Warhammer Chronicles: The War of Vengeance (Omnibus Novel) by Nick Kyme, Chris Wraight and C.L. Werner
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: WFRP Companion (RPG)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (6th Edition)
The War of Vengeance is the dwarfen name for a devastating, world-spanning conflict known as the War of the Beard to the Elves and the War of the Ancients to Men.
It began 2,000 years before the rise of Sigmar Heldenhammer and was destined to last for 3,600 years. It was waged between the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains and the High Elves of Ulthuan and their Old World colonies. The Dwarfs were led by High King Gotrek Starbreaker and the High Elves by Phoenix King Caledor II, who fell in battle against the high king during the final climactic battle of the war.
The war left both races devastated; Phoenix King Caledor II was slain in single combat by High King Gotrek Starbreaker, and the crown of the Phoenix King was taken from his corpse as recompense for Caledor's murder of his son, Snorri Halfhand. Not only that but the Elven Empire which at the beginning of the war extended across most of the Old World and from the Fortress of Dawn to the Fortress of Dusk was shatterred and would never recover its former glory.
Much of this former gloriopus Empire is now in ruins and its lands form are now shared between many including the Empire of Man amd the Kingdoms of Bretonnia, Estalia and Tilea. Indeed whilst both protagonists in this war were to suffer as a result the race which prospered most from the conflict was the race of man, whose tribes and nations spread to fill the viod like water flows to fill a lake.
Though the Dwarfs were victorious, the war left them dangerously weakened, leaving them struggling to defend their own lands against the growing incursions of the Greenskins and Skaven that sought to exploit their debilitarted armies and garissons. It was this war which would lead inevitably to the steady decline of the dwarven Empire and the steady loss of hold after hold to the Greenskin and Skaven horde.
Along with the death of their Phoenix King and their devastating defeats at Dwarfish hands the elves now found themselves vulnerable to invasion by their own Dark Elf kin. Forcing the new Phoenix King to recall all of the remaining Elven colonists of the Old World back to the island of Ulthuan, both soldiers and civilians alike, in order to defend their island Kingdom from the ambitions of the Witch King Malekith.
Many Elven colonists did leave their Old World homes, abandoning their cities and fortresses to eventual ruin and occupation by the race of Man. Those few elves who remained felt little loyalty to Ulthuan and its new Pheonix King instead forming their own independent colonies and following their own ambitions and culture.
Thus were the dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains and the elves of the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan, the Elder Races of both Dwarfs and Elves, who were once mighty and imperious, both reduced to mere shadows of their former glory, and much lingering resentment remains between the Sons and Daughters of Grungni and the Scions of Asuryan.
Though it was the Elves that took the most losses during the course of the war, in the aftermath of the Phoenix King's defeat and death at the hands of Gotrek Starbreaker, once the armies of the Dwarfs returned to their mountain kingdoms in celebration of their victory, a great cataclysm ensued that rocked the very foundations of the Worlds Edge Mountains.
None knew the true reason for such an event, but the resulting earthquakes and volcanic activities forced the mountain kingdoms of the Karaz Ankor into near-complete isolation, as the surface world was blackened by ash and fire, and large sections of the Underway of the Dwarfs collapsed into ruins.
Though it had many names, the Dwarfs of old knew this age in their history as the "Time of Woes."
The Conflict
Prelude
Long ago, before the time of Sigmar and Gilles le Breton, during their Age of Discovery, the High Elves had allied with many races; among them were the Dwarfs. Already a great civilization when they first made contact with the Asur, the combination of cultures increased the stature of both races.
Dwarfs were well versed in the secrets of ancient runes and made the finest weapons in the world, of which many were gifted to the Princes and Dragonlords of the Asur. The Elves taught the Dwarfs how to enchant items on their own and of arts, such as literature and poetry.
Trade between the races flourished, Elven silk and steel were much valued by the Dawi, and Dwarf armour, weaponry and alcohol became a common sight in Ulthuan. The fortress of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir was established at the mouth of what is now the River Reik (present-day Marienburg). Other colonies, such as the mighty city of Tor Alessi (present-day L'Anguille in Bretonnia) were also founded.
In the Age of Strife and the tragic civil war called the Sundering, the Phoenix King Caledor I steered the High Elves through their time of turbulence, after the murder of the previous King Bel Shanaar by Malekith, the son of the first King Aenarion. However, as long as Malekith and his followers still lived there would be no peace. After his defeat at the Marches of Maledor and the exile of the Dark Elves to the cold land of Naggaroth, the Witch King hatched a plan, creating a spark that would become an inferno.
In the Imperial Year -2005 IC, several Druchii raiding parties were dispatched in secret to the Old World with the intention of causing as much strife and unrest between the High Elves and Dwarfs as possible. The Dark Elves achieved this by posing as Asur who were ambushing trading caravans, cheating Dawi merchants out of goods and razing several smaller settlements to the ground (the most notable of these being Zakbar Varf). This led to the tighter strictures on Dwarfen trade routes, harsher sanctions on Elves trespassing into Dwarf territory and ultimately the reckoning of many grudges against the Asur responsible.
Deployment
Map showing the extent of the Elven and Dwarfen Empires at the start of the war.
The extent of the Empires of the Elder Races before the War of Vengeance.
The Engagement
The First Signs of War
The High King Gotrek Starbreaker stalwartly tried to avert conflict. Unaware of the civil war that had just taken place within Ulthuan, due to the Elves' refusal to speak of it, Starbreaker sent messengers to the Elves demanding to know the reason for the attacks and why the Phoenix King did little to resolve the crisis. The reply was immediate and uncompromising: if Gotrek wanted recompense he should come to the High Elf capital of Lothern, and beg for it. The Dwarfs were outraged, but Starbreaker attempted again to cool the temper of his Kings, and in -1997 IC sent his best ambassadors and Reckoners, led by Forek Grimbok, to Ulthuan to raise the issue with Caledor II (son of Caledor the Conqueror). When the envoy arrived many Elves realized how serious the claim was, the Phoenix King's advisors among them.
Caledor II recklessly denied the charges against him and the Asur, and refused to even investigate the origin of the attacks. When Grimbok demanded once again that if the Elven court could not discover who of their number was responsible for instigating the unrest then the Court themselves would be held accountable, Caledor became uncontrollably angry at Grimbok. Fearing for his reputation, Caledor ordered that Grimbok be shaved off his beard and expelled from Ulthuan, gravely insulting him, the High King and the whole Dwarf race by extension. Grimbok returned home, humiliated but with purpose. Starbreaker, upon learning the terrible truth, immediately ordered the forges and armouries to begin preparing for war. Grimbok himself later became a Slayer due to the shame the incident placed upon him.
The Outbreak Of War
After mustering for almost a year, Dawi throngs marched to war on the Elves, drawing troops from the far ends of the Dwarfen realm. Ironbreakers of Karaz-a-Karak marched with Longbeards of Karak Azgal, Slayers from Karak Kadrin marched with Hammerers of Ekrund. Upon reaching Tor Alessi, Gotrek made an oath that he would extract recompense either in gold or blood from the High Elves or he would shave his beard. With a desire to avenge their injured pride, the Dwarfs were not about to let their King break his promise. Upon hearing of the assault on Tor Alessi, Caledor was outraged and ordered his generals to send an enormous fleet to relieve the city. The force that left Ulthuan was truly huge, dwarfing any navy before or since, and though the Council of Princes was worried that this would leave their lands undefended, Caledor was determined.
Elves and Dwarfs fought bitterly until in -1974 IC Caledor slew the Dwarf Prince Snorri Halfhand after Snorri challenged him to single combat. Being tired of slaughter, and wishing to reduce their losses, the Elves then retreated. Seeking revenge for his cousin’s death Morgrim Baugrim led the forces that pursued the Elves. For many years the Asur retreated until they decided to stand and fight at Oeragor (-1968 IC). When the lines met, rivers of blood flowed and hundreds on each side lost their lives until Lord Imladrik, the prince commanding the High Elf main army, was slain in single combat by Morgrim and the Elves retreated once again, this time leaderless.
Morgrim was crowned a hero and he continued to capture through the Elven towns and cities across the Old World, notably razing the city Athe Maraya in -1948 IC. The heroes Lord Salendor of Tor Achare and Brok Stonefist of Karak Azul, who had previously fought many great battles, eventually lost both their lives in the doomed city, crushed by the burning crumbling towers. The Dwarfs were quite unlike any foe the Elves had ever faced, refusing to give up even when doom or defeat was assured for them. The war became a stalemate, the mountain fortresses of the Dwarfs were unassailable and the Dawi laid siege to Tor Alessi thirteen times, but unable to penetrate the city's walls. Much of Athel Loren was destroyed as the war continued for another 450 years.
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