McArbeck Way
A group of dwarves who train to fight without armour or weapons.
Public Agenda
Dwarves who follow the McAbreck Way are viewed as well trained tavern brawlers by many other dwarves. They are also considered a bit odd for choosing to forgo the traditional armour of their kin. The followers of the way play up their oddity, acting as jesters and fools when they are seen around Khezdur. They are known for the fine ales they make as well as the drunken parties held in their training ground.
Small groups of the followers of the way travel between the various settlements, providing entertainment and selling ale. They are popular travellign companions for other traders thanks to thei jovial company and the added protection they bring. These small groups are sometimes requested to travel certain routes by the army to help lure out bandits and goblins.
Assets
The followers of the way own a small complex in Iceforge Halls, which was purchased for them by The Magrannor. This complex contains a brewery, quarters, a training ground, and the party hall. Those following the way are expected to set aside material possessions, and they charge little more than cost for the products of their brewery. While a sum is set aside for repairs and maintenance of their complex, the group have few other resources.
History
The McArbeck Players were a group of entertainers who made a living travelling the circuit of small settlements and mines that look to the Magrannor Halls for protection. The players were quite accustomed to fighting as they had to deal with goblin attacks and frequent brawls with groups of miners. A favourite tactic of theirs when they were aware of goblins in the area was to hold a large celebration out in the open, with plenty of drink to hand to help fool the goblins into thinking they were unprepared. When the goblins attacked the players would keep up the pretence until they were sure all the of the creatures had been lured in, using drunken 'stumbles' and 'falls' to avoid blows until it was time to attack.
The groups activities would have gone unnoticed but for an orc raid on Stonehammered Hall. The players arrived at the hall to find it under siege by a large orc band. In order to help those trapped inside, the players set up one of their celebrations a short distance away to lure some of the orcs in. Their plan worked almost too well, with a large number of orcs abandoning the boredom of the siege to attack this more interesting target. Despite the number of enemies the players emerged injured by triumphant. With the orc numbers thinned the dwarves of Stonehammered Hall were able to launch an attack that drove off the remaining enemies. The players were hailed as heroes and The Magrannor expressed interest in setting up an ambush force that would use similar tactics to the players.
The McArbecks were talented fighters but they were mostly self taught and there were gaps in their skills. The normal dwarven fighting techniques were considered unsuitable for a unit who wouldn't be able to use armour or normal weapons if they were to be convincing, so The Magrannor took the unusual step of hiring an elf to teach a different kind of fighting. Seranis Swiftbrook was a master of an elven style of fighting which didn't rely on weapons. The payment offered by The Magrannor was secondary to her interest in seeing whether dwarves were capable of learning her way of fighting.
The dwarves assigned to study under Seranis were not impressed at being told to learn how to brawl from an elf, and it was only after defeating five of them at once that Seranis gained their respect. Having been told of the McArbecks' exploits, Seranis spent quite a bit of time with the players learning about the performance they put on while luring in enemies. Their example showed her that the dwarves build required slightly different moves to the ones she was trained in so she choose the most talented of her new students to help her develop a dwarven style. While her own training demanded an ascetic lifestyle, Seranis was forced to make a few alterations to the discipline for the dwarves so that they didn't reject the teachings entirely.
After a few decades Seranis turned the training over to Grimar McArbeck who had proven himself capable of teaching others and developing new techniques, and it is Grimar who is generally recognised as the founder of the McArbeck Way.
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