Karak Ankor

Karak Ankor is the largest Dwarf Empire, and makes it central homes around the Croatian areas of the World Edge Mountains. Once it was the mightiest Empire in Europe, but it became embroiled in a massive war with its one time allies in the High Elves, and following this before it could rebuild its armies, catastrophic earhquakes opened up their underground Kingdom to the advance of the goblins, and Skaven. Since then Karak Ankor has lost all of its western Holds to independance and many of its other holds to destruction.

Karak Ankor has two points of divergance where one could point to its creation. The first was during the exodus of the Dwarves from Finland and into the lands of Eastern Europe, while the second is the ancient days of the Eternity Wars where the Dwarves were present and in control of their own land devoid of interferance in Finland. Either way the Dwarven Empire of Karak Ankor is truly ancient and it was this ancient history that eventually would create the truly shocking moment as it begin to fall into disrepair. Karak Ankor would meet its first threat when during the leadup to the First War of Chaos they noticed the changes in the lands of the North and thus relocated much of their race to lands of Eastern Europe of which mainly was the mountain range of the World Edge Mountains. From here they would survive the First War of Chaos and following its conclusion they would become intertwined with the largest surviving good empire in the High Elves of whome would begin colonizing western Europe at the same time the Dwarves grew fabulously rich off the trade that went on between the two and the expansion into western Europe. The Golden Age for both would end during the War of Vengeance that would leave both Empires bloody and unable to react ever again on the scale that they had before this conflict. Following the War of Vengeance a small event occured which would cause the series of events that would eventually lead to the decline and near destruction of Karak Ankor. This event was the fall of Kavzar which heralded the rise of the Skaven. At first the Skaven were of little consequence but they would silently grow massive numbers to the point that they had tunnels running beneath the entire breath of Karak Ankor, and it would be during this time that two monumental events would occur of which both would be started by the Skaven and both would lead to dire consequences for Karak Ankor. First the Skaven nearly destroyed the world when they ignited Warpstone inside Skavenblight and this would lead to fisures erupting in the deep places of the world which destroyed many Holds, tunnels, and mines in Karak Ankor and left the bruised Dwarven Empire pleading for relief that was not coming. With the Dwarves weakened the Skaven would instigate the migration of thousands of Goblins westward and this migration alongside a massive Skaven invasion would leave Karak Ankor on the verge of destruction.

Overview
The Empire was mostly made of of large mountain fortress/city/mines called Holds. Thousands of Dwarfs populated the ancient halls and built great works. The Dwarfs used their ancient underground network of tunnels - called the Deeproad - throughout the World's Edge Mountains to travel between most of the strongholds. The Empire's Capital is Karak-A-Karak and it's leader the High King. However gradually over time the Empire has begun to crumble, due to the marauding forces of Greenskins, Skaven, War of Vengeance and the coming of Chaos. The Karak Ankor of today is far from the grandeur and majesty of it's ancient past, or possessing the untold riches it once had.

Early History
Karak Ankor has two points of divergance where one could point to its creation. The first was during the exodus of the Dwarves from Finland and into the lands of Eastern Europe, while the second is the ancient days of the Eternity Wars where the Dwarves were present and in control of their own land devoid of interferance in Finland. Either way the Dwarven Empire of Karak Ankor is truly ancient and it was this ancient history that eventually would create the truly shocking moment as it begin to fall into disrepair.

War with Chaos
Main Article : First War with Chaos

The forces of Chaos begin overwhelming and corupting many of the early tribes that existed during this period, and in Europe found there only real competetion was the Human Empire of Pruta in England, and The Dwarven Empire of Karak Ankor. The forces of Karak Ankor attempted to arm the human tribes but found that the vast majority of the humans simply hid themselves and took no part in the conflict. As the years dragged on the Dwarven Holds were completely besieged but each time the Demons attempted to break the sieges and actualy capture the Hold they were repulsed with horrible casualties.



War of Vengeance
Main Article : War of Vengeance

The War of Vengeance was a war fought between the Dwarves of Karak Ankor, and the High Elves. The war began when the Dark Elves began instigating a conflict between the two sides. The war would eventually lead to massive battles, and extreme losses on both sides. In the end the Elves were defeated in the final battle of the War, and the crown of the Pheonix King was brought to stay in Karaz-A-Karak where it remains to this day.

At the end of the conflict the Dwarves were in nearly sole possetion of Europe and its trading routes which it greatly coveted. This conflict though would silently lead to the exhaustion of the Dwarven armies, who were at a very low level of strength.



Collapse of the Deeproad
It was only 4 years after the end of the War of Vengeance that the truly devestating moment of Karak Ankor would arrive.

A massive series of earthquakes rocked the World Edge Mountains, and caused irreprable damage to many of the Dwarven Holds. The Skaven had not intended on causing this but they had attempted to open their great hanging bell within Skavenblight and instead had nearly destroyed the world, and had caused massive fisures to spread throughout the deep places of the world. The Skaven were depleted dramatically but the Dwarven losses were far more difficult to replace and thus the trade off ended up being a very good one for the Skaven.This damage along with the severe depletion of their armies in the War of Vengeance meant that the Dwarves were very vulnerable at this point, and it would be at this point that the thirteen Skaven Lords would decide to make their final move against Karak Ankor.

Greenskins
The Skaven begin to inflitrate massive number of Skaven into the weakened tunnel systems of the Dwarves in preperation for a massive invasion. Before they would launch their own attack they prepared a larger more insidious plan when they begin to assasinate and burn whole villages of Goblins in the regions of Ukraine. These massacres led to the Goblins doing exactly what the Skaven thought they would do when they migrated westward into the path of Karak Ankor and the World Edge Mountains. The Goblins had always been around, but now it was as if they were attempting to take over the Dwarven Holds in a way they had never before even attempted.

After decades of fighting a losing battle against the Goblins the Dwarves were hit with the hammer stroke in the form of the Skaven.

Splitting of the Empire
With the Blade Edge Mountains in Chaos the Holds to the west begin systamatically leaving the Empire of Karak Ankor. It started with the creation of the Sof-Dwarven Council, which was set up as a spot for Dwarves who were too far away from the Underwar to assist but still wished to be a part of Karak Ankor.

Geography


The main elements of Karak Ankor are located in the depths of the mountains of eastern Croatia. The mountains of this region are especially cold, and due to this the lands outside are not hispitable to farming. Due to this lack of agriculture the Dwarves have been forced to grow food inside the mountains, and this makes for their fungi diet, and strange creatures that the husband.

Points of Interest
Karak Ankor once spread from the mountains of France in the west to the valley of Mourn in the east, to the deserts of Araby in the south, to the Lands of Chaos in the north. The present day Empire is only a fraction of its former self and its Holds are now only present in the central areas of the World Edge Mountains.

Karaz-A-Karak
See Also : Karaz-A-Karak

Karaz-A-Karak is the capital of the Dwarven Civilization, and by far the largest and most important city that the Dwarves have left.

The first Hold of the Dwarven race following their exodus from Finland, they have since the first days of its founding held this fortress with determination and grit. Other then perhaps the extremely populated Dwarven Hold of Karak Matron there isn't any settlement of Dwarves that comes close to the hundreds of thousands of Dwarves that call Karaz-A-Karak home.

As the capital of Karak Ankor the Hold of Karaz-A-Karak is the seat of the High King of Karak Ankor, and it is from here that he sits with the book of grudges, and makes the decisions on what the Dwarven Empire will do next.



Ekrund
See Also : Ekrund

Ekrund is a major Dwarf Hold of the High Dwarves, and is a central piece to the survival of Karak Ankor. As one of the surviving holds of Karak Ankor this hold has seen its fair share of violence and attack.

Situated inside a valley, and with mines that were not as badly damaged by the earthquakes that destroyed much of the other Karak Ankor Holds has meant that it is the safest and most populated of the Karak Holds and is only explised by the capital.

Ekrund is currently led by its Lord Kurden Bronzebeard who has led it for centuries. The bronzebeard family has traditionally been the rulers of Ekrund, with the current Kurden being the longest reigning in Ekrund history.



Karak Kadrin
See Also : Karak Kadrin

Karak Kadrin is a Dwarf stronghold which guards Peak Pass, an important trading route which runs through the World Edge Mountains from the distant east to Europe. Karak Kadrin benefits from its position, having become a wealthy trading center.

A member of Karak Ankor its position is of vital importance and because of this armies have flowed out from Karaz-A-Karak on numerous occasions to break sieges of Karak Kadrin.

Karak Kadrin is known as the slayer hold due to the fact that it's original King was dishonored and forced to take the vow of the slayer. Following this he begin establishing a home for the slayers in the Hold so that they could better marshal their strength before meeting their end.



Karak Azul
See Also : Karak Azul

Karak Azul is a major Dwarven Hold and a member of Karak Ankor. As one of the few surviving Holds of Karak Ankor it is a member of a dying club. Its position is one where it is under near constant attack from the surrounding Goblin, and Skaven mines and settlements.

The Hold itself is noteable for being the center of the Iron Dwarves, who are a major clan, that has a history that is filled with moments where they betrayed others, or did evil deeds. This reputation is only ofset and ignored by the fact that they are extremely powerful, and their Hold is of extreme importance.

Goverment
Karak Ankor is ruled by the High King of the Dwarves, who resides and has resided in the capital for its history.

The High King of Karak Ankor is a unique position unlike any other KIng in Europe. While the King has complete control over the military direction that Karak Ankor goes, he has basically no control over what the internal Holds to with themselves. These Holds will control little Kingdoms and each of them rules themselves except in the instance where the High King requires them for war.

To not respond when the High King calls on you is to commit one of the greatest sins a dward of Karak Ankor can commit.

With respect to everything outside of war, the High King sits on a council where he is of equal power to all the other Lords of Karak Ankor.

The current High King is Brazen Ironflagger

The current Lords of Karak Ankor are

Ekrund - Kurden Bronzebeard

Karak Kadrin - Magni Brownkicker

Karak Azul - Dagus Tharassian