Many thousands of years ago the
Dwarfs had spread east of the World's Edge Mountains, driven
by their quest for precious metals. The great Tides of Chaos
swept over the world, and the Dwarfs thought their farflung
kindred were lost... they were mistaken.
The warping effect of Chaos did not kill the hardy Dwarfs, instead it worked a more horrible change upon them. Dwarf instincts were perverted into a cruel mockery. Where Dwarfs shun casting magic, Chaos Dwarfs embrace the Dark Magic of their new foul gods. Where Dwarfs have always fought bitter wars with the greenskinned races (the Orcs and Goblins), Chaos Dwarfs enlist the creatures into their army, although more as slave troops than as allies!
The Dark Lands of the Chaos Dwarfs are shrouded by the smoke of thousands of forges. The very land is cracked and pitted by slag pools as the natural industrious nature of the Dwarfs is turned into the slave-driven industrial nightmare of the Chaos Dwarfs. From out of the capital city Zharr-Naggrund and across the blackened plains march the armies of the Chaos Dwarfs.
CHAOS DWARFS
The mainstay of almost every army that issues out of Zharr-Naggrund in search of slaves is the Chaos Dwarf Warrior. The standard Chaos Dwarf is armed in one of two ways: either a brutal double-handed axe, or the short-ranged, but devastating blunderbuss. All Chaos Dwarfs wear distinctive scale mail and enormous hats.
BULL
CENTAURS
Chaos Dwarfs are a hardy race, and except
for their snaggly tusks, few ever show the warping effects of
Chaos. This cannot be said of the Bull Centaurs. These mighty
creatures have the upper torso of a Chaos Dwarf, and the
lower body of a bull. Utterly dedicated to the worship of
their dark god Hashut, the Bull Centaurs make an almost
unstoppable unit. The Bull Centaurs also give Chaos Dwarf
Generals speed, something the rest of the army is (forgive
the pun) short on.
DEVASTATING WAR MACHINES
Combining the technical genius of the Dwarfen race, with the evil cunning and magic of Chaos, the Chaos Dwarfs have created some truly fearsome war machines.
Perhaps the most
widely feared weapon in the Chaos Dwarf arsenal is the deadly
Earthshaker Cannon. This massive weapon fires a shell that,
upon landing buries itself deep in the ground and explodes
with devastating effect. Not only will the explosion blow the
target apart, but the shockwaves emanating from the impact
zone can knock over surrounding troops. This gives the Chaos
Dwarfs a chance not only to destroy enemy troops, but to slow
them down as well.
The fiendish Death Rocket is another staple of the Chaos Dwarf Army. Highly unstable and extremely toxic, the Death Rocket can explode with a blast of fuel, or if it doesn't explode, the erratic Rocket will skip across the battlefield until it finally finds a target.
HOBGOBLINS
Chaos Dwarfs are not numerous and so will often employ Hobgoblins to fill out their ranks. Hobgoblins are bigger and meaner than ordinary Goblins, but possibly even more cowardly. Because of past betrayals, Orcs and Goblins loathe Hobgoblins, and so their alliance with Chaos Dwarfs is helpful to both races.
While individually they may be complete cowards, in large units Hobgoblins can be particularly effective. On occasion units of Hobgoblins will be armed with the bow to supply long-ranged support for the Chaos Dwarf armies. Other troop types include speedy Hobgoblin Wolfriders, Bolt Throwers, and the most treacherous of all Hobgoblins - the Sneaky Gits. Armed with a pair of long poisoned daggers, Sneaky Gits are well-known for their ability (and preference) at backstabbing!
SLAVE TROOPS
In addition to Hobgoblins, Chaos Dwarfs employ other races to do their dirty work. Often pulled from their slave labor jobs in the mines, vast mobs of Goblins, Orcs, and Black Orcs are driven to the front lines in times of battle. By using such "fodder" the callous Chaos Dwarfs can limit the casualties they themselves suffer.
STARTING YOUR OWN CHAOS DWARF ARMY
Chaos Dwarfs are a little different in that, unlike other Warhammer races, there is no Warhammer Armies Chaos Dwarf book. The entire army list and background for Chaos Dwarfs appeared in Games Workshop's monthly magazine White Dwarf. While the issues of White Dwarf have sold out, there is a bound volume which has collected all the Chaos Dwarf information - White Dwarf presents Chaos Dwarfs! This book contains background information, history, and a complete army list. There are full-color 'Eavy Metal shots, a sample battle report (Chaos Dwarfs versus High Elves), and more. Now you can assemble your Chaos Dwarf force and march out for world conquest!