The Dwarves prepare for War

Namco Bandai Games America Inc. and Deep Silver today unveiled a new trailer highlighting new screenshots and new details about one of the oldest races in the Warhammer World from its forthcoming real-time strategy game, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

One of the oldest races in the Warhammer World is the Dwarves:

Home for them are the World's Edge Mountains, a range of mountains east of the Empire that stretch from the very south to the very north. It is within these mountains that lay an extensive labyrinth of tunnels carved out by Dwarves.

These tunnels connect Dwarf strongholds, the centers of Dwarf civilizations. It has been a while since the height of their civilization and some of their strongholds have been abandoned, overrun by evils that also call the mountains their home.

Within a stronghold, the Dwarf people are ruled by a King, beyond which things are kept simpler as social structures are centered on clans. The Dwarf social ladder is more or less dependent upon the heritage of the clan itself. Dwarves are incredibly proud of their beards. Their relative age can be figured out by looking at the length of the beards -- the longest beard is most likely the oldest dwarf.

The Dwarves have a knack for holding a grudge that could span past many ages of man. More specifically, there even exists a Book of Grudges, Karaz-a-Karak, in which great breaches of faith against the Dwarf people are recorded. Even in combat, this is evident as ammunition for the Dwarf Stone Thrower is carefully selected with runes inscribed describing the injustice to be fired upon the enemy.

The Dwarf people are also sought after for their finely crafted armor and weapons. They have little understanding of magic as practiced by Humans and Elves, but rather create magical weapons by an ancient practice of rune lore. It is this practice by which Dwarf Runesmiths make magical devices, weapons and armor. The most powerful of runes are only known to a few Runelords, who pass the tradition down by word of mouth. These great weapons have protected the Dwarf strongholds against many invaders and have served them in their ever enterprising nature of attaining wealth.

Example if units in the Dwarf Army:

Dwarf Hammerers

Hammerers are the Dwarf king's personal guard and so are accorded a high status within the stronghold. They are very skilled warriors and personally selected by the king himself. If a Dwarf should prove himself courageous enough over the course of many battles, he may be selected to join the Hammerers. Skill, strength and courage alone however are not enough. A Hammerer must be willing to give his complete loyalty to his liege and dedicate himself totally to protecting him from harm. Known throughout the world for their stubbornness, Hammerers are regarded as being stubborn by other Dwarves.

The symbol of the bond between a Lord and his Hammerers is the weapon they carry. Each bears a heavy, but perfectly balanced, great hammer. It is the gift of the hammer to the warrior that seals the oath between him and his Lord.

Dwarf Rangers

Not all Dwarves live in great holds under the mountains. Some clans dwell above ground, trading with Men and operating their own businesses such as mines and breweries. For such clans, the battle against the Greenskins is a daily challenge, with raiding as commonplace. The tradition has developed for Dwarves to band together to defend their communities against these threats and to settle grudges by hunting down the culprits. Such bands have become known as Rangers. Armed with their preferred crossbows, bands of Rangers have brought a bloody reckoning to many an enemy of Dwarfkind.

Dwarf Warriors

Dwarves are immensely strong and resilient, broad of shoulder, wide in the girth, with big hands and broad feet. They are ideally adapted to cope with demanding physical work, and can dig or tunnel for hours without tiring. Their extreme physical endurance also enables them to carry heavy loads without any notable loss in speed. As well as being physically robust, they are also mentally tough. To say that a Dwarf knows his own mind is something of an understatement.

Dwarves are set in their ways and extremely determined. They are supremely confident in the virtues and values of their civilization, and are openly scornful of the achievements of other "less accomplished" races. This combination of physical and mental durability makes Dwarves steadfast fighters. They will often fight to the last rather than admit defeat, and rarely run away even if the situation appears hopeless.

Dwarf Lords

The most powerful fighters in the Dwarf army are its Lords. Each of them has vast experience combating the enemies of their race, often built up over several centuries. Dwarf leaders are well tutored in the art of war, learning both from the elders of their own clans and the venerable Runesmiths. When the time comes for them to lead, they will have learnt more than most commanders ever know and will have been tried and tested on the battlefield many times. This experience and wisdom is reflected in their beards, a clear indication that the other Dwarves in the throng would do well to follow their example.

When battle is joined, it is the Lords with their finely crafted armor and rune-inscribed axes who seek out the enemy's most powerful combatants, matching bestial fury or dark magic with courage, honor and steel.

--- As a big Warhammer fan I personally can't wait for this one and Games Xtreme should be getting a preview soon! ~ Wolf