"That which is wrong with the world that we cannot fix with the blades of our axes, we shall surely avenge!"
- —Thorgrim Grudgebearer, High King of all Karaz Ankor.[1a]
Thorgrim Grudgebearer is the current High King of the Dwarfs and the ruler of Karaz-a-Karak. He is a throwback to the High Kings of old -- eager for new conquests, mighty in battle, and a merciless enemy. Yet upon his worn brow, there also sits a pearl of great wisdom, and he is able to uphold the ancient traditions as well as to accept, if not embrace needed changes, such as alliances and new technology.[1c]
Thorgrim is forever brooding upon how to return his people to their former glory. As the ultimate ruler of the Dwarfs, the Dammaz Kron or the Great Book of Grudges is entrusted into his honourable keeping. It is Thorgrim's avowed wish to avenge every single entry contained in that voluminous tome — an impossible task if he should live a thousand lifetimes.[1c]
Yet such is Thorgim's resolve that he has already helped to rejuvenate the whole of the Karaz Ankor. Tales of his deeds and the long list of grudges already struck out fill his grim warriors with a feeling that the Dwarfs have long done without: hope. Borne upon the Throne of Power and brandishing the Axe of Grimnir, Thorgrim is at the forefront of what the Dwarfs hope will be a great conquering — a new age of retribution has begun.[1c]
History
Born as the son of the sister of High King Alriksson during the early 23rd century IC, Thorgrim was groomed by his uncle for many years and was considered one of many candidates for his position. Yet his true achievements came just after the end of the Great War against Chaos. Upon his return to Karaz-a-Karak from the battles in Kislev, High King Alriksson felt his age and the heavy burden of his rule. Perhaps most of all, he felt the cost of the war, for many Dwarf lives had been lost fighting against the forces of Chaos, including those of his own sons.
The High King himself did not escape the fray unscathed, for, atop his Throne of Power, Alriksson had advanced deep into the thick of the battle, felling many foes. He now bore grievous wounds that showed no sign of healing, although the stoic High King remained unbowed, allowing no slowing of the vigour that had marked his long life. The decision to aid the Empire had been easy, and even had he known the cost beforehand, he would still have gone — honouring the oath of his forefathers and marching to the succour of Sigmar's heirs.
Council of Kings (2304 to 2305 IC)
Although he returned victoriously, High King Alriksson's mind was uneasy. The other holds had not answered the call to arms with as many warriors as he had hoped. The Everlasting Realm felt separated by more than just distance and foes. Each stronghold was preoccupied with its own troubles, and he even suspected some of his royal cousins had fallen to the gold-sickness, a disease that, if unchecked, ended in isolationism and madness, misers starving to death upon hoarded piles of gold. Furthermore, the High King knew he was slowly dying from his wounds and that he no longer had an heir. "Yet it would not be his fate to sit in a dark hall nursing old grudges and honing his axe in bitterness while doing nothing for the Karaz Ankor.[1b]
High King Alriksson called for a Council of Kings, something not done in over three centuries. The Dwarf king of every stronghold, along with the most powerful thanes and the royalty of every clan, made the dangerous trek to the halls of the High King. They gathered in the Great Hall, and many oaths of loyalty were repeated before Alriksson announced his plan for succession. There were a dozen suitable candidates — great kings and thanes of royal clans who could claim descent from the Ancestor Gods themselves. Each of these noble warriors would be given a full year to accomplish heroic feats and attempt deeds worthy of a High King, after which they would present themselves to the full assembly and a decision would be made. This plan was readily accepted by the assembly, who answered with many hearty voices that made the Great Hall ring as it did of old.[1b]
The naming of a successor as approved by a Council of Elders was (and still is) tradition amongst Dwarfs. And following traditions is, for Dwarfs, extremely gratifying and always greeted with gruff enthusiasm, this undertaking was even better, for, on top of ancient tradition, it proposed a contest of deeds, a protocol which was not unheralded, as many classic sagas told of the kings of old and the great feats they did to win the Throne. In this, the High King Alriksson showed his great wisdom, for all Dwarfs are eager to prove the superiority of their clan and the preeminence of their stronghold.[1b]
Deeds of a High King (2305 to 2420 IC)
The High King in battle.
After one year's time, the Council of Kings convened once more. As the ale flowed, each clan's contingent cheered boisterously before High King Alriksson raised his hand for silence. The right words were said, and grudges were written, for the three candidates who were not present — two of whom were known to have been slain during the course of their year's deeds, the third missing and presumed dead. After the formalities were concluded, the Great Hall again swelled with booming voices, chants, and rude remarks about the failings of different clans. Each claimant climbed the dais before the High King's Throne and turned to face the assembled throngs. After the echoes of his supporters died down, he regaled the audience with an account of his deeds.[1b]
Most of these were well received — perhaps the loudest cheers were for Ungrim Ironfist, who had the head of the Giant he had slain dragged forth (which took a score of Dwarfs) so that all could marvel at its size. A close second was Buregar, leader of the Angrund clan and direct descendant of King Lunn, the last ruler of Karak Eight Peaks. For several periods of Dwarfen history, the High King had sat upon the throne of Karak Eight Peaks and some few clans hoped to see that lineage restored to rule, although Karak Eight Peaks lay now in ruin.[1b]
Even as High King Alriksson quieted the crowd to begin the pronouncement, a latecomer marched into the vast hall. It was none other than the High King's sister's son, Thorgrim, who had earlier been presumed slain. He was well known in Karaz-a-Karak and had long been mentored by the aged High King. Now he returned, flanked by a sight not seen in Karaz-a-Karak for thousands of years — a contingent of Dwarfs from Norsca. For during the campaign in Kislev, after High King Alriksson had been injured, it had been Thorgrim who had re-established the old ties with those long distant clans. In turn, each of the Norscan kings spoke of Thorgrim, and of the deeds of valour he had performed in the icy north; of great monsters slain and battles won.[1b]
Such acts were not the extent of Thorgrim's journeys. Thorgrim, along with other members of his clan, had entered several of the Lost Holds, seeking out those treasures which remained hidden, or hunting down and slaying those creatures that dared claim the revered artefacts made by the Dwarfs of old. He returned several long lost relics that bore runes of which Kragg the Grim, the eldest living Runelord of the Karaz Ankor, had only heard tell in legend. Many of the assembled Council of Elders wept openly as they passed around these recovered pieces of a more glorious age, marvelling at the workmanship of the Golden Scepter of Norgrim, coveting the returned fragments of what could only be the lost crown of Karak Drazh.[1b]
While the assembled clan kings and revered elders passed these artefacts lovingly back and forth, Thorgrim finally spoke. His booming voice echoed across the mile-long collonaded hall, and all could hear the steel in it. The return of these long-lost treasures, he said, was not enough. His words were bold, calling for the reclamation of the fallen holds, for the clans to work together as of old. Most passionately of all, Thorgrim called for a mighty vengeance. All of the potential successors had done as much, but Thorgrim's vow went further, for he announced it was his dream to avenge the wrongs done to his people by striking clean the entire ledger of the Great Book of Grudges.[1b]
It was not long after being named successor that Thorgrim was crowned High King, for Alriksson's wounds from the Great War Against Chaos, had never healed. The old Dwarf was so resilient and stubborn, however, that he had simply refused to die, holding on against the pain until the proper heir could be named and his designs of unifying his people kept alive. So passed a great king.[1b]
Thorgrim knew he had energized his subjects and that he needed to keep up the momentum. Thus he personally led a campaign to drive the Orcs and Goblins out of Black Fire Pass so that Karaz-a-Karak could ensure steady trade with the Empire. After a series of bloody battles, Thorgrim led his throng into the pass from the south and King Alrik Ranulfsson, of Karak Hirn, circled his forces to attack Black Fire Pass from the north. The two kings cut swathes through the greenskins there and met in the middle of that steep vale, where they leaned on their axes and conversed before finishing the slaughter. Several grudges were struck out that day, the start of what would be the Great Reckoning.[1b]
Storm of Chaos
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Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.
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"We forgot once, and great calamity may have resulted from our lack of diligence. No, the High King will always remember."
- —Thorgrim Grudgebearer[8]
In the alternate timeline of the Storm of Chaos where Archaon's invasion of the Old World was defeated and the End Times were prevented, Thorgrim vowed that no threat would pass into the Empire from the East, be it Greenskin, Skaven or scion of Chaos. It fell to the Dwarfs of Karak Kadrin and their king Ungrim Ironfist to defend the passes.[6a] Furthermore, seeing how large amounts of Orcs flocked to the Waaagh! of Grimgor Ironhide, he gave King Alrik Ranulfsson of Karak Hirn, the command to clear the Silver Road of Goblins and attack Mount Gunbad. The foray was successful, with many treasures recovered and grudges against the Goblins settled.[2c]
When news reached the Karaz Ankor that the Nemesis Crown, the final work of Alaric the Mad, had been found in the Great Forest, Thorgrim marshalled his forces to retake the crown and seal it in the vaults of Karaz-a-Karak. Even as the second scout band was sent to confirm the fate of the first, word was being sent to each of the great Dwarf holds in the Worlds Edge Mountains. Within days, a great army gathered at Black Fire Pass, made from the hosts of Karaz-a-Karak, Karak Kadrin, and Karak Hirn. At the call of warhorns and to the beat of a thousand drums, the assembled throng marched forth along the Old Dwarf Road.[7b]
Passing through the lands of the Empire, Thorgrim learned of the forces massing to seek out the lost crown. He heard of his old enemy Grimgor Ironhide and the scores of Forest Goblin tribes throughout the Great Forest, and vowed that the crown would never fall into their greenskinned hands. Then, he heard that Emperor Karl Franz desired the crown too, which filled him with sadness. He knew that he might have to fight the Men of the Empire to retrieve the crown. Though he would mourn the waste of lives, he would do what must be done.[7b]
At last, Thorgrim's throng encamped in the Färlic Hills, east of the Barren Hills in Talabecland. From there, he sent his Dwarf Rangers to search for the crown, while his armies prepared to meet the other forces that sought to claim Alaric's folly.[7b] The crown was eventually found in the Howling Hills, within the long-forgotten mines of Khrazi Drudd.[7a]
As a tribe of Forest Goblins sought to claim the crown, the armies of Throgrim and Karl Franz met. The two rulers greeted each other as equals. The high king convinced the emperor of the necessity that the crown remain in Dwarf hands, aided by the counsel of Luthor Huss. The Men of the Empire were to hold back the bulk of the Greenskin army while the Dwarfs would try to reach the crown. Likewise, the forces of the Asur under Teclis, the High Loremaster of Hoeth, coordinated their attacks with that of the Dwarfs, assaulting the Greenskins from the rivers.[8]
A great battle followed under the sickly light of Morrslieb in which Thorgrim managed to close in on the Goblin that wore the Nemesis Crown. At the last, it appeared that the Goblin had become something far more terrible than a mere Greenskin. As it hung in the air, looking down upon the slaughter, its eyes radiated primal hatred for Thorgrim and all his kin, as well as the distilled malice of his entire race.[8]
As the Goblin looked upon Thorgrim a change came over its wicked face. Ancestral fear gripped its craven soul, the fear of the Goblins for the race of Dwarfs, for any warrior who fights for honour and good, and puts aside his own desires when called upon to give his life for a higher cause. The Goblin let out a soul-rending cry heard across the forest as Thorgrim hefted the Axe of Grimnir. In the aftermath, the Greenskins fled, with the last to retreat being Grimgor Ironhide.[8]
Back in Karaz-a-Karak, Thorgrim was able to strike an ancient grudge from the Dammaz Kron. He refused to discuss the possibility of returning the original Phoenix Crown to the High Elf envoys who had arrived in Karaz-a-Karak to discuss the matter as an exchange for their help in retrieving the Nemesis Crown. He then took the key to the vault where the cursed crown lay and took it into the possession of the high king, until the day one of his successors would find a way to destroy the foul artefact utterly.[8]
Age of Reckoning
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Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article contains information regarding The Age of Reckoning, a series of novels and short stories produced by both the Black Library and Mythic Entertainment for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, that follow an alternate timeline for the mortal world that diverges from that of the End Times.
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"Hear me, sons of Grungni! You all know that Karak Eight Peaks has fallen to the greenskins. A new warlord has risen from the ranks of our ancient enemies, and on his hands is the blood of every brave dwarf who fought to defend our mighty hold. I've come before you today to tell ye that the time has come to repay that debt in kind! I've heard it told that some of you think the End Times may at last be here, that the doom of the Dwarfs is at hand. Some say we should grab what gold we can and tunnel deep down, to spend our last days cowering in holes while the world is consumed in the fires of war. I stand before ye today to say no!"
- —Thorgrim Grudgebearer adresses the people of Karaz-a-Karak.[5a]
In the alternate timeline of the video game Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, the Karaz Ankor was forced into a new war by the rise of Grumlock and Gazbag, two Greenskin warlords that lead the Bloody Sun Boyz tribe that managed to conquer Karak Eight Peaks. Both had been given magical amulets by Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth, in an attempt to consolidate the Greenskins of the Badlands into a mighty Waaagh! with the potential to overwhelm even Karaz-a-Karak.[5b]
Upon learning of the growing Waagh! and the fall of the dwarf settlement at Karak Eight Peaks, Thorgrim vowed revenge. Yet privately, he was very concerned about the abilities the two warlords exhibited and dispatched a messenger to the Imperial Court in Altdorf to warn Emperor Karl Franz of the danger. Too proud to ask for help, Thorgrim hoped that the urgency of his message would convince the Emperor to dispatch troops to aid him.[5b]
Two months after the fall of Karak Eight Peaks, the first throngs marched to face the Greenskins. As the Dwarfs march south along the slopes of the great volcano Karag Dron, the world suddenly grows dim. In the sky above, the sun begins to darken and the landscape is bathed in an eerie, unnatural light the color of deep crimson. As the Chaos host under Tchar'zanek, Champion of Tzeentch, marches to assail the Empire, Karl Franz decided to send a call for aid to the court of Finubar, the Phoenix King of Ulthuan. With the aid of the High elves, he hoped to aid both Thorgrim and defend the Empire. Yet the Witch King lead his attack just as Finubars fleet departed for the Old World, threatening Ulthuan again.[5b]
Recognizing that the only way to counter the threats arrayed against them will be to combine their strengths, the leaders of the Empire and the nations of the Dwarfs and the High Elves convene a great Council of Wisdom in the Imperial capital of Altdorf. At this summit, the three rulers forge a pact that their peoples shall fight as one and strike back at the enemies who would conquer their homelands.[5b]
In order to face the armies of destruction arrayed against them, Thorgrim raised a new regiment. The Oathbearers would gather the materials the forgemasters of Karaz-a-Karak would need to create the Doomstrikers, powerful rune weapons to be wielded against the enemies of the dwarfs and their allies.
Wargear
- Axe of Grimnir - Before Grimnir disappeared into the north, he gifted his son, Morgrim, one of his legendary axes. The skill of placing so many master runes onto a single item has been lost, but the axe itself has been passed down through the generations, borne in turn by each High King of the Dwarfs.[1c]
- The Armor of Skaldour - Protected by powerful runes, the Armour of Skaldour has turned countless blades and protected Thorgrim through many bloody battles and assassination attempts.[1c]
- The Dragon Crown of Karaz - The Dragon Crown has been worn by the High Kings since the founding of Karaz-a-Karak.[1c]
- The Great Book of Grudges - The Dammaz Kron recounts every deed of infamy perpetrated against the Dwarfs, scribed in the blood of kings and infused with anger and vows of vengeance.[1c]
Miniatures
.jpg "Dwarf - Thorgrim Grudgebearer on Throne of Power (New).jpg (152 KB)")
.jpg "Thorgrim Grudgebearer (4th).jpg (471 KB)")
_-_Throne_Bearer.jpg "Thorgrim Grudgebearer (4th) - Throne Bearer.jpg (474 KB)")
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (8th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (6th Edition revised)
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (4th Edition)
- 3a: pg. 94
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Dwarfs - Stone & Steel (RPG)
- 4a: pg. 94
- 5: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC Game)
- 5a: Dwarf Prologue
- 5b:Age of Reckoning (archived)
- 6: Darkness Rising: The Complete Story of the Storm of Chaos (Background Book)
- 6a: pg. 42
- 7: Warhammer: The Nemesis Crown (7th Edition)
- 8: [1] Archived campaign results of the Nemesis Crown campaign
Gallery
