Dwarven Fighters

Fighter: Arcane Archer, Banneret, Battle Master, Cavalier, Echo Knight, Eldritch Knight, Rune Knight, Brute.
Dwarves have struggled with the drow for centuries, and as such are masters when it comes to picking out a trick and seeing through illusions. Their fighting styles exemplify this, as dwarven armor is over-engineered to protect them from everything, such as caltrops, illusions, evocation magic, and even mind magic. This is one reason why dwarven armorers are so well respected as it takes nearly five years to complete a single ‘complete’ set of armor that can resist everything they need it to.
Dwarven Warmasters (Battle Master) are trained by the clan they are a part of, meaning their doctrine and differences are many, though they are universally dedicated to commanding armies they may or may not be even adept fighters themselves. This variance is due to the fact that only a high-ranking clan member can command his fellow dwarves, and thus lowborn generally focus on unit tactics and one-on-one combat while more honored families focus their training on commanding entire armies. Clans notable for their battle masters are Clan Lightbreaker and the Stonejaw Family. Those more known for their personal skill, and squad-based mastery are Clan Anvilbringer, Clan Brightmaul , and the Jadeheart Family.
Dwarven Eldritch Knights are almost completely dedicated to protection, using their magical arts to ensure the safety of their squad, and are treated much like medics in the way that every squad must have one. Though usually dedicated to defense they are also powerful summoners in their own right and usually focus their skills on summoning earth elementals. Though some do not focus on the weapon they are bound to, others abandon the dwarven tradition of defense over offense and go all in on the two-handed hammer. The Meteor Corp is the most famous of these dwarven eldritch knights who choose the maul over any other weapon. Others specialize in less common weapons such as the flail and the pike, though they are rare.
Dwarven Brutes are most commonly current, or former members of the Sickle Brigade, or Shadowstrike. The Sickle Brigade wields the weapon they are named for, though given the lack of agriculture in dwarven history, the sickle evolved in a different manner. For them, the sickle began life as a climbing implement, though it quickly adapted to help fight heavily armored drow shock troops. The sickle is used to hook around the front-facing defenses and keep the target off balance while a short spear called a driving lance, is jammed through a gap in the armor. Shadowstrike is a group of dwarves that go armorless behind enemy lines in order to destroy infrastructure and supplies. Made primarily of ex-miners who know how best to use the winding tunnels of the Underdark to their advantage, they are surprisingly stealthy. Utilizing their knowledge, and upper body strength, the members of Shadowstrike frequently cause cave-ins when the enemy least expects it.
Dwarven Cavaliers come in several different varieties depending on the chosen mount. The Slag Striders serve as heavy cavalry and charge into battle atop modified golems made out of the semi-molten slag discarded from the forges. Furnace Striders, who are lighter, faster, and ride Pyric Salamander, a flame-spitting lizard able to climb walls and even ceilings. The most common being the Iron Claws, a group of heavy cavalry that use specially trained and raised stone-eater moles as their mount of choice. Each type of rider has a different job and doctrine, though all save for slag striders require a close bond with their animal. As such, when one or both retire or are wounded, the other is usually retired alongside them with few exceptions. Each is well respected, though none more so than the Slag Striders as their job is more often than not to cover a retreat, or smash through the front line of an enemy that is well entrenched. Their high mortality rate tends to attract the most battle-crazed of dwarves, who are in turn allowed to customize their gear as much as they desire though most stick with heavy plate, and twin axes.
Rune Knights are called Runebound by dwarves given their darker origin. Stolen from their war with The Dark Ones are the curserunes, symbols that when branded or tattooed, empower the individual they now adorn. Usually taken from the penitent legions or the Fleshmad, these individuals are tattooed with all of the runes on the list. They unlock the ability to use the higher level ones with time, and to activate each one all they must do is speak an activation phrase while having a hand placed upon the rune they wish to use. The symbols themselves are unpleasant to look at and appear to swim or move upon the flesh of the tattooed. Becoming a Runebound shortens one’s life significantly, on top of causing nightmare beasts to be attracted to them while they are dreaming. Over time the Runebound may begin to hallucinate, with the most common symptom being seeing dark ones in the edge of their vision, or occasionally in the distance, watching them.
Echo Knights are called the Geist Honored and are usually followed by the spirits of dead family members, though it could be any dwarven spirit. Not quite as intelligent as true ghosts, these echoes of dead dwarves will lend their aid provided the geist honored has the training necessary to call upon them. To get this experience most go to the School Of The Unseen, where they are taught by a reclusive group of dwarven soldiers that remain cloistered for decades at a time. How one becomes geist honored is unknown, though most believe that as these spirits exist so close to the boundary between life and death they can see into the future. This future sight draws them to people who will become important.
Dwarven Arcane Archers are descended from the defenders of Khor Ridge Keep. The battle itself was not notable, that was until the dwarven forces had fallen back to the central keep. Nearly impenetrable, the archers within were able to fire out for days, fending off attack after attack before reinforcements finally arrived. The survivors of this desperate holdout came to perfect the art of infusing magic with their archery, spawning the Khor Ridge Snipers. Since then, others have come to learn this skill, with various experts offering to teach both lowborn families and highborn clan members alike. Grim, and famously tightlipped, those trained by the survivors of Khor Ridge are known for barely ever uttering a sound. Ruthless and dispassionate, they are prized for their skill but feared for their unnerving countenance.
Dwarven Bannerets are called Bronzeplate and they came from the tradition of outpost dwarves cladding certain outriders in bronze armor, and giving them a bugle. Though the bugle part has been dropped over the years, most Bronzeplates still carry some manner of brass instrument to announce their presence and bolster the morale of the soldiers. The actual type of metal their armor is made up of varies on the individual, though it is always painted to resemble polished bronze. This was to announce their presence upon the soldier arriving where they were needed. Accompanied with a blast of their instrument of choice it is impossible to miss the arrival of a bronzeplate. This worked for the dwarves themself as their job was to aid beleaguered outposts in the midst of a siege, or work crew under threat of raiders. Consumate fighters, and bold leaders, the bronzeplates were deployed to deal with threats armies would be too slow to respond to or too small to afford the expense. Regardless they are effective, and attract larger-than-life personalities eager to make a name for themself, even after the completion of The Long Climb.
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