"Yes my son, Tilea is where you must go!' my father said, 'For from the city of Miragliano, the famous freebooter El Cadavo sets sail this very week upon a voyage to the west, to win new kingdoms and explore lands no man has ever visited before!"
- —Fleugweiner Sonderblitz, Lustrian Adventurer
A Grisly Mercenary of Fortune
The Dogs of War is a polite catch-all term to generally describe Mercenaries from all across the known World. They are hired and paid to fight against any if not all the nations of the Old World.
These warriors come from all backgrounds, some hail from the Empire of Man, others as far north as Norsca, some as far to the east as the Ogre Kingdoms and then those across the sea from Lustria, with all types of races fulfilling the role as Mercenaries. These Mercenary companies, although coming from different backgrounds, fight without rancor for whoever can meet their often exorbitant cost. The Empire and Tilea are the best known nations that extensively use Mercenaries in their battles. However, it is universally known that most Mercenary companies are unreliable and would easily turn on their employers should someone else pay a high price for their services.
Most Bretonnian armies all but refuse to hire mercenaries, considering them dishonorable, and instead used mostly levies as a form of easy cannon-fodder for their armies. On the other extreme are the Tilean city-states which simply don't have a regular army at all, employing whole mercenary armies composed of several different companies. These armies are sometimes even commanded by an experienced mercenary general. In the Empire, the standing of mercenaries seems to vary; skilled and professional free companies tend to be respected by most Imperial commanders while disorganized or unwilling rabble is often despised and hunted.
Although they are mostly soldier of fortune, some generals will never utilize the services of some Mercenaries. For instance, the Elves, Imperials and Kislevites, despising the taint of Chaos, and will never fight alongside Beorg Bearstruck and his Norsemen maruaders. Just as no self-respecting Dwarf would ever fight alongside a company of Orcish Mercenaries under Ruglud Bonechewers. But for all intents and purposes, greed has often overcome any persons own principles.
List of Dogs of War Companies
In the tabletop game, all these units are available to all warhammer players, however lore wise, some of these units aren't Mercenary but Heroes or special character's set in the Warhammer World and thus aren't considered mercenaries in the lore.
- Al Muktar's Desert Dogs
- Asarnil the Dragonlord
- Beorg Bearstruck and the Bearmen of Urslo
- Birdmen of Catrazza
- Braganza's Besiegers
- Bronzino's Galloper Guns
- Dark Emissary of Albion
- Fen Beast - only together with Dark Emissary or Truthsayer of Albion
- Giants of Albion
- Golgfag's Ogres
- Gotrek and Felix
- Johan and Wilhelm
- Leopold's Leopard Company
- Long Drong's Slayer Pirates
- Lumpin Croop's Fighting Cocks
- Malakai Makaisson's Goblin hewer
- Marksmen of Miragliano
- Mengil Manhide's Manflayers
- Oglah Khan's Wolfboyz
- Pirazzo's Lost Legion
- Ricco's Republican Guard
- Ruglud's Armoured Orcs
- The Alcatani Fellowship
- The Cursed Company
- Tichi-Huichi's Raiders
- Truthsayer of Albion
- Vespero's Vendetta
- Voland's Venators
Source
- Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War -- pg 4 - 24
- Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition) -- pg 39