Black Fire Pass has long been a site of great strategic importance, since the Old Dwarf Road runs through the pass to Karaz-a-Karak, linking the Empire to the kingdoms of the Dwarfs. Many great battles have been fought at Black Fire Pass against the enemies of the Empire, the first and greatest of which saw Sigmar Heldenhammer lead an army of men and Dwarfs to crush a massive Greenskin horde and brought about the birth of the Empire. Ever since that time, Imperial citizens have settled in Black Fire Pass, and the site of the ancient battle where Sigmar fought is an important place of pilgrimage.[9][10][11]