Black fire pass lore question

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

So I really like the idea of the various forts lining the gaps southern worlds edge mountains of the empire, I love funneling the greenskin's in like lambs to the slaughter even if they are barely used. This makes me wonder why the number place for greenskin invasions blackfire pass doesn't have a massive fort garrisoning the road? Is it because of the lava leaking out of the mountain sides? Couldn't that be used to make epic lava motes?

[RCMidas]

Mainly because of it being a perpetually contested and extremely costly place to attempt construction in. The border forts with Bretonnia were at least aligned with (formerly Imperial) super-rich Marienburg and the capital province Reikland, and the fort south of Solland was at a key junction with three major dwarf Karaks (Norn, Hirn, and Izor)...but Blackfire Pass was comparatively in the middle of nowhere and leading nowhere but into the wilderness of the untamed Border Princes. Plus you had constant Greenskins attack there.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by RCMidas:

Mainly because of it being a perpetually contested and extremely costly place to attempt construction in. The border forts with Bretonnia were at least aligned with (formerly Imperial) super-rich Marienburg and the capital province Reikland, and the fort south of Solland was at a key junction with three major dwarf Karaks (Norn, Hirn, and Izor)...but Blackfire Pass was comparatively in the middle of nowhere and leading nowhere but into the wilderness of the untamed Border Princes. Plus you had constant Greenskins attack there.

Yeah but isn't that where most of the giant hordes of orks that come in and raze entire provinces come from like the one that destroyed solland in the lore? I would think the empire would have some sort of fortification at least on their side of the pass.

[Gluttóny]

in grudgebearer there were 2 minor forts on either side of the pass, and pilgrims come there a lot cause sigmar

[RCMidas]

Originally posted by Bubbles:

Yeah but isn't that where most of the giant hordes of orks that come in and raze entire provinces come from like the one that destroyed solland in the lore? I would think the empire would have some sort of fortification at least on their side of the pass.

Indeed. But precisely because all the Waaaghs try to go through there it is simply too expensive and difficult to defend the place properly. As soon as you try to establish a proper defence, it's basically a beacon to all the Greenskins saying "Come and have a go we think we're hard enough".

[nord2hammer]

Originally posted by Bubbles:

So I really like the idea of the various forts lining the gaps southern worlds edge mountains of the empire, I love funneling the greenskin's in like lambs to the slaughter even if they are barely used. This makes me wonder why the number place for greenskin invasions blackfire pass doesn't have a massive fort garrisoning the road? Is it because of the lava leaking out of the mountain sides? Couldn't that be used to make epic lava motes?

A single tower of dawi make still remains standing, guarding Black Fire Pass for the Empire-"Dok a Dum"/"The Watcher in the Dark".

From Black Fire Pass 3rd Ed-
Garrisoned by soldiers of Averland. The Watcher is carved from huge blocks of volcanic rock the size of houses joined seamlessly into a semi circle that backs onto a sheer cliff face halfway up the side of the Pass. The thick stone walls, heavily scarred by wind and rain, stand almost ten feet thick at their widest and have been buttressed into the cliffs on both sides.....