Role

Chapter 2

2) A Strange Beginning
Added Fri Jul 11 07:03:03 2008 at level 3:

The reasons for this desire go deeper than simple differences. The Koldflame
clan, despite their reputation for rowdiness, was a clan strongly affiliated
with the holy dwarven wars against the exiles. Almost every Koldflame in
existence had cleaned duergar blood off his axe a few times in his or her
life, and the more restless ones had even journeyed off to join the Fortress
of the Light or the armies under Ludan, where they quickly accrued fame and
honor for their clan. Every night, the clan loremaster would tell legends of
great heroes and epic battles, of the crusades against evil and the mighty
accomplishments of their clan.

The Koldflame took enormous pride in their legacy, and there was constant
pressure on the youngsters to do even better, go even further. This
manifested in a rigorous combat regimen. Kernagor received his first weapon,
a tiny but beautifully forged hammer, at the age of three, long before he
learned to walk. Growing up, Kernagor found it difficult to reconcile his
differences with the clan's strict martial training. He didn't like the
dependence on berserk fury emphasized in the clan's fighting styles, and he
and the clan weaponsmaster argued many times about it. Being dwarves, by
arguing we mean brawling, and his clan's weaponsmaster being the clan
weaponsmaster, this meant Kernagor on the ground, in the dirt, with a couple
of dozen new bruises for the next few days.

And he changed. In response to this lifestyle, Kernagor became harder,
colder, more difficult to provoke (exactly the opposite of what his
instructors wanted from him). He refused to fight pointless battles, and
would employ his mind first, rather than his fists.