Karak Azgal

Fictional record. This page describes a mine from a fictional setting, not a real place. Information is based on the cited canon, with adaptations and interpretation distinguished where necessary. It is kept separate from the real MineArchive corpus — see Fictional.

Setting	Warhammer Fantasy (Games Workshop)
Location	In the Worlds Edge Mountains south of Karak Eight Peaks, with the dwarf town of Deadgate and Skalf's Hold in the valley below the old entrance.
Type	Gems and gold (dwarf hold)
Worked	Founded as Karak Izril, the City of Jewels; no founding date is given. – Fell to orcs and Skaven after −513 IC and was abandoned by the greenskins in −469 IC; worked since 1032 IC only by licensed treasure-hunters.
Extent	A whole dwarf hold with mines whose gem veins were said to rival Karaz-a-Karak; the Skaven tunnelled beneath them for years before the fall. No scale is given.
Controlled by	The line of Skalf Dragonslayer (From 1032 IC)

Overview

The Dragon Crag of the Worlds Edge Mountains: once Karak Izril, the City of Jewels, lost to orcs above and Skaven below, nested in by a dragon, and since Skalf slew Graug in 1032 IC a ruin the dwarves let adventurers loot for a share of what comes up.

History

Karak Izril, the City of Jewels, was a dwarf hold whose gem veins were said to rival those of Karaz-a-Karak itself. Its downfall followed the fall of Karak Eight Peaks in −513 IC: the greenskin horde came south along the dwarf roads, the passes to the north having been only lightly defended, and at the same moment the Skaven, who had been burrowing under the hold's mines for years, attacked from below. Fighting on two fronts, the dwarves retreated into the depths and died there; while they fought, Runelord Stormbeard and his engineer hid the hold's treasure in a vault sealed with Runes of Hiding, and the Runelord renamed the place Karak Azgal, Hoard Peak, in the Book of Grudges.

The invaders found no treasure, and in −469 IC the warboss Dork wrecked and abandoned the hold in frustration. The dragon Graug the Terrible then claimed it, sniffed out the hidden vault and nested on the hoard, and the hold became the Dragon Crag. For centuries the Jewelsmiths' Guild sponsored expeditions to recover the gems; all failed until 1032 IC, when Skalf the Dragonslayer found the vault, beheaded Graug and took both the treasure and the kingship.

Skalf and his descendants made no attempt to clear the hold, which is still infested with goblins, Skaven and other creatures. They built the town of Deadgate in the valley below the old entrance and turned the ruin into a licensed dungeon: adventurers and mercenary bands go down to loot it, and the dwarves tax whatever they bring back to the surface.

Workings

The mines and halls of a dwarf hold, now a labyrinth of ruined galleries, monster lairs and Skaven burrows below Skalf's Hold; the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay sourcebook maps the city, its mines and caverns.

Real-world mining concepts used here: Vein

Closure

Conquest from above and below: orcs down the dwarf roads after Karak Eight Peaks fell, Skaven up through the mine floors, and a last stand in the depths.

What became of it

An occupied ruin worked for treasure rather than ore, under the licence and tax of the dwarf kings of Deadgate.

Canon & adaptations

The wiki's dates (−513, −469 and 1032 IC) and the names of Stormbeard, Dork, Graug and Skalf come from the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay sourcebook; the ICv2 announcement calls the dwarf city 'Karak-Azgul' and names orcs, undead and Skaven as the guardians below.

Recorded claims

Each claim is marked with its basis — explicit canon, MineArchive inference, adaptation only, or fandom interpretation — and attached to the source(s) below. Where tellings disagree, both are kept.

Karak Azgal, 'Hoard Peak', formerly Karak Izril the City of Jewels and known as the Dragon Crag, was a wealthy dwarf hold whose gem veins were said to rival Karaz-a-Karak, now held by greenskins and Skaven. (explicit canon) ^1,2
After Karak Eight Peaks fell in −513 IC the orcs came down the dwarf roads to Karak Izril while the Skaven, who had been burrowing under its mines for years, attacked from below; the dwarves died in the depths and Runelord Stormbeard hid the treasure in a runed vault. (explicit canon) ¹
The greenskin warboss Dork destroyed and abandoned the hold in −469 IC after failing to find the treasure; the dragon Graug the Terrible then found the vault and nested there, giving the place its name of the Dragon Crag. (explicit canon) ¹
In 1032 IC the dwarf Skalf the Dragonslayer found the vault, slew Graug and claimed the treasure and the kingship of Karak Azgal; he and his descendants built the town of Deadgate in the valley below the old entrance rather than retake the hold. (explicit canon) ¹
The hold remains infested with goblins, Skaven and worse, and adventurers are allowed down to loot it on condition that the dwarves tax whatever they bring back to the surface. (explicit canon) ^1,2

Sources

(interpretation) Karak Azgal — Warhammer Fantasy Wiki — Warhammer Fantasy Wiki (Fandom)
(interpretation) Sabertooth announces Karak-Azgal: Dragon's Crag (ICv2, 2005) — ICv2

Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026