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Lands of Deepearth	-	-	-	DSG

Geography: This large network of caverns is the home of the
largest concentration of gray dwarves, or duergar, in Deepearth.
Like the lairs of the svirfneblin, these caves are all of natural origin,
although the duergar have widened some passages and built
stairways. Nearly a hundred caves make up the domain of the
duergar.

These are living caves that contain plentiful supplies of fresh,
flowing water. Several of the caves are almost completely filled
with water, although even these have small air spaces near the
top with ledged walkways so that the gray dwarves can move
through them. These caves have been dammed to control outflow
so that the dwarves maintain a large water supply even during
periods of drought.

Like the caves of the deep gnomes, the duergar caves contain
large central open areas with extensive networks of dungeons
and tunnels excavated for living quarters along the sides. The
duergar also maintain a large central cavern where they have
established a council chamber.

The tunnel leading east serves as the outflow for most of the
water flowing through the area. The stream in the tunnel is about
30 feet wide and is navigable by small boats. A dry walkway runs
through the tunnel beside the stream, allowing unimpeded travel
by foot as well.

Denizens: The duergar are the main inhabitants of the area,
and number about 8,000. Their caves are beehives of activity as
the diminutive demi-humans go about their business. Like the
svirfneblin, the gray dwarves maintain large herds of rothe.
In several small caves attached to this network, the gray
dwarves allow small communities of derro to live. Although the
derro are treated as second-class citizens, they tolerate this
arrangement in order to gain the protection offered by the huge
duergar population.

Hundreds of slaves are imprisoned in small, poorly-ventilated
caverns among the dwellings of the duergar. These slaves
include humans, goblins, svirfneblin, and drow. Although they
are demoralized and listless, there is a 25% chance that a given
group of them might be persuaded to join in an escape attempt.
Many giant bats live in niches among the ceilings of the
duergar caverns. The duergar have done everything in their
power to eliminate these pests, but they remain. The bats’ favorite
prey is the rothe, but they do not hesitate to seize a duergar,
derro, or slave if the opportunity arises.

Resources: The water supply is steady here, but even if it
were not, the reservoir caverns contain enough water to last the
gray dwarves for several years. The caverns’ proximity to the
Grand Canyon insures an adequate air supply, and the duergar
have cut many air ducts through the rocks to aid in air circulation.
At the southwestern end of their domain, the duergar have
established an ambitious mining operation. Like the svirfneblin
mines, these mines consist of a three-dimensional network of
shafts and tunnels that extends for many miles. The duergar
mine iron, copper, and gold. Their mines are worked almost
exclusively by slaves.

Unique Features: The duergar have developed the state of
metal-working to a fine art; their tools, weapons, and armor are all
of the highest quality. They do not use gold for such mundane
purposes, however; instead they have developed a cadre of
highly skilled gold sculptors. The sculptors use stone to create
models of many statues and these stone models are used to
make molds. Finally, the molds are filled with pure, molten gold to
create exquisite and extremely valuable works of art worth.
An average duergar residence contains 1d6 x 100 gp worth of
small statuary. Larger residences may have up to six times this
value. In public areas such as the council chambers or inns, the
value of gold sculptures is 2d6 x 1,000 gp. The largest chamber
holds life-size solid gold statues of many prominent figures from
the race’s past. Each of these contains about 20,000 gp worth of
gold. These values are for the gold content of the statues only; if
the piece is returned to the surface intact, its worth is ld4 + 1
times as much as its gold content. Like the deep gnomes, the
duergar trade their products with neighboring cultures.
The duergar have also developed breweries that use a red fungus
rather than grain as a raw material. The result is a pungent
and potent ale that is a common drink among the gray dwarves.
Hence, each cavern has at least one or two side caves hollowed
out as inns, and these are well-attended at all times.