Dwarven history?

[DarkOx55]

Hi,

I've been considering making a Dwarven campaign, largely because I've been wondering how the dwarves came to ally themselves with thieves in the Knaglan Alliance and how exactly their land came to be the ruin it was when Konrad passed through it. It seems like there's a good opportunity to tell an interesting story there.
I was just wondering if there was any previous history written about the dwarves alliance with the thieves or how their lands came under orcish occupation that's not in the Heir to the Throne campaign. I was also wondering if it would be ok to use characters such as Asheviere in the campaign.

Thanks in advance for replying,

DarkOx

[Dave]

Hi there,

Thanks for your interest in doing a campaign.

I suggest posting an outline of your proposed storyline, and you'll get feedback on what people think of it, and whether us developers would be happy to have a campaign that follows said storyline included with the game.

David

[Christophe33]

Good, another one who wants to make a dwarf campaign. I actually don't like the present associattion dwarf/bandits since dwarf are rather strait-lace and honorable...at least in most recent fantasy books and game. It's why I'm slowly working on making new dwarf units for a nearly dwarf only army. I'm also avoiding guns (see the dwarf crossbowman). There is enough places for two dwarf campaign, or we can collaborate on one. I will certainly appreciate helps, specially if you can do graphics or can code/implemment a few special features.
Right now I have the outline of the first 4 scenarios and the map of three of them.
My campaign is around the reconquest of the dwarven kingddom and happens a few years after the Heir of the Throne wars. In my version of the history, dwarf havestrated their decline and looses more than 500 years ago. They have beeen slowly pushed down south from their initial kingdom in the northwest mountain range. All their attempt to reccover some lands ended up failingg even thoug some had an initial success. Because of that, most dwarf are rather pessimistic. The recent reign of queen Asheviere made their situation even worse after a quite long period of quiet time. When the Heir of the Throne campaign starts, the dwarf have suffered a lot of new losses and are not much better afterward.
However, some of the dwarfs want to profit of the weakening of the Northerners and undead to try to recover some of their lands and restore their kingdom. However the elf and humans who suffered most during the war are tired off figthting and want peace, at least for some time...plus the humans still have to put back in order Wesnoth, fight the remains of loyalist (now rebels ) and many bandits that profit of period of trouble.
The central character of my campaign is a young red-hair dwarf named Damelon who is specially impatient (for a dwarf) and want to act before the northerner recover too much. The first scenario starts when hee comes back, unhappy, from a council where it was decided to wait beside a few actions to re-open the Eastern gate between what is left of the dwarf kingdom and Wesnoth.
The first scenario is outdoor with a very unhappy Damelon and his single guard/servant (dwarf fighter) and...10 gold coins.
The rest later...
Here is what I have done:
I haven't finished the graph of the leader (Damelon), I have only the lvl1 completed (with melee and range frames) as well as the lvl2 first picture.
- lvl1 and2 of the dwarf crossbowman
- a somewhat acceptable dwarf miner
- a crow (from Turin) that will act as scout (around scenario 4-5)
- A snow leopard (from Cedric), a special unit for a later scenario more in the north
- A bunch of new underground terrains.
- Young ogre and ogre almost complete animation (have to finish the rock throwing frame)

I still have to finish the units I have started plus a lvl1 berserker (later on a lvl3) as well as the dwarf runelore series of units and a bear trained for war.
Most of the units and graphic I have done for the dwarf campaign are visible in the Art&music dev section even though they might be outdated.
You are of course free to use the pictures for your own purpose.
Any help is welcome.

[Boucman]

all the units you posted on the art dev forum are now here http://wesnoth.slack.it/?GraphicLibrary

[DarkOx55]

That works out well, Christophe 'cause I was planning to do a campaign about ten years or so before the Orc/Wesnoth battle at the Ford of Abez, so about 25 years before the events of the Heif to the Throne campaign. If we put the two togeather, we could probably end up with something covering the Dwarve's loss of their nation entirely (i.e. when the Orcs came and all but took over Knagla, as it is in Heir to the Throne) all the way up to them re-gaining it in your own campaign (so, there might be years in between each scenario creating the feel of a more long-term struggle for freedom).

Here's the plot that I was planning:
Tensions are rising between Wesnoth and the Orcs, and both nations are preparing for a possible war. At the time, Wesnoth is dependant on steel mining operations in the north to supply its armies with armour and weapons. Unfortunatly, these mining operations are being done too fast and too carelessly and threaten to collapse one of the mountains being strip-mined. This mountain also holds a dwarven temple, and the dwarves feel they must save it at all costs.
Unable to get a message to King Garard, the dwarves take matters into their own hands and attack the Wesnothian mining operations, cutting them off from the vital supplies they need for their military. Seeking to take advantage of the situation, the Orcs decree that they will see any miltary excursion northward by Wesnoth as a threat and justification for war. They say they will only meet with the King and only Delfador (whom they fear) is not present.
This creates a crisis in Wesnoth, one which is "solved" by Asheviere saying she will go alone to meet the Orcs and Dwarves.
She does not go alone, secretly taking some soldiers with her and attacks the Dwarves, wiping out the centre of their resistance. She then goes to parlay with the Orcs who gladly overlook the presence of some of the Wesnothian military and agree to her terms. Under their agreement, Knagla is anyone's land for the taking, and the Orcs are eager to take.

The main characters of the campaign were going to be a thief (who hears about the Queen going north unguarded and plans to kidnap her for randsom. He's in for a nasty surprise) and a dwarven girl who tries to honour her dead father's memory by resisting the Orcish intrusions into Knagla.

Any comments or suggestions on the outlined plot would be appreciated.

DarkOx

[Combatjuan]

I really like the idea for this campaign. It fits in so well with Konrad's adventures. With regards to the two Dwarven campaigns, the alliance of human outcasts and dwarves, and the new dwarf units, that all seems to fit well too. You probably all know that the current CVS has support for different "ages" of multiplayer (which really just defines the faction/race choices.) The current Knalgan Alliance could stay for normal age, while the ancient age could hold all dwarf units. I think it'll work really well.

Can't wait!
-Charles