Harbold Mordric
CN male shield dwarf fighter 14
Harbold was an orphaned dwarf left to die in the gutters of Waterdeep's Dock Ward. He remembers little about his parents, only that they were forced to flee the mountains, and met a bad end in the alleys of Dock Ward.
He learned to survive as a street urchin in the back alleys of Dock and Trade wards, living among the poor folk, joining gangs for protection. Harbold grew up disillusioned, bitter and burning with anger at the loss of his parents.
A wealthy elderly dwarf took Harbold in when he was still young. He taught Harbold about his shield dwarf heritage, the ways, history and tales of his ancestors that have echoed in every common room of every dwarven stronghold for centuries.
Harbold took a keen interest in the history of the fallen shield dwarf kingdoms of the North.
Harbold's wealthy benefactor was also a very successful merchant. A member of an extensive network of intra and inter-connected circles.
These circles comprised shield dwarves of all stripes: merchants, craftsman, sailors, dockhands, and tavern keepers.
By extension, Harbold became a member of this semi-secret dwarven enclave of Waterdeep. The circles met frequently, often in secret, deep beneath the warehouses, taverns, and inns of Dock Ward.
Their goals? Preserving the written and oral traditions of their ancestors by singing, chanting, drumming, and story-telling. Ensuring that young dwarves did not get lost in the sea of humanity. Providing young dwarves with jobs, education and most importantly, direction. Regardless of their clan name (of lack thereof).
For only in this way would the values, culture and memories of the proud and once great dwarven kingdoms live on.
When Harbold came of age, he signed on with Blazidon "One Eye". Not content with a boring existence as a craftsman or merchant. Harbold was hired on for caravan guard duty and traveled many of the roads and trails of the North. He earned his beard fighting and learning the ways of orcs, goblins and other ancient foes of the dwarves.
The tales of Old Delzoun told to him by the elder dwarves of Waterdeep still haunted him. He would not be content to live out his life as a mere hire sword for someone else!
He returned to Waterdeep and recruited a cadre of other young dwarven warriors. Disillusioned, with seemingly little control over their own destiny, they were the founding members of the "Hellraisers".
Harbold molded them into an elite fighting force, playing upon their common heritage.....as well as their common discontent.
Robbed of their birthright, lost in a sea of humanity, the mighty kingdoms of their ancestors crumbling ruins, their anger brought them together in a singular purpose:
To control their own destiny, and meet their foes with axe in hand.
To die a good death, in honor of their ancestors.
To recapture what glory remained of the mighty dwarven nations of centuries past.
To show the rest of the world, what it means to be a dwarf both in deed and tale.
Harbold became a sound commander, and a shrewd negotiator. The Hellraisers were in high demand, as much for his keen mind as their battlefield acumen.
As the years wore on, fewer and fewer dwarves could be found to join the Hellraisers. Harbold began recruiting the barbarian humans he had fought with..and against so often in the North. In his mind they were the only other fighters he had seen that could rival his band's ferocity.
After years of resisting the cultural demise of the dwarves in his own small way, Harbold was confronted with the very problem he set out to combat.
Too many dwarves were dying on the battlefield, and not enough young dwarves could be found to replace them. Wandering shield dwarves simply weren't settling down and raising families, even if suitable mates could be found.
More often than not, the young shield dwarves that Harbold recruited chose valor over values, battles over birthright, legends over legacy.
Harbold began privately urging older dwarves within the Hellraisers to retire, start families, and pass on the dwarven values and traditions to their offspring.
In typical dwarven fashion, most stubbornly refused Harbold's urgings. Some even privately referred to his suggestions as hypocritical.
Wasn't Harbold the one that brought them together to die an honorable death in battle? To showcase the dwarven culture in both deed and tale?
Nevertheless, some of Harbold's veteran dwarves DID settle down and start families, draining the Hellraisers of even more experienced, stalwart dwarven warriors.
In order to counter act the loss of so many cornerstone warriors, Harbold was forced to recruit outside his normal circles of somewhat limited dwarven recruits.
It was clear that times were changing, and like all great enterprises, the Hellraisers would need to adapt or perish.
Harbold began taking in select human barbarians. After being defeated in battle, some of the humans were given the choice of joining the Hellraisers, or being put to the sword. Others, Harbold recruited specifically based on their reputation in the North.
Before long, humans from various barbarian tribes were as numerous as dwarves in the Hellraisers.
This shift in demographics also necessitated a major shift in operations and tactics for the Hellraisers. Harbold needed methods to mesh two forces comprised largely of polar opposites.
The dwarves were disciplined, tightly structured, and fought with singular purpose (though they love their ale Moradin knows).
The humans were a mismatched lot of disorganized, ferocious and blood thirsty out casts.
In consultation with his senior warriors and other mercenary commanders at Shieldmeet, new fighting tactics were developed to take advantage of the strengths of both the human and dwarven fighter and barbarians. Some techniques were borrowed from the Tuigan Horde, while others have been used by drow and dwarves for centuries....the techniques just haven't been employed in a mixed unit such as this.
The barbarian humans, with their superior speed and sheer ferocity would be used as shock troops. They would attack the enemy at full speed, while flanking if possible. Swift and ferocious human attacks wrecked havoc among the enemy ranks, sowing chaos and disorganization among the enemy lines.
With the enemy shocked and in disarray, the dwarves would methodically hit the enemies most vulnerable spot with wedge formations (usually a trio of dwarves).
This usually resulted in dividing the enemy, driving them apart, while the humans continued to attack from the flanks. In this way the group could easily defeat inferior adversaries far outnumbering their own.
When cramped quarters and/or darkness precluded the use of the humans mobility, the dwarves blocked tunnels in stout square formations, a dwarf on each corner, with a taller human in the center.
This allowed the humans to easily employ ranged weapons against a foe, as their "dwarven box" protected them.
Other times, Harbold brilliantly devised situation specific tactics. This led to the now famous "dwarf tossing" incident. A stalemate in narrow tunnels led to Lander throwing a (willing) dwarven beserker behind the enemy group.
Another favorite tactic used when enemies cramp narrow tunnels, but low ceilings preclude the use of "dwarf tossing", is the tactic affectionately known as "bowling for kobolds".
Harbold and Durgrim devised a set of very small steel wheels that could be quickly attached to the boots and wrists of a dwarven beserker's plate armor.
Holding a flask of oil in each hand, a dwarf could be rolled down a tunnel toward the enemy at great speed. Upon nearing the enemy line, the flasks would be dumped, the oil ignited by sparks thrown from the wheels.
Very little is known about Harbold among the general populace, aside from his reputation. He is a very private dwarf, and also very wealthy thanks to a number of shrewd investments. He no longer needs to fight, he simply does so because that's all he knows.
He has agents in nearly every city of North, bidding and securing contracts, and handling logistics long before the Hellraisers even head that direction.
In this way Harbold has avoided the two things that usually lead to the disbanding of a mercenary band: lack of work and boredom leading to desertion.
The competition for top recruits, especially dwarven adventurers is fierce. Being able to offer constant action (and coin), even in the "off season" gives the Hellraiser's a distinct advantage over other companies.
What people don't know is Harbold is quite sensitive (for a dwarf). His hard upbringing gave him a deep empathy for those born into unfortunate circumstances. He has a particular soft spot for children, particularly dwarven and gnomish children.
He practices a special kind of philanthropy by maintaining agents in most of the demihuman enclaves of the North such as the Undercity in Silverymoon and Dock Ward. He supplies his agents with coin to anonymously sponsor and help the orphaned, sick, and children born with deformities and/or disabilities. He funds their basic needs and education. He has been known to wander neighborhoods, visiting friends and watching children play and interact. His secret wish is to spark a renaissance of dwarven culture among the human dominated cities by caring for every dwarven and gnomish child he can and educating them about dwarven values and history. He holds great bitterness for his counterparts, who are content to withdraw to their dwarfholds, contributing nothing while the race continues to decline. In his own small way, he hopes he can make a difference.
He's also realized that by extension, he is helping groom the next generation of great dwarven adventurers.
His agents have recently stepped up their recruiting efforts in every city. He is paying double the usual rate for experienced dwarf adventurers, paying for their transport to and housing in, Fireshear.
Rumor among some back alley recruiters is that Harbold has accepted a major contract, and is planning a very large operation that will necessitate increasing the ranks of the Hellraisers.
Other rumors mention that Harbold commissioned a large underground training complex to be built near Fireshear, and he's sending his new recruits there to be trained in underground operations.
Some rival mercenary leaders maintain that he's preparing to form larger auxiliary units under the command of his more experienced members.
Yet other rumors hint that this new contract will be unlike anything ever attempted before, and has the potential to radically change the dynamics of trade in the North.
These rumors are truth, but not the whole truth.
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