Now I talk about chapter 4. I previously said I didn't expect to write much since it's just engineering (turn out it's also got equipment, artillery, vehicles, and relics), and then as I start reading, the intro quote on page 87 is one of the wildest interpretations of human and dwarf engineering I've yet seen.
'The steam-powered tanks produced by Leonardo da Miragliano make for the high water mark of our military engineering genius. Built in 2512 IC, over 500 years ago. Since then we have not advanced our knowledge and techniques — we can hardly maintain Leonardo's tanks and barely glean his design. Meanwhile, Dwarfs produce innovations with such ease that I feel ashamed to call myself an engineer. What is von Brunel's sub-hydro velocipator but a flimsy wooden plagiarism of their vastly superior nautilus? Bazalgette's celebrated cloaca of Kislev a pale imitation of plumbing thought unremarkable in any backwater Dwarf mine. Todmeister's harquebus an unwieldy and slow single-function device compared to the repeating handgun of Mad Makaisson? There are days when I think of packing it in and working in a tannery.'
– Stefan Wenckler, co-creator of the pigeon bomb, in one of his self-reflective moods.
The Empire technologically stagnant while dwarves are visionary innovators. That's a complete 180 of the way you usually hear things. Amusingly enough, this view correlates fairly closely to the difference between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Leagues of Votann.
And as if the intro quote wasn't enough, we follow up with a shocking sentence in the first paragraph.
Great works of the Dwarfs include the massive pumping mechanism incorporated into the Vloedmuur around Marienburg,the experimental warpfire distillery pioneered by Burlok Damminson, and the massive airship Spirit of Grungni built by Malakai Makaisson.
Excuse me? A friggin
warpfire distillery? How?? Why??
How??
Moving on from that...
The steam-driven tunnel borer allowed the Dwarfs to dig deeper and further than they ever had, both in search of precious metals and minerals, and to attack the Skaven in their tunnels where and when they least expected it.
Looks like skaven aren't the only ones allowed to deep strike.
Page 88 gives us some lore that's pretty much the same as Divided Loyalties'.
Dawi revere the Ancestor Gods, particularly Grungni, Valaya, Grimnir, and, among the Engineer clans, Morgrim, the 'First Engineer'. Before returning to the depths of the earth, these Ancestors taught the Dwarfs all that they would need to know to survive and prosper. To claim that one has invented a device that does the job better than what an Ancestor God created sounds like an insult born of hubris.
Posting this because we've actually talked to Arkat Fooger a
couple of
times.
After a long voyage round the Old World, Sven reached Marienburg, where he gained an audience with Arkat Fooger, head of one of the city's ten Houses that sit on its ruling Directorate. Flatlander Dwarfs are dangerously open to innovation, as any Dawi of Karaz Ankor would say, and the wily old banker was intrigued by the potential of Sven's invention. With generous funding from House Fooger, Sven put together a crew of Dwarfs and Humans and set off for no less a target than Lustria, promising to bring back to Fooger a boatload of gold.
Since then no word was heard of the Voltsvagn, and Arkat Fooger came to assume his investment was lost. Just as he was about to write it off his books, Sven and his ship (and most of his crew) chugged into Marienburg harbour, the ship battered and barely afloat with all the gold it carried. No longer known as 'Crazy Sven', he earned a new name that day, 'Magnificent Sven'.
Page 89 has a picture of a device I've never seen before.
I think it's a mortar?
This attention to craftsmanship and small-scale manufacturing comes at a cost, however. When combined with Dawi conservatism and secretiveness, the workshop culture contributes to the slow pace of production and innovation. Dwarf craftworkers of Karaz Ankor are loath, to say the least, to share secrets even with each other, a reticence that works against Karaz Ankor's long-term interests. Some have even been known to take their journals with them to the tomb, destroying all copies but the one. The Dwarf who takes over the workshop, whether another master or a promoted journeyman, must start all over.
Well this is rather unfortunate. I hope Eight Peaks' guild is more amicable given the guy leading it and the fact that 4e isn't canon to DL.
Page 90
OUTSIDE KARAZ ANKOR
Like the rulers of Karaz Ankor, the Engineers Guild and their associated clans in the Dwarf empire have strained relations with the Engineer clans in the western holds and, moreso, with the 'flatlander' guilds in the towns and cities of the Empire. Though often a distinction without a difference to Humans, Elves, and Halflings, the Karaz Ankor guild chides the others for being too open to innovation, complaining that they have 'no respect for tradition. Worse, they are far too willing to share knowledge with Imperial guilds. Manlings are far too prone to corruption, they say, and there is too great a risk of the Dawi's secrets being turned against them.
The western holds and the Imperial Dwarf clans, on the other hand, think Karaz-a-Karak is foolishly shortsighted. Not that they intend to give the manlings everything, but sharing with them when it seems advisable is only good sense. After all, they sometimes remind their cousins, it was only because of the manlings that Karaz Ankor could repel Chaos in the Incursion. And, as the Dwarfs of the Empire's cities are quick to point out, they have lived among the manlings for thousands of years. It would be not only foolish, but an insult to Kurgan's oath not to share knowledge and techniques with them.
Most of the time, there are little more than arguments in Khazalid that eventually peter out. Sometimes, however, they result in a genuine rift and the laying of grudges, particularly when the Empire is in turmoil and the Dwarfs' position there seems endangered.
This is a pretty sizeable difference between the two. I wonder if Eight Peaks is gonna start catching flak in a similar way.
Novel to see multiple runesmiths working on the same item.
Page 91 has some
fascinating lore.
Gromril mining
In 657 IC a Dwarf prospector called Thori Gundrikson made a discovery in the lands around the Black Water. Veins of an unfamiliar metal were found in caves around the lake, as bright and incorruptible as silver, as workable as iron, and harder than any other metal known to engineers and alchemists alike. Karak Varn, already a major mining settlement famed for its gold production, became a hub of activity, as the new metal was pulled from the ground and transported to Zhufbar for smelting and working.
Since then, the Dwarfs have ventured ever deeper in search of gromril, and the discovery of a new vein is met with joy in all the holds. [...]
As the supply from Karak Varn has become increasingly difficult to find, and dangerous to extract and transport, the Dwarfs search far afield for more sources of the metal though, to their growing despair, the lands around Karak Varn seem to be the only natural source of the metal in the world.
It seems that Gromril was only discovered in 657 IC and it's only found around Karak Varn. Compare that to Divided Loyalties, where it's been around since the time of the Ancestors and was found as far away as Eight Peaks, which gave the hold its nickname.
Page 95 finally, after 6 years since the WFRP core book was released,
finally gives us a price for torches. It's such a basic piece of kit! (12 shillings for those who want to know, same as a lantern.)
Page 96 says that you can put armour, talismanic, and protection runes on a shield platform, and that the runes benefit both the rider and the bearers.
Page 97 says an oathstone can take talismanic and protection runes.
Page 98
The Dawi were the first to use gunpowder for anything beyond fireworks. Even before Cathay, Karaz Ankor was deploying not just arquebuses and swivel guns, but heavy cannon for defence of their holds.
Dwarves beat the Cathayans.
Page 100 gives us an adventure hook.
ILLEGAL EXPERIMENTS
Rogue Engineers who defy Dwarf Law and tradition are an occasional problem for all Dwarf holds. One such is 'Mad' Alfrik Nunhesson of Karak Norn in the Grey Mountains, who developed a new combination weapon, a poleaxe incorporating a repeating handgun. In spite of occasional problems in testing — the occasional misfire and lost finger or hand is to be expected, after all — Alfrik submitted his design to the Engineer Clan Elders, fully expecting praise and approval.
He was shocked, insulted, and furious.
Ordered to cease work and destroy his prototypes as 'dangerous innovations', Alfrik left in a huff and set up shop in Ubersreik, where a debt of honour owed by a local Dwarf community have kept him from being harassed. Setting up there as a blacksmith and gunsmith, Alfrik eventually perfected his design.
That has caused problems for Karak Norn, where the guild entered a formal grudge against Alfrik, approved by King Brokk Ironpick, himself. He would love to have this weapon for his guard, but he is not about to admit he was wrong. And now the manlings have heard of it — rumour has reached the Dwarf king that the Nuln Gunnery School has wind of Alfrik's invention and has sent agents to lure him to Nuln.
The Characters are Dwarf of Karak Norn or their manling agents, sent to Ubersreik to convince Alfrik to mend his ways and return home. If he agrees to apologise to the King Brokk, he will have his invention approved and his workshop restored. But Alfrik is more stubborn than most Dwarfs. If he does not agree, the Characters are authorised to steal his plans, destroy his weapons, and kidnap him. Will the Dwarfs of Ubersreik intervene to honour their debt? And what of the agents from Nuln? If they cannot buy Alfrik's service, what will they resort to?
So there's an engineer who invented the guardian spear, which is neat, and turns out that the king of Karak Norn is a massive dishonourable tool and bastard.
p101
Karak Norn makes especially prevalent use of their Bolt Throwers to hunt Great Eagles circling the Grey Mountains, allegedly to aggravate their neighbours in Athel Loren.
What is with Norn.
Page 104 tells us about the thunder cannon, which has a wiki page whose only source is WFRP 1e.
Pages 104-105 tells us the origin of the steam engine. It was invented in the 8th century IC by a guy called Dargo Grindolsson of the Roedtfjell clan of Karaz-a-Karak. He originally used steam power to make toys, but then when Azgal fell, he invented a bunch of other stuff to help out - "steam drills and hammers, steam pumps and presses, even a mechanical steam-powered miner". The High King supported him after a failed expedition to recover Azgal. However, the High King then ordered that steam technology be shared with the entire Karaz Ankor, which made Dargo mad. Page 105 concludes with this:
Finally, after repeated protestations, Dargo so irritated the High King that he was barred from the Royal Presence, denied even the respect due any Dawi. As time passed, the Dwarfs of the other holds stopped consulting him or even acknowledging his pioneering work.
Filled with shame at his humiliation, Dargo was left with one recourse. Shaving his head and turning his keys over to his Chief Apprentice, Dargo Grindolsson took the oath of the Slayer, picked up his axe, and left for Troll Country, never to be seen again.
Page 108 gives further context.
WHAT'S MINE IS MINE
Dawi have strong ideas about property rights, especially when it comes to the products of their own craftsmanship and labour. When a Dwarf spends years making a complex piece of technology, from a submersible to a gyrocopter to a musket, making it not only functional, but beautiful, it becomes something very personal to them. Each Dwarf Engineer, therefore, feels a very real sense of ownership over his creation and is reluctant to hand it over to another, unless it was a commissioned work, or ordered to do so at the command of a Dwarfking. Dwarfs have a hard time describing it, but tell Humans to imagine giving away a part of their own body. This conflict was at the heart of Dargo
Grindolsson's anguish.
But this possessiveness does not apply to everything. Common, everyday items do not evoke this response. Thus Humans who have heard wild tales of the Dwarfs' legendary greed are surprised when a Dwarf has no problem letting them borrow a hammer. They are equally surprised when the Dwarf reacts in outrage at an offer to buy their handcrafted blunderbuss.
Engineers get very attached to the things they create.
Pages 106-107, Kolbrukdul Mining Carriage
Originally designed by the Kolbrukdul clan workshop of Zhufbar, the steam-powered mining carriage enables Dwarf miners to bring up more ore more quickly to the processing shops and forges. At first ore was transported by Dwarfs in great bags on their backs, and later by carts pushed by hand along tracks. While this is still done at smaller, more distant mines and holds, or in side tunnels not wide enough for a carriage, the clank of a carriage's engines and the sight of it moving along a main shaft is common at the great holds. [...] In recent years the Dwarfs have also pressed them into service as ambulances, carrying wounded Dwarfs rescued from a battle or from a cave-in to receive treatment in safer areas.
[...]
Mining Carriages move along pre-laid rail tracks.
A steam-powered carriage that moves on rail tracks and can transport both ore and people, hm yes I see.
Page 107 has it that the airship/dirigible and the war balloon were only invented after the steam engine - before that, attempts to use balloons for transportation failed.
Page 108
Airship
An evolutionary development of the War Balloon, the airship or 'dirigible' is a lighter-than-air vehicle used as transport by dignitaries when land travel is inconvenient or dangerous. Dawi envoys consider them especially handy when trying to impress local Humans. 'Nothing makes an impression like dropping in from above', said one Dwarf ambassador when arriving for negotiations in Talabheim. And, unlike gromril treasures, Dwarf Kings are not averse to commissioning one occasionally as a gift for a Human lord when he needs to impress and flatter one. Baron Heinrich's dirigible, 'The Sky Wolf ' (Empire in Ruins, page 37), is a famous example, commissioned by the Dwarfs of Middenheim .
Looks like airships are a mature technology as of 2512 IC, not just the province of experimental prototypes. If you have it that balloons were invented before the steam engine, then that makes good sense. Also, dropping in from above to impress people reminds me of Mathilde.
Page 109
Small airships, such as those docked aboard a Grudgebreaker-class battleship, are often surprisingly well-armed for their size, packing a pair of prow-mounted Breaker Cannons. Medium airships, such as the Sky Wolf gifted to the city of Middenheim (see Empire in Ruins) are more commonly used for transportation, though racks of Aerial Bombs are not uncommon. The largest Airships, such as the Spirit of Grungni created by slayer-engineer Malakai Makaisson, can transport whole formations of Dwarf warriors, and are equipped with Organ Gun broadsides.
Dwarves are so cool.
While now in use in Karaz Ankor and some of the Western holds, the gyrocopter has never been willingly given or sold to an outsider.
Bet there's been an uptick in nobles pestering dwarf engineers for gyrocopter commissions since Mathilde started flashing around her gyrocarriage.
Before takeoff, the [gyrocopter] engine is primed with enough coal to last eight hours, or four if repeated use is made of the steam cannon.
For those interested in the logistics.
Page 110 gives us brand new gyrocopter types, which wouldn't be covered by the wargame since they're primarily civilian in nature.
The success of the gyrocopter has spawned variations geared to a specific purpose. The 'fast' gyrocopter is a model built for speed. With no cannon or bombs and made of lighter material, it is faster (Move 35) than the standard gyrocopter, but with a Toughness of only 25. Its primary use is for reconnaissance and carrying urgent messages between holds.
A heavier, slower model is lovingly called 'Pack Mule' by its pilots and those to whom it brings needed supplies. Larger than standard, usually unarmed, and with a more powerful steam engine, the undercarriage is fitted with a hook that lets the craft lift a pallet or crate slung by ropes. It can carry up to 300 Enc of packed goods, 250 if armed, but flies 25% slower than the standard gyrocopter.
For context, a normal gyrocopter has a Movement of 20, or 25 without the gun, and a Toughness of 40. A human without any trappings weighs 10 Encumbrance.
The earliest Dwarf aerial vehicle was the balloon. First used at Karak Kadrin in the War of Vengeance to keep an eye out for Elves, they proved their worth in the aftermath of the Skaven and greenskin invasions. [...]
War Balloons are primarily used for surveillance and reconnaissance, and are painted in neutral colours that blend into the sky, imposing a –20 modifier on enemy Perception Tests to spot them. [...] Despite their name, War Balloons are rarely heavily armed, but may carry a complement of Aerial Bombs, along with Handguns and Crossbows for the crew.
Balloons are a very old technology. They're also primarily for reconnaissance, not for destruction, though there are some that are for dropping bombs and shooting stuff going by Lexicanum and Fandom.
Page 112
Unlike the ships of Humans and Elves, which have open decks and are exposed to the elements, Barak Varr's metal ships are also completely sealed, from keel to crow's nest. Access to the crew areas and the storage holds are only through tightly sealed hatches that can be barred from the inside. Not only watertight, this design also keeps out boarders — since the first Ironclads were launched in the 18th century IC, no enemy has ever successfully boarded and captured a Dwarf ocean ship.
Impressive stats. I think this makes the dwarves virtually undefeatable against Norsca on the seas.
Page 113
Prior to the steam engine, barges travelling between Karaz Ankor and the Karaz-a-Karak road had to be towed upstream by mule teams, or even by gangs of Dawi pulling on tow ropes.
Together with the heavier gyrocopter being nicknamed a "pack mule", the dwarves very firmly use mules as beasts of burden.
Page 115
Joining a Nautilus crew, where casualties can be high, is for some an alternative to expiating shame by taking the Slayer's oath. Indeed, the King of Barak Varr has formally offered the choice of submersible service, instead of becoming a Slayer, a proposition that has been learned of and taken up by others of distant holds.
For context, there are crimes where the punishment is "execution, unless you choose to become a slayer".
Page 116 introduces us to the engineer Logazar Nihmok, also known as Captain Nihmok of the nautilus
Hammer of the Sea. He has a
Lexicanum page, but it leaves out the contents of the last paragraph of his section which has an interesting bit of intrigue:
No one knows why Captain Nihmok does this, nor where his secret base is and how he replenishes his supplies. But several nations have proclaimed large rewards for his capture or death. Strangely, King Zamnil is not one of them.
Page 117 is the first page of the Runic Weapons of Renown section. The first entry is interesting multiple ways.
Barrakul
Barrakul, translated as 'Hope of the Mountains', is a Runic Longsword crafted by an unknown Runesmith and historically wielded by the one-eyed Daemon Slayer Harbek Armgusson, and by the Human Templar Siegfried von Kesselring.
A shining longsword, sheathed in a gem-encrusted leather scabbard with finely inlaid metalwork, the runes of the weapon glow ruby, etched down the blade. When drawn and used in combat, it is said that the blade flows through visibility, at first sight a sharp and clean blade, then an empty space the next, leaving only the floating red runes below the hilt, before reappearing the other side of its victim. The sword is also said to be able to bypass any non-magical protection, phasing through shields and armour alike.
The weapon was originally taken from the corpse of an Orc whose Warband was found desecrating a temple to the Ancestor Gods, slain by Harbek and his band. Though an initial investigation into the blade provided no answers as to its origins, no extensive effort was made to further research the blade's creation, for fear of being honour bound to return the weapon.
The ultimate fate of the Slayer, whether he achieved his oath of dying in glorious combat, or lost his life in any number of potentially lethal adventuring exploits, is unknown. What is known is that after his passing, the sword was given into the possession of one of his travelling companions, a rare Dwarven Priest of the Cult of Sigmar.
Ok, so first off we have a
longsword made by and for dwarves, then it turns out it's basically a remix of the Rune of the Unknown, and finally we have a dwarf priest of Sigmar.
Though they carved a bloody swathe through the enemy, eventually Miner King Murkan realised that their expected doom drew near. He chose to protect Bryngandaz from Orc hands, and sealed the weapon in a hidden chamber deep in Ekrund, before taking a runesword from a fallen comrade and continuing in his final stand.
Another runesword.
Page 118
Even the most masterfully crafted weapon cannot contain the power of more than three runes, but such is the power of Ghal Maraz that, depending on what source you listen to, it is believed to house as many as five.
Can confirm, it does in fact have five runes - one master rune and four normal runes. And for those who want to know the full story, here it is:
When Sigmar felt his years coming to a close, he abdicated his throne and endeavoured to return the hammer to the High King of Karaz Ankor that had gifted it to him, only for he and the hammer to disappear when he entered the Black Fire Pass.
In 500 I.C, an Imperial Dwarf delegation would return the hammer to Emperor Sigismund II. To hear them tell it, a human had brought the hammer to Karaz-a-Karak a few years after Sigmar disappeared, presenting it to the High King and leaving without giving his name. They
claimed that the hammer remained among the heirlooms of the clan, until the High King was visited by Grungni in a dream where he bade him return the hammer to the humans, as a time was coming when they would need it.
Most notably, it is of contested historical record whether this hammer wielded by Emperor Sigismund II and the subsequent Emperors up until Karl Franz is the Ghal Maraz of legend. This is referred to as the "Two Hammer Theory" by those that would find themselves on the gibbet not long after.
While the Cult of Sigmar and the Imperial government both state that the hammer wielded by Karl Franz is the original hammer given to Sigmar in his time before his ascension, it is argued that the powers that the hammer should grant its user appear not to match those told in tales of old, though dismissed as a simple fact of fanciful retellings according to Imperial Scholars.
The truth of the matter is that the hammer handed down through the succession of Emperors was in fact a masterfully crafted duplicate, blessed by Sigmarite Priests and crafted by expert Runesmiths, granting those that held it increased strength, renewing their vitality and allowing their attacks to bypass non-magical armour. Following an encounter between adventurers and the Tzeentchian Lord of Change Sheerargetru in the Black Fire Pass during the civil strife of the Turmoil of 2512 IC, the true Ghal Maraz was discovered and quickly returned to Karl Franz, who has wielded it ever since.
Very few knew of the replacement, as not only were the abilities of Ghal Maraz considered a state secret within the Empire, the creation of the replacement was another great secret tightly held by Karaz Ankor, who did not inform their Human allies of the exchange.
Pages 119 and 120 have two different rune items connected to 'Tainted Dwarfs'. First is with the hammer Gnoldron:
Many years passed until, just over a century ago, a band of Kislevite trappers operating near the Worlds Edge Mountains encountered a band of Tainted Dwarfs. The trappers engaged them in combat, but were massacred to a man. The lone survivor of the trappers, one Ivan Keanovich, escaped to report the encounter and claimed that the leader used an ornate warhammer that could call forth lightning bolts at will.
Second is with the axe Grimmaz:
Other accounts have stated that it has been seen in the possession of a marauding band of Tainted Dwarfs found near the High (Belyevorota) Pass, northeast of Praag.
Something to do with Vlag? Or is it just referring to Chaos Dwarves?
And that's it for chapter 4. Longer than I thought it'd be, but not that much longer. Tune in next time for chapter 5, the runesmithing chapter.
