Karaz-a-Karak, also spelled Caraz-a-Carak[7a][8], which translates roughly as "Everpeak", or the "Pinnacle of Mountains" in the Dwarf tongue Khazalid[1a][8], is the greatest city of the Dwarf people and the seat of power for High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer of the Karaz Ankor. Karaz-a-Karak is the mightiest and most populous of all Dwarf holds, the capital of the Dwarf empire of Karaz Ankor and the capital hold of the Dwarf high king.
Here, amongst its ancient temples to the Ancestor Gods, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer holds court in a vaulted Great Hall large enough to engulf an entire Human town. The forest of pillars that form the mile-long nave of the hall tower high into darkness. Despite suffering attacks beyond number, Karaz-a-Karak has never fallen to an invader.
Here are kept the Great Book of Grudges, the Book of Remembering and countless hoarded treasures, each an object of awe and veneration to any Dwarf.
After a great deal of bluster and grumbling, even the most independent of Dwarfs from one of the far-off holds will ultimately admit to a fierce pride of Karaz-a-Karak. Although their empire may have crumbled, here at the stony heart of their realm, its power and splendour endure.
Geography[]
The heraldry of Karaz-a-Karak
Karaz-a-Karak is the largest of the Dwarf holds and is one of the most magnificent architectural structures in the Known World. Hidden from view by a winding pass that cuts its way through the Worlds Edge Mountains, as you round yet another outcrop on your long trek through the steep treacherous pass the full splendour of the gates of Karaz-a-Karak suddenly looms before you. The sheer size of the gates will take your breath away. Standing at over four hundred feet tall, the gates appear to be carved into the mountainside.[2a]
A solid flat bastion of stone reaches up to embrace the clouds and if you turn your head towards the sky you can just make out the glint of a multitude of squat, armoured figures patrolling the upper wall. Carved into the gate is the symbol of Valaya, the Dwarf Ancestor Goddess. Her image on the gates is said to protect the city from harm and evil magics.[2a]
The impregnable gates of Karaz-a-Karak as depicted in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
No visitor ever approaches Karaz-a-Karak unannounced. Miles before even a lone traveller reaches the gates their progress will have been spied by the many hidden watch posts that overlook the Everpeak Pass. A lone Dwarf in full clan regalia will await them on their arrival. He bears the title of "gatekeeper" and it is to him and him alone that a newcomer must state their business.[2a]
Few these days indeed are allowed access to the great Dwarfen city. Once, the gates stood open to all visitors and the Dwarf race was more than welcoming to strangers in their realm. Years of war and devastation have changed that forever and now they do not encourage contact with the other mortal races.[2a]
Should a visitor have a good reason, and a very good reason only, to enter the kingdom of Karaz-a-Karak, the gatekeeper will knock rhythmically on the door five times with his intricately carved rune hammer, then trace the sign of a secret rune into its flat surface. Silvery seams once invisible to even the closest inspection of the smooth granite surface suddenly appear. Seemingly from out of nowhere a doorway no more than four feet high and three feet wide opens.[2a]
It has been many centuries since the high king gave instruction to a gatekeeper to open the main gates. In the year following the terrible earthquake that shook many of the Dwarf realms to their very foundations, Morgrim Ironbeard, the high king at the time, ordered the gates to be closed.[2a]
This dour period of Dwarf history is known as the "Time of Woes." Many of the Dwarf strongholds were under attack from hordes of Greenskins and Skaven that flooded out from the caverns to take advantage of the devastation that the earthquake had unleashed on the Dwarfs.[2a]
In his wisdom, the king shut off access to the great city. In doing so he also shut off the Dwarfs from contact with the outside world and it has remained much this way to the current day. The gates are only opened to allow the high king's army to march to war.[2a]
In the rare event that this happens, the gates are opened in silence with no ceremony. Dwarfs do not celebrate war and a Dwarf army on the march from Karaz-a-Karak. Whilst a sight to behold, it is a solemn affair.[2a]
Banner bearing the Dwarf rune that symbolises Karaz-a-Karak
The gates of the city have only ever been besieged twice in its long history and both times the besiegers have been forced to abandon their attempts. Even the largest of the great war machines that the Orc Warlord Ugrok Beard Burner brought to bear on the gate barely caused an indentation in the thick stone. The Orc warlord himself realized the futility of trying to break down the gate with the giant battering ram he had constructed, and the Dwarfs sallied forth and destroyed his horde as he lifted the siege.[2a]
It is said that amongst the defences of the hold are great rivers of molten lava that can be poured from the mouths of the carved stone dragons that sit atop the upper wall of the gate. Also, it is claimed that the hills around the approach to the gates are filled with powerful steam engines, which can cause avalanches and rockslides, and even drop lengths of the path into hidden chasms and crevasses. [2a]
All Dwarfs hold hope in their hearts that one day the giant gate of the great stronghold will open once more and that fine Dwarf craftsmanship will once again be available to trade across the world. Until that day, the Dwarfs continue to remain safely protected from the outside world, behind the stone fortress that protects their great subterranean city.[2a]
Notable Locations[]
Throne Hall of the High King[]
"The gigantic chamber that holds the Throne of Power, when it is not at the head of a throng, is a mighty place that even High Elven ambassadors have been impressed and cowed by. Shafts of light spill from ceiling holes constructed many hundreds of feet above to spotlight the High King and bathe him in radiance, while keeping emissaries, both friendly and rival, in the literal and metaphorical dark."
- —Description of Throne Hall of the High King in Total War: Warhammer.[6]
The Throne Hall of Karaz-a-Karak is where the Throne of Power lies when in residence; where the High King of the Dwarfs sits reading the Dammaz Kron. Of all the great halls in all the Dwarf kingdoms, none has ever surpassed the size, grandeur and sheer elegance of the High King's Hall in Karaz-a-Kanak. Few outsiders have ever been granted an audience inside the hall. Those who have been so fortunate tell tales of a great vault so large that it could contain a small town of Men.[2b][6]
The tall roof of the vault is supported by a forest of pillars. Precisely one thousand of these pillars stretch towards the ceiling. Each pillar has been ornately carved by one of the Dwarf clans. On them is carved the symbols and histories of each of the clans. Many of the pillars are only carved just over halfway, as these are the pillars of those clans whose line has been wiped out. Others are almost fully carved from the foot to the top. Each decade a member of the clan will travel to the great hall and spend months recording their latest history on the stone.[2b]
The ceiling of the hall is embedded with sapphires and diamonds. These are placed specifically to represent the constellations of the stars. This planetarium is believed to have been the work of the High Elves in the distant days when the two nations of the Elder Races were united in purpose, though no Dwarf will ever speak of this. These stones glitter as they reflect the light cast upon them from the many bronze braziers that are placed at equal short spaced intervals down the length of the hall. These braziers are finely cast and each one has a ruby set into it. Each of these rubies are the same size, and each one has been identically cut to have the same number of faces on it. If a jewelsmith were ever allowed to examine these stones he would be astounded at the flawless quality of the gems.[2b]
The glow of the flames illuminates the intricately carved walls. The carvings depict the history of the Dwarf race, beginning with the legends of the Ancestor Gods and telling of each major event, and a few of the more obscure minor affairs that have shaped Dwarf history.[2b]
When a new high king is crowned he must be able to recite this history word-for-word before the coronation takes place. This ceremony can take days and the king is fully expected to know every name and detail of each and every incident. Unlike the short-lived memories of Men, Dwarfs are able to recall precisely even insignificant moments of their long lives.
A red carpet runs down the mile-long length of the hall to a wide and very steep set of steps made from black marble that reaches up towards the dais. Upon the dais is the high king's throne. The Throne of Power has been in use by the reigning High King of the Dwarfs for over four thousand years. Four bodyguards lay claim to the honour of being the Throne Bearers. This honour is given only to the strongest of Dwarfs who have proved themselves loyal and brave in many battles.
It is said that the Throne of Power was carved by the Ancestor God Grungni himself. He worked the great rune of Azamar into it, which is also known as the Rune of Eternity. Such is its power that no Runesmith has ever been able to copy it. Dwarf legend foretells that should the rune ever fail to protect the throne then the Dwarf race will be doomed.[2b]
The hall has been cleverly designed so that when the high king gives an audience, he is able to speak in whispered tones and even a Dwarf at the very back of the hall would be able to hear him as clearly as if he stood right next to the monarch. Twice every century a Dwarf representative will travel to the hall for the day of Grudgement. On this day the representatives will each take it in turns to recite which grudges have been righted and then they will in turn list those grudges which have since been added to their own books.
The high king himself will either strike these out from his own Great Book of Grudges or add them to it. As it is a magical tome only the high king himself knows whether the long list grows or shrinks, but from the dour demeanor of the the current high king, Thorgrim Grudgebearer, it seems that the Dwarfs will be bearing grudges for many more centuries to come.[2b]
There are many halls built in Karaz-a-Karak, most of which lie deserted and have not been entered in many centuries. The Dwarfs gather in numbers in the west halls of the old city but they still send their armies off to cleanse out a hall if they bear word that it has been overrun with Goblins or Skaven. When they cleanse a hall they will spend many years restoring it to its former glory before sealing the doors until the day that the Dwarf nation is once again strong enough to reclaim all the mountains of the Old World from their ancient foes.[2b]
Sources[]
- 1: Citadel Journal (Autumn 1985)
- 1a: pg. 43
- 2:Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (6th Edition)
- 3:Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (7th Edition), pg. 25
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Lords of Stone and Steel (RPG)
- 4a: pg. 23
- 6: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Doomstones 1 - Fire in the Mountains (RPG)
- 7a: pg. 6
- 8: Wolf Riders (Short Story) by William King
Gallery[]
