Dwarven Barbarians
Dwarven Battleragers
Dwarven Battleragers are truly terrifying opponents to face on the battlefield. Already seasoned veterans before their fall, these dwarves have lost some part of themselves during the decades, centuries, or even millennia of war. This primal essence found within all sapient creatures is gone, leaving only hate for their foe and a blood thirst that even a vampire would quail in the face of. No longer do they feel fear, regret, or empathy, only hate, rage, and contempt. With their mind almost completely gone, they can no longer be trusted to utilize a weapon properly. As such they are suited up in spike-covered armor, had knives or blades strapped to their arms, and are thrown into battle. As part of their armor they are forced to wear a Penitent Helm. Though their sanity may be either completely gone or only mostly lost, these poor souls continue their service to the clans by slaughtering the foes of dwarfkind in the most brutal fashion imaginable. One of the most notable forces of battleragers are the Blood Brothers though there are others. Though most have been driven mad, and never regain their sanity there are individuals who have stepped back from the edge of madness, and it is they who are truly the most feared of all.
Dwarven Berserker/Axebound
Dwarves have perhaps the longest history of using rage as a weapon, and the path of the Berserker is an honored tradition in some clans. Within these clans the barbarian has several paths to choose from, such as the Axebound, dwarves who chain themselves to their axe, ensuring that it can never again leave their side. This strange process of bonding one to their weapon began as many dwarven traditions do, as a joke. A dwarven commander noticed that those particularly angry soldiers under his command would often lose their weapon, either by breaking it or throwing it at an enemy. When pressed on the issue, he suggested they chain the weapon to their arm so that they couldn't lose it. Evidently, someone took this suggestion seriously, and over time this act of chaining their axe or other weapon, to their dominant arm became standard practice. Those who walk the path of berserker always do this, though the practice is not only limited to dwarven berserkers, as other types of barbarian may also do so. Though slightly more sane, and generally well-reasoned than battleragers, the berserkers have been known to succumb to Rage Blindness. Most common in berserkers, this condition requires that the dwarf either retire or be led around by a battle brother, a partner who stays by their side twenty-four seven.
Dwarven Juggernauts/Ironbound
Those who walk the path of the juggernaut do so with the aid of Thunder Armor, an ancient war plate design that has not been produced by dwarves for millennia. Though powerful, and fully encases the dwarf from head to foot, and even has such a perfect seal that the dwarf inside is immune to harmful gasses, no one knows what was used to power it. Without this critical component, the armor is simply too heavy to be useful, while also taking hours to fully remove. In addition, its breathing function does not work without power, thus any dwarf that managed to actually move around in it would soon asphyxiate. All these factors mean that it is largely useless, though they weren't abandoned or scrapped due to the sheer power they represent should they finally be reactivated and a power source created. They were also nearly indestructible, and melting them down was considered not worth the effort. So they sat in a warehouse for centuries, gathering dust in uncountable numbers. That was until a large trading hub that was storing a number of these suits was sieged by a rogue Dark Tide and nearly overwhelmed. The defenders, unprepared for such a sudden attack, scrambled for arms and armor. In their desperation, they tried to modify the thunder armor to be usable. To do so they removed the large backpack, reduced the weight as much as possible, and removed the hoses for the rebreather, unsealing the armor but allowing its wearer to breathe. Even still, very few dwarves were actually strong enough to move in the armor, with only those who walked the path of the barbarian able to do so. Pivotal in the battle, these juggernauts would go on to prove themselves again and again in future battles, particularly during sieges.
Dwarven Path Of The Beast/Bloodbound
The bloodbound are a path of the beast barbarians that, came about mostly by accident. A dwarven city some centuries ago was under siege by Dark Elves/Drow when a rogue Dark Tide hit, nearly slaughtering both forces. In time, reinforcements would arrive in hopes of taking back the fortress city, and potentially recovering any of the artifacts lost due to the defeat of the settlement's defenders. What they found was a small force of dwarves who had somehow managed to survive the carnage where no one else had. Both the rogue Dark Tide, as well as the drow army, had been completely wiped out, and the dwarves who remained slowly cleared the field, burning the dead, or rooting out any last resistance amongst the ruins. These survivors were strange, bestial, wearing little clothing and carrying no weapons. Their true nature would be revealed when a drow trap was sprung, and the reinforcing general was attacked by a small group of dark elf assassins. This attack only failed due to the survivors, who were able to shrug off the drow poison before crushing them with strange chitinous claws that had replaced their hands. The general saved, the survivors assumed they would be killed for their abilities too closely resemble the kind of The Dark Ones, but the general ordered no such thing. Instead, he protected them and even went so far as to give them the protection of a minor family. To this day the Longclaw Family serves to shelter these survivors that still live, while also giving them the legitimacy necessary to let them teach others and induct new members despite the suspicion around them. Though the creation of the new initiates is a closely guarded secret, it entails the new arrival drinking a vial of icherous black blood, giving them the name, the bloodbound.
by Vika Yarova
Dwarven Storm Heralds
During the relative isolation before the exodus, the outpost dwarves were mostly left to fend for themselves on the surface. At the mercy of the many northern storms, ash storms, and blizzards, it was not an easy life. To make things a bit more manageable, they created the Storm Heralds, a group of dwarves meant to help deal with the violent weather of their home. Created from an old forge-tending method it eventually evolved into a method of quieting a storm. A rogue herald, by the name of Dassala Ashfinger thought to take those techniques, intertwine them with the art of the barbarian and create something more offensive. These views were considered heretical, but their effectiveness couldn't be denied, leading to constant conflict with no resolution in sight. It was only after The Long Climb was completed, and the clan council reasserted control over its northern outpost that these heralds were reformed and divided between the storm tenders, and the storm heralds. The tenders did as their name implied, ensuring the now important trade lines were maintained, while the heralds were a division of the military meant to use their powers to assault their foes. The cries of heresy were quieted with force, and the storm heralds were folded into the military, leaving behind the tenders to do their work. To this day the divide between the two is great and it is not uncommon to see the two arguing openly whenever they are given the chance.
Dwarven Ancestral Guardians
Born of a sect called Dorin’s Hammer (see Ronlin and Dulgun), these secretive dwarves saw themselves ignored or persecuted during The Long Climb. This disagreement is primarily a religious one, with Dorin's Hammer asserting two primary points that were largely considered heretical at one point in time. One, that not only did Ronlin and Dulgun possess a divine spirit, and were never mortal, but that their divinity flowed downward. This divinity was found in all dwarves, but especially in leaders, as well as males in a more general sense. Though not explicitly patriarchal at this point, in later years these underlying justifications would be exploited by the clan council to justify their tightening grip on government. Long before such a thing could come about, Dorin's Hammer were a persecuted religious minority who needed their own enforcers to protect them during this time. So the Venerated was born. The most zealous of soldiers in the sect's employ was anointed with holy oils, and tasked with meditating until they connected with their personal ancestor spirit. After this was done, they were trained intensely for a year and a day before being unleashed on their foes. For decades this force was used only to protect those on pilgrimage to ancient cities or ruins but during The War Of Darkened Halls the sect found themselves increasingly caught up in local conflicts. Eventually, their participation in a major battle saw their prestige begin to grow. Since then several other sects have been established which have taken the same techniques but stripped away their religious connotations. Even still, none of these splinter groups is more powerful than the Venerated who have continued to guard Dorin's Hammer priests, even after they had been folded into the larger faith and officially embraced.
by Unknown
Dwarven Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarians
Barbarians who follow the path of the totem warrior are often called wildlings by other dwarves and though not looked down upon, they are viewed with suspicion. This is due to their origin which is what garners them such veiled suspicion. Coming about when a group of colonists got lost in a Mana Grotto. These poor souls found that the cave they used to enter the grotto had vanished behind them, leaving the group trapped and with little other option than to try and survive in this odd place. The group set down roots, established several small villages, and developed a wholly unique culture away from the tight control of the clan council. Though free, they were also forced to fight against the strange beasts and mutated flora of the mana grotto. Eventually, their growth would slow as they ran out of space and began to worry about the possible eradication of their food supply which was mostly megafauna found only in that grotto. Their worries would compound when their star began to fluctuate, but lucky for them the way out reopened once more. Most fled, some stayed, and though the grotto survived the death of the star, becoming a False Grotto, the strange gravity remained, allowing a stable city to grow, eventually becoming the city of Lakeside. Before that could happen, these strange wild dwarves would go back to their people, changed from their three-century-long banishment which to the outside world had only been three short years. Mostly hairless, these dwarves would return with the strange art of the totem warrior.
Dwarven Path Of The Wild Magic Barbarian.
Legend tells of a powerful and ancient dwarven wizard who through strange circumstances became a Type One Mute Soul, or someone who can no longer control magic. Feeling this absence keenly, the wizard searched mostly in vain for something, anything that could return his powers. He found nothing, and in his rage and desperation, he was able to unlock a strange ability that until then none had ever been able to control. His magic emerged, but he could still not control it, worse still it only seemed to manifest when he was raging. This, he deemed, was a small price to pay for tasting the same arcane power that he had taken for granted for so long. Though he had to completely abandon all he knew of magic, and begin again training as a warrior not of spell but of steel, he took this in stride. He went on to master this ability, teach it to others, and even go on to become a pivotal part of several major battles of the time. Though he disappeared, his ultimate fate was not known, though there are some who think he is still alive out there, fighting with magic and axe alike. In his absence, some rumors have begun to flow about this particular path with a few even claiming that to walk it you must consume raw mana be it in crystal or liquid form. Though not the truth, this hasn't stopped several unfortunate souls to end up undertaking this dangerous endeavor and either dying or nearly perishing in the attempt.
Dwarven Path of the Zealot Barbarian.
Gazdread Forgebellow penned some of the earliest religious works pertaining to Ronlin and Dulgun over millenia ago. This aged philosopher saw the twin kings of old as icons of what it meant to be a good dwarf though he did not beleive that they were in fact truly divine. Rather he argued the utility of treating them as a semi divine paragon of all that it meant to do well in dwarven life. In time his writings and would be collected into the Books Of Dow, which argued for Ronlin and Dulgan's divinity and laid down a rough groundwork for how this new faith should function. Though part of the grounding texts absorbed by the early faith as semi factual, it would take time for this absorption to happen. Initially these books were not received well, save for a very select few who took them as gospel, eventually giving rise to the Brazen Fist, an orgnization of militantly aethist former mercenaries. They took the words of Gazdread and expanded upon them, claiming that the only true good a dwarf could ever do was to die in service of their fellow dwarf. Fanatical, and zealous they eagerly return to life with little prompting by clerics and mages, throwing themselves right back into the fire if it means to serve their species once more.
Dwarven Path of The Giant Barbarian
Drawn-out conflicts with the hooded Giants are rare, due to the giant's skittish nature and their tendency to avoid direct confrontation. This is not universal, however, and unfortunately for those of Clan Craghold, they had built their Clanholme too close to the entrance of a hooded giant stronghold. For a time this fact was unnoticed, as the entrance itself was sealed, and lost to time. The dwarves of clan craghold were bold, and ignored the warning signs left behind by the giants of old, and opened the gate expecting riches. What they found was a raving pack of hooded giants that had been driven mad by the millennia spent trapped in their jail cells. Now free, they assaulted clan Craghold in earnest, without thought for injury or death. The dwarves fought long and hard, and though in the end they were victerous they found that the madness and physical deformity of their foe had been passed onto them. The moment this revelation was made, the survivors splintered with half fleeing to a nearby dwarven city and taking with them the knowledge they had gained from the protracted fighting that had taken place. They knew the secrets of how to tap into the same primal power that their giant enemies did, but only during the heat of battle, when their blood was up and their heart was pounding. Though these dwarves were forced to abandon their ancestral name that was for the best as the others they had left behind had become a rogue clan, and little more raiders. Respecting only members of their 'family' they are intensely xenophobic, and openly raid not only aarokacran settlements but those of their former kin, using their ability to enlarge themselves to batter aside low walls and most defences.
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