Whfb/AoS - Thus Spoke Xarathustra pt 8

Forgotten, abandoned, unloved. These insults we have worn as a badge of honour for generations untold. Far from the light of our creators have we drifted and in the darkness we have found our home.

Yet as one’s eyes acclimatise to the dark in the bowels of the earth, we see clearer now than ever before. Read our words, hear our voices, look upon our works and despair. Walk the long halls of our library, awe at the artworks that adorn our temples, tremble at the might of our armies. While the lesser beings squabble in the light the Dawi-Zharr stand united by purpose, united by brotherhood and united by malice. We have achieved feats with grit, determination and our bare hands that they could not in the fertile lands they call home.

Hah! Keep your well tilled soils, keep the sunshine upon your backs and keep the softness in your soul that comes from a long time being spoiled and favoured by adoring gods. These are the dark lands boy, where the only comfort you will feel is the blackened ash that sticks in your throat. Breathe it in young Dawi. It will make you strong.

And now, as this strange new era begins and as clouds begin to part, beams of light warming the wastelands, do not grow complacent young Dawi. Do not forget who you are. The sun is fickle friend, do not grow used to his presence for day is always followed by night and Hashut feeds upon those unprepared for the night.

Call us marauders or makers of empire, call us Dawi, Dwarf or Duardin, call us abyssals or infernal, even call us breakers of oaths. We care not. We are the Dawi-Zharr. We were born of the dark in the dark we have thrived. Shine your light upon us and we shall grow. Send us to the depths once more and we shall grow thrice fold.

Thus spoke Xarathustra

9 Likes

A call to arms of ever there was one!

4 Likes

Wonderful and evocative writing.

Both the ancestors of the Dawi Zharr and the Chaos Dwarf community has been left out in the cold and learnt to thrive in the darkness. Excellent likeness between the background and the hobby community. And so true it is!

Wise words indeed, and beautiful artwork to go along with it.

It may be mentioned that some few on CDO in 2014 asked if we had lost our creativity in the wake of being showered with official attention in the form of Legion of Azgorh. Happily, we never did. This era saw one of the most fervent periods of background writing, and CDO members never ceased to come up with mad new homebrew models, @thommyh 's army books, @MadHatter 's Khaozalid dictionary and so much else. The contest galleries here and the project development and background section, still untransferred on old CDO, testify to this.

Likewise, in the years of decline from 2015-2019 on old CDO we saw a lessening of numbers of active members, but the creativity and quality didn’t slacken in the slightest (special mention to @Uther.the.unhinged ). The habit of making do on our own was strong as ever, born in the first decade of the 21st century when all Chaos Dwarf players had to nurture their hopes were stray new bones tossed by Games Workshop (background snippets and the Hellcannon), old CD background and models, cheap Battle for Skull Pass kits and the work of the enthusiasts’ own hands.

Even with the flood of third party models in recent years we still see plenty of creativity and homebrew solutions around here, as every contest can attest to. Even if few convert an entire Dawi Zharr army these days (since there is scant need to), they still make oddball creations. Communal art and writings are likewise healthy and robust, as evidenced here.

Chaos Dwarf collectors seems to be as well prepared to withstand both the spoiled decadence of bloated success as they do the rigours and hardships of dark times.

Dwarfs are nothing if not constant, and Chaos Dwarfs are maverick maniacs on top of that.

3 Likes

Well said! I’m a very late comer to the community, but weaving of words such as this, as well as @Admiral 's rousing post, make me glad I’m here (and wonder how I’d missed the site all along).

5 Likes

Im a latecomer to it myself. I lurked for some years and joined up towards the end of what @Admiral refers to as the “years of decline” but I’ve only been mega active a couple of years. Don’t matter when you join @Ihsan997 .

Hashut doesn’t ask when you joined… just some small print about your eternal soul

3 Likes

I should maybe have written that what was objectively years of decline for the forum’s active member numbers were sweet ones nonetheless. Some of us saw the wide opportunities left by the new setting landscape and fragmentation of the community, and had great fun brainstorming ideas for various settings, often chucking ideas at each other despite knowing almost nothing about the next setting. And the quality of stuff people did! Pappa Midnight’s banners, for instance. It never felt like decline for me.

Sure, there was a period when a majority of our new members were people I and @tjub had hooked in, often via Admiralty Miniatures or Facebook ( @Enjoysrandom was pulled in from Ebay, lots of others came from Etsy), but we fought a rearguard battle in a time of general forum decline until @tjub discovered Discourse for us, with its software being a nigh-perfect mix of a proper forum and the better parts of social media functions. Those who stayed with us, and joined us to stay on, in the years of decline have a special place in my eyes.

And while CDO has always been a helpful and friendly hobby hub, it’s never been as friendly and helpful with as little friction as it has been the last 4 or so years, and is right now.

This community with all its goodwill and crazy ideas and infinitely varied styles is a gift that keeps on giving. Thank you all for being who you are. :beer:

6 Likes