Veiled Dwarf

Veiled dwarves are a reclusive mountain clan that has withdrawn from all other dwarves. Rarely taller than three feet, they are thin-limbed and white-skinned, with gray or white hair and eyes like clear glass marbles. Dark robes with deep hoods hide most of their faces, and they wear snug leather boots and gloves. They speak in near-whispers and are grim, steady and cold, valuing no life but their own kind's.

Veiled dwarves never seek trouble, but they kill intruders swiftly and never bargain. They confuse victims with spells first, then attack with their own unusual weapons. A needle puff is a blowgun that blasts a three-foot spread of stone splinters at targets within ten feet for 1-2 damage. A slasher mace is made of quartz and bristles with six razor flanges (1d6). A sickle-hook is a curved, barbed metal bar thrown as far as 30 feet (1d4).

Ten adult males usually include five 1st-level fighters, three of 2nd-3rd level, two of 4th or above, and a savant of at least 4th level who can cast deafness and blindness (range 50 yards) three times a day each.

Their ancient kingdom lay under a distant mountain range, and they were once friendly with the other mountain clans. Some decades after the highborn dwarves rose to prominence, mold plague swept through the veiled dwarves alone. The other clans cut them off, denied them aid and banned them from their cities, and the veiled dwarves emptied their capital overnight. By the time a cure was found, 95% had perished. The mold survives, though the remaining veiled dwarves are immune to it.

The plague still haunts them: over 80% of females are infertile, the rest can give birth only once in five years, more than half of all infants die, and 5% of those who live are born blind and deaf. Each group is led by its eldest, often the savant. They excel as miners, smiths, sculptors and poets.

Veiled dwarves want nothing to do with other races. They raise small herds of riding lizards in the caverns and eat those too old or stubborn to ride. Alcohol holds no appeal; they drink tea.