Dao

The dao are a race related to the duagar, sometimes derogatorily called "hellion dwarves" or "desert dwarves". They inhabit the vast desert of Plains of Desolation.

The dao originate from duagar slaves captured by the hiispawn, who noticed the duagan ability to withstand heat and pressure, a useful property for labor force in Pandemonium. These properties were enhanced by genetical and magical engineering until the resulting race boasted a deep connection to abyssal fire. Sometime after the Draconic War, a figure called Halat Lightseeker emerged from the slave race, claiming to be a prophet of a new god. Lightseeker led his people to raise against their masters in a bloody revolution. The freed dao embarked on an exodus and surfaced in the Plains of Desolation, where they have established the Dominion of Covenant, consisting of several semi-autonomic princedoms.