The repeated attacks by the Old Gods had harmed not only Azeroth; for the countless creatures living there, they had also brought an unprecedented disaster.
Thorin and the Dark Iron Dwarves encountered Grimg as he headed north. The two sides nearly came to blows, but when disaster struck, they put aside their differences, joined forces to weather the crisis, and retreated toward Dun Morogh.
Ironforge, which had effectively become a refuge for the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms Continent, was also facing a tremendous crisis. The death of Dwarf King Madolran Bronzebeard had plunged Ironforge into brief turmoil. Fortunately, Magni had stepped forward at the crucial moment and stabilized the situation, allowing him to ascend the throne as Dwarf King.
But Magni had barely become Dwarf King before he was confronted by an unprecedented crisis. Perhaps this, too, was a test the heavens had set for him.
Ironforge was built within the mountains, with most of its territory buried deep underground. The movement of the earth's crust could be fatal to the dwarves of Ironforge. Yet there was a reason Ironforge had remained the safest haven for dwarves for thousands of years—and only a Dwarf King could learn its secret.
The true reason Ironforge remained stable was simple: it depended on the life force of the Dwarf King. This had been true of the former King Under the Mountain, Modimus Anvilmar, and of Magni's father, Madolran Bronzebeard. Modimus had endured the explosion of the Well of Eternity and the Sundering of the earth, which had consumed much of his life force, while Magni's father had simply lived to a ripe old age.
Magni naturally couldn't compare to the former King Under the Mountain, Modimus Anvilmar. But he faced a trial even more severe than the Sundering that Modimus had