The Dark Wars

Several millennia ago, one dwarven House succumbed to a darkness festering beneath the surface. The process took centuries, as House Hugjarr explored further and further into the lightless depths as the same darkness perverted them, warping body and soul. House Hugjarr cut off contact with the other Houses and sealed their homes, and though the other dwarven families were concerned, they respected the privacy of their cousins and hoped that they would emerge from their self-imposed isolation in the future.
And emerge they did, though House Hugjarr did so on a massive declaration of war, fielding twisted replicas of dwarven war machines and sending grotesque soldiers roaring into battle. At this point in dwarven history a council of Houses had convened to decide on matters that impacted all dwarven people, and the power of the council had declined to the point that it was a few years from disbanding altogether. The Hugjarr armies called upon dark powers to augment their eldritch machinery, and could have easily destroyed any single House that stood against them. The council's purpose became clear, and the other Houses banded together to face this new threat, driving Hugjarr back into their alien warrens and forming the Blackhearts to stand watch, lest Hugjarr dig themselves out from their collapsed homes and roar back into dwarven life. Ever since the dwarven council has had one common issue on which they could fixate, and maintaining the Blackhearts has always given them a role in dwarven life, even when most city-states drifted away from central dwarven authority.

The Conflict

Battlefield

Much of the eastern half of the Great Continent saw extensive battle, taking years to recover. The Hugjarr stronghold on Godswrath Plateau is the site of the last battle in the war, as the Hugjarr collapsed their own entrances to prevent pursuit.

The Engagement

One dwarven House against the rest of the dwarven nation may seem like a fool's errand, but the Hugjarr not only employed dark magics and mutations on their soldiers and machinery, they fought with no sense of honor or propriety. Dwarven custom typically protects noncombatants near a given area and tries to rein in collateral damage as much as possible, but the Hugjarr had no reservations, and they burned much of the eastern half of the Great Continent.

Start Date

4011

Ending Date

4027