mordenkainens tome of foes

Our three rules

come from the actions of Laduguer him-

self,

as he quested through the Nine Hells on his mission

to bring glory to the duergar.

First, the devils sought to turn his greed against him.

They offered as much treasure as he could

carry, thinking

that he would take too much and

collapse in exhaustion.

Instead, Laduguer used his cunning magic to twist his

pockets into bottomless pits, so that there was no limit to

the treasure he could carry.

Then, in their frustrat ion at his stratagem, the devils fell

upon him with claw and blade. They d idn't unde

rstand

that with each treas ure he claimed, Laduguer's will to win

grew stronger and stronger. With so much to fight for, he

lashed out and broke the backs of Hell's legions.

Final

ly, Asmodeus confronted Laduguer. The Lord of

the Nine laughed, joked, and cajoled with all his guile, but

Laduguer remained grim and stoic, refusing to be affected

even when the mightiest celestials might have admitted

some grudging amusement at the devil's antics. Laduguer

was resolute because he wanted one final treasure: the

allegiance of Hell in the coming war against the mind

flayers.

Asmodeus offered a world's worth of other temp-

tations, but Laduguer's countena nce never changed. Even

when Asmodeus relented at last, Laduguer accepted the

arrangement as nothing less than his due and

refused to

display any reaction.

Thus did Laduguer

deliver the three rules that govern

our people.

These principles liberated our people from the

illithids, and to this day they keep us strong.

• Felstak Goldgrief, Tyrant of Goethelskar

CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERGAR

THREE

RULES OF CONDUCT

Duergar psychology, culture,

and society are predicated

on three principles

set down by their god Laduguer.

Adherence to

these precepts is now enforced by Ladugu-

er's ch

ief lieutenant, Deep Duerra.

OUR POCKETS ARE NEVER FULL

The duergar are fueled in all thei r actions by two per-

vasive feelings: ambition that never flags and greed that

can never be satisfied. Though they might

scheme and

plot at great lengths to gain treasure

or prestige, success

is n ever a cause for celebration.

Each acquisition, once

in hand, is like a meal that

quickly loses its appeal, leav-

ing the duergar hungry for more. No matter how much

wealth or power they gain , it's never enough.

OUR FIGHT ls NEVER DONE

As duergar acquire treasure and prestige, they need

to become ever mightier to hold on to what they have.

When the duergar wage war on other races, they demon

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strate that the weak aren't fit to possess that which

is

meant for the strong. And to the duergar, no creatures

a re more u nworthy of holding wealth than dwarves.

When duergar have an opportunity

to strike at dwarves.

especially in their strongholds, they

fight with utmost vi-

ciousness and cunning, matching

the value of the spoils

to be gained with the

intensity of their onslaught.

OUR

RESOLVE ls NEVER SHAKEN

Any

show of weakness is a mortal sin among the du-

erga r, and that s tricture extends to personal conduct

as well as to the workings of a duergar clan. Displays

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