The Highland Berzerkers

The tiny mushroom tasted sweet but left this metallic taste in his mouth that lingered for quite some time. the battle will begin shortly and both armies had already begun taking formation on opposite sides of the Red River. This was his home, his land, and once a chemical change begins its work on his mind... it shall give him such fury that it would seem the land itself was fighting with him

The Highland Berserkers are well-known throughout most of the Civilized world. they are the champions of a unique form of power referred to as rage. Where it comes from is irrelevant and its effects equally so. The only thing that unites these many methods is that it feels the user with such power that oftentimes an individual can push past damage to the body that would otherwise be lethal. it allows them to cleave through opponents with tremendous Force most people wouldn't be capable of mustering. While many in The Provinces of Mhirriah are capable of using rage, the Berserkers are by far the most well-versed in the art. They do not live reclusive Lifestyles and instead, rely on one another to maintain a stable balance between reality and the rage within them.

Madness and Sanity

Berserkers walk a fine line between mental stability and absolute insanity. while some find this path easier to walk than others, there are many who find it is a daily struggle and many others who choose not to struggle at all. Like The Mad Legion, who's tenants and even traditions influenced the Berserkers heavily, some choose to give in to this madness. It is not an uncommon sight for Berserkers to lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe during their rage. As such, most tend to avoid any contact with them on the battlefield, or at all.

The Student and Teacher

Unlike many tribes in the nation, the Highland Berserkers have a very simple structure to their organization if an organization is what you could call it. As Berserkers age their effectiveness, as well as their sanity in many cases, starts to drop. When this begins to occur they often find an individual who wishes to be taught the secrets to this power. This system of teacher and student has been around for some time. Many will go so far as to claim it's been around since the birth of the nation. Past this simple hierarchy, there isn't much of a true organizational structure to the Berserkers. They're often called to war by Clan leaders, who send couriers to seek them out.

The war drums beat their rhythm and he waits on the hillside. With ax in hand, he watched as the snow fell. The first killing blow was struck and the blood burst forth in a mist painting the virgin snow before him. He smiled and felt the fires burn. He felt the grip on his ax tighten at the sight and blacked out. He loved the sight of blood in snow...maybe he should take a closer look...

History

No one truly knows who the first was. They're likely wasn't a first and those who became the Berserkers are what was left of the Mad Legion. Regardless the use of Rage has grown popular in the land of Mhirriah. Mhirriah, The Warrior Empress herself employed her own methods of Rage. It was The Berserkers who really perfected it. they were the only ones willing to experiment with different methods of achieving it. For them rage became more than a tool. It became a lifestyle, then a philosophy, and in the end it began showing its own signs of religious doctrine. The highlands in particular owe much to the Berserkers. they were able to fight when all others would have fallen. they have been the deciding factor of many battles. Apart from this, information regarding their lore and history differs depending on which person you ask. Teachers have been teaching different stories to their students for many generations and those stories get retold. As they do they change to the point to where now its difficult to discern fact from fiction.

The Costs of rage

Apart from what's already mentioned rage has many costs such as the destruction that can have on one's own body. For some who use the power of Rage it is personal damage that ignites the fire. For almost anyone who uses the rage, regardless of what starts the fire, personal injury, is what allows it to grow. The very nature of the berserkers makes them pariahs to most of society. Even among other Highlanders, they are often given a wide berth. While there are many costs to rage most of them depends very heavily on how one activates it.

The Mad God's Legacy

Many Berserkers in The Highlands of Mhirriah are fairly traditional and know where their power originated. Berserkers will routinely engage in the same rituals as members of The Mad Legion once did, though rarely during battle. They often employ the exact same branding irons and markings, either through self-inflicted wounds or tattoos, as the centurions of old once did.

The Mad God Lives within us all. Our memory, it's what keeps him alive. He whispers even now. He's so far away, lost in the shafts of outer heaven, but he does whisper. Listen boy, can you hear him?

— A Berserker teacher upon branding his student.