Small in stature, but stout of heart, you would be hard pressed to find a race in Mythoss with a more fervent fan-base than the dwarves. In this “Races of Mythoss” feature, we will look at this race, including their history in the Realm of Mythoss and the various dwarven warriors who have appeared in the line thus far. So set down your battle axe and grab a tankard of ale ye’ dwarven fans, this one is for you!
Regarding the Dwarven Race
The dwarves of Mythoss are interesting in many ways, including the fact that they are one of the few races whose allegiances span nearly all the factions in Mythic Legions. Many of the races in Mythoss are confined, thus far at least, to a single faction. For example, the orcs and goblins are all members of the Legion of Arethyr, the vampires are all part of Illythia’s Brood, and the elves are all loyal to Xylona’s Flock. Dwarves, on the other hand, can be found in the Order of Eathyron, Xylona’s Flock, the Convocation of Bassylia, the House of the Noble Bear, and even in the evil faction of the Legion of Arethyr. This range of faction allegiances has actually helped the dwarves to become one of the most varied sub-sets of characters in the Mythic Legions line.
The First Dwarves
From the earliest days of Mythic Legions, the dwarves were a major part of our plans. At our Toypocalypse show in 2014, where we first showed the prototypes for what would become the Mythic Legions line we know today, and there were numerous dwarven-folk amidst that battle scene. At that time, these figures we simply examples of possible figure combinations that could be made with the Mythic Legions library, but once our Kickstarter launched for that “1.0 wave”, some of those dwarven designs became named Mythic Legions characters.
The very first dwarves shown on the Kickstarter page were a pair of “Legion Builders” – the Silver Dwarf and the Bronze Dwarf (whose armor is actually more black than bronze). These dwarves would eventually be revealed to be part of the Xylona’s Flock faction, along with the green-armored Orn Steelhide (a toy that was first shown at Toypocalypse). While many popular fantasy stories place dwarves in deep, dark mines, the dwarves of the Flock are unique amongst their kin, as detailed in Orn’s bio:
Hailing from the tiny Dwarven town of Emberdale deep in the Greentop Forest, Prince Orn Steelhide stands tall even amongst this unusual tribe of Dwarves. Unlike other races of Dwarves, the Emberdellians are light-footed and often spend their time moving swiftly among the treetops. Joyful and lighthearted, Orn is as comfortable leading his comrades in a raucous Emberdellian folk song as he is leading them into battle.
The other dwarves introduced in the first Mythic Legions wave all came from different factions, starting with Thord Ironjaw from the splinter faction, the House of the Noble Bear.
When Attlus the Conqueror was banished from the Army of Leodysseus, it was Thord Ironjaw who first came to his aid. With a predisposed disdain for the ancient orders and the kingdoms that bore them, Attlus’ banishment only added fuel to a fire burning deep in Thord’s soul. Together they realized that the only way to change the corrupt state of the world was to assemble a great army of their own. With Attlus’ help, Thord convinced his fellow Dwarves from the Grayvein mountains to unite and create the spark that will set the fire of a rebellion.
The blue-armored Jorund Runeshaper was the very first Mythic Legions character introduced from the Convocation of Bassylia faction. This figure was another one which was first shown at Toypocalypse. At that event, he was shown with the “bucket helmet”, but when the Kickstarter launched he instead had a newly unmasked head with a long white beard (the bucket helmet was actually included as a surprise addition to the figure once it was released). His bio detailed the unusual nature of a magic-wielding dwarf:
One of the mysterious magic wielders from the Evergray Mountains, Jorund Runeshaper is a great harnesser of the natural elements. While Dwarves are not typically known for learning the magical arts, Jorund showed great promise from a very young age. Wizened and hardened by years of conflict, he is not only a powerful warrior, but also a mentor and a guiding voice to his allies.
The next dwarf figure offered in this first wave was very different from his brethren - Bothar Shadowhorn from the Legion of Arethyr.
A distant cousin of Thord Ironjaw, Bothar Shadowhorn has little in common with his heroic kin. The Shadowhorn clan, once proudly aligned with The Army of Leodysseus, were long ago swayed by Arethyr’s promises of riches and power. Bothar’s insatiable thirst for blood is eclipsed only by his hatred of Thord, whose Ironjaw clan serves as a grim reminder of what his people once were and what they have now become.
This bio not only added an evil dwarf to the mix and put him in the Legion of Arethyr, but it also established that this clan had also once been aligned with Leodysseus, yet another faction able to claim dwarves in their ranks.
The final dwarf offered in our first Legions Kickstarter was a stretch goal and also our first exclusive Mythic Legions figure. Representing the heroic Order of Eathyron was the gold armored Sir Valgard. While his bio does not shed any additional light on the dwarven race as a whole, it does mention that he is “the first in a new wave of non-human warriors to join the faction”, which offers some interesting background on the changing face of the Order of Eathyron itself.
The Greed of the Cavern Dwarves
There would be a few waves of figures released before the dwarves returned to the line as part of the Advent of Decay wave. The primary dwarf figure offered in this wave was King Bromdenn Ironjaw, a character whose bio would add more depth to the dwarven race of Mythoss, and also detail how a once goodly clan of dwarves made some very unexpected alliances. As stated in the King’s bio:
The Dwarven kingdom of Ironhold has long prospered by transforming the metals of the Grayvein caverns into masterfully crafted weapons, while their neighbors, the cave goblins of Gobhollow, made their fortunes by trading on the caverns’ wealth of jewels and gems. They are two of Mythoss’ richest and most incompatible kingdoms, working side by side in a volatile but highly efficient balance. Seeing an opportunity to expand his fortunes, the once noble King Bromdenn has put his righteousness aside, and along with King No’glin, is steering the cavern kingdoms toward a new and dangerous deal with Gorgo Aetherblade that could lead to either a new beginning or a bitter end for his people.
This information sheds more light on the dwarves of Mythoss than anything that had come before, focusing on the same clan of dwarves whose name we first heard in the Thord Ironjaw figure's bio, and once again mentioning the Grayvien caverns/mountains. As we see here, the ruler of this clan has aligned his people not only with the Legion of Arethyr, but with their neighbors the cavern goblins. This clearly puts these dwarves on the side of evil, and the Cavern Dwarf Legion Builders, which were also released in the Advent of Decay wave, were also aligned with this dark faction. While Legion Builder figures do not include bios on their packages, it is safe to say that these warriors are the army that stands behind King Bromdenn and his greed-fueld alliances.
Interestingly, there is no mention of Thord in Bromdenn’s bio, which makes us wonder what the connection here may be? Father and son? Brothers? Cousins? What is now very interesting is the story told in Thord’s bio, which is posted above and which we will repost a sample of here. That bio states that:
With Attlus’ help, Thord convinced his fellow Dwarves from the Grayvein mountains to unite and create the spark that will set the fire of a rebellion.
One thing to remember with all these figure bios is that the stories they tell are not necessarily liner based on the waves they were released in. This means that a bio written in the 1.0 wave may, indeed, detail events that took place after the events covered in a bio from a figure in a later wave! Does this mean that the Thord’s story tells of how he and his companions in the House of the Noble Bear wrestled control of the Grayvien mountains and the Cavern Dwarves of the Ironjaw clan away from King Bromdenn? Only time will tell as the full story of Mythic Legions continues to unfold.
More Dwarven Warriors
Across subsequent waves, the ranks of the dwarven folk of Mythoss have continued to slowly grow, and the House of the Noble Bear faction has really benefitted from these new warriors!
In the Coliseum wave, we were introduced to the “devastating hammer” of Halmyr Goldentooth. The leader of the Noble Bear faction, Attlus the Conqueror, spent time in the Mercurian Coliseum and contributed to its downfall, so it makes sense that this former gladiatorial combatant would align himself with the Noble Bear himself!
Next we got the first (and thus far the only) female dwarf in the line – Ragna Stormforger. Part of the Soul Spiller wave, Ragna’s storyline introduced the Northlands and the outpost of Sjelgard, which is where one of the evil weapons of power, the Soul Spiller, was hidden away. We would later learn that this weapon would be stolen from the soldiers of Sjelgard and returned to Illythia’s Brood, allowing them to summon their dark goddess, Illythia, as detailed in the storylines from the “Illythia” wave. Ragna still has an important role to play in this unfolding drama, as detailed in her bio:
Born deep in the tundra of the Northlands, Ragna Stormforger has dedicated her life to guarding the secret outpost of Sjelgard. The soldiers of Selgard live in single-minded seclusion, and are tasked with guarding the ancient weapon known as the Soul Spiller. A recent surge of evil in Mythos has greatly increased the forces intent on obtaining the powerful relic weapons wielded by warriors of old. Ragna was one of only two survivors when Sjelgard fell to these forces. Now her only goal is to warn the rest of the world that the ancient weapon has been recaptured and has fallen into evil hands.
The final dwarven warrior offered was one who had some deep connections to the overall storyline of the dwarves of Mythoss - Torgun Redfin from the Wasteland wave.
A strict isolationist loyal to the city of Ironhold, Torgun Redfin believes only in the strength and independence of his people. It was the very loyalty that led Torgun to leave the kingdom that he cared for so deeply after his half brother, King Bromdenn Ironjaw, pledged Ironhold’s loyalty to Gorgo Aetherblade and the Legion of Arethyr. Escaping with a band of loyalists to seek refuge in Bjorngar with the House of the Noble Bear, Torgun now fights for Attlus the Conqueror in hopes of one day reclaiming Ironhold and freeing it from Arethyr’s influence.
So here we have yet another connection to King Bromdenn and the dwarves of the Greyvein mountains, as well as some foreshadowing that this mighty dwarven warrior hopes to one day overthrow his corrupted half-brother’s rule.
How will all this drama play out, and will the dwarves of the Greyvein mountains once again fight for the side of good in the war which is most certainly coming to Mythoss? Stay tuned all ye’ dwarven fans, for there is much more story (and mamy more dwarven warriors) yet to come!
Dwarves That Are Not Dwarves
As we wrap up this article, it is also worth mentioning a handful of figures which many Mythic Legions fans have used to help build out their dwarven armies, replacing the heads those figures normally have with custom heads or even some of the alternate heads found with Legions releases. These “dwarves that are not dwarves” are figures which use the dwarven body build to create different characters and races that are similar in stature, including the Bog Goblin, Boarrior, and Gonxx the goblin commander. The upcoming Helphyre Goblin and Krotos the satyr would also fall into this category. These are all figures which many dwarf fans have used over the years to satisfy their appetites for more dwarven bodies to display with their collections!
Published on 03.30.21