"We will remake the world into our domain, a land of cinder-ash and the blackened bones of our enemies, until only we remain and those broken bodies that cower at our feet."
- —Astragoth Ironhand [1c]
Astragoth Ironhand, High Priest of Hashut and the oldest living Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer-Prophet
Astragoth Ironhand, High Priest of Hashut, the minor Chaos God of fire, greed and tyranny, is the oldest living and perhaps the most powerful Chaos Dwarf sorcerer-prophet.[2a]
Astragoth Ironhand was once the most potent sorcerer-prophet to walk the lands of the Dawi-Zharr in a thousand years. Now his powers have begun to wane as his body slowly succumbs to the petrification of the Curse of Stone that claims all Daemonsmiths. A decade ago he constructed a steam-driven mechanical device by which he is transported from place to place.[1a]
History[]
"It is forever dark under the sun here at the heart of the world. The smell of sulphur and of burning oil fills the air. The cracking of whips and the wailing of the slaves drowns out the clatter of machinery. This is the future. One day Hashut shall rise from his slumber and trample the world beneath his brazen hooves. The dead shall outnumber the living and those that remain shall be dragged in chains to the pits of Zharr to toil for the greater glory of Hashut. And all will be blessed Darkness."
- —From the prophecies of Astragoth, High Priest of Hashut[3a]
Banner of the Chaos Dwarf army known as the Disciples of Hashut commanded by Astragoth Ironhand in Total War: Warhammer III.
Astragoth is ancient beyond measure, the part-petrified form of the High Priest of Hashut betokening his status as the oldest living sorcerer-prophet of Zharr-Naggrund. When Astragoth Ironhand was at the height of his powers he was the most potent Chaos Dwarf sorcerer-prophet to walk the Plain of Zharrduk in a thousand years. Now, at last, his powers have begun to wane, the result of the growing petrification of his body caused by the Curse of Stone that claims all Daemonsmiths as magic-using Dwarfs. His legs have long ceased to work and even his hands have now turned completely to rigid stone.[1b][1c][2a][4a][5]
Astragoth has defied death by gradually grafting mechanical devices to his body to replace those limbs that have turned to stone as a result of his cursed experiments in Hashut's name. A decade ago, he constructed a mechanical device by which he is transported from place to place, and his completely petrified hands have been replaced by similar machinery. Now, he is likely more machine than Dwarf. These sorcerous mechanisms and infernal engines were constructed by his slaves to a design created by Astragoth himself, and combine the undoubted engineering skills of the Chaos Dwarf race with twisted, dark science and Dark Magic.[1b][1c][2a][4a][5]
Centuries ago, Astragoth was responsible for the internal exile of Drazhoath the Ashen to the Black Fortress, when Drazhoath was just a minor Daemonsmith.[1c] Since then, he has become a bitter rival to Astragoth, although the Ashen's voice holds little sway with the Tower of Zharr and none with Astragoth himself.[1a]
Total War: Warhammer III[]
Astragoth Ironhand leads the armies of the Dawi-Zharr against their foes in the Dark Lands.[4a]
In the PC game Total War: Warhammer III, the various lords of the Chaos Dwarfs' ruling Conclave, including Astragoth Ironhand, are in search of one thing: the Blood of Hashut, an alchemical substance that ignites metal on contact, bursting it into molten flame. To acquire it by drilling deep into the earth where the veil between realities grows thin, the Chaos Dwarfs must build the Great Drill of Hashut.[4a]
To build this arcane machine, the Chaos Dwarfs must collect and corrupt four Dwarfen artefacts. They intend to bind these to Daemons, forging them into components required for the construction of this hellish drill. Once complete, they intend to dig into the fabric of reality and breach Hashut's domain in the Realm of Chaos to obtain the blood of their god.[4a]
But...the Chaos Dwarfs' hated western kin hold grudges. They are not happy about their precious heirlooms being tainted with the forces of Chaos. And they will seek vengeance.[4a][5]
Personality[]
Astragoth Ironhand overseeing legions of Orc Labourers.
The most feared figure within the great conclave of Hashut's priesthood is the high priest himself. Astragoth excels in the politics of the capital city of Zharr-Naggrund, able to muster more influence there than any other Dawi-Zharr, making him all the more difficult to usurp. There may be no leader nor formal hierarchy amongst the sorcerer-prophets, but the strongest voice belongs to the oldest and most powerful, for Chaos Dwarfs respect age and knowledge just as much as other Dwarfs. Yet, while Astragoth remains the most powerful of the Conclave of Sorcerers, he is not immune to its machinations nor assignments.[4a][5][6a]
In his mind, however, Astragoth speaks for all the Chaos Dwarfs, for he is Zharr-Naggrund's legitimate ruler, and master of all he surveys. He is possessed of a piercing intellect, and every weakness, no matter how well hidden, is clear to him, as are many ways to exploit them to his own advantage. He permits only the strongest and best among his throng to serve him.[4a]
Wargear and Abilities[]
Despite his partial petrification, Astragoth strides at the head of the forces of the Chaos Dwarfs in battle. Astragoth is encased within a frame-like mechanism that enables him to walk at speeds greater than any other Chaos Dwarf despite his increasingly petrified limbs, as well as providing him with additional armoured protection from attacks and enhanced combat prowess. The steam-driven pistons of Astragoth's transport have replaced his muscles and sinews, allowing him to strike his enemies with mechanical force.[2a][4a][5][6a]
Though the mechanical nature of Astragoth's body presents certain restrictions, such as a maximum speed or its elaborate design preventing him from riding mounts, he has ways to overcome these limitations. For example, continued impacts against set targets can send his mechanised arms into overdrive, allowing him to pound, smash and stab faster than flesh and bone would permit, then do it all over again. Thus, in a mark of diabolical ingenuity, murder itself drives the machine, so the more it kills, the more it can kill.[2a][4a][5]
As a Chaos Dwarf sorcerer-prophet, he can carry up to four magical items, such as his Black Hammer of Hashut and Stone Mantle. Clad in his full panoply and mounted on his mechanised assembly, Astragoth combines his augmented martial might with potent sorcery. Indeed, the very need for his many mechanical substitutions is evidence of how deeply Astragoth is entrenched in the dark sorcery of Hashut. He is a capable practitioner of both his patron god's lore of magic as a Daemonsmith and the Lore of Fire. His terrible powers are gained through equally terrible acts of dark sacrifice, and through these darkly enchanted means he has gleaned great knowledge, albeit at the cost of his now basalt body.[4a][4a][5]
- Black Hammer of Hashut - This black-shafted warhammer bears the horned rune of Hashut, and has been carried into battle for centuries by the Chaos Dwarf champions of Zharr-Naggrund.[4a]
- Stone Mantle - The Stone Mantle is one of Astragoth's most powerful talismans, an artefact whose true age is known only to a few. Taking the appearance of a hardy cloak, it was created from the flayed, greying flesh of apprentice Daemonsmiths who failed Astragoth. The Stone Mantle both preserves Ironhand's chosen and reminds them of the price of failure.[4a]
Miniatures[]
Videos[]
Sources[]
- 1 Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos (8th Edition)
- 2 Warhammer Armies: Chaos Dwarf (4th Edition)
- 2a: pg. 64
- 3: White Dwarf 203 (UK)
- 3a: pg. 74
- 4: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 4a: Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs DLC
- 5: Total War Blog - Welcome to the Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs: Introducing Astragoth Ironhand
- 6: White Dwarf 185 (UK)
- 6a: pg. 37