Admiral:
[align=center]Chaos Dwarf Stories & Background Index [Warhammer Fantasy Battle]
Liber Chaotica: Hashut (Grimstonefire)
Chaos Dwarfs Army Book (ThommyH)
Chaos Dwarf Quest (Nicodemus)
Khaozalid Dictionary (MadHatter)[/align]
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Raid: Art by Forgefire[/align]
Chaos Dwarf Proverbs
Chaos Dwarf Monumental Inscriptions
Chaos Dwarf Quotes
Chaos Dwarf Religious Texts
Akin to their uncorrupted western kin, Chaos Dwarfs have been writing for as long as their collective memory can remember. The cataclysmic events, leading to the coming of Hashut and their salvation from certain doom, cleaned their culture to a blank slate whose contents was to be determined by the Father of Darkness and His chosen Sorcerer-Prophets.
Great was the change wrought upon the harried survivors of the settlers in Zorn Uzkul, for the new decrees of the fiery Bull God demanded nothing less than complete dedication. This the Dawi Zharr gave to Hashut, and as the oral teachings of the first Prophets and cult founders grew in mass and sophistication, they began to be carved into stone and bone, or written on parchment made from beast or Orc skin.
The very first writings of the Chaos Dwarfs were frantically carved inscriptions left behind in their shallow tunnel networks beneath the Great Skull Land. These are generally short pieces of writing, often hidden and with clear signs of the Chaos at hand during that turbulent time of the Great Incursion. Some are obvious works of Dawi with challenged but largely intact values from their Worldâs Edge Mountains origins, yet even these seem to contain hints of Hashut.
Many of the subterranean inscriptions speak of the painful transformation phase, when the world fell apart for the beleaguered Dwarfs, and when Daemons and lesser gods of Chaos started to whisper to them. Those carvings often contain runic letters or even logographic symbols of strange shapes and unknown origin, sometimes reminiscent of the Dark Tounge script which later arose amongst the Marauder tribes in the far north. Some of these new characters are entirely unintelligible, whilst other symbols clearly are the beginnings of the future Chaos Dwarf writing system.
Such transition period script do more often than not contain seemingly mad or nonsensical talk of supernatural beings, the praise of the Ascendant Bull and the final doom close at hand. Simple picture carvings occassionally accompany the letters, proving a new adoration of fetishes, beliefs in magical charms and horrifying events of insanity and carnage unfolding in the dark underground. Out from this torment grew the Dawi Zharr religion and world view, one obsessed with the domination of everything from creatures and landscapes to the Daemons of the Empyrean.
The final phase of the Zorn Uzkul carvings bear all the hallmarks of the Cult of Hashut, where the old ways are clearly being forgotten and where Chaos is to be served. They might have damned their souls forever by doing so, but the Chaos Dwarfs possessed a ruthless drive to survive at any cost. This they did, thanks to Hashut.
As Chaos Dwarf society grew and developed in the coming centuries, so did their religion and its body of sacred texts. These early versions of Khaozalid script soon began to show signs of the great wars against Orcs and Goblins being waged on the Plain of Zharr and beyond. Contempt for such lesser creatures was declared to be Hashutâs will. The religious formalization of creating new technologies for the sake of the Father of Darkness also stems from this time, as does the earliest allusions to Daemonsmithing. Fire, cruelty and craftsmanship was at the core of Dawi Zharr religion from the very start. Visions of doom, and prophecies towards that end, was likewise present in the beginning.
Sorcerer-Prophets and holy men have, throughout the centuries, constantly added to this increasingly massive body of religious scripture. Chaos Dwarf religion have never changed fundamentally, yet it is also a living religion in the sense that new texts of varying holiness are constantly added to it, especially by those wishing to leave their mark upon the world beneath Chaos before petrification overcomes them.
Hordes of scribes working in different languages toil endlessly with this corpus of scripture, which have acquired a level of mysticism undreamt of in the lands of short-lived humans. Many of the texts would be scarcely intelligible if translated to outsiders, especially those based upon numerology or other esoteric methods of interpretation. Texts which would have been seen as philosopical, historical or even scientific in other cultures are here very much religious (if not written for the Dawi Zharr publicâs popular belief system), since Chaos Dwarf thinking is utterly permeated by their god, their mythology and their service to, and exploitation of, Chaos.
As such the religious texts of the Chaos Dwarfs are immensely varied, written as they are over several millennia by thousands upon thousands of different authors, most of which have claimed to be divinely inspired, all of which added their particular twist to the sacred lore. Some teachings in some texts led to the creation of sects and schisms, of which there have been a great number in Zharr-Naggrundâs long history. The number of writing styles in the Dawi Zharr scripture is almost as numerous as the number of Sorcerer-Prophets that ever lived. Many of the texts were clearly written in bouts of madness, or otherwise intentionally made into cryptic works which have kept the mystics busy through the centuries.
They are texts about the Father of Darkness and his role in the wider Chaos pantheon, they are texts about mythological figures, Daemons and accursed villains. They are texts about the moral and right in strength, cruelty and oppression, and they are texts about insanity and approaching doom. Above all they are the scripture of the downright malevolent worshippers of an evil god, and they are not for those weak of heart and mind.
These are the holy writings of the Blacksmiths of Chaos.
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Chaos Dwarf Prophecies
1. The Cannibal-Core - Audio (MadHatter)
2. What will the tool do without its wise hand? (Admiral)
3. Lament for Mingol Zharr-Naggrund the Great (Admiral)
4. Predictions, Three Times Three, of An Ending of All (Admiral)
5. Prophecy of the First (Abecedar)
6. Rebirth and/or Resurrection (Abecedar)
7. Fragment of the Unbreaking Cycle (DĂŽnadan)
8. The Beginning of the End Times (Enjoysrandom)
Chaos Dwarf Myths & Legends
1. The Twelve Trials of the Two Bull-Spawns (Admiral)
2. The Eight Trials of the Two Centaur-Spawns (Admiral)
3. The Cursed Ore of Grimdur Gutwrencher (Admiral)
4. The Walled-In Bricklayer (Admiral)
5. The Obsidian Fort (Admiral)
6. The Black Wandererâs Meatchest (Admiral)
7. The Sinful Stone Carver (Admiral)
8. The Fate of Death Rocketeer Ukkad Firebrow (Admiral)
9. Origins of the Kâdaai Oracle of Daemonâs Stump (Admiral)
10. The Hanging Fire Fields of Hashkunezharr (Admiral)
11. The Changelingâs Time Loop (Admiral)
12. The Breaking of the Three Spell Keepers (Admiral)
13. The Soil-Prophet (Admiral)
14. The Chaos Star Fort (Admiral)
15. The Two Winannas (DAGabriel)
16. The Grim Fate of Inâkari the Damned (Admiral)
17. The Stormforged Axe (Admiral)
18. The Damned Riveter (Admiral)
19. The Acolytes Progress, and the Four Slanders of Hashut (Beloss)
20. Lordship in Heaven (Admiral)
21. The First Soulfurnace (Admiral)
22. The Bastard Son of the Bull God (Admiral)
23. The Will to Make Power Over Life (Fuggit Khan)
24. Dirge of Awakening (Roark)
25. FâKari and the Eternal Flame (Ikkred Pyrhelm)
26. The Fall of Karak Zorgelam (Admiral)
27. The Mask of Madness (Admiral)
28. The Poison of Pessimism (Admiral)
29. The Folly of Nebirudnuzhak (Admiral)
30. A Tale of Three Ships (Admiral)
31. The Legend of the Brazen Conquest (Gargolock)
- Naggrund Slavers (Admiral & @forgefire )
The Khaosiad
The Khaosiad is a collection of various myths, legends and ancient texts collated over centuries. It is not one single text but rather a catch all name given to this eclectic legendarium and is written across countless scrolls, tablets and books. The authors are unknown, but it is believed that they all lived before the founding of Zharr-Naggrund and the oldest surviving copies all originate from Uzkulak and from that time. The Khaosiad covers a wide variety of subjects but a common theme found in almost all of them is presenting the Chaos Gods and many of the most renowned daemons as having lives akin to mortals. Being a collection of various disparate texts, the Khaosiad is highly inconsistent in details with Gods, Daemons and other characters appearing in one myth only to be born or created in a different one set later. Many scholars have been driven mad trying to comprehend the truths behind the myths.
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1. The Infernal Artificer (DĂŽnadan)
2. The Serpent Within (DĂŽnadan)
3. The Twelve-Hoofed God (DĂŽnadan)
Descriptions of Chaos Dwarf Religion
1. Brotherhood of Hashut (Grimstonefire)
2. The Shackled Consorts of the Bull God (Admiral)
3. The Sacred Fuel of the Altarâs Sacrificial Fire (Admiral)
4. The Great Thunderbull (Admiral)
5. The Great Firebull (Admiral)
6. The Dark and Fiery Heavens (Admiral)
7. On Fire and Water (Admiral)
8. The Temple Marriage Market (Admiral)
9. The Sacred and Unholy Dark Lands (Admiral)
10. The Pillar Mystics (Admiral)
11. On Hats and Masks (Admiral)
12. The Barren Shrine (Admiral)
13. The White Archives of Zharr-Naggrund (DĂŽnadan)
14. The Hanging Gardens of Zharr-Naggrund (DĂŽnadan)
15. The Azure Devils (DĂŽnadan)
16. The Cartographersâ Guild (DĂŽnadan)
17. Excerpt re âThe Doom of the Stonebreakerâ from Jedakâs âTome of Betrayalsâ (Jackswift)
18. Up North (Admiral)
19. The Stonetrap Mysteries (Admiral)
20. Excerpt from the Azzgorragead (DĂŽnadan)
21. Zharkanulâs Overview of the Lesser Races of Mortals (Admiral)
22. Faces of Hashut (Braided Beard)
23. On Daemonâs Stump (Revlid)
Chaos Dwarf Metaphysics
1. Liber Chaotica: Hashut (Grimstonefire)
2. The Wheel of Chaos (DĂŽnadan)
Chaos Dwarf Religious Instructions
1. The Sacred Ziggurat (DĂŽnadan)
2. Gorgothian Maxims (Admiral)
3. The Way Past Death Sermon of the Slaghoof Sect (Admiral)
The One Hundred and Forty-Four Commandments of Hashut
1. The First Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
2. The Second Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
3. The Third Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
4. The Fourth Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
5. The Fifth Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
6. The One Hundred and Forty-Fourth Commandment of Hashut (DĂŽnadan)
The Writings of Karzh Akkadur
Sorcerer-Prophet Karzh Akkadur the Builder was one of the most influential Prophets during the time of the founding of Zharr-Naggrund. Though some of his works have been soaked up by Chaos Dwarf folk culture as succinct sayings, well-known prophecies or popular stories, most of his writing actually deals with theological and philosophical questions not normally this attractive to the wider Dawi Zharr populace.
The partial popularity of his teachings amongst the masses is in no small part due to Karzh Akkadurâs unusually simple writing style, which was relatively easy to follow and relatively free from the mystical formulations which riddles almost all other Chaos Dwarf scripture. As such he is regarded by most Sorcerer-Prophets throughout the ages as an overvalued simpleton.
This simplicity, for Chaos Dwarf religious writing at least, was in part due to his busy life as one of the founding fathers of the ziggurat city of Zharr-Naggrund. The magically aided construction of this titanic structure, with all its hidden vaults and catacombs, drained his days and left precious little time for prophecies and teachings.
To outsiders, Karzh Akkadur the Builderâs texts would perhaps be some of the best shortcuts to fathom the enigmatic Dawi Zharr psyche, should they ever be translated for others than a few choice demented Human sorcerors from the north.
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The Seven Times Seven Ways of Karzh Akkadur
1. The One Credo of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
2. The Three Pillars of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
3. The Five Wills of Rule of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
4. The Six Cruelty Reflections of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
5. The Seven Laws of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
6. The Eight Commandments Ritual of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
7. The Nine Fire Rules of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
8. The Ten Principles of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
9. The Thirteen Wisdoms of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
10. The Seventeen Spokes of Might of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
11. The Twentyfour Seductions of Power of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
12. The Twentyseven Origins of Power of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
13. The Thirtythree Cracks of Perfidy of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
14. The Fortyfive Springs of Madness of Karzh Akkadur (Admiral)
Writings on Chaos Dwarfs Among Foreign Races
1. Grungniâs Pained Anger (Admiral)
Miscellaneous
1. Entering Zharr-Naggrund (DĂŻnadan)
2. Bread and Circuses pt1: The Fatherâs Quarter Begins (DĂŻnadan)
3. Bread and Circuses pt2: The First Game (DĂŻnadan)
4. Harvest Time (DĂŻnadan)
5. On Diet and the Infernal Guard (Admiral)
6. Excerpts from Dawi-Zharr Law (The_Penguin)
7. The Black Lammasu (Miasma)
8. The Smithâs Prophecy (DĂŽnadan)
9. The Keys of Rebirth and Eternity (Fuggit Khan)
10. Time of the Dawi Zharr (Miasma)
11. Entering Uzkulak (DĂŽnadan)
12. The Binding of the Daemon Lugg-Hazh (Admiral)
13. The Enemyâs Offer (Admiral)
14. Tales from Ostermark Vol. II (Axtklinge)
15. The Rat and the Bull (Ikkred Pyrhelm)
16. Prince Robu (Darkmeer)
17. Random Ramblings (Enjoysrandom)
18. When Even the Stones Become Echoes (Ikkred Pyrhelm)
19. The Cattlewagon (Forgefire)
20. âI will tell you this: There is no afterlife.â (Fuggit Khan)
21. The Unwritten Tablet of Zharek Kadeshak (Jackswift)
22. A Lost Rune (Ikkred Pyrhelm)
23. To Carve Oneâs Fate (Carcearion)
24. A Left Turn at Albakharâri (Carcearion)
25. The Ambush (Slavemaster Hod)
26. Forged in Brass, Cursed in Stone (HPN)
29. Chaos Dwarfs vs Kingdoms of Ind (ashur)
30. Chaos Dwarfs vs Kingdoms of Ind - The Dragon Isles (ashur)
31. The Treasure (Fuggit Khan)
32. Mutiny on the Bountharr (Jasko)
34. A Daughterâs Birth (Ikkred Pyrhelm)
35. Nemesis Crown Force (Revlid)
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Sorcerer-Prophet Balhutti-Zhurekar the Decrepit: Art by Hunter[/align]
Chaos Dwarf Songs
In their mystic rituals, in monotone labour and in the rearing of their children the Chaos Dwarfs of Zharr Naggrund, and all its domains, sing. Be they doomladen dirges, rattling recitations of religious script or just simple work verses, songs are part of Dawi Zharr culture just as they are for other races.
The nature of Chaos Dwarf songs reflects their cruel nature and experiences in life. These are not songs about innocent joy, and very rarely about romantic love or homesickness. Instead they bear the grim worldview of the songsâ composers and everyday singers.
These songs have very often a moral aim which would appear twisted if not sickening to many other peoples in the Warhammer world, as is the case with all lore of Chaos Dwarf folk culture. These are stanzas of death and slavery, of exploitation and heinous ritual. They record in the public memory of Chaos Dwarfs the dramatic high points in their long history filled with strife, suffering and ruthless drive for dominance and power.
Often these songs are partially or wholly undecipherable to outside listeners, even if they were to understand the Dawi Zharr language. So embedded are Chaos Dwarf life and thinking in mysticism that most cultural expressions through song would be difficult to interpret at best should any translator and scholar wish to do so.
Instead it is usually through the formative world of Chaos Dwarf childhood that their cultureâs values and expectations can be uncoded via stories and songs.
Chaos Dwarf children, just like most other children in the Warhammer world, live like âlittle adultsâ to quickly mature and get prepared for their often predestined adult life. Many of the songs and stories which surround the youngest are complicated adult works shared by all in family or clan gatherings. This is fundamentally no different from other racesâ way of life.
Even so, there exists a flaura of Chaos Dwarf children songs, who are relatively simple and generally taught to the youngest by their mothers. These are rhyme songs which, if translated, can be understood well by outside observers, since they should be intelligible to Dawi Zharr children in relatively early development.
Some parts of Chaos Dwarf children songs may be advanced enough to be lost on Human childrenâs ears. This is because both western Dwarfs and eastern Chaos Dwarfs are intelligent races with lives of longevity and slow maturing periods. As such, many Dwarf beardlings possess more knowledge and skill in the crafts than most Human elders.
Even small Dwarf children are often able to grasp concepts which would be complicated for young Human adults. Chaos Dwarfs are no different in this regard from their distant kin. The contrast with Dwarf verses lies instead in the songsâ content.
One have to understand that Chaos Dwarf songs at an early age helps instill a moral sense where greed, domination, contempt for others and complete submission to hierarchy all vie with each other and combine to create the merciless character of the Chaos Dwarf people and their monstrous empire.
These are songs of bloodshed and hardship, of carnage and conquest, of failure and damnation. They are glimpses into the psyche of these enigmatic slavers and engineers. And they are not for those weak of guts and heart.
These are the songs of the Blacksmiths of Chaos.