mordenkainens tome of foes

80

The outer

edges of the stronghold are

honeycombed

with mining

operations. The duergar

wrest rock from

the cavern

walls and process the chunks

in search of

useful ore, pulverizing

them with powerful mechanical

devices and sorting

out the metals, minerals, and

gems.

Between the mines

and the workshops stands a

ring

of

fortresses, each ruled by a nobl

e and occupied by the

noble's followers. The stronghold

's king commands the

largest edifice, five times the size

of the next biggest.

The priests

of Deep Duerra reside in the second

la rg-

est fortress, wh

ich houses the duergar army.

The priests

organize pat

rols and guard duty and oversee

the settle-

ment's armory.

Steeders, spiders that a re used

as mounts and war

beasts by the duergar, are

housed in stables that stand

between

the workshops and the fortresses

. Each enclo-

sure is virtually

an individual prison, s ince

the violent

creatures must be kept

apart lest they tear into each

other or wreak havo

c in some other way. Only careful

supervis ion and brutal

discipline keep them in line

when

they a re out of their cages. Ea

ch noble is responsi-

ble

for maintaining a set of steeder

pens, and a squad of

duergar

are assigned to train and

supervise the beasts.

POWER OF

THE MIND

THE MIND IS BUT ANOTHER

MATERIAL, SET BEFORE US

TO

shape into

a weapon.

-Gargosa Ironmind

During their period of s lave ry

under the mind flayers,

the duergar were the subjects

of a variety of bizarre ex-

periments that endowed th

em with psionic abilities.

CHAPTER

3 I DWARVES ANO DUERGAR

Every

duergar is born with some amo

unt of psionic

talent.

The typical warrior can turn invisible

or increase

in size,

and some duergar take up a more

formal study

of ps ionics to enhance

or augment their capabilities.

These individuals push

their abilities beyond the

normal

limits, using what

they learn to create new talents

that

they

can then teach to others.

Despite these efforts, duergar

s till have a limited

understanding of the true extent

of their psionic capa-

bilities. From

the perspective of most other

creatures,

such abilities

are seen as merely another flavor

of magic.

After all, they

reason, what does it matter

if a duergar

turns invisible by using magic

or a psionic ability? The

outcome is the same eith

er way.

Those duergar who delve into

psionic research de-

scribe

the process as accessing a dimensional

space

in whi

ch they can tap into the energy

exerted by living

minds.

Using this power source, a small

number of du-

ergar can alter their bodies

and those of other crea

tures ,

tap into thoughts

and bend them as they see fit, a nd

impart a spark of

locomotion and even basic intellige

nce

into

objects. Duergar of truly exceptional

skill can move

DUERCAR AND

ALE

Unlike their dwarv

en kin, duergar drink alcohol only

in

moderation and

avoid overindulgence. The duergar

have

learned from

bitter experience that those who

drink too

much risk

awakening deep racial memories

of their an-

cestors'

cruel treatment at the hands of

the mind flayers.

The psychic agony that

these memories evoke manifests

in a severe flight-or

-fi ght response. An intoxicated du

ergar

might flee in panic

and search for a safe place to hide

until the effect

wears off. A d ifferent one might

respond by

brawling

with anyone in the vicinity, venting

the rage the

duergar harbor against their

former masters.