Logan Bronzebeard

It was only 50 years after the end of the War of Vengeance that the truly devastating moment of Karak Ankor would arrive in the form of a massive series of earthquakes that rocked the World Edge Mountains, and caused irreparable 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 fissures 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 fateful move against Karak Ankor.

The Greenskin

The Skaven had begin to infiltrate massive number of Skaven into the weakened tunnel systems of the Dwarves in preparation for a massive invasion. Alongside this new deployment of their own forces they had spent years before the earthquakes launching their own attacks against the greenskin in an attempt to bring them into the conflict, and this took the form of burning 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, and recovering from the War of Vengeance the Dwarves were unable to do anything to really stop this goblin migration into the World Edge Mountains. The Goblins had always been around and in a way tolerated by the Dwarves, but now it was as if they were attempting to take over the Dwarven Holds in a way they had never before even attempted. The first sign that things were changing was when a goblin army led by a force of Black Orcs rampaged through the Dwarven realm of Karak Ungor, and this would be the true start of the War of Tears.

Fall of Karak Ungor

Karak Ungor stood at the far east of the World Edge Mountains and for this reason the entire Hold was the first thing in the path of the massive Goblin Horde that was screaming in from their old lands in Ukraine and farther east. The Dwarves who lived here dug more deeply than any other to promote and capture precious metals-a-days, and so deep and so widespread were their tunnels that even the most experienced amongst the Hold's miners didn't know the full extent of how far the tunnels went. After the earthquakes, the city was shaken as countless Night Goblins flocked to the numerous half-forgotten tunnels in the city and destroyed the defenders who barely were aware of the problem even as their outlying mines were overrun. Thulerd Bronzebeard would lead a small force from the Realm of Ekrund into the Realm of Ungor in order to ascertain what was happening with the realm and arriving at the main gatehouse they were attacked by Goblins and Thulerd would be captured by the greenskin while the rest of the party outside of Dwilin Bronzebeard were killed leaving Dwilin to return to Ekrund with news of the fall of Karak Ungor.With news of the fall of the actual Hold itself having spread it was Morek Stonehammer the King of the Stonehammer Clan that brought in massive numbers from the other Stonehammer Clan Hold of Karak Varn and attempted to retake the Hold. The army would make four attempts to retake the city but each attack failed due to the defenses of their own fortress and the incredible amount of goblins that were now teeming in the Hold. On the final attack they were joined by a force from Ekrund led by Snorri Bronzebeard of whom would manage to get inside the main gatehouse of Karak Ungor but once inside they were set upon by the Greenskin leader and his bodyguard and after Snorri was killed by the Goblin King the army would retreat leaving the goblins in command of the fortress. After these seemingly countless trials, they fought back to Karak Varn, and Karak Kadrin in the hopes of regrouping. The goblins would rename the Hold Red Eye Mountain and it would become the main base of the Goblins for centuries following its fall.

When Karak Ungor fell the High Dwarves were still extremely strong and because of this the High King in Gotrek Starbreaker called a meeting of the Kings of the Holds in Karaz-Az-Karak where he wanted to discuss what steps they would take as a people. As the Dwarves arrived the Kings of the eastern Holds discussed how they were under massive assault from Goblins coming from the east, and also their were growing number of attacks from Skaven who were burrowing from beneath the Holds themselves. All of this news though was overshadowed by the fact that a large number of Holds had not come when summoned, and this would be the beginning of the schism of the Dwarven Race as the Sof-Dwarves sent token forces to show their support and the Rof-Dwarves barely sent anything. Gotrek Starbreaker who had lost three sons in the recent War of Vengeance which he had fought to defend many of these now absent holds was beyond upset about this dishonor and there was some discussion about attacking these absent holds but this was shelved when messengers arrived making it clear that Karak Varn was coming under massive assault.

Battle of Karak Varn

-Dagus Tharassian

Now acting alone the main force would fight for hours against the massive Goblin horde and when the dust had settled the Goblin horde lay destroyed but the main force was much diminished and word came to them that the northern force was falling before the forces attacking the Hold itself. When he asked whether the Hold could be held he was told that it was no longer possible, and it is said that Hinder wept tears of pain over the loss of the Hold before ordering all Dwarves in the realm of Karak Varn to retreat. Much of the people of Karak Varn were able to retreat to the nearby Karak Eight Peaks, but the forces within the Hold were nearly completely gone, and the northern force had lost huge numbers saving the Dwarves of Karak Varn so that they could escape. As the forces retreated Gotrek Starbreaker would be killed alongside one of his two remaining children, and several other Kings as the main force came under attack from the surrounding hills, and lost huge numbers trying to get to Karak Eight Peaks. The northern force had taken the southern way out and headed south towards Karak Caraz in an attempt to save the force from Barak Varr. By the time they reached the Hold all the Dwarves had either fled or lay dead inside the empty Hold of Karak Caraz.

Fall of Karak Drazh

"Everything was collapsing around us, and with the High King dead, and his brother coming to power, and then dying the entire Dwarven Race held its breathe for the death blow."

-Kraggder Grimnar

With the Dwarven army now in tatters, the new High King was sworn in, and before anyone could plan anything it was discovered that he was besieged in Karak Drazh. At this point the Dwarves were basically helpless, and as they planned a counter attack they got word back that Karak Drazh had fallen along with the High King in the fighting. Dwarves wept, and the sence of defeat was over everyone but Gotrek Starbreaker IV. the new High King would pull everyone up and take the High King crown. Gotrek Starbreaker IV. changed strategies from dealing with the Goblins in the open to attempting to rebuild as much of the Underway as they could while at the same time shoring up their defenses for any attacks that might come. The plan was the entire Karak Ankor to dig in while Brazen tried to get assistance from Croatia, and the Rof Dwarves as he believed that without help they would all fall. When Karak Drazh fell though everyone knew that the capital of the south in Karak Eight Peaks was right in the path of the Goblin Horde, and thus Brazen made the defense of Karak Eight Peaks a top priority.

Fall of Karak Eight Peaks

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