I kinda doubt that. Everyone is standing on shoulders of giants anyway and Kragg would've probably been granted an anvil or spot somewhere either way. Being a living ancestor does that.
If he's an Imperial Dwarf, or a Dwarf of some small family unaffiliated with the Karaz Ankor, then he simply would not be part of the community and link of oaths and obligations of the Karaz Ankor. He would not get anything
from the Karaz Ankor (unless they were buying stuff from him or his clan (good luck buying something from a Runesmith tho; though I can imagine some bartering and trading going on, as somebody tries to get the hermet-like and ancient foreign Dwarf to make them stuff in exchange for goods or material from the Karaz Ankor that his clan can't get on its own because they don't have as wide a support net)) and he would not give back anything
to the Karaz Ankor, or its ally the Empire. Said minor Dwarf clan would have its own obligations, oaths, and grudges to keep track of, avenge, fulfill, and rely on.
And, he'd probably still be an ancient and curmudgeonly Dwarf, because he's just that sort of person. He just would have been focused on his personal clan's standing rather than KaK or Karaz Ankor. As a Karaz-A-Karak Dwarf, he was perfectionist enough to keep living for over a thousand years; or maybe he felt obligations strong enough to keep living that long. As a minor clan Dwarf, he could still feel or have obligations or irritations that keep him going for as long; we can't be sure, because it depends
on the circumstance of his people.
Which is the point I was thinking of when conversing-slash-stream-of-consciousness-musing back when I talked about Dwarf culture; it's not biological essentialism (
though that part probably played a part in informing how Dwarfs felt and experienced the world and thus meant they'd still have to find a way to come to grips with things like "I can't ever let things go"; the way in which they would handle that, though, would differ from culture to culture. The Hashut Dwarfs might have a "sacrifice a slave to feel better" outlet instead, for example, as a theory. Also, at this point? Every other Dwarf in the Old World would be descended from or related to the Karaz Ankor culture; even if they broke from that nation, they would still be heavily inspired by the overall culture. They just wouldn't have their oaths and obligations, so.), not really, it's Kragg himself.
It's "Kragg is Fucking Extra even by the standards of Dwarf Runelords" + "It's the situation of his people". Kragg outside of the Karaz Ankor would still be a Dwarf. He would just have different oaths and obligations and grudges. And maybe it would be easier for him or his clan. But then, he and his clan also wouldn't be as big a deal or have made as much of an impact on the world, because they'd be a small fish. Which, well, you can still go "Okay but I'd rather they be a small fish and be happy, then a big fish and
unhappy for a thousand years" but... somebody has to fight the good fight in the world of Warhammer, you know? The danger of the world isn't going to go away just because you relegated the Magnuses, Karl Franzes, Belegars, Thorgrims, Gotrek Gurnissons, Kraggs and Thoreks to less momentuous or less important positions. Somebody else is going to have to step up and keep fighting and keep defending, and keep upholding ancient wonders and treasures and inheritances and ancient alliances and fighting all that's evil in the world to defend all that's good in the world.
If his clan had a history going back thousands of years -- maybe they were some ancient diaspora Dwarfs from a long-ago era or something? -- then he'd still be focused on whatever past glories or ancient grudges or obligations they had from thousands of years ago. Because Dwarf. If his ancestors did or made something impressive 3000 years ago, he'd be working on keeping that going, or recovering it, or protecting it, or passing it on, etc.
The difference with the Karaz Ankor, is twofold; they are united -- many Holds being united in purpose and obligation and oath -- and
their ancestors were the Ancestor Gods.
Which means that they have a hell of a let more to inherit, and a hell of a lot more to uphold and be worthy of.
It also means that they care about more people; they care about those guys living a mountain range away, because they're part of the same nation.
This is the double-edged sword of the Karaz Ankor. Being able to get support from 3 or 4 or
10 Kings if something goes wrong or an Everchosen or Chaos Champion comes; but also having to give support if another guy gets hit.
It also means caring about how well the other guys are doing -- at least in a general sense or to some degree -- and about how well you are fulfilling your ancestor's expectations.
And when your ancestors are the Ancestor Gods? Or their grandchildren and great-great-great grandchildren who helped build the Golden Age and form one of the greatest empires of all time? Those expectations can be quite high.
That is why Dwarfs are doing poorly.
People who talk about "Well, if they just had a different culture, they wouldn't be suffering or depressed as much."
Yes. Because "a different culture" would by implication involve "not being descended from amazing people, and having reached a great height of power and glory, and being part of a big inter-connected web of alliances."
THAT is why there is no quick or easy fix. Other than fixing all of the deadly dangers that the Karaz Ankor has, and making them no longer bleed from a thousand wounds -- keep in mind that one such wound until very recently? was a
literally nigh-lethal wound of "The Waystone energy is running out; at which point all the Karaks will have to shut their doors to shelter physically from the Winds of Magic. And all the other Dwarfs will be screwed... unless they find another patron or something." -- which would, indeed, probably fix things. Because they'd have a moment to breath and the ability to feel like they could climb out of a deep hole, rather than feeling like they are only falling
deeper into a hole no matter what they do or how much they struggle.
Wanting the Karaz Ankor Dwarfs to "just have another culture" is wanting them to not have had a super-fucking-strong empire and friendship with the High Elves and Great Works by the Ancestor Gods and epic Masterworks by ancient grandmasters and epic Heirlooms and tons of storied accomplishments. Or, it's wanting a person to... walk away from all that. Walk away from something that made you great and which worked for thousands of years, and -- and this is the crucial bit -- only became (potentially? I'm not entirely convinced their current culture is killing them, as opposed to their strategic or tactical situation killing them; maybe some parts of their culture are making it so that they can't react to their strategic situation
as well as they could, but that just means they should only -- maybe? -- shift or change or develop
some new things
while keeping in line with their overall cultural culture stuff) a downside because
the world literally kicked you in the groin with a cataclysmic War, a cataclysmic tectonic shift, and Goblin Wars.
It's also, well, a form of defeatism in a way. "Okay, if the glories of the past are killing you, then... just shuck off the glories of the past." Okay, fine, sure. But. Those glories of the past? They were glories that fought hordes of daemons and tons of monstrosities, and built great wonders. To say that you should be willing to step aside from that because it is spiritually/emotionally uncomfortable in the present? You could view that as saying equivalent to that you should not try to reach great heights, because you could
fall from those great heights due to unforeseen and freak calamities.
But maybe you'd think that it's easier to climb back up, when you don't have the weight of the Ancestor Gods pushing on you at the back of your mind. That, if those heights were reached before, they might be reached again.
In which case I have to say... ... how are you going to match the Ancestor Gods when you don't have the Old Ones as your personal teachers, don't have super-ancient and super-fancy stuff that the Old Ones left lying around and infrastructure that the Dwarfs potentially inherited from them too (if they were a race of workers or mechanics for the Old Ones or something), plus the opportunity of the era when there was more magic around; and there was a nation of Elves at a height of power and able to support you too, and everything.
Furthermore, if you did reach such heights, how would you be able to be sure that your successors would keep it all going? After all. You yourself had shucked off the past once -- a
huge past! -- so how can you be sure that anybody else wouldn't make the same decision when faced with similar-ish circumstances? 'But you did it for good reasons, and under horrible pressure, and etc'? Well, your descendants might also be faced with such circumstances too. And this sort of "I feel compelled to make things right and proper, because errors or imperfections stick to me like a burr and bug me horribly until and unless they are fixed" "and also because I feel Very Satisfied when I get a thing done
juuust right!" thing might be a thing for Dwarf experience of the world; which means it's a compelling reason and motivation for them to set up governments, nations, cultures, families, clans, in such a way that they can get things right and squared away in perpetuity. The security of feeling not just that you did something cleanly and correctly, but also that your descendants will keep it right too. And also, the security of feeling that you have provided your kids with something correct and proper, and that you did right by your kids
in perpetuity; that you've nailed it to such a degree, that your kids will forever be taken care of with that axe you made. It's a good feeling.
Because that's another element of family and legacy that probably doesn't get brought up as much, when Dwarf culture and topics come up. That element of not just doing right by ancient long-dead people... but also about doing right by your kids. Of wanting the best for your kids.
Dwarfs want to please their ancestors. But their ancestors want to please their descendants too; of leaving behind a good world for their kids. The Dwarf in the present wants to do right by his ancestors, and he wants to
be the ancestor the did right by his descendants and is done right
by his descendants.
It is so for humans, it is so for Dwarfs too.
It's not just about avoiding shaming your ancestors, and not leaving shame for your kids. It may be a constantly repeating and brought up factor for Dwarfs in the present now... but that's because these are pretty testing times and a lot of people are pessimistic. In good times, or in times of more optimism or stronger vitality of spirit, perhaps when the topic of kids or passing on things to their children came up, the discussion tones would be more along the lines of "Boy are my kids going to inherit a good outlook, and possibly repair even more of my country than I did in my time!" A sort of positive revanchism, rather than a looking-for-any-sign-of-hope revanchism.
(I agree with you, it's just that it's hard to do worse than the default consequences of LM coming out)
