Dwarven Ballistae
All the various dwarven folk have a reputation as masters of engineering and machines, and the dwarves of the Ered Luin are no different. Their mines are powered with systems of wheels and pulleys powered by rushing streams and their holds are lit with sunlight directed through mirrored shafts. Some of these marvels they have shared with us in Annúminas, and their works have raised the centuries-long restoration of this fair city to completion in less time than it would take to raise a child to adulthood. Many more of their intricacies remain secret, and all manner of wondrous devices must lay hidden deep in their holds. Some even claim that there are some devices in the old ruins of Nogrod that still run, turning deep in the dark since the First Age, but this must be an impossible exaggeration.
Their skill in the craft of machines extends as well to warfare. While they are a proud folk who favour a solid axe to any engine, there are times when the utility of such devices cannot be denied. Their main engine of war is a ballista, a powerful yet compact crossbow that launches projectiles with deadly force. While the walls of Annúminas and Minas Tirith are studded with trebuchets, they cannot be carried far on campaign, nor even moved to aim, while the entire machine can be carried by two stout dwarves, along with the ammunition. It is ideal for use in the tight tunnels of a dwarf hold, where swinging arms and lobbed boulders could never fit. A bolt from one of these ballistae can pierce the hide of a troll at 300 paces, or skewer several orks in a row, and the whole machine takes up no more bulk than a handcart - truly a marvel of dwarven ingenuity.
- From The Chronicles of Annúminas by Morwen the Chronicler, 21st year of the Fourth Age.
(Ballista is a Warlord Games plastic, crew are converted Conqueror Models Dwarves)
Their skill in the craft of machines extends as well to warfare. While they are a proud folk who favour a solid axe to any engine, there are times when the utility of such devices cannot be denied. Their main engine of war is a ballista, a powerful yet compact crossbow that launches projectiles with deadly force. While the walls of Annúminas and Minas Tirith are studded with trebuchets, they cannot be carried far on campaign, nor even moved to aim, while the entire machine can be carried by two stout dwarves, along with the ammunition. It is ideal for use in the tight tunnels of a dwarf hold, where swinging arms and lobbed boulders could never fit. A bolt from one of these ballistae can pierce the hide of a troll at 300 paces, or skewer several orks in a row, and the whole machine takes up no more bulk than a handcart - truly a marvel of dwarven ingenuity.
- From The Chronicles of Annúminas by Morwen the Chronicler, 21st year of the Fourth Age.
(Ballista is a Warlord Games plastic, crew are converted Conqueror Models Dwarves)
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