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Helmcrusher appears far older than he actually is, since most of his early life was spent in bitter conflict with the Trolls. His numerous scars bear testament to his many battles and his peg leg speaks of the time he stared Death himself in the face and spit in his eye. He stumps around the Grog Guzzler, leaning on his trusty war hammer and trading war stories with Telgrif
Forgebellows whenever he stops by. Only the most foolish dismiss him as a helpless cripple, as he has demonstrated on several occasions. |
Helmcrusher earned his name when he joined the Dwarven resistance near the end of the Troll Wars. He had fought several successful campaigns under the leadership of Telgrif Forgebellows, and were on the verge of driving the Trolls out of Paragon and into the sea. In the final great battle of the War, the Troll commanders had massed their troops from all fronts into one large force, challenging the Dwarf army to a final showdown. The challenge was
accepted, and the bloodiest battle in the history of Paragon was joined. At the height of the battle, Perbeck found himself face-to-face with the Troll chieftan, Ahlbarmakk, who sneered at the growling Dwarf brandishing an enormous war hammer. The scorn soon ended, as the Troll battle lord found himself dueling Perbeck back and forth across the battlefield for several hours, both oblivious to the carnage around them as Troll and Dwarf fought tooth and nail, asking for no quarter and receiving none. Finally, Perbeck took a bad step, and stumbled backwards. The Troll chieftan roared in triumph as his great axe flashed downward and severed Perbeck's left leg at the knee. The Troll's howl of victory was cut short as Perbeck, gritting his teeth against the unbearable pain screaming through his body, gathered his remaining strength to swing his war hammer over his head with one mighty blow, coming down on top of the Troll's head with a thundering report. Troll warrior and Dwarf soldier both stopped in amazement as they beheld the mighty Ahlbermakk staggering backwards from the fallen Perbeck, his smashed and ruined helm driven down between his shoulders by Perbeck's last desperate strike. As the Troll war chief toppled over dead, the Troll armies threw down their arms and fled, with the exuberant Dwarves in pursuit. Perbeck awoke in the hospital several days later, with more medals pinned to him than he had room for on his chest. As a token of gratitude, Telgrif Forgebellows presented him with Ahlbarmakk's crushed helm as a souvenir, and Perbeck now displays it proudly above the fireplace in his favorite haunt, the Grog Guzzler. |