During the Triad War, when the dwarf and elf kingdoms fought the dragon imperial forces and each other for supremacy of Duir’Aion, the dragon overlords realized they had a problem. The dwarves and elves were too many in number. Worse the sun god Aeruus had bestowed them both the power of the paladin as well as the secret of dragonslaying. Their empire was in jeopardy. So the wisest among them decided that only a truce would end the war. And the only way a truce would be acceptable was if each faction made a great sacrifice.
The dragons drafted the Martyr Compact. It proposed that each faction would sacrifice an entire clan to the Pit. The sacrifice would weaken each faction so that further bloodshed would be foolish. It would also be meaningful enough that each faction would feel that continuing a war after such a sacrifice would be dishonorable.
It took some time, but the dwarves and elves reluctantly agreed. Greed among the dwarven thanes competed with honor and duty, as losing a clan would leave a gaping hole in the walled dwarven empire.
So the Council of Thanes was held, and a debate ensued. In the end, Thane Argul Stormhammer volunteered his clan. As the newest clan to join the Council of Thanes, the steel dwarves were also the smallest, holding only one citadel. Argul argued the neighboring kingdoms could easily split the territory without much effort. While there was some grumbling, particularly from the Shatterstone clan (the largest at the time), in the end it was agreed that the Stormhammers would cause the least amount of damage to the dwarven empire.
So the Stormhammers joined the Sky elves, and the chosen of the dragons for the great ritual that transported them to the Pit, and their demise. The proud dwarves would have preferred death.
The Stormhammer clan was transported deep into daemon territory, and were immediately beset by the horrors of that realm. The clan held firm, even building a rudimentary fort. Once done the Stormhammer began to dig. This proved to be their saving grace and ultimate downfall. Once a dwarf has dug in, it is all but impossible to batter one’s way through them. However, it is also very difficult for the dwarf to leave by choice.
This was their situation when Reliquary Commander Selkit arrived on their doorstep. At his command, the legions of daemon mercenaries ceased their attacks. He asked for an audience with Thane Argul, and was granted one. Selkit proposed a truce. In exchange for work as soldiers for his Reliquary, Selkit would grant access to equipment and supplies as well as allowing the dwarves time to build a more fortified settlement.
Argul refused. The proud thane refused to work for the forces of the Pit. Selkit smiled and offered the dwarf a fist sized red crystal. Even the dwarf could see the value in the gem. Selkit told him the clan would be paid sackfuls of this gem. Though Argul could see being able to easily outfit the fortress with this currency, he refused again. He told Selkit that the Stormhammers could not be bought.
Selkit stood then and simply said, “Then you shall be Stormhammers no longer.” With a snap of his finger the gem exploded and thousands of daemons emerged from it. Selkit had brought an army in past the dwarves defenses. In short order the Stormhammers were captured. Then Selkit pulled Thane Argul Stormhammer from the makeshift fort to watch as his assembled clansmen were bound with chains.
Selkit brought forth an imp, the lowest of the infernal races, just a step above the soul maggot. With a word of infernal power, he blasted the imp with infernal fire. When the imp was nothing but ash, it rose screaming and flew at the nearest dwarf. It flew into its mouth, nostrils and ears. The dwarf screamed and twitched at the invading demon to no avail. When the dwarf finally stopped screaming, the chains fell off.
Standing before Argul and Selkit was a dwarf that looked as if it had been burned from the inside. Smoke wafted from every orifice, and his eyes burned from an inner fire. No longer a steel dwarf, the creature was something else. A dwarf bonded to a demon. And so the Ash Dwarves were born.
Selkit made Argul watch the fate of his clansmen, but for the Thane he chose a fire mephit, a bit more powerful demon. For he knew the entire clan would fall to infighting if there was not a clear leader. Then Selkit walked away.
The ash dwarves, in order to not only survive but thrive, became mercenaries. Initially they avoided working for the Reliquaries, but ultimately they paid the most, and the ash dwarves found themselves working for Selkit and his contemporaries.
Ash dwarves look like typical dwarves from a distance, but up close it is apparent something is very wrong. Their skin is ash grey and almost stone like in appearance. Cracks appear along muscles and joints. A reddish glow emanates from these cracks. Additionally, steam and smoke waft out of their nostrils, ears and mouth. There eyes have no visible pupils just orbs like burning coals.
Ash dwarves are bound to the Pit by the demon tied to their souls. Whenever an ash dwarf dies, the body explodes, and the bound spirit is released and returns to the Ashen Citadel, the ash dwarf fortress. The dwarven body reforms there inanimate, an empty shell. Since it takes approximately three days for the bound spirit to return to the Ashen Citadel, the spirit rarely finds its original body. Sages believe the chaotic nature of the imp portion of the dwarf’s soul, makes it choose a different body every time, even if it’s original body is present.
The reborn dwarf awakens with memories of its past life, especially how he or she was killed. This gives ash dwarves a unique view on death and rebirth. This also fuels their utter hatred of the dwarven gods. While all dwarves remember a bit of their past life, only the most experienced dwarf can actually tap into former abilities. Due to the nature of their death, rebirth, life cycle, ash dwarves are the least reserved among dwarves especially as it relates to the sexes. All dwarves have spent time as one sex or another.
No one knows why Selkit “helped” the dwarves, but Thane Argul has had private meetings with the Daemon lord on several occasions. It is believed these meetings were responsible for Argul becoming a half-demon.
The unique nature of ash dwarves allows them to take part in the Pit’s infernal advancement, that all infernals take part of. If an ash dwarf kills a daemon, demon, or devil more powerful than it, it may consume the corpse. This enhances the ash dwarf with infernal power. Thane Argul for example has the power of a half-demon having killed an elder demon a century ago. Continuing to advance can theoretically allow even Argul to become a daemon lord.
A little known fact about the Ash dwarves is that they recently discovered they were capable of breeding. A natural born ash dwarf is more powerful than its parents, as it as a true daemon. It is also exempt from the cycle of death and rebirth that is parents suffer from. Like all daemons, it can only truly die if slain in the Pit, reforming a few days after “death” on any other plane. Only Thane Argul, his Council of Ash, and a handful of others know this truth.
Thane Argul is planning something. Of that there can be no doubt.
“Always take time to enjoy some music”
Chord, the Ivory Bard
A Darkness Rising 