Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Zanda

“The High Kind may have seen his grudges settled with the fall of Tor Alessi, but any dwarf whose ancestors hailed from Karak Zanda will never accept the elgi as anything other than oathbreakers. The worst of their lot are those tree-dwelling lot who to this day continue to add to the grudges of their treasonous past. If my axe isn’t sinking into an elgi skull, then the next best thing is sinking into a bloody tree.”

~ Brodrek Oakhewer, Grey Mountain Dwarf

Karak Zanda was the westernmost dwarfen hold during the Golden Age. Founded as an outpost to protect trade caravans travelling along the west-to-east route through Axe Bite Pass. As a true symbol of the peace and prosperity of the age, Karak Zanda grew from a small outpost of several hundred warriors to become a prosperous hold in an otherwise unremarkable landscape.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Khazarak

“Karaz Ghumzul did not turn its back on Karaz Ankor! The High King did not try hard enough to make peace work! Our livelihoods were ruined when that senseless war was started, and our lives destroyed when we were ordered to execute reckless assaults! Karaz Ghumzul was the only answer to a High King who couldn’t see past his own nose! That foolish war was the reason our hold fell! Bah! The dwarfs of Karaz Ghumzul owe nothing to the High King, it’s he who should right the wrongs the Throne of Power did to us!”

~ Thendri Noriksson, Imperial Dwarf of Middenheim

Karak Khazarak was one of the few dwarfen holds founded by edict from the High King, with the intention of nurturing good relations with the elves. Unfortunately for Karak Khazarak, also by edict of the High King, the War of Vengeance would destroy centuries of work cultivating a strong bond between the two races. The results of this destructive war would lay the foundation for a new chapter in Karak Khazarak’s history as the first hold to break away from Karaz Ankor.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Dum

“For twenty years we fought day and night, living off of durazbrog. We were prisoners in our own hold, for there was no way out. At the same time we were a guerilla resistance to thwart the daemonic armies corruption of our ancient halls. We would sneak out our rune-hidden doors and slay whatever daemons or chaos warriors we could see before retreating back to our hidden alcoves. Karak Dum was designed to last, and even when lost, it fought on. My greatest shame that I can’t keep fighting on to this day!”

~ Thanor Thangrimsson, Survivor of Karak Dum

The lost hold of Karak Dum was always a forlorn outpost of Karaz Ankor. Founded at the southern edge of the Chaos Wastes, Karak Dum was the first line of defense in the event of a major incursion. Absent a major incursion, Karak Dum tirelessly worked to cull the followers of Chaos and prevent them from travelling south beyond Blackblood Pass. The dwarfs who manned the fortress city knew that they were not there to achieve great wealth, but to give their lives in the spirit of Grimnir and hold back Chaos as long as they could.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Vlag

“Look at them all, they avert their eyes from me, and the mere mention of my name causes them to shudder. I wasn’t born with this name, but it is my family’s burden that the eldest of our clan should bear the name of our great ancestor whose loss remains a mystery to us all to this day. When I die, my son shall take upon the name until the day comes when Karak Vlag is found and reclaimed. Find it on our own we shall, but who knows what we will discover.”

~ Anarbarziz Grudgebound, Descendant of the last King of Karak Vlag

Karak Vlag, or Desolation Hold in Reikspiel, stood as one of the mightiest fortresses built during the Golden Age of Karaz Ankor. The dwarfen Ancestor Gods specifically warned of the threat of Chaos, and thus Karak Vlag was formed as a bastion to hold back the tide and slow them down as much as possible. Alas, no amount of dwarfen engineering and ingenuity could have foreseen the fate that would befall Karak Vlag. In fact, to this day the there are only rumors about what happened to Karak Vlag, for no one knows for certain.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Bryn

“The Order of Guardians has one simple calling in life, and that is to return the undead to their rightful place. Gazul has charged us with the protection of the dead, and those who would defile the eternal rest of the dead deserve death themselves. There is no grey area in this matter. The dead have their place in the Underearth and no where else. Karak Bryn is an affront to the strictures of Gazul, and the Order of Guardians shall not rest until the Queen of Evil has a stake driven through her putrid heart.”

~ Jacbo Agril-Lhune, Guardian of Gazul

The ancient hold of Karak Bryn was once a shining example of how the dwarfs could establish new trade relations with the human race. Trade offered not only the exchange of goods, but also of ideas, and deepened the shared knowledge of two races. These trade relations for Karak Bryn however would also be the cause of the unwitting downfall of the hold, when misplaced faith bore the fruit of treason. Today the hold is known to the humans who live under its shadow as the Silver Pinnacle, a place that inspires both admiration and trepidation.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Ungor

“I’ll not have the title of king until I sit on the throne of my ancestors and Karak Ungor is in dwarfen hands once more. I tell you now, to call me king is to insult the oath I have taken. Until that day comes, I’ll only go by the title of prince, and more to honor my ancestors than from pride. The Red Eyes will pay for the centuries of humiliation they have inflicted upon my ancestors. So long as there is a Stonehammer left living, the Redeyes will know no peace.”

~Ulther Stonehammer, Prince of Karak Ungor and leader of the Dragon Company

Karak Ungor was once famed throughout Karaz Ankor for having the largest and deepest mine network of all the dwarfen holds, larger even than the vast network of Karak Eight Peaks. In a time when the dwarfs knew not of the dangers from below, these mines were viewed solely as a source of wealth, and when their wealth was exhausted they were abandoned without a second thought. The fall of Karak Ungor would drastically change how the dwarfs treated their abandoned mines.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Mount Gunbad

“Who are we if we do not attempt to retake that which the ancestors founded? Mount Gunbad was the source of such great wealth for Karaz Ankor, yet we have let it become infested with the filthy grobi’drazh. Their mushroom-addled minds fill the ancient mines with thoughts unfit for civilization. If our ancestors were to know what had become of their home, the shame would be unbearable. My father had the right idea to attempt to reclaim the mines, how could I possibly turn my back to his life’s goal?”

~ Freyga Logazorsdottir of Mount Gunbad

Mount Gunbad was the wealthiest mine in all of Karaz Ankor. So great was its wealth and economic importance that the dwarfs of Mount Gunbad were exempt from participation in the War of Vengeance. Though it would avoid the loss of life during this bloody war, the struggle for existence would come to its doorstep during the Silver Road Wars. The dwarfs successfully retook Mount Gunbad, only to be forced to abandon it once more.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karag Agilwutraz

“Clan Gunnisson has bled for the High King time and again in every struggle since the Time of Woes, yet the High King is not sympathetic to our cause. Once Karag Agilwutraz held a respected position in Karaz Ankor. Now it is but a memory of the forsaken east. How much more will Clan Gunnisson have to bleed before the High King honors our sacrifice, and our common ancestors, and marches to cleanse Karag Agilwutraz of the urk filth that occupies it?”

~ Matriarch Helgrid Gunnsdottir of Clan Gunnisson of Karag Agilwutraz

Karag Agilwutraz, or Mount Silverspear in Reikspiel, was once one of the wealthiest mines in all of Karaz Ankor, second only to Mount Gunbad. So great was its wealth and economic weight, that Karag Agilwutraz’s citizens were exempt from taking part in the War of Vengeance. The hold however was precariously located along the eastern face of the World’s Edge Mountains, and when the Time of Woes came, the dwarfs of Karag Agilwutraz would be among the first to witness the destructive power of the greenskins.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Varn

“If we’re to retake Karak Eight Peaks, or any other fallen hold for that matter, we must start with Karak Varn! Arm a throng in gromril armor and they’ll be unstoppable! Everyone here knows how crucial gromril is for our struggle, yet all of you balk at the idea of marching into Karak Varn! The gromril’s there for the taking! All we need to do is march in the right direction!”

~ Hadrin Gromdoki, Prospector and Explorer

Karak Varn, the Hold of the Alpine Lake, was once the source of the most precious ore to the dwarfs – gromril. So precious is this metal that dwarfs are forbidden to trade it to non-dwarfs. It is said that there is not a piece of gromril armor or finely crafted gromril weapon which doesn’t have a bit of Karak Varn in it. Alas, the Great Cataclysm that rocked Karaz Ankor was merciless and Karak Varn experienced the wrath of nature firsthand.

Dwarfen Holds ~ Karak Azorn

“My heart breaks and my blood boils at the thought! Words cannot capture the range of feelings felt at the loss of Karak Azorn, and the manner in which it happened! Karaz Ankor is so focused on the grudges of the fallen holds in the World’s Edge Mountains, but they dare not think of what happened in the east! No, the east is a direction that the dwarfs do not look to. Well I will never stop looking to the east, to avenge the wrongs inflicted upon my kin! Every dwarf shall hear my name and not be allowed to forget!”

~ Dagril Zannar, Survivor of Karak Azorn

Karak Azorn, named the Axe Plateau Hold for the location upon which it was founded. Along with Karak Vrag and Karak Krakaten, Karak Azorn was one of the triplet holds founded in the Mountains of Mourn, by an expedition of dwarfs who dared to brave the horrors of the east at the prospect of great wealth. Unfortunately, the horrors proved more real then the wealth they hoped for.