Dash28 Campaign: The Dwarfs of New Gal’Durak

Billy’s back with another (hopefully) interesting article. With the announcement of the Dash28 map campaign run by our own Ben Stoddard, the dwarfs of New Gal’Durak march to war! 

I have always loved fantasy aesthetics ever since I was a very young child. I remember watching old Harryhausen Sinbad films with my dad and spending hours drawing strange monsters in endless composition notebooks. As I grew older, my dad bought me a copy of The Hobbit and it quickly became my favorite story. I then read The Lord of the Rings and watched the animated films. 

I always liked to make up fantasy characters, drawing them and describing their abilities. Eventually, a friend in middle school introduced me to Dragonstrike, a TSR board game that’s basically Diet D&D. I was hooked. The miniatures that came with that game were the first I had ever painted. This naturally led to Warhammer Fantasy Battles in 6th Edition. I was a little all over the place with Warhammer back then; I had too many disparate units that could never form a whole army. I ended up putting that aside when I moved to the Memphis area during high school as I couldn’t find anyone interested in it.

Years later, after I had gotten married and moved out of my parents’ house, I picked up board gaming and miniatures again. I painted a full Skaven and Dwarf army for 8th Edition Warhammer until that disappeared. Finally, like many other refugees, I drifted into Kings of War, and the rest is history.

Hidden in a valley along the fertile banks of the Fjord Fulgria, deep in the Dragon Teeth Mountains, lies a network of tunnels, mountain passes, and steadfast strongholds known by those that inhabit it as New Gal’Durak. This new hold was formed after Clan Gal’Durak was forced to flee from the land of the free dwarfs surrounding the Halpi Mountains following the Great Abyss War. New Gal’Durak is a primarily agrarian society as the secluded clan has little in the way of ore and gems to mine, however, the rich, fertile soil, plentiful rains, and temperate climate suit agriculture well. The clan subsists primarily on crops of tubers as well as fungi grown in the dark of their mountain holds, but they also farm goats and other livestock to supplement their diet. The rich waters of the fjord also offer a variety of fish that migrate upriver from the nearby Infant Sea.

It is this easy access to the sea that has led to New Gal’Durak’s strong presence in the trading world. Their primary trade commodity is the “koffea stone.” When ground and brewed with hot water, these seeds make a strong, bitter drink, known to most citizens as “koffea,” that warms the bones and gives one energy to work (or fight) for an abnormally long time. These dwarfs have learned to cultivate some of the finest koffea in the known world.  Through trade of this miracle crop, New Gal’Durak is able to acquire quality steel for farming as well as arms and armor. 

Although New Gal’Durak is a fairly new trading power in the region, they are still a formidable fighting force. Utilizing materials and fighting techniques learned during their long journey to the Dragon Teeth, as well as through trade with the surrounding cultures, New Gal’Durak bears little resemblance to their predecessors from Halpi. The berserkers of Gal’Durak now ride atop ponies, armored to the beard, and their clothes have taken much inspiration from the nearby Rhordia and other human kingdoms.  King Billiam XXXVII and Queen Chelgar Blacksteel often lead their forces into battle atop their mighty steeds, Toebiter and Chonk.

Though these dwarfs have had to adapt to a rapidly changing world, giving up their homes and utterly changing their way of life, there is one area wherein they remain unfaltering: war. When the blazing orange of Clan Gal’Durak appears on the horizon, it is foolish to stand in opposition. Their war horns, drums, and iron-shod feet march to the solemn chant, “By Fulgria’s Fire! For New Gal’Durak!

I’m incredibly excited for this map campaign. Usually, I get roped into the Dungeon/Game Master role for things like this, so it’s great that I get to experience the full enjoyment of being a player. I’m most excited to just play new opponents and develop more fluff for New Gal’Durak. I’ve been trying to pour a lot of creativity into this force to really bring it to life. Dwarfs have been my main army ever since I built my dwarf army for Warhammer and I really just love getting into the mindset of grumpy, bearded little dudes that refuse to die. I’ve taken some unique liberties with their primary export, but I think it allows me to tell some cool stories and have a great time.

Stay tuned for my first battle against Jake Ciarapica and his ghoulish Nightstalkers where New Gal’Durak tries to scout out a possible location to harvest lumber for their war effort!