Dominion of Ur

The Dominion of Ur or simply the 'Elven Dominion' (Old Elvish Script: Keltrussen d'Ur) was the successor state to the Old Republic of Ur, initially ruled by Queen Msunda Pholdraes. Born from the political gutter that was the Republic following the nationalist revolution, it was a nation marred by a century-long serfdom, couched in an insidious, unyielding matriarchy. Governed equally by an ensemble of ministers and by the Queens personal harem, in the early days the Dominion would embark on a crusade against mankind, which would ultimately be its downfall.

## The rise of the dominion of Ur

After the crushing defeat of the 7 Years War, quality of life in the Old Republic was deteriorating rapidly. By this time, many rebels still lined the Ukrainian and Caucasus regions, withthe west being taken by Beaglian forces. This was the brewing pot for the coup of the Ur nationalist groups. this culminated in the Perm Coup where nationalist seized the general assembly in Perm, heading their benefactor Msunda Pholdraes as the new leader. Her first act was to crush the Ukrainian and Caucasus rebels at the battle of Sevastopol, this would see the rebel leader killed and the problematic Ofitzer Vukno wounded, fleeing the port to England. Once control over the core territories had been asserted, the 'Keltrussen revisen' (elven renaissance) coined by the propaganda minister Vilka ,who was later headed as the n'wah controller, was instigated. The persecution of humans and a 'reclaiming of human property' ensued, ending the rise. This was considered the beginning of the 'Erium Moderzt' (the modern era).

## Life within the Dominion

### Nationalism and mesocentrisism

The dominion main ideals in global politics is nationalism and a dark elven term of mesocentrisism the term referrers to the honour of the old kingdoms and the lost civilization of Mesopotamia being the old dark elven homeland this can be see in the symbols of the shock divisions ran by Vilka using the skull and ancient Sumerian swords as their cap badges mesodentrism is also see in the education systems push for learning Sumerian by Uhinze Pholdraes and is used only to read old copies being mostly replaced by elven script and considered a dead language but is still used in tally keeping.

### Propaganda

Propaganda, brainwashing and various means of indoctrination were tools weaponised by the Dominion to ensure obedience and compliance among the educated populous. While serfs were disregarded and left to their own devices, the few lucky enough to receive an education were forced to undergo weekly culture lessons, being taught all manner of forged histories and farcical truths. These lectures usually discussed the inherently corrupt nature of non-elven races, with humans being a particular favourite. Noble houses sent their children to academies where entirely invented versions of biology, history, social studies and other pseudoscience's were studied.

To ensure these sweeping reforms, the Internal Affairs and Justice department sent small groups of soldiers to burn, confiscate and subsequently replace many books that were written prior to Queen Msunda's crowning. This included literature that was:

* Critical of royalty, nobility or the Ilythiiri faith
* Contained un-revised versions of historical events
* Depicted or sympathised with humans or human cultures
* Supported democracy, or the Old Republic

Posters and other forms of highly publicised propaganda were used to promote serving in the Dominions armies, the matriarchal way of life and many other fabricated ideals. Iconography of physically fit elven men and women hard at work were popular symbols - as well as many sardonic portrayals of humans being incapable of multitasking, a well-regarded trait in the Dominion at the time.

### Society and Culture

Typically in late Ur society, your social standing was determined by your sex. The ideals of equality found in the Republic were attacked and dismantled with, an all-encompassing matriarchy being installed in its place. Men of all walks of life were repressed and viewed as being the ‘inferior’ sex. Heterosexual relationships were shunned, with the idea of a woman ‘tainting’ herself by being in the presence of a man being abhorrent. The ruling elite was composed of primarily of large lineages of intermarried women, opposed to the monogamous norms of the rest of Europe. Usage of pet names was considered highly unfashionable, though public acts of affection were common in urban and rural areas alike.

Polygamy was practiced frequently due to the often seamless nature of elven romance and courtship, with ‘webs’ of married individuals being composed of up to eighty people in some noble houses. While the role of men was suppressed greatly, they would often find companionship in one of the many ‘brotherhood’ societies - some were romantic in nature, others were not, but they all provided a sense of mirth and a place for male elves to speak up in a nation where they otherwise would not.

The cuisine of Ur is descended from the culinary traditions of the Mesopotamia and modern day Iraq, with some Hellenic and Persian influences that were introduced following the Alexandrian exodus.

## Demographics

Soon after the founding revolution, a state-mandated expulsion of all non-elven species was undertaken, leaving the remaining populous near homogenous. At a rough estimate, following the 5 Years War, the population was around 5-6 million, with dark elves being by far the greatest demographic. The few remaining human or non-elven species that resided in the Dominion toiled as serfs or were used as expendable guinea pigs for furthering the medicinal sciences. Most minority races could live comfortably in the sparse fringe provinces to the East, enjoying ease of trade with the Dragon Empire and avoiding persecution from internal ‘justiciar’ officers.

Judaism was the predominant and state religion of the Dominion, with most practising the native Ilythiiri denomination of the faith. The Ilythiiri sect preached the freedom of love and elven superiority. It denounced many passages of the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Genesis, as ‘corrupt n’wah concepts’. A well-cited verse declared, *”No matter the seed, if the shoot is nurtured with love, will not the flower be beautiful?”* Ilythiiri Judaism was a near-extinct religion by the time of the Republic, only being revived during the revolution along with many other forgotten practices.

Much of the noble elite (excluding the ruling family) practiced some form of Zoroastrianism, likely inherited and retained from the former Tsardom.