Dwarven Rangers

(Warning this page is still under construction.)

Beast Masters/Clackers

Beast Masters, or Clackers (Named for the clacking and clattering of the large runic collars and chains their beasts wear), as the dwarves know them have many jobs, but the most important is the training of the herds of dwarven battle beasts. Crundle, Rutherer, Elk Bird, Pyric Salamander, etc. Though it overlaps somewhat with the duties of dwarven druids, their job is more about maintaining dwarven mounts, and livestock. While Tamers are usually left with the still important job of training the creatures and unleashing the more powerful and unique creatures upon their foes. The ultimate goal of a Beast Tamer is capturing and collaring a Forgotten Beasts. Accomplished only a few times in history, these great beasts are the frontline soldiers of The Dark Ones. Given just how much freedom is granted to them, it is no surprise that no two dwarven tamers are the same. Their surface-based cousins usually focus on creating bonds with raptor-like creatures called Ash Strider but have significantly more options than just that. Where some rangers seek a mutually exclusive or symbolic relationship, dwarven Clackers seek adversarial ones, where both parties are at odds with one another. This conflict supposedly breeds a deeper bond, one that ultimately becomes one of mutual respect though this may take months or even years of working together before this occurs. Not only is a Clacker's preferred beast a creature not known for its ability to work with others but Clacker's themselves are not known for their cooperation, requiring much coaxing from generals or high-ups to join the fight.

Fey Wanderer/Deep Guard/Grey Striders

Traditional dwarven Fey Wanderers don't exist, as it is impossible for a gate to the Deepwoods to open underground. There are openings like it however, though the dwarves call this place the “The Outer Darkness”, a reality ruled by dark creatures of unimaginable power and age. They say that this outer darkness and the Deepwoods are connected, but few survive exploring this dark realm for long. All save for the Deep Guard, and the Grey Striders.
The Deep Guard are more defensive, setting up traps, and potentially blocking off entrances to The Outer Darkness. This can be difficult, as these entrances move frequently, and can be very hard to spot to the uninitiated. Coming about after a portal to the outer darkness opened up near a major city, the deep guard has maintained their vigil over this opening for millennia, fighting off all manner of horror during their vigil. As their expertise grew, their knowledge became more and more prized, creating a demand for new recruits, new branches, and new orders spread across the Underdark. This was despite the strangeness of the deep guard themselves, who frequently find themselves unnaturally aged by the constant exposure to the fey realm of the outer darkness. Their skin becomes as black as coal, white their eyes turn a pale milky white, though they can still see perfectly fine. Known for their remarkable patience, and ability to maintain a vigil for days at a time, they are the epitome of the stoic watchman, or defender on the wall which are so venerated in dwarven society.

While the Deep Guard stays on the defensive, the Grey Striders move in, exploring, and killing the strange creatures found within. Just serving in either group will see the dwarf changed, but none more so than the grey striders who find themselves staying youthful for longer though at the cost of their minds. Nearly every Grey Strider is afflicted with some form of madness, though most have only minor ticks or strange habits, those that return from lengthy forays or difficult hunts may find that they left a part of themselves in the outer darkness. Though they are known for their half-mad warriors who are otherworldly berserkers possessed with an intense but focused rage the grey striders have even stranger soldiers in their ranks. That being the Reclusiarchs, who through an intense connection with the Earth Song are able to force reality itself to become stable in a vicinity around them. Enough to banish the lesser fey creatures, this ability seems to cause incredible distress and pain to the stronger of the otherworldly invaders. The strongest of the reclusiarchs can even focus this ability into a blast that is able to banish or greatly injure whatever fey creature it comes in contact with. Allies that fight near them find that the ever-shifting grounds of the outer darkness have been forced into stillness, the world coming into a sharper focus.

Gloomstalker/Watchkeeper

Dwarven Watchkeepers have one job and one job only, to strike the Dark Elves/Drow or The Dark Ones where they are weakest. Part spy, part saboteur, the watchkeeper is one of the most dangerous positions in the dwarven military. Intensely self-reliant, each watchkeeper must be an accomplished hunter, a seasoned miner, and well-read on the various Underdark flora and fauna. In addition, they must be able to take even the infamously sharp-eared drow by surprise. How they do this is mostly through misdirection, the use of decoys, and clever alteration of the battlefield. No one can be stealthier than a drow, but a dwarf can stand so still for so long that they seem to blend in with the very stone. They use this skill along with a variety of other tricks to get the drop on even the most aware of targets. Seen as suicidal outriders to most, an accomplished Watchkeeper is almost something of an oxymoron. Though it is rare that they live long enough to become veterans, those who do command considerable notoriety and usually pick up some manner of madness along the way. Additionaly, the watchkeepers practice greater centrilization then most other groups who may have many chapters, or factions contained within them. Led by a watchmaster (This title is granted regardless of the gender of the individual) the watchkeepers tend to operate outside of the usual military command structure. This leads to some dwarven generals to compete when petitioning for their aid during particularily important wars or battles. Some fear that these favors may lead to the watchkeepers shifting the delicate politcial arrangement of the empire though this is largely unfounded. The main brunt of the watchkeepers are wholly dedicated to their mission of stopping the drow and the dark ones, with most having lost some if not all of their loved ones to either of these two forces.

Monster Slayers, Hunters/Lodge Members

Dwarven Hunters/Monster Slayers are made up primarily of retired military professionals. Whether they were bored with never finding a good fight, or simply wish to continue their service even after they have become too injured or infirm for the guard, the various lodges accept all. Monster Slayers usually busy themselves with the killing of Forgotten Beast, while their hunter counterparts deal with less powerful foes. The most favored foe of the dwarves, many hunters dream of moving up through the ranks in order to become a true slayer. Others are content with handling the various creatures and foes that fall outside the military’s purview. Though not officially a part of the hierarchy, Dwarven Hunter Lodges are relied upon heavily to do what the more regimented military cannot. Though there have been efforts to incorporate the lodges, they have always failed due to the hunter’s guild’s inherent desire for freedom, and hatred of red tape. Named after the various creatures they hunt, the names of the various lodges range from the surface lodges of The Elk Horn, The Griffon Wing, and The Thunderbird Feather lodges, or the Underdark lodges of The Crundle Horn The Wyrm Hide, or The Dark One Skull. Moving from one lodge to another is common, and even expected, with the lodges dedicated to hunting the less powerful creatures acting as entrance points for hunters that aspire to climb the ranks. Most dwarves settle into one of the mid-level lodges, comfortable hunting a dangerous but manageable foe, though there are some who climb higher still. These individuals are called foe-slayers, and each are living legends who have hunted nearly everything in the Underdark and attained the approval of every one of the various low to mid-tier lodges. These slayers often go on to head or establish their own lodges dedicated to the most dangerous hunts of all such as The Dragon's Head lodge, or those like it. Some may misconstrue the hunters and the slayers, but to those within the lodge system, the difference is obvious. A hunter takes on a more conservatory role and go on frequent hunts while slayers target larger, more powerful creatures whose very existence threatens any nearby settlements. Though their is a rivalry between the two groups, there is also a deep respect and brotherhood with this conflict almost like that of siblings egging one another on rather then truly disparage.

Swarmkeeper/Moldergraft

Dwarven Swarmkeepers are reviled by the majority of their peers, due to their unfortunate reputation and nature as a Lichenathrope. The most common of dwarven swarm keepers are those who stumbled upon a Cybe Mushroom patch somewhere in the Underdark. Once exposed and left untreated for a week, the infection becomes irreversible, and the host dwarf begins to change. Their skin loses some of its color, and their hair either becomes darker, or turns white, and grows faster than normal. They will also begin to slow, and grow less responsive for several days, during which time they are incredibly infectious and can pass the infestation to any they come in contact with. During this time, the fruiting body of the mushroom emerges from all over the dwarf’s body, though it is usually centered on the point of contact where they were infected. Once the caps finish growing, the dwarf’s condition can no longer be passed on, provided they survived the process. After this point, the fungal infection has stabilized, and a new odd process begins. The fruiting bodies continue to grow until they fall off, at which point they become small bipedal mushroom creatures under the command of the host dwarf. The host also regains the color and then some, their hair turning strange hues of bright blue or purple while their skin usually gains a strange metallic sheen to it like polished silver or sometimes mercury. Though sometimes fatal, infection vastly increases a dwarf's already hardy physiology, making them incredibly resilient to harm, able to regrow even missing body parts given enough time. Other, more typical swarm keepers can also be found both underground, and otherwise, but none are as common as the Moldergrafts, sometimes simply referred to as Molders.

Primeval Guardian/Bearers Of The Skymantle, or Skymantle Rangers.

The first attempt at creating a series of topside outposts was largely considered a failure, as it relied on millennia-old maps purchased from unreliable traders and helmed by an incompetent chaired clan that embezzled the majority of the funds allocated to the project. Though most of these early colonists perished, became hopelessly lost, or simply assimilated with already existing peoples, some found success, and established some of the first dwarven surface settlements. One such success story was nearly wiped out due to emerging not in a verdant valley but a desolate plateau far from their destination. Many of their number perished in the journey but in the end, they were able to find the valley only to realize that it was not quite as uninhabited as it first seemed. Verdant in the extreme, the valley was bountiful, allowing the dwarves to relax for the first time in months though this was not to last. For the valley's inhabitants found them, and due to a misunderstanding, came to blows with one another. The native Onadow, a race of dwarf giants that had dwindled down to less than fifty upon meeting the dwarven expedition were unprepared for first contact. Isolated for thousands of years, having survived the fall of the former giant empire they thought themselves alone in the world. Though a peace was brokered, the damage was done, as the giants had suffered enough losses that their already fragile population would no longer be able to sustain itself. Not wanting to let their ancient duty of maintaining one of the last of the world trees, they taught the dwarves how to utilize its power and care for the ancient tree. The industrious dwarves took to the teachings with strange ease, even developing their own methods that were able to not only keep the semi-petrified tree alive but to heal the damage the millennia of weathering had done to it. Since that moment the Onadow have dwindled though some still remain, taking up positions within Skybreaker City as honored elders. The great tree itself has finally begun to show new growth, hinting that the nearly four hundred-meter tall and two hundred and fifty-meter wide plant would finally begin to recover from being felled all those centuries ago.

Drakewarden/Cult Of The Azure Wyrm.

Far beneath the earth, near the fringes of the Underdark lay a dungeon deep and dark. Older than even most dwarven records, this place was obvious even from the outset to be made by dragons or at least for the use of a dragon. Though an amazing discovery, few knew of it due to the Grimborn Family keeping all news of it surpressed. Recently knocked down from full clan status due to the dishonarable tactics of their now deceased former patriarch, the family yearned to recover their status before their political opponents could claim all of their former holdings. With the this intense desire driving them, the family opened their coffers, and spent everything they had hirind as much labor and unscrupulous mercenaries as possible. Traps were disabled, walls excavated, walls torn down and ancient guardians felled one after another all to find that although massive, the place was seemingly empty. That was until they reached the final barrier barring them from the treasure hoard beyond. A stark warning written in the blood of a dragon adorned the enormous door before them, warning that none should break the seals placed upon it, lest they unleash some terrible, unnamed creature. Ignoring these warnings, the grimborn family pushed onward, opening it wide, and claiming a vast horde larger then any in written record. For the next twenty four hours the family dragged out great chests full of gold and jewels, their minds awhirl with what their bright future held. then, out of nowhere, every single dwarf of the grimborn family vanished, leaving their Clanholme empty, and their treasures unguarded. The laborers, mercenaries, and guards all scrambled to claim what they could, creating a small gold rush as everyone tried to fill their pockets. Wealth flowed out of the clanholme, rumours of powerful magical items, artifacts of terrible ability and gold beyond counting spreading across the empire. The clan council sent a force to secure the sight but by the time they got there, the horde was gone, stuffed into the pockets of tens of thousands of common folk. Since that day, some of whom stole the gold initially or accidently came into possession of the coins found themselves dreaming of a great blue wyrm that hunts them day and night until finally catching them and slamming their jaws over the sleeping dwarf's body. The moment this happens, they awake to find a small blue wyrmling resting on their chest, a soul bond already forged between them and the tiny creature.

Horizon Walker/Realmwalker
During a delve into an ancient Deepholme lost for centuries, a startiling discover was made. A mural had been discovered, one so massive it seemed to be nearly a mile tall at its height. Painted by many hands over the course of what had likely been decades if not longer still, was a great image of a many horned monster with six eyes, and a great number of plants sprouting from its back. The great beast was hunched over, leaning so far down that it's great snout nearly touched the ground. There before it was a a shadowy dwarven figure that wore upon their head two crowns. This individual held their hands out, accepting a trio of stars that the monster seemed to be giving them. The great mural, called the beast tithe relief, originally bore a great story, or perhaps instructions of somekind though so much of it was lost that it was difficult to understand what had even been the intention of the original artists. Scholors transcribed as much as they could before a sudden eaarth quake caused the entire chamber to collapse suddenly, destroying the artwork forever. Though lost, enough had been written down that the remaining scholars were able to piecee together what looked like a ritual. Though they were unsure of what it was supposed to do, the dwarves completed it regardless, resulting in the decimation of their order and the death of almost all of their members. Those who survived felt as though a part of them had been displaced, leaving them unnerved but also not without a series of strange abilities. Able to feel when a planar portal had been opened somewhere nearby, they were also able to draw on strange, alien energies to aid them when they needed it. In time the remnants of that previous scholarly orgnization reformed, vowing to discover more about the Lightgiver Beast they had seen in the painting. Small in number, they soon found that young dwarves were being born with the ability that had been thrust upon them, and not only that but they could detect one another's presence just as they did the planar portals. Since then they've done what they could to cultivate this spark in their younger members, who in turn have gone on to unlock new and strange abilities.