Editing Chaos Dwarfs (section)

==Society==
Despite the corruption of Hashut, the Chaos Dwarfs still share a lot in common with their uncorrupted kin. This includes internal loyalty, veneration of age and skill and a drive towards perfectionism. Unlike the Skaven or the Druchii you don't constant bitter in-fighting for petty advantage. Not that the powers-that-be in Zharr Naggrund will shy away from having someone sacrificed to Hashut or otherwise executed if they are inconvenient or are stirring up too much trouble, but that will be after a show trial and it's not armed camps constantly clashing in the streets. There's not a lot of Chaos Dwarfs and having them kill each other is wasteful. Their negativity and hostility are mostly directed outside.

A Totalitarian Theocracy, Dawi-Zharr society is run by the Sorcerer-Prophets of Hashut. These are the most powerful and senior Daemonsmiths and those through which the will of Hashut is known. Once you reach the rank of Sorcerer-Prophet there are technically no more steps on the social ladder and you have both tens of thousands of Chaos Dwarf followers in your own little domain and a seat on the Conclave, the ruling council of Zharr-Naggrund. Even so, there are Sorcerer-Prophets which due to specific seats, connections, power and seniority have more sway in the Conclave. There is a lot of jockeying for position within the Conclave, but this happens through politics and dirty dealing. New seats in the Conclave still open up fairly regularly as the Curse of Stone turns members into lawn ornaments.

Beneath them there are the regular Daemonsmiths, magic users which are not as powerful as the Sorcerer-Prophets and do the work of using blood sacrifice and captured Daemons to forge magical items, create K'daii and cast spells. Becoming a Daemonsmith is a difficult career path as you have to git gud quickly and your mentors will likely flay you if you're not attentive.

In direct service to the Sorcerer-Prophets you have the Bull Centaurs: mutant Chaos Dwarfs born in the form of Hashut which are born terminally. Even if mom somehow survives the ordeal, the newborn calves are taken and raised by the Sorcerer-Prophets to be their elite bodyguards and shock troops and are further augmented by their magic, fusing armor to their skin and turning their skin metal. Despite this, Bull Centaurs are steadfast in their loyalty to the Sorcerer-Prophets which treat them with at least some respect. They even go out of their way to make more of them with alchemical potions and suchlike. Again, this is usually fatal to the mom.

Beneath the Daemonsmith you have the regular elite: at the top you have Overseers who run the mines, factories and armies of Zharr-Naggrund. Then you have their middle managers, officers and Infernal Castellans. Then the rank and file of Chorf Society: warriors, technicians, artisans and slave drivers who keep society running. Among these dudes, there are fine grades of position based on accomplishment, skill, age, reputation, etc and some competition, but while advancement is nice they focus more at the job at hand with Dwarfen workaholism. Going out and collecting more manpower is a good way to get ahead. The distinctions between strata is still not as severe as it is in Druchii or Skaven society.

Chaos Dwarfs retain a highly developed sense of pride and shame. If someone screws up or commits a crime against the Dawi Zharr (which can include anything from letting a boiler burst to being related to a general who was defeated), he might be sent to the Infernal Guard. Once he joins this warrior cult, he will be drilled ruthlessly under arms, give up his name, identity and all bonds of kinship and have an searing hot iron helmet bolted to his head. From then on he'd fight as an elite heavy infantry with axes and rifles, obeying their superiors without question. This sounds a bit like Slayers, but beyond gear and tactics there is one major difference. If an Infernal Guardsman survives and does great deeds of heroism, his mask will be pried off and he'd be accepted back into Chaos Dwarf society with a clean slate, as well as a horribly scarred face.

So far, this has all been about Chaos Dwarf dudes so you might be wondering about Chorf women. In short, female chaos dwarfs (or Dams) are pretty much relegated to be baby makers. They are kept cooped up in the Ziggurats of Zharr-Naggrund and squirt out as many younglings as they can and caring for them, with a few dying horribly because Hashut decided that his minions needed more Bull Centaurs.

Even so their confinement of the Dams is nothing compared to the oppression that Chaos Dwarfs levy on their slaves. To the Dawi-Zharr, all other life is at best an expendable resource to be exploited and used up and is held in contempt. Every day, thousands of slaves are worked to death in the mines of the Darklands or are fed into sacrificial furnaces in the vile rites of the Daemonsmiths. Even so, there are those which have things a bit better. [[Hobgoblin]]s have some minor privileges and authority in the slave pits of Zharr-Naggrund, helping their masters keep the rest of the slaves in Line.

===Big Hats===
As you've gathered, the Chaos Dwarfs have a thing for wearing tall elaborate headgear. There are three main styles: Cylinder, Cylinder flared on the top and Onion shaped, which are usually adorned with spikes, bronze skulls, horns and iconography of Chaos, Hashut and Zharr-Naggrund. As to why they do this, it's most likely to assert status and dominance over others. The biggest exception to the Big Hats rule are the Infernal Guard, who are criminals burdened by great shame. Going by Total War Warhammer, they also have something of a Napoleon complex that regular Dwarfs don't.

IRL the reason for this is pretty straightforward: Chaos Dwarfs are modelled on ancient Mesopotamians and the Ancient Mesopotamians often wore cylindrical hats, especially the upper strata. Taking it and dialing it up was a simple thing to do. Besides, it gives them something distinctive even in silhouette. The Big Hats are goofy, over the top, iconic and generally people love them.