Requirement: Dwarf only.
Dwarfs who have been disgraced, crossed in love, or otherwise humiliated abandon traditional society and seek the sweet release of death. They hunt the most dangerous of monsters in the hopes of finding a glorious end. Most of them die fairly quickly, but those few who survive become members of the strange cult of Troll Slayers. They exist only to die, and by doing so redeem whatever disgrace they suffered in the past. They seek the fiercest foes, and Trolls are considered ideal because the Dwarfs' deaths are almost a certainty. Troll Slayers are instantly recognisable, with their spiky orange hair, outlandish tattoos, and gaudy jewellery. They spend a great deal of time boasting of their exploits and show off their many scars, and often indulge in bouts of overeating, drunkenness, and sleep deprivation.
When Slayers form regiments in Dwarf armies, they are famed for fighting bare-chested, showing their brethren that they will meet their doom with gusto. So it can strike some people as remarkable that Slayers are found wearing only their trousers or maybe even boots. Surely they wouldn't seek to protect themselves?
Becoming a Slayer is not so much a career choice as it is a means of atonement. If a Dwarf is disgraced, humiliated, or disowned by his clan, his only possible redemption is through a heroic death against overwhelming odds. Dwarfs who carry such a burden of shame join the ancient cult of Grimnir. They cover their bodies with ritual tattoos including Grimnir's rune, dye their hair orange, spike it with animal fat, and become Troll Slayers.
The Slayer Hold of Karak Kadrin houses the greatest shrine to the Ancestor God, Grimnir. The first Slayer.
- Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation. Athletics. Survival.
- Languages: Choose one language (Abyssal, Deep Speech, Under Common, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Infernal, Orc, or Primordial). You learn the language of a great threat to your clan, so you may issue a challenge should you come across them.
- Equipment: A tankard, red hair dye, (made from pig grease or bear fat), a trophy from a creature slain, trousers, gold trinkets to wear.
Prior to becoming a slayer cultist, your path in life was defined by one dark moment. You committed an act to shame you and your clan. It is your great shame, it is what drove you to surrender your possessions and any inheritance, to take the vow and become a slayer. You may use this table to determine your shame or you may come up with one yourself.
| d10 | Great Shame |
|---|---|
| 1 | You broke an oath you had sworn to a friend or ally of your clan. |
| 2 | A foe had pinned you down and shaved your hair and or your beard, clean off, bringing great shame upon you. |
| 3 | You were caught lying about the quality of your craftmanship. Causing an accident or an incident. |
| 4 | You spent the night or eloped with another dwarf promised to a greater house, you we're caught by the guards and punished. |
| 5 | You are the only survivor of an invasion on your clan's hold, having fled from the battle instead of aiding in the defence. |
| 6 | You placed a great relic of your clan in a bet. You lost. |
| 7 | Your shame is so great that it is unspeakable and even you are unable to talk about it. |
| 8 | You lead a group of fellow dwarves into a battle and are the only one to survive, the blame of the deaths of your fellows has fallen on your shoulders. |
| 9 | You killed a dwarf from an important clan. They call for your head or for you to take the oath. |
| 10 | You got drunk one night and desecrated a shrine to one of the dwarven gods. The damage was extensive. |
Slayers seek to die in glorious battle against ferocious creatures. Slayers also seek out stories of the locations and movements of the ferocious beasts and monsters. Additionally, as they have forsworn possessions, except for their axes: Slayers are able to find food and water for themselves in the wild. Although Troll slayers seek out a heroic death against overwhelming odds, some have the misfortune - in their eyes - of surviving. Whatever the odds, they cannot gain absolution by throwing their lives away - suicide is suicide, even if the weapon is an Orc rather than a knife or a rope. They must fight to the death with every ounce of their skill and strength, for to do so otherwise simply compounds their disgrace.
Suggested Characteristics
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poems and songs of war. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | I only find pleasure in fighting the strongest of opponents. |
| 4 | I live for the thrill of death. |
| 5 | I don’t talk about what I did before becoming a slayer. It is too shameful to bear. |
| 6 | I expect danger around every corner. |
| 7 | I am not a victim, I refuse to allow others to be also. |
| 8 | I will climb every mountain, delve into every tunnel and cross any realm to get to where I am going. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have an oath to keep, nothing else matters. (Neutral) |
| 2 | I’ll repay as many grudges as I can or die trying. (Any) |
| 3 | I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to regain my honour through death. (Good) |
| 4 | I have a calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Though I seek death in battle, I respect other laws and customs. (Lawful) |
| 6 | I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy. |
| 2 | I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent. |
| 3 | Through my shame I have lost those that I have loved, through my exile or their death. I shall honour them. |
| 4 | A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. |
| 5 | There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free. |
| 6 | In my travels I have found companions, I shall be in the thick of the fight so they don't have to be. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them. |
| 2 | I assume the worst in people. |
| 3 | I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones. |
| 4 | I have an addiction. The wrong people tend to get hurt. |
| 5 | I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. |
| 6 | I am envious of other dwarves, for they do not know the weight of true shame. |
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