Dwarf (Warhammer Fantasy)
The Dwarves are a species that feature in Warhammer Fantasy.
Contents |
History
The Dawi were a race of dwarves that came to inhabit the Old World. According to legend, the first Dwarfs migrated northwards from their southern ancestral homes along the World Edge Mountains, following open veins of ore and tunnelling into the mountains in search of gold, iron and gemstones. As they progressed, many clans built fortified settlements and mines called holds around the richest deposits. Eventually they reached the northern most edge of the mountains - the majority turned back, while some ventured north-west into the lands that would become Norsca and others turned east and crossed the Great Skull Land. It was written in the Great Book of Grudges that a time of great calamity fell when the storms of Chaos erupted across the Old World from the far north, colouring the sky, splitting the earth and tearing apart the mountains themselves. It was also in this period that the great Ancestor Gods emerged - Grungni, Grimnir and Valaya - who helped lead the Dwarfs to safety by leading them to dig deep under the mountains to escape the storm ravaging the world above. After the catastrophe of the Coming of Chaos, the Dwarfs emerged to find their world changed and warped. Mutated Beastmen roamed freely throughout the land, slaying everyone in their path. Warriors of the Chaos Gods murdered and pillaged at will, and Daemons created nightmare realms, enslaving entire tribes and peoples. The sheer power of Chaos threatened the entire world with eventual destruction. To battle against such enemies, Grungni forged the first weapons and armour, while teaching the Dwarfs the skills of metalworking, smelting and mining. He also forged the first magical runes, capturing the wild winds of magic and harnessing their power into them, creating even more potent weapons, axes and hammers, as well as runes that gave runic protection into armour and talismans. He armed Grimnir with two mighty axes and armour harder than the bones of mountains, and he and his first Runesmiths armed the rest of the Dwarf race. Soon after, they marched forth from their stronghold and battled against Chaos, where Grimnir slew many deamons and Valaya protected them from the dark magics of their foes. Though they could not fully destroy the forces against them, they drove them from their mountain homes and defended them from further onslaught.
Soon after their re-emergence and battles with Chaos, the Dwarfs encountered the High Elves of Ulthuan. An army led by Grimnir, as they were chasing a marauder warband into the lowlands, met a fleet of Elven warships led by the mage Caledor Dragontamer, who had been blown off course while searching the Old World for clues as to the source of Chaos. Though uncertain of each other, the armies combined to defeat a fresh onslaught by Chaos forces, the spells of Caledor working in conjunction with the axe-work of Grimnir. During the aftermath, the Dwarves learnt from the Elves of the wars in their homeland and their vast struggle against the magic of Chaos, while the Elves learnt of the great storm that erupted from north. Realising that a Chaos Gate had opened at the polar north, Caledor began to devise a plan to trap the power of Chaos in a vast vortex, and returned to Ulthuan to plan his endeavour. Grimnir, upon learning of the Chaos Gate from Caledor, decided to journey northwards and close the gate himself. Though Grungni and Valaya warned him such an endeavour might not succeed and he would surely die, Grimnir replied it was worth the risk. Shaving his hair and beard except for a mohawk, he gave one of his mighty axes to his son Morgrim and journeyed northwards to close the Gate. He was never seen again and his fate remains unknown, even as Caledor's plan succeeded in trapping the power of Chaos and banishing it to the dark corners of the world. Soon after this victory, Grungni and Valaya vanished, with many saying they had returned to the mountains awaiting the day the dwarf race would need them most. With the defeat of Chaos, the Dwarfs prospered and expanded all across the World Edge Mountains, establishing mighty strongholds and vast passageways beneath the earth. As the Elves returned to the Old World and established their colonies along the coast and in the forests, trade flowed between the two races and strong bonds of friendship grew between them.
Overview
Dwarfs were a very long-lived race with life-spans that can run into centuries, or rare occasions even into a millennium. As a dwarf becomes older so his beard becomes longer and thicker. Since dwarves have a deep inbuilt respect for age it would be unthinkable for a dwarf to cut off or even trim their beards. Like the Orcs, dwarfs appear to become stronger the older they get, but unlike the Orcs, there appears to be a breaking point where their general health rapidly declines, always happening just a few years before the dwarf dies of old age.
A favoured metal used by the Runesmiths was Gromril that was also known as meteoric iron.
Members
- Thorgrim Grudgebearer :
- Ungrim Ironfist :
- Belegar Ironhammer :
- Grombrindal :
- Kazador Dragonslayer :
- Alrik Ranulfsson :
- Josef Bugman :
- Thorek Ironbrow :
- Grimm Burloksson :
Notes
- The Dwarves were created by Games Workshop and featured in the Warhammer Fantasy universe.
In other media
Video games
- In Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the Dwarves were a playable race in the setting of the MMORPG video game. Players could choose to play the Oathbearers that were an Order faction with them being a regiment which had been founded by High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer with all taking an oath. They were assembled to retake the Karak Eight Peaks from the Ork Bloody Sun Boyz with the army being gathered from all across the World's Edge Mountains. The Oathbearers were armed with the most potent of weapons and armor that could be made by the runesmiths. Comprised of the most skilled and courageous of Dwarves, they were tasked with collecting the finest ores, gold, and gems in the Old World with these being used against the Greenskins. Players could choose to play either as an Ironbreaker, Slayer, Rune Priest or Engineer.
- In Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, a Dwarf Ranger named Bardin Goreksson appeared as a playable character in the first-person action multiplayer cooperative video game. He was from the Grey Mountains with him keeping the holds of Karak Ziflin and Karak Norn safe from overground attacks. Goreksson had discovered an ancient Dwarven map in an abandoned mine that contained the location of the infamous lost hold of Karak Zorn. Unable to read the map, he attempted to chart and fund an expedition but was ridiculed by the other members from the hold. The Ranger than had heard from a rumour-smith that he paid gold to that a Dwarven community in Ubersreik had a tome in the long-disused version of Klinkarhun that could be instrumental in reading the map with Bardin making his way to the city. During his time there, he joined a warband as he city came under attack from the Skaven.
- In Total War: Warhammer, the Dwarves were a playable faction within the real-time strategy video game. The DLC 'The King and the Warlord' introduced a new sub-faction for the Dwarves that was Clan Angrund. They once held their hold of Vala-Azril-Ungol that was lost to them at the hands of the Night Goblin Skarsnik leading to this wrong noted in the Great Book of Grudges. Belegar Ironhammer whow as a direct descendant of the legendary King Lunn led the Clan in reclaiming their lost fortress from the Goblins that resided there who led them in their march to Karaz Ankors return.
- In Warhammer: Chaosbane, Bragi Axebiter appeared as a playable Slayer class in the adventure video game. He took the Slayer Oath after leading half of his troops including his father and brothers to their death. Bragi sought a glorious death by challenging Asavar Kul the Everchosen of Chaos himself but arrived too late as Magnus along with his knights slayed the warlord. Magnus offered Bragi a place within his retinue with the Dwarven Slayer accepting as he believed that he could still fight the living champions of the Chaos Lord.
Appearances
- Warhammer Armies: Dwarves:
External Links
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