Groundbreaker

"Ask any soldier on Wildehart and they'll tell you the same thing. Sieges are the worst, no matter what side you're on. It's just days and days of waiting for the other side to crack, or their luck to turn. Those dwarves though. A siege to them is just another opportunity to dig! You could be waiting, sitting pretty within your walls when the ground starts to quake, before it splits open and unleashes a short, bearded fury upon you. Thank the Monumentals the Dwarves are generally pretty friendly...."

- Captain Ferehorn, Crowncliff guard captain

The Dwarves of Gyrraholm aren't known as a warrior people, first and foremost, but they certainly have some tricks up their sleeves when it comes to warfare. On the rare occasion that one of the subterranean Kings wish to expand their reach above ground, they would make use of a vehicle whose origins are entrenched in Dwarven mining culture.
The Groundbreaker is a wagon sized cart with three bars jutting out from each side, and is fitted with a large steel drill. The war machine itself is propelled forward at a steady rate on nothing but pure Dwarven muscle, while the drill is powered by a furnace, in which unrefined black powder rocks are shoveled into by two Fuellers on top of the cart. The device itself is not built for direct confrontation, as evidenced by it's lack of extensive shielding, rather allowing for subterranean approaches and an oft unguarded angle during siege warfare. Once a Groundbreaker bursts through the surface, it's attendants are equipped for quick and brutal strikes (though don't last very long without immediate backup).

Power Generation

The Groundbreaker's main function (it's forward mining drill) is powered by Dwarven attendants, referred to as Fuellers, who continue to shovel unrefined rocks of black power into a fairly sizable forge.

Propulsion

Forward momentum is carried out via six Dwarven attendants who take position at the bars jutting from the sides of the Groundbreaker cart and push. Thanks to the size of the machine's drill-head, enough space is often carved ahead of the device to accommodate it's Drivers.

Weapons & Armament

Though the Groundbreaker itself is not armed, each Driver attendant carries a pair of handaxes suitable for close quarters combat (such as that which might erupt within a subterranean tunnel). The Fuelers, on the other hand, wield shovels that (in dire circumstances) can be used as greataxes, and have been smithed with a sharpened edge with this in mind. In dire circumstances, the drill itself can be quite deadly, though to be truly effective it must pin a target up against a solid surface.

Armor and defense

The cart that makes up the bulk of the Groundbreaker is constructed from solid oak and reinforced with iron and steel. There's not much in the way of actual shielding for the Groundbreaker's crew, as it's assumed that the vehicle will generally be under the protection of the ground itself. The attendants, both Drivers and Fuellers, are outfitted with armour, though it's required to be quite light in order for them to accomplish their physical tasks with ease.

Nickname

Siege Digger

Motto

"Why break through a wall when you can dig under it?"

Price

10, 000 Gold Pieces

Rarity

Uncommon, as the Groundbreaker siege engine (and the manufacture thereof) is a closely guarded Dwarven secret

Length

12 feet

Height

6 feet

Weight

1600 lbs

Speed

5mph when pushed by Dwarven attendants

Complement / Crew

A Groundbeaker crew is generally comprised of 6 Dwarven attendants whose job is to push the device, while another pair of attendants shovels an unrefined form of black powder into the machine's furnace.

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

The Groundbreaker generally isn't designed to hold passengers, instead usually used to carve tunnels beneath enemy defenses and break through the ground beneath them.