Duergar
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Duergar, sometimes called grey dwarves, are infernal relatives to Unterian Dwarves. They live in the Empire of Durzagon, east of the Wyrmspires. An empire built on the sandy corpse of the Midanian Empire. While the exact origins of the race is unknown to outsiders, the similarities to tieflings cannot be ignored. Many believe the duergar to have been bred out of dwarves in the same manner as tieflings were from humans.

Duergar carry the taint of a long association with tainted forces. Although they share a love of mining and metalwork with their steadfast dwarf cousins, duergar are uniformly treacherous and cruel. Their long association with tainted powers has given them strange abilities and a thirst for blood.

Physical description


They greatly resemble their dwarf cousins, but they stand slightly taller on average and tend to weigh more. Their skin is grey or pale white, with the darkest possessed of skin that seems almost ebon in hue. Their eyes are equally dull, with any shade of grey or brown being the norm.

When not bald, however, some duergar could grow spiny quills like those of a porcupine rather than typical hair, both along their scalp and in their beards, which they could shoot at their enemies. Duergar beards and hair conceal long, stiff spines that carry a burning venom. One of their more unique traits is that they grow viciously sharp, barbed spines from their scalp (females) and chin (males), which soak up toxin from venom glands; these duergar can rip these spikes harmlessly from their skin and hurl them as poisoned darts.

History


Long ago, duergar were members of a great clan of dwarves from the kingdom of Vytheryord that began to consort with oni. The oni grew too powerful and enslaved the dwarves, tainting them with their evil. They endured uncounted years as slaves before fighting their way to freedom. Those duergar that escaped gained a perverse education from their captivity, becoming as corrupt as their former masters.

Believing that their ancestors abandoned them during their enslavement, the duergar continued the summoning of oni, now more careful and more capable of their control. Most now take oni pacts, and tainted evil power flows in their veins. Woe to the slave that has outlived its usefulness or angered a capricious duergar master.

Duergar raid, pillage, and take prisoners when it suits them, using captives as slave labor and sacrifices for their infernal altars. For their raiding parties, they summon oni and employ troglodytes, orcs, ogres, and other wicked races.

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