Editing Kharadron Overlords (section)

==Origins and History==

===Age of Myth===
The origins of the Kharadron date back far in the Age of Myth in the realm of Chamon. During this time they were regular surface dwelling Duardin who built great mountain-side empires and amazing works of craftmanship and technology under the watchful tutelege of Grungni, the Duardin Smith god. Grungni stewarded the Duardin of Chamon for centuries, imparting his knowlege on the fledgling empires of Duardin, Human and Aelf. He even helped in reforging the landmasses of the centre of Chamon through both arcane and technological methods into perfect geometric shapes, from which great quantities of precious metals could be mined. However eventually Grungi departed his people for Azyr as part of his oath of workmanship he still owed to Sigmar, while also wanting his people to strive on their own behalf without his guidance. And strive they did, for the civilizations of the Chamon thrived fueled through bountiful resources and the usage of the Chamonite realmstone. Resulting in empires built of metal springing up over the realm. It was also during this time that the Duardin first became aware of the substance known as Aether-Gold, and how it could be harnessed to create and power many wonderous machines. The Duardin subsequently started building small skyfaring mining installations to begin harvesting this resource.

However this was not to last. Tzeentch desiring Chamon more than any other Chaos god, concocted a scheme to breach the realm. Luring a massive godbeast known as the Lode-Griffon from the aetheric void, the beast settled right in the centre-heartlands of Chamon. This alone was a cause for concern, but it was found the creature emitted powerful magnetic distortions that altered the landscape around it (subsequently leading to the creation of what is now today the Spiral Crux). Desperate to be rid of the beast the various empires of Chamon's centre lands banded together to enact a great ritual to kill the beast by turning it to solid gold. While the ritual at first seemed like a success, transmogrifying the god-beast and killing it. Unbeknownst to those working the ritual, agents of Tzeentch sabotaged the ritual at its height causing the spell to backfire and creating a massive portal to Tzeentch's domain in the sky above the great statue of the Lode-Griffon spewing forth endless waves of demons upon the land.

With this act the invasion of Chamon had truly begun and the Age of Myth coming to an end.

===Age of Chaos===
The Kharadron Overlords were born with the fall of the last of the Mountain Kingdoms. The old Khazalid mountain empires being overrun one by one by Tzeentch's endless hordes. Those that survived realized that trying to defend their holdouts was futile as they were hopelessly outnumbered and their allies already besieged in other realms. With little options remaining they fled to the small skyforts and outposts that floated around, hiding in the clouds. Realizing that to maintain these new holdouts they would require greater amounts of Aether-Gold, as they had limited access to the Chamonite realmstone on the ground or even just most resources in general. It was at this time that the first true mass-scale harvesting of magical substance took place. During this time, their society grew but resources in that limited space ran scarce. They were forced to mine the same limited aether-gold veins as other sky-ports and thus fought against each other for them. This marked the beginning of the Time of Reaving, where the Kharadron almost plunged in a civil war. In order to avoid this, the nascent sky-ports (also known as Baraks) decided to convene a meeting on the floating island of Madralta. In this Conference of Madralta, the Kharadron Overlords agreed finally on nine artycles (yeah, no joke, Olde Englische Butcherede) and a boatload of amendments and footnotes to those artycles. These would become the Kharadron Code. Or the Code. ("Really more of a guideline.") And thus their society would be shaped forever into what was to become. The Code acted like a set of laws, a constitution, and a set of guidelines: governance both of the ports and ships, how to trade, when to fight and retreat. All guided on the increase of the personal wealth and profit of the Kharadron. Things like tradition and superstition were seen as detrimental, remnants of an old age that had almost brought them into extinction. The Kharadron wouldn't be ruled by gods nor kings despite them acknowledging the existence of both, but by wise and successful dwarfs who knew what to do.

Following the stabilization of their new society the Kharadron for the most part kept to themselves and rarely made expeditions to the ground. Except in cases of requirement such as resource gathering or trying to excavate their old duardin holds. Because of this and their well-defended positions the Kharadron endured better than many other civilizations during the age of chaos, with only a few holds truly being threatened during this time. This was when the veneration of Gods was generally abandoned and codified as, for the most part, none of the old pantheon protected or guided them, not even their old god Grungni. This was further exacerbated by the fact that their suffering was caused by the Chaos God Tzeentch and his followers. Turned out Grungi believed deeply in his followers making their own decisions and way in the world and was focused on making the Stormcast to kick Chaos back where they came from, so he did little to aid them. Grungni would later come to regret this inaction as it led to the deaths of many of his people that he could have prevented and damaged their relationship. But this is all too late for his former followers as now many Khardron want nothing to do with him, and developed a large chip on their collective shoulders about gods and magic. Instead turning their attention to both monetary and scientific concerns.

===Age of Sigmar===
Following Sigmar's initial crusades back into the realms and the pushing back of chaos in many territories the Kharadron have been pragmatic enough to support Sigmar's forces after they built cities in the liberated territories of the Mortal Realms while getting new and lucrative partnerships, who says duardin can't have common sense? While nominally independent they have been instrumental in expanding Sigmars growing empires and their vessals being essential in inter-city trade, with many cities having strong ties to neighbouring sky ports. The Kharadron have also seen fit following Sigmars tempest to branch out into other realms besides Chamon, seeking ever new Aether-gold deposits and new trading partners in the newly built free-cities. However, while the Khardron respect Sigmar and his contributions they still refuse to worship him and as a society the sky-lords hold fast to the their code and continue with their oath to never bow before gods again.

===The Soul Wars===

When Nagash’s Necroquake struck the realms, it majorly devastated the Kharadron Overlords. In scenes of utter destruction and mayhem that could only be described as Pearl Harbor from Hell, the sky ports found themselves assailed by an onslaught of violent magical storms blowing trade routes off course, endless spells seemingly manifesting out of nowhere and ravaging entire fleets, and worst of all, the newly emerged Nighthaunt floating skywards and assaulting the Kharadron in their previously unassailable homes. Two lesser Sky-Ports, Barak-Durmmaz and Barak-Kling were destroyed entirely, while even the major Sky Ports suffered major losses, with Barak-Nar losing a fifth of its navy while seven members of Barak-Zilfin's Admiral's Council were killed when a rogue Pendulum Endless Spell caused the Barak's flagship ''Sunderer'' to crash into the Halls of Endeavour.

The most significant effect, however, was that the major shift in the winds (both magical and physical) of the realm caused veins of Aether-gold to be blown across the sky. With the largest Aether-gold streams monopolized by the major skyports now scattered, the Kharadron Code dictated that these veins could be claimed by rival skyports, resulting in a new gold rush the Kharadron came to call the Gorak-drek, or "Great Venture".

Within this newly roused rush to put the pieces back together, the entire political framework of Kharadron society faced one of its biggest upheavals since the first Conference of Madralta. As hundreds of companies across the sky ports began filing for bankruptcy when their revenue streams were uprooted and the Admiral Councils scrambled to rebuild their fleets, the normally static balance of political power within the Geldraad itself began to shift dramatically:

Barak Nar, who had enjoyed a commanding lead in delegates, now found its position slightly upended as the economic strain resulted in the previously unthinkable loss of a delegate seat. However, the quick cunning of their remaining representatives and Admirals ensured that this setback would not be a catastrophic one, and Barak Nar was soon chartering dozens of expeditions and reclaiming swathes of lost revenue.

Barak Zilfin, despite the loss of its flagship ''Sunderer'' and numerous senior Admirals, was actually able to weather many of the worst storms thrown their way by the Necroquake, thanks to their top of the line Navigator League. Not only that, but the speed and ingenuity of the Windswept City's shipbuilders meant that they soon had ships ranging far to capitalize on new streams of Aethergold, allowing them to actually accumulate enough shares to earn another seat on the Geldraad.

Barak Zon and Barak Urbaz both suffered the loss of one delegate, bringing their Geldraad numbers to 2 and 1 respectively.

Barak Thryng, the lowest (Under Construction)

===Broken Realms===
The Kharadron had a relatively small, but very important role to play in the conflicts leading up to what is now called the Era of the Beast.

Their first notable involvement in the conflict was in Chamon, where a veteran Endrinmaster named Humboldsson, at the urging of a mysterious veteran Arkanaut named Gromthi, disobeyed orders and took a prototype skyship called the Redoubtable to investigate a mysterious, massive release of magical power, caused by the [[Seraphon]] and their efforts to violently sever one of the Silver Towers of [[Tzeentch]] from its connection to the realmgates, stranding the heavily-damaged [[daemon]]ic fortress in the Realm of Metal. Ironically, the Redoubtable never even got near the site where the Silver Tower had crashed to earth, as the aether-readings from the corruption of the realmgates by the surprise assault from the forces of [[Be'lakor]] so alarmed the Kharadron that they returned swiftly to the Admiralty Board.

They arrived to the Second Conference of Madralta, as the skyports met to discuss the strange corruption of Chamon's skies that was wreaking havoc on the navigation routes and the aether-gold harvests. As the representatives of each skyport bickered and argued, Humboldsson and Gromthi arrived and breached protocol by interrupting the conference, where Gromthi warned the collected Kharadron that the skies of Chamon were forming into a tremendous spiralling vortex centered on Vindicarum, something that foretold great destruction even to the aerial empire of the sky-dwarves.

Swayed by the elder duardin's words, the Kharadron came to Vindicarum's aid, driving back the forces of [[Be'lakor]] and aiding the locals in rebuilding in exchange for access to the great mass of aether-gold now swirling over the city of Vindicarum.

Amidst the remnants of one of the city’s fallen districts, Gromthi viewed the work being done with satisfaction. It was good, stalwart, neighbourly work – or so he first viewed it. Humboldsson saw it as something more mercenary: the Kharadron had not been moved by Vindicarum’s plight, not by simple sentiment. Theirs was a way of profit and survival, as it had always been. Some great sorrow seemed to come over the elderly Arkanaut, but he offered nothing to refute the claims the Endrinmaster made of necessity. Then, between one puff on his pipe and another, he was gone.

As it would later transpire, Gromthi was none less than the lost duardin god, [[Grungni]]. He would later openly reveal his return, convincing the Celestant-Prime to show clemency to [[Morathi]] for her usurpation of Anvilgard, and revealing a new type of armor for the [[Stormcast Eternals]], Thunderstrike Armor, to breach through the cursed skies created by [[Be'lakor]].

Even beyond the shocking return of their divine patriarch, Kharadron society is struggling. The corruption of Chamon's skies has drastically reshaped and scattered the currents and deposits of aether-gold, crippling the Kharadron's supply of their society's lifeblood. This is made doubly hard by the collapse of so many of Chamon's realmgates, which has disrupted their existing trade network. So the Kharadron are looking to completely rechart both sets of vital routes at the same time, which has made their presence as the premier sky-farers of Order greatly diminish.

One positive that has come of this whole mess? The return of Grungni and his urgings for his children to come together has revitalized all of the disparate duardin factions to some extent. There is greater and friendly communion between Kharadron, [[Fyreslayer]]s and the other unnamed Duardin now than there has been in a long time.