Duergar

## Overview

Duergar are a race of dwarves who dwell deep underground. None can say for certain their true origin, but the gray-skinned, white-eyed dwarves keep their histories close and their secrets closer. Dour and humorless, some say that the duergar cannot feel love or joy, and while it is true that their expression of positive emotions is rare, and muted when it occurs, a look into duergar society says otherwise. First introduced to the world from the depths of snow-capped mountains, the duergar have never experienced a life without danger, and in turn, they have stripped life down to the necessities - steadfast focus on one's immediate goals, a long, long memory for grudges, lessons, and skills, inborn respect for order and authority, and a stoic disregard for any troublesome feelings or impractical ideas that may interfere with any of the aforementioned.

## Mechanics

* **Ability Score Modifiers**: Duergar are hearty and observant, but also belligerent. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and –4 Charisma.
* **Type**: Duergar are humanoids with the dwarf subtype.
* **Size**: Duergar are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed**: *Slow and Steady*– Duergar have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
* **Languages**: Duergar begin play speaking a language granted by their background and Dwarven. Duergar with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Orc, and Terran.

### Defense Racial Traits

* **Duergar Immunities**: Duergar are immune to paralysis, phantasms, and poison. They gain a +2 racial bonus on saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
* **Stability**: Duergar receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD against bull rush or trip attempts while on solid ground.

### Magical Racial Traits

* **Enlarge Person Spell-Like Ability (Sp)**: A duergar can use enlarge person once per day, using its character level as its caster level and affecting itself only.
* **Invisibility Spell-Like Ability (Sp)**: A duergar can use invisibility once per day, using its character level as its caster level and affecting itself only.

### Senses Racial Traits

* **Superior Darkvision**: Duergar have superior darkvision, allowing them to see perfectly in the dark up to 120 feet.

### Weaknesses

* **Light Sensitivity**: Duergar are dazzled in areas of bright light.

## Society

Duergar society is strict and unforgiving, just as the duergar like it. Children take up the work of a family member, ensuring that skills are always passed on to the next generation with little room for social, economic, or individual mobility. Luckily, duergar have no concept of passion - any work is as good as any other - so what may seem stifling and oppressive to outsiders imbues the duergar with a sense of pride. Honor and duty guide the duergar forward, while they carry the weight of their traditions and professions stretching eons into the past. As such, they are nearly immune to social change, save for when the leader of a settlement declares that a new skilled worker is needed and one of their number is picked to fulfill the position - by choice, or as a punishment if none volunteer. This punishment may seem lenient among the brutal options available in duergar society, but it truly amounts to severing the worker from their history and family. These tendencies are true even outside of racial enclaves, and so duergar are often found performing the work that needs to be done but others are reluctant to do. Menial laborers, waste workers, and other unglorified occupations fill duergar with a quiet and enduring contentment, and they will defend their honor and the status quo with all their power if need be.

## Religion

The gray dwarves feel no special pull towards religion outside of what it can offer them in their day-to-day lives, and treat worship as a simple trade rather than something divine or reverent. As most gods find this distasteful, many duergar are atheistic or pay homage solely to the Apparition of Vicenta Salcedo or Dowager Empress Kyouko. Ketar Mozog, Masik, and Jolein Composed of Desire are all willing to negotiate with duergar worshipers, and thus have moderate followings among them, particularly with merchants or rulers, healers, and craftsfolk, respectively. Nothing Left of Quibatus will occasionally garner the interest of a duergar due to his emphasis on competence, but the god's desire for his followers to seize power results in the worship being short-lived - or in an executed instigator.

## Relations

The duergar prefer to keep to themselves, critical of the theoretical benefits that other races and viewpoints may bring.

They do not understand aasimar, tieflings, or ganzi because of their conception of the divine as mere dealmakers, although they do admire the aphorite drive towards hard work and feel disgust towards the ganzi's need for individual expression.

Duergar have no reason to accept potential threats into their midst, and thus slay dhampir and exile changelings, for the latter at least still bear some semblance of belonging.

Drelmans and duergar get along in a professional capacity, but duergars' seeming lack of emotional attachment unnerves the other.

Drow and duergar have long since been aware of the other due to their shared origin underground, and do not hold any stereotypes in their minds of the other, understanding them as individuals.

Duergar despise dwarves, despite or perhaps because of their similarities, and will never cooperate with them, even under pain of death.

Elves, gnomes, parmans, and suli, admiring beauty and creativity, see the duergar's endless toil as a sad, meaningless exercise, and pity them.

Ghorans have a strange appreciation of duergar - the plantfolk cannot easily tell duergar apart, but find that there is little difference between a descendant and a long-since- passed duergar friend, and often become multi-generational allies of the stern cavern-dwellers.

Fetchlings, kitsune, and ifrits find the duergar's acceptance of their lot to be existentially terrifying, and the duergar themselves dislike the disruptive attention of these fickle races.

Grippli, lizardfolk, and halflings all share the value of a stable, consistent life with the duergar - however, the halflings find their emotionless appearance alien, grippli are often mistaken for prey, and lizardfolk can't comprehend a race that doesn't venerate the divine in some way. These divides inevitably create friction when the duergar are involved.

Hobgoblins, nagaji, and ratfolk get along well with the work-focused duergar, and can easily coexist within settlements or relationships. Kobolds and sylphs don't understand the gray dwarves at all, and while a sylph may try and eventually uncover all the miniscule emotional and social complexities of the duergar, a kobold is more likely to assume that they are beneath them and begin giving orders - some of which may even be obeyed.

Oreads find duergar to be excellent teachers and companions, and of all races, it is most likely that lifelong bonds will be formed between the two.

Undines, on the other hand, succumb to jealousy when confronted with evidence of the duergars' mastery of stoicism, and find their self-confidence breaking down.

Skinwalkers and vanara will note that duergar are fair-weather friends: in good times, they are welcomed by duergar with open arms, but in times of trouble, both of the beastly races have been known to be butchered for food and hide.

Both tengu and vishkanya are hesitant to interact with the artless duergar, who tend to take their wordiness as either insult or attempted trickery, no matter their conversational skill.

Goblins and duergar get along very well, and the two enjoy comparing songs and traditions - though the duergars' are passed down through millenia, and the goblins' are more than likely made up on the spot.

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