The Ancient races were the dawn of the culture of the human race, and as such each race has the skills and tenets owned by their respective branch of humanity. The Dwarves to the Nords, the Elves to the Akavashi, and the Dragons to humanity. As such, each of these ancient races has access to the special forces of their respective descendant race, with the obvious exception of the Dragons. However, each race has their own unique special forces that the humans have not been able to retain. These are listed here under each race. Certain racial equivalents have different names, and these name changes are also listed.
Dwarves
Dwarven Huscarls are called Thanes and lead a family of Dwarves, and are considered the head of their Dwarven household.
Dwarven enchanters are called Runecasters, and they often serve as lorekeepers, keeping the dwarven stories of the past as well as enchanting equipment.
Shieldbreakers - Masters of the defensive line, Dwarven shieldbreakers are the backbone of the Dwarven military. Decked in heavy armor and sporting shields and maces, axes, and hammers, these diminutive warriors are indomitable towers of strength on the battlefield. Skilled in the art of war, Squads of shieldbreakers move in tightly drilled formations and individuals spearhead the vanguard into the battlefield. These dwarven men and women fearlessly face the foe, beating it back with steel and determination. They excel at breaking the enemy's equipment, hence their title, as they are known to shatter shields and break swords with their heavy blows and their relentless advance tramples the enemy into the ground.
A dwarven shieldbreaker is an unstoppable juggernaut of steel, approaching the enemy with building momentum and no intent of stopping.
Stonemasters - Also called Avatars, Stonemasters are more in tune with the stone than the normal dwarf, so much so that they are capable of controlling it. These dwarves make superb blacksmiths and stonemasons, an are an equally frightening foe on the battlefield. Capable of shifting the earth or of turning their skin to stone or metal, Dwarven Stonemasters are capable of bending any earth or mineral to their will by touch. Stomps that raise pillars of stone, swords bending out of place with a touch, armor disassembling itself by the will of the dwarf. Such feats make Stonemasters a fearsome foe to face on the battlefield. Stonemasters forgo the use of weaponry in favor of using their body as a weapon, fists of stone and steel striking with such force that the enemy has no choice but to yield or be crushed underfoot.
Runemasters - Runemasters are a unique breed of magic users. Rather than siphon the magic in the air to cast spells or enchant object, the Runemaster seeks to become a Microcosm of the Magical veins of the world, tattooing his body with symbols that reflect the ley lines of the world. These tattoos harness mana from the ley lines of the world and provide enhancements to the dwarf, ranging from increasing his strength multiple times over, to allowing him to breathe with the breath of a dragon, or strike lethally with his bare hands.
Runemasters abandon weaponry and armor in favor of covering their bodies in tattoos. Senior Runemasters look like a walking parchment, covered in ancient arcane runes that glow with magical power when activated. Runemasters draw from a pure and nearly limitless energy source, but having multiple runes active at the same time tends to incur a physical toll on the runemaster's body.
Nonetheless, Dwarven runemasters are one of the most versatile and deadly forces the dwarves have to offer.
Battleragers - If the Shieldbreakers are the rank and file elite of the Dwarves, the Battleragers are the uncontrollable secret weapon. Adorned in spiked, bladed, and hooked armor of all sorts, the battleragers forego conventional weaponry in favor of letting their armor do the work. Mad, berserk warriors, Battleragers have no survival instinct, instead focusing on destroying the enemy no matter what happens, and send themselves into incoherent rages during and before battles, their frothing charge being an instrument of pure terror upon the enemy. Their spiked armor rips foes to shreds as they flail and thrash throughout the battlefield, Roaring and screaming as they charge the enemy. A battlerager's cry is one that chills to the bone, and his blows rend and tear with ferocity unmatched.
A specialty of the battleragers is their berserk potion known as War's first kiss. This caustic, alcoholic brew is magical in nature, and sends the already temperamental battleragers into a frothing rage that exceeds even the Norse berserkers. There is little that can stop a battlerager in the throes of this bloodlust, and he leaves behind a bloody road of torn limbs and dismembered corpses in his wake.
Elves
Elven Winged Dragons are called Wardancers, and wear elegant leathers and leap into battle with a variety of weapons.
Rangers -
Druids -
Wild Riders -
Dead Shot -
Dragons
Dragons are capable of being priests.
Armed Wing -
Aetherwing -
Shapeshifter -
Breath of Creation -
Orcs
Steel Warrior - Steel warriors are towering behemoths inside a skin of steel. Their forms are almost completely hidden behind the heavy armor they wear, and their frames gain several extra inches of height and thickness from the sheer amount of steel around them. Towering over the battlefield and wielding heavy weapons, the Steel Warrior is the juggernaut of the Orc force. His spiked armor lashes out and deals just as much damage as his axes as he thunders through the battlefield, ignoring the blows of lesser enemies as he stomps down upon those who stand in his way, his eyes locked upon the largest foe on the battlefield, locking his gaze upon his prize before steamrolling through the enemy ranks to reach it and take it down with sheer force.
Steel warriors never back down in the face of the enemy, and will continue to advance even as their forces are retreating. It takes quite a lot to get one of these Orcs to retreat, and it varies from person to person, and some orcs will outright refuse any incentive given to get him to retreat, advancing until either he is dead or the enemy is crushed beneath his boots. These Juggernauts are feared on the battlefield and considered valuable and lethal assets.
Engineer - Engineers drive the technology of the Orcs forward, innovating and inventing, harnessing the natural power of the Orcs with their technological devices, including using the crystals on the roof of Mordintharas as focusing tools to sharpen the energy the Orc transmits into a more refined and powerful force. Engineers are known to be eccentric if not absolutely weird, and will frequently stop what they are doing simply to calculate a variable for his next creation as it emerges into his mind. There is no chance of a normal being following an Engineer's train of thought, as only the truly brilliant or truly insane could achieve such heights. Most of those who hear the engineer speak simply resort to smiling and nodding, or simply satisfy themselves with understanding the gist of what he is saying. Their creations range from simple guns and blowtorches to strange energy weapons and packs that spew fire with the strength to propel the wearer across a battlefield.
On the battlefield, Engineers are terribly potent, their technological devices producing wondrous effects that not even the Wizards could dream of, and providing analysis of enemies and their weaknesses to their commanders on the fly, frequently exploiting them themselves as they fling themselves toward the enemy on their jump packs, dropping explosives and unstable concoctions upon the enemy.
Gunslinger - Gunslingers are the masters of black powder, knights on the cutting edge of technology. They enter the battlefield decked from head to toe in firearms, and leave it smelling of gunpowder and death. Their speed at the draw is exemplary, and they are known to be able to fire their pistol, reholster it, draw the next in line, and repeat at such speeds that it sounds as a constant string of gunshots, his speed and accuracy unmatched by all else on the field of battle.
A gunslinger is unmatched by anyone in ranged combat. He is a master of any ranged weapon, even those that do not fire using gunpowder, and are well known as artillery masters, and, when the orcs sailed the high seas, were masters of the cannon and the ship-to-ship battle. An Orc Gunslinger can give a firing solution for the enemy he can't see while gunning down those he can, and will enjoy every minute of it as the crack of pistols echoes out in rapid staccato.
Shaman - The Orc shamans are hermits and somewhat separate from the rest of Orc society, though they are revealed as spiritualists and the embodiment of the Orc spirit and personality. Shamans channel the natural force of the Orcs into a stunning effect, gathering energy from those surrounding him to release it in dazzling displays of pure life energy, his power growing the more Orcs are around him, which leads the Shaman to exile himself from his people in order to avoid building too much energy or posing any danger. The shaman is decked in bones and tattoos, tribal designs from the ancient days of the Orcs, and speaks in ancient ritual dialect and shakes an oaken staff adorned with the skull of some great beast at the enemy, his eyes glowing a bright green as he channels the energy of the orcs into his next blast of energy.
Shamans empower their allies and punish their foes, spitting life energy at the foe and causing allies' severed limbs to reattach or regrow, wounds regenerating and sealing in seconds as he rampages through the battlefield, spouting roars and proclamations of the power of the Orc race, his power reaching a crescendo as he spits green fire at the enemy, bright flashes and explosions echoing through the battlefield as he rampages.
Blademaster -
