Admiral:
Outstanding brainstorming, Uther! Love it all! I’m sharing this right away on T9A and other forums, obviously quoting and naming you, due credit given. :cheers
Uther the unhinged:
No worries Admiral. Just hope someone likes it. To be honest it was quite fun to have a bit of a blank sheet. Anyway if we don�?Tt do something our hated vanilla cousins will steal all the glory!
Admiral:
Nice ideas Uther. Thanks a lot! 
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Taphrian Wildebeest Minotaur[/align]
I recommend you to click on the link and read Ghiznuk’s intro post for a great presentation of the concept: Of fantasy Bantu iron-wielder migration being met by natives turning to magic to become the beast in order to resist.
Reference images:
tjub:
Great concepts again! A bit odd that there isn’t more done with African cultures already in fantasy stuff, at least not that I know of. I feel the creative urge…
Admiral:
Tack så mycket! Yep, that’s true. Give in to your urges! 
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Polar Dwarf Warrior[/align]
Ladies and gentlemen, do you agree that we gotta have Inuit Dwarves for the Ninth Age?
Thickly built Dwarves are well suited to survive in extreme environments, not least by the craftiness of their hands and minds. Polar Dwarves are to be found in the inhospitable climate of remotest Silexia to the far north. They are great hunters and fabled traders of ivory who seldom encounter people from the outside world. This warrior is armoured in bone lamellar with laminar back “wings” for rear protection. Note snow goggles.
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Inspired by the Stiffbeard in Sergio Artigas’ Lotr Dwarf masterwork. His description for the Middle-Earth Dwarrows, for inspirational reference:
Stiffbeards: Renowned Craftsman, they make their homes in ice caves on the vast frozen lands up north, starting around the ice bay of Forochel and all the way down in between the mountains of Angmar and the grey mountains (Ered Mithrim). Very secretive and peaceful, they avoid taking part in any troubles from the outside world at any costs. Despite their secretive ways, they are also accomplished merchants, and regularly travel vast spans of the frozen lands to trade with many diverse cultures. The items they create from exotic materials such as Ivory and bones from sea monsters are very sought after, in particular their fabled toys. Stiffbeards are ultimately free spirits, lovers of music, stories and the tribe above everything else.I’ll have to be brief for the moment being. Please share your thoughts, ideas and criticism. There are a lot of fertile historical and mythological material to tap into for brainstorming about Eskimo Dwarves, and of course wacky fantasy potential in general for the Arctic region.
Let’s make this happen!
A few reference images:
Uther the unhinged:
Ooooh can we have polar bears with tusks, pleeeeese!
Uther the unhinged:
…and ice golems…giant scary walrus ice golems… and penguins (I know they are southern hemisphere, but I like them), giant penguins er just because. Tiny hairy snotling slaves riding giant artic foxes as scouts, messengers, cleaners, cooks and food if it gets too cold. Sleds pulled by white wolves (with bony spikes all over it). More penguins. I think I should go to work before I get too excited.
Admiral:
@Uther the Unhinged: Haha, nice and wild ideas, as one can expect! :cheers
Check out this Penugin rider artwork, by the way!
Any plans for a new army? 
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“My reverend lord, did you bring a straw? Or how on earth will you consume the blood with that nose ornament in the way?”
“I’ll drink to that!”[/align]
[align=center]Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys[/align]
This concept was spawned as the fallen brother culture to these proposed Inca Dwarves. Uther the Unhinged had lots of fertile ideas.
There is a prime candidate among ancient cultures in South America that fit the bill perfectly: The Moche culture (100-700 AD). The Moche lived by the coast of what is today Peru, inhabiting nine river valleys with arid desert in between. The Moche are an archaeological culture, meaning they left no written documents behind, but they sure left behind monumental architecture, eyecatching craft objects and proof of ritual cruelty!
The Moche were fine craftsmen who produced works of art in gold for the highly elaborate dress of their elite, and they likewise have become famous for their erotic pottery. The Moche built stepped pyramid temples and practiced a warfare reminiscent of the Aztecs: They fought wars to capture enemy warriors, whom they stripped naked, bound, tortured and sacrificed to their gods. Sounds like Infernal Dwarf material?
Admiral:
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Aotarakoa Saurian[/align]
The Ninth Age (T9A) concept art for fantasy Indonesian Saurian armed with copper klewang, based upon Nias warrior garb. The Nias tribe were famous headhunters and warriors who carved wooden figures and small stone monuments for their houses. Saurian inspired by the sterling sculpting work of Rikard.
The Saurian Ancients are Reptile peoples of the equatorial tropics who once ruled the entire world during the long First Age, yet their dominion was rent asunder by a giant comet followed by massive slave rebellions. The ascendant thralls of many different species went their own ways and founded civilizations and nomad hordes whose turbulent development have dominated all subsequent eight Ages. The Saurian Ancients are still great regional powers to be feared, however, for theirs is the pulsating might and olden glory of rich resources, and their claws and fangs are sharp even against foes bedecked in steel. As Vetian countries start to explore and colonize distant parts of the world during the Ninth Age, they come into frontal collision with the Saurian Ancients of Virentia, Taphria and southeastern Augea.
And this struggle between man and lizard is by no means a foregone conclusion…
Reference images:
Admiral:
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Lost Islander Dwarf[/align]
My colleague Tjub (of the Tjublings) wanted me to draw a south sea dwarf, and so here it is! The islands of the Pacific Ocean is not the first place one would think of Dwarves for, when converting real world history to fantasy, yet the famous Rapa Nui of Easter Island did carve (and transport) Moai statues out of stone, so they, if anyone, will serve for Dwarf duty. A good distance to the west of Easter Island lie the Kiribati islands, of which the warriors of Gilbert Islands were famous for their armour (overall and cuirass) woven out of coconut fibres, which protected the warrior elite against sharp tooth weaponry during ritualized combats which were not supposed to end in the death of the enemy (which would incur a fine of lost land for the killer). The warriors also wore porcupinefish headgear to top it all off. This exotic wargear required some skilled craftsmanship to produce, which is ever a must with Dwarves. And so I present to you this concept of the Dwarves of the Lost Islands, stranded out at sea to the west of Virentia:
While by far the most of the scattered islands of the giant ocea between Augea and Virentia-Silexia are inhabited by Humans (or other sentients), a corner of this vast sea harbour a pecularity which will surprise any explorer that ever happens to come upon it. For thrown out far from land and far from other isles are to be found the Lost Islands, formed in bygone eons by volcanoes. These volcanoes deposited some rich mineral deposits on some of the islands, which the world-dominant Saurian Ancients sought to exploit during the long First Age. As such the reptilian overlords imported Dwarves from their breeding pens and silver mines in Virentia’s Wrathful Mountains, and set about strip-mining the ores and gemstones. This mining operation was carried out with great investments and vigourous slavedriving, and as the skyhammer fell, the underground of the islands were all but empty of minerals. The thunderous impact of the distant comet reverberated the world over, and under the Lost Islands it pulled out reinforced masonry that held back the sea.
Enormous quantities of water crashed into the mining tunnels and devoured almost everything and everyone left down there, drowning both master and slave and dashing their corpses against the rock. Yet some Dwarven slaves survived above ground, and some others managed to find shelter in underground caves into which the water could not rise, and then succeeded in swimming out from these pockets of air. The lucky divers emerged and set their brethren above ground free, and together they drove the remaining Saurians to extinction in a vicious series of running battles. Yet this celebrated victory was also the beginning of everlasting woes, for these wayward Dwarves were lost far out at sea, with no mountains in sight and no metal to mine and forge. Thus began their long isolation, during which the Lost Islanders made do with the materials at hand, and after a fashion they crafted their items with such raw materials as coconut fibre, wood, stone, shells and shark teeth.
Although the sun warms well, in their Dwarven hearts lurks an eternal yearning for mountains, and their songs tell of their longing and plight, and their stories are filled with wondrous lands beyond the horizon, which they however cannot in reality reach.
Reference images:
See also:
Dwarven Holds of the Copper Mountains (T9A Nabateans)
Dwarven Holds of the Wrathful Mountains (T9A Inca)
Polar Dwarves of Remotest Silexia (T9A Inuits)
Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys (T9A Moche)
Frost Elves (T9A Finno-Ugrians)
Saurian Ancients of Aotarakoa (T9A Indonesia-Malaysia)
Admiral:
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Cave Dwarf of the Mountains of Gold[/align]
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the campfire! How about a cup of Stone Age?
When I first glimpsed this brainstorming map for Taphrian factions here, my initial thought was roughly: "Hell no to Cave Dwarves in Kegiz Gavem! No wasting opportunity with Neolithic primitives. This will be fantasy Ethiopia in advanced splendour or bust, worthy of true Dwarves."
Still, the general idea of Cave Dwarves (with all the connotations of caveman as part of the deal) isn’t without merit. It’s just one that is fit for some real isolated obscure remnant duty, on whatever continent happens to fit. The above doodle is loosely inspired by Lorenz Frølich’s Two Völuspá Dwarves and Sergio Artigas’ subsequent Primitive Dwarves artwork. As a starting point, this is not a culture based upon any particular one in recorded history, but is instead a reference to prehistorical humans (of all species) in general, and to finds of prehistorical humans from South Africa to Ethiopia in particular. The Mountains of Gold in southern Taphria lacks a mention of Dwarven presence, and this will not do, so I propose that here is where we plant our Cave Dwarves.
The basic concept is one of a small Dwarf remnant left over from either the First Age (end of mining slavery under Saurian Ancient mastery - possibly with extermination campaigns launched from Nsisiboko to purge the nearby Mountains of Gold from all rebellious Dwarf slaves) or Fourth Age (fall of Holds). Possibly originating from a single family unit hidden away in caverns, this bottleneck event saw a virtually complete loss of accumulated knowledge and crafts, a slate wiped clean. These were the origins of the Cave Dwarves,whose existence is unknown in nought but travellers’ rumours even in the closest of grand Dwarven Holds, namely Kegiz Gavem up in the Mountains of the Moon. The Cave Dwarves are a lost folk of savages to the outside world, highly reclusive and living in nigh-inaccessible parts of the Mountains of Gold and their cave systems. It is unknown why these of all the world’s Dwarrows have stayed at such a primitive level of crafts, yet even their seeming wretchedness harbour a fine hand at stone tool carving, and the shaping of ancestor figurines from various kinds of rock or even nuggets of gold. This peculiar remnant seem absorbed by a life amid stone, and have a spiritual affinity in tune with the heart of the mountain, the lore of which is shrouded in mystery. A few wild tales of wanderers even speak of very rough beings made out of almost unworked stone. Others speak of cavernous cannibals little better than the most feral of Orcs and Goblins, with a passion for hunting that is only matched by their ferocity.
And so the Cave Dwarves eke out their taboo-regulated existence in kingroups, remaining virtually unknown, a curious relic from truly olden times trapped - or mayhap blessed - in remotest isolation.
Please share your own ideas, thoughts and criticism.
Reference images:
See also:
Dwarven Holds of the Copper Mountains (T9A Nabateans)
Dwarven Holds of the Wrathful Mountains (T9A Inca)
Lost Islander Dwarves (T9A Rapa Nui)
Polar Dwarves of Remotest Silexia (T9A Inuits)
Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys (T9A Moche)
Frost Elves (T9A Finno-Ugrians)
Saurian Ancients of Aotarakoa (T9A Indonesia-Malaysia)
Gargolock:
Ladies and gentlemen, do you agree that we gotta have Inuit Dwarves for the Ninth Age?They could have inukshuk stone war golems. Normally the Inuit would build inukshuks as land marks so they could find their way, so maybe the inukshuk golems could guard and mark important roads or paths belonging to the polar dwarves. They could be monstrous or human sized depending on the stones they are built with.
Admiral
As for the cave dwarves they could have a lot of javelin type weaponry. Maybe a very crude javelin thrower just using the elasticity of animal hide to inaccurately launch a sharp stick with an obsidian shard on the end. They could also have a tribal, violent system of leadership. Where the strongest one semi leads them and if a stronger one challenges him they can take leadership. There is a lot that can be done with cavemen and I think they are a good idea for dwarves. They could also chuck flint shards through the air to try to kill their enemies.
Admiral:
@Gargolock: Aye, great ideas! Inukshuk stone golems are a must, and good stuff for the cave dwarves. I’ve shared them on other forums, duly linked, quoted and credited to you of course.
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Dwarf of the Maidens[/align]
The Maidens mountain range in Equitaine may be a reference to the Massif Central of France, moved up northwest and stretching into the equivalent of Brittany. At a guess, the Maidens from foothills to mountain tops may harbour settled Equitainians and human brigands alike, as well as monsters in general, Greenskin highlanders and some minor Dwarven Holds (because it would be a wasted opportunity to not have some living Dwarven presence here, aside from ruined overrun Holds). As to Dwarves, let’s take these mountains as an open invitation to propose that the most Celtic-based of Vetian Dwarves live in the Maidens, and possibly the Dwarves of the Maidens could be the closest link in the occassional and fragile contact between Vetian and the Northern Dwarves. The Dwarves of the Maidens, being peripheral compared to the Dwarrows of the White Mountains, would not be a particularly strong driving force in the Vetian Dwarves’ innovations and scientific discoveries, though they would fully partake of this culture of shared knowledge and technology, and their arsenal would essentially be the same. The aesthetic style and dialect, however, would be distinct.
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As of present, Westwind Productions’ Dwarf Wars range (both Shaven and Scots) contain some kits that could be of interest for anyone wishing to inject even more Celtic styles into their Dwarves, and there are probably other models in a similar vein from other companies.
Please share your ideas, comments and criticism for this quick Dwarven culture proposal.
Reference images (concept drawing partially inspired by Sergio Artigas’ Lotr artwork of Firebeards):
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Zanthrax:
Thanks for a great read - I always thought the west wind Celtic dwarfs were excellent.
Also my favourite vanilla dwarf minis come from black tree design who also had some not slayers in kilts which appear to have disappeared of their website
Admiral:
@Zanthrax: Cheers! Wild, hairy and Dwarf goes well together.
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Nekoshim Dwarf[/align]
Nekoshim Dwarf of the Copper Mountains with axe based on tabars and angular ornaments based on Persian patterns famous from Isfahan. This Dwarf’s overall shape and pose is a reference to an MM90 miniature (as best seen here; “Pilsner” painted by Clam), while his helmet design is inspired by this artwork of DracarysDrekkar7.
The Nekoshim of the Copper Mountains are a proposed Nabatean fantasy Dwarven culture of ancient cousins to the Infernal Dwarves, speaking a brother tongue of the Blasted Plains language. In ancient times, the Nekoshim migrated west across the seas to the Copper Mountains, and thus never experienced the dreadful plight which befell the Infernal Dwarves and led them to embrace dark forces in desperation and ruthless hunger for power and vengeance. While the Nekoshim have experienced their share of setback and loss, they have never become corrupted, or so they claim, and their numerous, disunited Holds remain a living part of the landscape. In the wider world of Dwarfkind, the Nekoshim are the link between the Vetian and Gavemite Dwarves.
Reference images:
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Artwork by DracarysDrekkar7, being a Nabatean fantasy Dwarf concept for the Copper Mountains of the Ninth Age. This artist has a deft hand at illustrating fantasy, capturing both an impression of rugged life and craft refinement in fine detail.
Check out his Deviantart gallery and leave him a comment!
Admiral:
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Dwarf of the Crimson Peaks[/align]
The Crimson Peaks of southwestern Vetia in the Ninth Age, corresponding to the Pyrenees mountain range, is a chance to once and for all correct Warhammer Fantasy’s error of having virtually no Dwarf presence at all in the mountains of their version of Iberia, namely Estalia. These wild mountains could be filled with Human highlanders, monsters, Orcs & Goblins, and minor Dwarven Holds. The Dwarrows of the Crimson Peaks could be based on the ancient Celtiberians (connecting to the Celtic basis of many Vetian Dwarves), whose lengthy resistance to Rome finally ended with the great siege of the oppidum Numantia. Like the Dwarven Holds of the Maidens mountain range, the Crimson Peak Dwarves would be on the periphery of Vetian Dwarfkind, yet fully part of this region’s culture of shared Dwarven technology, having thus essentially the same equipment for war. The aeshtetic style and dialect of the Crimson Peak Dwarves would however be distinct.
Just remember that relentless Dwarves do not even know what siesta is!
Please share your ideas, comments and criticism for this quick Dwarven culture proposal.
Reference images:
Uther the unhinged:
The celtiberians were famous for their falcata the very heavy curved swords (curved opposite to scimitars). These swords were heavy chopping weapons and would be very suitable for dwarfs. Indeed it was the Romans experience of falcatas that led then to start binding the edge of their shields with iron!
Admiral:
@Uther the Unhinged: Very true! A most Dwarven-befitting brutal weapon. :cheers
I actually drew a Falcate handle on that Dwarf, but the scabbard is hidden behind the shield, and the handle itself disappears in the mass of details because I tried to draw a stylized scaled dragon on it.
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Dwarf of the Sky Foothills[/align]
Ladies and gentlemen, let us better not leave eastern Augea without some Dwarven presence: That would be all too predictable run-of-the-mill poor form for a fantasy setting. Although the equivalent of Korea could work well as a basis given their history of innovation (most famously with the turtle ships employed during two 1590s Japanese invasions of Korea), the lack of mountains there on the world map would seem to advise to leave Korea be for fantasy Human duty (and likewise we cannot infringe upon the equivalent of Japan/Nippon, wa or not). As such, let us instead turn to the highlands of Southeast Asia with its hill tribes, who can serve well as basis both for Human, Dwarf and Greenskin peoples in this region of the Ninth Age World. In the case of the above concept drawing, the Akha has been used for aesthetic inspiration, along with the bronze age Dong Son culture and the distinct Shan Wei Kai type of armour from Song dynasty China.
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Here is a background proposal to get the ball rolling:
During the long First Age, the Saurian Ancients of great Aotarakoa imported and bred Dwarf Slaves, whom they drove by whip and claw to mine the southern Sky Mountains for valuable minerals. The Skyhammer that set all slaves free did likewise in these parts of Augea, and these easterly Dwarves eastblished kingdoms all along the range of the southern Sky Mountains, and very slowly their prospectors and settlers began to work their way northward, under this massive mountain range. However, the ages of chaos anad barbarity that followed, took a heavy toll on the Dwarrows of the Sky Mountains, and through many millennia of ceaseless back-and-forth warfare (filled with setbacks and temporary reconquests) they were eventually driven out of almost all their ancestral holdings. Refugees fled east, away from the overrun Holds and into the Sky Foothills that extended in a southeastern spur from the mountains, and bolstered the small and humble mining and hunting colonies which settlers had already established in these highlands. What had once been their backwater periphery, now became their living homeland, and the Dwarves of the Sky Foothills fought tooth and nail to defend their kin and survive out in these harsh environs. At length, their industrious work and relentless warfare halted their long and steep decline, and at last these easterly Dwarves were reasonably secure in their fortified foothill Holds.
Their legends abound with the great and lost splendour of the southern Sky Mountains which their ancestors once peopled, though in truth the Dwarves of the Sky Foothills have managed to carve out respectable Holds in their own right, filled with the brilliance and ingenuity which Dwarven hands have wrought, and sporting large underground halls and tunnel networks. Despite their living glory, these Dwarves consider themselves petty for having been forced out of the soaring Sky Mountains and forced to live in their shadow. In their hearts smoulder a desire to reclaim their lost kingdoms or at least find their lost treasures, and occassionally small bands of adventurers set out westward during times of strength, plenty and booming population. Most such expeditions do not return, but disappear amid the fabled peaks that spear the underbelly of the sky, brought low by much the same savages that conquered their original homeland.
The most northerly of the Sky Foothill Dwarves have been pulled strongly into the orbit of Longjing. Although their instinct to resist the Human expansion at all costs was strong and initially resulted in some fierce highland wars against Tsuandan frontier armies, the bitter wisdom learnt from the humiliation and catastrophic loss of their ancestors contributed greatly to these northern hill Dwarves eventually kowtowing to the Emperor, accepting the suzerainty of a Human overlord, with some retained autonomy of their own. Occassionally, heavily armoured contingents of vassal Sky Foothill Dwarves can be seen marching with the Imperial Banners of Grand Tsuandan, and more than one host of foes at distant fronties have been annihilated amid their surprise at facing the pent-up wrath of these warlike and unexpected Dwarf auxiliaries.
Many centuries of constant warfare have shaped the culture of these highlander Dwarves into a martial one. Their boys and menfolk practice violent forms of wrestling and boxing to build up strength and better overcome enemies in a tight struggle, and their heavily fortified Holds and clan outposts resound to the weapon practice of young and old alike. For the Dwarves of the Sky Foothills know all too well that war may utterly ruin the losing party. And so they fight to live and live to fight, and harbour hateful grudges indeed against those filthy hordes that overran their ancestral mountain homes.
As of late, these old scars have been opened raw anew. For the Dwarven Holds of the Sky Foothills were outraged at finding their benighted cousins from the west construct the Steel Road right through the heart of their lost homeland. As the Steel Road gnawed closer to their highlands, many Holds (both independent ones and those under the formal yoke of Tsuandan) have repeatedly sent money, arms and contingents of vengeful warriors, who band together in the westmost Sky Foothills and set out to attack the Infernal Dwarves that build and guard the infamous Steel Road. The slavemasters have found themselves bogged down in this area, being forced multiple times to repair sabotaged sections of track, replace lost slave labour and send out armies to safeguard the Steel Road and strike preemptively at the tenacious Dwarrows of the Sky Foothills.
Please share your ideas, comments and criticism for this quick Dwarven culture proposal.
Reference images:
Uther the unhinged:
Their peak weapon could be a mechanical Chinese dragon. Could be a golem pr part armoured personnel carrier, winding across the battle field breathing fire then disgorging dwarves to assault the enemy.
If you want a a less tNot sure of the History and geography here but would they have Yaks? Armoured Yaks would be awesome. Certainly mountain goats could provide cavalry with crossbow wielding dwarves on their back. These would be perfect for the hit and run warfare against the infernal dwarves. The repeating crossbow was a Chinese inventing so might be appropriate too.
Gunpowder would fit. To distinguish them from their infernal cousins no fire arms or steampunk but how about hand held bombs, the old cartoon round things with fizzing fuses. Rockets too, but small scale easily portable. Maybe mortars but again small scale. I am thinking of the old ?3rd ed chaos dwarf 2 man(dwarf) mortar team.
The thinking behind this (other than the dragon) is that their traditional homelands do not lend themselves to large scale open warfare. Similarly any attempt to hold back the massive imperial armies from the Easton open battle would have been catastrophic. Therefore these mountain dwarves would have developed a style of warfare(above ground) of rapid hit and run guerrila style. Think of the wars in Afghanistan over the centuries. So you would have fixed phalanxes of heavy armoured dwarves for below ground warfare but rapid moving/mobile forces above. Goat riding cavalry, hopefully an excuse for yak residing heavy cavalry. Grenadiers, small 2dwarf mortar or rocket teams, maybe with a goat or yak attached so the could fire and move rapidly to new positions
What do you think? I could be biased in my thinking coz I want yaks!
Admiral:
@Uther the Unhinged: Great ideas! The armoured dragon APC made me think of Tolkien’s at Gondolin, by the way.
I like yaks as well and really like the ideas! Sure, they’re not southeast Asian creatures, but they could have been brought along into the Sky Foothills and bred for shorthaired variants down in the highlands. Passing on your ideas to other forums at once.
[align=center]Highborn Elf Concepts
Great Eagle (2019)
Eagleshaven Elven city map concept (2017)
Elf Heavy Archer (2016)
Face of a Killer (2016)[/align]