Behold the Ironhold

According to my latest account I own well over 300 Dispossessed Duardin models. Such a mighty throng of dawi needs a place to sleep, feast and live in, doesn't it? It needs a home.

Well, after a bit of research I found a very promising estate for just such use from a company called Ziterdes. The price was decent but the property was in dire need of renovation and caring inhabitants. It arrived in the mail two weeks ago, I painted it up in two days and my mountain folk moved in immediately. The housewarming party can begin!

Behold the impregnable Kazad-Zul, the home of my duardin, also known as the Ironhold to some uncivilized races that do not speak khazalid. This mighty fortress guards the passage to the vast underground deeps, housing an entire bustling city hidden away from sight. Networks of halls and tunnels crisscross between different districts where thousands upon thousands of dawi live their day-to-day lives, safe in the knowledge that none who would do them harm can ever break past the formidable defenses of this mountain hold.

Please, step inside and we'll take a closer look at this humble dwelling!

This bird's eye view shows the layout of the Ironhold pretty comprehensively. The fortress is surrounded by steep mountainsides and high walls, leaving visitors only a single route inside: the slightly winding causeway. Any would-be invaders will find it tiresome to march all the way to the road and then up, all the while under a constant fusillade of shots, bolts and boulders that the defenders rain upon them as they approach.

Of course, some inventive warlord might construct ladders and siege towers to assail the walls directly. Better bring loads and loads of both then, as many of them will wither away under Ironhold's vigorous cannon-fire. Any lucky climbers that reach the battlements will be given a congratulatory high-five. In the face. With an axe.

Survivors will be struck again.

Out in the back there's a bastion big enough to house a Grudge Thrower or an Organ Gun, accompanied by some Quarrelers to keep the backyard clean of any unwanted quests.

The causeway is wide enough for 4-5 men to walk abreast, winding slightly towards the gate from the side of the mountain. Both towers next to the gate have a good field of view on the road, allowing a Flame Cannon or two to loom over the entrance and immolate intruders. The slopes uphill from the road also allow for a unit of sentries to be deployed in case of an attack, like a small unit of Irondrakes or Thunderers to provide additional missile-fire coverage around the fortress.

The gate itself is rune-carved and sturdy, wide enough for two man-sized creatures to enter simultaneously (on 20mm square bases, that is...), should they be allowed inside in the first place. With the courtyard full of elite duardin warriors in the event of a siege, the gatecrashers will find themselves in a textbook example of a bottleneck: 1-2 of their warriors squashing through the gate to stumble into 4 Ironbreakers or Hammerers waiting to welcome them with their hammers.

Even worse for the attacker if the weather forecast promised bullet showers with a risk of arrowstorms for the day of invasion.

The courtyard has loads of space for the stunted folk. Any arriving wagons can be turned around easily and their goods can be unloaded to be delivered into the stronghold, while visitors may marvel at the intricate metalworks and masonry until (and if) they're allowed to enter the deeps.

The battlements are sufficiently wide for war machines to be deployed all along the length of the wall, with ranks of Quarrellers and Cogsmiths to back them up in battering the foe before it reaches the gates.

At the foot of the towering walls heaps of bleached bones can be seen, the skeletal remains of those who have tried to take Kazad-Zul in the past. Such is the cruel fate that awaits those who would dare similar attempts in the future.

That's what the home of my dawi looks like! I've been working through several units of Warriors, Thunderers, Quarrelers and artillery lately to bring them to shape, brightening up old paintjobs, fixing mistakes, unifying colours and adding whole new units to the force. In other words, I've been dusting off my Dispossessed to make them look worthy of their new hold and to defend it if situation so demands.

Be prepared for more Duardin content in the near future, the garrison of Ironhold marches out on a parade!