Warhammer Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Warhammer Wiki
Dwarfhead-0

An icon representing the Dwarfs of the Karaz Ankor.

Below can be found a timeline of the history of the Dwarfs of the Karaz Ankor in the Old World.

Each Dwarf hold maintains extensive records, and so the history of the Dwarfs is thoroughly documented. What follows is a brief chronology of the greatest events that affected the Karaz Ankor.[1a]

Please note that the Dawi of the Karaz Ankor employ a unique dating system based on the number of years that have passed since the founding of the great hold at Karaz-a-Karak. The dates below are given first in this reckoning of the Dwarf Calendar which is followed by the equivalent date given in the more commonly understood Imperial Calendar of the Empire of Man in parentheses.[1a][Note 1]

Time of the Ancestor Gods[]

  • 0 (ca. -5500 IC) - No written records exist from this time, but legend relates how the Dwarfs, led by their Ancestor Gods, colonise the Worlds Edge Mountains. During this time Grungni teaches his people mining and how to make tools and weapons of iron and steel. Grimnir protects his people and defeats their foes — most famously slaying Urmskaladrak (the Father of Dragons). Valaya teaches the Dwarfs protective wards, the use of runes and the art of brewing.[1a]
  • 1 (-4523 IC) - In her travels the Ancestor Goddess Valaya establishes many strongholds, but in this time of peril she returns to her favourite and to take up permanent residence. At her request, two pillars at the heart of the greatest cavern are carved out of living rock and she blesses them. These are the first of the thousands of pillars that eventually hold up the Great Hall of Karaz-a-Karak. This marks the founding year of Dwarf record keeping.[1a]
  • 103 (-4420 IC) - Grimnir fearlessly strides off into the Chaos Wastes and is never seen again. Shortly afterwards marks the last sightings of the other Ancestor Gods.[1a]

Golden Age of the Dwarfs[]

  • 404 (-4119 IC) - Bereft of their Ancestor Gods for the first time, the Dwarfs name Snorri Whitebeard as their High King. Joining forces with Malekith of the Elves, Snorri leads the Dwarfs as they hunt down and destroy the last Chaos armies that threaten the Old World. Afterwards, trade flourishes with the Elves, and the Dwarfs, growing ever richer, found many new strongholds.[1a]
  • 526 (-3997 IC) - Malekith fights alongside the Dwarf High King, Snorri Whitebeard, against a horde of Beastmen besieging Karaz-a-Karak.[4a]
  • ca. 500 - 600 (ca. -3900 IC) - Considering themselves abandoned by their kinfolk and gods, the Dwarfs that remain in the Zorn Uzkul turn, in their need, to worship Hashut, the Father of Darkness.[1a]
  • 2335 (-2188 IC) - After many centuries, the Elves return once more to the Old World. The Dwarfs learn of the civil war amongst the Elves and the treachery of Malekith. The two races begin to trade once more. Bargains are struck and Dwarf craftsmanship reaches new heights of ambition and accomplishment.[5a]
  • 2518 (-2005 IC) - The Great Betrayal mars relationships between Dwarfs and Elves. Many small battles take place.[1a]
  • 2523 (-2000 IC) - In this year, Elves come from over the sea and set up a fortress near Krag Bryn. Their deceitful ways ferment ill will between the Dwarfs of Krag Bryn and Kazad Thrund. Eventually, Queen Helgar Thrundsdottir and Drong the Hard unite, both in marriage and on the battlefield, to settle their grudges, although it costs Drong his life. Karak Zorn, in the great mountains of the Southlands comes into conflict with the Lizardmen that dwell there. Little is heard of it hereafter.[5a] Dwarf accounts state that the first tribes of Men known as Belthani, migrate to the Old World from the Southlands. They were few in number, used tools and weapons made from wood and stone, and settled initially in the southern lands of the Old World that would become Tilea and Estalia.[7a]
  • 2326 (-1997 IC) - Hoping to avoid war between the two races, the Dwarf High King Gotrek Starbreaker sends an ambassador to Ulthuan to demand recompense. He is summarily deported, but not before the Elves shave the ambassador's beard as a final insult. Thus begins what the Elves call The War of the Beard, however Dwarfs, who do not take such things lightly, name the campaign the War of Vengeance.[1a] The War of the Beard begins, with Dwarfs attacking High Elf colonies in what will one day be called the Old World. During the war the armies of Ekrund joined those of Barak Varr and Karak Azgal to battle the High Elves in the land that Humans would later call Tilea, destroying several towns and trading posts including two close to the present-day cities of Luccini and Tobaro.[7a]
  • 2635 (-1968 IC) - Morgrim, cousin of Snorri Halfhand, kills the Elf Lord Imladrik at the Battle of Oeragor.[5a]
  • 2657 (-1950 IC) - Looking for ore, a wandering Dwarf clan from the Black Mountains settle in the Human city of Tylos, known to Dwarf as Kavzar and establish trade with the locals, between what are now called the Irrana Mountains and the Tilean Sea. The city grows even faster with their help and many advances in architecture and engineering are achieved.[7a][8a]
  • 2655 (-1948 IC) - The Elf city of Athel Maraya is burned to the ground by a Dwarf army led by Morgrim.[5a]
  • 2723 (-1880 IC) - Humans begin construction of their great temple in Kavzar. Dwarfs are recruited as Human gold helps offset the poor quality of ore in the nearby mountains. Work goes on continuously for the next 100 years. Battle of Black Gulf ends in Dwarf victory as triremes from Barak Varr outmaneuver the Elven fleet in the narrow waters near the Dwarf hold.[7a]
  • 2823 (-1780 IC) - Dwarf and Tilean accounts state that the Temple of Kavzar is completed and that warpstone starts to rain down on the city from Morrslieb. Within a year the city is overrun by swarms of giant rats and disappears in the Blighted Marshes.[7a]
  • 3003 (-1600 IC) - The Battle of Three Towers at the gates of Tor Alessi. The Dwarfs win in a cataclysmic battle for mastery of the Old World. Gotrek Starbreaker kills Caledor II and takes the Phoenix Crown. The High Elves retreat to Ulthuan or skulk into the woods of Loren.[1a] The first true Skaven claw their way at the ruins of Kavzar already obsessed with acquiring warpstone.[8a]

Time of Woes[]

  • 3024 (-1499 IC) - Taking advantage of the damage wrought by earthquakes and flooding during the Time of Woes, Skaven and Night Goblins invade Karak Varn and despoil it.[1a]
  • ? (-1476 IC) - Greenskin attacks force the Dwarfs to abandon their settlements along the Rivers Lynsk and Urskoy.[10a]
  • 3136-3156 (-1387 to -1367 IC) - The Silver Road Wars begin and rage around Mount Silverspear. The wars culminate after twenty years when Mount Silverspear is captured by Orcs led by Warboss Urk Grimfang. They rename the ruined hold Mount Grimfang.[1a]
  • 3161 (-1362 IC) - The Dwarfs abandon the last of their mines and smaller settlements in the eastern part of the Worlds Edge Mountains.[5b]
  • 3273 (-1250 IC) - Thunder Mountain erupts and the crusade known as the Troll Wars begins. High King Morgrim Blackbeard leads his forces to retake some minor settlements and refurbish and re-seal ancestor tombs damaged at the beginning of the Time of Woes.[1a]
  • 3333 (-1190 IC) - Runesmith Kadrin Redmane leaves Karak Varn in search of vengeance upon the swarms of Skaven that have soiled the tunnels of the hold.[5b]
  • 3338 (-1185 IC) - Kadrin Redmane clears the ruins of Karak Varn, driving the Skaven into the deeps. He discovers a rich vein of gromril and miners flock to Karak Varn to extract the coveted metal.[1a]
  • 3387 (-1136 IC) - Orcs ambush and kill Kadrin Redmane on the shores of Black Water. Kadrin's last act is to throw his rune hammer into the water to prevent it falling into the enemy's hands. Within a decade the Dwarfs are forced out of Karak Varn once more.[1a]


  • 3548 (-975 IC) - The Battle of a Thousand Woes. High King Skorri Morgrimsson leads a massive Dwarf army in an attempt to retake Karak Ungor. The Dwarfs clear the southern valley and gate, but are ultimately driven back. Skorri leads the remnants of his army back to Karaz-a-Karak and dies shortly after.[1a]
  • 3773 (-750 IC) - Night Goblins attack Karak Azgal but are repulsed, but the Greenskins go on to attack Karak Azul where they gain a foothold in the western halls and lower deeps. The Dwarfs fight for another ten years before they finally expel the invaders at great cost.[1a]
  • 3822 (-701 IC) - Miners working in the depths of Karak Eight Peaks break into a Skaven tunnel. The Dwarfs are alarmed at the extent of the ratmen's burrows.[1b]
  • 3873 (-650 IC) - Baragor, the first Slayer King dedicates the great Shrine of Grimnir in Karak Kadrin and takes the name of Ungrim as his own.[1b]
  • 4010 (-513 IC) - The Fall of Karak Eight Peaks. Enemy attacks increase until daily life becomes a battle for survival. Using poisoned gas, the Skaven drive the Dwarfs into an ever-diminishing realm as one peak after another falls. King Lunn orders his followers to rune-seal the ancestor tombs before fighting his way out. He vows to one day return.[1b]
  • 4054 (-469 IC) - Orcs destroy Karak Azgal although they in turn are driven out by a Dragon. Now with a taste for plunder, the Greenskins then attack Karak Drazh and take it, renaming it Black Crag. Over the following years the lands between Mad Dog Pass and Fire Mountain are taken over by Night Goblins save for Karak Azul. Although besieged, Karak Azul holds out, largely due to the influx of Dwarfs from the lost strongholds.[1b]
  • 4143 (-380 IC) - Orc Warboss Ugrok Beardburner leads his Orc hordes to attack Karaz-a-Karak. The invaders destroy many smaller settlements and capture the Dwarf High King Logan Proudbeard, who never recovers from his great shame. Orc armies continue to rampage until the following year when they are defeated at the Battle of Black Water.[1b]
  • 4273 (-250 IC) - Led by those who settle the Grey Mountains, the Dwarfs intensify trading with the tribes of Men.[1b]
  • 4420 (-108 IC) - Daled Stormbreaker leads an expedition to recover the lost treasures of Karak Azgal.[5b]

Age of Men (Silver Age of the Dwarfs)[]

The Age of Men is also sometimes known as the "Silver Age" in contrast to the previous "Golden Age" of the Karaz Ankor.[6a]

  • 4508 (-15 IC) - Orcs ambush and capture High King Kurgan Ironbeard, but he is later rescued by Sigmar, prince of the Unberogen tribe. A great friendship is forged between the two races.[1b]
  • 4522 (-1 IC) - The Battle of Black Fire Pass is won, a victorious climax to a long campaign waged by the alliance of Dwarfs and Men. After the battle, the nation known as the Empire is formed and Sigmar named as Emperor.[1b] The creation of the Empire opens up a new age for the Dwarfs. Many travel to the Empire where they help the Humans build their first cities. Dwarf masons, carpenters and smiths are much in demand, and Dwarf worksmanship is admired everywhere. As the Empire grows, the Dwarfs and Men establish valuable trading contacts and prosperity returns once more to the Dwarf realms. Dwarf and Human armies keep the Orcs and Goblins at bay. Several expeditions are mounted to reclaim lost strongholds, but none come to anything.[5c]
  • 4733 to Present (210 to Present IC) - The War of the Hammer. A mighty throng of Dwarfs march upon the city of Mahrak to retrieve a revered heirloom, the Hammer of Algrim. During the attack, the Dragon Slayer Drong Sternbeater is turned to sand when he charges headlong into a trio of Sepulchral Stalkers. Outraged at such an unworthy death, a thousand Slayers go berserk and blindfold themselves before descending upon Mahrak to avenge Drong's death. Amidst the carnage, the Hammer of Algrim is retrieved, and the Dwarfs return to Karak Azul, considering the matter at an end. However, the Hammer of Algrim contains a single disc of bronze belonging to King Alkharad, whose skeletal legions immediately set forth to reclaim it. Over the following centuries, the hammer exchanges hands over three dozen times.[3a]
  • 4810 (287 IC) - Dwarf Miners discover the nest of the dragon Mordrak in the mountains south of Karak Azul.[5c]
  • 5180 (657 IC) - Thori Gundrikson discovers gromril in the caves west of Black Water. The Dwarfs excavate tunnels and extract great quantities of the ore over the following years until the mines are found and destroyed by Skaven intruders.[1b]
  • 5207 (684 IC) - The restoration of the Axe of Dail by Dorin Heldour and Katalin Kandoom. The axe is discovered deep in the ruins of Karak Varn and is recovered and brought back to King Finn Sourscowl in Karaz-a-Karak.[5c]
  • 5208 (685 IC) - Dorin Heldour brings the skin of the Dragon Fyrskar to High King Finn Sourscowl at Karaz-a-Karak, where the skin is engraved with runes.[1b]
  • 5265 (742 IC) - Dorin Heldour and Katalin Kandoom rescue Elmador and Oldor Finnson from the dungeons of Black Crag. Elmador later becomes High King.[5c]
  • 5415 (892 IC) - Kragg the Grim forges the Rune of Stone under the eye of his Master, Morek Furrowbrow. Kragg is to become the greatest and longest-lived Runesmith of his age.[1b]
  • 5545 (1022 IC) - Karaz-a-Karak engineers develop the steam engine. Escaping the King's forces, some of Bretonnia's nobility and their retinue carve out their own petty realms in the land called Border Princes. Trade established between these Bretonnians and the Dwarfs of Barak Varr.[7a]
  • 5555 (1032 IC) - Skalf Dragonslayer slays the Dragon Graug the Terrible and claims the Kingship of Karak Azgal. The hold, however, remains infested by Night Goblins forcing Skalf to establish a town in the valley below the hold's old entrance.[1b]
  • 5634 (1111 IC) - The Dwarfs seal their strongholds as the Black Plague sweeps the Old World. Skaven attacks on the Dwarfs are repulsed, but cause many casualties.[1b]
  • 5919 (1396 IC) - The War for Karak Ghulg. Valkia the Bloody falls upon the northernmost Dwarf stronghold. One by one, the Dwarf positions are overrun by Valkia's army of violent madmen, the shield-lines of the mountain folk smashed asunder by the charges of Blood Reaper Knights and Chaos Warriors. Valkia orders her followers to open the fallen defenders' rib cages in a grotesque practice known as the bloodraven. Khorne is mightily impressed with Valkia's gory deeds and he names her as his mortal consort.[2a]
  • 5943 (1420 IC) - The great Dragon Skaladrak Incarnadine ravages the lands around Karak Kadrin.[1b]
  • ? (1515 IC) - The Battle of the Scimitars. Miska the Slaughterer first ruler of the nomadic Gospodar tribes of the Eastern Steppes clashes with the combined armies of the Empire, Dwarfs and Bretonnians. The battle ends without a clear winner and Miska returns to the North where she fortifies the borders and declares that Kislevites will defend their land to the last citizen. The Dwarfs, Bretonnians and men of the Empire are far too weak to re-conquer the North.[9aa]
  • 6235 (1712 IC) - High King Kendrak Gottrison attacks and destroys the remnants of Orc Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw's army as it limps back towards the Badlands.[1b]
  • 6533 (2010 IC) - Battle of Hunger Wood. The Dwarfs fight many battles alongside the Empire in the Wars of the Vampire Counts. They take part in the Night Siege of Castle Tempelhof and the defeat of the Vampire Countess Emmanuelle.[5c]
  • 6728 (2205 IC) - In the Battle of Black Falls Dwarf High King Alrik and Goblin Warlord Gorkil Eyegouger are both slain while fighting along the rim of Black Falls. The Goblin Warlord is mortally wounded, but pulls his adversary to his doom over the falls. The Dwarfs, led by Alriksson are so enraged they rout the remaining Greenskins in a massacre.[1b]
  • 6825-6913 (2302-2390 IC) - War in the Mountains. Valmir Aesling marshals his host at the Dwarfen hold of Kraka Drak. Unable to halt the march of the Chaos Warriors, King Silverbeard is forced to fell the mountain itself to prevent Valmir from invading other Dwarf holds. The ensuing avalanche buries Kraka Drak, and all within, beneath millions of tones of rock, entombing Valmir and his warriors inside the stronghold with the Dwarfs. Though it takes decades of bitter fighting Valmir succeeds in slaughtering every last Dwarf in the doomed hold.[2b]
  • 779 (2303 IC) - The combined armies of the Empire, Dwarfs and Kislev defeat the greatest Chaos horde in history at The Battle of the Gates of Kislev. Magnus the Pious vows eternal friendship with Tzar Alexis and Magnus is named Hero of the People.[10a]

Age of Reckoning[]

  • 6827 (2304 IC) - Newly crowned High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer sets out to reclaim what was once the territory of the Dwarfs. Mad Dog Pass is retaken and held.[1b]
  • 6844 (2321 IC) - Battle of Bloodwater Sound. After destroying the fleets of the Human realms, a Skaven fleet rampages along the coasts of the Old World looting and destroying. Dwarf Ironclads from Barak Varr seek out and defeat the Skaven in the Black Gulf.[5c]
  • 6996 (2473 IC) - Through many battles, Belegar, descendant of King Lunn, establishes a foothold within Karak Eight Peaks and declares himself King of that ancient hold.[1b]
  • 7017 (2494 IC) - No fewer than five Black Arks sail down the Black Gulf and blockade the Dwarfhold of Barak Varr. Outnumbered and overmatched, King Gundadrakk orders his folk and their vessels of war to retreat behind the great sea gates. On this occasion, however, the Dark Elves do not seek the hold's destruction. Indeed, they are well content with their tithe of prisoners, who are soon put to work in Naggaroth's mines.[4b]
  • 7021 (2498 IC) - Battle of the Jaws. A Dwarf army heading south to reinforce Karak Eight Peaks is attacked as it moves through Mad Dog Pass. The Dwarfs, led by Duregar, destroy the attacking Orcs and move southwards. The Dwarf army is ambushed once more at the Battle at the East Gate of Karak Eight Peaks, but fights its way through to the stronghold with heavy losses.[5c][1b]
  • 7026 (2503 IC) - An Orc attack plunders Karak Azul and captures King Kazador's family, hauling them off to captivity in Black Crag except for Kazrik, the King's son, who is shaven and left behind, nailed in place onto his father's throne. It takes over a decade before Thorgrim Grudgebearer can free all the captives and track down and slay the Orc leaders responsible.[1b]
  • 7033 (2510 IC) - Ungrim Ironfist leads his armies to defeat the rampaging Orc hordes of Gnashrak Badtoof. The campaign culminates with the Battle of Broken Leg Gully, where the Ogre mercenary Golgfag aids the Dwarfs, but later betrays them — a crime for which Ungrim promises he will one day pay.[1b]
  • 7038 (2515 IC) - Ungrim Ironfist beats, captures and then ultimately releases Golgfag Maneater, saying it would be more sporting to hunt him down later.[1b]
  • 7042 (2519 IC) - The Battle of a Hundred Cannons. Greenskins attack Zhufbar but fail to breach the defenses before Thorgrim Grudgebearer and Ungrim Ironfist arrive leading armies to destroy the foe. When a marauding Ogre force appears — the true cause of the Greenskin disturbance — the throngs unite with an Empire army from Nuln to destroy the Ogres in the largest concentration of artillery ever seen before.[1b]
  • 7045 (2522 IC) - High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer leads a throng to Nagashizzar in an attempt to free the future Everqueen of Ulthuan, who is the prisoner of the Vampire Mannfred von Carstein. Their quest fails and leads to a falling out with Prince Tyrion and the High Elves. After the battle, the Dwarfs force march north to Karak Eight Peaks.[1b]

Canon Conflict[]

Imperial Calendar dates given in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Stone and Steel Dwarf sourcebook generally don't conflict with those in other sources, while the counterpart Dwarf Calendar dates shown are totally different from those in other canon.[7a]Note 1

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 20
    • 1b: pg. 21
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Warriors of Chaos (8th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 14
    • 2b: pg. 15
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (8th Edition)
    • 3a: pg. 21
  • 4: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
    • 4a: pg. 31
  • 5: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (6th Edition)
    • 5a: pg. 16
    • 5b: pg. 17
    • 5c: pg. 18
  • 6: Grudgelore
    • 6a: pg. 85
  • 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Stone and Steel (RPG)
    • 7a: pg. 106
    • 7b: pg. 108
    • 7c: pg. 109
  • 8: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
    • 8a: pg. 35
  • 9: Citadel Journal 14
    • 9a: pg. 12 "Kislev: The Claws of the Great Bear"
  • 10: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realm of the Ice Queen (RPG)
Advertisement