Duergar Characteristics

Duergar, sometimes referred to as Grey Dwarves, are underground dwelling dwarves that are grey of skin and almost always bald, including the women. They favor unornamented greys and blacks for clothing, as these help them blend in with the stone of the Deephollow, where they live. Duergar are evil, cynical, and pragmatic craftsmen, a combination of traits that has led them to work together in order to survive in the harsh environment they live in. They do not trust any other races, especially other dwarves, and only deal with them long enough to kill them or sell wares to them.

Culture

Duergar trust in nothing, not even other Duergar. They live deep within the Deephollow and have a grim view of the future. They believe that they were betrayed long ago by their dwarven surface cousins, and as a society they focus on craftsmanship and war as their primary trades. Duergar only work together because they believe service to their god will someday allow them to end their toil for survival. In the meantime, they focus on practical smithing, mining resources, and warring against other races, perhaps because in doing so they will not attack each other. They live in large cities made of stone and metal, their buildings expertly crafted and built into the rocky cavern for optimal defense. Unlike traditional dwarven craftsmanship, Duergar work is drab and devoid of ornamentation, as they view such things as a waste of time and effort.

History

Many believe that the Duergar were once allies with the surface dwarves, much how surface elves were once allied with the drow, but this is a fallacy placed in the heads of the duergar since birth by the god that they serve. It is used as a means of control to keep them working for a goal that can never be reached. Duergar are in a way prisoners of their own design, believing that their fate is out of their hands, but if they keep working hard enough, one day they may be free of their punishment. Many fail to recognize that if they just simply left, they would be able to pursue their own fate as they wish. However, like all dwarves, their beliefs are deeply rooted in a responsibility to community, for better or for worse.

Duergar Types