Korthus is an old dwarf, stubborn and set in his ways, but one of the most knowledgeable people in Tridia when it comes to creatures of the Tempest. He long ago grew tired of running from the Tempest and decided to battle it instead. He has spent a lifetime building up an army of a few hundred warriors trained to specifically battle stormspawn – creatures created by the Tempest and its magic. Due to their association with the Tempest, Stormborn are not welcome here, and many soldiers of the cairn are prejudiced against them. Korthus’ Cairn is located within an ancient underground military outpost, and is considered one of the most defensible underground fortifications to exist, rivaling even Brimgul Deep’s Red Fortress. The abundant ore in the Hills of Iron have kept this old dwarf’s men armed and armored for over a hundred years.
In Korthus’s Cairn, the old man’s word is law. He rules his fortress with an iron fist and only delegates responsibilities to a close-knit group of generals, who typically oversee training and education of the soldiers. In addition to Stormborn, Korthus has never accepted anyone of elvish blood into his ranks, and is known to blatantly favor dwarves for leadership roles.
Restrictions: No Elves, Half-elves, or Stormborn
Distinguishing visual: Heraldry of a cloud with a sword pierced through it, sometimes emblazoned on a shield.
Skills: Lore (Arcana), Weaponsmithing, Brewing
Location: Hills of Iron, in the Battered Ramparts
The keep of Korthus’ Carin is located in a Tempest- destroyed field of keeps, fortresses, and battlements. Atop it sits a large stone plinth with several stones that have been laid at its base, forming the titular Cairn. Below is an expansive keep, with an open courtyard for training outside and in the harsh weather.
Many of those that came to Korthus, were born in Mt. Danara and then came to the Cairn for one of three reasons: They sought the accolades of a well trained warrior, they wanted to fight more aggressively than any city guard might, or they had been exiled and had nowhere else to go.
Orders of the Force: the soldiers and militia within Korthus’ Cairn are separated into several different orders, to give exact focus for their training and roles for what they do within the keep.
- Shield Order- this group are trained for close quarters and defensive combat, primarily to defend the keep itself from any assaults.
- Hammer Order- this group is trained as the general strength of the keep, the weapons of the army and the brunt force sent to attack the Tempest’s forces. They will often specialize in group combat dynamics, or learn here first before moving to another Order.
- Halberd Order- This group of long range warriors are often the first force out, forming the leadership of small platoons or the initial shock troops that assault the Tempest’s forces. They do not always use polearm weapons, but it’s rare for them to not have something to wave in the sky to call attention to their location.
- Stormwrecker Order- This group is composed of those that have become studious in the forms of magical assault, Many of them are dropouts from Curator college that desired to fight rather than study history. They are expected to study the stormsurged, learn more abilities to fight them, and supply the magical boons their platoon may need.
- Pioneer Order- This order is focused on leaving the keep, and finding new Tempest nests and Stormsurged creatures for the other Orders to come out and attack. They are trained in being independent, able to survive short excursions alone into the Battered Ramparts to learn as much information to bring back as possible.
- Order of the Anvil- Korthus’ personal guard, they can be seen joining different platoons or in any part of the keep. They are respected and revered as leadership just below Korthus.
Leadership: Korthus Mythrilband, an old dwarven man, with corded muscles, a bristly peppered beard, and deep moissanite colored gemstones along his brow, cheeks, and nearly every joint. He is a hard-headed military commander, with a deep hatred of Storm-based magics.
Korthus trains all of his soldiers with a mindset of “you must earn respect, it will never be given freely,” which begins with a grueling 3 month-training regiment to see if new recruits can be inducted into the militia. Once they pass training, they are separated into their Orders often based on their skillset.
By gaining induction to an Order, Korthus will often give his soldiers a nickname and shows his respect to them by always remembering it. His soldiers know they are either failures or are in trouble if he doesn’t use their nickname.
