Before The Conflux many Huérgar lived above ground on Myrland, although they were never ones to mingle easily with the other races of Nave. When their ancient alliance with the Tindremic Empire fractured, most Huérgar families chose to withdraw from the outside world to the safety and seclusion of their stronghold, Gal Barag, deep within the Talus Mountains.

Little is known about the “true” or “underground” Huérgar, but they were famous for their extraordinary skills in material knowledge, construction and intricate mechanisms, which by many seemed to be pure Magic. However, the numerous guilds or caucuses dealing with various fields were secretive and their rituals and practices largely unknown. They do seem to have had, or have, a very organized and ritualistic approach to crafts, including any Thaumaturgy.

Collectively, the underground Húergar weren't known to engage in combat very often and therefore didn't seem to have any “army standard” for armor—but the records seem to depict them as always wielding strange, huge shields and always relying on terrain as well as weird appliances when they did. However, guards or warriors would often wear very heavy and intricate armor—a show of strength, and intimidating for sure—although the actual practical use was questionable. This at least points to a long tradition of sophisticated armor crafting.

Surprising to some, the Sheevra have been known to be welcomed into their underground settlements on Myrland as part of the Sheevran tradition of Ashtru—a concept revolving around “leaving the nest”, learning a trade, and/or other aspects regarding migration such as moving from one tribe to another. Whether or not this has led to any shared settlements or deeper relations is largely unknown to anyone outside of the underground Huérgar and Sheevra themselves.

Those Huérgar who remain outside—including their Blainn cousins—have adapted and assimilated, and have the same predisposition towards magic affinity, although with less restrictions—and perhaps as a result less power—when compared to the underground community. They continue to worship Oghma, goddess of stone and metals, whom they see as the creator of the Oghmir clade. Belief is that her blood runs through the rocks in the form of Ichor. This liquid metal, used in a number of rituals, constitutes a fundamental part of Huérgar religion.

The Húergar use of—and tolerance for—Ichor is deeply ingrained in their culture and likely biology as well. Not much is known about their secret “Dāmu” rituals, but rumor has it they bathe in Ichor already at birth, and continue with various frequently recurring sacraments throughout their lives. Relative to these rituals, the use of an Ichor pipe pales in comparison, and the small dose is not enough to have meaningful long-term impact on any of the races.

The small stature, dense bone structure and heavy physique of the Húergar suit their nature as cave dwellers, or is perhaps a result of it. Centuries of exposure to Ichor has both blessed and cursed them. Their tough reddish skin and exceptional night vision come at the cost of skin diseases and light sensitivity. Human societies perceive them as introverted, but their sense of logic is unmatched.

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The Húergar are very fond of compound words, and this is reflected in the Oghmir language of Lisan under the Húergar dialect of Abnu—meaning “Stone Tongue” or “Underground Tongue” when written as Lisan Abnu. Very often standalone words—not limited to nouns—have the ending “u”. Words within a meaning often lose these ending u's, and the same is true for u's in compound words.

There are however exceptions to this, for instance when the extra u-vowel is needed for clarity or pronunciation. Sometimes the u at the end is also removed. In verbs the u is often replaced with other endings to denote the tempus.

For example:

paṣu nuru kuru gal abullu
White/bright sun/light mountain/hill big appears/enters

Would be written:

Paṣnuru kurgal abulla.
Brightsun mountain appeared
(A bright sun appeared over the mountains)

Using the above, it is possible to decipher words such as Murnahās, but to really make sense of its meaning you will probably need its counterpart: Muratû Tamû.

Dacritical marks are sometimes very important:

murû = heavy rain, rainstorm
mūru = a young bull, horse, animal 
mūr-mê = an insect, not related to Murnahās or Muratû Tamû

Murnahās thus can be broken up into muru and nahasu. If you do the same with Muratû, you will find: Mur(u) atû.

Both Murnahās and Muratû Tamû are very good starting points for understanding the Húergar language, but many words are significantly more complicated due to their origins.

Known words include:

abullu = appears or enters
Āsipu - elder, advisor, seer, augur
Āsipūtu - Some sort of ritual, though further meaning is unclear to the untrained eye
Barû – a holy person, magician, seer
barû – to see, to behold, to read
Belet Māsh-kagal - the main outside-to-inside gate, usually referring to The Mouth of Gal Barag
ennetu - divine punishment, or a divine curse
eristu = queen
ersu = king
gal = big or large
ikkubu/ikkibu = taboo
kuru = mountain or hill
līpu = bloodline or descendants
nuru = sun or light
paṣu = white or bright
Salummatu - radiant, beaming, heavenly body
shī = soul or mana, borrowed by some Khurite languages as the word for mana

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If encounters with the true cave dwelling Huérgar were infrequent after The Conflux, they have been extremely scarce since The Irruption. The gates of Gal Barag have remained closed, and it seems only a handful of expeditions have ventured out of the caves. Among these are allegedly a few especially vibrant “redheads”—an indication of the heavy Ichor use customary to those living underground—which have been spotted in Tindrem and Toxai.

There do exist a few scrolls and books in circulation from non-Huérgar authors asserting they have visited the underground complexes in the last century, but as with all such stories, it’s hard to know their validity. Any communication or potential exchange between the Oghmir races living above ground and their cave-dwelling kin is a well-kept secret. All in all, how The Irruption affected the cave dwellers, if at all, is not commonly known.

The Temple of Oghma in Tindrem, perched high on the cliffs above the pillars of Vica Levita, used to be accessible from the city by a small winding path etched into the face of the rock. The secluded Huérgar Stone-Listeners who lived there would sometimes act as emissaries and bring messages from Gal Barag, but as the path collapsed during The Irruption it's has been impossible to access the edifice. Whilst the temple stands tall, the specters and shadows portray an illusion of inhabitance that cannot be confirmed.

Although there's never been any hostility between the races to speak of, the Huérgar and Blainn in various Myrlandic societies seem to have tightened their bonds during the last decades, intermarriage is now more common and the offspring isn't viewed askance. Often valid citizens in those nations, the Oghmir people tend to keep somewhat to themselves, not getting too involved in politics unless it’s about craft or trade.

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The Huérgar, much like the Shinarians, appear to favor geometric designs and the use of copper-like or golden metals. This was perhaps demonstrated best through a sigil or symbol found at two of the inner gates within the Mouth of Gal Barag prior to The Irruption which incorporates a unicursal hexad knot also observed in Shinarian ruins.

Differing from the Shinarians however, the Huérgar also favor the use of faces—perhaps even depictions of notable figures, though any such references are lost on outsiders—in their designs and facades as prominently seen in both the Mouth of Gal Barag and Nereb Madgulu.

Other more miscellaneous examples are included below.

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