Duergar

Duergar One of my earliest discoveries in the Darklands was a copy of a duergar treatise called Restrictions on the Enslavement of Lesser Races. I happened upon the vast book in the back of an abandoned troglodyte lair, being used as a chair. This impressive tome proved invaluable in negotiating with the gray dwarf masters of Nar-Voth, who all too often attempted to put my colleagues and me in chains. Only meticulous study of the plundered book, and a few close combats, kept us safe from a life of toil under the duergar. It wasn’t until we happened across a disenfranchised duergar trader keen on talking that I learned the book I’d found was a companion to a twenty-volume series—Successful Methods for the Enslavement of Lesser Races.

—Koriah Azmeren Pathfinder Chronicles, Volume 44

Undisputed rulers of the upper heights of the Darklands, the duergar—“gray faced” in the dwarven language—are the ancestors of modern dwarves who refused their god’s directive to emigrate to the surface. Remaining in their subterranean cities, these dwarves were beset on all sides by both creatures of the lower Darklands roused by the quakes of Earthfall and those of the surface world fleeing the global disaster.

In their darkest moment, abandoned by the god whose advice they shunned, these dwarves turned to another deity—the fallen dwarven god Droskar, the Dark Smith.

Seeing the plight of the few remaining Darklands dwarves, Droskar spoke through prophets who promised these surviving dwarves a hard but prosperous future.

In the end, with no other choice but destruction at the hands of their numerous enemies, the dwarves accepted and became the duergar.

In addition to blessing the duergar with dull gray skin, Droskar bestowed upon them myriad gifs, shoring up the deep dwarves’ defensive and offensive abilities.

Empowered by their god, the duergar surged from their few remaining settlements, riding out atop the massive beetles the Dark Smith had given them. Turning their backs completely on the teachings of their former patron, the god Torag, the duergar built an empire on the backs of slaves. By codifying and enacting a generational plan for the breeding and maintenance of vast slave holdings, the relatively low numbers of duergar quickly became the preeminent force of Nar-Voth, their expansion kept in check only by the drow dwelling in the lands below and the blistering sunlight of the surface world above. Yet none of this matters to the duergar, who are content with the status quo of their great empire, living lives of grim toil in the subterranean depths of the world.

Ecology

Duergar are a long-lived race, forced into an existence of endless drudgery under the surface of the world. Living the same lifespan as dwarves, the eldest of their kind can survive upward of 500 years before succumbing to death by natural causes. Far more ofen, a duergar falls victim to the scheming of rivals, or even the supposedly “kind” axehead of a clan member. The mercy killing of elder duergar is in fact one of the few situations in which duergar turn against other members of their own clan, believing that the failing faculties of an infrm leader puts the family’s welfare at risk. Perhaps because of this, many duergar actively seek out paths to immortality, regardless of the consequences.

In addition to branding them with gray skin, Droskar reinforced his new servants against other Darklands aggressors. Foremost among Droskar’s gifs is the blessing of improved darkvision, allowing duergar to see as far or farther than their subterranean rivals.

The duergar also have the ability to increase their mass, a skill useful in both defense and toil. With this power, the duergar gained the temporary strength to drive back those intruding on their domain. This, in turn, allowed the duergar to expand beyond the confnes of their city holdings and make war on their neighbors. Invisibility was the next of Droskar’s boons, allowing duergar to ambush and deceive those who would soon be turned into slaves for their growing empire. Accenting these abilities, duergar are impervious to the effects of paralysis, phantasms, and poisons, protecting them from drow and other enemies fond of such tactics.

Unlike the dwarves of the surface, duergar have an aversion to the sun, an impediment directly related to their lack of exploration beyond the Darklands (though some believe it to be less an evolutionary trait than a leash imposed by Droskar, to ensure they never attempt to follow their former kin). This flaw has little impact on duergar, who rarely traverse the surface; instead, they prefer to send mercenaries or slaves on missions that require leaving the relative comfort of the Darklands.

Among the duergar’s few allies are the hives of vermin that Droskar frst summoned to their side. Most prominent among these are the immense beetles of the Darklands, considered to be the favored animal of their patron deity. Since their earliest days, duergar have used such beetles as mounts and beasts of burden, particularly in the transport of goods and slaves. Of note, chapel beetles (Huge stag beetles with added HD) act as holy mounts for the priesthood of Droskar, bearing the most senior priests alof on their great backs. These great beetles are emblazoned with the symbol of Droskar, burned into their chitin with unholy acids. Divine spellcasters who worship Droskar can channel their power through these immense beetles, effectively using their chapel beetle mounts as impromptu holy symbols.

Since their recrafing by Droskar, the duergar have experienced little in the way of racial change, their species remaining a living reminder of subverted and rigid dwarven history. One of the few deviances from this model is the duergar tyrants (Pathfnder Campaign Setting: Occult Bestiary 23), those deep dwarves blessed with psychic powers from birth. Dubbed tyrants by those growing up alongside them, these psychically gifed duergar use their powers to cow those around them, creating childhood gangs that only grow as the tyrant matures.

Society

Duergar maintain a vast subterranean empire in NarVoth, their entire race unifed under the glorious banner of Droskar. While religion is key to the ceaseless toil of duergar, they maintain a distinct separation of church and state, with the two primary governing positions split between the military or priesthood. The military oversees the protection of the duergar people, expansion of their empire, and the acquisition of slaves. Meanwhile, the priesthood is responsible for overseeing the spiritual health of the people, with Droskar’s teachings meaning that priests are responsible for ensuring all duergar put in enough grinding work toward the betterment of the empire and, in turn, Droskar. Punishments for failing in the eyes of either governing body carry harsh censure, though it is common for duergar to attempt subterfuge in the face of such laws, for Droskar himself teaches the values of deceit and trickery.

Duergar are steadfastly loyal to their fellow clan members. Extended familial units, each duergar clan is made up of dozens of different families, descended from the scattered few who refused the dwarven Quest for Sky ages ago. Ancestral family rivalries were laid to rest among those who remained in the Darklands, and today these clans have effectively replaced the former familial lines that once existed. To a duergar, there is no greater sin than betraying or failing one’s clan, save perhaps for consorting with a dwarf. Duergar clans operate independently from one another, with some being dedicated to mercantile endeavors, while others focus on military training, or perform required agricultural labor to provide for duergar settlements and their sheltered slaves.

Slavery is the cornerstone of duergar culture and the literal embodiment of Droskar’s teachings, which espouses having someone else do your work for you rather than doing it yourself. Unlike the negligent treatment of slaves among other species (particularly the drow), slavery is a fnely documented trade among duergar. First, a slave must be captured; the use of poisons and nonlethal weapons is an important factor in the capture of viable slave stock. Once captured, a slave must be transported back to a duergar settlement for immediate “codifcation.” Inside the cities of the gray dwarves, a prisoner is taken to an expert in such evaluation, specifcally a duergar slaver knowledgeable in the numerous articles written about slavery. What follows is an intense regime of interviews and testing, wherein the duergar interrogator compares the results against millennia-old documentation and strictures to determine the best use for the slave in question. Those who fail to meet appropriate expectations are returned to the caravan that brought them, the drivers continuing on to sell the failed stock to the uncaring whips of the drow below. Those who pass the tests are assigned lives as slaves within the duergar’s vast hierarchy.

Quality of life as a duergar slave depends entirely on how one places on the countless initial tests. Those slaves found to have intellectual ability are ofen sent to vast scriptoriums, where they endlessly review handwritten holy texts of Droskar, as penned by innumerable other slaves. Failure to catch mistakes results in punishment for these editors, while every mistake reported to their overlords results in punishment for the initial transcriber.

More physically ft prisoners are sentenced to excruciating trials of labor, working on building vast stone edifces, or digging out new tunnels to connect sections of the duergar-held Darklands for easier navigation. Regardless of the vocation forced upon a duergar captive, they can be sure to expect a lifetime of endless toil.

Duergar dwell in huge cavernous settlements, and prefer the convenience of easy access to primary tunnels to the security of isolated cities on secondary routes. Duergar cities stand along well travelled routes, fortifed to a level unseen in the battlements of other Darklands-dwelling creatures. Where the drow maintain intimidating vistas of curving and spiked architecture, duergar fortress-cities are built to rugged purpose. During sieges on their cities, duergar can endure for decades within their walls, though only the most privileged of slaves are allowed to partake in the stored food and water set aside for a settlement’s residents. Besieging armies thinking themselves safe from duergar reprisal discover their mistake soon afer the siege begins, as the duergar’s connection with verminous mounts allows the gray dwarves to launch assaults from above and below by burrowing through the stone.

The duergar possess little social grace, and their dogged persistence in the Darklands gives every one of them a sense of entitlement. Their language is constantly punctuated with curses, usually directed at others, as duergar rarely accept any responsibility for their own failings, choosing instead to blame others for all misfortune. Many duergar understand their submission to the Dark Smith Droskar was a pitiable choice, but claim that the dark folk, drow, orcs, troglodytes—and, in particular, their surface-dwelling former kin—all forced the duergar into making that decision. Because of this “forced choice,” the duergar believe it societally acceptable to abuse and force their will on others.

Eleven gifed gray dwarves, to whom Droskar bestowed immortality, rule the rest of their kind. Known as the Taskmasters, they number 7 males and 4 females, known respectively as patriarchs and matriarchs. The Taskmasters oversee the spiritual health of the duergar people, and operate independently throughout their empire, though many of them congregate in a single holding for meetings and ease of contact by their emissaries. Only slightly below the Taskmasters in duergar hierarchy are the militant monarchies of the gray dwarves’ numerous settlements. Kings and queens alike rule the largest of the fortress cities, ofen staking claim to entire regions.

Rulers of settlements under the domain of a monarch are usually military leaders themselves, such as commanders or war-marshals. The highest ranking of these military rulers are the margraves, acting as proxy rulers for major population centers far removed from the direct control of a reigning monarch.

Campaign Role

Duergar represent the greatest unifed nation in the uppermost layer of the Darklands and, as such, are ofen encountered by adventuring parties seeking to brave the depths of the world. In their stronghold cities, duergar fll roles as merciless slavers, as well as the only true bastions of civilization in Nar-Voth. By navigating the seemingly endless array of laws and strictures around the capture and subjugation of lesser species, explorers from the surface can actually trade safely and dependably with duergar.

As adversaries, duergar run the gamut, from low-level slavers all the way up to the high priests of Droskar and their militaristic monarchs. At the lowest levels, PCs should be dealing with small duergar raiding parties, possibly employing troglodyte mercenaries in addition to allied vermin—particularly their massive beetles, which are the favored animals of Droskar. Members of the duergar military, each indentured to a reigning monarch or serving a margrave who in turn represents the interests of the Taskmasters, rank above slavers. The duergar military are capable fghters, wielding powerful magical arms and armor to overwhelm and defeat foes.

Unlike slavers, these duergar have no qualms about killing their enemies.

Treasure

Bands of surface adventurers are most likely to encounter wandering duergar slave caravans, and thus the sinister slavers and their prisoners serve as the primary source of gray dwarf treasures to non-duergar. The duergar who guard and manage these caravans ofen possess all sorts of equipment, from the primitive weaponry of captured mongrelmen (Pathfnder RPG Bestiary 2 191), morlocks, and troglodytes to the valuable magical equipment held by other roaming Darklands explorers. Duergar are ever efcient and ofen melt down nonmagical metal weapons and armor taken from their slaves, reforging them as thick chains; prisoners go from wearing armor to wearing the same metal as shackles.

Mountains of wealth lie behind the walls of duergar fortress cities, ripe to be claimed by any who can sack the settlements. Duergar viciously guard their treasures within deep vaults seated in the center of their clan holdings. These vaults ofen fall last during the taking of a duergar clanhold, the gray dwarf warriors stubbornly and greedily defending their treasures even when they have clearly lost the battle.

The greatest treasure offered by duergar may in fact be the fruits of their god-mandated labor. Turning the dark industries of the duergar toward a unifed purpose could lead to the most cost-effective and well-equipped force on Golarion. Fueled by a ceaseless machine of slave-driven workers, under the eyes of thankless and merciless duergar masters, such a coerced labor force could easily be worth more than the treasures of all duergar communities put together.

Duergar on Golarion

Spread throughout Nar-Voth, duergar maintain an immense empire under the northern stretch of the Inner Sea region. Paramount to their success is the tunnel known as the Long Walk, a wide passage winding from beneath the Hold of Belkzen all the way to the stone below the Five Kings Mountains. Originally carved by duergar slaves as the race emerged from their settlements in the frst days of Droskar’s blessing, this great tunnel is considered to be the only proper highway of the Darklands. To this day, duergar patrol the length of the Long Walk, taxing those other species who use it to navigate Nar-Voth, and enslaving those who would seek to cheat them of their due.

Under what was once the Sky Citadel of Urgir, the city of Fellstrok is a growing settlement commanded by War-Marshal Brithuan (LE male duergar fghter 6/ rogue 6). Located at the northernmost edge of the Long Walk, Fellstrok has opened negotiations with the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen above, securing both slaves and Brithuan’s position as the undisputed leader of this distant settlement.

The city of Hagegraf is the most renowned of the gray dwarf cities, occupying the eastern end of the Long Walk.

King Kurindey Orgukagen (LE male duergar fghter 4/cleric of Droskar 14) controls both the priesthood and military of the city and nearby region. Kurindey is considered a power to rival even the Taskmasters, and many predict he will one day usurp their position as the favored of Droskar. To cement his hold on the duergar nation, Kurindey has opened the inner courts of Hagegraf to non-duergar, imposing a strict tax on such visitations, but allowing travelers to enter his city to trade or partake in what amenities duergar have to offer, as well as to view the infamous clock known as the Akrizoth Horologe—a powerful relic and one of the wonders of the Darklands.

A growing army of duergar and well-equipped slave mercenaries occupies a series of massive caverns near Hagegraf. The army’s purpose is a closely guarded secret, but rumor holds that Kurindey summoned powerful and mysterious outsiders to train the soldiers in preparation for some apocalyptic conflict the king believes is fast approaching. Whether this battle will pit the army against the surface dwarves, duergar forces loyal to the Taskmasters, or some unknown threat from below NarVoth is anyone’s guess.

Between Fellstrok and Hagegraf, under the Molthuni capital of Canorate, rests the duergar city of Mabbryn.

One of a handful of secure and plentiful water supplies in the Darklands, the city is a series of fortifed districts spreading out from a small lake. The city resupplies duergar making the trek between the major settlements at the ends of the Long Walk. Margrave Daguda Urgadan (LE female duergar tyrant fghter 5/ kineticistOA 10; Occult Bestiary 23) is the appointed leader of Mabbryn, a position fraught with continued conflict with the local church of Droskar. Finding support with the commander of Mabbryn’s outermost fortress wall, the bastion of Cael-Durak, Daguda hopes to declare herself as queen of the settlement, and engineer a peaceful secession from the holdings of distracted King Kurindey of Hagegraf.

The hidden fortress cathedral of Diepkamer is the ofcial seat of the Taskmasters, spiritual leaders of the duergar race, though few know of its existence.

Diepkamer is ofcially the command of Margrave Giteana Redbraid (NE female duergar spiritualistOA 9), a representative of a nonexistent monarch. In truth, she serves the Taskmasters that ofen dwell within the halls of the hallowed interior cathedral. Giteana’s phantom is that of the Diepkamer’s previous margrave; the Taskmasters twisted the spirit of the deceased to aide their new agent rather than spend any time formally training her. The devoted priesthood of the fortress has been sequestered for the past 6 years, as within that time six Taskmasters have died under mysterious circumstances. Currently, two matriarchs and a patriarch of the Taskmasters reside in Diepkamer, while both a patriarch and a matriarch have ventured outside the fortress in search of an answer to the death of their kin.

The Would-Be Queen

This gray-skinned dwarf wears iron plates over a set of purple and magenta robes and carries a warhammer.

ALMARA KAZAAR

CR 10 XP 9,600 Female duergar warpriest of Droskar 11 (Pathfnder RPG Bestiary 117, Pathfnder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60)

LE Medium humanoid (dwarf)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +3

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 21 (+10 armor, +1 natural)

hp 108 (11d8+55)

Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +13; +2 bonus vs. spells and spell-like abilities

Defensive Abilities :sacred armor (+2, 11 minutes/day); Immune paralysis, phantasms, poison; Resist duergar immunities

Weaknesses :light sensitivity

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.

Melee :+1 warhammer +14/+9 (1d10+7/19–20/×3)

Special Attacks : blessings 8/day, channel negative energy 4/ day (DC 16, 4d6), fervor 8/day (4d6), sacred weapon (+2 1d10, 11 rounds/day)

Spell-Like Abilities  (CL 11th; concentration +9) :

1/day—enlarge person (self only) (DC 9), invisibility (self only) Warpriest Spells Prepared (CL 11th; concentration +14)

4th—divine power, freedom of movement

3rd—bestow curse (DC 16), blindness/deafness (DC 16), cure serious wounds, dispel magic, wind wall

2nd—cure moderate wounds, hold person (DC 15), shatter (DC 15), sound burst (DC 15), spiritual weapon

1st—bless, command (DC 14), divine favor, doom (DC 14), protection from good, shield of faith 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, resistance

STATISTICS

Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 6

Base Atk +8; CMB +12; CMD 23 (27 vs. bull rush, 27 vs. trip)

Feats :Channel Smite, Cleave, Combat Casting, Furious Focus APG, Improved Critical (warhammer), Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (warhammer)

Skills : Bluff +2, Knowledge (religion) +7, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +3, Stealth –1; Racial Modifers +4 Stealth

Languages : Common, Dwarven, Undercommon

SQ : blessings 8/day (Charm: charming presence, dominance aura; Evil: battle companion, unholy strike)

Combat Gear :feather token (whip), scroll of air walk, scroll of dispel magic (2), scroll of heal, wand of death knell (50 charges);

Other Gear : +2 half-plate, +1 warhammer, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +1, iron unholy symbol of DroskarUE, 11 pp, 23 gp

The duergar clergy of Droskar generally avoid direct combat, preferring instead to command hordes of mercenary forces in battle on their behalf. Almara Kazaar is one of the few priests of the Dark Smith who prefers to wade into the thick of battle herself, meting out the dark fury of her god with the head of her warhammer. In combat, she is cold and calculating, and prefers to frst use her numerous spells to improve her physical abilities and then unleash other debilitating effects at range. She wields her warhammer in close quarters, not hesitating to use her racial spell-like ability to increase her size and strike at as many foes as she can.

The leader of Droskar’s faithful in Mabbryn, Almara spends much of her time in the Forge Quencher— the massive fortress that protects Mabbryn’s water supply. Much of Almara’s daily life is fraught with political squabbles with Mabbryn’s military leader, Margrave Daguda Urgadan. Nicknamed the “Would-Be Queen” by members of Droskar’s faithful, Almara maintains a tense relationship with Daguda, but hopes to replace the other political leader of the city one day. Five Facts about Duergar Both Game Masters and players may wish to keep the following in mind about duergar.

Duergar, also known as gray dwarves, are descended from the ancient dwarves who did not participate in the pilgrimage to the surface called the Quest for Sky. They harbor a deep-seated hatred of the dwarves who moved to the surface, and often kill surface dwarves on sight.

If PCs are traveling through duergar territory, they might want to try and convince a duergar to act as their guide. With a duergar shepherd accompanying them, PCs may be able to avoid being immediately targeted by duergar slavers.

In the event that PCs are captured by duergar, they will undoubtedly be subjected to rigorous testing in a duergar settlement. While the PCs’ initial response may be to balk at such tests, doing their best might be preferable. Failure means they could be sold off to far less tolerant slavers, such as the drow.

Duergar society is starkly divided between their military and priesthood. The military defends settlements, and often produces members of their ruling clan monarchies. Meanwhile, the priesthood ensures the faith of Droskar—the fallen dwarven smith god of endless toil—is maintained by all duergar.

Gray dwarves have an intense interest in all avenues to immortality, as each aspires to become immortal in a similar fashion to their divine leaders, the Taskmasters. Duergar arcane and psychic students often search to fnd methods of everlasting life, and many duergar (especially duergar tyrants) of suffcient power sacrifce their mortal life to become psychic liches (Pathfnder Campaign Setting: Occult Bestiary 32). Occult Heritage Like many species native to the Darklands, the duergar have a heavy connection to occult elements, particularly kinetic and psychic mastery. The exact reason for this mastery is unknown; many gray dwarves believe it to be a natural adaptation to combat occult threats in the Darklands, while others think it is yet another blessing from Droskar.

Kineticist: Duergar following the path of elemental manipulation tend to focus on mastery of the earth that surrounds them. The hardiness of dwarves lends itself well to being a kineticist, and the military and slaving rings alike often recruit those successful in these arts. Geokineticists are particularly valuable to slaver bands if they possess the entangling or grappling infusions.

Psychic: The most common psychic disciplines learned by duergar are those of faith and lore. Because the priesthood of the Fallen Smith interprets psychic abilities as a gift from Droskar, they often recruit psychics into special units meant to root out heresy or punish those whose labor is deemed insuffcient.

Racial Favored Class Options Duergar kineticists and psychics may use the following racial favored class options.

Kineticist: Add 1/5 of an Extra Wild Talent feat that must be spent on an earth element wild talent.

Psychic: The psychic treats her Wisdom bonus as 1/3 point higher for the purpose of determining the number of uses or rounds per day of her discipline powers.

REFERENCES

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