'DUERGAR SPEECH' (2936)
Duergars are often known to speak crudely, sounding uneducated to most other races, even - or perhaps especially to - dwarves. This pattern stems not from a lack of education, but rather the bastardization of language, along with the bastardization of everything else that crosses a duergar's path. Driven by lust, greed, and anger, duergar language is often sprinkled with curses, threats, and lewd references. Occasionally duergar raised apart from their cutthroat society learn to speak with greater serenity that is even more disquieting than their enraged brethren, as their tones take on an unfathomably cold and callous bite. Some phrases and idioms that are common to the duergar are: "surface-wretch" - duergar reference to any surface race "mountain mongrel" - duergar reference to dwarves "pansy-sniffer" - duergar reference to druids and other naturalist types "sun-snivellers" - reference to elves, paladins or other particularly virtuous people "worthless breeding wench" - sexist duergar insult, commonly used when women blunder "damned floating fireball!" - one of many insulting ways duergar refer to the sun "Wisdom ends with an axe in yer back!" - duergar proverb (one of the very few) "Stop yer snivelling and die already!" - sentiment in frustratingly long conflicts "May ye find bounty and bloodshed!" - duergar well-wishing "The Eternal Abyss." - duergar reference to death