Brunor

"Find me a fiercer dwarf. Bettin' that ye can't. You lot owe 'im the very beards on your chinny chins after what he done fer us." -Overheard from a Dwarvish campfire In all of Tya there is not one Dwarven general more revered than Brunor, the Longshot Bombardier, as he rightly came to be known. Hailing from a long line of accomplished military elites, it was no surprise to anyone when he became the youngest dwarf to assume command of an artillery regiment responsible for defending the western entrance of the great Dwarven Mountains. For nearly half a century, militant life for Brunor and his troops remained placid, aside from having to deter the occasional pesky goblin band with a well-placed volley of shells. That was until dwarven scouts delivered word that the cunning Vampires to the west were marching under cover of night to begin a full-scale invasion of the mountains. Dwarven cities were ideal points of conquest for their nocturnal foes, as they provided incessant protection from the unforgiving sun, and Brunor's unit would serve as a vanguard against the onslaught. If his troops faltered, a domino effect of carnage would resound through the mountains as city after city fell. Brunor readied his men and fortified the ramparts, but nothing could've prepared them for the sheer brutality of their bloodthirsty foes. Under cover of night the Vampires struck, quickly overwhelming the Dwarves' position despite receiving heavy losses from the consistent and accurate artillery. After hours of intense fighting, Brunor gazed in horror through the smoke at his mangled troops, realizing he was the last Dwarf in fighting shape. It was then that he made the fateful decision of firing a final shell on the tunnel leading east toward the other cities, causing a massive collapse which crushed countless Vampires and buried Brunor himself. Unable to push forward, the remaining Vampires retreated into the dwindling night. When a Dwarvish search party arrived the following morning, they expected to find nothing but the corpses of their fallen comrades. Not the case. Not only had Brunor freed himself from the rubble, he'd even managed to dig out four wounded Dwarves with his bare hands. He was made general within the week.