Ironjawz – Warscrolls

Only the toughest of Ardboyz survive long enough to become a Big Boss. These formidable warriors can turn a horde of boisterous orruks into a disciplined killing machine that advances forward in a semblance of formation before crashing into the enemy like an armoured fist.

Clad in layers of thick iron and wielding massive weapons, Megabosses lead the charge of the Ironjawz warclans. The very act of fighting empowers these barbarous warlords. Once in the midst of combat, they are almost impossible to slay.

The booming rhythm of a Warchanter’s drumming draws orruks to battle from miles around. As the tempo of violence increases, so does the furious energy of the Warchanter’s beat, driving nearby Ironjawz into a destructive frenzy.

With crackling green light spilling from their eyes, Weirdnob Shamans channel the savage energy of the Waaagh!. In battle, they unleash this power with glee, letting loose blasts of searing force that tear through the enemy ranks like a choppa through flesh.

Accompanied by his rockbrow squig companion, Zoggrok Anvilsmasha commands the power of Gorkamorka. The weapons of nearby orruks are bolstered until they glow green-hot with raging Waaagh! energy, while the choppa he wields in battle can shatter any protective charms or wards.

Gordrakk is the mightiest of all orruks, a living embodiment of the power of Gorkamorka. From atop his armoured Maw-krusha, Bigteef, the Fist of Gork fights at the head of his Great Waaagh!, brutally crushing the mightiest enemy warriors.

One of the most destructive races to have ever lived, the Drogrukh were centauroid warriors who built a great nation in the Realm of Beasts. From their number rose a champion so powerful that he ascended to godhood: Kragnos, the End of Empires. Having led his people in warfare against a draconic empire that left the Drogrukh all but extinct, Kragnos was sealed away for the protection of the realms – only to be freed centuries later.

A charging Maw-krusha is a terrifying force of destruction, capable of pulverising entire formations single-handedly. The Megabosses that ride these beasts are amongst the most deadly of their kind, inspiring their ladz through feats of excessive brutality.

To claim the title of Tuskboss, an orruk must display an almost unbelievable lack of concern for their own life. Not only do these orruk warlords have to somehow dominate a slobbering, foul- tempered Maw-grunta without being impaled, stomped on or hurled into a rocky wall with back-breaking force, they must also corral an entire herd of the beasts – as well as the rambunctious orruks who ride them into battle. Never stopping for a moment longer than it takes to rip a foe’s guts out with a swipe of their trusty pig-hacka, a Tuskboss rampages across the realms in an endless stampede, trampling all before them into gory paste.

Brutish snorting and ground-shaking hoofbeats herald the approach of the Gore-gruntas. The charge of these beasts hits home like the fist of Gorkamorka himself, their orruk riders bellowing war cries as they add their own might to the slaughter.

Mobs of Ardboyz plough into the fray to the sound of booming war drums and the clatter of heavy iron plate. Each Ardboy is a ferocious, battle-scarred fighter, smashing their way through the ranks of the enemy with a variety of crude but deadly weapons.

Taking up huge, two-handed weapons and eschewing the armour typically worn by Brutes, Brute Ragerz hurl themselves at the biggest and meanest foes. Having previously suffered a humiliating defeat in battle, they are determined to prove just how ’ard they really are.

Charging into battle with joyous bellows, Brutes seek out the largest enemies to batter into submission. Wearing the thickest armour and wielding huge weapons, they enjoy nothing more than dishing out a good and proper bashing.

Sent into a maddening frenzy by the Waaagh!, Weirdbrute Wrekkaz carve a path of destruction through the enemy lines. Their maniacal nature numbs them to all but the most grievous of wounds, ensuring carnage is unleashed upon the foe in all directions before they are finally laid low.

Everyone agrees that Gurzag Ironskull’s Ardboyz are the toughest orruks around. Anyone foolish enough to challenge this notion is likely to receive a bone-crushing headbutt from Gurzag or otherwise be bashed and hacked to pieces by his warriors.

The Brute Boss Morgok was chosen by the living mountain known as the Beastgrave, though whether as dinner or as a champion remains unclear. He and his cronies, ’Ardskull and Thugg, are formidable opponents.

Having managed against the odds to acquire a Maw-grunta mount, Maw-grunta Gougers gather together into stampeding mobs, the monstrous hogs trampling enemies into the mud and crushing them to a bloody pulp beneath their cloven hooves.

With eager crews of Ardboyz precariously chained to their flanks, these fearsome Maw-gruntas are one of the most devastating engines of war in the Ironjawz’ arsenal. As the porcine beasts careen headlong into the foe, they leave carnage and destruction in their wake.

Filled with the raucous energy of Gork, Bossrokks make excellent vantage points from which an Ironjawz boss can bully magic itself into submission. An orruk who stands upon its platform finds their boisterous yelling and ill-tempered insults carrying far across the battlefield, crashing down on both friend and foe like the fist of the Great Green God. To other Ironjawz, this is a clear sign of their chieftain’s inherent bossiness – while the Waaagh!- fury that emanates from these towers soon gets them in the mood to trample and crush.

No spell is as beloved of orruk-kind as the Foot of Gork. It is brutality made manifest: a huge, warty green foot formed of riotous magic that descends from the sky and squashes anything beneath it flat. One foot follows the descent of the other, smashing colossal craters in the earth that glow with a weird Waaagh!-light. The fact that the Foot of Gork is almost impossible to direct once it has landed doesn’t much bother the orruks, for wherever it stomps, it’s bound to result in a good time.

From the jaws of a Gork-Roara spews forth the destructive magic of the Waaagh!. Shamans who breathe in this glowing mist find their connection to that primal energy heightened – all for the measly risk of being driven entirely out of their minds. Gork-Roaras share the orruks’ exuberance in battle, howling bloodthirsty invective and jeering battle cries. Should they linger after the din of combat has faded, they will bellow and howl in indignation. Given that the same is true of especially warlike bosses, no orruk really seems to mind.

Morkspit Marshes are amongst the most grisly examples of orruk kunnin’. These squelchy spells transform hard earth into bogland formed of brackish waters, stinking tar, or any other disgusting substance they can think of. From them emerge tendrils of glowing protoplasm that grasp an enemies’ limbs and drag them towards their doom. With their victims otherwise occupied, the orruks can easily move in behind them and bash them across the back of the head.

Grikk swears that the massive, jagged bolt that buried itself in the back of his boss’s Vulcha steed had nothing to do with him. Few believed the treacherous Big Shot, so Grikk quickly took leave of his clan, accompanied by a handful of crossbow-toting lackeys and some grots to drag his beloved killbow across the realms.

When Swampboss Skumdrekk – wily overseer of the Murkvast Menagerie – needs to make an example of some git, he rustles up his Kountin’ Krew. These hobgrots have earned a nasty reputation chasing down those who renege on their debts to da boss, pelting them with explosive, shrapnel-laden grenades. Of course, Skumdrekk and his boyz aren’t above taking on opportunistic mercenary work from those who can afford it. After all, the chaos of battle gives them a fine chance to sneak up on the target they’re pursuing.

Of all of Behemat’s spawn, Gatebreakers are the most sinister, filled with the need to destroy. More specifically, these gargants harbour considerable ill will towards the metropolises raised by Sigmar’s folk. The sight of a glorious city, with its proud spires and resolute walls, awakens a bitter fury within these creatures. With a bellow of hate, a Gatebreaker advances on an enemy settlement without fear, shrugging off panicked arrows and cannon fire with little more than a malicious chuckle. Across the Prime Innerlands of Shyish, the name Big Drogg Fort-kicka is dreaded. Admittedly, this is as much for the Gatebreaker’s grievous halitosis – a side effect of eating decomposing corpses – as his skill at destroying cities. Drogg is known to many undead tyrants, who willingly offer him a portion of their servants to consume in return for his aid. Yet Drogg’s true goal has always been to get close enough to Nagash to clobber him in a show of strength. The Great Necromancer’s shattering at the hands of the Lumineth has set this plan back. Taking this as a personal insult, Drogg has vowed revenge. He eagerly hires his services out to any undead wishing to fight the aelves – and he has no shortage of clients.

Braggit Big-Talka is a grot with many tales to tell. Some of them even contain a grain of truth. The Rabble-Rowza and his mates (not to mention their squiggly companions) are an unpredictable menace, arriving without warning in search of shiny bottles to snatch and pour their fungal potions into.

Kraken-eater Mega-Gargants are irascible old souls who have seen it all. They find just as much satisfaction in watching the sun rise while seated atop their favourite rock as they do in destroying a village, and they crave the relief that only the sea can provide – as well as the bounty that washes up on its shores. Bundo Whalebiter is a legend along Ghur’s Coast of Tusks. He is that rarest of things, a gargant known for both brain and brawn, and has been ever since an encounter with ocean-dwelling aelves near the Icefangs. While pursuing the aelves – for the sight of their sea creatures flying about out of the water irritated him to no end – Bundo was distracted by a Fangmora Eel to which a glowing lantern had been attached. The gargant throttled the creature and took the trinket, hanging it from his ear as a fetching accoutrement. The aetherquartz in the lantern worked its magics upon Bundo, heightening his intellect such that he can now converse with shocking clarity for a gargant. As a result, Bundo has won many mercenary contracts by arguing the value in having colossal aid to call upon.

His Endrineering commission revoked after repeated accusations of ‘unsanctioned resource sharing’, Gronn Ymorsson took matters into his own hands by bribing some Skywardens and stealing a Gunhauler, then fleeing the sky-port authorities before they noticed. He follows armies who can open the way to worthy treasure, swooping down to claim the loot when the coast is clear.

The beasts known as ogroids were once the Goroans, a race of Destruction that fell to Chaos after orruks sacked their capital. But not every Goroan clan spat upon Gorkamorka; some stayed faithful, and they occasionally emerge to fight alongside their old kin. Their gifts of ‘flashy choppas’ is usually enough to banish any suspicion.

Nurgle is a generous god, granting gifts even to those who deny their genius. It takes only one infected well, watering hole or imported keg for corruption to bite. At first, a warrior feels little but mild discomfort – but as the day of battle draws near, their suffering deepens, and an eager giggling echoes through the aether…

Beast-smashers are considered, even by other gargants, to be a touch mad. In truth, they are more susceptible to the energy of the Waaagh! than most of their kin. It stains their vision green and opens their souls to a rough elemental power, leading them to believe that they can hear Gorkamorka talking to them – or even that they are the god himself. Either way, their goal is the same: to slaughter great beasts, just as Gorkamorka once did. Odo Godswallow truly believes that he is Gorkamorka reborn. The energy of Kragnos’s return stirred him to a rampage, seeing him slaughter almost every monstrous beast along the Godswallow Delta. The shamanistic orruks that called the delta their home detected the touch of their god upon Odo and commanded their followers to mark his flesh with whirling green tattoos, the paint made from a mixture of beast blood, squig innards and crushed realmstone. The sacred warpaint seems to protect him just as it does the orruks. His legend has spread across Gallet; warclans travel for leagues to witness Da Living God in action, and Odo rarely fails to meet their barbarous expectations.

It does not matter to the Warstompers who is fighting or why; all they care about is finding a vicious scrap to lose themselves in. The charge of a Warstomper is akin to being hit by a roaring Chamonic steam-engine, and then the titan begins swinging their huge club, ploughing through enemy ranks with howls of battle‑joy. One-eyed Grunnock is truly infamous. Gargants far and wide tell of how he terrorised Ghurish Necrosia, battling the Ossiarch Bonereapers. To the Warstomper, the undead are perfect enemies that constantly attract new foes. He has violently thwarted the Bonereapers’ negotiations with other races on several occasions, most notably interrupting the signing of a treaty with a duardin fleet. Being pitched off the side of a mountain and forever burdened with a splitting headache was, admittedly, not part of Grunnock’s plan, but the chance to ensure that the fighting between the two forces would never end was worth it. For a time, Grunnock relentlessly hunted Kragnos, fearing that the Drogrukh deity would drive his undead prey from Ghur. Yet now Kragnos rampages in Ghyran, leaving Grunnock free to crush his favoured enemies once more.

Loonboss Skulkrik fought under the Bad Moon, once. He has sought to do so again ever since, its light sending him and his ladz into a wild frenzy in violent cahoots. These Moonclan grots are always on the move, hunting after rumours of the Bad Moon’s last sighting, and they will often appear on a battlefield unannounced should their lunar deity bless it with an appearance.

Having learned the Great Secret of mercenary work from a local Mega-Gargant, Snerk Mooneata decided to give it a go. Finding little success, the bossgrot took the next best option: periodically waking a surly troggoth and acting as the go-between for the beast. Snerk, of course, holds onto the troggoth’s half of the pay. For safekeeping.

The rise of the Mega-Gargants has focused many of their smaller mates, but there are always some who loot great kegs of ale and get a bit carried away. Staggering across the land in a drunken stupor, these gargants just turn up on one side of the battlefield and canny commanders simply move their troops out of the way…

No self-aggrandising grot likes to admit that there is only so much they can accomplish alone. Droggz da Sunchompa is not so limited in his ‘big finkin’. He will send the Shinestealaz into battle with other children of Gorkamorka in order to reap the spoils of the biggest battles. Their help is rarely refused, for this pack of stabby, loot-hungry grots are vicious in the extreme.