Karak Kadrin is pragmatic
Why is Karak Kadrin considered pragmatic? They trade with Kislev and Ostermark, but trade with humans is common.
WFRP 2e: Karak Azgal page 43, Istilam Seamist
The fourth son of a minor Sea Elf trading house operating in Marienburg, Istilam was always fascinated by magic and so when he came of age, he naturally left Marienburg to study under the Gold Wizards in Altdorf. He proved an able student, but faced too much bigotry at the hands of his peers. He left Altdorf and joined up with Kurt Steiner to see the world and unlock the secrets of Chamon, the Yellow Wind of Magic.
It looks like Marienburg elves travel to Altdorf if they want to learn magic. Also it looks like gold wizards are racist against elves.
Page 47, loot you can find in Karak Azgal
Ancient Grimoire
A rare find, these musty old tomes are filled with information about the arcane arts. They are sought after by wizards who study them to learn all they can about the mysteries of magic. The tomes lost in the ruins of Karak Azgal are particularly old and focus mostly on the Rune magic of the Dwarfs, and so are written in Khazalid. They can be sold on the surface for 1d10×10 gc to interested parties. A player may study a tome and make a Challenging (–10%) Intelligence Test after one month. Success indicates the player gains the Arcane Language (Runes) skill or a level of skill mastery in that skill.
This isn't the only evidence of runic books I've found. Dwarfs 7e and 8e both mention a book called the Rundrokikron which held runelore, including the secrets of how to make the Master Rune of Smiting. There's also art in the DPG of runesmiths holding books.
Pages 64-65
Koros-dar Nael, an Elf liche of considerable power, has now claimed this place as his own.
[...]
Koros was born centuries ago into a noble Elf family during the time of the war with the Dwarfs. Apprenticed to a powerful wizard serving in the armies of the Phoenix King, tragedy struck when Dwarfs caught the Elven army off guard and slaughtered them all—all except Koros. Witnessing the deaths of so many of his people, he slipped into madness, believing one day he would raise his mentor from the dead.
Koros buried his master and set himself on the dangerous path of necromancy. He embraced the study of Dark Magic and it turned his heart black with hatred for the living, especially the Dwarfs. His disgust for them only intensified when he finally returned to his master's grave and raised him from the dead. Expecting to receive praise, the Undead form of his master rebuked him instead, lamenting his turn toward the evils of Dark Magic. His master told him he would rather have died at the hands of the Dwarfs once more than to see his student come to such a pass.
Tormented with anger and hatred, Koros fled to an old graveyard, where he dabbled in the dark arts, learning the secret of immortality and finally becoming a Liche.
Turns out the real inventor of necromancy was some nobody High Elf who's now ineffectually chilling in the tunnels beneath Karak Azgal.
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Karak Azul>
Karak Azul has greenery about its entrance! Never thought I'd see that from a dwarf hold.
WFRP 1e: Dwarfs - Stone and Steel page 31, Karak Azul
The hold's mineral deposits rival even those of Karaz-a-Karak; it sits on some of the richest deposits of iron, gemstones, and gold in the World's Edge Mountains. In addition to armaments, Karak Azul is a centre for all kinds of metalworking. The trade value of their products in the human realms makes the craftsguilds of Karak Azul as economically important as the weaponsmiths.
The Underway
Karak Azul stood alone in the south for thousands of years, gates barred to the collapsed Underway. Several decades ago, when Karak Azul received word that Karak Eight Peaks had been re-occupied, the gates were opened and the way to the north was cleared. The underground route to Karak Eight Peaks is relatively safe, but the way south to Karak Azgal, still in Orcish hands, remains blocked.
So it looks like Karak Azgal doesn't just export weapons, and it's not just dwarves they export to. And it seems that in canon, they too were fully isolated for millennia until Karak Eight Peaks was reoccupied. It also looks like they cleared continental trade routes of threats by themselves, which is very cool. What is with Karak Azul and producing such ballers. Maybe it's something in the water; in the Headtaker novel, the captain of the ironbreakers says that the Ekrund brewery wasn't what it used to be and guesses it's because of grobi urinating in the aquifers.
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Karak Eight Peaks>
According to the text underneath this image, apparently this classic artwork depicts fighting in Karak Eight Peaks. Anyone know if there's an update that took place at the location depicted in this art?
The King and the Warlord
I doubt those are power stones, but they do look a little like them. Also are those five runes on the anvil of doom? Maybe they're non-magical runes for decoration. I found something a little funny about the Total Warhammer anvils:
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Anvil of Doom>
The concept art for them depicts two little half-naked human guys holding it up.
Dwarfs 8e page 25
Of the Dwarfs that long ago settled in the Zorn Uzkul, and were once thought lost, nothing is said — their mention swiftly turns even ale-induced talk to brooding silence. As for the footholds established further to the east, in the Mountains of Mourn, the Dwarfs are far more enthusiastic. While those holds from before the coming of Chaos have been long lost, new expeditions to those danger-filled lands have returned word of rich treasures, rubies the size of battle helms and a fabled mountain made entirely of purest gold.
Apparently the dwarves are sending expeditions all the way over to the Mountains of Mourn, and apparently there's a whole mountain made of pure gold?? Dwarves do exaggerate things sometimes, but exaggerating to that degree would be new.
