Dresha Kingdom

## History

The Dresha, or as they are more commonly referred to as “dark elves”, were once high elves belonging to the Dresha Kingdom, one of many kingdoms who together formed the Empire of Koruthar, who managed to survive the “Plague of Shadow” due to their isolationist beliefs. However, soon hordes of Shadow Beasts began to breach their gates and desolate their cities, making their initial survival appear to be a fruitless miracle. But in their moment of greatest desperation, Keyon - Demon Lord of Pride, washed ashore on the lands of the Dresha disguised as a wise sorcerer, offering salvation in the form of weapons of war and a new home. The Dresha then quickly began to religiously follow the teachings of the Demon Lord, committing whatever atrocity was needed, even against their own people, all in the name of survival.

This eventually culminated into the Dresha taking an ancient artifact forged long ago by elven nobles, known as the Mirror of Purity, and repurposing it into the Dark Mirror, an artifact that allows creatures to travel between the mortal realm and the mysterious realm only referred to as the Mirror World.

The Mirror World is a parallel dimension, which appears as an exact reflection of the mortal realm, possessing a copied reflection of all the buildings, objects and creatures present in the mortal realm. Any reflection seen in the mortal world is likewise reflected within the Mirror World, which also serves as a door for some beings in the Mirror World to enter the mortal realm.

In the spaces between these reflections, the Mirror World is a barren wasteland devoid of light and color, resembling only the shapes and visages of a forgotten world. In order to be able to traverse between these gray lands, one must become its own reflection, discarding their “true body and essence”. However, using the Dark Mirror, the Dresha were able to safely preserve their true bodies within the mirror, becoming able to freely move between the mirrors and the mortal realm without sacrificing their true shape, and even enhancing their power with greater demonic and reflective magics, leading to the physical complexion they are know for today. Using these new found tools, the Dresha were not only able to survive the hordes of Shadow Beasts but began to reconquer some of the land they had lost to the plague, being reborn as the new Dresha Kingdom.

But eventually, seeing the growing power of the newly formed Ladian Empire, and wishing to obtain greater wealth, resources, and many mysterious mirror artifacts left by the fallen Empire of Koruthar, the Dresha Kingdom began a long-lasting war with the Ladian Empire, who would come to be known as “The War of the Shattered Mirrors”.

Initially, the Dresha possessed a massive advantage over the Ladian Empire, although they possessed a much smaller army when compared to the might of the Empire, their ability to quickly enter and leave any type of reflections allowed the Dresha to enact many small skirmishes all around the Empire, with many settlements and cities being destroyed and pillaged before a proper army was even able to reach the battle.

However, the Dresha began to slowly lose their advantage, as the Ladian Empire grew wearier and more knowledgeable about the Dresha and the Mirror World, eventually leading to the Ladian Empire issuing a ban and destroying reflective surfaces not protected by arcane means, which lead to the name War of the Shattered Mirrors.

The Ladian Empire continued to gain more ground against the Dresha with each passing day, eventually culminating in a siege to the capital city of the Dresha, where Ladian forces destroyed the Dark Mirror, shattering it into countless broken pieces, and establishing the Ladian Empire as the sole ruler and nation on the continent of Koruthar.

But even then, the Dresha were not completely defeated, as destroying the Dark Mirror also meant destroying the Dresha’s only way of returning to their “true” bodies and the mortal realm. This meant that any Dresha who was inside the Mirror World at the time of the mirror’s destruction, was now intrinsically bound to this realm, and their essence had now been permanently changed.

Living amidst the grey and baron lands that cover most of the Mirror World is a hazardous feat, as necessary resources are scarce, and crops are hard to maintain. The Dresha have maintained their society and way of life within the Mirror World, but now survive mostly by practicing slavery and pillaging the resources of the continent of Koruthar, utilizing the few ways they still possess of accessing the mortal world.

Although the nations of Koruthar regard the Dresha as a mere nuance in the grand scheme of the things, this does not stop the Dresha from thinking themselves superior and above all other races, seeking to enact and show supremacy whenever possible.

## Culture

  Their society is very simple in nature. The strong rule above all, and only you can make the vision you want happen in the world.

  They are highly individualistic, and follow a “might makes right” mentality. Any action is excusable in the name of exerting your will on the world.

  These philosophies are taken to an extreme, making them extremely ruthless and almost unfeeling. Even help from others is considered an act of weakness, which brings the individual shame in the eyes of the community.

## Races

Almost the entirety of its inhabitants are Dark Elves, know as Dresha. Any other race which lives in the area is either hiding from the Drow, or is a slave working for the Drow.

## Government

  Their society is ruled by 8 royal families , which each have 2 seats in the senate. The royal families take turns controlling the position of King. When the King dies, the role passes on to the next family.

There used to be 9 families, but one of the families was murdered out of the society.

## **Resources**

  They live in a very hospitable area, where sunlight is completely blocked, greatly limiting the types of food they can farm effectively. For that reason, food is scarce, and considered very valuable.

  But what they lack in living conditions, they make up for in being absolutely ruthless, periodically pillaging nearby lands and employing a great quantity of slaves for labor.

  They have information on an ancient network of tunnels on the underground of the continent, which they use to easily sneak through enemy defenses and take what they want by force.

## Quote

“The strong bring food, and the weak are the food of the strong”

## Stances on

·        **Magic:** Whatever makes you strong is good.

·        **Outsiders:** The more slaves, the merrier.

·        **Neighbouring nations:** Weaklings who don’t deserve the lands they own, we're just taking what we deserve.

·        **War:** We fear no other race

·        **Other Races:** Weak by nature, cannot compare to the “Drow Perfection”

·        **Slavery:** The weak are owned by the strong.

·        **Diabolism:** Demons are the only ones who come close to truly understanding the way of the world.

## Religion

Help from others is considered an act of weakness, so worship in general is looked down upon. However, they also respect power, and are smart in their dealings for more strength, so worship happens, although it is not very common.

When it does happen, it is usually to honor demons, who also understand the ways of the "rule of the strong". More specifically, to Keyon “Demon Lord of Pride”, who once saved the Drow already, and taught them the true way to live.

## Army

  Each royal family possesses a large army that they employ when defending or attacking other countries.

  Drow are quite sadistic in general, so joining an army is considered quite a fun activity. Plus, they get to keep whatever they steal and kill, making it an easy and great source of profit and resources, in an otherwise unforgiving land.

## Transport

  They have learned to use the animals that have adapted to their region. Mainly, they ride giant spiders, which have developed a terrifying running speed, and giant bat-like monsters.

  They also make and use underground tunnels to attack and raid other countries.