|
When humans first began to explore the galaxy some of the earliest colonies were settled on the worlds towards the galactic core. At that time the mineral resources of the galactic centre were a rich prize, and thousands of specially adapted mining spacecraft set off to harvest the vast wealth of these inner planets. |
|
|
|
The galactic core is characterised by extremely ancient suns which are dim in comparison with the stars of the spiral arms. Around these ancient stars orbit huge, rocky worlds, rich in minerals but in all other respects barren and lifeless. With very low levels of daylight, and extremely high gravity, these worlds are grey and cheerless, and inhospitable to life. |
| The original settlers were miners, and they dug homes for themselves in the rocky landscape, creating self-contained communities out of exhausted mines. To feed themselves the miners constructed hydroponic tanks to grow nutritious algae which could then be eaten or processed, and the communities quickly became self-supporting. |
|
|
| The high gravity and extremely harsh environment gradually changed the humans that lived there. They grew tougher, more resilient, and they also became shorter and squatter. This process took several thousand years, and during that time the new race began to develop its own cultural identity. When the galactic core was temporarily cut off from the rest of human society by warp storms, the inhabitants banded together into an independent confederacy which they called the Homeworlds. |
| It was about this time that the short, stocky race became generally known as Squats, although they are also called Dwarfs and many of them prefer this term. During this period of isolation the Homeworlds withstood all kinds of trials, from Ork invasions to the rampages of Chaos, environmental disaster and even internal war between the Squats themselves. The early settlements were enlarged and fortified to turn them into impregnable strongholds. |
|
|
|
With Earth and other sources of technology denied to them, the Squats had to develop their own alternative technologies using local materials and sources of energy. As they invented and re-invented machines to keep them alive, the Squats acquired considerable expertise. This gathering of knowledge lead to the creation of the Engineers Guild - a body of individualistic warriors whose technical expertise would provide future Squat armies with many of their most successful weapons of war. |
| The Squat Homeworlds have remained independent ever since, and have fought their own wars against Orks and Chaos. On occasions Squats have also fought the Imperium and Eldar, but by and large the Squats prefer to fight on the same side as humans and have no particular source of dispute with Eldar. |
|
| The Squats need to trade in order to acquire items not readily available on their own worlds, and so they prefer to remain as neutral as possible. Sometimes Squat Strongholds fight each other over points of honour or valuable mining rights but such wars are usually shortlived, being brought to a halt by the invocation of ancient laws or the intercession of other Strongholds. The Homeworlds rely on the Imperium for most of their trade, but they also trade with the Eldar and have even traded with Orks in the far distant past. |
|
|
| The Squats hate Orks with a passion ever since the ravages of Ork Warlord Grunhag the Flayer, whose surprise invasion cost many Squat lives and wiped out several ancient Strongholds. Even today, thousands of years after the invasion, the Squats send out expeditions to try and uncover lost remnants of Strongholds believed destroyed by Grunhag's horde. An epic ballad called The Fall of Imbach reminds younger generations of Squat warriors of the heroism of the Squats in those dark times and the foul treachery of the Ork invaders. |
| Squats are hard-working and stubborn. They are an honourable people who take great pride in paying their debts and keeping their word. This means that they are reliable allies but very dangerous foes. If a Squat gives his word to do something he would willingly die in the attempt. Squats have two characteristics which some humans find difficult to understand. |
|
| Firstly they are very materialistic. Squats will work hard to acquire money and possessions, and the more important a Squat is the greater his treasure hoard will be. When he dies his possessions are divided amongst his family and so passed on from generation to generation. A family's treasure is held very dear - it is both a source of wealth and a tangible link to its honoured ancestors. |
|
|
| The second quality which many humans find hard to understand is the Squats' over-riding obsession with vengeance and honour. Should a Squat be slain his family is honour-bound to avenge his death, while any harm done to one family member by an unrelated Squat will bring the whole family together to exact vengeance. Squats stick together and never forget a slight no matter how trivial or unintentional. Their stories and legends abound with examples of lone warriors battling to the death against impossible odds for their family's honour or of individuals returning from apparent death or dishonour to exact lasting and bloody revenge on their foes. |
| The Stronghold is the basis of Squat civilisation. A planet might have several strongholds but rarely more than half a dozen. The warriors from a Stronghold are its Brotherhoods - so called because of their close blood relationship and ties of vengeance-rights. Strongholds sometimes band together into temporary alliances called Leagues. |
|
| The leader of a Stronghold is called its Lord. The leaders of a Stronghold's Brotherhoods are called Warlords, and are usually close relations of the Lord. In battle each Warlord is accompanied by a Brotherhood, as well as his own personal bodyguard or Hearthguard. |
|
|
| When several Strongholds from a League fight together a Grand Warlord is elected to lead the combined forces for the duration of the campaign. Election as a Grand Warlord is one of the ultimate accolades for a Squat warrior and is normally bestowed on the most honoured and revered Warlords. The Grand Warlord leads a disciplined and well armed force mostly made up of Brotherhood Warriors, but which includes fearsome weapons of war developed by the Engineers Guild. |
| The Engineers Guild is a powerful part of Squat society. Its knowledge and experience is legendary and its leaders hold many engineering secrets. Some of the human Technomagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus believe that the Squats have already learned the secrets of stable warp fission, by which the energy of warp space is flared off to produce limitless supplies of energy. If this is true then the Guildmasters guard their secret well, considering it too dangerous to use. |
|
| The Guild has already developed the most advanced form of propulsion for spacecraft: a neoplasma reactor powered-by a warp-core held in thrall by a containment field of zero-energy. No other race has ever replicated this drive mechanism, the Adeptus Mechanicus having given up their experiments with warp-core technology ever since the infamous Contagion of Ganymede. |
|
|
| Of course, the Squats produce many more conventional machines too, including airships, gyrocopters, and gigantic armoured crawlers. All of these machines reflect the landscape of the Squat Homeworlds, where isolated Strongholds are separated by many miles of hostile territory. Shale deserts and chromium drifts, soaring rocky pinnacles and sheer glass-sided crevasses are typical topography on the Homeworlds. To cross this tortured landscape the Squats have huge Land Trains - multi-tracked monster vehicles towing powered track-cars of ore, supplies, or living quarters. These powerful vehicles have heavy tracks which can support these vast machines on the uncertain ground surface. |
|
| All of these Land Trains are armoured to survive meteor showers and violent electrical storms. Many carry weapons and are used by the Squats as armoured battle stations, mobile versions of their Strongholds, able to survive in isolation in a hostile world. The largest of the vast machines built by the Squats is the Colossus, which is also made for the Imperium in a version called the Leviathan. These are really big machines, with exceptionally thick armour and crammed with powerful weapons. |
| Both Land Trains and Colossus are slow moving, and to scout the way ahead and check for enemy movement the Squats use gyrocopters and airships. These flying machines are the eyes and cars of the sluggish convoys, providing the essential information about troops movements or possible ambushes for the Squat ground forces. |
|
| Solid and stubborn in defence and relentless in attack, Squats make excellent infantry. Individual Squat infantry squads are highly disciplined and fiercely determined, their pride and sense of honour both to their revered Ancestors and fellow warriors makes it impossible for them to be otherwise. Squats are particularly resolute in close combat, refusing to go down without putting up a good fight. To show this Squat infantry fighting in close combat can reroll any close combat dice which come up with a score of 1. |
|
| Squats are organised into different units to fill specific tactical roles according to their weaponry and status within the Stronghold. There are three types of Squat unit: Warriors, Beserkers and Thunderers. |
|
| Warrior units make up the bulk of Squat Brotherhoods, comprising the younger members of the Stronghold's war-brethren. They are formed from standard combat squads armed with lasguns and sidearms, with one Squat in every five-man squad carrying a heavy weapon such as a missile launcher or heavy bolter. A Warrior unit is normally led by the Warlord of the Stronghold if the entire Brotherhood is present, or a squad of select Hearthguard if the Warrior unit is fighting separately from the rest of the Brotherhood. |
| Berserker units are made up from attack squads of the most ferocious hand to hand fighters in the Stronghold. Attack squads are armed with bolt pistols, power axes or chainswords and a variety of grenades. They are expert
tunnel fighters and excel at clearing buildings and fortifications ahead of the Brotherhood's advance. All Squats are doughty fighters in close combat but Squat berserker units are renowned for their tenacity and courage against the most impossible odds, battling fearlessly against even the mightiest of opponents without thought for their own losses. Because of this heroic determination berserker units automatically pass any morale checks if they are in close combat. |
|
| Thunderer units are the most heavily armed units in a Squat Brotherhood, consisting of heavy squads of hardened veterans carrying heavy weapons. Squat heavy squads are exceptional because every Squat in the unit carries a heavy weapon - either a heavy bolter, a missile launcher or a lascannon. Thunderers supply withering support fire for the Brotherhood on the battlefield, devastating concentrations of enemy troops or tanks and forming strongpoints to hold the battleline. |
| To guard against dishonourable use of Brotherhood troops by unscrupulous or avaricious Stronghold Lords, a Brotherhood is always led by a trustworthy relative of the Lord, known as the Warlord. A Warlord is trained from infancy to be a leader and act as a source of great inspiration to the Squat warriors he commands, constantly reminding them of their duty to their ancestors. |
|
|
| Because of the inspirational effect of the Warlord any Squat units within 12" of a Warlord may add +1 to their morale dice. |
| The Warlord is accompanied into battle by a bodyguard of close relatives from the warrior aristocracy of the Stronghold. These potent warriors are equipped with lavishly decorated exo-armour and powerful combiweapons decorated with traditional patterns in gold and precious stones. |
|
| Often extra squads of elite warriors known as Hearthguard will take to the battlefield to lead units of Squats. These loyal retainers of the Warlord are magnificently equipped in carapace armour reminiscent of archaic styles and carry a selection of heavy weapons. Though Hearthguard do not operate as a command unit they are still mighty warriors and lead their units from the front, setting an example of courageous conduct to the other Squats. |
|
|
| Squats typically live for about 300 years but a small percentage live longer. If a Squat survives to see his four hundredth year his longevity is greatly increased and he can expect to survive to the age of eight hundred or more. The tiny proportion of Squats that live to such great age are treated with enormous respect and become known as Living Ancestors. |
| As the Living Ancestor grows older he starts to develop potent psychic powers, often of a protective or precognitive nature. Psychic powers are virtually unknown among normal Squats so they are another factor which makes Living Ancestors doubly venerated. These psychic powers come from their spiritual closeness to the dead ancestors of their Stronghold, which they tap as a source of psychic energy. |
|
|
| Living Ancestors are venerated as tangible members of the group of ancestor spirits which watch over the
Stronghold. Their long lives have filled them with wisdom so they are their Lord's most respected and trusted advisors. On occasion a Living Ancestor accompanies a Warlord into battle to advise him on the best plans to bring victory. The Living Ancestor is accompanied by a number of younger relatives who act as his bodyguard on the battlefield. |
| Squats use bikes and small trikes extensively for personal transportation across the bleak and inhospitable landscape of the Squat Homeworlds. A number of younger Squats get so attached to the idea of roaring around at high speed that they mount weapons on their bikes and take them out onto the battlefield. The Engineers Guild is most renowned of all for its love of bikes and trikes. |
|
|
| The Guild often fields entire squadrons of Guild Bikers in support of the Warrior Brotherhoods or forms their own Guild Biker forces to Fight their style of mobile warfare against the enemy. |
| The Guild Trike is used exclusively by the renowned Squat Guild of Engineers. It is a large, reinforced trike carrying a driver and a gunner who aims a suitably devastating heavy weapon from the back of the speeding vehicle. |
|
|
| Guild trike teams are famed for their fearless leaps and daredevil skid turns, evading enemy fire as they make their hit and run attacks with stunning bravado. |
| The Engineers Guild is divided up into many different 'Lodges', each based in a different Stronghold. Each Lodge is ruled by the oldest and most respected Engineer in the Stronghold who is known as the Guildmaster. |
|
|
| Guildmasters are privy to many of the secrets of a Stronghold's construction - its secret tunnels and hidden defences. They are responsible for coordinating the maintenance and repair of a Stronghold as well as leading the Lodges in times of war. For combat the Guildmaster dons ancient exo-armour which has been passed down through the Lodge over the centuries and roars into battle mounted on a heavily-reinforced trike. |
| Guildmasters lead squadrons of Guild trikes or bikers in battle. The inspirational effect of having such an honoured leader means that a Squadron led by a Guildmaster gains +1 to all of its morale dice rolls. This means Guild trikes or bikers will automatically pass their morale tests their if Guildmaster is still alive. |
|
|
