Duergar
The Duergar, often called gray dwarves, are a somber and secretive kin of the dwarves who dwell deep within the bones of Aigusyl. Their cities are hidden beneath blackened mountains and carved into the hollows of ancient earth, lit by cold embers and phosphorescent fungi. Forged in pain and hardened by shadow, the Duergar are creatures of stoicism, grit, and silent defiance.
According to legend, the Duergar were once mountain dwarves who delved too greedily and too far beneath the world. In their search for lost truths and deeper riches, they unearthed more than stone—they encountered twisted spirits, forsaken gods, and unspeakable echoes in the dark. Some say it was the whispering of the chained Titan Goromund in his deepest prison that first lured them downward; others whisper of forgotten bargains struck with the eldritch beings of the Deep Hollow, or the mind-horrors of the Undermind. Whatever the truth, the Duergar were changed.
They emerged from their dark trials with skin like ash, eyes clouded with pale fire, and minds sharpened by agony and silence. The surface dwarves speak of them as cursed or corrupted, but the Duergar themselves reject such pity. They see their transformation as a cruel evolution—a forging by the pressures of the deep. They survived the madness and the chains, and in doing so, became stronger, more disciplined, more enduring. Their psionic talents, grim resilience, and capacity for silent warfare reflect a life of enduring terror and reclaiming control.
Duergar society is rigid, survivalist, and unflinchingly pragmatic. Each holdfast is a fortress carved in obsidian, ruled by councils of graybeards known as the Iron Silent. Honor is earned through toil, service, and unwavering discipline. While they do not love war, they are masters of it—using ambush, mind-magic, and cruel innovation to defend their subterranean realms from the terrors that prowl below. Their blacksteel-forged weapons and hollowfire machines are coveted and feared by surface dwellers alike.
Despite their grim reputation, not all Duergar are heartless or cruel. Some climb to the surface in search of purpose beyond the claustrophobic dogma of their kin. These exiles, called Ashbound, often struggle to earn trust but carry with them incredible tenacity and unique insight into the horrors that dwell beneath. They rarely speak of what they've endured, but their silent presence is enough to unsettle most.
The Duergar are not monsters—they are survivors. In the deep places where the light of Aetherial’s creation dims and forgotten forces stir, they stand unbent. Forged in darkness, armored in will, and bound by a quiet pride, the Duergar are a living testament to the strength of those who refuse to break, even when the world itself tries to grind them into dust.
