Dark dwarf

Duergar are the dwarven version of drow and svirfneblin: like the other two races, they retreated into the Underdark to escape the tyranny of the Draconic Dominions. A thousand and a half years underground transformed them into a gray-skinned, dour people whose lives are focused almost single-mindedly on toil and survival. A few clans gave in to despair and struck dark deals with [Mind Flayer(species)]s, becoming the insane [Derro(species)], but most clung stubbornly to their identity.
In Vesperia, duergar are rare, but a few clans chose to come across the ocean in search of a new life. These duergar still live underground, now integrated into mixed dwarven communities like Golden Heights. They occupy the deepest, darkest caverns and mines, where their natural darkvision is most useful.

Culture

Shared customary codes and values

Duergar have one priority in life: survival. Centuries of living in the hostile Underdark have made them coldly pragmatic. Everyone must contribute to the community's survival, or be cast out; those who can no longer work due to illness, injury, or old age must fend for themselves. Those who break the clan's laws are also cast out, because law is the only thing separating the duergar from the derro. All outsiders are to be treated with suspicion.

Encompassed species

• Dwarf