Drossus

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The Drossus Sovereignty is a semi-Theocratic realm ruled by the reclusive Drosni eldari. The Drosni are an ancestral branch of elvenkind that split off from their kind during the Daemon wars, when the followers of Mysra are said to have returned to the material plane. Under the faith of their Scion Matriarch, Iloelth, the Drosni chose to remain in the Underdark and cultivated a civilization in the cavernous depths.
Since that time, the Drosni have developed an exclusive, cosmopolitan society in the space between worlds. Unlike their Quel'ta brethren, they have remained mostly tight-knit, and have developed a greater sense of sophistication. Despite their relative reclusiveness and isolation, they do commit a large part of their activities to trade and diplomacy, and have remained educated and technologically advanced, nearly keeping pace with their Sciettish cousins. Were it not for their complex political relationships, and near fervent beliefs in isolationism, the Drosni people would arguably be a major force among the Echinder civilizations. As it stands, Drossus stands relatively alone in the world, while a few influential and opportunistic individuals work to exploit this relationship to their own benefit.

Recent Events

Rumors have begun to circulate amongst the more informed populous that the Sovereignty has committed several ambassadors to a campaign of good will, and has made offers to both rulers and influential citizens to secure new unheard of treaties relating to trade and military support. While most of the details are still speculated, there is both excitement and concern of the Drossus sudden interest in the affairs of the Material Echinder.

Court of the Sovereign Web

While Drosni society is mostly built upon loyalty oaths and patronage systems, there has been wide resistance to a single ruler or emperor. While there have been brief times where an Ul'varess has been crowned, most all were in response to existential threats, and none were able to maintain their dominion for more than a generation. As it stands, the culture of the Drosni seems to innately resist central rule. Any faction that has even the appearance of gaining too much power is often swiftly (and violently) cut down in one form or another, its assets and members divided among the remainder.
In the centuries since the Silent Reformation, the Court of the Sovereign Web has appeared to withstand most attempts at instability, despite several reversals and attempted usurpations. Presently, there are six houses, known as the Radials, that serve as the governing body of Drossus. There is no legal constitution, religious text, or sacred commandment that grants these houses their power. Instead, each radial house maintain authority through a complex relationship of family bonds and monopolies on various regional enterprises. With carefully cultivated alliances, each house has situated itself into a careful balance where none can meaningfully over-extend their reach without inviting swift retribution.

The Elegant Codes

La Codacies d’elagance are closest approximation of law Drossus, though they serve as little more than cultural guideposts for behavior and proper conduct. Drossus society has no official court system or legislature, nor even a politicking agency. Each City-State is governed by Fiat by a Soverign Valsharess of the Radials, with whoever usurps that role becoming the new Radial. Order is maintained through familial ties, oaths of loyalty, and violence (both threatened and directed). The Elegant Codes, therefore, refer more to a common set of traditions for the most powerful members of the society to work with one another, in order to avoid total war, and as a means to keep control over most of the population.

The Sovereign Radials & The Peerage

The Drossus Peerage is composed of six co-equal Valsharessen, each who have a handful of Quasharess vassals and lesser nobility who have sworn loyalty to them. Each Valsharess claim dominion over a city-state and its outlying territories. There are supposedly disputed territories not beholden to any city-state, but these localities are few and far between - and many similar have risen and fallen over the course of Drossus history.
The Court of the Soverign Web maintains a strict heirarchy within the ranks of the Il'rintri. While such titles are presumed to be inherited, the Drosni place little real value in the bloodlines of specific families, and more in the skill and aptitudes of its members. Such titles, therefore, are more a reflection of the responsibilities held within a house and its assets, rather than an entitlement held intrinsically within an individual.

Feminine Dominion

Excerpts from "A Hundred Lives Unfettered ~ A Memoir of Adventure" by Eve Kross
For many women across Rynn, the idea of an entire realm governed exclusively by women is highly alluring, and the fact that its existence lies just beyond most mortal’s reach only adds to its mystique and eccentricity. And, if I must admit, the first few months during my visit were equally full of subtle empowerment and privilege a woman can not find anywhere else.
But, after the haze of cognac, smoke-spores, and liberal copulation abate, the hard edges of this mythical place fall away, replaced by the invisible web of knives. Any woman of conscience will find it hard to ignore the callous or even depraved traditions that are perpetrated in the name of feminine wisdom. And even those women with a scar to avenge might take pause at some of the casual cruelty that passes for etiquette. Then again, a lady of my station must leave much to the imagination.
Rest assured, my handsome readers, that the Drosni are not possessed of any exceptional vulgarities in their rulership of the populace. Rather, the same putrid aroma of exceptionalism can be found in their halls of power - though the drosni do a good job decorating those halls with refined elegance. Hereafter are a few of my most poignant memories.
...More on the Feminine Dominion

Drudgery

If there is one thing a Drosni woman abhors, it is drudgery. Do not get me wrong, they are not lazy. Far from it, a Drosni artist will spend hours at the harp till her fingers bleed composing a new sonnet. A Drosni merchant will cull the Grey Alleys for the perfect deal, and Drosni wranglers are more than happy to spend days in the dark muck hunting for the perfect spider egg, at the risk of being eaten to boot. But drudgery...that’s a man’s job.
Looking back at many of the common women of the empire, and the tasks they often find themselves responsible - there is some menial labor, but also agency: the cooking, the sewing, the child-rearing - there are little joys to make life bearable for many, if not grand. But not for the typical drosni male.
Whether it's working the fields, collecting fine metals in cramped pits, or trudging through the endless black on caravan guard duty, there are little opportunities for that half of the population to have an opportunity at anything with purpose. The male drosni toil away in the thousand little tasks that hold up civilization, the greatest token thanks they can usually aspire to is to be a prized mare whose greatest accomplishments were the perfectly shaped ears and good teeth.
That’s not to say some men don’t find a niche, some craft or expertise to make themselves valuable. Seasoned warriors, expert scouts, and expert crafters are not unheard of. But the opportunities for achieving these laurels are doled out sparingly, and never without some favor offered in exchange. Alas, without blood, no man in Drossus can escape the pull of drudgery. At worst, they cannot escape anything at all.

Loose Threads

Perhaps the oddest dynamic among the Elegant Class (as they say) is the relative disregard of children. After some time, I’ve come to believe this has less to do with the preponderance of female authority, and more with the peculiar traditions and customs inherent in their founding mythology. In a word, it all goes back to Iloelth .
By her will, Iloelth freed her daughters to live their lives unfettered, and to unburden themselves from the duties of their foremothers and kin. Given the history between the Drosni and the other Elerei, there is likely some sympathy. But, in the ages since, it is clear that the Drosni do not revere the family. The aspect of raising children is treated with the same measure of care as tending to one’s wardrobe or curating their wine selection.
Children of either sex rarely experience the warmth of loving parents. Instead they are often bundled off to unrelated caretakers, and thrown headfirst into a tradition of cutthroat survival and perseverance. While the tools for survival include art, magic, and etiquette, the goal is always about excellence at any cost. The only difference between boys and girls are the heights they’re expected to climb.
For most women, child rearing is considered a fallback when all other paths of excellence have failed. While such women may gain the ability to have their own children (albeit often by embezzling a patron’s stock, as it were), they often are responsible for many children, and find little time to form any meaningful bonds.
For the rest, the goal is mastery of one’s self, and the pursuit of independence through expertise. The relatively few drosni have come to represent the archetype of female superiority forged in a gauntlet of social and emotional turmoil. In Drossus, reputation is everything. Your ability to climb the ladder depends on your ability to grow and bolster your own reputation, or else your knack at undermining those of your rivals.

Communion of Iloelth

The Communion of Iloelth is the sole religious organization that is permitted to operate openly in Drossus. Despite their universal establishment within all Drossus City states, the members of the communion strive to maintain a strict wall of separation from many of the political intrigues of the court's activities.

Infrastructure

The Drosni have managed to build a civilization within Terra Duhr that has managed to endure for millennia. In no small part, this accomplishment is due major investments in large and/or intricate constructions along with organized civil services - often built and maintained on the backs of indentured labor.

Drossus Webways

For the Drosni City-States, great efforts have been undertaken to create reliable, if not always predictable maps and timetables of these portals, and forge a civilization among these otherwise scattered territories. The Drossus ‘Webways’ refer to a subset of Duhrian portals that connect the various city-states and their local territories to each other and the world above. Such a chart is not an exhaustive list of all portals in or out of the Sovereignty, merely just those bridges that are relatively stable, and easily navigable.
As a precaution, the Drosni are always on the lookout for new portals or pathways in and out of their regions, either to preclude any invasion into their territories, or as secondary backups in case of primary portal failure. While all the Drosni factions take a dedicated interest in discovering and trading knowledge on these portal locations, House Sauvaige has shown a significant advantage in locating and tracking such portals - and trading on such information for a premium.

History

The History of Drossus is as rich and varied as any culture upon the service, and doubtless a bit more bloody to boot. As a people, the Drosni have evolved over the years from a specialized militant wing of the Faewyld Eldari into a completed independent and utterly self-serving aristocratic oligarchy. The nature of this change was obvious in retrospect, according to many scholars versed on the topic, but the subtleties of such change are valued by many scholars and influencers.

Related Articles

Terra Rynn      Underdark      Skathe      Drossus

Strum lightly, lest one covets an audience

Court of the Sovereign Web
Communion of Iloelth
History
Related Articles
Timeline of Drossus

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

Drosni

Subsidiary Organizations

• Drossus Peerage

Controlled Territories

• Ghyll
• Zag'Thalas

Notable Members

• Aalis LaBrode

Related Species

• Eldari

Civic Summary

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Region

Size: Small
Major Cities: 6
Density: Very High
Infrastructure: High

Ecology

Climate: Underground
Wilderness: 55%
Wild Animals: Uncommon
Natural Resources: Uncommon
Ocean: None
Mountains: None
Disasters: Tremors

Population

Urban: 85%
Rural: 15%
Literacy: 45%
Immigration: >5%
Sex Ratio: .3 male(s)/female
Fertility: 2.4 children/family
Life Expectancy: 87.5 years

Culture

Highly Values: Intelligence
Known For: Dark Magic
Popular Entertainment: Gossip
Respected Profession: Courtesan
Discrimination: Attractiveness-Based
Major Taboo: Mental Illness
Major Social Ill: Domestic Abuse

Politics

Structure: Autocratic-Theocracy
Influenced by: Churches & Syndicates
Popular Issue: Ethics
Stability: Good
Personal Freedoms: Few
Scandals: Many
Foreign Relations: Poor

Economy

Main Export: Exotic Plants
Main Import: Food Crops
Trade Balance: Slight Surplus
Strength: Good
Wealth: Held by Elites

Military

Size: Small
Focus: Light Infantry
Main Units: Scout/Assassins
Soldiers: Volunteer
Promotion: By Superior

Religion

Type: Monotheistic
Focus: Self-Improvement
Worship: Joyous prayer in public spaces
Associated Art Form: Dance
Prevalence: Believed by All
Holidays: Few

Magic

Occurance: Very Common
Primary Source: Heriditary
Major Use: Travel
Percieved as: Normal