Blackmoor version of Dark Dwarves (Duergar/Derro) ?

[Havard]

I've used the Duergar(psionic) as dwarves who dug to deep and saw something sanity warping. They stayed deep toiling away keeping their minds busy, attempting to keep order in mind or else the whispers of that thing would drive their race to madness and make them its slaves. The thing in question is one of the sleeping ones possibly? I kept the thing vague. Theyre a bit different then traditional Duergar, more focused on their lawful aspect rather than evil.

That is a pretty cool idea. I notice from the AD&D source material that the Duergar were originally exiled from the other dwarf clans. Perhaps a similar story can be used with the Blackmoor Gray Dwarves and be tied to the early days of of Uberstar Khazakhum.

In my own campaign, I have the Duchy of Evedhur be a dwarven realm created by Khazakhum's brother. Perhaps the Gray Dwarves could be the descendants of a third brother?

I am also wondering if this could be a way to explain what the Bovo Popou really are.

I usually treat Derro as the strange race with insanity and science in mind. Coming up into cities and kidnapping people to experiment on them with their strange alchemical devices.

Forgotten Realms Derro were created from an experiment by Mind Flayers. Greyhawk Derro were created by similar experiments from the Suel. Sort of stealing your Duergar idea here, but linking the Derro to the Egg of Coot could be a possibility.


-Havard