The Del and their descendants

The Del were an ancient race of miners, stonemasons, smiths, and jewelers who created large underground complexes in the mountain ranges of the old world. History says that the Del began to have a split in the large common house, their main governmental body. This split is believed to be about the supernatural patrons that many of the Del had summoned to the plane. There became two distinct philosophies among the Del, one that felt it was their destiny to conquer the subterranean world and move on to the surface world, and another advocating using supernatural powers only to protect and advance their race. The priests and solitary groups of these warlocks who had devoted themselves to protecting the world from evil gathered those Del who were against the militant, expansionist ideal that was taking hold of the populace, and they left the Zwerghaus mountains, searching for new areas to call home. These wanderers became the Del-Triel, or the Sky People.

The Del that remained worked at many great tasks, and the most impressive of their works are looked upon now with awe, but the evil that began to fester eventually rankled many of the older Del, who remembered the working of stone with their hands, and the old song they heard from the stones before the coming of warlocks. The groups quickly went to war, with foul demons streaming into the homes of those who opposed their masters. In a final act of desperation, the depleted forces opposing the demons struck back, sending these fiends back to their home planes. This is the cause of what is now known as the Breaking, and the Del-Zuran are the remnant of these who have survived amongst the foul creatures who have returned, and now inhabit their ancient empire under the Zwerghaus.

Del-Zuran– This race rarely reaches 4’ tall, but they are broad shouldered and extremely stout. They all seem to have jet black hair, with long full beards. Longbeards lead their communities, and the length and thickness of the beard somehow plays into this. Del-Zuran have a slight red tinge to their skin, something like a sunburn that was healthy. The Del-Zuran are a decimated people, just trying to survive in an area that is uninhabitable to most other races. There are fiends of immense power who have freed themselves from their prisons, and are making war upon each other. These supernatural beings have taken over ancient Del cities from which to strike out at their enemies. Large tribes of Dal Molan have also taken over ruins in the Zwerghaus, as of yet their aims and leaders are unknown, but the Del-Zuran of Glitterdelve have fought off many raiding parties of these large humanoids.

The Del-Zuran are by necessity warriors, and legends have been made of their heroes that border on the divine. The priesthood of Karzuldorn has returned to the Del-Zuran, giving the Del-Zuran a new purpose, to unite themselves and return to the ancient Del capital. There are also rumors of a group called the Zaranzim, who are known to take on patrons in order to defend their race from the supernatural forces aligned against them. These noble warlocks are often doomed to a tragic fate, as the power they align with eventually devours them.

Del-Triel– These distant cousins of the Del-Zuran are found in much greater numbers. They stand 5’6” tall at most, and are thick, but not massive like their cousins. The Del-Triel have been living in communities that they founded around the time of the breaking, and have turned away from the evil that so haunt their cousins. The Del-Triel have turned away from the subterranean realm, and remained on the surface, using underground places only as fortresses in times of emergency. They have fallen in love with soil, farming, forestry, and the pursuit of knowledge. Del-Triel cities are wonders of engineering, and often incorporate the base of a mountain for defensive purposes. They typically have a tan complexion, with light brown or red hair. Most Del-Triel wear beards, although some are known to shave.

The Del-Triel are great warriors, but the rangers of this race are the real surprise. They seem to vanish into the wilderness as if the land itself swallows them, and they follow a trail as if the earth tells them what transpired. They are surprisingly agile as a race, and there are some able rogues among them. There are druids who tend to groves, and many priests of Karzurina, the Earth Father. The Del-Triel are said to have many great minstrels who travel the lands, helping to spread happiness to those who are downtrodden.