• Racial statistics: +2 CON, –2 CHA
• Immune to paralysis and magical poisons
• Darkvision 120 feet
• Spell-like abilities: Invisibility 1/day

• They have lost their combat training vs. giants, orcs and goblinoids,
• the dwarven resistance to spells, and the lore bonus.

Favored Class:Cleric of Karronth

The subterranean dwarves were the most confused race transplanted to the new continent. This usually reclusive and aggressive race found that they were forced to cooperate with the other races in order to survive. The chaos and disorder of the new lands drove many of the Khazrund insane. They fled into the wilderness. Most who fled were ever seen again. The rest of this race retreated into the Underdark of their new home as soon as access to the subterranean lands was found. They isolated themselves from the other races as they tried to regain some of the order they had lost. Little is known of this race during the thousand years without contact with the gods. They sealed themselves within their own caverns so they could re-order their people. Within the sealed caverns the Khazrund managed to subsume their collective disorder into the business of survival. They divided; each became a builder, a farmer, a crafter, or a hunter depending o­n their respective talents. This order prevented their society from falling into the chaos so feared by all of the Khazrund, as each individual knew exactly what role they would serve. Gradually these roles became ingrained, those of each group became insular, forming castes that no individual violated. The young were assigned to a caste as a ritual of adulthood. These rituals included a series of tests to determine which role they would spend the rest of their life in. No prejudice is held from o­ne caste to the next. The Khazrund accept the caste system as a fundamental element of their existence. o­nce in a caste there is no way to change from o­ne caste to another, those that find that they are dissatisfied with where they are in society have few choices. They must leave, suffer in silence, or are forced to comform by their peers and superiors.

Karronth watched the development of Khazrund culture and was pleased at the order their society formed. When the time came for Karronth to establish contact with his chosen race he enlisted the strongest and most influential of each caste to form the core of his new priesthood. Unlike many of the other deities who sent indistinct visions, and influenced their priests subtly or indirectly, Karronth contacted his chosen directly and commanded them to follow his laws. Karronth also renamed this race, giving them the name Khazrund to symbolize the race’s complete subservience to his will. Their long lack of divine guidance caused the Khazrund to welcome the laws and guidance Karronth offered. They structured their lives as he saw fit with great relief. Karronth created a fifth caste to balance the other four, the divine caste; those that enter this caste became the ruling force of Karronth’s people. The priests passed o­n Karronth’s word, and the enforcers made sure all such edicts were followed. Thus the Khazrund became a caste-based theocracy, each dwarf relegated to a caste at his or her coming of age ceremony. Each caste has their duties both within the Underdark and when dealing with the other races of the new continent.

The builders provide the manual labor for the Khazrund society. They are the strongest, the most hardy of the Khazrund, though those who are suited for no other work often are placed in this caste. Many outsiders think of the Builder Caste as the simplest and ‘lowest’ caste in Khazrund society. Those dwarves in this caste are happy to point out the fault in such reasoning. It takes skill to build the homes, bridges, mills and all other things a community needs to exist. Perhaps those in this caste lack the creativity to be architects, many hold vast experience in building art and science. Many in this caste are therefore extremely valuable to those outside the Underdark. Khazrund builders are often hired at exorbitant rates to insure that a project is done quickly, thoroughly, and with the highest quality of skill available.

This caste is the ruling caste of the Khazrund. The priests of Karronth pass o­n the direct word of their god for the rest to follow. Not o­nly priests fall into this caste. The enforcers and other non-divine servants who directly work under those priests also fall into this caste. Within Khazrund society those of the Divine Caste are treated as the law itself. Those of the other castes follow instructions from a divine caste member without question. For the other races, this caste provides judges and enforcers who become the representatives of the law in different lands. In this role, Divine Caste Mambers study the laws of the lands to which they are assigned so they may offer unbiased judgment, as Karronth teaches. In return these communities pay what they can to the churches, though often no payment is available. Even so, the representative of Karronth simply makes sure the rule of law is followed.

Farming is a unique art cultivated in the Underdark. Unlike the surface lands; that have plentiful water, sunlight and soil to grow plants and other delicacies, the Underdark is a place of silence, rock and darkness. In this place farming is more about the cultivation of molds, lichens, mushrooms and other such foodstuffs. Occasionally a chamber will have access to sunlight from the surface above, providing a very small place where regular plants may grow. Khazrund have become masters of all forms of Underdark cultivation. The produce they grow is eaten by all of the residents of the Underdark, and many of these foods are considered delicacies among the surface races. In addition, the Khazrund have learned to grow fungi and plants with special properties, providing the base for many alchemical formulae and magical spells. In particular, gnomish inventors pay high prices for those things that can o­nly be grown in the depths of the Underdark.

The hunting caste serves a dual purpose in Khazrund society. Their first purpose was originally to harvest what food they could from the creatures of the Underdark and to drive away any that could become potentially dangerous to the denizens of the Khazrund caves. The creatures provided meat to eat, and the glands and chemicals rendered from the animals provide light and alchemical supplies. When Karronth created the priest caste their second role was revealed. His divine priests determined that the hunter caste would also form a militia for the Khazrund, becoming an impromptu military under command of the priests. The hunters/army have become renown for their guerrilla tactics within the Underdark, they have an uncanny ability to strike and fade away into the darkness before their targets can react. In this way they have fought off threats to the Khazrund from below and above. These hunters are also hired as guides to the Underdark. Surface folk that seek the treasures below or simply seeking to explore the depths will pay great amounts for the guidance of Khazrund hunters.

All of the smiths, artisans, architects, and all those who design and create fit into the crafter caste. These crafters create all the items necessary in Khazrund society from weapons to furniture to art. Khazrund crafters generally prefer function over form, their products are well crafted, functional, and will perform their tasks longer and better then most other products of the same type. While these products excel in utility they lack the aesthetic quality that fetch the high prices outside the Underdark. Many Khazrund do not understand why someone should care if something is pretty, as long as it works. Even their artisans produce items of realism, carving rock, crystal and gems to as closely resemble things within their world as possible. The few Khazrund mages also fit in this caste, because their magical talents are considered ‘creations’ from the other planes brought forth into this o­ne. Khazrund crafted goods fetch good prices from the other races by those looking for sturdy items that will not break and that can withstand the stresses of extended use.

Traders are not a separate caste themselves, but represent the caste from which they come. Those who have served in their caste long, and who have passed the requisite tests can become traders for the merchandise their caste produces. There are o­nly a set number of traders for each caste, so many times a Khazrund will have to wait some time for an application to pass and for a spot within the traders’ to open. Traders for the Builder caste negotiate contracts for labor. Traders for the Farmers sell and buy produce from the underground caves and bring other products down from the surface. Hunter caste traders provide guides and can bring together forces to deal with conflict. Those of the crafter’s caste sell the fruits of their work. o­nly the Divine caste has no merchants, as the priests themselves conduct whatever business is required for their best interests, and for spreading the word and laws of Karronth.

Karronth himself provides the laws for the Khazrund society. Now that the caverns are unsealed the Khazrund have o­nce again joined the other races in the new lands; guided by Karronth’s wisdom and laws. They grudgingly reestablished contact with others, trading goods and services. They still distrust others, because they have not seen the light of Karronth’s order. Khazrund judges and enforcers are becoming more and more common among the surface realms, allowing people to become accustomed to the presence of these Underdark denizens. As the Khazrund become more common, so do the hidden enforcers, those who spread Karronth’s words through force, trying to get all other races to follow the divine law.