Fighters in Esaria

Fighter

Throughout every age, in every culture, in every corner of the world, there is call for fighters. Guarding the nobility, protecting the common folk, standing as a bulwark against the dangerous wilds, there is never a time or a place where fighters are not called for. The only question is; who needs fear them? Some terrorize the citizenry with iron-fisted enforcement of law; some frighten the ruling class when they stand up against injustice; others are feared by all as they stand for no one and nothing.

Class Features

As a fighter in Esaria, use the class features of the fighter in the Player's Handbook.

Martial Archetypes

The various martial archetypes available to fighters often define their place in Esaria. The place of each in this setting is described below, as is a new martial archetype: warlord.

Battle Master

More than simple warriors, battle masters are viewed as true students of the art of combat. Tradition holds that a battle master knows as much about their sword as a wizard knows about their spellbook or a cleric knows about their deity. They are seen as experts, whose knowledge spans the breadth of offense, defense, and the flow of combat.

Cavalier

Among the most uncommon of fighters in the Divine Lands, cavaliers are the stuff of legend. Many are the tales of knights in shining armor, charging into battle atop their trusted steed. Ironically, it is for this reason that they are limited; so great is their legend, that only a select few are honored with the training and equipment necessary.

Champion

Champions are among the oldest traditions of fighters in Esaria. They are the delvers in the dark, who clear out lands for peaceful people to live. They are the shield against the dangerous world. Many fighters are called "Champion" regardless of their actual archetype; nearly every settlement usually designates a Champion, upon the death of the fighter who previously held that title.

Eldritch Knight

In the Divine Lands, this archetype represents study in the arcane magic of wizards. Many eldritch knights serve as bodyguards for wizards and sorcerers, or even stand guard at the gates of their strongholds. The limited scope of their magic, its focused application, and their martial ideals make the magic of eldritch knights easier to control, and as such a fighter who follows this archetype is not subject to the dangers of channeling magic.

Samurai

One would think that the Samurai would be an archetype unique to the Far Lands, but that is no longer so. Once, in ancient times, they were exclusive to that region of the unbroken world. But they became so famous that, whenever one traveled, they found young warriors eager to learn their ways and willing to do what was necessary to earn that education. Very slowly, the tradition became one which can be found throughout the world, albeit rarely.

Samurai are still very rare outside the Far Lands, but there are a few here and there who seek to honor the code of the

Samurai even in distant lands. In the Far Lands themselves, Samurai are among the members of nobility. They serve and rule the people, or control them with iron fists, depending on the regions from which they hail.

Warlord

Warlords are accomplished and competent battle leaders. They stand on the front line issuing commands and bolstering their allies, and lead the battle with weapon in hand. Warlords know how to rally a team to win a fight. They are seen as champions of civilization, a rallying point against the onslaught of chaos and the encroaching wilds.

Lothur Reiner Ironheart

The Iron Heart, Gnomeslayer, Silver Hammer

Born into the Silverheart clan, Lothur was initially a promising blacksmith late in what would be called the Age of Gatan. He was born just before the midpoint of the Age, and served as one of many blacksmiths in Clan Silverheart for many decades. But the reemergence of gnomes—and especially the discovery that they were once dwarves—was the catalyst for a great deal of change.

Horrified beyond measure, as were most of his kin, Lothur fell into a depression at the mere thought that dwarves could fall so far and become so horridly evil. The stories of gnomish atrocities were too awful to accept, and the rumors of their terrible machines were even worse. Lothur couldn't work, and he decided that the only way to overcome his depression was to face the source of it.

Enlisting in the army as a soldier, he proved himself far more capable than anyone had expected. He was rapidly assigned to the Blutsteinritter, given further training, and set out to defend against the gnomish onslaught. By the time he saw the front lines, things were already going badly. Although humans and serkethians would join the battle later and turn the tide, at this point the dwarves were alone, and they were not doing well.

Dwarven heroes, chief among them young Lothur, were the only light holding back the darkness. But although Lothur

fought with distinction and valor, heroes were not enough to win the day against gnomish ferocity and technology. The battle looked to be lost, and felt utterly hopeless.

In desperation, Lothur turned again to his skill as a blacksmith. He forged a great artifact, which he called the Ironheart, and into it he put his entire heart and soul as a craftsman, a warrior, and a kodor. Stories of the artifact itself, and the crafting of it, vary widely. Information from that period is scattered and often contradictory.

What is known is that Lothur gave his life in the creation of the Ironheart, and it was the only thing that stemmed the tide. Some say that he lives on in the artifact, but that is pure speculation. With it, the dwarves of Tiefhalle held the gnomish invaders at bay. The Ironheart, by itself, stopped the onslaught of one of the most devastating offensive forces the world has ever seen.

When human and serkethian allies entered the fray, they joined a battle that had held steady for six months. It had been a grinding, grueling fight, the power of the Ironheart alone had kept it from getting worse. With the influx of fresh new blood, the tide finally turned. Gnomes were pushed back and eventually routed, and then driven back into darkness. The Earthwar came to an end, and the Ironheart was locked away beneath the Hall of the Deep Lords.

Unfortunately, all knowledge of the Ironheart has been lost. No records exist of exactly what it was or how it worked, only the measure of its success and the sacrifice of its creator. Its truly lasting legacy was the change of Lothur's clan from Silverheart into Ironheart; a change that lasted until the end of the world.

Manaaki

Savior of the Sea, Great Pathfinder, Windchild

Late in the Age of Gatan, mighty Manaaki was born to warrior parents in the island culture of the Mohare people. He was raised as a warrior and a pathfinder, guiding his people as they traveled the ocean from island to island, protecting them whenever necessasry. This was a simple and beautiful life, one in which Manaaki was very happy.

When came the Age of Light, the Mohare took little notice. They'd never cared anything for the empires of the world, and that included the World Empire built by Gatan and his armies. So when Lord Emperor Naren declared a new Age, the Mohare shrugged and went about their business (when they eventually heard the news in passing).

It was not until the Age of Sin, a mere fifteen years later, that the Mohare took notice of the doings of the world's Imperial nations. When they saw those who were escaping persecution on stolen ships, they took it upon themselves to protect the innocent and guide those ships to safety. Manaaki was at the forefront of that effort.

Ships came after the escaping vessels, filled to the brim with hate-mad zealots who wanted to punish their own kin for not betraying their creators. While Mohare ships guided the escaping vessels away, Manaaki and his warriors put themselves in the line of danger. They knew their ships were not built for war like the ones they engaged, so instead they leaped directly onto the decks and into the throng of hate.

Manaaki fought as he never had. He wielded his Taiaha with expert precision, experienced from many battles through

Sigrid Ingersdottir of Ainheim

Terror of the Never, Spirit Raider, The Southblade

"Sigrid is a singular warrior, a champion the likes of whom this world hasn't seen for centuries. If she'd lived in any other time, I dare say she'd have become a hero beyond compare."

Born in the village of Áinheim in 168 AR, Sigrid was destined for a life of blood and war. Some legends say her mother birthed Sigrid on the battlefield and then kept fighting. Others say she was born during a raid on Áinheim, after which Inger got up and joined the defense. There are other — equally extreme — tales about Sigrid's birth, but they are even less verifiable and more difficult to believe.

From the time she could walk, Sigrid's mother began preparing her for war. As she grew into a woman, she could wield sword and shield as easily as most people breathe. She joined her first raid at the age of 14, but even by then she was already blooded. As she grew, and joined more raids, her renown as a shieldmaiden grew. She eventually attracted the attention, and affection, of the swordmaiden Eira Frejasdottir.

The two women fought and lived side by side, and were never apart for more than a day. In time, they grew weary of Gorath's meaningless demand for blood and carnage. They sought battle with more purpose, glory with reason and honor. So they set out with their own ship of raiders, and they made a name for themselves among the people of other cultures. It was during this time that Sigrid acquired Fjülnir, the sword on which her legend would be built.

Inevitably, they became involved in a number of wars. They fought in the north, alongside Pasha Ihmed ibn Abid ibn

Nasim al-Rasheed, as he fought to depose the Mad Shah. They became briefly involved in a handful of other conflicts after that, but it was in the west where they met their destiny.

As Bria Vel marched her army undefeated across the westlands, it was clear that no one could stop her. The wizard's army crushed entire kingdoms, and left none of her enemies standing. Once she had marched from the western break to the eastern fall, she turned north to continue her bloody conquest.

Sigrid and Eira, traveling south toward their homeland, found themselves in Bria's path. Their ship was attacked on sight, and fell from the sky with few survivors. Sigrid, Eira, Brandt Ulfsson, and Torvald Olufsson survived. They joined the meager forces arrayed against Bria's unstoppable army. Battle after battle, for two years, they fought. Sigrid's legend grew, now, more than it ever had. She and Eira stood fast against Bria's forces with a strength that no one else had ever managed. Sigrid herself, shield held high, became a symbol of hope for those who were terrified of Bria Vel.

Late in the second winter of her time fighting the wizard's army, Sigrid came closer to killing Bria Vel than anyone else ever would. Her valiant charge was as glorious as it was doomed, inspiring songs, poems, and tales for generations.

When Sigrid's newly built longship landed, the Battle of Eirik's Fall was already well underway. The beleagured army of Kuland cheered and rallied when they saw Sigrid's flag. Before the ship had even stopped, Sigrid launched her attack. She, Eira, Brandt, and Torvald leapt their horses over the ship's railing and were charging at a gallop across the docks.

As she thundered onto the blood-soaked snow, they say that Sigrid's eyes never left Bria Vel. Even when the four of them plunged into a cluster of Bria's soldiers, cutting a swathe through the other side, Sigrid's gaze never wavered. When a line of ogres and hill giants crushed Torvald, and threw Brandt toward the mountains, Sigrid's eyes never wavered. When lightning struck Eira from her horse, Sigrid screamed with her whole heart, but her eyes did not waver.

Unstoppable, Sigrid crashed through Bria's final line of defenders without breaking her horse's stride. When the horse was disintegrated underneath her, she rolled onto her feet and continued her charge. Bria's defensive spells seemed to collapse under the might of Fjülnir. The bodyguards who had stood at Bria's side for eight years fell under Sigrid's onslaught, and she didn't even slow down.

When Bria's spell cut Sigrid in half, Fjülnir was buried halfway through the wizard's abdomen. She was forced to retreat, and it took her months to recover from the grievous wound. She almost didn't survive it.

Eira survived the battle, though horrendously scarred, and she mourned her lost love until the day she died. Years later, when she got word that Bria Vel had vanished, she only spit on the ground, and wouldn't speak of it.

Some historians have lamented that Sigrid was born during the time of Bria Vel's march of destruction. It was inevitable that the world's greatest warrior face the world's greatest conquerer, but if Bria had not led her terrible campaign then Sigrid's life would have been very long and distinguished.

Other historians note that Sigrid's death only solidified her legend. She might have done much if she had never met Bria Vel, but the story of Sigrid's Charge will be remembered until the end of the world. For some, that's what matters.

Fighter Miscellanea

Presented here are various elements that are relevant to fighters in general, but that don't fit within the other parts of this document.

Feat: Double Weapon Mastery

You know how to maximize the use of double-ended weapons. While you are wielding a double weapon in two hands, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• You can add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack.
• If your regular or bonus attack misses, you can use your reaction to make an attack with the weapon's other end.

Feat: Exceptional Strength

Whether you trained extensively or you were simply born mighty, you are capable of greater acts of physical strength than it seems you would be. You gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls made with Strength-based attacks.
• When calculating your lifting and carrying values, encumbrance values, or any other variant your campaign uses, each category is increased by 20%.
• When you make an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses Strength, you can choose to gain advantage. Once you do so, you must complete a short rest or a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Feat: One-Handed Greatwielder

Prerequisite: Strength 16 or higher

Whether just through your considerable strength, or unique training, you can wield a two-handed melee weapon in one hand. While you do so, apply a -2 penalty to damage rolls made with the weapon.

Magic Items

These magic items are unique to Esarian culture, or fit one or more of the themes of this setting. Each should prove particularly useful to fighters of one stripe or another.