The embers glowed brightly as they were stoked. Two large, barrel-chested dwarves worked the bellows, breathing life into the fire. Carefully, another pulled a glowing blade from the fire, a short and broad piece of steel. Chanting a prayer to Moradin, the slender dwarf put the blade on an anvil and began hammering. The glow from the blade highlighted his features, his cherry-red hair, his neatly trimmed beard, his jet black skin, his slightly pointed ears.
Days later, he found himself with the same blade, etching eldritch runes into the guard. The runes glowed softly as he worked in the magic that would make it a weapon of legend. At his side was his wife Weralsia, a rose-haired lass of some years, worked her own magic. They worked under the stars, etching and chanting. Finally, the sun crept over the mountains.
“It is done!” Anik proclaimed, hefting the blade high into the air.
Weralsia smiled. “Young Prince Harral will be most pleased with such a gift.”
Anik replied “Yes, and he will be more inclined to favor our son when it comes time to choose his captains.”
Yes, soon everything Weralsia had envisioned would come to pass.
Deep in the cave behind them, the dwarven apprentices busily cleaned the forge, unaware of the plot, one they had a part in, was unfolding.
Largely unknown outside of a few circles are the dueril, the bloodstone dwarves. These creatures are a hybrid of dwarves and drow, the result of a failed invasion. Most are encountered in the Barak Mountains, a chain of high mountains on a worldlet. Outside that homeland, they can be encountered as advisors, wizards, and loyal captains in the courts of dwarven kings. More likely, one encounters the results of their work, powerful weapons that are the stuff of legend.
All bloodstone dwarves belong to a single house, named House Bloodstone by outsiders. Its proper name is Arazikili, the “Brothers and Sisters of Bloodstone”. They are crafters of potent magical weapons, wizards, and dreamers of the Grand Dwarven Empire.
The origins of Clan Bloodstone can be found in a failed drow invasion of the Halls of Highstar, a major dwarven nation. The Widowers, an arrogant nation of amazon drow, attempted to sneak its army past the dwarven defenses. They attacked what they believe to be a weak point in the citadel, taking two entire levels without loss. Only when the drow were fully committed to the attack did the dwarves spring their trap: the occupied levels were flooded with potent sleep gas, knocking out the entire assault force.
The drow awoke in the shackles of slavery. The exotic drow women were quickly sold off to bachelor dwarves (a serious problem in Highstar at the time; no less than 30% of the men were unmarried). Abandoned by their goddess, the drow resigned themselves to their fate.
Surprisingly, the dwarf-drow unions proved viable, and a generation of hybrids was born. Officially, the hybrids were barred from becoming full members of House Highstar. Instead, they remained second-classed citizens for generations.
The drow/dwarf hybrids, the dueril dorili (literally, “dark face, red beard”), remained second-classed citizens in dwarven society for generations. The drow never regained their freedom, instead dying of old age. In truth, they never really tried…after being showered with jewels and finery by their dwarven husbands, few found they had a desire for freedom. Their unions did prove quite productive; in a mere two generations, the true-blood dwarves found themselves outnumbered three-to-one by the dueril.
These increased numbers would serve House Highstar well during attacks by a powerful ogre warking. The dueril were adequate soldiers, but their true talents were discovered as makers of powerful magical devices and especially as mages. The magic they brought to the field tipped the scales to the dwarves’ favor, and the war was won.
For their efforts, High King Yuror granted the dueril clan status, naming them House Bloodstone. The head of the clan was a great warrior-wizard by the name of Delrid, the nephew of the High King himself! Most of the dueril removed themselves to the newly founded city of Thrcral (the Black Hall).
Clan Bloodstone is well established in Thrcral. The city is built in the shadow of the Barak Mountains, with smaller homesteads scattered throughout the nearby hills. The dueril are busily crafting new magical items, axes, and the like. These they give to dwarven kings and great warriors as gifts. In doing so, the dueril are hoping to bring about a great dwarven kingdom in wildspace, preferably with House Highstar on the throne. That would give the dueril great power given their connections to that house, and by providing favors to other dwarven kings, they gain influence over those powerful rulers. The dueril are not above using underhanded methods to achieve their goals, such as provoking giants to attack, then ride to the rescue with magical gifts and allies.
The dueril see the recent deprivations by the neogi as their best chance of bringing about their Grand Dwarven Empire. By pointing out the worst neogi atrocities, they hope to goad the dwarves to unite in a grand crusade against the spider lords. Of course, the chance to slaughter a spider-like race is an added bonus, as the dueril are terribly afraid of spiders of all kinds.
Dueril, also known as the bloodstone dwarves, has much in common with mountain dwarves. They stand about as tall as a mountain dwarf, but willow of frame, so are much lighter and fleet-of-foot. From their drow mothers, they have inherited magical abilities and a scheming streak a mile wide.
Bloodstone dwarves have jet-black skin just as drow do. Their hair color is red, ranging from almost pink through blonde-red to cherry red. Hair is rarely cut and thus worn long. Men have short beards, rarely more than a few inches long. Women have no facial hair but have long braids fore of their ears. Their facial features are finely chiseled, much like an elf, with some dwarven influences. Men and women alike obsess about their hair, keeping it neatly combed and trimmed. A well-trimmed and braided beard is a mark of pride for a bloodstone dwarf.
Bloodstone dwarves are considered standard dwarves, with dwarven abilities, except they lose the dwarven resistance to magic. In addition to dwarf abilities, they can use the following spell-like abilities, once per day each: dancing lights, detect magic, and faerie fire. Many are mages while some females become witches. They are as a race hate spiders and are highly superstitious about them. This fear was instilled by their drow parents, who feared that Lloth would seek revenge against them for failing to take the Halls of Highstar.
The bloodstone dwarves use dwarvish as their primary language, with drow influences. Their regional dialect is somewhat hard for regular dwarves to understand; the dueril speak with a heavy accent. Ironically, despite dwarf and drow parents, most dueril live above ground.
Despite their efforts and words of unification, in truth the dueril face terrible persecution in dwarven communities. They are well aware of their drow heritage forever marks them as unwelcomed in most dwarven communities. They often travel in disguise, or stay in areas they know are safe. A handful of dwarven clans, notably the Highstars, at least tolerate the dueril.
The following are some of the more important members of the clan, but is by no means a comprehensive list.
Dargen Bloodstone: LN dm F2/W12 Int 16 Con 17
The hammer and anvil of Dargen is well worn, as this dueril works tirelessly at his forge. He crafts items of power, usually weapons against giants. No less than nine hill dwarves and dueril serve as his apprentices, keeping his forge operating late into the day. He is dedicated to the dream of a dwarven empire, brought about by the hand of the dueril.
Dargen is a typical dueril male, about 4’ 4” tall and has flame-red hair. His attire is quite plain for a wizard, with simple pastels and furs. If confronted, he will use Gilglimmer, a warhammer +3 that makes Dargen immune to ice and cold. As a person, Dargen is quite absent-minded, becoming so involved in crafting his magic items that he loses all track of time. More than once his apprentices have found him slumped over the forge, having worked days on end without food or rest.
Aradeth Bloodstone: N df W9 Int 15 Cha 18
There are many dueril actively working towards the rise of a dwarven empire, and Aradeth is at the center of many of those efforts. This exotic beauty with blood-red hair is usually found as a courtesan in the court of King Alur. Although she rarely gets a chance to give council to the King or his closest advisors, she remains the duerils’ closest link to the powerful King Alur. She hopes to convince one of Alur’s advisors to marry her. Thus far, it appears that the Captain of the Guard Vonster is her best marriage prospect.
Aradeth is a strikingly beautiful dueril female with ankle-length red hair. She has a quiet demeanor, which hides a vicious temper and seductive women. She has thus far managed to keep a lid on her temper, but gets frustrated by her failings. An ambitious woman, Aradeth fully believes a dwarven empire is at hand…just a push here and a prod there, and everything could fall into place very quickly.
Sergeant Morsun Bloodstone: LG dm F3 Str 18 (48) Cha 17
A newly named Sergeant in the city of Duriduun, Morsun commands a mere 30 dwarf guards. Young and largely untested, Morsun is a charismatic leader who inspires greatness in his few men. He is a rising star among the Bloodstones, a hope to prove the family’s worth to a powerful dwarven king. Thus far his victories have been few and not glorious, mostly hunting down kobold and goblin scum. His pride is a battleaxe +3, a finely crafted weapon given to him by his father.
This section details a small homestead that is common for the dueril. Most are in the shadows of the Barak Mountains, but some have spread out to other asteroids and spheres. The homestead is a hall of fieldstone with a high peaked roof of sturdy timber. Stone pillars, decorated with the family’s history, support the heavy roof. The hall is about 100’ long, and the roof soars to a peak 25’ above.
A. Terrace: The hall is built on a sturdy stone foundation. It rises 10’ off the ground. The main entrance is guarded by a pair of guards. These are standard hill dwarves, hired by the Master of the Hall, to keep his hall safe.
B. Cloak Room: The surrounding land is quite cold, so the hall has many warm cloaks to guard against the wind. There are dozens of pegs and fur clothing.
C. Stairs: A short flight of stairs leads from the main entrance to the main hall, dropping about 5’ into the stone terrace.
D. Main Hall: Warmed by a hearth at the center, family functions such as feasting, story-telling, and displays of magic are held here. As largely nocturnal creatures, the dueril begin their activities at dusk with a hearty meal, and end their night with a meal at dawn. A ledge surrounds the sunken section of the hall, lined with shields, banners, and tapestries. The ledge offers an excellent view for when the hall is filled with guests.
E. Pillars: There are four stone pillars holding up the roof. Each is a monolith 5’ broad and detailed with family history, favorite stories, and spells. The pillars serve as backup spellbooks for the dueril in case their primary spellbooks are lost. Carved on the pillars are the following spells: affect normal fires, alarm, change self, enlarge, hold portal, mending, phantasmal force, unseen servant, wizard mark, fool’s gold, knock, magic mouth, misdirection, whispering wind, dispel magic, gust of wind, hold person, non-direction, secret page, tongues, emotion, enchant weapon, shadow monsters, vacancy, and wizard eye.
F. Servants Quarters: Warm beds for about a dozen dwarves, mostly hill dwarves, can be found here. Light is provided by two small, shuttered windows and flickering torches along the walls.
G. Stable: Given the cold climate, animals owned by the family (four ponies) are stabled in the main building. The ponies are kept warmer than in a separate building, and the large animals provide additional warmth. A loft above the stables has several bails of hay to feed the animals. The animals are tended by a pair of gully dwarf stable hands, who sleep in the loft.
H. Master’s Chamber: The Master of the Hall sleeps here with his wife. There is a small window to provide fresh air, but little light. During the day, they sleep soundly in the bed, rising only as the sun vanishes behind the mountains. The room is decorated with the Master’s personal trophies, including monster heads, weapons, and scraps of magical scrolls.
I. Armory: This room is locked and guarded by a fire trap spell. The key is held by the Master of the Hall. Inside is a dozen suits of chain armor, four dozen axes of all sizes, six warhammers, and several helms. All are sized for dwarven use.
J. Guest Chambers: Each of these three rooms is a small spartan chamber with two beds and like furnishings. Children and relatives usually live here, and sometimes guests are put up in here as well.
