Era of Magic: Ancient Dwarves

[CheeseLord]

Hi Everybody!!
At inferno8's behest, I've created a new topic specifically for the descriptions of EOM: Ancient Dwarves. FOr those that don't know what this era is, check the main thread here:

And here come the descriptions - more are to follow

DWARVES

MECHANIC

These dwarves are recruited for their uncanny knack for engineering. If their robotic creations are at the head of an offense, then the mechanics form the backbone, repairing oil leaks, replacing broken fuel tanks, and keeping the front line running in clockwork fashion. Even if beset by opposition they hold their own, employing their vast arsenal of tools to hold enemies at bay until their better armoured brethren come to their rescue.

TECHNICIAN

Blessed with remarkable deftness with their fingers, these Technicians refute all that demean their race as heavy handed, drunkards, and if any liquor is to found on them, then it is only within the strong spirits which they employ in continuous campaign against rust.

Despite their scarcity, they serve as important a role as the standardised teams of Mechanics, and are capable of repairing all but the most severe damage upon any mechanical unit. More importantly, such is their proficiency in their line of work that they have been able to spare time to dedicate on converting those tools that they work with into deadly weapons that are more than a match for any who attempt to harry them.

BALLOON

As the modal transport when out in the clear skies, the balloon replaces the now obsolete gryphon as the bulk of dwarfish aerial reconnaissance. Capable of more than ample speeds, they can cover virtually any terrain with ease, and with a firebomb carrying dwarf in tow, have the potential to become a major nuisance in the heat of combat. Indeed, they are risky foes to attack, and only by turning their weapons against them can one remotely hold any certainty to disposing of them.

HEAVY BALLOON

As a member of the homunculus light brigade, they are most widely used as its military arm.

Faced with the choice of sacrificing speed for strength, experienced pilots have on board an additional machine gun, yet another piece of futuristic gadgetry used to strike down their foes from afar. Although inaccurate, the machine gun is possessed with a seemingly unnatural speed, reaping death among the enemy ranks. As it draws closer, and the advantage of long range fire is neutralised, a gunman will switch to a more contemporary form of offense, sowing seeds of destruction with explosives that are unleashed to devastating effect.

FLYING FORTRESSES

Flying Fortresses symbolise the height of dwarfish ingenuity. Looked upon as an airborne tank, a Flying Fortress employs a trio of immense rotor blades to support their flight, with the giant balloon retreating into a secondary support. As well as enabling the crew to equip themselves with larger and more powerful weapons, it has also nullified the great weaknesses previous models had against fire.

These intimidating monsters are capable of dominating the skies, unleashing their wrath upon those unfortunate enough to cross their path. If the twin powered heavy cannon fire does not spell their doom, then the chattering of the machine guns and the pounding of explosives will. Over the centuries, they have accrued a fearsome reputation, and are rightly feared by all but the strongest foe.

DWARVEN FIGHTER

Though Runists in name, very few of dwarfish kin have both have the capacity and the willingness to dedicate their existences in rune-making. Instead, many will immerse themselves in what they believe was nature's intended desire - the way of the warrior. Their dour, stout figures serve them suitably, as they learn to wield weaponry with born alacrity.

If one seeks to incur a Dwarrow's wrath, then do so at your own peril, for if any risk their lives intruding within the iron strongholds which dwarves inhabit, then they will be greeted by these foot soldiers, blade bearing warriors that are sure to fend off any attempts at assault.

RUNE ADEPT
These short but stout dwarfsmen are known as Runeadepts, forgers of fire in ancient tongue. When grouped in numbers, they are a fearsome sight to behold, and are armed with huge hammers that shatter through the enemy front lines. Though the very sight of them is intimidating enough, it is even more fearsome for the dwarven foe to see the unrelenting accuracy of their attacks, for these items of weaponary are imbued with potent forces of magic that rip through any trick aimed at hazing assault.

STRIDING MACHINE
According to gospel and dwarven myth, this branch of mechanical engineering was originally found in caves beneath the ground, remnants of a lost civilization from eons past. Whatever their origin, they have become the staple diet of dwarven military. Affixed with chunky armour plating, they prowl battlefields in search of their enemy, ready to crush them beneath their feet.

STEAM ULFSERKER
Steam Ulfserkers are the face of any serious offensive movement. Armoured and armed with steel, they cut through opposition lines with ease, for these mechanical beings hold nothing back in a assault. It results in locking the opponent in close combat, attacking in a furious frenzy that only ends when either one is dead.

RED ULFSERKER
These beings are born from a ancient tradition, when dwarves become attached to their creations, and instead of reducing robotic corpses to scrap, they are often rebuilt as stronger, faster and sturdier fighters.

The rust that forms their coat of paint is misleading, for they outstrip their younger cousins in every aspect. The additional heavy armour plating that is affixed upon them serves as a shield of sorts, and such is their inward vigour and strength, that they can turn back damage accrued through the tides of time through careful conservation of energy.
NOTE: I AM CONSTANTLY EDITING, SO THINGS MAY CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE

[Icarusvogel]

I especially admire the one about the Technician. Great work!

[artisticdude]

I'm impressed. Really excellent writing. I'm unable to read all of them at the moment (kinda in a hurry right now), but I thought I'd say this really quickly:

More importantly, such is their proficiency in their line of work that they have been able to spare time to dedicate to converting those tools that they work with

I'm not sure why, but something about all those prepositional phrases 'they have been able to spare time to dedicate to converting those tools' confuses me. I think it might be better if you only had one verb that takes 'time' as a direct object. Such as 'they have been able to dedicate their spare time to...' or 'they have been able to spare time to...' You might also want to add 'so as' or 'in order' before the last 'to', but that's just my personal opinion.

[AzuSkyLigh]

Great job on these, Cheeselord. I personally find these to be wonderful descriptions, having enough catchy lines to 'pop' out to the reader without over-doing it. Please continue on the descriptions when you can! They're coming out great so far

[CheeseLord]

Done a few more, with a couple WIPs...thanks for the comments so far, and artisticdude: thanks for pointing that out, it's now been edited Any further suggestions will be welcome!!

[johndh]

Allow me to make a few suggestions, if I may.

MECHANIC

Recruited, these dwarves have an uncanny knack for engineering.

This sentence is very unclear to me. Do you mean they're recruited because of their uncanny knack for engineering?

If their robotic creations are at the head of an offense, then the mechanics form the backbone, repairing oil leaks, replacing broken fuel tanks, and keeping the front line running in clockwork fashion.

With "are at the" and "form the", the analogy seems inconsistent to me.

Even if beset by opposition, they hold their own, employing their vast arsenal of tools to hold enemies at bay until their better armoured brethren come to their rescue.

This seems a bit choppy to me, with the sentence broken up like that. Also, you don't really need "they hold their own" as well as "hold enemies at bay", since the two are basically saying the same thing. Possible alternatives:
1. "They hold their own even if beset by opposition, employing their vast arsenal of tools to fend off the enemy until their better-armoured brethren come to their rescue."
2. "When beset by opposition, they employ their vast arsenal of tools to hold enemies at bay until their better-armoured brethren come to their rescue."

TECHNICIAN

Blessed with remarkable deftness with their fingers these Technicians refute all that demean their race as heavy handed, drunken fools, and if any liquor is to found on them, then it is only within the strong spirits which they employ in continuous campaign against rust.

The first part seems a little better than the "with, with" construct, and breaking it into two sentences might help it read better. Plus, while some may think of dwarves as heavy-handed and drunken, I don't know how many think of them as fools. How about "With their remarkably deft fingers, these Technicians refute all that demean their race as heavy-handed drunkards. In fact, if any liquor is to found on them, it is only within the strong spirits which they employ in a continuous campaign against rust."

Despite the scarcity of numbers, they serve as much a role as the standardised teams of Mechanics, and are capable of repairing all but the most severe damage upon any mechanical unit.

"Despite the scarcity of numbers their scarcity, they serve as much important a role as the standardised standard(?) teams of Mechanics, ..."

HEAVY BALLOON

As a member of the homunculus light brigade, they are most widely used as its military arm.

Faced with the choice of sacrificing speed for strength, experienced pilots have on board an additional machine gun, yet another piece of futuristic gadgetry used to strike down their foes from afar. Although inaccurate, the machine gun is possessed with a seemingly unnatural speed, reaping death among the enemy ranks. As it draws closer, and the advantage of long range fire is neutralised, a gunman will switch to a more contemporary form of offense, sowing seeds of destruction with explosives that are unleashed to devastating effect.

"Reaping death"?

FLYING FORTRESSES

Flying Fortresses symbolise the height of dwarfish ingenuity. Looked upon as an airborne tank, a Flying Fortress employs a trio of immense rotor blades to support their flight, with the giant balloon retreating into a secondary support. As well as enabling the crew to equip themselves with larger and more powerful weapons, it has also nullified the great weaknesses previous models had against fire.

These intimidating monsters are capable of dominating the skies, unleashing their wrath among those unfortunate enough to cross their path. If the twin powered heavy cannon fire does not spell their doom, then the chattering of the machine guns and the pounding of explosives will. Over the centuries, they have accrued a fearsome reputation, and are rightly feared by all but the strongest foe.

"These intimidating monsters are capable of dominating the skies, unleashing their wrath among upon those unfortunate enough to cross their path."

In general, Wesnoth descriptions leave out references to anything that wouldn't be familiar to a local. Notice how the Thunderer's description never makes use of the words "gun" or "firearm", so calling something a flying tank would probably be inappropriate unless this era is set in a time where tanks and machine guns are known things.

[Drakefriend]

The Warriors now use swords and guns, not axes.

[Icarusvogel]

In general, Wesnoth descriptions leave out references to anything that wouldn't be familiar to a local. Notice how the Thunderer's description never makes use of the words "gun" or "firearm", so calling something a flying tank would probably be inappropriate unless this era is set in a time where tanks and machine guns are known things.

A suitable alternative to "tank" may be "battleship" or "dreadnought".