Thunderers

"I mean, it makes an awful stink, for Grungni's sake, and smoke everywhere, stings your eyes something rotten it does. Still, they're better than those contraptions the Manlings cart about these days...."

- Durgrim Redmane, Longbeard

Dwarf Thunderers are those Dwarfs that have been trained in the use and maintenance of a customized handgun or firearms, forming into their own dedicated regiments of armor-piercing missile infantry. It took many, many years after the Dwarfs had discovered the revolutionary use of black powder before the handgun became widely used as a weapon. Indeed, in these earlier times, these handguns were held with great suspicion by the highly conservative Dwarfs, with the earlier prototypes usually being only given to Dwarf Engineers. Now, however, nearly all the Dwarf Holds within Karaz Ankor can now field whole regiments of Thunderers -- the name given to handgun-equipped units.

Due to the cost in both creation and maintenance, handguns are usually only afford by Dwarfs of fairly high status or wealth, and as common with their race, these Dwarfs often exhibit a great degree of affection and pride in their handguns. This affection usually results in further customization to the owners preference, which usually results in Dwarf handguns being far superior in both firepower and accuracy than any other forms of firearms in the world. Although Dwarfs show great solidarity in the face of outsiders, it is commonly known that there has been a certain degree of rivalry between regiments of Thunderers and Quarrellers in many separate occasions. Given the Dwarfs bitter nature and their overzealous pride in their preferred weapon, these arguments are usually not 'good-natured'. Although not prone to acts of murder or betrayal, many a good drinking sessions often erupted into a bloody brawl when a millenia-old question gets raised, which is better: the crossbow or the handgun?

However, these rivalries are often expunged when a greater enemy threatens to destroy the Kingdom of the Dwarfs. When called into battle, these Dwarfs would marshall around their own Clan regiments and fight in a tight-formation on the battlefield. When the enemy is within sight, these Dwarfs form up into ranks where each row of Thunderers will take aim and unleash a murderous barrage of armor-piercing bullets with deadly precision. Being methodical, the Dwarfs continue to load and fire in a highly deciplined manner, so long as their foes are within range of their gunfire.

Even when the enemy is right on top of them, these Dwarfs would seek to get off one last shot before they drop their guns and equip their Axes. In short time, these Dwarfs would transform into a shield-wall of axe-bearers whom are just as durable as a regiment of Dwarf Warriors.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (8th Edition) -- pg 39