Black Fire Pass has been the site of many battles throughout the course of history, but none were as significant as the first which was fought there. At Black Fire Pass, a great force of Dwarfs led by King Kurgan Ironbeard joined with a human army under the command of a young hero named Sigmar to confront and ultimately destroy a great horde of greenskins. Following the battle, King Ironbeard swore a great oath that for all time, the Dwarfs would safeguard the eastern mountain approaches to the lands of men. In the following year, Sigmar was made the first Emperor, uniting the scattered tribes of humans under one banner.

Since that time, the Dwarfs have faithfully upheld King Ironbeard's solemn oath, guarding with great diligence each of the mountain passes that might tempt an enemy seeking to invade the Empire. In the Age of Reckoning, this sacred vow will be severely tested.

All throughout the Old World, tribes of Orcs and Goblins are leaving their territories and marching to the captured Dwarf stronghold of Karak Eight Peaks in answer to Warlord Grumlok's summons. On the advice of his Shaman advisor Gazbag, Grumlok has sent some of his best fighters to challenge the Dwarfs for control of several key mountain passes throughout the World's Edge Mountains. With these passages under greenskin control, Orc and Goblin tribes from every part of the Old World will be able to reach Eight Peaks and join the growing ranks of Grumlok's horde.

When a force of Bloody Sun Boyz arrives in Black Fire Pass, they discover a tribe of cunning, rebellious Goblins called the Moon Fangs. The Goblins have blatantly defied the summons to Eight Peaks, though they know it will mean their deaths if Grumlok finds out. Instead, the Moon Fangs, accustomed to being bossed around by tribes of Orcs that have now left to join the Waaagh!, have decided to take advantage of their newfound freedom and attack the Empire through Black Fire Pass. The uprising must be put down swiftly, for if Grumlok is to maintain control of the Waaagh!, he cannot afford to show any sign of weakness.

Joining this crucial battle is the Empire, which has settlements in the pass and a vested interest in seeing it kept safe. Devotees of Sigmar will fight to the death to protect their great temple, perched high on a cliff overlooking the village of Priesterstadt. There, refugees from the nearby hamlet of Altstadt seek shelter while the courageous Altstadt Huntsmen fight desperately to save their home from the greenskin invaders.

As the forces of Order and Destruction clash, a new foe is watching, waiting eagerly for the opportunity to strike. A sinister presence has tunneled up from beneath the earth, drawn by the sound of conflict and the stench of death. In the depths of an abandoned Dwarf mine near the Empire town of Hindelburg, countless pairs of red eyes glow in the inky darkness. Elsewhere in Black Fire Pass, tribes of Beastmen prowl the wooded slopes in search of sacrifices for their dark altars.

In the fight for Black Fire Pass, there is far more at stake than territorial control. For the Dwarfs, a failure at Black Fire would be a failure to uphold one of the most sacred oaths ever taken – an oath for which every living Dwarf bears responsibility. Perhaps more importantly, Black Fire Pass is also the site of Bugman's Brewery, the most famous brewery in all the Old World and a cultural treasure for the Dwarfs. Its loss would be catastrophic. A defeat for the forces of Order could also spell doom for the Empire, for its southern provinces are largely undefended. For Warlord Grumlok and the Bloody Sun Boyz, the conquest of Black Fire Pass is vital to the success of the Waaagh! and the tribe's position as the dominant force among all the greenskins.

In a bygone era, the armies of Dwarfs and men joined forces against the greenskins and altered forever the course of history. Now, in the Age of Reckoning, the fate of nations might once again be decided in the snowy forests of Black Fire Pass.

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