Valin Locke

The Evil, the grey protector, Duergar god. fallen brother of Jazz

Ever since he was cast out from his land, Valin has harboured a bitter resentment, viewing his brother as a layabouts more concerned with outdated tradition than with progress.

However, his doctrine taught obedience to one's leader, empowerment through the exploitation of slaves, enrichment through the creation of magical weapons and protection through an unforgiving military program. He was xenophobic, urging his followers to avoid contact with other races save for limited trade and slave raids.

## Personality

He is a proud, stubborn deity. Though exiled by the dwarvish pantheon many eons ago, he is still insistent that he has merely gone on sabbatical from his brethren, to separate him from what he describes as laziness. He insists greatness from his people, pushing them to their limits and beyond, always seeking to achieve greater accomplishments than his surface-dwelling counterparts. He is never happy with their achievements, however, always wishing better from them and from himself

## Description

He has never been seen with any expression but a frown. A forceful and angry god that embodies the very concept of grim

## Worshipers

The duergar did not differentiate between secular and religious authority, so Valin's clergy served as the nominal rulers of society. They were known as the *thuldor* - a dwarven term meaning "those who endure" and they kept the race united and powerful against the other races of the Underdark. They were expected to serve in the military. The duergar see their existence as a constant struggle against other Underdark races, and the thuldor form the single constant that has kept the race united and powerful ever since the days when Valin's clerics first led the gray dwarves away from their surface brethren.

Many temples included large stables used to care for and breed steeders - large, monstrous riding spiders. The duergar, under the guidance of the thuldor, have cornered the market on these highly trainable, versatile beasts of burden, granting the race considerable financial clout in the Night Below.

Thuldor pray for spells in the morning, usually before dedicating at least an hour to concepting, creating or improving of a magical weapon. The duergar enjoy few religious ceremonies of note, as celebration offers a dangerous break to the toil upon which the duergar owe their protracted existence.

Thuldor have almost nothing in the way of ceremonies, as celebration to them is merely a missed opportunity for work or self-improvement. They similarly have few holy days, and rites or rituals are only indulged if they aid in a priest's ability to do his or her job. Valin demands even more from his priests than from his lay followers, and his priests are required to spend at least a full hour each morning working towards the creation of a new magical weapon or the improvement of an existing weapon in some way, be it conceptual design or actual labor; this usually is performed immediately after their prayers to Valin for spells. When not working on craftswork, his priests are expected to devote their time to the defense and leadership of their communities; to the duergar, religious and secular authority are the same thing.