Spine of Sotek Dwarfs

Spine of Sotek Dwarfs is a minor Dwarfs faction introduced in Total War: Warhammer II. It is led by Hugrim Redaxe and can be found, not entirely unsurprising, within the Spine of Sotek - the mountain range in southern Lustria. 
One of Markus Wulfhart's hunters can be found in this faction's lands. 
== Campaign ==
=== Starting Territory ===
This faction used to start in the Southern Spine of Sotek too in the Eye of the Vortex campaign, but had to give its settlements up in that region for Ironbrow's Expedition.
Campaign	Territory	Region
Eye of the Vortex	Central Spine of Sotek
* Caverns of the Great Bat	Lustria
Mortal Empires	Spine of Sotek
*Hualotal
**Mine of the Bearded Skulls	Lustria
== Diplomacy ==
=== Starting Treaties ===
Spine of Sotek Dwarfs does not start with any treaties already in effect.
=== Diplomatic traits ===
* Survivor
==Strategy==
If you start as any faction in Lustria, it is best to avoid conflict with these Dawi until you control most of the continent. Lustria is a thunderdome in both Vortex and Mortal Empires with lots of Legendary Lords starting very close to each other. As such, the first 50 or so turns can be very frantic as you fight off multiple enemies from all directions. Dwarfs are relatively passive factions, but the last thing you want is a tanky Dwarf army attacking from a new direction. On top of this, they can be hard to destroy as their mountains cause attrition and their garrisons are solid. If you cannot befriend and trade with these Dwarfs, it is better to save fighting them until you have consolidated and stabilized your first couple of provinces.
If one is choosing to play as the Spine of Sotek Dwarfs by way of a Faction Unlocker mod, the player can expect to be forming a long-term alliance with any faction that is neither Skaven, nor Vampire Coast in order to expand and progress. Being Dwarfs it is a struggle to expand at the best of times, Lustria is no different, however the Underway stance is a major boon, provided the player doesn't leave stacks vulnerable when using it. The below is true on the assumption that nothing has affected the algorithm that controls AI Faction personalities, some mods may change the Spine of Sotek Dwarfs (eg removing their "minor faction" flag)
If you are playing as Ironbrow's Expedition, the Spine of Sotek Dwarfs are to the northwest of your starting location. They can hold off attacks from Dark Elves, High Elves, Skaven, and Lizardmen.
Once you complete the mission "Wayward Sons" by winning two battles against the Skaven (such as Clan Mange), you could have the opportunity to confederate with the Spine of Sotek Dwarfs and add their territory and armies to your control. However, be mindful that this will take a toll on your treasury!
* If you are playing on the Vortex map, being allied to either the Dark Elves, Skaven, High Elves, or the Lizardmen, will result in frequent wars with the other three races. Staying independent or allying non-vortex races is entirely possible, however settlements that provide Ritual Resources are priority flagged by factions that are involved in the Ritual Race. Lastly, eventually the region will be dominated by a major faction from one of the four vortex races, at which time they will often declare on a player Spine of Sotek Dwarfs due to its "minor" faction flag and the comparative number of settlements. 
* If you are playing on the Mortal Empires map, its much easier to expand as the Spine of Sotek Dwarfs due to the absence of ritual sites and ritual diplomacy effects.
== Trivia ==
This faction is a creation of Creative Assembly. The Karaz Ankor never reached Lustria. However The Mine of the Bearded Skulls settlement has always existed, suggesting there may have been a separate civilisation of Dwarfs active at some point in Lustria's history.
Category:Total War: Warhammer II Dwarfs factions