Laduguer (LAA-duh-gwur) is the patron of the duergar, or gray dwarves, a malevolent breed of dwarves who dwell in the dark reaches of the Underdark and who withdrew from the rest of dwarven society long ago along with their patron Power. The Exile is venerated by most gray dwarves as the protector of the race who defends them from the countless other creatures of the Underdark who wish to enslave them and seize their tunnels, mines, and crafts. Duergar craftsmen, particularly those who seek to create magical weapons, pay particular homage to Laduguer.

Laduguer has long been estranged from the other members of the Morndinsamman, and he regards them as lazy, indolent, and feckless. The reasons behind the Gray Protector's exile vary according to the perspective of the speaker: The Morndinsamman, as well as most dwarves, hold that Laduguer was banished by Moradin for his crimes, while Laduguer, as well as most gray dwarves, asserts that he took a stand on principle against the other dwarven Powers, and that his exile is self-imposed. The Exile particularly loathes Moradin, his nominal superior, and the personal animosity between the two accounts for much of Laduguer's enmity against the rest of the dwarven pantheon. In fact, Laduguer's only ally is Deep Duerra, a once-mortal demipower he elevated to the rank of divinity.

The withdrawal of Laduguer's followers to the Underdark and their subsequent territorial conflicts with races such as aboleth, beholders, derro, dark elves, illithids, ixzan, kuo-toa, myconids, svirfneblin, and troglodytes has created a great deal of strife and enmity between the Exile and other powers with an interest in the Night Below. Although he once managed to win hegemony over the giant tarantulas known as steeders during a brief alliance with Lolth, the Spider Queen and the Gray Protector have long feuded as their followers battled. Likewise Ilsensine, the Great Brain of the illithid race, has long sought revenge against Laduguer for some ancient slight. The Abyssal Lord once known as Orcus is also a target of Laduguer's wrath, for the Prince of the Undead once subverted the worship of the duergar..

The children of Laduguer have rejected the indolent and feeble Powers of their forefathers and withdrawn from their lazy once-kin so as not to be tainted by their weaknesses. Strict obedience to superiors, dedication to one's craft, and endless toil are necessary to achieve wealth, security, and power. The hands of a craftsman are his tools, and a master craftsman always uses the most appropriate tools available. Nothing is ever easy, nor should it be. Suffer pain stoically and remain aloof, for to show or even feel emotion is to demonstrate weakness. Those who are weak are undeserving and will suffer an appropriate fate. Adversity is Laduguer's forge, and the harsh trials through which the duergar must pass are his hammer blows endure all and become stronger than adamantite.

Laduguer's clerics serve as the leaders, defenders, and elite artisans of gray dwarven society. As reflected in the title given to High Old Ones - arduke being a dwarven title for clan leader - Laduguer's clergy derive their spiritual and temporal authority from the role the Exile's early clerics played in leading the ancestors of the gray dwarves away from the rest of dwarven society. Unlike other dwarven cultures where religious and clan leadership are usually distinct, the duergar make no distinction between the two roles. As the protectors of duergar enclaves, members of Laduguer's clergy command and serve in the military and are ultimately responsible for the care, feeding, and training of steeders. They are responsible for the brewing of poisons, the infliction of torture, and the exploitation of slaves. To ensure the safety of the gray dwarves as a whole, Laduguer's clerics forcefully repel contacts from other races, permitting trade only under very controlled circumstances far removed from duergar strongholds. The Exile's clergy are also expected to be skilled craftsmen, particularly of magical weapons, and the older and more frail vlerics are typically the elite artisans of any gray dwarven community.