Duergar

The Vault Dwarves...

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

There is only primary language, referred to as Dwarvish, amongst the Duergar and their surface descendants. This language has shifted over time due to isolation between Vaults and the rift between surface Dwarves and the Duergar.
The language is phonetic except for a healthy amount of archaic words that do not appear to be

Culture and Cultural Heritage

A Duergar, in opposition to a Dwarf, was raised in their ancestral home. They were surrounded by a large clan, their home was set in the same carved hallways and grandeur that the Duergar of old had carved out for them. They were steeped in their histories, their language, and the great names of their Vault and people. The Duergar traditions and beliefs are strong in them.
The Dwarves have nothing of this other than stories passed down by an elder relative but so few of them survived or stayed with other members of their families and clans. The Flight was often chaotic and brutal; many lives were lost and the survivors adrift for generations.

Duergar & Dwarves

Duergar is actually their term for themselves. They are adamant that they are not “dwarves” as that term is for those who took up homes with humans and other surface folk. While Duegar on the surface may become understanding that humans and such see them all as Dwarves, if it comes from the wrong mouth it is always a reason for a fight. At the same time, they recognize kinship with the Dwarves but do not consider them part of their peoples anymore. It has been generations since this split occurred.
After the Taking, with many Vaults breached and their populations flight into human lands, the Duergar are unsure of how to treat these new “Dwarves” for they did not leave of their own volition and yet have assimilated into surface society much like other Dwarves. Generally, they consider them as refugees and feel pity for them; the loss of one’s Vault is a psychological as well as material blow.
But they do not understand their decision to stay in human civilization.
The remaining Duergar never stopped fighting unless they were completely sealed off. And, thanks to the Underroad and the extreme hate of subhumans against Duergar, there were many areas of egress that required constant vigilance and these tunnels were often filled with the sound of battles in the dark. They spent each day putting their lives on the edge for their Vault, their people and their clan. The Dwarves, from a Duergar’s perspective, did not.
Logically, they understand that most Dwarves descend from youngsters and babes that were smuggled out of Vaults that had fallen. That there was no hope for survival in the old Vaults once the defenses were breached… but the Duergar, in their own mind, would have fought to the death and killed their children rather than surrender their halls. At least, that is what they think.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Duergar are conservative, quiet in strange company, suspicious of surface-dwellers to some extent. They are extremely leery of individuals inquiring about the locations and inhabitants of their Vaults especially their homes. The Duergar often fear that greedy surface-dwellers will raid their Vaults for the wealth and it is true that human stories of the Duergar are often accompanied by exaggerations of their wealth.

KNOWN VAULTS OF THE DUERGAR

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Vault Dwarves have skin ranging from pale flesh tones to darker specimens with a sooty gray complexion being the most common.

EMERGING VAULTS

Craggunmyr Vault [The Approach]
Kregaethe Mor [Remnant Thrones]
Maegh Durok [The Periphery of Man]

---

LOST & TAKEN VAULTS

Haraz Thun