Drat Unlishar

"We ride, to war we ride With sorrow in our eyes  to our demise And if tonight we are bound to fall There's nothing to be mourned, we died as one." -Dwarven bards known as Wind Rose

Shāmaltā wage war the least of all the races but have some of the highest standards for a professional military. The legions of Bartoq exist to protect their lands from the monsters of northern Tin'ala, patrol their borders, maintain their infrastructure (roads, tunnels, forts, etc), keep the peace, and so forth. They have not, however, marched to war in millennia.
This has led some naysayers to spread rumors that "dwarves are cowards, incapable of war, and prefer to hide in their holes like rats." It should be said that people who say such things have never attempted to invade Shāmalta territory. Even if they did, they have long since been forgotten by history in their failure.
There exists a force that even the legionaries look up to: the Drat Unlishar. They are utterly fearless warriors who fight with unmatched ferocity and endless determination. They've already been declared ritually dead, and as said in their oath: "that which is dead may not die."
Known by their deeds as the "Destroyer Legion," for they destroy threats to their people.
Called 'Legion of the Dead' for their oath: "I am dead. I will find my foe and slay them, regaining my life. I will fight without fear. They shall not vanquish me, for that which is dead may not die."
But, the name would more accurately be translated to 'Army of the Children of Death.' This is closer to the truth, for they forsake their living ties to embrace a new identity as an instrument of death whose sole purpose is to find and slay specific foes.
Many legends of great Shāmaltāz warriors taking on terrible beasts or overwhelming odds can be traced to a warrior of the Drat Unlishar.

Composition

Structure

The Drat Unlishar aren't structurally an army, they have no official ranks and structure. All are equals among equals.
That being said, a group exists to facilitate the continuation of the tradition. They ensure: 

• The history is preserved
• Shāvaprā are trained in performing the rites, prayers, and blessings
• Mazrūn know the rituals and the rūn required

Like the Drat Unlishar itself, the group is made up of volunteers. Usually, these individuals have taken the oath themselves and returned, but not always. The Mazrūn will have an apprentice who is learning the continue the tradition. Several Shadda act as the caretakers of the library.

Logistics

Logistical Support

Those who swear the Ath Drat Unlishar are seen as one of the highest representations of rima and melna, charity and struggle, for they offer their lives to their people in the attempt to destroy a worthy threat. For their sacrifice, many are willing to aid them: smiths gift equipment, farmers stock them with supplies, and many offer money to help provide for their preparations.
Some who feel guilty at the thought of this (or are of means to provide for themselves) will make their preparations beforehand, politely asking people to pray for their success instead.

Auxilia

Members of the Drat Unlishar have no authority to draft others into their service, but most are willing to act as support elements for their hunt. Scouts will provide information or act as guides, legionaries will help secure an area so the Unlishar can focus on their quarry, surgeons will tend their wounds, etc.

Upkeep

Each member of the Drat Unlishar is responsible for maintaining their kit, and procuring supplies and provisions. Sometimes this comes from further charity given to them, but often they will trade services or loot from their hunt. Those of means already have the funds to provide for themselves and sometimes will give charity to their battlekin instead.

Recruitment

There is no recruitment, no draft, no compelling service. If either the Mazrūn or Shāvapra overseeing the ritual believes the supplicant is not earnest, they will refuse them. If it's discovered someone attempted to force them to take the oath, that person will face severe ramifications.
To join the supplicant makes their intention to take the oath known to any Shāvapra, or Mazrūn if they're fortunate enough to have befriended one. This individual takes the trust of the supplicant to make the necessary arrangements or get them in contact with one who can.
A time and place are decided upon, depending on how many have made such a declaration, as there's a symbolic seven-day wait period. During this period, the supplicant is interviewed about their reasons for taking the oath (it's not mandatory to reveal), their intended target, background, etc.
The supplicant(s) will gather at the chosen Shāvāpar in a private ceremony led by a Mazrūn and a Shāvapra who have been taught the necessary prayers and rites. They will strip out of the clothes they wore to the ceremony and toss them into a brazier, a symbolic gesture of burning away their sins. After, they will wash from head to toe in clean water according to the normal cleansing observations.
They clothe themselves in new white garments and are led in the ancient prayers. After, the Mazrūn gives them a lesson in the history of their tradition and those who have taken it. With each successive 'class' or supplicants, this history gets longer.
After, they are asked to confirm their intention and swear the oath: "I ,(name), am dead. I will find my foe and slay them, regaining my life. I will fight without fear. They shall not vanquish me, for that which is dead may not die."
Once sworn, the warrior approaches the Mazrūn, who asks them to name their quarry. He will brand the back of the hands with the rūn for wrath and ruin, glowing symbols that cast no light and emit no heat. They remain lit until quenched in the heartsblood of their quarry. Only then may the warrior of the Drat Unlishar return to their people.
The Shāvapra leads them in a final prayer and blessing, and the warrior is dismissed to begin their final preparations and depart within three days.
Shapla is all merciful, so he accepts those who take the oath and die into heaven immediately.
Those who return with darkened brands are forgiven their secular crimes and religious sins, though they may be required to make reparations depending on what was done before swearing the oath.
Those who find their faith and courage lacking and attempt to flee their sworn obligation will find no rest in this life or the next. Their brands will haunt them and announce their perfidy to all.

History

Thekdrolir, known in Shegid as the Emissary of Shapla, made many preparations for Makshakh. Known in the common tongue as the 'Last Day', their holy book states the Emissary was warned ahead of time by Martok and Kathra, angels of Shapla. Of the undoubted numerous preparations he made for the coming doom, the Drat Unlishar is the most well remembered.
Regdāhid Thekdrolir Thekdralornu formed an all-volunteer force to knowingly fight endless foes to buy time for their people to retreat to safety. They were equipped with the finest weapons and armor available to Sāvarāhid, the First Empire.
According to the Dumapra, the Shegid holy book:

"Praise be unto the Zamtha, beloved by all, who asked for warriors to lay down their lives beside him in defense of their people. He was blessed with so many that he had to begin refusing them."

Military historians lament the loss of factual accounts that didn't survive the ages, but the Dumapra speaks of wondrous feats:

"[...] he called down the fires of the heavens with the authority of Shapla, and all they struck were turned to ash and glass. The very air became acid, and his foes were devoured from the inside. The stone of the earth ground them like flour, and the waters swept them away, never to be seen again. All the weapons of the hosts of heaven were made available to them as the hosts of earth, for both belong to Shapla. Such is a testament to the might of those faithful in Shapla, for their enemy was infinite. Yet the Emissary and the Drat Unlishar broke them. And Shapla took all those who stand in defense of their people to heaven, where they now wait in paradise. So it is that in one-hundred generations, none have seen the terrible unclean things of which we shall not name."

The modern Drat Unlishar exists to honor Thekdrolir's sacrifice by emulating the deed and gaining a chance for their redemption. None can be forced to join; taking the Ath is strictly voluntary, and the choice is intensely personal. They must decide that the ultimate sacrifice is needed to wash away the stain from their soul.

Type

Shock

Founding

1 Āqāsha, 3000 FA