"My shame is my own. Let me find an enemy worthy of it."
- —Anonymous Troll Slayer.[1a]
Troll Slayers are among the most numerous members of the Slayer Cult.
Overview[]
Dwarfs who have been disgraced, crossed in love, or otherwise humiliated abandon traditional society and seek the sweet release of death. They hunt the most dangerous of monsters in the hopes of finding a glorious end. Most of them die fairly quickly, but those few who survive become members of the strange cult of Troll Slayers. They exist only to die, and by doing so redeem whatever disgrace they suffered in the past. They seek the fiercest foes, and Trolls are considered ideal because the Dwarfs' deaths are almost a certainty. Troll Slayers are instantly recognisable, with their spiky orange hair, outlandish tattoos, and gaudy jewellery. They spend a great deal of time boasting of their exploits and show off their many scars, and often indulge in bouts of overeating, drunkenness, and sleep deprivation.[1a]
A Troll Slayer’s Leather Jerkin[]
When Slayers form regiments in Dwarf armies, they are famed for fighting bare-chested, showing their brethren that they will meet their doom with gusto. So it can strike some people as remarkable that Slayers are found wearing leather jerkins. Surely they wouldn't seek to protect themselves?[1a]
The fact is that leather jerkins are considered a practical comfort, rather than serious protection (Dwarfs consider nothing less than a heavy mail coat to be serious protection). Only hard-wearing gear will survive the wilderness wandering a Slayer undertakes. The famous bared chest is something of an affectation of the battlefield. So it is not uncommon to see a Troll Slayer wearing a leather jerkin, and no hypocrisy or cowardice should be inferred by the fact. Many Slayers arrive to fight, shed their travelling gear (jerkin and all) and charge in to face their doom with torso bared.[1a]