Chaos Dwarf Renegade Culture Project

I’ll add it to the spikeheads

And these tribes won’t worship one god. And some may worship all or many or even have Hashut influence from darklands contact. But the tribes general character may lean more towards one than another

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The way I see it, the big kdaii is the opportunity for whatever god/demon Prince your helm tribe worship to personally be represented in battle. Could be a balrog, a mechanical suit of armour, a keeper of secrets or a crazy big minotaur…anything goes

Stumpy says kraka drak…Makes sense that the norse dwarfs become chaos dwarfs there

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Good points @Stumpy and @Zoddtheimmortal . The helms are clearly norse in style and the little fluff we have mentions they are norse. Looks like there are some canon conflicts about Kraka Drak about whether or not it gets retaken by “good” norse dwarfs later on. Let me suggest this area here. North of norsca, an area where the mountains could conceivably continue along as well. And an area where perhaps norse dwarfs went and colonised before Kraka Drak fell at about the same time as the great war against chaos is 2301-4 (where we know our renegades first became renegades)

It is possible that our lot are the traitors and exiles from this time who have since fled into the chaos wastes and set up their petty kingdoms there.

That way we can be from Kraka Drak but not have canon conflicts with Kraka Drak should it’s role in the Great War be expanded or explained further. We can be from there, but not living there? Does that make sense? Haha I’m probably waffling here

Edit: the suggested green area where we dwell now is also not super far from the darklands to allow cultural exchange there as well :slight_smile:

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Thing I’m loving about this chaos fall being relatively recent is, due to dwarfs being long lived, and due to chaos wastes messing up the flow of time…there will definitely be warriors in your armies who remember betraying and leaving the dwarfs.

A bit like how chaos space marines in 40K are sometimes the same traitors from 30k still around now

I don’t know the Kraka Drak Fluff but you could have both. Surviving clans, Norscan dwarfs crossing the sea to establish holds on the coast, both can exist. I saw surviving clans further inland anyway. Only problem with pure norscan descent is that most of the renegade models look distinctly in Norse.

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The area I picked out , between Tamurks and Hastlings tribes is decidedly mountainous by the looks of that. It’s looking like a good location

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True. Depending on time frame, we can have chaos dwarfs holding the ruined holds of Kraka Drak (which may or may not be lost and retaken by the end times era) and we can have colonies in the chaos wastes in the mountains between those two tribes. I don’t see any major canon clashes here.

@Lord_of_Uzkulak you’re normally good on the detail buddy. See any glaring issues?

I’d place them further north; Kharak Dum was outside the Wastes until around 2300IC, so northern Chaos Dwarfs would probably be from further north to have been caught in a previous expansion. Given how slowly dwarfs breed and how stubborn and slow to change their ways they are, to fit the degeneration outline put forth I think it’d take much longer than two centuries for them to change that radically.

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Food for thought @Lord_of_Uzkulak thank you

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Well, “kul” means “fun” in swedish so that must be a good place for CDs… or… not? :wink:

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Interestingly you could have the first contact between old world anc the Renegade holds being the fall of Kraka Drak. Valmir the Aesling takes a powerful dwarven hold…did he have Renegade miners and engineers the spearhead his underground war. Would make sense as very few holds fall to above ground.races.

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What was that hold Gotrek and Felix went to with Makaisson?

Karak dum?

and here I thought I had been paying attention. Read, Stumpy! READ!

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Very good brainstorming, folks! It all gives me constant Khuralski (T9A brainstorming proposal) déjà vu!

Some quick thoughts: Kraka Drak was always meant to be a hold of uncorrupted Norse Dwarfs. Having the only known such hold on the map fall in some official background is just bad worldbuilding since some people will want to make a Norse Dwarf army, and have done so excellently in the past. Setting over story.

Going with ignorant Imperial mapmakers and assuming uncharted mountains and rivers (just like with the Khuralski) is sound. I think @Oxymandias ’ position is well chosen, though it could also be located further inland, north or northeastwards, if need be. But the gist of a mountain spur extending from the World’s Edge Mountains is a great one to keep.

We may also want to consider a scattering of corrupted holds and clusters of Chaos Dwarf Renegade clan settlements outside the major area, both a few in northern Norsca (not too close to Kraka Drak) and around the Chaos Wastes. The latter would be later colonies, or original/resettled sites located more shallowly closer to the surface, and thus moved around when the landscape went in waves like a honeymoon couple’s quilt. Including old Dwarven settlements turned upside-down, outside-in, on their sides or twisted into mad spirals and other three-dimensional subterranean shapes. A core area is fine, but don’t have the Renegades be too concentrated. Disperse them some. It’s more Chaotic, in line with Dwarven colonists following ore veins and better for chance encounters out in the Chaos Wastes and Norsca.

Lovely idea with basing eight major clans on the original set of models! Top ideas for them all.

Great going, keep it up.

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Great feedback and ideas - it shall be incorporated :slight_smile:

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Thanks! Also, it would be good to invent one or more other Norse Dwarf holds however far west of Kraka Drak, that isn’t Kraka Drak, that got conquered by Chaos. Probably with crucial Chaos Dwarf siege engineer assistance. And resettled by Chaos Dwarfs after the dust settled.

And assume that official background mentions about Kraka Drak falling was just Chinese whispers and some foreigner who misunderstood the specifics about a muddled tale with language barrier adding to the misunderstanding: Unclear wording, poor grasp of second language and noisy surroundings (e.g. tavern) made someone mix up Kraka Drak with another hold that fell in far-off Norsca.

I.e. do the background work properly where GW has stepped poorly in the past. Keep the cake and eat it.

Cheers

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Thinking of what Gods the renegades would have is intriguing. Most races ‘create’ their gods in their own image. Eleven gods are er eleven. Dwarf gods/ancestor gods are dwarven. Sigmar is human, the Horned Rat is a rat. Even the chaos gods are mot immune. Daemons creatures of pure magic are given humanoid(elvenoid??) forms blood letters/thirstier, Daemonettes/ plague bearers and even to some extent Horrors. Hashut is an exception to this rule (where do bulls come from in dwarven culture?). Therefore I cannot imagine Renegades not have Dwarven gods (ain’t no way they are worshipping human/eleven idols). I see dwarven deities representing the natures of the four ruinous powers

Eg Khorne inspired

  1. ‘The Master of War’ a heavily armoured dwarf in heavy armour with a bloodstained beard and wicked weapon. The supreme warrior, fierce, implacable, skilled, unmovable. The epitome of fierce resistance, focussed violence, loyalty and dedication.
  2. ‘The Lod of Fury’ A wild eyed, wild bearded warrior in tattered robes. A great weapon in his hands and snarl on his face. The embodiment of revenge, fury, passion, who lets no slight to his people go unanswered. Those given to justifiable ?pride, arrogance, hubris and tradition often follow him.

For Tzeentch

  1. ‘The Watcher in the Dark’. A dark hooded dwarf, features permanently in shadow except for his eyes glowing like red coals. The knower of the unknown. Lord of the deep dark, controller of fate and sorcery. He knows all, god of sorcerors and miners. He knows when and where cave ins will happen where gas gathers and all the creatures of the dark. He is worshipped by the arcane and appeased by those that dwell or mine in the depths.
  2. ‘The Ruler’. A finely robed dwarf of wize yet haughty demeanour. His piercing gaze sees through deceptions yet he is a master of manipulation. Subtle control, intricate plans and manipulation, control, organisation and dominance. Followed by those who rule or seek to, through subtle power and manipulation.

For Slaanesh

  1. ‘The Oligarch’ A large corpulent dwarf in intricate bejewelled armour. His beard dripping with golden charms and gems. His frame bourne aloft by slave warriors bound to his will. God of wealth, striving, greed (which is of course good), success and luck. Favoured by risk takers, the aspiring, the hopeful, the greedy, the powerful and rulers.
  2. ‘The Princeling’ A young dwarf, a beardling, in fine chain armour. Ancient calculating eyes gaze from his youthful face. Bedecked with a variety of wicked bladed, hooked and spiked weapons. Master of intrigue, the schemer. The source of unchecked ambition, youthful arrogance and disdain for those foolish enough to think themselves above him and those unlucky enough to be below him. The innovator, the breaker of ways. Beloved by lesser clans/nobles and the ‘overlooked’.

For Nurgle

  1. ‘The Brute’. Strongest of the Gods. A mass of muscle in battered armour. Wild eyed and pointed teeth in a bloodstained mouth. His strength fed from the flesh of his enemies. God of strength without subtlety, The unconquerable, who returns to the fight again and again rejuvenated by the destruction of his foes. God of stubbornness and fixed purpose. Lord of rebirth and rejuvenation.
  2. ‘The Survivor’. Depicted in heavy armour of changing styles. The many faced god, old, young, fat, thin, scarred and smooth skinned. Mutations sprout and disappear constantly. The resilient. All things can be turned to his advantage mutations become advantages, wounds drive his determination. Set backs can be turned to victory. Worshipped by the most mutated, the sick maimed and down on their luck. Followed by those in the harshest environments.

What do you think?

Eight gods for the eight points of chaos. Also for the eight great renegade holds. I would see each hold having a patron god but others within the hold worshipping/honouring others at times.

Eg the Droning Drums probably hail from the hold nearest to the boundary with Chaos. Thus the most mutated and taking ‘The Survivor’ as their patron. You could fit others around the other gods too.

The Spikeheads: The Master of War

The Foaming Mad: The Lord of Fury

The Masters of Madness: The Ruler

The Doom Lords: The Watcher in the Dark (The deepest hold/clan)

The Grundrim: The Oligarch (the Richest Hold/clan)

The Doomaxes: The Princeling (The smallest/poorest hold/clan)

The Troll Biters: The Brute (The Shallowest hold/clan fighting the beasts of the surface)

The Droning Drums: The Survivor The most Northerly hold/clan)

I am no Khazalid expert so if anyone wants to have a go naming them feel free.

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Such awesome ideas!!!

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