- "-1190: Kadrin Redmane has left our hold in search of vengeance upon the swarms of Skaven that have soiled the tunnels of Karak Varn.
-1185: Let it be recorded that we have avenged the deaths of those who fell to the blades of grobi and Skaven at Karak Varn. Kadrin Redmane will forever be recorded in our histories as he who claimed a grudge.
-1136: Woe of days that I must record the murder of Kadrin Redmane. Though over thirty Orcs lay at his feet, thrice that number shall we reap vengeance upon before we could even begin to pay him the honour that he is due."- —Translated from the Book of Grudges of Clan Kamerad[2b]
Kadrin Redmane was a renowned Dwarf Runesmith from Zhufbar[5a] that gained fame for leading the expedition that retook Karak Varn from the Skaven during the Goblin Wars.[1a][2b][3a][4a][5b] However, this venture was short-lived, attracting the attention of both Orcs and Skaven. Since then, the hold has remained uninhabited except by trolls and other monsters, although there have been recent reports of increased Skaven activity in the area.[5a]
History
Runesmiths do not spend all their years simply working at their benches, although they may spend much of their time doing so. Another duty of a Runesmith is to quest for ancient, lost artefacts taken from the Dwarfs during the Time of Woe. Kadrin Redmane was one such Runelord[6a], leading several successful expeditions to retake Holds that had fallen in the hands of the enemies of the Dwarfs.
Battle of Gunbad
In -1245 IC, Kadrin took part in the expedition that succeeded in recapturing Mount Gunbad, led by Logazor Brightaxe[1a][3a], and became a master craftsman in the forges at the gold mines. In the same year, High King Morgrim Blackbeard decided to pay the mines a visit to bolster morale after years of vicious fighting. As cruel fate would have it, it was that same day that the Night Goblins broke through the mine's walls. The High King was at their mercy, for his small bodyguard were overwhelmed as hundreds of gibbering Greenskins poured into the mines. As the last of the High King's bodyguard fell, Kadrin Redmane, seeing the desperate situation, took the hammer that he had been using to work the gold and charged out of the forge to protect his liege. Seeing this brave act, the other smiths followed him. Grabbing their forge hammers, slowly they cleared an escape route out from the mines. As a reward, the High King presented Kadrin with a magnificent rune hammer.[2a] Gunbad, however, could not be saved, and was taken by the Night Goblins and their Orc reinforcements.[1a][3a][4a]
Expedition to Karak Varn
Later on, in -1190 IC, Kadrin Redmane left Zhufbar[5a] in search of vengeance upon the swarms of Skaven that had soiled the tunnels of Karak Varn for the previous three hundred years.[2b][3a]
Five years later, his expedition cleared the ruins of Karak Varn, driving the Skaven down into the deepest underhalls. He discovered a rich vein of gromril and petitioned the High King to allow him to resettle the old stronghold. Miners flocked to Karak Varn and gromril began to flood into the High King's coffers.[1a][2b][3a][4a][5a] For many years he and his followers mined the old gromril seams and he created several fabulous suits of armour from this new ore.[6a]
This venture attracted the attention of both Orcs and Skaven, and in -1136 IC Kadrin Redmane was ambushed and killed beside the shore of Black Water while leading a mule train of gromril ore to the High King. Kadrin slew thirty-six massive Orcs before he sustained a mortal wound and fell. According to the legends[2a], his last act was to throw his rune hammer far out into the Black Water to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy.[1a][2b][3a][4a][5a][6a] Many expeditions have since attempted to recover the weapon.[6a] Following Kadrin's death the Dwarfs' hold on Karak Varn became increasingly tenuous, until they were eventually driven out by Skaven.[1a][2b][3a][4a][5a]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (4th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 19
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (6th Edition)
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (7th Edition)
- 3a: pg. 17
- 4: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (8th Edition)
- 4a: pg. 20
- 5: Warhammer RPG 1st Edition: Dwarfs - Stone and Steel
- 6: White Dwarf #314 (UK Edition)
- 6a: pg. 69
