Eartheart defender

Eartheart defenders, not to be confused with dwarven defenders, are an elite organization of dwarven divine spellcasters whose role it is to defend and serve the interests of East Rift, for whose capital the Eartheart defenders are named. With an unmovable spirit like the stones that make up dwarven cities, Eartheart defenders stand against the enemies of their race.

Culture
Eartheart defenders are, like dwarven defenders, tied to the dwarven martial traditions and idea of brotherhood. However, while dwarven defenders see themselves as the defenders of their race, Eartheart defenders, in spite of their more localized origin, have a broader view and see themselves as defenders of the earth itself. To an Eartheart defender, the stones they walk upon are sacred and worthy of respect and dignity. Those who feel otherwise are the Eartheart defenders' natural enemies.

Eartheart defenders feel a bond amongst one another and see each other as simply a part of a greater whole. They take comfort and draw strength from the fact that each one of them, while important, is ultimately expendable since even when they are gone others will carry on the fight for them. Eartheart defenders compare themselves to a boulder and like that boulder, they say, they can be sundered but not destroyed, and through each grain of sand they will live on.

Abilities
To prepare for their role as defenders of Eartheart and Toril members of the Eartheart defenders undergo many training regimens. Eartheart defenders are stubborn, even in comparison with the general expectation of dwarves, and plow their way through harm with such determination that they are known to sometimes emerge unscarred. Likewise, it has been observed that Eartheart defenders will sometimes seem to gain strength in the middle of battle without warning, as though their very will to fight has given them power. So confident are Eartheart defenders that experienced members can often inspire this same courage and willpower in others, increasing their own combat effectiveness.

All Eartheart defenders have some background as a fighter or paladin but Eartheart defenders favor the latter origin ultimately, drawing their power from divine magic rather than martial power or the arcane. The prayers learned by Eartheart defenders however, in some strange way, draw on the divine power of the stones themselves rather than from any particular god, and often reflect the very same strength and power for endurance that the Eartheart defenders seek to emulate, allowing them to heal themselves or see foes that would otherwise be invisible. Another Eartheart prayer is earthsurge, which allow an Eartheart defender to call upon the very power of the stones themselves to create a powerful attack that disorients the defender's foes.