Golloch Empire

The most powerful of the dwarf empires in Kings of War, the Golloch Empire is represented by their "dwarf armies" list. Like dwarfs in most settings, they are known for their craftsmanship, their stubbornness, their love of strong drink, and their mastery of legal contracts. They were one of the first two races created for the game, appearing in the original two player starter set.

Fun fact: many of the names of places and people in the Golloch Empire are inspired by the Welsh language (a nation known for it's long history of mining). The name 'Golloch' is a Welsh word which translates as "you lost".

Background

The dwarfs of Mantica are said to have been created from the tears of the goddess of the underworld. It is said that she couldn't bear the thought that she would live forever without children of her own. As her tears fell on the stones of the underworld, they animated these rocks and begat the dwarven race. The dwarves are said to reflect this creation in character; they are as strong and enduring as stone and as passionate as the goddess who created them.

Like the other races, the dwarfs lived in unity until the God War. With the outbreak of that war, dwarven kind split into three major camps. The Abyssal Dwarfs in the northern lands of Tragar aligned with the Wicked Ones and the orcs. The southern dwarfs of Abercarr remained unified, but did not align openly with the Shining Ones. Between the two lay the Free Dwarf Lands, a collection of independent dwarven city-states.

At the end of the God War, the dwarfs of Abercarr went underground, shunning the surface world. There they remained until the rise of Basilea. As peace slowly returned to the land with the defeat of Winter, the dwarfs of Abercarr began to appear in the Golden Horn. These dwarfs revealed that Golloch, son of Grund, still ruled the dwarfs. He had renamed his country the Golloch Empire and ruled from the great hold of Caeryn Golloch. He also ruled over many other holds, having seized them by carving vast tunnels beneath their feet through the stone during the previous centuries.

Basilea lies just west of the ancient dwarf capital of Diffeth. Both humans and dwarfs are forbidden from entering this ancient hold, but Golloch claims the human nation lies too close to his ancestor's resting place. Perhaps more importantly, Basilea sits astride the only land bridge connecting east and west, making it a lucrative trade hub. In the centuries since the end of the Winter War, Golloch's armies have laid siege to the Golden Horn twice, but have been driven off with the aid of the Shining Ones both times.

South and east of Abercarr lies the nation of Ophidia. Few outside the Golloch Empire know of this nation aside from their role in the creation of necromancy. To the north remain the Free Dwarf Lands, coveted by Golloch just as Basilea is. These dwarfs remained on the surface throughout the ages, often facing atrocity at the hands of the orcs and their abyssal cousins. Although they value their independence, with the recent death of Thorrick Rockfist at the hands of Mhorgoth the Faceless they have been forced to align with the Golloch Empire. The Heavyhand Clan acts as intermediary between these peoples and peace remains between the two for now...

Notable Personages

Garrek Heavyhand

A notable warrior of the Heavyhand Clan. He is known throughout Mantica for his brutal skill with the hammer. Five hundred years ago his forefather attempted to steal the Twenty-Seven God Boons, artifacts of the Wicked Ones seized by the dwarfs during the Winter War. He was caught, but not before he had seized these artifacts. These magic relics vanished from his grasp, set free to corrupt those who would find them in the world.

The Heavyhand Clan was thus dishonored. Garrek was born with this shame, as all in his clan are, but he sought to lift it. Leading his clan into battle, he thwarted both undead and orc forces who sought to crush the Golloch Empire. Naturally this has not impressed the stubborn dwarfs, so his family continues to live in shame. He has also sought out the missing artifacts, wielding two in battle himself: the Warp Hammer and the Cloak of Miph. He has recovered 15 others, but still 10 remain missing.

Golloch the Conqueror

King of the Golloch Empire. He is the son of King Grund, whom Mortibris raised as a dwarven revenant. Currently he is claiming the territories of Basilea as his own, although he has yet to marshal any significant military forces to enforce this claim.

J’Zik Gearlund

A character from first edition who was dropped in the second edition update, although Mantic still sells the model. He had the ability to heal your units, which is probably why he was dropped since dwarfs lost all their magic (except Surge). He was the son of a minor noble whose family was wiped out by the demonic forces of the Abyss. He fled south to Abercarr, joining with the major dwarf empire there.

Rordin

Nephew of King Golloch, Rordin is the dwarf fighter pre-made character in Dungeon Saga. He is something of en outcast among his people, ostensibly sent to the Golden Horn as a representative of the Golloch Empire to the Basileans. Rordin rather likes the Golden Horn, so he was somewhat disheartened to be ordered to pursue the necromancer Mortibris into the ruins of Diffeth with the three other adventurers. Unfortunately this quest fails, leading to Mortibris' campaign against the mortal nations.

On the Tabletop

Tactics can be found here: Kings of War/Tactics/Dwarfs

Dwarfs are good at shooting and good at defense. They have high nerve and good war machines, but they are very slow and do not have good access to spells other than Surge.