The Wildhammer Dwarves and the Bronzebeard Dwarves had never gotten along, ever since the War of the Three Hammers more than two hundred years ago.
But that "not getting along" had largely been limited to verbal sparring; no actual conflict had broken out between the Wildhammer Dwarves and the Bronzebeard Dwarves in those two hundred years.
And the root of this state of affairs was that both Dwarven clans shared a common enemy...
The Dark Iron Dwarves!
In the War of the Three Hammers more than two hundred years ago, the Dark Iron Dwarves had been defeated by the combined forces of the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard clans, but they had also displayed terrifying power... the powerful fire elementals they summoned from underground, along with their horrifying dark magic, had left both the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard clans deeply wary.
Especially now, with Ironforge having suffered heavy losses in the Second War... they were even less willing to enter into a conflict with the Dark Iron Dwarves at a time like this.
So, faced with those ruins in the Badlands and the impending conflict with the Dark Iron Dwarves, King Magni Bronzebeard had chosen to go with the flow, offering Karin of the Wetlands a generous gift while asking for his help.
Kurdran's warning was not without reason, either.
After all, no one knew better than the Wildhammer Dwarves just how terrifying the Dark Iron Dwarves were.
In the battle of Grim Batol back then, the Wildhammer clan had paid in blood to barely secure a costly victory against the Dark Iron Dwarves, who had deployed less than half their forces. King Khardros Wildhammer had been gravely wounded, and Grim Batol had been cursed as a result, forcing the Wildhammer Dwarves to leave their homeland...
Thus, the Wildhammer Dwarves who had