The Great Book of Grudges
The Great Book of Grudges (also known as the Dammaz Kron in the Dwarf language) is an ancient book passed down through the ages from one Dwarfen High King to the next. It is essentially a record of all the terrible wrongs and treacherous deeds ever perpetrated against the Dwarf race, amounting to a very detailed recorded history of the Dwarfs.
The Great Book of Grudges is written in the blood of High Kings and only they have the authority to add new grudges or strike out grudges that have been avenged. It is currently held by the reigning High King, Thorgrim Grudgebearer.
Being a symbol of the absolute lordship of the Dwarf High Kings, the Great Book of Grudges is kept secret from the eyes of other races. In fact, few members of the outside world have even seen the tome, save for a small number of scribes from the Empire, only allowed access because of the longstanding alliance between the Empire and the Dwarfs.
Dwarfs aren't the only folk who hold grudges. Tileans believe in the almost supernatural power of Vendetta, whereby a blood oath is sworn to see an enemy slain for some past grievance. But unlike a Dwarf's grudge a Vendetta can't find an end, even after retribution.[2a]
Notable Grudges
- Apparently, the individual who has earned the most entries in the book of grudges is Skarsnik, the infamous Night Goblin warlord and self-styled Lord of the Eight Peaks.
- 437 Grudges against Caledor II.[1a]
- The Doom of Kazad Grund. An entry referring to the fall of the city of Kazad Grund due to the assault of a Greenskin Waaagh!.[4a]
- Thurak Grumestoker has recorded a grudge against a gobbo with particularly brittle teeth who, while being punched numerous times in the face, did cause him the loss of one eye due to dental splintering.[3a]
- A grudge against the Bretonnian known as Étienne Gravois for needlessly wasting the valuable time of Dwarf longbeards with pointless formalities.[3b]
- A great grudge against the name of Jacques Pouliard for his heinous slandering of fine dwarf ale. His insistence on a wine drinking competition forced Rangor Twinecrest to consume upwards of three bottles of the sickly substance, time that could have been far better spent quaffing some fine dwarfen brews. It is noted in the Book of Grudges that Pouliard was last seen misty-eyed beneath the negotiation table, babbling in his incoherent tongue. This grudge shall stand until Pouliard or his clan acknowledge the superiority of dwarf-made ale.[3b]
Notable Books of Grudges
Thundrumm's Dragonback Book of Grudges
Thundrumm's Dragonback Book of Grudges of Lord Thundrong Thundrumm is the name of the book of grudges now stored in Barak Varr.[5a]
Lord Thundrong Thundrumm alludes to an axe, forged in the Dragonback Mountains, and now held by the Dwarfs of Karaz-a-Karak after the great shame of Ekrund. It says that the name of the true bearer of the axe was Grimdrang Thundrumm, and mentions a ruined stone circle in the Marshes of Madness, allegedly the source of great shame.[5a]
It also mentions a list of 'grudged' names which are so old it's hard to tell whether the book refers to people, places, battles, rivers etc. Those legible are Nagash, Quatar, Numas, Khemri, Van Damneg, Settra and Arkhan. The Dwarfs of Barak Varr don't know any of these names, but say that others might in Karaz-a-Karak.[5a]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer: Grudgelore
- 1a: pg. 46
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 2a: pg. 73
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Book of Grudges (3rd Edition)
- 4: Inferno 2 (Magazine)
- 4a: pp. 30-32
- 5: Warhammer Quest: Catacombs of Terror (RPG)
- 5a: pg. 32
- Rise of the Horned Rat (Novel) by Guy Haley
- Thorgrim (Novel) by David Guymer
