You might usually expect to find dwarves deep in their mines underneath the great mountain ranges of the world. But while that’s a fairly natural habitat for them, they’re also capable of heading out to see in mighty warships. In this preview, we get a look at what their fleet looks like in Armada, Mantic’s upcoming naval combat game.
From the article:
In the last of our fleet focus blogs, we’re introducing the stoic dwarfs and their powerful ships of steam!
It is only due to lack of numbers that the dwarfs are not renowned as a sea power, for their ships, known as ironclads, are amongst the strongest in the world – wrought with the meticulous precision of the Warsmiths, powered by steam, and bristling with the most accurate cannon on the high seas.
Unusually, dwarf ships are not often commanded by sea-captains, but by Warsmiths who have spent their long lives dedicated to the study of naval engineering. Their officers are also novice Warsmiths, who train as apprentices, learning all there is to know about screw propulsion, steam power, cannon rifling, hull coppering, pressure management, and dozens of other disciplines vital to the efficient running of an ironclad. Maintenance of an ironclad is a full-time occupation, and a Warsmith will suffer not even a single cog out of alignment on his vessel, the entire ship running as a single well-oiled machine.
All dwarf vessels are armour-plated, smoke-belching paddle-steamers, and are treated with reverential pride by the crew. Every handle, wheel and valve is decorated with a Warsmith’s unique sigils; every rivet stamped with a seal of approval. Indeed, as Warsmiths continually seek to improve on designs, and even tinker with their own vessels throughout their service, it is rare for two dwarf ships to be identical.
Not so long ago, the only dwarf fleets worthy of the name belonged to Golloch’s empire, but in recent years the Free Dwarfs in exile have grown bolder, their territories more expansive. Already, their Warsmiths’ ironclads dominate the Low Sea of Carrog, and make forays into the Garric Gulf. But now, thanks to treaties with the Basileans, their vessels ply the Infant Sea at last, a situation that enrages Golloch and brings the dwarfs ever closer to internecine war.