Quick Overview
The death of High King Modimus Anvilmar destroyed the uneasy balance among Ironforge's three great dwarf clans. The Bronzebeards were associated with the struggle to retain Ironforge; the Wildhammers sought a home suited to their own traditions; and the Dark Irons, under Thaurissan, would eventually turn toward destructive sorcery. The resulting War of the Three Hammers did more than change who held the mountain.
Full History
The death of High King Modimus Anvilmar destroyed the uneasy balance among Ironforge's three great dwarf clans. Bronzebeard, Wildhammer, and Dark Iron leaders disputed the future of the mountain kingdom, and rivalry hardened into civil war. A realm once held together under one king began to divide into enduring peoples with separate strongholds and memories of defeat.
Each clan possessed its own leadership and ambitions. The Bronzebeards were associated with the struggle to retain Ironforge; the Wildhammers sought a home suited to their own traditions; and the Dark Irons, under Thaurissan, would eventually turn toward destructive sorcery. Anvilmar's death removed the figure around whom the clans had maintained a common political order. Without him, disputes over territory and authority could no longer be contained by the old institutions.
The resulting War of the Three Hammers did more than change who held the mountain. It drove the Wildhammers toward Grim Batol and later the Hinterlands, while the Dark Iron conflict eventually brought Ragnaros into the world at Blackrock Mountain. Anvilmar's death belongs at the beginning of that long chain, explaining why the dwarves of original World of Warcraft inhabit a divided landscape.
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