From all across the bloodied fields, the voices of men filled the air with cheer of triumph for victory was theirs. The green hordes which had once seemed so fearsome and mighty were now routed as the beasts fled in terror. The war cries of the greenskin assault had been drowned out by the roars of the Imperial arsenal, cannons, mortars, rocket batteries, Helblasters and simple handguns had all unleashed a volley of death towards the ancient enemy of man.
Lukas von Meinhoff felt proud this day. Grabbing his feathered hat, he threw it up to the air in unison with the artillery crews of the other artillery pieces for the battle had gone rather well for them for by some miracle, the greenskins did not even get close to them and none of the guns had misfired. It was a good day thought Otto as the name of Sigmar and the Count were praised by the men.
Looking back with a smile to the bronze coated cannon which he and his crew had operated, Lukas was glad to have used it. The cannon's power was amazing and easy to maintain during the battle. With it, he and his crew had obliterated a monstrous spider-thing which was ridden upon by goblins of the forest.
Placing hand upon the bronze barrel of the cannon, Lukas felt awed by the craftsmanship of the mountain-folk who made it. According to the records back at the College of Engineers, this particular cannon as well as few other pieces around them were given seven years ago as gifts from the dwarfs of Zhufbar. It was fitting really that a weapon made by the dwarfs would be so devastating against the greenskins, as if a piece of their hatred for the beasts had been imbued into the weapon.
It was possible thought Lukas for at the base of the barrel there were marks , dwarf runes which he was not sure if it had any magic to it or not. Perhaps there was some mystical power behind the runes which imbued the weapon it was bound to, or perhaps he was just imagining it all and the runes were nothing more than a simple signature of whoever made it.
He guessed that he would never know for the mountain-folk were often tight-lipped about such things. It did not matter much now he supposed, for there was more much glory and honour he had gained upon this day. Commendations and promotions were coming his way he knew, a good start to his new career in the Imperial Army.
Years earlier…
'Tighten that sprocket now!' boomed the commanding voice of Jotunn Firebeard; the Master Engineer could be clearly heard despite the clanging of metal across the workshop.
The Master Engineer wore a bright grey woolen tunic over a shirt of light chain mail with the badge of the Engineers Guild over his heart. Around his waist, he had an ornate repeater pistol with a barrel which resembled the head of a dragon was holstered on his left while a mechanical hammer which was fitted with several deadly mechanisms was on his right. With a plaited dark red beard which reached to his knees, scarred and craggy features, the Master Engineer was also a skilled warrior who had fought in many battles under the banner of the king.
'Aye Sir!' came the reply of a young apprentice engineer named Krodien Eitrigson as he worked on the steam engine of a gyrocopter which lay upon a stone table. For days now, Krodien had been working on this particular gyrocopter, a new variant which would be tested soon and he was fairly confident that it would be properly working when the time came, it would fly without problems. Tightening the sprocket and making sure that several other components were properly placed in, Krodien eventually nodded with satisfaction.
Taking a step back and studying the engine as he ran his right hand over the growing stubble around his chin, Krodien allowed himself a slight smile of satisfaction as he looked at the engine. Reaching into one of his pockets with his other hand, he removed a moist white handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his brow. All he needed to do now was attach the engine to the gyrocopter itself and see if the rotors began to rotate.
With short brown hair and green eyes, Krodien was every bit the eager young beardling who sought to prove himself in the eyes of the Ancestor Gods. Merely at the age of thirty, it had been over a year since he had officially joined the Guild of Engineers as a student. It would be many years until he reached the rank of a fully fledged member, but time was something he and pretty much any dwarf had.
'You sure look like you could use a drink' came a friendly feminine voice from behind the apprentice, he looked back to see a green eyed, fair skinned rinn who was about the same age as he with short auburn which was now styled into a bun.
Holding up a leather flask towards Krodien, the apprentice engineer gently took the proffered container and with a word of thanks, he eagerly drank down the contents. It may have just been water, but at the moment it felt as refreshing as if it were a mug of Bugman's. Sighing in pleasure as the cool liquid cascaded down his throat; Krodien gave an appreciative smile towards his fellow apprentice engineer, Vanyra Skorrisdottir.
'You get that steam cannon ready yet?' asked Krodien as professionally as he could while trying to hide his bashfulness towards the pretty rinn. While he as well as the other lads were certainly more than a bitten smitten with the skarrenawi who hailed from a settlement a short distance away from Karaz-a-Karak, it would have been unprofessional for a member of the Engineer's Guild to get a bit too intimate with another member.
'Ready as grombolgi at a holiday feast' replied Skorrisdottir with a soft smile.
Despite being a bit skinnier than most rinn he knew (which were probably less than half of all the other dwarfs he knew), Krodien Eitrigson found his fellow student quite attractive in a way which made he as well as the other lads more than a bit distracted. With her being the only rinn in their class of seven, he supposed that it should not really be of any surprise.
'Right then' said Krodien 'Let's see if we can get these birds to fly eh?'
'Systems check!' shouted Krodien towards his fellow engineers as he activated the controls of the gyrocopter and he heard the voice of Hargrim Ullison repeat the words. The cockpit was similar enough to that of the standard variant of the Gyrocopter but the machine itself was bigger and heavier, the Gyrobomber it was going to be called. Flicking a series of switches and watching as the needles and dials moved about to its proper place, each one indicated that the flying machine was working perfectly.
Inside a spacious domed hanger of stone and steel with the light of the afternoon sun looked down at them from an opened gate in the ceiling, grim ancestor faces watched Krodien and his fellow apprentice engineers in silent vigil as the machine began sputtering steam and smoke from the exhausts. The Gyrobomber began to rumble and vibrate as the engine eagerly consumed the beer-based fuel which warmed up the machine. Looking up behind him, Krodien saw the metallic rotor blades begin to slowly move on their own.
His heart swelled with pride as it began to pick up its pace and the rotors began to move faster and faster. He could feel the winds being blown around him as the beards, hair and clothes of his fellow engineers began to wildly flap in the artificial gale. He felt the gentle movement as the Gyrobomber sought to rise up into the sky like bird which wanted to spread its wings yet it could not while the magnetic clamps held the flying machine in place.
They did not need to see if the machine itself could fly yet, all they needed was to make sure that the engine and rotors were working properly. Flicking several of the switches once more, the engines of the Gyrobomber slowly began to calm down, soon the stream steam and smoke ceased while the rumbling of the machine stilled and became as dormant as a sleeping dragon.
A festive mood came upon the young engineers for each of them they knew that they all had come one step closer into becoming fully fledged members of the Guild of Engineers.
Raising a foaming tankard of ale to his fellow engineers, the assembled group of students raised theirs as well and with a unified cheer, they knock back their drinks with enthusiasm. Master Firebeard had not joined them for the older engineer was also busy overseeing the construction of several new weapons. Apparently the other master engineers were working on some new sort of gun which could unleash gouts of alchemical fire like the Flame Cannon.
It sounded quite exciting thought Krodien, a gun which could be carried a dwarf's own two and hands and could use it to set fire to packs of enemies. He imagined that such a thing would especially be useful in the tunnels of the Ungdrin against numerous foes like the thagoraki or the grobi. With his own throat belly now feeling nicely warm from the beer, Krodien let out a loud and satisfied belch.
'I bet I can get to ten faster than you Grimazsson' spoke one of the other engineers named Logan Agrisson in challenge to Marak Grimazsson'
'Bah! Ten!?' replied Marak rather incredulously 'what are you!? Some flower-skipping elf!? Any dwarf worth his stones can make it to twenty with nary a problem!'
'Hah! We all know you lads can't make it even near twenty before passing!' boasted the rather rotund Josef Gorimsson 'perhaps if it were some weak manling swill then maybe' he added.
'Yeah? How about you back those words up with some proper drinking, fatty!' mocked Marak. Krodien saw Josef bristle at this and he knew that the all three were now set on this bet.
'If you lads are having a contest then I am game' interjected Ullison who had a mischevious look about it 'how about whoever first hits thirty wins eh? The losers pay for the drinks.'
'Paying for the drinks?' mocked Varek Durakson 'you lads got no imagination! Loser has got to run about in his skivvies while singing O'er the Hills across the hold!'
And so began an ever increasing set of ludicrous conditions and terms of losses amongst the apprentice engineers, much of their creativity were further fueled by the copious amounts of beer they drank. Eventually, after each of the lads had already drunk at least a dozen tankards, a final condition set. Whoever hit ninety nine bottles of beer first while singing Long Drong's sea shanty would win, if anyone messed up the song, they would have to begin again, the losers would have to go play a game of finger fillet… with a mining drill.
With a look of amusement throughout the whole series of boasting and bravado, Vanyra Skorisdottir remained quiet while offering suggestions which only further increased the stakes. Wisely, Krodien stayed out of it, much to the jeers of his fellows because he knew that both he and Skorisdottir would have to make sure that they don't get into any trouble.
Eventually, the engineers had called for the tavern keeper and the servers to bring out the tankards of ale. Soon, twenty mugs of foaming ale were placed over three long rectangular tables with each set in five perfectly straight rows. All around them, other dwarfs were looking in amusement towards the group of apprentice engineers with bets already being made.
As each of the apprentice engineers tightly held on to a single tankard, they warily eyed each other as if they were about to enter a grudge match. 'Begin!' shouted Vanyra and as one, the engineers quickly lifted their tankards towards their lips. Beer and foam spilled over their chins, much to the grumblings of crowd who often muttered "inexperienced beardlings".
As the first of the tankards were finished the apprentice engineers went to the next set of mugs of they quickly downed it with Marak making it first to his second tankard. With typical dwarf eagerness, they each were able to down the second tankards. Suddenly, Marak then just collapsed in an alcohol induced coma, much to the laughter of the crowd and the excitement of the other engineers.
As they began drinking their third tankards, Morek soon collapsed with Hargrim following him. Now it was down to Varek and Josef who managed to finish their third tankards and they went towards their fourth. With shaky hands, they lifted their fourth tankards and before they could drink, the two remaining engineers collapsed, spilling beer all over them.
'Well they did drink a lot before that contest of theirs' came the amused and gravelly voice of an old Runesmith as he spoke to another dwarf wearing the armor of an Ironbreaker.
'Beardlings these days can't hold a proper drink I tell you' replied the Ironbreaker as he and the Hammerer began a tirade about the "good old days".
'Be a good lad and help me with them, will you?' asked Vanyra Skorisdottir towards Krodien with a smile and a highly amused tone as she went towards their mates, At least no conditions were set for a tie; he thought with some relief because because for some reason they had agreed that Krodien (without his say in the matter) that would have had to be the one to operate the mining drill.
Half an hour later…
Panting wearily as both he and Vanyra had finished dragging the still passed out hides of their fellow engineers back to the dormitories of the Engineer's Guild, Krodien was glad that they had managed to get the driver of that mule cart to give them a ride. At the moment, the other engineers were left in their respective quarters, still passed out and not waking up anytime soon. Looking to the rinn who rested her hands upon her knees, white woolen tunic was now lathered in sweat and Krodien did his best not to get too distracted.
Vanyra then gave him a friendly smile and thumbs up with a word of goodnight before straightening up and heading back to her own quarters. With a smile of his own towards therinn as she walked away, Krodien felt more than a bit warm and knew that it was not just from the ale.
'I got some good news for you all lads and lass!' announced the gruff voice of Master Firebeard with a tone of satisfaction. 'That new Gyrobomber you all have been working hard on has been passed inspection' he said 'and come the by today, it will be tested by our pilots!'
Pride swelled within the heart of Krodien at the words of his mentor and uncle. Having seen the schematics of not only the machine itself but also its armaments, he hoped that it would pass the requirements needed by the Engineer's Guild to be accepted amongst the arsenal of the Dawi for it seemed like a potent weapon. His fellow students looked to one another with quite expressions of praise to another; it was amazing that they were able to do so despite the heavy hangover most of them were dealing with.
'I have a new assignment for you all' continued their mentor 'we received word from Guild that the manling Empire is requesting some proper dwarfish craftsmanship and they are willing to pay the Guild for it.'
'Is something going on over there in the Empire?' asked the voice of Vanyra with curiosity for like her, Krodien had never actually left Karaz Ankor and most of their contact with the outside came from human merchants or other dwarfs who travelled about.
'Always something going on there lass' replied Master Firebeard with a shrug 'the manlings are always constantly fighting against all manners of nasty critters, sometimes they even fight amongst each other or those other manlings from Bretonnia.'
'So what are we making then?' asked Krodien.
'Guns, a lot of big guns' grinned the Master Engineer with a knowing look towards his class for a lot of them reveled in the construction of devices which were great for causing things to explode. 'So let's get to it class and remember we are all getting a cut of that gold if we do it right.'
At the mention of gold, the dwarfs eagerly scrambled towards their tool boxes, each one seemingly having suddenly overcome their hang over.
Squirting a bit of oil from a small flask and onto the spoke of a wheel, Krodien gave it a spin and he saw that the sturdy ring of wood and steel circled about. It was child's play even for an apprentice engineer such as himself to even be able to make something as simple as a wheel. Indeed when he actually was a child, he had a knack for building his own toys.
He had been a bit disappointed that they would be building guns while following the schematics of the Empire's own artillery pieces and not even create some experimental ones. The challenge to it he realized was that they would need to forge and craft a lot of guns in over a month and make sure that all of the pieces were perfectly standardized.
Of course being a dwarf, he sure was not going to make anything shoddy that would easily break down, especially in the midst of a battle. While he could hardly care if some manlings mishandled a cannon made by him and ended up blowing themselves up, what really bothered him was the idea of something he made needing repairs. By Morgrim he thought with disdain, if he built something which a manling could easily fix, he might as well quite the Guild and take up the Slayer Oath.
With a quite Oath to his ancestors, Krodien was now more determined to make a version of the Imperial Great Cannon which would be superior to all other manling made artillery guns! Looking towards his colleagues Krodien saw that scattered about the workshop, they were all working with other apprentice engineers on making the artillery pieces. He guessed that the more senior engineers were busy with their own projects for the Guild.
Reaching for another flask by his left hip, Krodien removed the stopper and he took a whiff of its contents. Smelling the delicious aroma of some good old dwarf beer, he took a sip from it for it was going to be a long day.
Three Weeks later…
Squinting his eyes as the bright summer sun shone down upon them, it had been months since Krodien had last seen the sun. Not that he was bothered by living underground for he was a dwarf; it was just that things were too warm for him at the moment on the surface and too bright. Putting on a pair of goggles with a darkened glass lenses, the glare of the sun became less extreme.
All around him, two dozen other engineers had set up upon a ridge a short distance east of Zhufbar, the artillery pieces they had crafted. Down the ridge was a wide open valley with a few trees and shrubs growing here and there. The air at least was nice and fresh, were it spring Krodien probably would have found the weather pleasant.
Today was the big day to see if their creations worked. Already, they had a variety of cannons and mortars aimed northwards to where a rather large bunch of grobi were coming towards them. According to the Rangers, the grobi were attempting to take a route through a pass which would lead them into the Empire. With a little help from the Miner's Guild and the demolition charges provided by the Engineers, the pass was currently no longer a feasible route for the grobi.
For two days now, a band of Rangers who were trained and equipped with one of those new Gyro-harnesses had been luring the grobi in their direction. With eagerness and anticipation, Krodien wanted to see what the creations of both he and his colleagues would do to the old foe of their people. It was a good thing that they had also brought their own personal weapons whether it was a good rifle, a pistol, crossbow, wrenches, axes or even grenades.
With calculations being thought out and adjustments made for the aim of the artillery, Krodien felt his heart thumping and his palms sweating as they waited for the incoming grobi. Placing a hand near the grip of his pistol, Krodien felt rather reassured that his personal firearm was right by him. The Engineers around him were also checking their own weapons and gear with more than a few offering nervous Oaths to the Ancestors.
'Ready the artillery, dwarfs!' commanded the voice of Master Firebeard in a calm and authoritative tone.
The Engineers quickly obeyed and already they began loading the cannons and mortars with fresh payloads. Hargrim grunted as he and Logan lifted up a heavy metal ball and placed it into the barrel of the cannon they had been assigned to assemble, Krodien held the ramrod which he stuck into barrel and he began to push the heavy ball into the black powder they had poured in earlier. Giving a brief glance to the Mortar which Josef, Marak and Varek were assigned to, he saw that each of them had expertly prepared the artillery piece while Vanyra held up a looking glass which was pointed at the grobi.
'Get ready lads!' shouted the rinn who had a modified crossbow slung over her shoulder.
With a deep breath to steady his nerves, Krodien felt a measure of grim resolve as he looked towards his uncle who stood rather confidently with an expression of contempt for the grobi. Master Firebeard held a heavy cannon-like weapon in his hands which was decorated with to resemble the head of a dragon, a Drakegun they were now calling it. Quite interestingly as well, a Trollhammer Torpedo was also loaded into the Drakegun with the head of the projectile sticking out of the barrel, it seemed that the Guild also wanted to test out some of their other newer inventions.
'Make us proud' whispered Krodien towards the cannon as if it possessed a measure of sentience while he held the burning fuse near the wick of the artillery gun.
'They are in range!' roared Vanyra with a mix of excitement and eagerness.
'OPEN FIRE!' roared Master Firebeard and the dwarfs quickly set the wicks on the backs of their artillery guns on fire. Seeing as the small piece of rope was set ablaze, Krodien did his best to cover his ears and closed his eyes with teeth gritted in preparation for what was to come next.
Soon the air was filled with the roars of cannons and mortars being fired while the smoke of their discharges began to create a slight fog of acrid smoke. More than a dozen heavy metal balls were shot high into the air; each one soared over the rocky ground with more than a few flying over the heads of the Rangers operating the Gyro-Harnesses. In a brief moment, explosions of fire, smoke, shrapnel and earth tore amongst the Grobi ranks.
Several dozens of greenskins were killed as many were scythed down by the hail of artillery fire and heavy metal balls which did not explode but rather had skidded across the ground with enough force to pulverize an ogre into paste. Cries of terror could be heard amongst the horde as bits of grobi were splattered all over their kin.
'Reload!' roared the Master Engineer and the dwarfs were quick to obey. In less than a minute, a second volley was already prepared and a second series of explosions rang out across the ridge. The second artillery barrage smashed into the grobi horde with more and more of the greenskins dying. This was not a battle of course, it was a complete massacre and it was one which filled Kordien with pride.
To his surprise, the Grobi did not break but instead they still pushed on. Already, Krodien could hear the whooshing sound of the rotors on the top of the Gyro-Harnesses as the Rangers grouped up with them while the smell of combusted alcohol was mixed with that of spent black powder. Having prepared for this possible eventuality, Organ Guns were pushed forward and the crews set the multi-barreled weapons upon the grobi.
As the Grobi drew closer, Krodien could see many wolf riding greenskins galloping ahead of the war band alongside black robed grobi who were riding upon the backs of squigs. The goblins were mostly armed with spears with more than a few eagerly yet prematurely loosing arrows well out of their effective range.
'Organ Guns, fire!' roared Master Firebeard as he lifted his Drakegun and aimed it towards the goblin cavalry
All at once, the Organ Guns opened fire while the Master Engineer launched his Trollhammer Torpedo towards the foe. In less than a second, several goblins and their mounts were instantly torn to bloody gobbets by the Organ Guns while one particularly larger goblin who carried a banner on it back was set ablaze as the Torpedo struck it squarely in the chest. The goblin leader was knocked off of the wolf in two burning pieces while its unfortunate mount yelped away in terror as the fur on its back was also set ablaze.
A few of the enemy cavalry units had survived but the remaining wolf and squig riders had quickly turned their mounts around and ran off in the direction of the warband which now seemed unsure if they should proceed ahead or run away.
'Reload dwarfs!' roared the Master Engineer once more and once again the apprentices of the Engineer's Guild began load in fresh ordnance for their guns. With practiced discipline and skill, they had quickly reloaded all of their weapons and with another command from the Master Engineer, the dwarfs unleashed another volley of death.
More and more grobi were blown to pieces or were shredded by the Organ Guns. Their natural cowardice had already overtaken all of their senses and the greenskins began to run back and flee. The Master Engineer then raised a wide barreled pistol into the air and he fired a bright red flare into the sky.
Unsure what the flare was for, Krodien looked to his uncle who grinned evilly towards the fleeing grobi. Soon, Krodien heard the whooping sound of spinning rotors and he looked up to see an attack wing of Gyrocopters which flanked a trio of Gyrobombers. The engineers raised their fists and cheered the pilots which flew overhead as they caught up with the grobi.
From his view, Krodien saw the Gyrobombers fly passed the grobi for only a short distance before several large bombs were dropped from the back of the flying machines. Calculating the speed at which the grobi were moving and the rate at which the bombs were falling, Krodien was satisfied that the bombs had a high probably of landing amidst the greenskins. With a series of several more power explosions amongst the goblins the engineers cheered at the deaths of their ancestral foes.
'Fun's over everyone!' shouted the Master Engineer as he took out a pipe of troll bone from his belt and he began to put tobacco into it. 'Pack up those guns and let's get it back to the hold' he then said.
Wiping a rag over the barrel of the cannon he and his friends had built, Krodien saw his own reflection on the fresh coating of bronze which had been placed over the metal. It was merely a decorative feature and one which he was certain would not interfere with the mechanism or operation of the siege weapon. Although they had been forced to somewhat rush the work, an act which rankled at them, he had to admit that aesthetic appearance of the weapon was at the least, passable by the standards of their kin.
Come the next day, these artillery guns would be shipped to the Empire and the manlings would send their promised payment of gold. He hoped that the manlings would not try to swindle them out of the agreed upon payment for such things have happened in the past. It would be a shame if they had to start another war with the Empire for King Tharundin had already done so once.
Satisfied that the cannon was now as polished as it could possibly be, he looked forwards to having a good guz tonight. Already, his fellow apprentice engineers were already finishing up with their own bits of decorations which they were putting on to the guns.
From decorative icons of Ghal-Maraz to engraved images of the mountains or dragons and even etched words in Reikspiel, the engineers were trying to make the weapons which they had been working on not only deadly weapons of war but also works of art. When they had all finished, the dwarfs gave each other a knowing look of praise.
'Pretty as a picture' said Josef as he held out his hands with his index and middle fingers forming into an L shape with the left handed one pointing east while the right handed one pointed west.
'I wish someone had invented some sort of device which could capture a moment like this' said Marak
'It will live on in our memories' joked Logan as he and tucked his polishing rag into his belt.
'Why don't we engrave our names on them?' suggested Vanyra Skorrisdottir as she held up a set of tools.
'Sounds like a good idea Skorrisdottir' replied Krodien who then looked towards the rest of them 'what do you say lads?'
His reply was a unified series of agreements and soon the dwarfs pulled out their own tools again. One by one they engraved their names in Khazalid upon the base of the guns. The Imperials would probably think it is magic or some silly thing like that, it would not matter to the dwarfs really. When they had finished, the dwarfs quietly gave one last look towards the machines which had in a way become their own little life's work.
Although Krodien was sure that he would in the future, build better and even more powerful guns and other machines, he had a feeling that he would always remember these ones. With weapons such as these, armies would break and shatter against their mighty barrages, citadels and fortresses would crumble like kindling. It was their gift to the allies of the dwarfs, a gift of iron and thunder.
'First rounds on me everyone!' said Krodien for at the moment he just felt too much like celebrating. With a round of cheers, the dwarfs went off, eager for a drink.
Years laters...
Looking towards the mighty horde of greenskins which seemed ready to overwhelm their pitifully small army, Lukas von Meinhoff felt dread for the coming battle. Taking a nervous gulp, his fear caused him to sweat more than the heat of the summer sun. Nervously looking to the man who led their force, General Eisner rode upon a mighty Demigryph and was clad in a set of black lacquered plate armor while giving a disdainful look of contempt towards the greenskins.
With the glorious standard depicting the Hammer of Sigmar held high in the talons of a Gryphon, Lukas felt ashamed at his fear for he stood with men who would fight and die for the Empire. Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, he thought he saw something large moving amongst the green horde. Pulling out a compact looking glass and extending the device, he saw with surprise that it was a giant spider with several goblins riding upon it.
He would have felt scared if he were to face that thing up close like the knights or the state troops would. Looking behind him to see his nervous looking artillery crew who readily stood by the dwarf-made bronze coated cannon, the Imperial artillery officer knew what their first target should be.
'Come on men!' said Lukas with a mixture of confidence and bravado which seemed to rub off on his men as he pointed towards the enemy 'We have an overgrown spider to squish!'