Abyssal Dwarfs

The background is maintained here.

Twisted, evil parodies of their mountain-dwelling brethren, the Abyssal Dwarfs make use of slaves to bolster their numbers, and dark technologies to rain fire and destruction on their foes.

History
In a similar way to how the Celestians split into two aspects, one of its virtues taken to the extreme, the other its vices, the Dwarfs are divided between the Imperial and Free Dwarfs, and the Abyssal Dwarfs. When Domivar split the world, forming the Abyss and sealing away the twenty-seven Wicked Ones, some Dwarfen holds dwelt in the area. In their greedy pursuit of wealth, these Dwarfs dug too deep, their mines brushing up against that twisted prison. The Abyss is not merely a physical rent in the earth, but a literal tear in reality itself. Populated by creatures of nightmare, brought into being by the will of the Wicked Ones who are exiled there, it is a place steeped in evil so powerful it is like a palpable thing. That evil works on the hearts and minds of any mortal who spends too long in proximity to it, worming its way in to find their weaknesses and amplifying them to twist the individual into something entirely different.

Thus it was with the unfortunate Dwarfs of the northern clans who established mining communities in the vicinity of the Abyss itself, north of the Halpi Mountains. Digging deep into the earth, they were exposed to this corrupting influence for decades, gradually corrupting their natural love of gold and other treasures. The noble attitudes of their people – the importance of honest sweat and toil and the earning of wealth – were slowly eroded, replaced by the all-consuming lust for ever more.

They began to dabble with sorcery to ease the burden of their labours. The natural disdain and suspicion with which Dwarfs view the younger races was transformed into contempt for these ‘lesser’ peoples, which led to their enslavement in the name of the ‘glory’ of the Dwarf Race. Everything that was noble and good and pure within them was twisted, corrupted and changed, until, several generations later, they had become something else entirely – they had become the Abyssal Dwarfs.

Territory
The realm occupied by them is known as Tragar. It is dominated by two main cities at opposite ends, Zarak and Deiw, the ancient Dwarven words for Power and Pain. Between them sprawl several dozen smaller towns and settlements. Unlike their former brethren, Abyssal Dwarfs lack any sense of fixation or kindred spirit, and theirs is a people riven by internal politicking and strife. New clans, towns and even cities rise and fall in the space of decades as particular personalities rise to the top of the mire that is their society, and these often vie with one another for dominance.

Characteristics
In physical appearance, these hateful creatures are basically similar to their kin. They are short and squat, powerfully built with thick yet dextrous fingers. But a second glance reveals many differences.

Paler of skin and lacking the ruddiness of complexion of the Dwarfs, Abyssal Dwarfs also tend more towards fat, their slovenly ways and reliance on slaves making them more portly. Their dress is also different, favouring elaborate goldwork and filigreeing in their helmets and armour, designed to emphasise their wealth and therefore their worth. The flinty, intelligent eyes of their cousins are replaced with dark gimlets which stare out at the world with undisguised loathing, and their faces are twisted into sneering masks. One small blessing for the world at large is that the Abyssal Dwarfs seem slow to reproduce. Indeed, some theories abound that new Abyssal Dwarfs are never born, due to the unnatural energies surrounding the Abyss and their effect on the physical form. These people think that new Abyssal Dwarfs are simply created from Dwarfs who even now make the mistake of venturing too closely to Tragar. Others believe that Abyssal Dwarfs cannot die, and live eternally, thereby removing the need to spawn. Whatever the truth, it is a fact that any Abyssal Dwarf army will see the Abyssal Dwarfs within it outnumbered by the slaves that they drive before them and the magical constructs they conjure to fight alongside them, sometime greatly so.

Their unhealthy obsession with sorcery and alchemical engineering has led to some of the most evil creations being spawned by the Abyssal Dwarfs. The Ratkin hordes came from Bharzak the Grim’s laboratory in Zarak, the race’s prodigious breeding rate intended to keep the Abyssal Dwarfs supplied with slaves. That experiment ended with half the Zarak dead and one crazed Iron-Caster sharing the body of a golem. The Abyssal Dwarfs have since returned to their usual slaves of orcs and goblins, at least till another mad sorcerer decides to “fix” the supply problem. Black sorcery mixed with less than enthusiastic test subjects gave birth to Abyssal Halfbreeds, creatures with the body of a dwarf, but lower half of a quadrupedal abomination. They are terrifyingly powerful while also being utterly insane.

The greatest, most cruel and wealthy of the Abyssal Dwarfs often lead great armies into battle. Despite their corruption, the Abyssal Dwarfs have lost none of their southern kin’s ingenuity or need to invent. Infernal war machines, capable of terrifying devastation are often fielded against their foes. Since they are either slow to reproduce or do not reproduce at all, their armies field magical abominations to supplement their few numbers. Mighty Overmasters, armed with ensorcelled weaponry and covered in the most impenetrable obsidian armour, bellow orders to their own warriors. Mysterious Iron-Casters unleash the twisted fire-magic of Ariagful, the evil Queen of the Black Flame, and summon her Abyssal servants to the field in order to do their bidding. Iron-Casters have given life to obsidian golems that tower over even the tallest Ogre.

They know no boundaries or shame in the levels to which they will sink in the pursuit of power. Their society operates on the basis of individual greed and lust for wealth, explaining its fluid and ever-changing nature, as various individuals rise to prominence, dominating their fellows and expanding their own tiny spaces into minor empires within Tragar before they topple once more. Only the twin cities endure, built into the very bedrock of the mountains surrounding the Abyss and delving deep into it. Though the cities themselves flourish and thrive, their rulership is in a state of constant flux, with various powerful individuals making and breaking alliances as they all vie for rightful rulership of their people. Occasionally, a leader will rise of such power and magnificence that he is able to unite the Abyssal Dwarfs as a race, and they will march forth to make war on the other civilised peoples of the world, driving their armies of slaves before them and supported by magical constructs and wicked creatures of darkness. These are dark times indeed, though thankfully short lived. The very fractious nature of the Abyssal Dwarf people tends to ensure that any alliance lasts only as long as it takes for the ambitions of another to arise. It is reason to be thankful, for should a leader ever arise that can unite the Abyssal Dwarfs as a people, the world will tremble under the march of black iron boots and arcane abominations.