Thunderers
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Thunderers are Dawi soldiers armed and trained with the use and maintenance of handguns.
The Origins of Guns[edit | edit source]
Exactly who on Mallus first invented the gun is unclear. The first race known to use guns are the Sky Titans of old, but these were more aking to cannons by the standards of other races. As for small arms, both the Dwarfs and Grand Cathay are able to make the claim-with the first recorded Dwarf handguns were around -420 IC, having been developed independently of the other races. Cathay however according to the Rise of Nagash novels had traded Dragon-staves (a prototype handgun) as far back as -1741 IC, however these weren't as refined.
Dwarven history with Firearms[edit | edit source]
Regardless the Dwarfs were making guns before the day of Sigmar, but it took some time for the idea to be beta tested into viability. In these days-known as the "Time of Woe" to the Dwarfs as it marked the end of their once-great empire-handguns were one of few innovations that the desperate dwarfs had to fight off the Greenskins besieging their holds. Still, the highly conservative and traditionalist dwarfs saw handguns with great suspicion and distrust, with only Dwarven engineers fielding them in any numbers. (Which is also somewhat warranted, given it is very likely that their Eastern Cousins were already fielding blunderbusses or similar, and the Dwarfs would like to remain as distant from them as possible.) However, like with all things, soon innovations become traditions in and of themselves and every hold in Karak Ankor is able to field the relatively young by comparison "Thunderers" in great number.
The Dwarfs also eventually taught the Empire how to make guns of their own.
Thunderers tend to be either well off financially or have some connection to the engineering guild. They also like to tinker with their guns to improve them and better suit their user. Compared to your usual Empire Musket a Dawi gun is longer ranged, more reliable, sturdier and more powerful. It's implied that they've gone from Flintlocks to Caplocks and things such as repeating guns are not unknown.
Nowadays, contemporary to the time of Karl Franz, Dwarfs are the most reliable produces of highly accurate firearms within the Old World, with everything west to the World's Edge Mountains being of inferior quality.
| Forces of the Dwarfs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Command: | Dwarf Lord - Runelord - Daemon Slayer | ||
| Heroes: | Thane - Runesmith - Master Engineer - Dragon Slayer | ||
| Infantry: | Dwarf Warriors - Quarrelers - Thunderers - Longbeards - Miners - Rangers - Slayer - Hammerers - Ironbreakers - Irondrakes | ||
| War Machines: | Grudge Thrower - Dwarf Cannon - Organ Gun - Bolt Thrower - Flame Cannon - Gyrocopters - Gyrobomber - Thunderbarge | ||