Hark, surfacers, and know you the true nature of those dwarves who live amongst you. Forget their immediate vices, and discover you the ancient malignance of these worms. In ages past, when humans were little more than feeble and ignorant children, there existed a vast and mighty realm of dwarfkind. This realm was founded by a dwarven hero and his eight warrior sons, who slew four massive dragons to claim its throne.
Each of the eight sons of the fearsome Taark Shanat founded his own Clan and princedom. Clan Duergar emerged, renowned amongst all the great races of the elder days for its wealth, its splendor but, above all, its temperance.
As was the custom of the times, Clan Duergar offered their praises to one of the children of Moradin the Dwarfather. Clan Duergar gravitated toward Laduguer, drawn to Him for his great artisanship, wisdom and benevolence. Under the benign and holy guidance of the Master of Crafts, Clan Duergar forged many impressive works of mind and hand, outdoing all others.
And yet, great malice took seed within the hearts of the other Clans. Led by their greedy and violent princes, they formed an alliance against the peaceful Clan Duergar, bent on the rape of its lands and the destruction of its people. This was the first betrayal of the Duergar.
Such was the indomitable and industrious spirit of the Clan Duergar that they kept in check the vast, ravenous armies arrayed against them. Even so, the slaughter brought by the avaricious dwarven princes to their brethren weakened the mighty kingdom as a whole, and the hated dark elves attacked.
With their cruel and unjust persecution of Clan Duergar set before them plainly with the invasion of the drow, a peace was made and the drow driven back. The king had fallen and much of the power of Shanatar was broken.
Now a time came to choose a new king from amongst the eight princes, each of whom was the High Priest of the deity beholden to the Clan he spoke for. The Gods of the Stout Folk were ordained the task of choosing.
Such was the jealously of Moradin's children, especially Dumathoin the greedy Silent Keeper, toward the great and noble Laduguer, who shined far brighter than them, that they conspired to thwart Moradin's inevitable choice of Laduguer's High Priest for ascension to the throne. They whispered lies in the Dwarfather's ear, and bred in him a deep distrust and scorn for his innocent son, Laduguer. In spite and ignorance, Moradin and his conspiring children chose Dumathoin's High Priest as king of Old Shanatar. This was the second betrayal of the Clan Duergar.
From their undeserved place of power, those of Dumathoin instigated a reign of terror on the citizens of Clan Duergar. Spectacles were made of these peaceful, innocent Duergar for the sick pleasures gained from it by their cruel brethren, and soon enough the other Clans joined them in the subjugation. Moradin, now completely corrupted by the poison of lies and deceit fed to him by his other children, authorized the persecution.
Once again, outsiders took advantage of the infighting and assaulted Shanatar. The dark illithid gained the advantage as the hearts of many of the Clans faltered. It came to pass that the High priest of Dumathoin, fearing for his life and sickening in his great cowardice, arranged a secret peace with the illithid. They were awarded the lands of Clan Duergar, who had been arranged to be captured and sold to the illthid as lowly thralls. This was the third and last betrayal of Clan Duergar.
[a signature is found printed in bold block lettering below, as if some kind of challenge:]
RHELUKT