The Xubia Enclaves
The Fury of the Dpeths
Structure
The High King of the Deep is the one in charge of the many scattered enclaves around the worlds oceans. Under the High King, are the vassals known simply as kinds and queens, under them are of course the lords and ladies of their courts. Under them are the regular citizenry and then the lowest caste being the slaves.
To the side of the entire structure of society, is the spellcasters forming the Illthigur Society, who are in charge of raising new spellcasters into proper mages and learning to harness soul power.
Culture
While they are no doubt saviors of the world, at least according to them, one should not expect them to act like gallant knights or the like. Much like their Elven cousins, they feel that they are a breed apart from the other races, only this time slightly more literally. Due to this, many see themselves as just better then the other races, and it shows in their superiority complex most have. However when dealing on the surface with other races, as many Alu'Tel find the call to mercenary work to be a very enticing and exciting opportunity, many are wise enough to keep their beliefs to themselves, most of the time anyway. This is due to the secretive nature of their society, mainly because they know that should the wider world find out about the horrors lurking below the depths, widespread insanity and despair would literally consume the minds of those not strong enough to withstand the mental assault, and few exist that have this will. They are the defenders of the world afterall, and while they can at times be incredibly heroic, one should still remember that the Xubian Enclaves are by their very nature, pirate dens raiding and looting the shores of the world.
Within Xubian society, there exists castes, where one is born either a Thrall, or a Lightborn. Thralls are slightly distinct from normal slaves, as they are specifically Alu'Tel slaves that live in closer proximity to the tunnels of death then the others that live slightly higher in the Dark Abyss then the Thralls. These Thralls, known also as the Mantari, are noticable by their almost deathly pale complexion, short lived, and the fact that they are born without eyes. It is said that their other senses are so potent that they can literally sense the minute vibrations of others movement and their surroundings around them to move around freely. These Mantari Thralls make up the labouerers and soldiers in the Xubia Enclaves. However strangely enough these Mantari take their grim existance with a strange understanding and acceptance of it, and that they are what helps keep the world safe, and helps keep the Enclaves safe from its enemies. Of course the salves from other races don't see it the same way, what few of them there are, but the Mantari simply accept that this is what they are, and that thanks to their sacrifice, the world can survive, and that maybe one day when Ivlena shines her light onto the death tunnels, they will be free of their vigil.
Lightborn Alu'Tel are so named by the fact they are closer to the light then the Mantari. While they are still largely in the dark, occasionally the light can break through and shine upon them. They make up the warriors, artisans, diplomats, and mages of the Xubia Enclaves. They are the great Alu'Tel that still look much like standard elves, although some have developed a range of ocean like skin tones, and it is they who control and fight alongside the Thralls to defend the world. They are both the nobility and middle class in one. They are highly secretive of their works, and are warry of outsiders due to the sensitive nature of their charges. Some even show their devotion to the Elven Sea Goddess Ivlena by magically grafting the parts of sea animals to their bodies as tribute to the ocean itself.
While they are distrusting of outsiders, it is not uncommon for some of the outposts in the more light areas of the chasms to be allowed to wealthy and prestigious pirate groups and famalies. This is also where much of the diplomacy with the other underwater kingdoms and empires takes place, as while the Alu'Tel are willing to deal with other races, they would not dare bring them into the enclaves unless they are slaves. The pirates allowed in these outposts are even permitted to live there, and take up jobs among the populace as citizens so long as they swear never to venture into the Dark Abyss and other chasms.
The cities of the Xubia Enclaves are oppulent and imperial, and stand in ancient glory. Some cities have been abandoned or lay in ruin from the great battles fought against the nightmares, but many more stand as proud and as grand as ever. They are able to house many of the Alu'Tel and thralls, and even sea creatures as the Alu'Tel prefer to not only exist alongside the aquatic life, but to also tame and use the creatures as either helpful animals or war beasts.
The soul is power. While it is not necessarily necromancy, it is dangerously close. Souls are used by the Xubia Enclaves as a means of projecting their spells and as giving power to them. Harnessing the latent arcane energies inside every soul is said to be able to not only prolong life, but also to amplify the destructive nature of spells. Due to this, many of the captives taken in raids are used to power their soul machines, and while it is not something they entirely enjoy, it is seen as the necessity needed to safeguard the wider world. Souls can be used to destroy enemies, or amplify their allies and forces, and so they jealously guard the secrets of soul magic, so much so that most other societies don't even know such a form of magic exists.
History
To start, it should be stated: Nothing survives in The Dark Abyss. No life exists in the Dark Abyss. With that out of the way, the history of the Sea Elves, or Alu’Tel as they call themselves, is one shrouded in mystery and abject terror. Long ago, The Great Exit would call many Elves to explore the young, seemingly virgin world as the demons of Hell had been banished. However one may note that it seems not many elves ever made it far west into Orliea or Praelia. A reason why is something known as the Drowning, where an entire fleet of Elven ships carrying settlers and explorers, would suddenly be trapped in a freak storm, and as their captains quailed, they were swallowed by the sea. These storms kept up its strength, and while some effort was made to see if there were any survivors, the Iadith Empire declared it a tragic loss, and moved on. Were it so simple as to end the story there.
Many of these elves did die, yes, but many would wake up at the bottom of the ocean, and find that they had the ability to breathe in the water. However, they were not alone, as they believed the Elven Goddess of the Sea, Ivlena, had pulled them there to be one thing, a shield. As they were waking up, the Alu’Tel legends tell of strange, monstrous creatures of such vile nightmares, that there is not a single artistic depiction of the creatures save for vague black outlines. So terrible was the horror they fought that while they fought them off, it had left a psychological scar on the people as a whole. However, their god demanded them to carry on, and so they did. They fought these creatures until they found their home, a super massive trenchline at the bottom of the Leanan Sea, that is said to lead down into the darkest depths of the ocean known as “The Dark Abyss”.
Many of the elves of the Sea were scared from their time fighting this terror, but would come to understand the foe they face. According to them, this trench had a large tunnel way, that they believe if one continued down into that tunnel, they would literally end up in the Realm of the Dead, for death and nightmares are said to leak into the world through this tunnel. Knowing this, the Alu’Tel would also discover that souls of the recently dead brought with them much power, and could be shaped into powerful weapons and spells. So it was that they built their great societies in the trench, down where the pressure alone would kill most, and away from most of the sunlight of the world. They would beat back the darkness, and discover more trench lines to build their societies in and defend their own tunnels. After this however, being thanked by their goddess had led them to see themselves as righteous defenders of the world, hell they must be superior to all others since they alone were called to save the world, not the merfolk, the crab-men, or the surface races. Due to this, many now felt that a “tax” was to be put on the rest of the world, as thanks and for the continued survival of the world. This is how, after thousands of years of silence, suddenly coastal cities and trade lanes would be hit hard, with many being taken captive and with the attackers seemingly vanishing. The culprits are never really found in any capacity that would expose them to the wider world, but by this point most people living near coastal cities have a vague idea of the threat; The Alu’Tel raiding parties.
Like pirates and raiders they come to the surface areas near the coast, or along the trade lanes of the world, and plunder riches from their targets. However, they also take with them captives, and while most are simply made into slave labour, many are also used to extract and harness their souls as a means of defending and attacking the creatures of the Dark Abyss. The World Tax, as it came to be known, was put in place by the Alu’tTel, and while they are simply just self-aggrandizing pirates, one would be foolish without at least partially admitting that, in a way, they are right. They are the only ones who can truly defend the world from the constant threat of whatever horrific nightmares exist down in that abyss into literal death itself, and soul magic is what has kept them able to defend themselves enough.
However, ever since the Crusade of Light,things have only gotten worse. If what tiny fraction of information that gets out of the ever isolationist and secretive Alu’Tel is to be believed, is that there is some growing…thing down there in the darkest pits of the depths. Some nightmare being of pure and blackest darkness that has been making attacks against the Alu’Tel warriors more and more frequent. Some worry if this is a dark omen of things to come, but despite the bleak nature of their existence, what may be surprising is that the Alu’Tel are hopeful. Many in the higher and even lower castes of society speak of one day, the light of Ivlena will shine like a single ray of sunshine in these blackened chasms, and free them of this burden. That the world will in time come to understand the sacrifice it needs to play in order to halt this darkness once and for all, and so while it should not be forgotten that they are opportunistic pirates, they may very well be the only hope for the world.
Demography and Population
In the Enclaves main cities, only the Alu'Tel and those few slaves of surface races exist in them. However in the outposts closer to the surface, various other races live and work in these outposts as citizens.
Territories
Somewhere deep in the oceans of the world, for the exact locations of the underwater cities aren't widely known
Religion
Ivlena, elven goddess of the sea and patron of sailors, is the main deity of the sea elves. What is most curious is most sailors around the world also worship the goddess Ivlena, not just those of elven descent. This is one of the few things the sea elves view as worthy among the sailors of the other races. However they also believe that the other races misunderstand her, in that Ivlena does actually have a set code of ethics to follow, and that the others simply misunderstand her teachings. Of course, they dont exactly reveal this to others and keep the ethics to themselves, for they are rumored to be terrible indeed.
Foreign Relations
Due to their raiding nature, those that do know of the Alu'Tel from the whispers of stories in taverns view them as simply pirates. This is partly true, but none will truly know of the wider picture until Ivlena frees the Alu'Tel of their vigil. The Alu'Tel do not really mind what others think of them, as they simply know that they are better and that they will be shown the reverence they deserve in time. Other Elves look upon them as pirates as well, however weirdly enough the Alu'Tel and Drow get along decently enough, though certainly not in friendly terms. Specifically the Drow that took up lives as Dread Corsairs are seen as quite similar to the lives Alu'Tel have to live. For the most part, Alu'Tel look at others as either: slaves/souls to be used, or partners and companions to do business with. For this reason many pirates find them agreeable and even work under them for lucrative work, and many Alu'Tel travel tot he surface to live lives as pirates and mercenaries.
"To Fight so Others may Live"
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Alternative Names
The Depth Kingdoms
Demonym
Xubians, although the Sea Elves as a race refer to themselves as "Alu'Tel"
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Official Languages
Notable Members
Related Species
