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Forgebellows is an older Dwarf who has seen many years, most of them filled with battle and hardship. When in the presence of his troops, he is gruff and threatening, and they have taken to shortening his name to "Bellows," though never to his face.When not overseeing the training of his troops, he can be found at home with his wife, sitting in his chair on the porch, smoking an enormous pipe and bouncing his great-grandchildren on his knee. |
A battle-hardened veteran of the Troll Wars, Forgebellows is the quintessential Dwarven warrior who carouses as hard as he fights. He was raisesd to be nothing else than a warrior, as the Troll Wars were at full ferocity during his adolescence. The Dwarves were faring badly at the time, as they were mainly focused on mining and metalworking and not too concerned with military affairs. This changed when the mighty Troll armies sacked the border cities and crushed the feeble Dwarven army. Forgebellows' people were scattered to the caves and caverns of the hills, keeping out of sight and quietly gathering their strength until the time was right to retake their home. Forgebellows' first few engagements consisted of quick hit-and-fade raiding parties, stinging the Troll encampments and fading into the night. One dark night, the Trolls had put on extra guards and were more prepared for the Dwarf raids. Forgebellows' group was ambushed and set upon by hundreds of heavily armored Troll warriors. While his people were in hiding, good quality metal weapons were hard or impossible to aquire, so most made do with crude wood and stone weapons. Forgebellows was no exception, as he found himself fighting for his very life swinging a stone axe. The turning point in the battle came when Forgebellows' company was whittled down to a dozen stout but badly wounded Dwarves. Forgebellows, his crude axe lodged in the ribs of a fallen Troll, snatched up a Troll great axe twice his size. Bellowing at the top of his mighty lungs, he charged the startled Trolls, rallying his fellows to a last desperate counterattack. The Troll camp was soon routed, as Forgebellows' mighty voice ringing off the hills sounded as if a host of Dwarves were rushing to the rescue. Forgebellows was in the thick of every battle following that one, gaining back his homeland piece by piece with every victory. This took many long, bitter years, and when the Wars were finally over, Forgebellows was by no means a young Dwarf. Forgebellows retired from the active military and retired to his hometown of Culhaven, where he was convinced to train the militia there in case of another invasion. |