Shibali (si BALL ee)

Drow of the Underdeep

The Sibali are Juhl'are dwelling in the Underdeep of the Night Below. While it is a matriarchal, like most dark elven cultures, the Shibali have a value of strength over gender, and many males climb the ranks in their society. The culture was centered around the dark elven city of Urbsussun until the city fell in 6871sc. Since the fall of the city the surviving Shibali have lived in small enclaves throughout Underdeep. There are currently just over a dozen known enclaves scattered across the region under Anbar.

There are two types of communities of the Shibali scattered throughout Underdeep. The first are the aforementioned enclaves. Each established by a surviving noble house. These houses, primarily made up of former minor nobles of Urbsussun, have carved out what the surface dwellers might call a hamlet or estate in the caverns of the region. The house members, and their servants and slaves, work to build their enclave into a position of power. Currently, however, most of these enclaves are working in survival mode, trying to live day-to-day in an environment where everything wishes to kill them.

The second subculture of Sibali, are the surviving lower-class dark elves. These have come together to work in groups, living a nomadic life across Underdeep. Because of their lesser social status, they are often seen as nonthreatening to the high nobles. This has given them the able travel to-and-fro between various enclaves and even into Zith Morra, as a 'neutral' parties of suppliers and traders. They are as far from neutral as a dark elf can be, however, allying with one faction or another, and switching sides when convenient. But such is the dark elf way, and they are too small in numbers and have no political status, so are overlooked as threats. They are also seen as convenient for all partied in keeping trade and communication throughout Underdeep alive.

Surviving nobles of Urbsussun are hunted by their kin, the Zithelfar of Zith Morra. They are seen as threats to political power and stability of the city. Something the Zithelfar cannot allow to fester and grow. The Zithelfar actively send out warbands to hunt Shibali enclaves and will exterminate any Juhl'are noble that is not native to the city.

Enclaves are small, usually only one to two hundred Shibali. The resource scarce Underdeep means that these enclaves need to be established in locations that can sustain them. These oases are gathering points for any creature of the Underdeep, thus making enclaves target for attack from everything. Usually, an enclave will find a location with resources other than food, such as ores, gems, or another commodity that can be traded for resources the community lacks. This is where the lesser Shibali nomads come in, working as merchant trains between enclaves.

Members of the noble house of an enclave are the absolute masters of their community. It is always only one noble house to an enclave. Survival is hard enough; the nobles do not need rivals in their community vying for power. While there is a hierarchy in the family itself, outside the family there is only three social ranks: the noble bloodline, their servants, and the slaves. Though it varies between the enclaves, in general, servants are always dark elves and given some status, independence, and dignity in the community. Slaves, on the other hand, are not Juhl'are, and little more than objects to the Shibali. Enslaving other Juhl'are is a taboo that even the most ruthless dark elves see as abhorrent.

Shibali have the ashing dark skin tone common to all dark elves. The noble house members will often have a more ebony hue to them, denoting noble bloodlines. Their hair is often a greyer shade than traditional white of the Juhl'are people. Both sexes keep it long, straight, and pulled back out of the face, with little adornment. Struggling to survive in a deadly world like the Underdeep means always being ready to fight for one's life, this means the Shibali are nearly always in armor, even in the enclaves. Only in their most private chambers and shelters will the ever room their armor.

Race: Elf

Ethnicity: Juhl'are

Alignment: Shibali, like most dark elf society is one of organized chaos.

Age: Shibali can live up to 750 naturally.

Size: (Medium) Shibali are average height for elves, standing between 5 to 6 feet.

Language: Drowic (Dark Elvish) is the primary language of the Shibali. Many will learn Khavit (Undercommon) as well.