Duergar
The duergar, or gray dwarves, are a race of evil dwarves who inhabit large underground cities in the Underdark.
Appearence
A duergar is relatively similar in appearance to a dwarf, except for the lack of hair on its scalp and its ashen-gray skin. Being creatures native to a lightless realm, their darkvision is superior to that of their surface-dwelling brethren, allowing them to see twice as far as dwarves. They have maintained the dwarven resistance to magic, but are also immune to poison and paralytic attacks. Due to their supernatural origins, duergar have the ability to turn invisible and enlarge themselves once every day.Origins
During the Great Division most dwarves sought refuge deep in the mountains. Some dwarves however delved deeper than the rest, leaving the surface world behind. They entered the Underdark. During the centuries that followed, these few dwarves faced constant harassment and attacks from the other encroaching races of the Underdark. When finally faced with their own genocide, the evil dwarven god Droskar offered them a chance for survival; in return he demanded their unquestioning devotion. The dwarves had few other options, and accepted his deal, eventually becoming the duergar (meaning "gray-faced" in Dwarven). Droskar gifted them with a mastery of magic, and in time they learned to train giant spiders and beetles as mounts and guards. These two developments helped them come back from the brink of extinction, and eventually create a vast kingdom in caverns of the Underdark.Society
Duergar remain one of the most wide-spread and prolific races of the Underdark, inhabiting large and sprawlning cities underneath the kingdom of Fyre. They effectively control the longest and widest tunnel system in the Underdark, known as the Long Walk, which is heavily patrolled, and which runs between the cities of Thirvander and Temeldur. Having given themselves freely to the Dark Smith, it is not surprising that duergar society is violent and filled with endless work. They train giant spiders and other vermin to serve as mounts and guards, and are among the greatest slavers in the Underdark.
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