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Dwarf Army Project: Barak Thingaz - The Forest Gate

Barak Thingaz (The Forest Gate in Khazalid) is a fortress built south of the Black Mountains and Karak Hirn, in the land of the border princes. For dwarfs, it is a very strange place. Many aspects of dwarfen life and culture that do not normally mix can be found to inhabit this holdfast. In the first place, the fort is not built into a mountain - it is built around a stone tower in the middle of a dark forest, with stout palisade walls of massive timbers. Dwarfs are not normally known as forest creatures, but these dwarfs have found some advantages to living away from the mountains.

The hold was founded and is currently led by an engineer named Ogam Oathkeeper, who was forced out of Karak Hirn for his dangerous engineering experiments. The king of that hold feared Ogam would explode the entire mountain on accident and exiled him to practice his engineering away from the ancient dwarf lands. Around his engineering workshop a variety of industries sprang up. A distillery and brewery were created as the hold was next to a clear mountain stream. Being on the road from the black mountains to Barak Varr, the hold had easy access to shipping and markets in the border princes. Those human kingdoms were happy to pay for dwarven engineering and alcohol, and to have such strong and stout neighbors guarding the northern roads and forests.

The hold is protected by a network of dwarf Rangers who scout the forests and monitor the roads, killing any goblins or beastmen they find roaming the woods. The first and most well regarded of these ranger units are Kiril’s Crossbows, led by Kiril Hammerhand – a former miner and tunnel fighter who followed Ogam upon his exile. The hold also contains a shrine to Grimnir (as well as Grungni and Valaya, of course). Many slayers visit this shrine before making their pilgrimage out into the woods to hunt trolls, for the area is known for an abundance of river, stone, and swamp trolls. Compared to any of major Karaks and holds, Barak Thingaz is relatively small. However, compared to other surface settlements, Barak Thingaz is one of the larger settlements in the region. Dwarfs from the rest of the known world look a little sideways at the dwarfs who choose to live under the sun. Their colours are red, white, and gold, and they often use the sigils of tankards and anvils to display their primary industries.

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This is the start of the lore for my army, which will continue to grow as I play games and spend time thinking about things. I’m starting a very simple 3-game ladder campaign with a friend this weekend, and the results of those games will probably have a lot of impact on how Barak Thingaz and Ogam are developed. We will be fighting against a host of Bretonnians, who – I assume – have been travelling around the Border Princes as if they own the place. 

 
 
Some inspiration from Adrian Smith, the master of dwarf art.

 

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