Ellora is, nominally, a nation of loosely affiliated settlements in southwestern Arvor. It grew out from the harbor city of
Dunagan, its capital and center of power. Dunagan began as a shipbuilding, fishing, and transportation hub, and the organizations who controlled those industries became very powerful. The only groups who could compete were those who practiced another specialized trade. The city’s motto was born: “Progress through craft.”
Government
Ellora is unlike other states in Arvor. While most settlements have powerful guilds and private organizations alongside their governments,
Ellora's guilds are its government. Ellora has no king, duke, council, or even judge – all matters ranging from public safety to health are handled privately by its hundreds of guilds.
Law Enforcement and Public Safety
Ellora has no city watches or independent judiciary. All matters are handled by private entities through The Consortium. When a guild member in Ellora gets into trouble with another party, their guilds must agree on an independent arbiter to resolve the dispute.
Culture
A Nation in Name Only
Ellora is called a nation, but there is little shared racial or ethnic culture in the region. Common is the dominant language out of convenience, but the only official language is commerce. Ellora has no traditional attire, music, or other arts. The customs of Elloran culture are almost entirely centered around ways of doing business.
Personal Responsibility
For most Ellorans, every family is responsible for their own safety, security, and edification. There are community-minded folk in the region (especially in the temples), but they are vastly outnumbered. If you're looking for someone to do you a favor, you should expect to owe them in kind.
Saving Face
Without strong shared institutions, personal and professional reputations are of the utmost importance in Ellora. Actions that would embarrass or humiliate another should be taken with great caution, as they are repaid in kind. Ellorans often look for opportunities for the other party in a conflict to save face to keep the peace.
Proud Guild Membership
Obtaining membership in an Elloran guild can be easy or inexpensive, but rarely both. First, you must find one of the hundreds that fits your skillset. Then, you must petition for membership in their guild hall. Some lesser guilds will simply accept your dues and admit you, but for most guilds you must first demonstrate your skill. Some guilds have been known to waive fees for those willing to do the guild’s less savory work.
The guilds recognize that members bring them power and money, but they also bring obligation. Guilds are on the hook for their members: when a member is subject to trouble or involved in conflict it’s the guild who bears the burden of resolving it or making it right.
Guilds generally provide insurance services for their members: paying out in the case of accidental death or dismemberment or to settle disputes. In a large guild, these costs add up, so guilds are thoughtful about who they admit. Guilds often employ investigators to get to the bottom of crimes against their members so that they may seek restitution rather than bearing the costs.
The Guildless
There are many Guildless in Ellora. Those residents who lack the skills, funds, or resourcefulness to join a guild cling to the lowest rung of society. When a Guildless individual gets into trouble (whether by accident, as perpetrator, or as victim) they are at the mercy of the guild on the other side.
Some temples like the Church of
Tyr offer support to the Guildless: food, clothing, and care. But even the temples won’t admit them to their ranks. Over the years there have been many Guildless who attempted to start a guild for others like them, but they have all been denied entry into the Consortium. Those who are unable to join a guild are advised to move on to the frontier or another nation.
