Worlds Edge Mountains

The Worlds Edge Mountains

"Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains."

– Jeffrey Rasley

"It is the mountain that has been calling me, and it’s time to answer."

– Susan Jagannath

The World's Edge Mountains are a region in the Warhammer world and form the core of the Karaz Ankor, the Dwarfs' ancient empire. The name of the range comes from the Teutogens, the ancestors of the Middenlanders, who swore to never cross them again. It's the single largest mountain range in the known world, serving as a barrier keeping all of the terrible shit in the Dark Lands separate from the Old World. It's virtually impassable, stretching from the Chaos Wastes all the way to the Southland jungles, save for a handful of mountain passes and abandoned Dwarf halls that criss-cross under the mountain range. It's also the reason why the civilizations of the Old World haven't been completely streamrolled by Greenskin Waaaghs (with help from the Dwarfs hardcore enough to station their empire smack dab in the thick of it).

Geography

A brief summary of the notable locations along the World's Edge Mountains. As you're reading this, keep in mind that this is where the Dwarfs live, and they like it here.

• The Mountains of Norsca - A frozen hellhole of ice and viking clans. While not technically a part of the World's Edge Mountain Range and only partially connected, it's mountains cover pretty much the whole territory here, doing a great job of keeping whatever stumblefucks it's way across the Sea of Chaos from the wastes out of the nice(ish) parts of Norsca, or at least the parts with people. While it doesn't necessarily stop them from mingling once in a while, it's still an effective enough stopgap.

• High Pass - Also called Belyerovota Pass, it's a jagged snow-covered crag pass that connects Kislev to the Great Skull Land in the Dark Lands. Sabertusks and mountain wolves lurk around every corner, man-eating Yhetees snatch up wandering hunters and shred them apart whenever possible, avalanches are constant and the snow barely melts, and if you're lucky enough to make it through all that, the chaos worshipping Northmen clans will wrangle you and boil you alive in sacrifice to their gods. This is all before you actually make it to the Dark Lands where an untold number of horrifying events might happen to you, so pack light. Some believe it might be the location of the lost Dwarf hold of Karak Vlag.

• The Bloody Spires - South of Karak Vlag (wherever it is), it's a lot less snowy and cold, but has volcanic sulfur pits and fiery mountains spewing poisonous fumes which isn't much of a trade off. Even Dwarfs stay away from here as much as possible, but stopped by for at least two battles with Greenskins and Slaaneshi daemons in it's history.

• Karak Ungor - A lost Dwarf hold in Red Eye Mountain that was overrun by Night Goblins, easily the epitome of "They got too greedy, and dug too deep". The Dwarfs still to this day are trying to claim it back even though it was lost back in -1500 IC. Probably still has minerals somewhere if you look hard enough.

• Vale of Bones - Skaven be here.

• Silver Pinnacle - A silver mine that's home to a bitchin vampire snake lady that stole it from the Dwarfs by flooding it with undead, redecorated into a Persian/Egyptian style fortress palace and constantly taunts them as they've tried to reclaim it all the while letting in horny idiots to victimize them, and plots to manipulate the course of fate across the entire world. A small tip: if you play really, reeeally dumb, you might have an alright time here.

• Peak Pass - A pass that connects the Dark Lands with Ostermark. It originally was used to travel between the West and East Dwarf holds, but eventually fell and is now yet another entry point for Greenskins to trample on the Empire's lawn. At least it's protected by the Slayer King of Karak Kadrin, so it stays relatively safe for Ostermark with small forces here and there.

• Karak Kadrin - Awesome Dwarf trading fortress that keeps Peak Pass safe, and noted for never once falling despite constant sieges mostly because the Slayer Cult loves the fuck out of this place. You will find some of the most badass people here on any given day. If your balls shrivel up when you visit, it's because they're not brass inlaid like everyone else's.

• Zhufbar - The Dwarf equivalent of Admech. It's an industrial gun bunker fortress that churns out weapons and armor while testing out hydraulic powered machinery and being generally innovative. They also happen to have a ridiculous amount of artillery firepower.

• Black Water - Also known as Varn Drazh, it's a big ass lake made by the Dwarfs after they dug too deep into a Gromril deposit left by meteor and flooded the damn thing with the water table. It's pretty deep, so there's definitely ancient terrors in it, plus a lost rune hammer.

• Karak Varn - Overlooks Black Water, is yet another lost hold taken by the skaven. While the Dwarfs were digging down for Gromril, the skaven were digging up for Warpstone and broke through into the dwarven mines. The place is thoroughly irradiated by the warpstone so the dwarves don't want it anymore, but that sweet Gromril is still there and a reason to go back someday.

• Mount Gunbad - Thee premier gold and gem mine of the Dwarfs, and the only place that has Brynduraz. It's so important to them that even during their longest and bloodiest war, they didn't supply any of their armies from the soldiers here. Much to noones suprise, it's taken by Greenskins which surely pisses off the Dwarfs every morning they wake up and have to look at it.

• Lair of Clan Ferrik - A terrifying lair of Skaven that stole a ton of Dwarf forges and smelteries, mass produces steel equipment for the Under Empire and constantly sends hordes of Stormvermin out to harass the world around them, headed by an huge iron masked skaven warlord that magically changes his voice and fur color. Maybe it changes akin to a mood ring, but his emotions are easy to tell based on how many skinned faces he nailed to the wall today.

• Moonstone Mountain - More Skaven. Maybe this is where the nice ones live.

• Black Fire Pass - A volatile series of passes that connects Averland to the Border Princes through the Black Mountains that acts as a funnel for greenskins to hurdle directly into the Averlander Mountainguard. Because of its tricky placement, the Dwarfs can't really do shit to help which ends up in Waaaghs happening somewhat frequently, and sometimes succeeding.

• Karaz-a-karak - Also known as Everpeak, The impenetrable Dwarf capital. It's not quite as it once was, but it's the safest place in the World's Edge Mountains by far. You can find the limited edition Great Book of Grudges here and read all about the Dwarfs biggest insecurities, and have a sit on the High King's throne if you can run faster then the guards.

• Mount Grimfang - Also known as Mount Silverspear to the salty Dwarfs that lost it back in -1367 IC to Greenskin warboss Urk Grimfang. It was the second richest mine next to Mount Gunbad, and also got the exemption treatment from the war. The Greenskins still have it, but a Skaven nest has formed under it since, because why not.

• Deadrock Gap - Small pass leading from Mount Grimfang. It lives up to its name considering 1 in 5 Dwarf caravans survived the trip through it after fleeing from the Greenskins who took the mountain, and this was named back when they thought it was safe. Whoops.

• Glowpit - More Skaven, now with extra warpstone.

• Mad Dog Pass - Surprisingly one of the least fucky passes in the World's Edge Mountains, connecting the Border Princes to the Dark Lands. The princes are constantly fighting over who actually owns it, but come together whenever a greenskin invasion through the pass happens. Your chances of making it there and back are comparatively high, especially if you have money.

• Skullreach Cavern - More skaven, now with extra corpses. A vicious slaughter was carried out against Clan Mordkin here during the End Times.

• Clan Krizzor Lair - Colloquially refered to as "The place where you get your sorry ass lassoed by Packmasters and dragged down inside to feed the staggering number of war-beasts, and they're fucking hungry".

• Iron Rock - An Orc stronghold north of the Badlands that's made entirely out of literal molten-cooled iron from the volcanic pockets underground. The Dwarfs tried screwing around with it for awhile, but got kicked out and definently aren't taking it back anytime soon after Warboss Gorbad Ironclaw defeated Crusher Zorgoth and united the Ironclaw and Broken Tooth tribes. This is their mountain now.

• Thunder Mountain - It's an active volcano, and the Dwarfs and Greenskins fight over it for some reason.

• Groz Drung - Means "Big Defeat" in Khazalid. There's probably a reason why this isn't brought up.

• Death Pass - Connects the Badlands to the Dark Lands, and is under perpetual war between the Orc tribes and the Dwarfs, who move through here whenever they feel like and nobody can really stop them. It's less of a pass and more of a Greenskin highway.

• Black Craig - Once called Karak Drazh and located on the west end of Death Pass, it's the single largest Orc stronghold in the World's Edge Mountains. Any Orc clan that claims this hold controls all of the territory around it, meaning endless infighting and a multi-generational game of king of the hill.

• Karak Eight-Peaks - Originally known as Vala-Azril-Ungol, or Queen of the Silver Depths, it used to be a giant bowl surrounded by 8 mountain peaks filled with fancy Dwarf things, like tombs, courts, vaulted ceilings, plaza's, and silver mines. This is precisely why it got sacked by Orcs, Goblins and Skaven, but not before the volcanos around them all exploded and covered their crops in hot ash. The orcs and skaven are still there shitting the place up and fighting over whatever the Dwarfs sealed up before they left.

• Cavern of Treaty-pacts - Lots of Skaven be here, but only when they stop fighting long enough to come to an agreement.

• Skull Chasm - Greenskin gathering place, noted for a particularly ballsy Night Goblin warlord Grulsik Moonclaw, who declared himself king of the whole place and held an impressive reign of a few hours.

• Karak Azul - Translated as Iron Peak, it's the southern most Dwarf hold and the richest mine in the world. It's chalk full of iron and silver deposits making it a great place for weapon and armor crafting, and also where a bunch of Runeweapons are made, and distributed via the underground passages to the other holds through the Underway. Considering the theme of the other locations on this page, this is either really smart or gravely stupid.

• Lost Archway of Valaya - Don't worry about this one, move along.

• Dragon Crag - Karak Azgal, or Hoard Peak, originally Karak Izril, or City of Jewels, was a unbelievably filthy rich Dwarf Hold brimming in precious treasures that the Dwarfs foolishly ill-guarded by relying too much on the Karak Eight Peaks protecting them. Obviously that didn't work out, and it was stormed by Greenskins and Skaven not long after. The Dwarfs at least managed to hide the treasure deeper in the mountains until an gold sniffing asshole dragon showed up and took it. The Dragon was slain by Dwarfs, who then left immediately without claiming the rest of the hold from the greenskins OR taking the treasure, and instead built retirement homes in the valley below and heavily tax the adventurers going inside to loot the place. Kickass.

• Blackgouge - More skaven, now with extra skaven.

• Clan Volkn Lair - Home of the red-furred, pyromaniac mercenary Skaven headed by the Molten Warlord Moltskin Searflesh deep inside Fire Mountain. Luckily they don't get out much.

• Fire Mountain - A giant volcano housing a Skaven thrall clan that provides free fireworks and a light show for the surrounding holds. We dare you to try and make a s'more.

• Cripple Peak - A sundered mountain next to the Sour Sea and containing the megafortress Nagashizzar. A warpstone meteor hit it and lodged itself deep in the mountain way back in the day. The mountain itself isn't facinating, but what's inside is terrifying.

• Nagashizzar - Also known as the Cursed Pit, or Super Dimensional Fortress Nagash, it's home to a meglomaniac necromancer that forces undead to mine under the mountain so numerous it locked the Skaven forces of the Grey Lords in a statement, and used the warpstone buried within to bolster his own power without giving a single fuck about the consequences. Nagash was eventually slain, but temporarily as he came back to life and retook Nagashizzar back in a single night because fuck you.

• The Sour Sea - A lake that borders Cripple Mountain that tastes funny due to the warpstone energy that seeped into it from within the mountain. Nagash probably swims in it before breakfast.

• Misty Mountain - No, not that Misty Mountain. It's located west of the Sour Sea in the southern end of the World's Edge Mountains. It's also sometimes called Fat Fuck Buffet Mountain by angry citizens of the Empire since it's where Grom the Paunch originated from.

• Red Cloud Mountain - Fire Kolbolds live here, which probably isn't good.

• Mortis Tarn - Originally Vitae Tarn, it used to be the main source of water for the Great Vitae River and surrounding areas before Nagash polluted it by dumping a fuck ton of warpstone energy and dark magic into it, turning into the color of blood and creating basically the world's largest toxic punchbowl.

• Doom Mountain - No, not that one. It's a mountain on the border between Nehekhara and the Badlands, and not nearly as awesome as the other one.

• Charnel Valley - Originally known as the Valley of the Kings pre-Nagash, and Valley of the Dead by the nomads, it's a canyon pass that connects the east and west halves of Nehekhara. It's lined with giant Egyptian style statues that can come to fucking life and kill you if you piss the wrong people off. Just keep your hands in your pockets.

• Mount Arachnos - A mountain that's allegedly west of Karak Zorn. That's about it.

• Karak Zorn - Translates to Hold of the Upland Plateau, its supposedly a lost Dwarf hold on the extreme tip of the World's Edge Mountains, bordering the Southland jungles. It's basically the Dwarf equivalent of El Dorado as no one has had contact with them for thousands of years, or even knows if it exists. We'll just pretend it's overflowing with forgotten loot and exotic bitches until someone finds it and tells nobody to keep it all to themselves.

In conclusion:

World's Edge Mountains is a horror infested abominable pit of terrors, shifting greenskin power structures, Dwarfs, snow, fire and too many fucking rats. Just be glad it's here, so it's not everywhere else too.

Regions and Areas of the Warhammer World
Areas of The Old World:	The Empire of Man - Bretonnia - Albion - Estalia - Tilea - Kislev - Norsca - Border Princes - Worlds Edge Mountains - Karak Eight-Peaks
Areas of The New World:	Naggaroth - Lustria
Areas of The Eastern Lands:	Cathay - Nippon - Ogre Kingdoms - Dark Lands - Kingdoms of Ind - Khuresh - Eastern Steppes
Areas of The Southlands:	Nehekhara - Araby - Badlands - Marshes of Madness
Other Areas of the world:	Ulthuan - Athel Loren - Chaos Wastes - Skavenblight - Lost Isles of Elithis
Main bodies of Water:	The Great Ocean - The Far Sea - The Sea of Dread - Inner Sea of Ulthuan