Falstad, the Highlord of Aerie Peak and leader of the Wildhammer Dwarves, was more robust than the other Dwarves. He rode a gryphon, holding Stormhammer in one hand and a wooden shield in the other. His armor was rough and heavy, very much in the style of Dwarves.
Unlike King Magni in Ironforge, Jiang Jie sensed very powerful elemental energy emanating from him.
After the Wildhammer Dwarves migrated to Aerie Peak, they came into contact with the air element and began to embrace Shaman. Every Wildhammer Gryphon Rider is a top-tier Dwarves Shaman, capable of manipulating the power of wind and lightning.
Kurdran Wildhammer, one of the Five Heroes of the Dark Portal during World War II, once killed nine red dragons in a battle when the Orcs were enslaving the red dragons with Dragon Soul!
What does that mean?
That's a red dragon! Not a bone dragon or Frost Wyrm, but a red dragon with flesh and blood, incredibly powerful in melee combat and spellcasting!
Even though those red dragons were just ordinary red dragons, not ancient red dragons, and most of them were not even adult dragons, Kurdran's strength was still undeniable, living up to his name of " Legendary ".
If the dragon wants to become the ruler of the skies, it'll have to ask the Wildhammer Gryphon Rider if they agree!
Falstad was also a remarkable figure; while not on par with Kurdran and Magni, he was probably a hero of Muradin's caliber. Add to that the three hundred Wildhammer Gryphon Rider he brought, and this was undoubtedly an extremely powerful force, a formidable reinforcement.
This reinforcement force is almost equivalent to all of Stromgarde's existing defensive forces.
The Wildhammer Dwarves ' mobility, ranged attack capabilities, and ability to manipulate wind and lightning, combined with their already strong melee abilities and the griffons' aerial and ground combat prowess, which surpasses even that of eagles and lions, make each Wildhammer Gryphon Rider a force to be reckoned with, on par with members of the Fenris People's Army. They can easily overwhelm the Earthen Elves!
The entire Wildhammer Dwarves of the Hinterlands probably number only twenty or thirty thousand, yet they have firmly established themselves in the Alliance, and for three hundred years no one has dared to invade them, demonstrating just how powerful this race is.
"Haha! Grand Duke Nicholas, congratulations! We're neighbors now!" The griffin swooped down, about to crash into Jiang Jie.
Jiang Jie stood motionless in the square in front of the palace with a smile on his face, as if he hadn't seen anything at all.
The griffin, weighing several hundred kilograms, was less than five meters away from Jiang Jie when Falstad suddenly let out a whistle. The griffin beneath him immediately flapped its wings and finally came to a steady stop in front of Jiang Jie, its huge head less than ten centimeters away from Jiang Jie.
" Highlord, it's been a long time." Jiang Jie smiled.
When they last met, Jiang Jie was just a newly Earl, whose status was far inferior to that of the Highlord the Wildhammer.
But now, he is a Grand Duke, the nominal ruler of Arathi Highlands, with a status almost equivalent to that of the Wildhammer Highlord. Therefore, when facing Falstad, Jiang Jie also treated him as an equal, neither humble nor arrogant, with a calm smile.
" Nicholas, how's the situation? What about Thoradin? I can't believe he was killed by that bastard Galin, and now he's been resurrected as Death Knight?" Falstad got off his chair and, accompanied by Jiang Jie, walked towards the palace, talking as they went.
As for the other Gryphon Rider, they all dismounted and waited in place.
"Go and bring over all the remaining wine from the palace to reward our Wildhammer brothers!" Jiang Jie ordered. A guard captain immediately led several men to the warehouse to move the wine. The Wildhammer Dwarves were all smiles. Several of them strode forward, shouting that they wanted to help, but were then ridiculed by the other Wildhammer Dwarves, who said they were going to steal the wine.
"What nonsense are you all spouting? Behave yourselves!"
Falstad turned and roared, and then... no one paid any attention, making Jiang Jie suppress a laugh.
"These brats! They need to be disciplined!"
Falstad looked helpless.
The main reason is that the Wildhammer Dwarves now practice Shaman and live a lifestyle similar to that of Druid, close to nature.
Accustomed to a free and unrestrained lifestyle, the Highlord, though nominally the highest leaders, did not have a clear hierarchy among themselves. Especially with fine wine before them, who could possibly restrain them?
Of course, once on the battlefield, these Dwarves are absolutely obedient to orders, and their discipline is even better than that of well-trained human soldiers!
How many years of training do human soldiers typically undergo before going into battle?
A qualified Wildhammer Gryphon Rider undergoes at least ten, even several decades of training. How can you compare?
" King Thoradin has gone to harass the Undead army. My scouts tell me Undead are less than fifty kilometers away and will arrive within a day!"
The two entered the palace and stopped in front of the map. Jiang Jie pointed to a spot not far from Stromgarde and said, "They've arrived here! Arathi Highlands isn't Hinterlands; there aren't vast forests. It's mostly plains, Undead's march won't be affected. Kel'Thuzad will definitely choose to attack at night, even in the dead of night! The Undead are unaffected at night, but we are!"
"It can't be at night!"
When the conversation turned to serious matters, the Wildhammer hero, who had Highlord for over a decade, immediately lost his smile and became very serious, " Dwarves have good eyesight, but they are also affected by dim vision. Griffins are no better at it, and humans are even worse! We must take the initiative to weaken the Undead, and then return to defend the city before nightfall!"
"That's what I think too."
Jiang Jie nodded and said, "The great battle must be fought during the day! Now that you're here, with strong air support, there's nothing to worry about! However, the enemy includes Kel'Thuzad, possibly Gargoyle and other flying units, and even Frost Wyrm! The Wildhammer Knights may suffer casualties."
"Casualties? Dwarves love life and enjoy life, but they never fear death!"
Lord Falstad slammed his fist on the table and shouted, " Nicholas, do you know how many Dwarves sacrificed their lives during World War II?"
"How much?" Jiang Jie really didn't know.
"454 Gryphon Rider perished, and Chieftain Kurdran took another thousand Gryphon Rider with him."
Falstad looked at Jiang Jie and said, " Dwarves adulthood at fifty and undergo a period of training before becoming Warrior. But to become a Gryphon Rider, one must master the power of wind and lightning, and must live with a griffon from childhood to cultivate affection and understanding. Only one in ten Wildhammer Dwarves can become Gryphon Rider, and training a Gryphon Rider takes at least twenty years. Before World War II, there were three thousand Gryphon Rider in Aerie Peak. After World War II, only one thousand five hundred remained."
Jiang Jie silent.
Gryphon Rider are essentially equivalent to the Kirin Tor Guardians of Dalaran and the Silver Hand Paladin of Lordaeron; each one is a true professional, a genuine elite force, and their numbers are few.
The Wildhammer Dwarves essentially lost half their forces in World War II, a contribution that cannot be underestimated, perhaps even greater than that of Gilneas and Kul Tiras.
Falstad continued, "After World War II, we trained another batch of young Gryphon Rider, gradually increasing their numbers to two thousand, although many of them were new recruits. After the outbreak of the Undead Plague, we sent a thousand Gryphon Rider to support us. Do you know how many we lost? Four hundred."
Four hundred, that's no small number. Try letting Dalaran lose four hundred mages, or the Order of the Silver Hand lose four hundred Paladin, and see what happens.
Dwarves are broadly divided into four clans: the Bronzebeard Clan of Ironforge, the Dark Iron Clan of Blackrock Mountain, the Wildhammer Clan of Aerie Peak, and the Frost Dwarves of Northrend.
Needless to say, the Ice Dwarves have been out of contact for many years. The Bronzebeard Dwarves are the most politically astute and shrewd. The Dark Iron Clan has produced many wizards and is also full of conspiracies and tricks. But the Wildhammer Dwarves are the most honest, sincere, and the only pragmatists.
The Wildhammer Dwarves kept their word, which is quite rare.
If during World War II, the Wildhammer Dwarves joined the Alliance against the Horde because of the Horde's surprise attack on Aerie Peak, then now, even though the Undead haven't invaded Hinterlands, the Wildhammer Dwarves still came to their aid, suffering heavy losses. Although this was due to Lord Korth'azz, it is still commendable.
Humans owe the Wildhammer Dwarves favor that they can never repay.
" The Wildhammer Dwarves have lost so many excellent knights, but we have no regrets."
Falstad looked at Jiang Jie: "Because both the Horde and the Scourge are enemies of the entire Eastern Kingdoms, and we who live on this continent must shoulder our responsibilities. More than a decade ago, Chieftain Kurdran took on this responsibility; more than a decade later, I will also take on this responsibility."
Jiang Jie fell silent again. A minute later, he raised his head and softly recited, "We will hear the call of griffins in the wind, we will hear the sound of warhammers echoing through the mountains. Face the adversity bravely, my brother, the ancestral sanctuary is calling you."
This is a memorial inscription on the base of the Kurdran statue in Stormwind City's Valley of Heroes. Jiang Jie visited Stormwind City not long ago and made a special trip to see those five statues, reading all the memorial inscriptions.
Falstad's eyes lit up. "You were in Stormwind City? I hesitated for a long time about how to write a memorial article back then. I always felt he wasn't dead. My brother was the greatest Wildhammer Gryphon Rider, the ruler of the skies. He killed countless red dragons, and the Orcs he killed could pile up into mountains!"
"No, Highlord, you are as great as Chieftain Kurdran. He is strong and valiant, a magnificent Dwarves hero, but you are far more suited to be Chieftain of the Wildhammer Dwarves, King of Aerie Peak."
Jiang Jie smiled and then promised, "I heard that Duke Jorach traded half the corpse of an ancient black dragon for a month's service of five hundred Gryphon Rider? Highlord, after this battle, I will give you a dragon, a whole Netherspite, Netherspite over twenty meters long!"
"A whole dragon? More than twenty meters long?"
Falstad's breathing grew increasingly rapid, his eyes gleaming. "You said it, you can't go back on your word!"