Warrior Priests (Nohk'koshe)

Among the warrior caste is the militant arm of the Khanshael priesthood. For one reason or another, these priests have joined the warrior caste. Their powers are such that they often lead the dark dwarves into battle, cloaking their allies in battle magic provided by war spirits.

A tale from Khanshael history speaks of a great Khanshael war-priest that led a legion of the Kin into battle against a horde of Giantkin nomads that threatened the Khanshael settlement. The odds were stacked horribly against the Khanshael army. The most reliable record speaks of the odds being roughly five of the enemy to every one Khanshael warrior.

Losses on both sides were horrible as the Dwarves repelled wave after wave of berserk barbarians. Finally, only a handful of Khanshael remained, against the remnants of the once great horde. Corpses were stacked higher than the height of a full-grown human man, and the Khanshael stood atop this mound of rotting flesh.

Leading the remaining Kin in battle was the war-priest, arrayed in his skull- adorned armor, swinging a great morning star that burned with the fires of the sun. He shrieked the ancient war chants of the Khanshael at the top of his booming voice. War spirits swirled and roared around him, filling his allies with confidence and power, and his foes with dread. A dozen Khanshael warriors stood beside him, each swinging their weapons precisely against the Giantmen that remained.

At the end of the battle, those same dozen warriors stood triumphant, and exhausted. Their foes were defeated, and the Khanshael, although decimated, won the day.

Traditionally, when arrayed for battle, the Khanshael war-priests wear blackened armor, inlaid with skull and bone motifs. Their armor is often ancient and battered, and is also traditionally passed down from one war-priest to the next. The eldest Khanshael war-priest wears armor that is over 3 millennia old. Somehow, the Dhe'nari enchantments woven into the metal have allowed it to withstand the years. It is a masterwork of Dwarven artifice and has powers far beyond simple protective enchantments. The helmet is shaped like a huge skull, with spikes across the forehead, and has hair of masterfully forged mithril wire, that almost appears real. In battle, eldritch flames fill the eye sockets, lending the wearer terrifying aspect in battle. It is said that this fearsome quality has been enhanced by magic ensorcelled into the armor.