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Just some backstory I wrote for my WFRP character Vala Vanyrasdottir, including an overview of the history of her Hold, Karak Azulagromaz. Was a fun little exercise, especially learning to use the Khazalid language to create the name of the hold and Algrimm's hammer.

The History of Karak Azulagromaz “The Hold of Defiant Iron” and the Tragedy of Princess Vala Vanyras

Karak Azulagromaz was established in the golden age of the Dawi, located in the northern Worlds Edge Mountains, between Karak Kadrin and Karak Ungor. The wealth of the hold was primarily the abundant iron deposits, which yields ore of an incredible purity. In addition to this, many rich veins of gromril have been found in the mines beneath the hold, along with silver and even some gold, which further added to the wealth of the dwarf hold.

The Dwarfs of Karak Azulagromaz fought in the War of Vengeance against the elves, taking part in the Battle of Three Towers at Tor Alessi. In this battle King Yorri Storrisson slew the elf lord Bel-Tharel in single combat.
The Time of Woes was devastating for the hold. Earthquakes destroyed Karak Azulagromaz’s connection to the Underway and killed countless dwarfs in tunnel collapses, both in the mines and in the hold itself. When the mines were reopened and the underway excavated, a great horde of foul greenskins poured into the hold. The grobi were eventually pushed back into the dark tunnels from which they came, but at great cost. The Underway was closed off behind great iron gates, closing off the hold from the subterranean roads of the dwarf kingdoms, whilst constant attacks by the orcs and goblins broke themselves on the defences of the Dawi.

The isolation of Karak Azulagromaz was broken by the emergence of the tribes of men in the lands to the west. Smiths taught the men the basics of ironworking, whilst the dwarf warriors taught the men to fight in formation in order to assist them in their efforts to drive the greenskins from the western lands, which was eventually successful. Following the defeat of the greenskins the dwarfs opened a trade route through the mountains to men living in the west, in the land that would eventually become the nation of Kislev. The dwarfs took no part in the wars between the Ungols and the Gospodars, regarding it as typical short sighted manling squabbles. Following multiple goblin raids, the mountain pass was steadily reinforced with multiple great gates, each defended by stout dwarf warriors and war machines of master dwarf craftsmanship. These defences were soon to be tested.

When the forces of Chaos returned, the Azulagromazi mustered their throngs in order to come to the aid of their human allies, besieged in the city of Kislev. Before they could march to Kislev, however, an enormous chaos horde led by the chosen chaos warrior Vayskral The Bone Crusher laid siege to the hold. The forces of chaos broke through two of the three great gates that defended the hold, those manning the defences fighting to the last dwarf in order to buy those behind time to prepare. At the final gate the tide of chaos broke, being held at bay for a week of constant fighting and ground down upon a wall of sturdy dwarf steel. The Azulagromazi poured out from the gate in a surge of steel and iron, their shields locked and axes flashing in the sunlight, whilst enormous stone throwers rained boulders upon the chaos lines and bolt throwers pierced the horrendous, twisted monsters that moved through the horde. Vayskral killed many dwarfs until he faced the runic greathammer of Thane Algrimm Dorinsson of Clan Brynklad. The great maul struck the chaos warrior down, his armour shattered and his body broken, upon the white snow. With the loss of the enemy general, the chaos lines faltered and broke, but found themselves trapped by the first great gate which had been secretly repaired and shut behind them by a contingent of rangers, miners and engineers. The chaos horde was crushed, slain to a man by the grim dwarfs avenging their fallen kin as the forces of Magnus the Pious and High King Alriksson broke the siege of Kislev and pushed the forces of chaos back to the northern wastes.

Following the defeat of the forces of chaos, there was a period of what the Dawi consider peace, with only intermittent greenskin raids. When King Baragor Yorrisson abdicated without a direct heir, his nephew Algrimm was voted unanimously by the Council of Elders to take the throne in recognition of his impeccable honour and feats of martial prowess. Algrimm was crowned in the Imperial year 2400. Thirteen years after ascending to the throne Algrimm’s wife Vanyra gave birth to their first daughter, Vala, and a great feast was thrown in celebration and a weeks’ worth of ale was drunk over the course of a single night.

Algrimm’s reign was good for the kingdom, seeing an increase in trade between Karak Azulagromaz and Kislev and the Empire which brought wealth into the depleted treasuries of the hold. Though the hold was prosperous, tragedy struck Clan Brynklad when a great raiding warband of orcs from Red Eye Mountain broke into the mines beneath the citadel during an inspection by Queen Vanyra. Her bodyguards fought to the last dwarf but were unable to prevent the great black orc warlord Girbug from reaching their queen. Leaving her body behind, the orcs retreated back into the caverns and dark tunnels of the mountain when reinforcements arrived, taking the crown of Vanyra with them.
Such a wrong could not go unanswered and a grudge was entered into the Book of Grudges immediately yet the dwarfs would not wait to avenge it and retaliation was immediate. King Algrimm himself led an expedition of his finest warriors after the orcs, along with a regiment of miners seeking vengeance for the queen who had fallen whilst admiring their work. The orcs had made camp in a great cavern several days march from the hold and the dwarfs fell upon them like a rockslide. Algrimm carved his way through the green mass of snarling, roaring orcs, his runehammer leaving their bodies shattered in his wake, until he came face to face with Girbug. The black greathammer Grundakolaz met the enormous battle-axe Gitcarver with a sound like thunder. The cavern echoed with the sound of battle, the clash of steel on steel, the guttural warcries of the orcs mingled with the harsh oaths of the dwarfs. The mighty blows of Gitcarver were unable to penetrate the fine gromril armour of Algrimm, its runes of protection glowing in the darkness of the cavern with each blow. The cacophony of battle was drowned out by the rumbling of the mountain as the cavern roof gave way, great boulders dropping onto the melee below. Algrimm was struck and though his runic armour saved him from death, his hammer was wrenched from his hand by the force of the blow and he was trapped beneath the rock. As the dust of the cave-in cleared, the enormous orc warlord rose, axe in hand. As he raised his weapon above the pinned dwarf king, his armour was pierced by the sturdy pick of a dwarf miner, wounding the leg of the green beast. With a roar the warlord batted the dwarf away with a swing of his battle-axe, before rounding on him with murderous rage. As the enormous orc advanced on the stunned miner, a dwarf warrior charged him from out of the rubble, Grundakolaz whirling, a warcry bellowing from under their helmet. The runic Warhammer crushed into the back of Girbug, knocking him to the floor, before the hammer fell upon the helpless orc for the final time, cracking his skull upon the stone floor.

With the death of the orc warlord the remaining raiders were swiftly routed, fleeing back into the dark tunnels from whence they came. King Algrimm called the two dwarfs before him to honou their bravery and acknowledge the debt he owed them. It was at this point that the dwarf warrior removed their helmet, revealing themselves to be none other than Vala Vanyrasdottir herself, Algrimm’s daughter. The king was shocked to find his daughter amongst the throng, flouting tradition, but was bound by his word and his honour and so could not punish her for her actions. Indeed, no dwarf could fault her determination to avenge her mother’s death. To settle the debt, Vala requested her own life in the form of the ability to marry her own choice of husband and retain her position within her clan. Although the request was unheard of in the history of the hold, Algrimm considered it a fair price for the life of a king. At this decision Vala turned to the miner and requested his name, which he gave as Thori Rungnisson. Vala extended a proposal to Thori and invited him to join Clan Brynklad as her husband in recognition of his bravery in battle, devotion to his king and honour. This shocked the assembled elders, though none could deny the dwarf’s character. Thori, though honoured by the proposal, declared that he must decline for he did not have the wealth required for Vala’s dowry. At this Algrimm spoke up, announcing that Thori would receive a king’s ransom in gold as payment of the debt he owed the dwarf, giving him ample wealth to pay Vala’s weight in gold, as was tradition. The matter was settled and it was decided that Vala and Thori would be married the following month, with a full week of feasting, drinking and storytelling.

Vala and Thori were married in 2457. At the ceremony King Algrimm presented Thori with a runic pickaxe of the finest quality, embossed with gold and studded with fine gems. In the year 2458, they had their first child, a son who was given the name Dorin Thorisson. Dorin was followed by a daughter, Sigrid, in 2460 and then a son, Harek in 2464. Vala took her mother’s place on the Council of Elders, as her father had sworn that he would not marry against due to his grief.

In the year 2508. Sigrid was due to marry Thane Baragor Kraggsson of Karak Hirn. A diplomatic caravan of Sigrid, Dorin, Harek and an escort of the royal guard set forth to Karak Hirn, travelling overland through the Empire due to reports of increasing numbers of greenskins in the mountains. Several weeks later, they were ambushed near the human city of Nuln. The only dwarf to make it back to Karak Azulagromaz was a critically wounded Harek, who told of a powerful sorcerer who wielded the dark magics of chaos. With him he brought a shield, discarded by one of the murderous humans, upon which the coat of arms of the city of Marienburg was painted. Harek, barely clinging to life, told his mother that Sigrid had been taken alive. At that moment Vala swore an oath that she would not rest until her daughter was returned and this wrong avenged and the grudge stricken from the records. Vala would not listen to counsel, not even from Thori, such was her grief and iron resolve. She left the hold alone, equipped lightly to enable her to move swiftly. She would not stop searching until the grudge was avenged.