Heroes of the Anvil Vale

Barbarians

• Dwarven Battleragers: Among staunchly ordered and lawful dwarven folk, battle is one of the acceptable outlets for aggression and furious chaos. The tradition of battle-ragers is less known in this era than it was previously, but there are always those few dwarves marked with the traditional tattoos of the Furious Ones. (Preferred Paths: Ancestral Guardian, Battlerager, Zealot)
• The Frostwood Furies: Some of the tribes of elves and shifters within the Frostwood maintain a tradition of furies – warriors who channel their overt fury into strength, all at the defense of their homes. (Preferred Paths: Ancestral Guardian, Berserker, Totem Warrior)
• Giantish Fury: Outside of tribal society, it is not uncommon to find those with the gifts of rage among the firbolg and goliath folk as well. (Preferred Paths: Ancestral Guardian, Berserker, Storm Herald, Zealot)
• Tribal Folk: Though the only tribal folk within any reasonable distances of the Vale are the wood elf clans of the Frostwood, and the oft-nomadic goblinoid tribes that dwell in further reaches of the Starfrost Mountains, both peoples have more than their fair share of those with the gifts of rage. (Preferred Paths: Ancestral Guardian, Battle-Scarred, Berserker, Storm-Herald, Totem Warrior)
• The Touch of the Berserker: Within the Vale, even among the most peaceful and ordered communities, there are those who have been touched by the Berserker, the terrifying creature of primal fury. Some have survived one of its slaughters, and come away with a rage of their own. Others have simply seen it at a distance, or have dreams of it occasionally. (Preferred Paths: Battle-Scarred, Berserker)

Bards

• The Ceòladair: The musical traditions of the dwarves and the humans and halflings who sought sanctuary with them have mixed and blended over the years, creating a tradition of bravado-loving thrill-seekers and storytellers. Percussion and woodwinds feature extensively in these traditions. (Preferred Colleges: Lore, Satire, Swords, Valor)
• The Bards of the Courts: The Sea Lords maintain an ancient tradition of bards as advisors and witnesses, and so their courts are largely open to those who are proven bards. Among the Sea Domains, a long-standing tradition of apprenticeship exists, forcing young bards to remain apprentices until they manage to make names for themselves at their masters' guidance. Bards also become consummate politicians, as well, given the circles they find themselves in. (Preferred Colleges: Fates, Glamour, Lore, Secrets, Theatrics, Whispers)
• Fey Troubadours: In both the Frostwood and Ylistaloré, there are traditions of singer-historians who record the tragedies of the Feywild, and the Twilight of the Elves. They frequently come among the people of the Vale, and more than a few of them have taught apprentices there among these short-lived people. (Preferred Colleges: Fates, Glamour, Great Work, Lore, Secrets, Swords, Threnody, Valor, Whispers)

Clerics

• The Urram Athair: Dwarves do not have gods. Instead, each of the Great Clans has a highly revered founder ancestor, who occasionally choose champions to work their will among dwarrowkind. Each of the Twelve has such a clan founder, and they can grant any Domain. Domains are less about who grants the power and more about what they want their chosen to focus on in dwarven society. (Preferred Domains: Arcana, Death, Forge, Grave, Knowledge, Life, Light, Order, Prophecy, Protection, Trickery, War)
• The Mysteries Pastoral: The main faith of the Valefolk is the Mysteries Pastoral, with its emphasis on agricultural mysteries and support and celebration of the bounty of the land. Clerics of the Mysteries Pastoral are encouraged to enter into the priesthood. (Preferred Domains: Arcana, Death, Grave, Hunt, Life, Nature, Prophecy, Tempest)
• The Church of the Foundations: A small pantheon of deities revered by the Sea Lords and many other human civilizations, the so-called Foundationals do not have any temples in the Vale. It is not uncommon for missionaries to visit the Vale, however, and they sometimes find a welcome among the folk of the Vale's settlements who sometimes feel that the Mysteries Pastoral, with their rural emphasis, are not for them. (Preferred Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Life, Order, Protection, War)
• The Lucental Cultus: Among the forest-dwelling clans of the Frostwood, there is a small cultus that has always been a small part of those cultures, although it never grows particularly large in any generation. It teaches that life and joy are a light, an illumination which should not only be sought but cultivated and protected. A few of the shifters and elves of the Frostwood are clerics of this cultus. They do not operate as its priests, but instead as its heroes and saints, literally called "lightbearers." (Preferred Domains: Light [primarily]; Hunt, Life, Nature [occasionally])

Wizards

• Wizards: New Tradition: Runethane, a tradition of dwarven rune-focused wizards.
  • The eight standard school-based traditions are studied, but are a hold-over from human traditions of magic.