WARHAMMER® ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING™

ZONE OVERVIEW

Black Crag

Official Information from EA Mythic

Long ago, before the Time of Woes, the kingdom of the Dwarfs spanned the whole of the World’s Edge Mountains and many lands beyond. Among all the southern holds of the Dwarfs, Karak Drazh was second only to the mighty fortress at Karak Eight Peaks in its size and splendor. Situated at the mouth of Death Pass, Karak Drazh was surrounded by rich veins of ore that provided great wealth for the Dwarfs who lived within the great hold.

The Dwarfs of Karak Drazh would survive the tumultuous Time of Woes only to see their fortress fall soon afterward to the Orc Warlord Dork. Charging into Death Pass at the head of a great horde of greenskins, Warlord Dork drove out the Dwarfs and conquered the hold, renaming it ‘Black Crag’.

In the Age of Reckoning, the narrow, twisting ravines of Black Crag are infested with Orcs, Goblins and other unsavory creatures. Some of the deadliest among these can be found in Poisonwing Canyon, which is home to a great brood of Wyverns that will viciously attack any creature that enters their territory. Perched high atop a pinnacle of rock where she watches over her brood is Diemonus, the great matriarch of the Wyverns. She is an ancient and terrible creature, and when she alights from her loft to hunt for a meal, the other beasts who make their home in the crag wisely seek dark places to hide.

The Wyverns in Black Crag may be deadly, but for the greenskins, there is a far greater threat taking shape. Rumors have surfaced that one of Warlord Grumlok’s strongest and most effective enforcers, a titan of a Black Orc named Skargor, is questioning the leadership of the Bloody Sun Boyz. Using strength and intimidation, Skargor has been pressing the Orcs and Goblins in Black Crag into his service, claming that he intends to put the tribe ‘back on track’. If these whisperings prove true, Skargor’s plot could unravel the great Waaagh! before it has begun, leaving the Armies of Destruction with little hope of victory in the war.

The greenskins’ power struggles have created an opportunity for their old enemies, the Dwarfs. The road that joins the Dwarf capital of Karaz-a-Karak to the lost fortress of Karak Eight Peaks runs directly through Black Crag, making control of this thoroughfare vital to the war effort. High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer intends to do everything in his power to deny the greenskin horde access to the ancient road, and so he has dispatched a force of Oathbearers to secure it. It is a dangerous mission; the Dwarfs will be alone and far from help, yet the outcome of the conflict in the World’s Edge Mountains may well depend upon their success.

As the Oathbearers struggle to claim a foothold in Black Crag, they find themselves surrounded on all sides by enemies. Among these is a powerful Sorcerer named Kaspar Vogt. Once a promising Wizard of the Grey College, Vogt fell in with a sinister cult and pledged his soul to Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, in exchange for secret knowledge and power denied him by his instructors at the College. The cult was discovered soon afterward, and Vogt fled before his part in it was discovered. Knowing he would not be safe among the people of the Empire, he fled to the World’s Edge Mountains to continue his dark practices. In the Age of Reckoning, the winds of magic have grown strong and Vogt has discovered that his powers are suddenly amplified. When he spies the Dwarfs, he decides to test his newfound abilities. Now, he summons terrifying creatures of Chaos to send against them, all the while pleasing his dark master.

The Dwarfs are not alone in their battle against these unnatural terrors. The Oathbearers have recently been joined by a Witch Hunter named Sigismund, who for years has hunted for the fugitive Wizard Vogt. Sigismund has guessed correctly that Vogt’s disappearance and the discovery of the cult are more than a coincidence. His search has led him to Black Crag, where his suspicions have been confirmed beyond any doubt. Now, with the help of the Dwarfs, he seeks to bring the evil Sorcerer to justice.

Of all the enemies the Dwarfs face in Black Crag, the most fearsome is the Orc Warboss Brugash Redfang. Redfang commands a large force of greenskins garrisoned at a great fort that guards the approach to Karak Eight Peaks. The brutal Warboss has single-handedly wiped out nearly half the Oathbearer force and the Dwarfs have taken to calling him ‘Grudgemaker’. The conquest of the Orc fort and the death of its leader are the highest priority for the Dwarfs, but they will be hard-pressed to claim victory without reinforcements.

In the Age of Reckoning, the war between the Dwarfs and the greenskins rages on many fronts, but few are as important as Black Crag. If, against all odds, the Dwarfs can claim a victory in this dangerous maze of winding canyons and jagged spires of rock, the road to the greenskins’ fortress will be open. Then, finally, the sons of Grungni will be able to strike back against their hated enemies and turn the tide of the war.

The Ten Ton Thought:

There’s Greenskins here, then there’s a commando squad of Oathbearers, an evil Empire wizard subverted to Chaos, and the Witch Hunter trailing him. This zone in itself has all the makings of some kind of fantasy TV show. It will be your job to set Black Crag straight, and claim it for the Dwarves or make sure the Crag stays it’s usual owned color of Green.