"My reverend lord, did you bring a straw? Or how on earth will you consume the blood with that nose ornament in the way?" "I'll drink to that!" Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you all to participate in a brainstorming for this new concept, courtesy of Uther the Unhinged: Fantasy South American evil Dwarves! I'd like to scoop up all wild ideas you have. Let's have some fun! You don't have to know anything about the Ninth Age (T9A) to participate. Just assume it's the Warhammer world, with different names and lots of more stuff in it. It's a dark fantasy smörgåsbord based on history. I'll sift through ideas here and present them oo T9A, due credit and quoting given. In this instance, we're concerned with a cousin of Lustria, but with something more than Lizardmen to speak of on the continent. There's gotta be Dwarves... Ready? Then let's travel to faraway Virentia, over whipping seas, steaming jungles and Wrathful Mountains, and emerge onto a desert coast beyond the edge of the mapmaker's knowledge... This concept was spawned as the fallen brother culture to these proposed Inca Dwarves. Uther the Unhinged had lots of fertile ideas: Now, there is a prime candidate among ancient cultures in South America that fit the bill perfectly: The Moche culture (100-700 AD). The Moche lived by the coast of what is today Peru, inhabiting nine river valleys with arid desert in between. The Moche are an archaeological culture, meaning they left no written documents behind, but they sure left behind monumental architecture, eyecatching craft objects and proof of ritual cruelty! The Moche were fine craftsmen who produced works of art in gold for the highly elaborate dress of their elite, and they likewise have become famous for their erotic pottery. The Moche built stepped pyramid temples and practiced a warfare reminiscent of the Aztecs: They fought wars to capture enemy warriors, whom they stripped naked, bound, tortured and sacrificed to their gods. Sounds like Infernal Dwarf material? Now let's pool all our ideas! :cheers Here are some video/audio links for those who want to listen and learn while working or driving. Documentaries: Moche Tombs of Sipan Treasure and Secrets of a Moche Tomb Lectures: Warfare and Human Sacrifice in the Moche World: New Discoveries and Continuing Debates, by John Verano Recent Research on the Moche, by Richard Stutter Tales of the Moche Kings and Queens: Elite Burials from the North Coast of Peru, by Jeffrey Quilter Reference images, primarily of Moche and of various coastal Peruvian cultures, mainly drawn from the master artist Coricancha's gallery:
Igor Levchenko over on Deviantart had an idea for our Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys: While Uther the Unhinged on CDO had some evocative writings to share:
Energic brainstorming is taking place on Chaos Dwarfs Online: Uther the Unhinged hooked onto the flying Dwarf concept: While Gargolock had a lot of fertile ideas: And finally Uther the Unhinged have some more ideas (he is explicitly giving reference homage to WHFB's Hashut, which is fine for his good headcanon but not advisable for T9A, so please look instead to what materials are of good use for our purposes and don't catch on quirks), and the first ever miniature conversion for the Torture Valleys!
Uther the Unhinged over on Chaos Dwarfs Online continues with his grand vision for the Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys. Check it out!
Some great brainstorming from Uther the Unhinged over at CDO. To Uther, the Hazcuz are the Infernal Dwarves of the Torture Valleys, while the Quezquz are the Dwarven Holds of the Wrathful Mountains. The Hinkha are the imperial expansionary DH of said range:
It seems The Snowman was ahead of his time. Hazcuz before there were Hazcuz! From Golden Hat XI (2010):