Karak Eight Peaks

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.

Also known as	Vala-Azril-Ungol, City of Pillars, Eight Peaks
Setting	Warhammer Fantasy (Games Workshop)
Location	In the southern Worlds Edge Mountains of the Warhammer world, in a bowl-shaped valley ringed by eight mountain peaks.
Type	Dwarf hold and mine complex (metals and gemstones)
Worked	Founded in the Dwarfs' Golden Age, traditionally by the Ancestor Goddess Valaya; the date is unknown – Fell to the Skaven and Greenskins in -513 IC after a war of over a century and a half
Extent	A surface citadel in the valley and, beneath it, halls, plazas and tombs over what is said to be the largest network of mines in the Dwarf empire, running for miles.
Controlled by	Clan Angrund (Golden Age to -513 IC; upper levels again under Belegar Ironhammer), Clan Mors (Lower depths since the fall)

Overview

The great Dwarf hold of Vala-Azril-Ungol, 'Queen of the Silver Depths', whose mines were reputed the largest in the Dwarf realm. Skaven tunnelling up from below and Greenskins from above took it after a long war ending in -513 IC; its depths are now the Skaven 'City of Pillars', while King Belegar Ironhammer clings to the upper levels.

History

The Dwarfs built Eight Peaks in their Golden Age, and its wealth of metal and jewels made it a rival of the capital, Karaz-a-Karak. Its doom came from below. During the Time of Woes, when volcanic eruptions ruined the surface and Greenskin hordes poured west, the Skaven tunnelled into the hold from beneath its deepest workings. Unable to break the Dwarfs' defences, the warlord clans spent generations preparing: they set the Orcs against the surface, poisoned the wells with warpstone, sent giant rats against the food stores and broke the gates and shieldwalls with Clan Skyre's warpfire throwers and poisoned wind globes. After more than a century and a half of fighting the last few hundred Dwarfs fled. Greenskins then took the upper levels and the Skaven fought them for the rest, until Clan Mors collapsed a vaulted roof in the western quarter, sealing the Greenskins off and claiming the lower depths. Belegar Ironhammer, descendant of the last king, later led about five hundred Dwarfs back to retake the surface and upper levels, sealing tunnels and walling off poisoned areas, and holds them under near-continuous siege.

Workings

Beneath the surface citadel the hold descends through ceremonial halls, plazas and vaulted chambers to the Upper Deep, the Deep of Clans and, below, deep mines and tunnels running for miles, connected to the Underway. Belegar's Dwarfs hold the Upper Deep and the Deep of Clans; the Skaven hold the lower depths.

Closure

Lost after a war of more than a century and a half to Skaven attacking through the tunnels below and Greenskins above, ending in -513 IC.

What became of it

Divided: King Belegar Ironhammer's Dwarfs hold the surface and upper levels, the Night Goblin warlord Skarsnik parts of the upper city, and the Skaven of Clan Mors under Queek Headtaker the depths, which they mine for warpstone.

Canon & adaptations

Games Workshop's army books, roleplaying supplements and novels across several editions, and the Total War: Warhammer games, tell the story with differing emphases and numbers; the sources read summarise them rather than quote them. Belegar's hold on the upper levels is a standing stalemate rather than a resolved outcome.

Disasters & major incidents

Fall of Karak Eight Peaks
-701 to -513 IC · Other
The loss of the great Dwarf hold of Karak Eight Peaks in the Warhammer world, after a war of over a century and a half ending in -513 IC, in which Skaven broke in through tunnels dug beneath its mines while Greenskins besieged it from above.

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 Eight Peaks was originally named Vala-Azril-Ungol, 'Queen of the Silver Depths', and takes its common name from the ring of eight peaks around it. (explicit canon) ^1,2
Its mines were credited as the largest network in the Dwarf empire, rich in metal and jewels. (explicit canon) ¹
The hold fell to Skaven attacking through tunnels from below and Greenskins from above, after Skaven preparations lasting over a century. (explicit canon) ^1,2
The War of Eight Peaks lasted from -701 to -513 IC. (explicit canon) ¹
The Skaven call the hold the City of Pillars. (explicit canon) ^1,2
Belegar Ironhammer, descendant of the last king Lunn, retook the surface and upper levels with about five hundred Dwarfs and holds them under siege. (explicit canon) ¹
The Skaven mine warpstone there; the Dwarfs mine gemstones. (explicit canon, uncertain) ¹

Sources

(interpretation) Karak Eight Peaks — Warhammer Fantasy Wiki — Fandom (community wiki)
(interpretation) Karak Eight Peaks — Return of Reckoning Wiki — Return of Reckoning (Warhammer Online community server) wiki

Record created: 6 September 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026