[sblock=THE SHIELDSWORN OF MORADIN]The following describes the military order known as the Shieldsworn of Moradin.
"In the days since creation, the Sonnlinor took to arms in defense of the dwarven lands and sought glory in the All-Father's name. Threats posed by forces aligned against the dwarven people, growing in size and power, demanded that the Sonnlinor develop martial techniques to supplement their divine favor.
The Hammers of Moradin was the first military order to supplement the Sonnlinor. The Hammers, while valiant, were still priests, though recast as warriors. As the Hammers moved into strategic and leadership roles, another group of fervent, passionate warriors, emerged. This group came to be known as the Shieldsworn."
For the past 500 years, the Shieldsworn morphed from a cadre of holy guardsmen to near paladin-like in service to the All-Father. The Shieldsworn, as their namesake, were never without their stout shields. Units of Shieldsworn would march straight into the heart of the enemy's biggest force and would provide a bulwark against any possible enemy advance. Shieldsworn are tough, tenacious, and wholly devoted to Moradin.
Each dwarven stronghold boasts its own unit of Shieldsworn. Each Shieldsworn unit is numbered and each sends one representative to a council held on an annual basis. A stronghold does not employ the Shieldsworn as mere guards; they are used only when the stronghold is in danger of being attacked or is currently under siege.
The Hammers of Moradin provide leadership in military deployments. Despite this, the Shieldsworn are their own order and have their own leaders. When deployed, however, the Shieldsworn leaders are more like sergeants, fighting alongside the "grunts", rather than crafting strategy back at the stronghold.
The Shieldsworn hold the four tenets to be their creed (in addition to their sworn allegiance to Moradin and the church):
* We swear to fight to the dying breath to defend the stronghold.
* We swear to never leave a brother on his own.
* We swear to brave unholy hell to stop the enemy in its tracks.
* We swear to always bear the shield.[/sblock]