Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)

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Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. - Confucious

The Dwarfs (never "Dwarves", always "Dwarfs") of Warhammer Fantasy are the typical bearded mining alcoholic grumbling race you'd expect them to be (although in all fairness, Warhammer was the third ever setting to use that archtype after Tolkien invented it and Dungeons & Dragons was the first to steal appropriate it). But Warhammer Dwarfs have a more elaborate culture than the preceding Dwarfs which were based on real life history and a generic template respectively.

Dwarfs are the Roman Empire of the setting in the sense that they were the original masters of the Old World AKA Warhammer Europe. Having a major Hold in every mountain, the Dwarfs easily repelled any invading race and traded with every friendly one. The language of humanity as well as the scientific progress of the setting all come from the Dwarfs, and although they didn't have anything to do with the first banishing of Chaos they are responsible for the strength of the forces of Order repelling Chaos for most of the rest of the setting.

History

Prehistory (Golden Age before Chaos)

In the beginning of the Warhammer World (named "Mallus" unofficially for its solid core, because "The Warhammer World" is a rather uncreative name for a planet) a race of beings from another place and/or time called the Old Ones descended on a primitive world (which as of the End Times was revealed to already have Isha, Asuryan, Kurnous, and Ereth Khial among unknown other Elf gods on it thanks to them surviving the end of the preceding universe). The Old Ones discovered there were primitive races on the verge of sapience, and began experimenting on them to create a race capable of defeating Chaos. To achieve this end they created the Lizardmen as assistants and built the Warp Gates to draw magic and use as tools (accidentally drawing the very attention of Chaos they were trying to avoid). They first made the races civilized and planted the seeds of their culture, placed them in an environment perfectly formed to aid their development, and put them in proximity to fight Chaos.

First uplifted were the Elves, gifted in magic and longevity. But the Elves were too frail, too corruptible. Chaos could tug at their emotions and draw them into conflict with themselves, lure them to its side with promises of power and pride, and were loyal to themselves before their race and their race before anything else.

So the Old Ones took the Dwarfs and uplifted them, tweaking the formula to still have long life but making the Dwarfs entirely unable to be corrupted by Chaos by making their bodies resist magic and giving them personalities that Chaos could not twist. While Elves are arrogant and act on emotion, Dwarfs are prideful but act on duty before all else. Inherent loyalty to each other prevents them from being manipulated into infighting easily, but the Dwarfs have a cultural emphasis on Oaths and pursuit of gold which allows them to deal with other races fairly. Refusal to allow insult and sleight lie unavenged make them more than willing to fight any threat, although Dwarfs lack the desire for war and bloodlust that lay deep in the hearts the Elves. Sadly, the Old Ones rejected the Dwarfs due to their easily predictable nature and the inability to use magic being a disadvantage more than a strength. So the Old Ones moved on, creating the human race next then the Halflings, Giants, and finally Ogres with miscellaneous races inbetween.

Dwarfs remember their history differently however. They claim to have been born from the stone of the first mountains, a story that doesn't involve Elves or Lizardmen or any other race. They believe the first Dwarfs to be their gods, the Ancestor Gods. Valaya was the first queen, who invented almost all aspects of Dwarf culture. Her husbands were Grungni and Grimnir, with Grungni taking the language his wife created and inventing the ability to forge them into objects using specific rituals to trap magic inside without the corruption or destruction inherent to magic. Grimnir on the other hand became a war god, destroying the enemies of the Dwarfs. In reality, these three were only the leaders of the first Dwarfs that were given gifts by the Old Ones, guided by the hands of the mysterious beings (its not clear if seen or unseen, although since the Slann directly taught magic to the Elves its possibly the first three royals were guided by the Old Ones themselves). The three did indeed become gods, possibly through the Old Ones or possibly through other means. Dwarfs claim that Valaya invented all aspects of Dwarf culture from Grudge-keeping to brewing to the language of the Dwarfs (called "Khazalid"), while the lore that isn't told through the Dwarf perspective claims these were the gifts of the Old Ones meaning that Valaya likely just spread the knowledge and as a goddess was the patron rather than was the inventor. What is true is that Valaya was the one who established the primary Dwarf Holds (called "Karaks" or Fortress) including Karaz-a-Karak which became her holy city and the capital of the Dwarf race, although she left her sons in charge of each Karak and Dwarfs consider said sons as the first ruler of each.

By Dwarf reckoning the first stone gave birth to the three, then the three created the others from it; thus making the three the "parents" of all Dwarfs. But Valaya gave birth to children of both of her husbands, and the lineage of many Dwarfs can be traced directly to them which lends them legitimacy and credence in society, which is why the same lore can have a Dwarf say they are all sons of Valaya while their king is considered a direct son of Valaya.

Grungni one day made a prophesy that a great disaster would befall the Dwarfs. Valaya and him created a special rune, her own rune, that protected from magic and Chaos while Grimnir prepared for a great war by slaying the monsters already in the world including "Urmskaladrak" AKA the father of all Dragons (according to the Elves, this dragon was a benevolent being killed by one of their own gods who's body formed Ulthuan meaning which story is true is unknown).

Chaos

When the Warp Gates collapsed into portals to the Warp and the Old Ones vanished, Valaya made a home in Karaz-a-Karak and blessed the first two great pillars within. Both Dwarfs and Elves in Warhammer mark this time as the start of recorded history, with the exact Dwarf calendar beginning in -5500 according to the calendar of the humans of the setting.

One hundred and two years later Grungni created the Throne Of Power which is the property of the High King of the Dwarfs, giving it to his son Snorri Whitebeard. Grimnir met the Elf Aenarion during his travels as an explorer and the two races began diplomacy as the only other civilized people they had encountered (Dwarfs had met the humans of Nehekhara, but the relations were not exactly friendly and the not-Egyptians were fairly primitive compared to the Dwarfs at the time).

One year after that, Grimnir marched into the Chaos Wastes to defeat the Daemons and human Chaos-worshipers and wound up alone in a fortress inside the Warp where he fought the united forces of Chaos for the rest of time. Valaya hid in a forgotten Vault called Valaya's Gate where she could pool her magic and create a magical device to brings Dwarfs back to a golden age if they ever faltered. Grungni's fate is unknown, although he didn't die.

Snorri Whitebeard

In the absence of the mother and fathers Snorri became the supreme leader of his siblings, the Dwarf kings. After the sacrifice of Aenarion and the construction of the Vortex by the Elves, Chaos had subsided a great deal and the races began to explore the world again. In the year 404, Aenarion's son Malekith contacted Snorri and spent time with their race, learning a great deal about them and sending messages about the amiable race he had discovered back to the homeland. The two destroyed the last remaining armies from the first invasion of Chaos and settled the world, Elves creating colonies and Dwarfs new Karaks and even the odd above-ground settlements. Trade between the two created a new golden age vastly different than what came before, with Dwarfs refining their magical runes with the aid of the Elf masters of magic while the Elves learned the secrets of engineering.

Sometime between year 500 and 600 the Dwarfs of a Hold called Zorn Uzkul swore itself to the Chaos entity Hashut and became Chaos Dwarfs (Dwarfs cannot be corrupted against their will, but the Old Ones hadn't predicted willingly falling to what has little to offer), called "Uzkul-Dhrazh-Zharr" or just "Dawi Zharr". Chaos Dwarfs became Wizards by forcing magic into their bodies via runes, but thanks to the magic-resisting nature of the Dwarfs the Chaos Dwarf Wizards slowly turn to stone. Knowledge of how it happened and who exactly Hashut is are lost even to the Chaos Dwarfs themselves, with all that is known for sure being that they felt abandoned by the trinity gods after Chaos isolated them from the rest of the race. Hashut may be an ancestor god, but he could also merely be a Daemon using the Chaos Dwarfs to increase his own power. Either way the knowledge of the Chaos Dwarfs is ignored by most of the rest of the Dwarfs as they are generally unwilling to admit to anything that diminishes them.

In 1684 the second Phoenix King Bel Shanaar visited Karaz-a-Karak, swearing an Oath of eternal friendship with the elderly Snorri. At some point Elf artisans worked on the ceiling of the great hall of Karaz-a-Karak, which had since grown to house thousands of pillars added to Valaya's first two with each belonging to a Dwarf clan upon which each year their history is chronicled. The roof is now covered in sapphires that glimmer and glow, showing the constellations in the sky above the mountain.

Gotrek Starbreaker

Snorri passed the position of High King to his son Gotrek, as well as the Throne Of Power.

Not long after Malekith began the great civil war between the Elves, letting his mother Morathi twist him and the more wicked of the Elves to become Dark Elves and fall into evil and kill Bel Shanaar. Dwarfs heard little of the war and barely understood it as knowledge of the Chaos Dwarfs were not yet commonplace and those who were aware chocked it up to Chaos rather than inherent wickedness. The war went on for many years under Phoenix King Caledor I, with the Dwarfs being understanding of the weakened and financially strained Elves and producing more weapons and armor for them.

Elves and Dwarfs have contrasting personalities and some had managed to earn enmity between them even if the races as a whole were still beloved allies and friends. Elves are arrogant and sarcastic, Dwarfs are boisterous and rude, and this harmed the politics of the two when the races spent time in constant contact. The Grudge Of Drong was an incident when a highly traditionalist and highly racist Dwarf clan began a war with a far more open (and wealthy) Dwarf clan as well as their Elf allies. At the end of a very bitter war both Holds turned against the Elves who had marched to war in defense of their trade partners and they suffered grievous losses as a result. The rest of the race refused to help, leaving the Elves bitter at the betrayal and the Dwarfs fuming over the loss of their armies. This set the stage for what was to come.

In the year 2518 when the now-evil Malekith used his knowledge of the Dwarf race to manipulate Elves and Dwarfs into being enemies forever. His Dark Elves dressed as the High Elves and attacked Dwarf caravans. Gotrek had difficulty believing the allies of the Dwarfs could ever do such a thing and sent his emissaries for an explanation from the current Phoenix King Caledor II, son of Caledor I. Unlike his father Caledor II was arrogant to a ridiculous degree, and refused to even meet with the "inferior race". Angered by this behavior, Gotrek changed his demand from an explanation to the gold value that would result in forgiveness according to the Dwarf tradition of Grudges. Caledor II responded by shaving the beard of the ambassador, which is the worse thing that can befall a Dwarf short of betraying his Clan and king, and sent him back to them. He took the Slayer Oath in shame and Gotrek declared war on the Elves. This came to be known as the War Of The Beard/War Of Vengeance (former to the Elves, latter to the Dwarfs). Due to the shame of the friendship Snorri Whitebeard swore going so wrong, he became unable to leave the world and lived on as an immortal being called Grombrindal AKA The White Dwarf.

The war was devastating for both sides. The Dwarfs destroyed most of the High Elf colonies that had nothing to do with the conflict, the High Elves wiped out quite a few Holds and the High Elves gave into the savage side that had previously only been seen in the Dark Elves when they began desecrating religious sites and poisoning populations in acts of total war. Both sides were devastated, pooling their resources into fighting Chaos and their evil kin into destroying each other. In 2549 Snorri Halfhand, Gotrek's son, dueled Caledor II and was killed. In 3003 the Dwarfs attacked Tor Alessi in the Battle Of The Three Towers where Gotrek and Caledor II dueled. Caledor's head was cut off and the Dwarfs captured the Phoenix Crown, forged by all of their kingdoms for Aenarion and a holy object of supreme importance which resulted in the Grudge that started the war being avenged (but not the MANY that had occurred during it). The Dwarfs retreated back into their Holds and dared the Elves to attack, and during preparations for that the Dark Elves attacked Ulthuan. The Elves immediately retreated back, accepting the war as a defeat, and scrambled to save their homeland. They demanded the surviving colonists to return to Ulthuan, but they had heard the primal call of the magical woods of Athel Loren and refused, becoming Wood Elves instead.

The end of the war marked the end of the golden age of the Dwarfs, as their armies were devastated and much of their lands lost. But the worst was yet to come.

The Time Of Woes began only twenty years later. The Slann of the Lizardmen attempted to reshape the geography of the world in order to follow more closely the plans of the Old Ones, and the resulting earthquakes did more damage to the Dwarf civilization than anything else in their history. Nothing is recorded of this time, even in the Book Of Grudges. All Holds were at least partially damaged, while the gigantic underground highway that connected all Dwarf territory called the Underway was blocked with rubble, water, magma, and a gigantic horde of greenskins as well as the newly discovered Chaos ratman race called Skaven. Karak Ungor fell first, conquered by Night Goblins and renamed Red Eye Mountain.

Only one year later Karak Varn fell to Night Goblins and Skaven. The year after that the mines of Ekrund were overrun by Orcs and the Mad Dog Pass watchtowers were taken by a horde of greenskins including Night Goblins from the east. In 3066 Gunbad, the richest mines the Dwarfs had and the only source of Brightstone, fell to Night Goblins. In 3136 greenskins began the Silver Road Wars and twenty years later captured Mount Silverspear which was renamed Mount Grimfang after the warboss that took it.

Morgrim Blackbeard

Gotrek's tragically disastrous reign ended some time prior to 3268 when Morgrim Blackbeard became his successor as High King and inherited the Throne Of Power.

In 3273 Thunder Mountain erupted, and Mogrim began the Troll Wars to retake territory. He managed to recapture minor settlements across his territory and more importantly was able to retake the tombs of Dwarfen ancestors to restore and reseal them.

In 3338 the Runesmith Kadrin Redmane retook Karak Varn from the Skaven and discovered Gromril, causing a massive resettlement of the Hold. Redmane was killed in 3387 by an Orc ambush near the Black Water coast, and according to the story he threw his famous runed hammer into the water to prevent it from falling into Orcish hands; his descendant, the Hammerer Durgrim Redmane, disputes the story and still possesses the hammer to prove his claim. In 3397 Karak Varn was retaken by greenskins.

Skorri Morgrimsson

At some point prior to 3548 Skorri succeeded his father Morgrim and lead a massive Dwarf army to retake Karak Ungor in a battle called The Battle Of A Thousand Woes, but were driven back to Karaz-a-Karak and Skorri died soon after.

Logan Proudbeard

The date Logan took the throne isn't recorded like his three predecessors, but occurred after 3548 with the death of his predecessor.

On 3773 Night Goblins laid siege to Karak Azgal but were driven back, causing them to invade Karak Azul instead where they managed to take part of it. Only in 3783 did the forces of Karal Azul manage to expel them completely.

In 3803 a dragon named Skaladrak Incarnadine (AKA not-Smaug) destroyed mines near Karak Kadrin.

In 3822 Miners of Karak Eight Peaks tunneled into a Skaven tunnel by mistake, discovering for the first time how ridiculously expansive the Skaven empire is.

In 3873 Baragor became the first Slayer King of Karak Kadrin. Unable to seek death like a proper Slayer due to his responsibility to his people, he dedicated the primary Shrine of Grimnir instead and made Karak Kadrin the center of Slayer culture. He took on the name Ungrim to reflect his duty as Slayer King.

In 4010 Karak Eight Peaks fell due to daily attacks from enemies. Poisoned gas drive the Dwarfs into a retreat from Peak to Peak until King Lunn ordered his people to seal the tombs of the Eight Peak ancestors using impenetrable runes and lead his people into a battle to make their way out and make an exodus away from their home, promising to return and cleans the depths.

In 4054 Karak Azgal was destroyed by Orcs, which were then destroyed by a Dragon. The survivors of the greenskins attacked Karak Drazh then renamed it Black Crag while the Night Goblins over the course of several years took the lands between the Mad Dog Pass and the Fire Mountains, leaving only Karak Azul in Dwarf hands. The massive amount of Dwarf refugees from fallen Holds across the mountains kept Karal Azul strong.

In 4143 Orcs attacked Karaz-a-Karak, destroying many Dwarf settlements and capturing High King Logan Proudbeard himself which broke his spirit. Gozarin Silverhorn lead the force that saved the High King and wiped out the Orcs near Black Water one year later.

In 4273 Dwarfs settle the Grey Mountains and begin trading with the tribals of the human race extensively for the first time.

Kurgan Ironbeard

Kurgan took over as High King for Proudbeard some time around 4500, and in 4508 was ambushed and captured by Orcs. Sigmar Unberogen, head of the Unberogen tribe of humans, fought the Orcs in his crusade against their race for killing his father. This began the (tsundere) respect for humanity by the Dwarfs. Sigmar is gifted with Ghal Maraz, a magic runed warhammer (which gives the setting its name and primary symbol) by Kurgan. Sigmar forms the Empire (the German Holy Roman Empire of the setting). Orcs soon laid siege to the Holds resulting in Kurgan sending Alaric The Mad to request the aid of the humans in repelling them. In 4522 Kurgan and Sigmar lead a force of their people in the Battle Of Black Fire Pass, finishing off the massive Orc presence in the region. The Empire is rewarded when Alaric forges the Runefangs.

In 4902 Dwarfs discovered Athel Loren and the Wood Elves. It...didn't go well for the Dwarfs, as the Wood Elves are batshit insane xenophobes.

In 5113 Karak Vrag fell, greatly reducing the Dwarf power of the east in the Mountains Of Mourn.

In 5180 Gromril is discovered west of Black Water by a Dwarf named Thori Gundrikson. Dwarfs spend several years mining the Gromril until Skaven destroy the mines.

Finn Scourscowl

Scourscowl's date of ascendancy to the position of High King is as most others unrecorded. In 5208 a Dwarf named Dorin Heldour brings the skinned hide of a Dragon named Fyrskar to Scourscowl in Karaz-a-Karak where it was enchanted with runes.

In 5415 Kragg the Grimm finishes the first rune, the Rune of Stone, that is taught to apprentice Runesmiths under his tutor Morek Furrowbrow. Kragg became the longest-lived and among the greatest Runesmiths of all time.

In 5555 Skalf Dragonslayer killed Graug The Terrible and became king of Karak Azgal. Night Goblins soon invade and the residents of the Hold are forced out, creating a town in the valley below.

In 5634 the Black Plague is unleashed by the Skaven, causing Dwarfs to seal their Holds. Skaven attack most Holds and don't capture any, although casualties are terrible for all Dwarfs.

In 5943 the Dragon Skaladrak Incarnadine rampages around Karak Kadrin.

Kendrak Gottrison

As with all other High Kings the date of Kendral's rise isn't recorded. In 6235 he lead an attack on Gorbad Ironclaw's army and destroyed it as he attempted to retreat back to the Badlands.

Alrik

Alrik took the throne sometime before 6728, when he was killed by the Goblin Warlord Gorkil Eyegouger in the Battle Of Black Falls when Alrik stabbed the Goblin fatally and Gorkil pulled him over the falls. Alrik's son Alriksson massacred the surviving Goblins.

Alriksson

Ascending to the throne of the High King in 6728, Alriksson focused on the Great War Against Chaos in defense of Magnus The Pious of the Empire. He lead a massive army from Karaz-a-Karak to Kislev in 6825 and finished the war.

Thorgrim Grudgebearer

In 6827 Thorgrim took the position of High King and immediately set out to begin his Age Of Reckoning to avenge the Grudges of the Dwarfs and begin a new golden age like that of before the War Of Vengeance. He retakes the Mad Dog Pass immediately.

In 6943 Grom The Paunch rampaged through the lands of the Dwarfs, defeating an army of Dwarfs at the Battle Of Irongate.

In 6996 Belegar Ironhammer managed to retake part of Karak Eight Peaks in the name of his ancestor King Lunn. Five years later he is granted reinforcements by other Holds after winning a battle called the Battle Of The Jaws.

In 7026 Orcs lead by Gorfang Rotgut attack Karak Azul, imprisoning the family of King Kazador in Black Crag while his son Kazrik is shaven and left nailed to the throne.

In 7033 Ungrim Ironfist lead the armies of Karak Kadrin to defeat the Orcs united under a Warboss named Gnashrak Badtoof. Golgfag Maneater fights on the side of the Dwarfs in the beginning of the Battle Of Broken Leg Gully but switches sides when the greenskins offer more.

Some time after 7036 King Kazador manages to rescue his family and kill all Orcs responsible other than Gorfang himself.

In 7038 Ungrim captures Golgfag, then releasing him for the sport of hunting and killing him.

In 7042 greenskins attack Zhufbar in the Battle Of A Hundred Cannons. Both Thorgrim Grudgebearer and Ungrim Ironfist lead armies in its defense until the Ogres that had driven the greenskins towards the Dwarfs attack. The three armies unite with an Empire army from Nuln, resulting in the single greatest use of artillery in history.

In 7044 Mannfred von Carstein attacked the Dwarfs to capture the High Elf diplomat and princess of their race Aliathra, who is greatly loved by the Dwarfs. Heinrich Kemmler drives a massive force of greenskins to attack the combined Dwarf and High Elf armies before he raises the corpses of the three armies and leads his own into the fray. Aliathra is kidnapped. One year later Thorgrim refuses the demands of nobility to blame the Elves and instead offers aid in rescuing the princess. He leads a massive force to rescue Tyrion, secretly the father of Aliathra who had charged deep into Nagashizzar and retrieved the unconscious girl, but during the battle she is once again kidnapped. Tyrion blames the Dwarfs and demands they leave. Rather than attack them for the insult, Thorgrim leads his army to Karak Eight Peaks to retake the Hold instead.

For the rest of Thorgrim's reign (and the end of the world), see End Times.

Other Continuities

In Storm Of Chaos Garagrim Ironfist, Ungrim's son, died in battle when a Chaos Giant fell on him, according to his plan for fulfilling the Slayer Oath of the Slayer Kings without betraying the position of king. Ungrim immediately takes a new Slayer Oath for the loss of his son making the loss pointless.

In Total War: Warhammer during the Dwarf campaign Thorgrim Grudgebearer, Belegar Ironhammer, and Ungrim Ironfist defeated all united greenskin groups and reclaimed every Hold and the rest of Dwarf territory including the Hold in the Chaos Wastes to the north of Kislev, reclaimed and purged the Underway of his foes, cleared the master Dammaz Kron of all Grudges, and destroyed the forces of Chaos and Vampire Counts. In most other campaigns the Dwarf race is either wiped out or achieves some measure of success towards those goals.

Technology and Magic

Runesmithing

Dwarfs, as previously mentioned, cannot into magic. Their bodies resist it, their presence weakens and disrupts it, and the mental energy of Dwarfs can outright negate it as if it isn't even present (this is very comparable to a Blank in Warhammer 40000, although Blanks are described as being soulless and nightmarish on an emotional level to be around whereas Dwarfs simply force magic to sit down and shut the fuck up). While all Elves and certain members of other races can be born with the ability to see magic, and most individuals can feel it to some degree (usually as a feeling of unease or sense that something is different, like Athel Loren feeling primal and sentient), Dwarfs have absolutely no ability to sense magic in any form unless its literally lighting something up or it producing a physical effect. This is a benefit in that morale of Dwarf troops marching through an area simply grumble as they would anywhere else while the landscape would be causing humans to piss themselves in place and flee the moment they heard the wind blow.

Either as the invention of Valaya and Grungni or as a gift from the Old Ones, Dwarfs can smith the letters of their language in different ways into objects to produce magic. This magic is permanent or contains a set amount of charges, being completely transformed into something even safer than High Magic. These vary from the Rune Of Stone, a very basic Rune that is first taught to apprentices in the craft and only requires them to carve it right (which in human terms means perfect) to complex runes requiring a far more complex process. For example: on the last day of the third full moon of the year at midnight at the heart of a mountain the furnace is heated, the ore hammered before dawn and folded seven times while each time singing a song of forging, dipped in dragon blood and cooled in quicksilver from Karak Ungol while praising the ancestor god Haki, tempered in the water of Varn, sharpened with dragon horn. Then on the third moon of winter the Rune is carved on the finished surface, daubed with troll blood that was killed on Grungni's Day, the hilt then bound in dragon hide with the horns on the inside, hafted with gold from Azgal and bound with metal from Azul, given a pommel made from an Orc's fang covered in Grimnir's runes, blessed with ale on an altar of Valaya, and finished by killing a Troll at midnight which finishes the magic and activates the rune. All runes trap small amounts of magic, making a Dwarf letter to a friend technically infused with magic that races capable of seeing it can discern information beyond the text from. But magic runes trap a large amount of magic, forcing it to behave a specific way without any of its unpredictable or Chaos effects that an unlucky wizard can cause.

Runesmiths are what the Dwarfs who practice runelore are called, their craft handed down from the gods themselves. While not technically the priesthood, they are closely tied to the faiths and the shrines. Absolute perfection is required in their craft as all other aspects of Dwarf society rely on runes, from the simple miners requiring runes allowing them to break through harder rock on a timetable to the machinists who use the runes to give their creations extra security in continuing to function to kings who's runed crowns protect them from assassins.

There are rules to how many and what kind of runes may be placed on an object. Technically this was providing a lore explanation for the crunch rules for runes, back when Games Workshop Army Book designers gave a fuck.

• The Rule Of Three: No object may have more than three runes, as things from the material plane cannot take that much magic.
• The Rule Of Form: Runes are specific to the type of object. Runes for machines cannot be placed on armor, weapons on the mundane. How exactly the rune figures out the difference between a pickaxe used as a weapon and one used for work isn't clear...this may simply be a rule of Runesmithing and not how runes work.
• The Rule Of Pride: Duplicate choices of runes cannot be used in the same army. A Thane may have a Rune Of Stone for example, but then literally no other Dwarf may have a Rune Of Stone. The Thane can have a Rune Of Stone and a Rune Of Protection, allowing any other Dwarf to have a Rune Of Stone OR a Rune Of Protection but not both. This is almost certainly a rule for mechanics, with the lore explanation being that Runesmiths dislike repeating themselves or copying the work of others beyond their apprenticeships (note that since every single rune option is preexisting on top of the basic Dwarf idea of older being better and new being shit, there is a lore contradiction here).
• Jealous Runes: Master runes cannot be used more than once per army, and no more than one master rune can be on any object. They also cannot be combined together and refuse to work if there's more than one on the same battlefield. How this works for two opposing armies is unstated.

Note that unless otherwise stated, runes can be used more than once on the same object to amplify their effect.

Engineering

By themselves, the Elves invented complex seafaring. Humans invented bronze age technology, seen in the Tomb Kings. Ogres invented the basics of carts and wheels as well as husbandry. Orcs...well, they exist and usually figure out which end of sharp things to stick in other things.

But virtually every piece of true technology in the setting comes from Dwarfs. Elves received their crossbows and Bolt Throwers and mankind the secrets of gunpowder, gears, and steam from the Dawi.

Of course, the Dwarfs keep the best tech for themselves, like Gyrocopters and other fun toys. The basics were gifts to protect their allies from the forces of Chaos, things that Dwarfs have long since surpassed that would not be effective if turned against them. Dwarfs mistrust anything new; something in their eyes must be a blueprint for multiple generations before a prototype is considered, so anything special only ever gets made in times of desperation by young and human-like (or completely fucking insane) Dwarf Engineers. As it is only the desperation after the Time Of Woes has seen such new devices given the 'okay' stamp, and even then only by more liberal "if it works, do it" and "if it kills Grobi and Urk, put some Slayers on it" leaders like Thorgrim and Ungrim.

Revolutionary devices include gigantic zeppelins carrying bombs, cannons, machine guns on a 360 degree swivel, and rockets which can ram other things called Thunderbarges. Even better, in Dreadfleet the Dwarfs have a gigantic aircraft carrier/submarine that launched Thunderbarges. Goblin-hewers are tank-like machines that throw axes, and Deathrollers are the unholy combination of motorcycle and steamroller.

Dwarfs believe anything worth doing is worth doing right, and so that it lasts as long as possible. Dwarfs of Holds don't write often on paper, as that is the way of Humans and Elves. They inscribe on stone, or better, metal. The most important texts such as Grudges, lineage, contracts, and words of their faith are inscribed on gold. Which aside from being valuable does not rust or tarnish (which is why in real life we use gold for the records and plaques on the Voyager and Pioneer space craft).

Grudges

TIME TO DO SOME AVENGEANCE!!!

The Warhammer Dwarfs' main distinguishing feature is the extreme fervor with which they pursue Oaths and Grudges. A Dwarf that breaks an Oath or does something otherwise shameful -- any Oath or offense they feel is unforgivable -- takes an Oath, gets his hair cut into a mohawk, and becomes a Slayer who seeks mighty monsters to kill until he finds one that manages to kill him. Meanwhile, any Grudge that a Dwarf experiences is written in the great Book of Grudges, and will be answered for. This actually caused a war with the Elves, when the two had a disagreement (fomented by the Dark Elves) that escalated until the Elves shaved one of the Dwarf emissaries. This was unforgivable, and the resulting war caused tremendous losses on both sides. The Dwarfs call this war the "War of Vengeance," though the Elves (and anyone else, when the Dwarfs aren't around) call it the "War of the Beard."

Sexes

Dwarfs have very few females; lore from older editions states that one in every ten Dwarfs is female with late lore saying one in three, and political marriages are of far more importance than any emotional attachments. In early times, before Warhammer had much of an established setting (pre-3e), Citadel produced a few pre-slotta (as in "the base is part of the model) female Dwarf villagers and adventurers, although after that point only male Dwarfs saw any releases. The clan of a Dwarf bride recieves the bride's weight in gold upon marriage, but in order to marry her the groom must be able to wrap his beard around her waist twice creating a dynamic where plump women as relatives are good, skinny woman as desired brides good, and in reverse is considered unappealing and undesirable. Female Dwarfs braid their hair into plaits, which are their equivalent to a Dwarf man's beard. Females are rarely found in positions of power, with only the Queen Helgar Longplaits described in The Grudge Of Drong confirmed, with her entire rulership being plagued with accusations of illegitimacy due to gender. Women rarely, but more often do, end up as a king's advisor.

History

Created by the Old Ones as part of their efforts to build a race that was resistant to Chaos, the dwarves were deemed a flawed success. They were almost immune to chaotic corruption, sturdy enough to withstand a long war against chaos. However, they were too stubborn to adapt to daemon trickery, and were incapable of magic. This means dwarves are actually the third eldest race in the setting, behind elves (2nd) and lizardmen (1st).

Regions

Warhammer Dwarfs live in huge underground citadels called Holds (Dwarf Fortress anyone?). These Holds are spread all around the world, remnants of an ancient empire that once spanned most of the Old World, but only a few remain standing, and even less are anywhere near their former glory thanks to (unknown to the Dwarfs) Lizardmen reshaping the geography of the Old World (AKA not-Europe) thinking it would somehow aid in the Order VS Chaos conflict. Of course, the giant earthquake set off by the Skaven to try and expand their subterranean kingdom didn't help much either.

Politics

• Inter-Dwarf relations are the basis of comparison by which you can see Dwarfs at their best. Which indicates Dwarfs are by and far poor allies and illogical. Dwarf relations are marked by intense pursuit of Grudges, and a general irritability and stubborness with a self-superiority complex that leads to Grudges occurring in the first place. In White Dwarf Warhammer comics, two Dwarf holds that have warred for centuries are all but depleted, with a full-scale WAAAGH of Night Goblins at their doors which, if they break through, threatens extinction for the entire Dwarfish race. Unwilling to abandon the Grudge war even then, the armies suit the last of their non-combatants, including the last three women of one of the clans, in armor and charge into a last battle. When in a personal challenge, the patriarchs of both clans argue with each blow about who's clan slighted who, and realized neither had recorded the original Grudge; only those caused by it. Both clans set to make peace, but at the banquet of celebration Grimnir caused his statue to crush both patriarchs for the dishonor of not avenging Grudges regardless of whether or not they are remembered or even happened at all, resulting in both clans wiping each other completely out and the Goblins claiming two holds without effort.
• Dwarfs hate Beastmen. There has never been a recorded circumstance of the two working together, and they are inferior to Dwarfs.
• Dwarfs are respectful of Bretonnians, although their Elvish influence and use of horses are things Dwarfs mistrust greatly and hold against them. Regardless, Dwarfs see Bretonnians as the best of mankind due to their rigid gender roles, adherence to tradition, codes of conduct, martial strength, and mistrust of magic. Altogether, inferior to Dwarfs.
• Dwarfs have a slightly better relationship with the Empire, as they have age-old oaths of friendship due to the efforts of Sigmar. They still consider humans inferior, but unlike Bretonnians, have deigned to share some of their secrets of smithing, stonecraft and the use of gunpowder with humanity.
• Dwarfs have a Chaos counterpart, creatively called the Chaos Dwarfs, who were formed when they dug too far out into Chaos-infested land. They sell weaponry to those Chaos worshiping Vikings north of them and are insane Babylonians. Chaos Dwarfs have wizards and brute-force magic through their bodies, which turns them slowly to stone and radically alters their appearance. Other Dwarfs have no love for Chaos Dwarfs, and their official stance to pretend they don't exist, but have also have sworn an eternal grudge against all of them; in Gotrek & Felix, Dwarfs engage in the time-honored tradition of verbally bashing Elves, and the claim is made that the actions of the Druchii reflect all Elves. When Felix brings up Chaos Dwarfs, the Dwarfs simply glare at him with such ferocity he feels as much fear of his friends as he does Vampires and Daemons elsewhere in their adventures. A similar incident occurred, but with Teclis instead of Felix pointing out the Chaos Dwarfs. Only Teclis' restraint and the fact that Gotrek owed Teclis a life-debt prevented bloodshed.
• Dwarfs hate Daemons;. There has never been a recorded circumstance of the two working together (with the exception of the Chaos Dwarves), and during the first Chaos invasion of the world, Grimnir ascended to godhood by establishing a one-man hold in the Warp to oppose them making them possibly the worst enemies of the Dwarfs. They are inferior to Dwarfs, regardless of what Chaos cultists say.
• Dwarfs and elves used to be friends. Now they despise elves, due to a historical battle called the war of the beard. While the Dwarf word for elf (elgi) isn't an insult like the Dwarf word for human, elves are a byword for fickleness, subtlety, manipulation and treachery among Dwarfs.

Religion

Dwarfs worship a trinity of gods. Valaya, Grungni, and Grimnir. They are referred to as the Ancestor-Gods, as they are believed to be the deities who created the dwarfs and taught them all they needed to know. They're fairly vanilla in concept, really.

Grungni is your generic patriarch-god; a stern, all-knowing, wise all-father, responsible for teaching dwarfs everything about runes, crafting, mining, smithing, building, whatever.

Valya is, again, a fairly bogstandard matriarch-goddess; a protector, healer and nurturer.

Grimnir is the dwarf god of war and honor, founder of the Slayer cult.

Characters

• High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer
• Slayer King Ungrim Ironfist
• Josef Bugman
• Gotrek Gurnisson
• Master Engineer Burlok Dammison