HISTORY OF THE DWARVEN EMPIRE

When the Dwarfs first entered the land they now inhabit their weapons reflected their ancient past. Simple yet sturdy crossbows filled the ranks of the marching army. When one thought of a dwarf, the image of a dour faced crossbowman would spring to mind. There are no records of when the dwarfs first encountered firearms or when they first bore them as arms, what is known is that the spread of gunpowder seems to have coincided with the spread of soul worship

Some say the knowledge of black powder was a reward for thousands of souls sacrificed when the great temple was erected. That arcane secret entered the dreams of smiths and alchemists and from there the first guns were formed.

What is certain is that handguns are now a mainstay of any dwarven army. the basic design has not changed in a thousand years , though alchemists have experimented with various ammunitions the most feared of which is experimental exploding munitions. These create a wall of death wounding anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the path.

At the birth of every male dwarf, his parents are presented with an axe forged from heavy steel, the thick blade is mounted on a short wooden shaft. This weapon symbolises the dwarfs future, his present and his past

For generations before, dwarfs have fought their enemies with the axe, they do so today and will continue to do so for years to come. Every dwarf is expected to learn the art of war with his axe before he is allowed to bear any other arms. Indeed so central is the axe to dwarf society that a dwarf is deemed to enter adulthood only when he can raise aloft his birth axe, thus proving he is ready to begin his military service to the Dwarven Empire.

The hammer is a weapon that can only be borne by dwarfs of veteran service to the empire and by those of high social standing. Sometimes infused with the souls of their enemies, units armed with hammers form the elite of the Dwarven army.

Dwarfs learnt long ago how to entrap a mortal soul and use its energy for their own gain. So masterful are they at this dark art they can now imprison a tormented soul into a shield or weapon.

Granted only to those Dwarfs within the upper echelons of imperial service these shields bite at their enemies whilst the infused weapons crush even the mightiest armour.