At the dawn of Return of Reckoning in 2015, the Barony of Nordland finds itself the target of yet another invasion by the savage Northmen. A massive horde of marauders has swarmed into Nordland under the banner of Tchar'zanek, a Champion of the Dark Gods. The Nordland provincial army, its ranks already decimated by terrible plague that is sweeping through the Empire, cannot hold against so large a force without help. Unfortunately, the provincial army is having a difficult time mustering troops in this area effectively. The plague is hampering any hopes of a swift response, leaving too few men to defend the Empire's northern borders. As they fight desperately against the overwhelming might of the warhost, the baron dispatches riders to muster as many soldiers as possible.
It is in the green hills of Nordland where Lesti, Drengk and Yorim can be found taking potshots at the local wildlife. Being inspired by the amazing Warhammer Lore, the old 226th sharpshooter regiment, the Dwarven Rifle squad and their shared love for 18th century line infantry as seen in the movie Zulu creates a chain reaction. They decided to form a guild based upon a small regiment of Thunderers hailing from the Tier 1 zone of Ekrund. Thus the 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers were born.
Instead of starting a long and, possibly, tiresome history about the Bitterstone Thunderers we thought it would be nice to allow some BT members, allies, friends and our (fr)enemies do the talking. Enjoy!
SERGEANT-MAJOR DRENGK BURLOKSSON'Following the regiment's expansion and growth, the original concept of Thunderers slowly was becoming too restrictive for a wide range of different characters at that time. Prior to the release of Tier 2, the guild reconstructed itself into a full blown regiment with melee fighters and healers, a guild for every dwarf, by dwarfs. In the weeks to follow, the Bitterstone Thunderers strived to extend and improve their reputation but it came at a price.
In those days the server wasn’t as stable as it is today and it was widely thought that we with our dwarf warband were the cause of the lag, by using our overpowered gun turrets. The flak we received from the community, Destruction and Order alike, was truly massive. That we were wrecking entire Destruction warbands wasn’t helping either.
Anyhow, eventually a developer had to step in to announce in game and on the forums that the lag caused was not to blame on the turrets. Even up to this day we refer to that period as the Age of Turrets'.
CAPTAIN LESTI ARDISSON'One of the foundation stones of the guild was and is the dwarven gunline event. It started in T1 as an approach to stop the back and forth of the player blobs between order warcamp and destro warcamp. And in ist core the idea was to compensate that the engineer allways needs his turret up so couldn‘t move a lot anyway.
Also the gunline is a total non meta build. Versus a smaller destro force the gunline can hold out for quite some time, but versus a same sized melee orientated warband it will go down. We know that and still run it for 4 years. Because if you stand in it you feel like you are in a game of warhammer tabletop, or at the battle of Rorke’s Drift. Pick the one you like more.
And that feeling is what keeps us going to hold our beards front on every damn Wednesday versus premade destro warbands.'
LONGBEARD GRAGMAOC STOUTFIRECitizens! My Name is Gragmaoc Stoutfire and I am a proud Member of BT for nearly two years now. They saved me from Tzeenches grasp and centuries of duty in the Inevitable City.
'Today I want to tell you something about the Bitterstone Engineer Uniform. We don't need to show our riches and spoils of war. We roam the plains in functional gear. I wear our uniform like a badge of honour. It shows I am part of something. Part of something big. In the field we show our colors. The blue that is known through the whole realm. The uniform that instills fear in the enemy. They see us, they run. Or they face us and die in the bullet hail. It doesn't matter if you are a veteran or a beardling in the Regiment you get clad in standard garments and the good ol Rifle and you are ready for service. Now you participate in the big goal and copter through the lands of Dwarf, Elf and Men to kill.
Now carry on citizens, until duty calls and you will be part of the 3rd Bitterstone Thunderer Regiment!'
CORPORAL DRAFI Greetings, I am Drafi and part of BT for one year now. Some may recognize me from different aspects of ROR, but always along with our guild tag because what started with a lowbie engineer evolved to me having four dwarf characters today. This would not be the case without my Dwarven brothers, who supported me in every aspect of this versatile Warhammer world, representing well-known Wednesday on the battlefield, not losing morale and holding our lines whatever happens., never forgetting that the is what drives us every single day. And being friendly and inspiring besides gameplay and competition. After more than seven years of AoR/RoR, I finally found what feels like home.
SERGEANT GWELTHAZ BREIZSSONBitterstone Thunderers.. REGROUP !
About 3 years ago now, i was roaming in High Pass with my White Lion when T3 was the last tier, at that time.
I saw this bunch of dwarfs, about a full warband on gyrocopters :
-What is this ? dwarfs
-The 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers ! replied Lesti
- That's Awesome !
The day after, i was making an IronBreaker named Gwelthaz and joined the Guild after reaching lvl 35.
We roamed since then every Wednesdays for 3 years in T3, T4. We encountered many differents Guild warbands that died one after another. We fought Krumlok and Grufrip! I started to lead a small melee squad in T4 that made me promoted to Corporal 2 years ago, and then Sergeant !
I made lot of friends in this guild i am still playing with, and even ends up partying in Arthur's boat in Denmark during my summer holidays last Year. We made special Events with Lords played by GM, we brained storm to try beating guilds WB with our dwarfs set up even if its not "Meta".We dont care dying on the field if we have a good fight, we never retreat, we never forgive, we never Forget!
We are the 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers !
CORPORAL TIBDUM BUTMERERHello brothers and sisters! I am Tibdum and i am part of this awesome guild for 17 months now. When i first started playing this game (after the full live experience) i was an introverted noob. Everything i was doing by the time i joined guild i was doing solo. PQs, RvR, Scenarios, Dungeons. The first brother and friend was Lesti. I saw his advert in LFG and i thought myself why not to join. I was thinking that i have nothing to lose. I joined, i meet Drengk, Gragmaoc and others which were online at that period. I joined the Discord and start talking since that day till now and beyond. The Bitterstone members helped me get pass the nastiest things which were happening to me in real life, were there for me, raised me up when i was down, motivated me when i was depressed and were present when i needed someone more than ever.
And there was I.. first a beardling, after a thunderer. Days passed and brothers saw that i am eager to do PvE, i am dedicated to it and i like the lore. So they made me a coroporal and placed me a seat on the officers table. I was not Tibdum the Thunderer anymore. I was Tibdum, the Ekrund Expedition organizer and founder and since that thay i made a vow to train, help and represent the guild in all the Dungeons from the game,current and upcoming ones.
Now, after all these months, i am happy that i am part of Bitterstone Thunderers the most beautiful community i have ever been in my 20+ years of gaming. You are too many to mention all, but all can i say is this. I love you from all my heart and i wish you all the best.
SERGEANT-MAJOR DRENGK BURLOKSSONBesides our uniforms and battlecries we are the last year known to run a certain long range setup known famously as the Sniper Squad. During that time we have became masters of ambushing. Hidden in bushes, high on cliffs and even on treebranches. It never gets old to see a group Destruction riding by and snipe them. So fast that they hardly know what hit them. I have this ugly habit to use the /point emote when I run a sniper squad. Just a second before the focused snipes hit I make em aware they have been marked to die. And a second later they die in one hit. Some of the lads accuse me for having cultivated a God complex. I will not comment on that.
LONGBEARD WAHR Unity. That’s what makes 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers so damn good. We stand as One. Once our Rhunki made a decision to battle most dreadful teams this world has we answer the call without any hesitation. I played live, I had many chars there and done all the formats this game has to offer, I played many chars and teams here too, but once good like-minded people unite and form a team to fight as 6 Dawi, hell, nothing can be so much fun. We aimed to have fun as our main goal and enjoy this format but we also aim to play competitively (even as six Dwarfs group). It was my best experience in this game, but not because of game and format itself, but because of great, inspiring people, I met and played with. Thank you lads, it was a pleasure.
CORPORAL JANIE HAMMERSTEIN“There I was, in Grudgekeg’s Guard pouring over the charts with my brethren: Norri Korgisson, Gorend Hammerfist, and Gaul Grimbeard. We were anticipating enemy positions and strategizing for the safety of Ekrund. As I looked up and wiped my brow, there he stood. A wee lad. I don’t know if he came from Redhammer or Mordrin, but he had a look of determination. He had his musket, well worn. His clothes were torn and tattered. He asked if he could join the regiment. I smiled to myself and asked to see his weapon.”
“It came from me pappy.” he said. “Good weapon it is.”I let him know he was welcome to fight for the cause of his kin but to join the regiment he had to answer some questions:
“Are you prepared to face the enemy on the battlefield? Even when others flee?
Are you prepared to follow the orders of your Captain? Without question?
Are you prepared to always wear the uniform? This uniform isn’t just a set of clothing, it is more.
It is discipline; it is unity; it is a sign of courage. You fight alongside your brothers and sisters.
You stand united. And you sacrifice everything…
If you can do all of that, you are more than welcome to join the Bitterstone Regiment.”
I reached into my pouch and pulled out some gems. I placed the gems in his palm. I said, “Take these and infuse your gear with them.”“Wouldn’t it be a waste to infuse this gear with these gems?” he said, looking up at me.I replied, “If you learn to infuse your gear now, it makes you better later. Now grab your gear and head to the Gates of Ekrund. They need you.”
SERGEANT-MAJOR DRENGK BURLOKSSONWe've seen quite a few anniversaries and events come through with the Bitterstone Thunderers, but for me the High King and Warlord RP-RVR event takes the cake: a huge roleplay ceremony in the war quarters of Altdorf featuring dozens of blue clad thunderers in formation, gyrocopters flying overhead the massed crowd of hundreds of players, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer and his son Kron handing out honors to BT members, revolving around our guild's lore. Up to this day, I still only wear my medals on my uniform. The event was quite nerve racking for me personally as I organized the whole thing the way one would practice to put up a theatre show. We had practices beforehand on how the gyrocopters had to come fly in for maximal exposure, what to say and where one would be in the ceremony. One of the highlights during my stay at Return of Reckoning. And the grand battle afterwards was, possibly, the biggest this server has ever seen. It was mental, and so was the lag.
Click here to watch on YouTube
LONGBEARD WAHR Discipline. That’s what you need to succeed. Discipline is what makes 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers. I joined The Regiment in the middle of 2016. It was yet small, doing mostly roleplay but it was already shackled and united by Discipline. I saw The Regiment grow stronger, I was part of making it stronger too. The Regiment is my home now until this game dies. During more than 20 years of playing online games, I never been in such mature, amicable and joyful atmosphere. 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers have had their glorious victories and shameful defeats but we always fought like there is no tomorrow and are proud of it. Let me tell you about two most bright things coming to mind – Dwarfs Handbook creation and setting up a team for 6v6 tournament.
In order to achieve appropriate level of Discipline against a rolling tide of Destruction forces we unite our most fearsome Endrinkuli, Drengi, Rhunki, Zulunbaki and Grundi and settle a training course to improve The Regiment. Amount of questions and interest in this for all the Dawi was high and so we decide to write a proper Book. It took us not one day or night, we revised it, discuss, make decisions on format and easiness of content. I am very proud to be a part of it and been doing to my best to make an Ironbreaker’s part, wish I will have time to update it someday. Most funny thing is I worked on it with the same pleasure I make my science articles. Hope it helped some Hazkal.
LONGBEARD KOLLAND"How many elves does it take to fix a lantern ? ... Eliven!
DVALI GEMBEARD'I've started to play on RoR over 3 years ago (still with my old name "Saracen") but kept mostly to myself. I just explored the different PvE areas and tried to find all the codex entries that I could find. After a couple of months I took a long break and got back in may this year. Thats when I saw Lesti advertising for the Bitterstone Thunderers, an all dwarf guild that focuses on roleplaying as a dwarvish regiment. I was intrigued by that concept, checked out his forum posts and joined the BT discord.
Since then I got to see a completely new and different side of the game: coordinated team play with a dawi flavor. I especially like the guild warbands on wednesdays and I always try to be a part of the gunline when ever I can.
I'm glad that I found such a nice home for my dwarf. I was welcomed with open arms despite me being a noob and not knowing a lot about the game and its mechanics. Everybody helps each other and we all stand together. Thank you for creating and organizing such an awesome guild and I hope we see many more anniversaries!'
SERGEANT-MAJOR DRENGK BURLOKSSONAnother great moment in BT history for me was when we decided we wanted to set the record on featuring the biggest racial warband in the existence of Return of Reckoning. While we ran our famous gunline events, in which we could easily fill a warband with dwarfs from the regiment and those belonging to other guilds. However, for the 100th gunline event we needed to think big. As big as a dwarf, and while we may be small in stature we do not lack brawn. In hindsight, the Grand Alliance and the population on Order must have been going crazy on our repeated calls to arms. They both came through for us tho… we fielded a dwarf army of four full warbands of dwarfs roaming the zone. The responses were amazing, on both sides! ‘****! Dwarfs!’ by a marauder was comedy gold.
Click here to watch on YouTube
MINIPUCE, DAMMAZ KRONThe first time I really discovered this guild was in a scenario : in Black Fire Basin, with pugs.We pushed to the center at the beginning and i saw two engineers moving together like Siamese twins, dropping their turret at the very same time, opening firing at the same time. I told myself : « wow this is cool ». And then, while we were winning, they shouted together : « Dwarfs of Ekrund ! »« Wow this is SO cool ! ». Sadly i can’t remember the name of that two so cool dwarves :p But I saw the name of the guild : « Bitterstone Thunderers ». Since that day I love to shout « Dammaz Kron » near some Thunderers, to make them shout « Dwarfs of Ekrund! ». Love it !
My favorite anecdote : I was in the Bitterstone Warband one evening, fighting in Caledor. The whole warband was standing on the platform near the Druchii Barracks for an ambush. Some destro came and our ironbreakers jumped on them. I wanted to get close to the border to heal them... and i fell down ! We were on discord, I was so upset and in a panic I shouted « I fell ! ». And what did I see ? All the dwarves jumped to save me !!!!!!! THAT WAS SO ROMANTIC
That laugh! That video posted by Lesti « The thunderers send their regards » when they had fun with Grufrip who totally vanished when entering the postern by all their mines. The laugh on the video is perfect : i can watch it again and again…
KARAST, CNTK'One thing you can say about the 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers is that they are hard as stone, and more than any can be trusted to hold the line to the end. Order fleeing to the left, order fleeing to the right, warbands running in fear of hundreds of screaming chaos spawn, but there with but a handful of kegs and rifles the thunderers hold! I'd take a handful of thunderers at my back any day, over ten order warbands! For I know when times are dire, and the enemy numerous, they will hold and fight!
Such is the trust and the bond, that I have not even the need to look to know I have the support of the 3rd Bitterstone Thunderers in battle. Our rifles sound together, our shields lock in place, and our backs join together without nary a word or thought.'
WARGRIMNIR'I don't recall banning any of them yet.'
ITHILSYN ARAKHAEL, KAR KHADATH REGIMENT 'Their hides are most sought-after for khaitans. Hard-working and skilled, they fetch a fair price in the slave markets of Karond Kar. Yet their infernal endurance hampers our efforts to ensnare them and bring them under our heel.
Curse you, Bitterstone Thunderers. I shall see you all flayed yet."
ONEMANTANKWALL'I enjoy the times when I jump over your lil shields just to get blasted in the face by a hidden gunline. Dont think ive ever ran into BT and have them run away from a fight winnable or not.
Just the sight of ur gyro army sends destro giggles till you see snipe crosshairs and the sorc next to you falls over.'
FUN, WITCHELFHoly ****!
Ok that’s **** unnecessary.
There 15+ Bitterstone Thunderers now.
15 engi snipe assist
NATHERUL, DEVELOPER Filthy short men with stinking beer? I always had a good time and could always joke and talk with you lot
We at Bitterstone Thunderers like to think that we have taken a key role in shaping the history of the (Dwarf) community of Return of Reckoning. But that wasn't possible without the RoR community. Thank you! Feel free to add your own anecdote about the Bitterstone Thunderers below! Friends and enemies alike. Dwarfs of Ekrund!
Even tohugh I go out of my way to kill lesti when I see him... 
In that evening I saw the true dwarf power in the lakes. Personally I never saw that many dwarfs in one place since live. We rocked that Wednesday. I will never forget it.
