The Lore of Abyssal Dwarves

It is common knowledge that all Dwarfs love gold and
jewels. But Dwarfs are governed by a strong moral code,
dictating that the only riches that one truly owns are
those that have been earned with hard, honest toil –
“With the sweat of the brow and the callus on the hand
holding the pick” goes an ancient Dwarven adage.

But not all Dwarfs show such fortitude. At the time of
the God War, The Father of Lies, great among the Lords
of the Abyss, spied a weakness in the heart of the Dwarfs,
a shame that they will not own to. It is greed, above all, a
perverse longing for gold can only be sated by the hard
work of others. Seduced by the promises of the Father
of Lies, some Dwarfs will begin to covet and eventually
take the wealth of others employing guile, threats and,
ultimately, violence. In the end, when a Dwarf takes
another Dwarf’s life to satisfy this greed, there is much
rejoicing in the Abyss, as another Dwarf has lost his soul
forever – another Abyssal Dwarf is born.

Only two choices are then left to such individuals. Some
decide to remain hidden within Dwarf society behind
a façade of normality, forming secret cults that worship
the Black Ones and cultivate all sort of forbidden arts in
order to grow in power to gain more of their beloved gold,
inevitably becoming enmeshed in the worship of dark and
terrible gods. Others flee, to seek shelter in hidden enclaves
of fugitives deep beneath the earth. Through the centuries,
with the help of infernal powers, some of these groups of
escapees have grown into large settlements, even entire
subterranean cities. These sinister colonies are not only
populated by Abyssal Dwarfs, but also by masses of slaves
that are used for all physical labour, and by the Abyssal
Halfbreeds. Insane hybrids, half-Dwarf, half-Abyssal, these
dark creatures are the result of unspeakable experiments.

The influence and arrogance of these Abyssal Dwarf
cities have grown to the point that they have become
a serious threat to other races. With their numbers and
power swelling, they have begun to assemble vast armies
of slaves. In battle, the Abyssal Dwarfs are dangerous foes
indeed, as they mix the well-crafted weaponry of the
Dwarfs with the dark powers of sorcery and summoned
beasts of the Abyss. Their attacks have moved ever
further south, toward the lands of better folk. Many
mining outposts, small trading settlements and even
towns have fallen to their hosts, their population either
slaughtered or taken into captivity. Even though they
prefer to raze the dwellings of their hated brethren, the
Abyssal Dwarfs’ greed is so immense that no race has
been spared their attention. The threat is real, and is
growing rapidly. Already the rulers of the Free Races are
gathering their armies and looking to the north, ready to
face the menace of the Abyssal Dwarfs.

The greatest, most cruel and wealthy of the Abyssal Dwarfs
often lead their armies into battle. Mighty Overmasters,
armed with ensorcelled weaponry and covered in the
most impenetrable obsidian armour, bellow orders to their
own warriors. Mysterious Iron-casters unleash the twisted
fi re-magic of Ariagful, the evil Queen of the Black Flame,
and summon her Abyssal servants to the fi eld to do their
bidding alongside the monstrous Half-breeds and other
strange war-engines that they have created.

The Abyssal Dwarfs have thousands of slaves, and they
employ each race of slaves for the tasks they are most
suited for: Dwarves are excellent miners, Elves make good
toys, Humans can be put to work and Goblins are perfect
house servants. Orcs however have one clear area where
they excel above all others – war. Their great strength and
brutal ferocity are an asset to any army, and the Abyssal
Dwarfs push vast hordes of the brutes towards the enemy
before committing their own troops. This has the double
advantage of causing damage and tiring out the enemy,
as well as testing their firepower and the quality of their
different troops. It matters little to the slavers if hundreds
of Orcs are slain in the process.