Carved into the great mountain range of Khaz Modan, lies the Dwarven city of Ironforge.
It stands as a testament to Dwarven ingenuity, a subterranean fortress-capital that beneath
snow-swept peaks, roars with the fires of industry and the boasts of drunken frivolity.
With the formation of the Grand Alliance, Dwarves of every clan can be found tending
to the hearths of its shops and inns or working tirelessly as smiths in the Great Forge.
Gnomish refugees and Human travellers, even the Elves, Dranei, Worgen and Pandaren can
sometimes be found wandering its streets, but there can be no mistaking that Ironforge
is a Dwarven city, and here, one Dwarf clan stands as the first among equals: Clan Bronzebeard.
It was under the leadership of Aegrim Bronzebeard that the Clan first rose to a place of prominence
and earned the respect of its partners and rivals.
For many long centuries, Clan Bronzebeard, and the other Dwarves of Khaz Modan lived
in peace with one another, sworn to the authority of the High King Modimus Anvilmar.
The Bronzebeard Clan enjoyed close ties to the High King, becoming the great defenders
of Ironforge.
With Anvilmar’s death however, building resentments between Clan Bronzebeard and the
other two largest Clans of Ironforge; Wildhammer and Dark Iron, spiralled into civil war.
For many years, this war raged under the earth and threatened the very foundations of Ironforge.
Eventually, Clan Bronzebeard, which had always maintained the largest standing army, overwhelmed
Wildhammer and Dark Iron, banishing their survivors into the surrounding wilderness
of Khaz Modan.
While Clan Bronzebeard would secure the respect and eventually the friendship of the Wildhammer
Dwarves, the Dark Iron Clan vowed revenge, and turned to sorcery and ancient powers.
The last great conflict of the era known as the War of the Three Hammers ended with the
defeat of the Dark Iron Clan and the devastation of their lands at the hands of an elemental
they had dared summon out of desperation.
The ruin of Dark Iron further cemented the pre-eminence of the Bronzebeard Clan.
Their kings ruled over Ironforge and Khaz Modan unchallenged, gaining new allies in
the humans of Stormwind and through them, a partnership with the High Elves of Silvermoon.
Ironforge was restored to its former glory, and a mighty bridge, one of the greatest engineering
projects of the Dwarves, built across the Thandol Valley.
During the first great war against the Orcish Horde, King Magni Bronzebeard endured years
of bloody sieges and ensured the gates of Ironforge were never breached.
Bronzebeard cannons, demolition experts and skilled blacksmiths became integral parts
of the war effort, ensuring Clan Bronzebeard, and by extension, all Ironforge would forever
be a leading member of the growing Alliance.
While victory was secured, Clan Bronzebeard suffered repeated tragedies in the uneasy
peace that followed.
King Magni would be cursed and petrified, his brother Muradin presumed dead, and the
rule of Moira Bronzebeard would lead Ironforge into tyranny and ruin.
The unexpected return of Muradin has brought prestige back to Bronzebeard, which today
is represented in the Council of the Three Hammers.
This regency rules the Kingdom of Ironforge in the absence of the High King, and ensures
the Bronzebeard Clan a place of authority and respect.
While the High Seat of Ironforge remains empty, and Muradin Bronzebeard carries the title
of High Thane rather than High King, the Clan remains a powerful force both in Ironforge,
and across Azeroth.
It endures like the capital itself, with the hammer of industry, toasts to song and story,
and for all the raging of
its enemies, never broken.