Definately sounds like Expert is locked in for your needs.

Regarding stats, as long as you buy '5' in Pr, Mi and take stat bumps at T1+2 or buy a '6' and bump at T1, you should be good. With all your other damage boost options, a d8 Mi and d10 Pr by the start of T2 will be fine.

Starting suggestion:
Mi 5, Pr 6, Qu 4, Vi 4, Ch 6, In 4, Lo 5, Re 3+1+1
T1; +1 Pr, Qu; +1 Ch, In
T2; +1 Ch, Vi.

Depends on if your LMT or other talents would benefit from an increased passive value.

This next question may best be answered by Henry, but I'm open to other replies. I just read the chapter on the Dwarves in the old Codex, in particular the section on burial customs. I'm wondering if Dwarves are buried with their gear like they used to do back in past of our own Earth. It has a bearing on my dwarf's back story which is why I ask.

The one big part of the burial practice is the taking of the soul stone to the repository. Not sure what happens to the body. Nol Dappans probably cremate. Others probably bury...at a guess.

I'm mostly concerned with whether or not gear/weapons would be interred with the body. The text is unclear on that.

Would depend on the deceased's Last Will and Testament (and the cause of death).

Dying in battle (especially against a dragon), there may not be any usable gear surviving. If they died of old age, probably buried with their 'favourite' (not necessarily best) gear while still leaving suitable heirlooms to family.

Basically I want to find my 'heirloom' bearded axe in the ruins of the enclave. It was buried with a distant ancestor and found by me while picking up the pieces as it were. Finding the axe is the catalyst that sends my character down the path to Deathbringer. Especially since the inscription (written in the oldest known dialect of Ancient Altharin) on the handle reads Etiam Deos Mori, which translates into "Even Gods Die." This is a reference to the death of Illir at the hands of Neroth in the Mythic Age, an event which lead to the formation of the Deathbringer Order. Curiously the axe is not of Dwarven manufacture but rather human make. How are why such an axe ended up in the hands of a Dwarf is a question yet to answered.

I don't think there is any major issue with the whole thing. Even if it is not common for Dwarves to be buried with all their belongings, I'm sure it happens. Hell, you could always say that it was a treasured family heirloom that you salvaged from the family's mantelpiece.

As to the saying, I'm personally not sure that is in flavour for the Dwarves, especially the Tultipetians. You may want to say that it is a family Heirloom, but the axe itself is a of First Imperium make which has simply been passed through your family for centuries. Remember: The Dwarves have only been Dwarves for around 4,000 years and aside from the Reavers (and possibly the Deneki and Corett Palasi) are not exactly likely to have such . . . Mourner philosophies. Yes, it refers to a point in the Mythological age of the Gods, but it speaks of a low point in the Pantheon where Neroth lost his cool and killed Illiir, necessitating an epic quest of Cadic to bring him back to life. Neroth later viewed this as a mistake as it released evil into the world necessitating the Deathbringers. To honour it would be a pretty noticeable slap in the face of Illiir and any who worship him. Something more akin to "Death is not the End", or "Only Death Ends Suffering" would be more in flavour.

Also, remember that latin is NOT Ancient Altharen in this universe. Latin is High Coryani, which is a derivative language. If you could find a way to translate it into Indo-European (or, more accurately, one of the reconstructed dialects floating around out there) or another Italic language, it would be more accurate.

For example: "Death is not an end" would according to random internet translator be "Chentis ghawod antjom" in Indo-European.

Another question is how old is the Deathbringer Order and were they headquartered anywhere else besides Paldaris?

I may have to make the axe newer because a lot of the words I want to use do not seem to be in the database as far as Indo-European is concerned. And the Latin just sounds better. I blame that on my Catholic upbringing.

One thing I should have clarified earlier. I want the inscription on the axe to tie into the Deathbringer mission of hunting down and destroying evil, along with protecting those threated by such evil. If anybody has a copy of the old Player's Guide to Arcanis, I am taking my inspiration from the Deathbringer entry on page 98.