Deep Dwarf

a.k.a. Psion Dwarf

Personality

Deep dwarves are quiet, simple and tend to keep to themselves. They are very religious and follow their holy calendar for many activities; some even follow it to live life by each day. Deep dwarves favor the earth, even with what they wear for clothing and prefer simple and functional garb. Their clans are normally small and they often merge families to keep their clans strong, and a clear sign of their loyalty to family.

Physical Description

Deep dwarves are typically the same height as other dwarves, but leaner and they average 4 feet tall and weigh as much as a human. Living so deep underground for countless generations has made them turn pale and their skin sometimes has a reddish ting, or shades of tan or brown. Their large eyes lack the brightness of those of their kindred, being a washed-out blue. Their hair color ranges from black, gray, or brown, and are rarely bright red or straw blond.

Relations

Deep dwarves are related to stone dwarves, but unlike their cousins, they never left their underground homelands. These dwarves live further underground then any of their brother races and tend to be even more standoffish with non-dwarves. They have almost no contact with surface dwellers, relying on stone, hill or mountain dwarves to trade goods for them.

Alignment

Frequently neutral in alignment, Deep Dwarves may also be lawful good or lawful neutral. They tend to be just as conservative and traditional as other dwarves, and consider themselves to be the sole keepers of the most ancient heritage of the dwarven culture.

Deep Dwarf Lands

Most Deep Darves live among stone dwarves, and are accepted as an equal members of their clans. They also populate large cavern systems under the Krond Heights. There is only one common known area were deep dwaves came be found, the Gates of Mor-Tork, in the Arajyd hills, this is not too say they are not in other parts of the world.

Religion

They are highly spiritual beings, often mistaken for actual spirits by outsiders. Many deep dwarves worship the Earth Mother and the Founder. The Dark One, the Locust Lord receives propitiation and is paid with sacrifice to stay away and keep from harming their people.

Languages

When a Deep Dwarf travels outside dwarven lands, they are normally traders, sometimes mercenaries, but rarly ever an adventurer, they will learn the Merchant Tongue, while warriors in the dwarven cities usually learn a goblinoid language to better interrogate and spy on those evil denizens of the deep caves. Deep dwarves can speak their own racial dialect, dwarf, illithid, troglodyte, deep gnome, and undercommon the trade language of all Underdark races.

Adventures

Deep Dwarf are tougher than most living species, and their empathy with the earth allows them to sense much of their surroundings, making them excellent guilds in the subterranean lands. Naturally, deep dwarves are quite adept with all arts of avoiding attacks, but are not so gifted as their cousin dwarves in the art of war. Those who have to defend their ground most often go with ranged weapons, preferring slings or crossbows over bows, which are too unwieldy for them. They do effectively use their environment and do execute well-planned group attacks, or simply rely on psionics. They are most at home with Earth Magic and some even use Necromancy. Like stone dwarves, deep dwarves are gifted forgers, and gain the same bonuses from dwarven equipment as any other dwarf.

Source Notes: Monster Manual v.3.5 D20