Plague Dwarves

The plague dwarves carry loss of the Everdelve in their very bones. The Ironbond, Steelguard, and Kazzar clans were among the last to forsake their ancient holdings, and whole family lines were lost to mind flayer experimentation. As the Brain Nations fell in turn to fiends from the Lower Planes, the descendants of these abused lines escaped. Haggard, thin, and tottery, with pale skin and patchy, jet-black beards, these dwarves are sallow remnants of a fallen age. Cursed with a mysterious wasting disease, they are feared and rejected by all who come in contact with them.

The Healed are plague dwarves who have overcome their families’ dark affliction. They are as stout and bold as other dwarves, but they love the depths of the earth less. Most refuse to handle a hammer or pick, instead preferring axes or even short swords. They keep their hair cropped close to the skull and some even shave their beards. When asked why, they answer only, “To remember.” When pressed further, their hands go to the hilts of their weapons.