The mines of Vollature were originally open cast mines created by scraping away the soil to reveal iron ore which was shipped to the cities for smelting to make iron for the Ironweld. The initial deposits quickly ran out so the miners employed Duardin to dig deep mines to extract the richer seems that ran deep below the surface of Aqshy. The lowest levels were prone to flooding so the Duardin constructed ingenious steam driven pumps to pump the lower levels dry and keep the mines functioning. Small deposits of Realmstone were discovered, this helped to pay for the Duardin to complete the mines and show the mortals how to dig and shore up the mines. It also spurred the miners to keep working the mines in the hope of finding a rich seam of Realmstone that would make them all rich.
With the coming of the Age of Chaos the mines were used as a place of safety from the marauding Chaos hordes as they were easily defended with only a few men at the entrances. All was well until the Skaven of Clan Moulder tunnelled into the mines from below, drawn by the sound of the steam pumps. Ironic that the very thing that was keeping the mines habitable should be the thing that drew the thing that would kill the miners.
The fight for the mines was bitter and cruel. The darkness suited the Skaven who could function easily in the dark and find the miners by smell. Slowly but surely they overcame the miners killing them or driving them out into the open where they were captured or killed by the Chaos hordes.
When the Realmgates were opened and the area cleared of Chaos, the miners returned to the Mines of Vollature, but they were afraid to repair and restart the pumps in case it attracted the attention of the Skaven again. As far as possible the Skaven burrows were blocked off with debris from the new workings, or flooded. The iron ore and realmstone that was found at the higher levels was not of such good quality as that from the lower levels and some was found to be corrupted by the warpstone left behind by the Skaven.
When Chaos reasserted itself in the area, many of the miners left, swearing never to return and went to find a new life in Vorsprangsbridge or Kazak Kuzitsak. Some stubbornly remained at the mines, convinced they could make them safe again and that they could scratch a living from the mines until the Stormcast returned and restored order to the region once more.
