have declined.

One of the holds that has been established in the Grey Mountains is that of Karak Azgaraz. This hold, whilst newly constructed and of modest size, is still a mighty and enduring fortress in the eyes of the men of nearby Ubersreik. It is a popular location for younger Dwarfs, who wish to seek glory and prosperity away from the disapproving gaze of their elders. Yet for all the impetuosity of youth, the Dwarfs of Karak Azgaraz are still keen to prove themselves useful.