Droaam

Droaam is a nation of monsters ruled by the Daughters of Sora Kell. Each of these three hags is a legend in her own right, the subjects of tales used to frighten children. Eleven years before the end of the Last War, they seized the lands west of the Graywall Mountains and founded the nation of Droaam.

Location

Droaam shares a tenuous border with the Shadow Marches to the west and more solid natural borders in the form of the Byeshk Mountains to the north, the Graywall Mountains to the east, and the Thunder Sea to the south. The area is inhospitable and mostly barren plains, which is part of the reason it was never formally settled. Sparse copses of trees break up the plains here and there, and as one approaches the mountains the land turns slowly more rocky. As low as Droaam is in arable land, it is high in mineral resources: rich veins of byeshk run through the northern mountains, and fields of Eberron dragonshards are common.

Society

Although Breland long laid claim to these barren lands, Galifar had never tamed this wild region. Gnolls, orcs, and goblins commonly sought haven here, as well as ogres, trolls, harpies, minotaurs, medusas, tieflings, changelings, lycanthropes, and other races unwelcome in civilized lands. In the past, these creatures fought one another more often than they raided human settlements. Under the leadership of the Daughters of Sora Kell, they have new purpose. The Daughters use an army of ogres and war trolls to maintain order.

To date, the other nations of Khorvaire have refused to recognize Droaam, and the region was not acknowledged in the Treaty of Thronehold. Most people believed that the monstrous nation can’t last—that even the Daughters can’t hold the disparate alliance together—but Droaam is currently thriving and stronger than ever. The Daughters have recently completed negotiations with King Boranel of Breland and House Orien to vie for Droam independence. If some changes are made to the budding nation both parties have agreed to use their influence to gain recognition of Droaam as its own nation. The cities of Graywall and Great Crag grow larger and more organized every day, and the rest of Khorvaire is uneasy with the potential power of a fully realized Droaam.

The Daughters of Sora Kell have begun to change the nature of Droaam; using their wits, magic, and the strength of their troll and ogre forces to forge the region into a semblance of a nation. Roads have been constructed to link the major communities, and a tenuous spirit of cooperation has taken hold between the varied monstrous inhabitants. One can find harpies, ogres, orcs, and more wandering the same streets, going about their own business, at least in the major cities.

Outside of the cities life in Droaam is divided between warlords loyal to the Sisters. In these places the strong rule the weak. The hags intervene only against major threats such as battles between monsters communities, raids on caravans, or anything else that would jeopardize their attempts to be formally recognized by the other nations, result in significant property damage, or multiple deaths. Lesser crimes are mostly ignored, unless a warlord takes personal offense. A rare few, mostly the followers of the Queen of Stone, look at law with a more sophisticated view. Within their personally governed domain, the hags enforce stricter rules, ensuring even the weaker citizens lead relatively good lives. The government is a form of despotic feudalism: the most powerful warlords give tribute to the Daughters of Sora Kell and in return they rule sections of Droaam. The tribute is paid in gold, goods, soldiers or laborers.

Most warlords see that the hags are shaping Droaam into a greater power than any of them could have done alone, so they begrudgingly accept their rule. The nation remains volatile however, as the hags do little to stop minor feuds, assassinations, and coups from taking place.

Due to Droaam's exclusion from the Treaty of Thronehold, few of the laws common in the east are recognized here. As a result, various Droaam settlements (most notably Graywall) have become havens for criminals, smugglers, and fugitives from the east. As far as foreign power groups go, only House Tharashk has any real presence within the nation. Despite this, Droaam has a lot going for it. The strength of their monstrous laborers and mercenaries draws much attention; already ogre laborers and minotaur bodyguards are employed in relatively high numbers throughout Breland, Aundair and Zilargo. Either out of patriotism or out of fear of their hag queens, this monstrous workforce is proving more reliable than local workers, never offering complaint or dissent to their clients.

Notable Locations