Dweghom: Conquest's dwarves with attitude

By Troy Hill

Created by the dragons to be a subservient race, the Dweghom became anything but! Punished for rebelling, forced to delve deep into the bowels of Eӓ, the subjugated became the hunters when they unlocked the very prison of the demigod War!

The game of Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings (TLAOK) provides new and interesting takes on common fantasy races, and I’ve started–and mostly finished– building a third army for the game.

The Dweghom were one of the first factions created for Para Bellum’s Fantasy rank-n-flank game. They currently sit awaiting a faction rules update, which is coming in September, when the company releases the last of this year’s rules updates. I started collecting them to build a low meta army for TLAOK. Knowing their glow-up in the rules is about to hit, I’m worried that their play style may become more complicated than the sweet-spot (for me) they currently sit at.

This is not a look at competitive army builds, since the new faction rules are only a few weeks away. Instead, I’ll present the lore and the background of the faction and units.

Some TLAOK players currently have the Dweghom shelved due to the simplistic nature of the faction, with only one major theme that is competitive at tourney level. But, that’s part of their charm for me. I usually get into the army for play-style, model design and aesthetic, and the lore. The current iteration check all three for me.

This piece will look at the lore and the units of one of the original core factions of Conquest. Since the faction is about to receive a major rework, I’ll concentrate on the lore and character of the army while we await the new rules.

*Fall of the Dragons, by Para Bellum Games*

Conquest’s World of Eӓ

Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings is a rank-and-flank style fantasy miniature game set on the world of Eӓ. This world was formed as the Primordial deities Creation fought Destruction. Their sibling Balance created the world of Eӓ to serve as a magical prison for destruction. The lore of the world is rich and deep, and detailed in a beautiful new book, Conquest Lore Companion, available in both hardcover and softcover.

The lore of the world mixes new takes on classic fantasy races, with human-centric factions based heavily on historical cultures from Earth. The City States faction borrows heavily from Sparta and Greek culture, the Hundred Kingdoms are loosely based on Europe’s medieval feudalism, the Sorcerer Kings draws inspiration from the Arabian Nights, while the new Yoroni draw from Feudal Japan mythology.

*The skeletal remains of a Hold Raegh sit atop an ironclad drake. Once earned, the privilege of riding a drake cannot be denied, even in death.*

One faction, The Old Dominion, combines the fantasy role of Undead with Earth’s Byzantine empire. This is appropriate since they were created in the fall of the human’s god Hazlia. The Romanesque culture of The Dominion collapsed in the death throws of the deity.

For the fantasy side, the Spires, visitors to Eӓ through an intergalactic portal, fill the role of Elves in a dark and twisted way with their command of Biomancy. Another side of their race, the Weavers will debut this fall (Sept & Oct 2025) filling the nature-elves faction. The W’adrhun, a warlike race of creatures created by the Spires fill the Orc slot. They get to ride dinosaurs, another creation from the Spires’ dark biology spawning magic.

And finally, my newest army: The Dweghom–the race that fills the dwarven slot.

History of the Dweghom

Image of young dragons attacking the spires fortresses. — *Young dragons assault the spires, and ending this war, the Dragons learn Biomancy, and create the Dweghom race.*

You might remember the mention of Creation and Destruction warring, and their sibling Balance eventually imprisoning Destruction and his four horsemen (Death, War, Famine, and Conquest) on Eӓ. Balance had aid in that from the Celestial Dragons. Eventually these dragons assumed corporeal form on the planet, watching over the magical prison.

After a war with the newly arrived exiles from another world, the Spires, the dragons learned biomancy from the inter-galactic exiles. The Dweghom were created by the Dragons as a race of sturdy and thick humanoids, genetically engineered to be slaves to the Dragons.

The dragons gifted their slave race with genetic Memory, where each was born knowing the skills and history they needed to know. This included the idea that the Dweghom were to faithfully serve their masters. Each had an affinity to the elements of fire and earth. Their craftsmanship for forging and bending metals, and in shaping and stone is unmatched.

But some of the Dweghom were able to break free of the idea of servitude. They did not condone their race’s slavery and led rebellion after rebellion against their masters. The leaders, when caught, were put to death.

The rebellious ancestors of the current Dweghom that were not killed were sent to the lowest tunnels to break their spirits, and their backs mining. But the hardiest survived, and uncovered the magical tomb of Destruction, one of the prime gods of the universe. With him were entombed his four horsemen of the apocalypse.

The surly ancestors devised a way to break one of the horsemen loose, back into the universe, trapping some of their own within the tomb in its place. And thus, War was unleashed upon Eӓ, and the Dweghom became the chosen race of Destruction’s horseman, infused with the very magical essence of the demigod they freed.

The rebels who survived the breaking of War’s tomb returned to their old draconic masters and began a war against the Dragons. This time, they prevailed.

The Dweghom who survived the breaking of the tomb were filled with the fire and spirit of War. Their very beings actually channeling magical fire. If they don’t learn to control it, they will be consumed by it.

Hence, the sorcerers of the Dweghom specialize in fire and earth magic.

Aghm

Dweghom, now infused both with genetic memory and with the spirit and magic of War, are constantly at war with other races, and even between their own clans. To earn honor in battle, honor as a Dweghom, is to earn Aghm. The hold Raeghs are not only fierce warriors, but also those with much accrued Aghm.

image of models in a First Blood game — *Para Bellum produces rules for two games, and the models can be used in either. Here, the Dweghome face off against the Nords in a Conquest: First Blood game. Image by Para Bellum*

The Creeds

Dweghom have three creeds or philosophical divisions: The Clans, The Ardent, and The Tempered.

The Clans are very vanilla under the current rules, and every Dweghom player in the game hopes for a strong update to the Clans creed. Currently, there is no set of rules for the Clans Creed, limiting the Hold Raegh warlord in it’s meta-synergies.

The Ardent are those who charged headfirst into breaking the tomb of War. Those seeking to gain power within this creed, descend into the very bowels of the planet, seeking the Delve where War’s tomb was breached.

The Tempered strive more for a balance of power within the Dweghom body and culture. They try to temper the influence of War’s destruction within their natures.

Close up of Dweghom models with flame cannons — The Fireforged are some of the Dweghom who channel their elemental energy through shoulder mounted flame cannons. Despite looking very cool, these are one of the most annoying units in the faction to line up on their stands.

The Units and Characters

At the time of writing this article, we’re about two months away from the Dweghom getting a major revision in the core rules. Parabellum chooses one or two armies per year to revamp the rules for. This time, it’s the Dweghom. New rules should be revealed in the upcoming “Happy Hour” on Twitch with Para Bellum staff. (They’ll also cover the rules for the new faction they’ve just announced, the Weavers.)

Instead of giving you a run down of the meta behind the army, I’ll give a brief overview of the various regiments and monsters in the force. Remember, their stats, powers, and roles in the army may radically change in September 2025. I will try to return to this piece and revise it after the new rules drop.

Characters:

Hold Raegh: The big boss of the clan hold. A skilled warrior. He’s the only character (currently) who can field and ride the Ironclad Drake.

Sorcerers: Tempered Sorcerer, Tempered Steelshaper, and Ardent Kerawegh. Fairly self-explanatory. The Tempered sorcerer is the current choice for Warlord in the competitive list.

Model of The Ancestor character, a Brute sized metal automaton for the spirit of the the Dweghome ancestor. — *The ancestor, from Para Bellum’s website.*

The Ancestor: When the rebellious ancestors delved deep into Ea, and discovered the tomb of War, freeing the demigod meant some of the ancestors would be sucked into the magical prison. Those souls have found a way to project beyond the tomb, and their spirits inhabit steel shells mimicking Dweghom in form, but larger. Their spirits project forth and animate the construct, allowing them to earn Aghm in battle.

This is one of the newer models, and I don’t yet have one in my collection. Under the current rules the spirit rising from the brute-sized automaton does not affect line of sight over the steel brute. This is one of Para Bellum’s Artisan Series of finely crafted sculpts.

Monsters:

Drakes: What’s a drake? Well, it’s the offspring of too much breeding by the dragons. Their lineages eventually devolved into wingless drakes of limited intelligence. More beast of burden, than their ancestors. The Dweghom have learned to master them, instead of destroying them.

Ironclad Drake: As the name implies, when the Dweghom field such a beast, they clad it in stout and strong iron armor. Hold Raegh earn the privilege of riding such a beast into battle. And once earned, you never give up the privilege, not even in death. That’s why there is a former Raegh’s skeleton sitting in the throne. (photo higher up in this story).

Hellbringer drake model, with flame cannons attached to the drake. — The Hellbringer Drake is the preferred mount for the Tempered Sorcerer Warlord. From atop his steed, he can fire both spells, and magical flame energy across the battlefield. This model was purchased “used” and was missing the crew. I’ve replaced them with 3D printed models. The tempered sorcerer is a Para Bellum model that adds a bit of Aghm to any player fielding it.

Hellbringer Drake: The other type of drake is the Hellbringer Drake. This drake is outfitted with twin fire cannons fueled each by a Dweghom flame berserker. Usually, the Tempered Sorcerer will climb on the steed and add his fire to their. Riding the drake also increase the sorcerer’s height rating, allowing him to have unobstructed line of sight across most troops and some terrain.

A giant stone automaton ridden by a steelshaper sorcerer. — *Crafted by Steelshapers, these giant automatons use stone and crystal matrices and channel energy from the steelshaper sorcerer riding atop them.*

Stoneforged: The third monster is a hulking stone humanoid-behemoth piloted by a Steelshaper.

Infantry Units

A unit of flame berseerkers — *Flame Berserkers (one of the older kits in the range)*

Dweghom who have learned to channel their innate fire abilities become either Flame Berserkers, or Magma Forged. Both have the aura of death special rule, which means their fire causes wounds to their opponents who are in base contact with them.

*Magma-Forged. One of the new Dual Kits. You can also build a newer version of the Flame Berserkers, instead of the Magma Forged.*

There are several types of generic warriors. From Initiates with honking big shields and polearms, to Wardens, Dragon Slayers, and Hold Thanes. Ranged fighters include the mundane Hold Ballistae (crossbowmen), and the Fireforged, using their innate fire abilities to channel firebolt through shoulder mounted cannons (see photo higher up in story).

Dweghom version of Crossbowmen — *Hold Ballistae crossbowmen. One of the older kits. Despite carrying heavy shields, they currently qualify as one of the two light regiments in the force.*

Any unit with “Hold” in their name are primarily from the Clans part of the faction, and are at home in the Hold Raegh’s Warband as mainstay units.

Hold Warriors: Your vanilla block of Dweghome fighters with shields. The best thing about them is their ability to add an officer for varying points cost. These officers bring a special bonus to the unit. My favorite is the Herald of Magma, which give the unit Aura of Death 4, for 25 points. They are also one of the few units currently with a Vanguard bonus as they double march onto the field of battle.

A Herald of Fire officer is also a good choice, allowing the Tempered Sorcerers’ fire spells to target enemy units in base contact with this unit, regardless of range or line of sight from the sorcerer. Hold Thanes are basically tougher versions of Hold Warriors. I’m waiting on the rules revamp to see how viable they become before I build mine.

Dweghom Hold Warriors — *Hold Warriors. I do like the character the sculptor has infused the shields with.*

Light units are basically Hold Ballistae and the Flame Berserkers. I can see the Berserkers as light, since fire burns in their very essence. But the crossbowmen, carrying their large and bulky shields look to be anything but. However, the way the game plays currently, the Dweghom need a couple of light units, especially one with ranged weapons.

A unit of dragonslayers — *Dragonslayers, from the Para Bellum website.*

Dragon Slayers are fully armored in metal armor quenched in their foes blood from the time of the Dragon wars. They are in a tough spot in the current meta. This faction is overloaded with tough fighting units. And this one is not only Heavy in armor, but also in classification.

In the Ardent Creed, the zealots of War, those Dweghom who seek to rise in power, harnessing their own inner fire, form the Initiates. They await their turn to descend into the deep delves and complete their pilgrimage to War’s former prison. Paired together as polearm and shield-bearer, this stout unit is one of the key anvils.

Dweghom Initiates... carrying tower shields in the front rank, and long polearms in the rear rank — *Preparing for the Ardent creed pilgrimage to the deep delves, these initiates seek to gain Aghm by battle. This is one of the better anvil units in the force.*

Wardens are another of the Ardent Creeds units. These elite fighters charge into combat with double weapons. Pricier in points than the vanilla Hold Warriors, these fighters are better in almost every way than the HW. However, they currently lack the ability to add an officer.

Typically tasked with patrolling the mines and tunnels of – and beneath – the holds, these wardens pride themselves on their combat abilities. They relish the chance to prove their metal and earn aghm on the surface whenever battle is imminent.

Brutes

Several main units of brutes exist. Two are new, and have rules that are sure to change with the new faction rules this fall.

Steelforged are automatons that are powered by flux magic. This gives them a draw event of either +2 to their clash or their attack characteristic each round.

Steelforged models — *Each Steelforged brute houses a Dweghome with an overabundance of elemental energy. Sorcerers graft steel to the dweghom, turning them into magically powered automatons ready to protect their holds.*

Infernal Automata are constructs from when Dragons ruled Eӓ. Each construct houses a demonic entity that fights to protect their masters. Now controlled by the Dweghom, these beasts also have an aura of death special ability.

Infernal Automata models — *Copied from a design created by their former Draconic Masters, Tempered Steelshapers now infuse these automata with demonic energy, and set them loose on the battlefield.*

The Lost, and The Found: Among the original rebels to free War, many Dweghom were “lost” in the cataclysm of freeing a demigod. Well, those were once thought lost have been found. Fed with primordial energy, these massive brutes are the result of generations of growth and hardening. Carrying War’s fire or weaponry as part of their bodies, the can fill either a melee (The Lost) or a Missile (the Found) role.

A unit of Found warriors, Brute sized Dweghome with blast cannons for heads — *The Found for the Dweghom, new models from Para Bellum.*

The lore behind the game’s various factions is deep, and the website is just a taste of story of Eӓ. The Dweghom sit in a key position in the history of the world, and provide a good range of units, magic, and monsters.

Right now (July 2025) the faction has a low level of meta-synergies, and is a great army to pick up to learn the mechanics of the game, while not having to learn a huge amount of piloting the force through combos of special rules and innate abilities or magical spells.

Some of the sculpts in the army are dated. The Flame Berserkers have been redone, as a dual kit (build either-or) with the Magma Forged. Above, the photo of the Flame Berserkers are the old kit, and the Magma-Forged are the new kit. And, like almost all of the armies in the Para Bellum range, the Dweghom don’t quite fit nicely on their 65mm stands with four models per.

Hold Ballistae on the battlefield — *My Hold Ballistae get their range on Jeanette’s Spires.*

Although this faction fulfills the “dwarven” role in the lineup, they’re just about as tall as humans, and much stouter. So overhang on the stands can make it difficult to line up the next stand. I do wish Para Bellum would authorize a three-hole stand for their World Events. That would correct so much of the funky arrangements on the stands. I like an army that looks good on the table. And too many of Para Bellum’s factions have issues fitting four models per stand without odd angles, or looking more like an extremely friendly mosh pit than rank-and-flank.

My hope is that this role as a good army for beginning gamers, or gamers new to Conquest, continues after the reveal of the new faction rules in September.