Undyrǣn (oon - DEER - yain)
Structure
Argentum, the City of Stars
The Underdark's Capital is often described as 'a great city of glittering amethyst'. Its cavern, colossal and peppered on its ceiling with beautiful minerals that resemble stars when viewed from below, is home to an estimated 60,000 kith and some 400 dragons, predominantly of the gem variety. Gem dragons entrust the running of the city's huge boroughs to highly experienced Matriarchs, especially those who have already proven themselves by running other outposts and cities within the Underdark's network of cities. Matriarchs in such positions are almost always Heads of their own Great Houses of drow, and being in charge of one of the Capital's buroughs like this brings incredible amounts of prestige and influence over the entirety of Underdark high society. The most important and influential Great House in Argentum (and thus all of the Underdark) is currently House Rhomidirn, whose Matriarch and daughters run three of the city's eight boroughs. Other notably and powerful names throughout Argentum's history include Houses Aetnure, Dinoryn, Synevarn and Voldergarde. House Voldergarde still runs one borough within Argentum, but it is expected within the city that another House will move into that role soon after recently instability within Voldergarde itself. This is not uncommon; these positions are highly prestigious and mean having the early of royalty, and so the Houses frequently compete ruthlessly for these privileged roles. In the Great Spire itself, Argentum and the wider Underdark are more broadly ruled by a traditional monarchy of Amethyst Dragons. Royalty are direct bloodline descendants of Kharnixilsar, the leader of the First Legions to descend into the Underdark almost 2,000 years ago. A King and Queen typically reside within the Spire alongside extended royal family members, with the most important meetings and matters of day-to-day governance occurring in the Spire's Fractal Court chambers or in smaller administration buildings. Carrying on the traditions of Sardior's Mercy's 'First Legions', a huge cabinet of advisors, generals, tacticians, administrators and high nobility forms the Court. The Spire itself is also a symbol of national unity and faith for the Underdarker peoples, for its core is said to house the body of the mystical gem dragon leader of the First Legions himself. Most startingly, he is said to still be alive. Having long surpassed his natural lifespan and now a deeply powerful greatwyrm, even the King and Queen answers to their ancestor, Kharnixilsar. However, he is secretive and never seen by anyone, even his own family. His chambers are famously secure and impossible to breach, and his every word and demand is conveyed through a select handful of faceless, masked, near-mute kith servants called the Whisperers. Any and all communication is carried out through these servants. Interestingly, however, Kharnixilsar rarely makes demands, or asks for anything beyond seemingly mundane things; in fact, a common rumour in the Fractal Court is that the only thing he's asked for in the last three years is a slight change of seasoning on the food that is prepared for him. As such, he's often 'forgotten about', and the common perception is that the King and Queen are simply the highest point of real authority and command in the Underdark. Wider Underdark society frequently debates as to whether or not Kharnixilsar is actually still alive or not, or if his name is simply being used to invoke influence and power, or to artificially bolster the 'legitimacy' of the Amethyst Royalty line. Others theorize that, yes, Kharnixilsar is genuinely alive, but resembles a weak, feeble old wyrm whose state is so shameful to the Royal Family that he is forbidden from being seen in public.
Dragons in the Underdark
Underdark culture prizes efficiency and administrative guile highly. This is in no small part due to the influence of its gem dragonlords, who are well-known to value logic and intellect. While these dragons do enjoy growing and protecting a hoard of traditional treasure, their interpersonal status and prestige among fellow gem dragons is decided more strongly by something else - their track record for civilization management! The most common form of boasting among these dragons usually involves mention of how successful or efficient one's governed towns and cities have been. Ironically, despite their famed wisdom, gem dragons are notably quite prone to indecision. It's not an unknown fact that the matriarchs who are closest/most tied to the royal family (read: anyone in a high seat) can quite easily sway them. They very much trust and rely on female drow advisors, as per the caste system, and so a gem dragon's administrative success more often comes from the advisors and Matriarchs they employ rather than from their own guile. Dragons tend to also be directly involved in the Great Houses rather than having their own 'noble families', unless they're part of/related to the central royalty. While dragons aren't considered part of the Great Houses themselves, they work closely with them. A larger Great House will often have several 'colleague' dragons they're in touch with to co-operate on matters. As such, the Underdark's Dragonlords are closer to 'helpful clerks and governors' (with lots of nobility benefits), who work alongside their appointed Great House's Matriarch to make things happen. Of all Pact Nations, the Underdark is the one where dragons and kith 'co-mingle' the closest, thanks to almost two thousand years of unity against constant existential threat. Dragons are all still above kith, but it's far less exacerbated. Dragonlords tend to be far less snooty in the Underdark and usually see their Matriarchs and high-standing kith allies as fellow leaders and colleagues rather than subjects, though they still retain enough ego to feel they're 'more important to this whole operation' than the kith in many ways. They also see the lower castes just the same as dragons in any other pact nation do - DRASTICALLY below them. Of perhaps the most peculiar denizens of the Underdark, there exists a variety of Gem Dragons known as Deep Dragons. Many communities and small groups of deep dragons are thought to have existed and lived in the Underdark even prior to the first crusades of Sardior's Mercy - and interestingly enough, many draconic scholars believe them to be somehow quite closely related to gem dragons on a biological level. A common Underdarker dragon theory is that deep dragons were once a small community of gem dragons who were influenced by aberrant corruption, causing mutations and regression into a more feral physiology. Whether or not this is true, it's a widely-held view; generally, deep dragons are looked upon with disdain and treated as considerably 'lesser' than all other dragon species. In the worst cases, they are seen as no better than savage competitors for limited resources. There are many Undyrǣni dragons who advocate for treating them as no higher than kith, or even suggesting that they should be removed from the Underdark altogether in case they spread their corruption to other dragons.
Great Houses and their Politics
The Underdark is far more 'unified' than other nations, being united in loyalty to the royal family and central administration of Great Houses. Great Houses represent the largest family and operative unit within Undyrǣni culture, and are direct ideological descents of Liscea's own Great Houses. However, while Liscean Houses represent family lines alone, Undyrǣni Houses instead represent both familial and administrative units. Undyrǣn is far more 'unified' than most other nations, being almost universally loyal to the royal family and central administration of these Great Houses. However, there is no shortage of political intrigue, underhanded motivations, backroom deals and treacherous backstabbing going on. Drow men can be members of a House, either by being born or adopted into them. Sons of Matriarchs serve on the Walls as any drow men do without special privileges, but they're still sons of the House and have will usually always have home in it to one day return to. Any drow (or even outsiders, provided they live in the Underdark, though there's favouritism towards elves) can become a hireling or retainer to a House. If they serve loyally and well, a Matriarch can opt to formally adopt them into the House. At this point, they are legally recognised as belonging to that House, and may now be called Oathmen. Many Matriarchs take a few partners in their lives. However, there are monogamous couples. The most serious political complications for a family, especially a Great House, are as follows;- Hints of aberrant corruption. The Underdark is home to a constant witchhunt. Aberrations take myriad forms and pose myriad threats. In such a 'webbed' society, even with central governance, misinformation, rumours and horror stories about what 'new' types of aberration foe can do run wild. Central military leadership frequently published manifestos on current understood threats and guidance, but bureaucracy being as it is, these are somewhat slow to reach the outer and newer outposts. This is a problem that only gets worse as the Underdark expands. As such, there's common rumours and thoughts that there's aberrations who manipulate minds, modify memories, or quite literally body-snatch people to infiltrate society. Whether or not any of this is true is uncertain. What is certain is the threat of people thinking your House is compromised or somehow in league with the foe that threatens all. Even just stray rumours and dissent can lead to problems. Your retainers, hirelings and oathmen (lowest level members of the House) can start getting assaulted on the street, or the military might conduct an investigation into the House that's hard to keep anything but public.
- Being seen as incompetent. This is a death knell for many families. The Underdark's entire existence demands efficiency or it crumbles. Every city that works is a miracle, because it is existing despite such a hostile and dangerous environment. Because of the Underdark's roots in surfacer militaries of old, there is a non-negotiable demand for results. It's not enough to 'have noble blood'; if your House doesn't do their part and live up to their position, your family name means nothing anymore, and leadership and power will slip through your fingers. It's considered too irresponsible to give power to those who won't actually use it properly.
- No 'true' daughters. Drow generally produce more sons than daughters. Successor Matriarchs must be produced by an existing Matriarch and a highly-prestigious elven man in turn. This is typically a drow, but not necessarily - any full-blooded elf is suitable). This must be a man who has shown great success within the Great House, such as a soldier on the bastions who has been promoted to a Watcher (an order of rare Oath of the Watchers Paladins), a commander, or a long-serving and trusted oathman. Smaller Houses may not have such a prestigious man in their ranks, or so few such men that the matriarch unluckily produces only sons and no daughters. Many Houses die this way. There's been many scandals where Houses have desperately sought to preserve themselves by kidnapping newborn drow girls 'of high blood' from other Houses, or who have falsified birth and lineage documents to fabricate a 'high lineage' for daughter heirs. A famous drow pub song, 'Thin Mad Arkhiad', is about the possibly-true famous case of a certain Matriarch Ulina Savhorrin several hundred years ago, who fell from grace quickly after she and her people learned that her mysterious long-dead Watcher father was actually just a hired prostitute. It's a rude, funny, and somewhat saddening song - and one that many Great House nobles do not like hearing.
- Surfacer politics involvement. The most successful Houses sneakily accept or use aid from above-ground groups to stretch their efficiency in military, economy and administration; trading with Makaiid grain and ore merchants for food and weaponry, hiring mercenaries to scout or deal with military problems in remote areas, or making deals with surfacer powers for mutual aid in small, underhanded (and illegal) things; 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'. The key to making this work is not getting caught! Underdarkers share a sense of national pride for being 'the sole bastion against the dark'. There's very much a sense perpetuated among the common folk that 'we're the heroic martyrs', and that aid from surfacers is not needed. 'They don't help. They enjoy their lives above.' While interacting with surface nations is hardly taboo, being seen to work with them too much looks like relying on them for help. That does not look good and quickly kills credibility. However, if a House doesn't do it at all, they'll find themselves falling behind a lot of the most successful Houses, who routinely and quietly employ such aid and deals themselves. Everyone's doing it, but no-one admits it. This also plays into a growing tension and fear among the Underdark's leaders that things are starting to fall apart down here a little bit; they're not sure how much longer they'll be able to fight some new concerning aberrant threats without more help, but no House of power can admit that or they'll lose their reputation and positions.
Walls & Watchers
Most drow men die on the walls. Thinly armed and armoured and with forced conscription lasting hundreds of years, the average soldier's fate is to catch a stray claw, be slaughtered with their unit by Underdark wildlife, or to be crushed in an unfortunate cave-in while on the march. One of the few ways for drow men to earn prestige is to join the Order of Watchers. Those who somehow survive their services and distinguish themselves are taken note of and considered to be candidates for the Order. If they pass a selection process and the gruelling Trials of the Stars - which, in itself, kills many candidates - they earn the highest ranks of respect an Underdark warrior can achieve, and become a Watcher. These warriors develop incredible powers of detection and cleansing against aberrations, which suits them well for their task of keeping Undyrǣni society clean of Blight influences. Watchers never retire, notably, as the Trials of the Stars irreversibly bind them to their duty until death. When they get old or sick, they're expected to go march alone into the depths of the Underdark and die in battle.Culture
Underdark society runs on a tiered Caste system, decided largely by one's race and biological sex.
- Impera | Dragons. Considered the rightful and most efficient leaders in all political and military matters. Any and all other political leaders bow to them somewhere on the chain. Gem dragons hold an especial monopoly over power in Undyrǣni society,
- Genitri | Female Drow. Drow women form a caste of lower politicians, and often lead Great Houses of Drow as Matriarchs They are almost always nobility. Common roles include military generalship, administration of large settlements and ruling counties.
- Solum | Duergar. Sometimes known as Deep Dwarves, duergar enjoy many freedoms. They typically work as merchants, craftsmen and trade diplomats, and are generally very respected as a backbone of the Underdark's vital supply chains. Blacksmithing, tailoring, trapping and alchemy are the most common trades for the Solum caste.
- Murus | Male Drow. Enjoying far less personal freedoms than higher castes, most male drow are destined to serve as Wallmen; conscripted soldiers for a never ending war against the Underdark's aberrant horrors. Should they survive years of oft-fatal forced service, they are permitted to retire from active duty and become reserve troops. These veterans typically work as farmers, lesser craftsmen, secretaries and in service positions. Foreigners and prisoners of war are typically adopted into this caste should they survive being press-ganged into soldiership.
- Eligo | Svirfneblin. While not considered truly slaves, Deep Gnomes rarely serve in any role beyond mining, construction and manual labour. They are seen to be too valuable for their resilience and ability to squeeze into small spaces to be permitted other work, but not considered valuable enough to be given many precautions for personal safety.
History
Origins & Founding
Kith inhabitants of the Underdark are understood to be the descendants of surfacer peoples - especially Liscean elves. Approximately 1,700 years ago, a coalition was formed by surface nations to tackle the growing threat of an insidious force of underground aberrant monsters. Known as the Blight, no military intervention seemed to quell the rise of these corruptive monstrosities. Before long, their numbers were great enough that they began to swallow entire towns in hordes of chittering, gurgling horror. In order to better suppress, monitor and combat incursions of Blight, the coalition - calling themselves Sardior's Mercy - descended into the dizzying, deadly underground caverns that would later become known as 'the Underdark'. Led by an amethyst dragon war leader named Kharnixilsar, soldiers of Liscea and other older nations banded as one to create fortress and watch-networks, ever vigilant against the encroaching darkness. The footholds and presence established there today are an evolution of that millennia-old crusade - one that is arguably still ongoing. The fight never concluded, or even stalled. The commanders of Sardior's Mercy realised they would not have the luxury of returning home. If they were to have any hope of saving the surface, they could never leave the Underdark. The entire army who remained became an order of self-sacrificing martyrs, and the foundation of a militaristic society utterly dedicated to combating aberration monstrosities, so that the surface world may never have to know the horrors Undyrǣn knows intimately. Though the modern surface world remembers the Underdarkers' ongoing sacrifice, countless generations have passed since many above have even seen or been threatened by the Blight. They have the Underdark to thank for this. Yet ironically, an attitude of scepticism and questioning has begun to grow against the Underdark. Many Pact Nation peoples wonder why they're still sending such vast quantities of metal ore and grain to the people below. Are they really fighting monsters all day down there? How do we all know they aren't just playing us for fools? Does the Blight even really exist anymore? Why do we need them? A gradual tension is beginning to form between the ungrateful peoples above and the hyper-militaristic order of defenders below, and it's arguably happening at a very bad time - for the Blight are always cropping up in new caves, and always probing for gaps in defences, so that they might breach the surface once more...The War of the Meadows
Undyrǣn fiercely avoided involvement in the War of the Meadows. The wider world has generally understood, historically, that the Underdark is a stopgap against a serious threat. As such, most nations generally have not antagonised them with threats of war. The First Legions were an ancient coalition to deal with something that threatened the entire world, and the Underdark are the descendants of that crusade and its efforts. However, the world above nowadays does often forget a bit that the danger is still there and very real. The Underdark does not. They fight it every day, and they suffer countless horrific deaths to it in turn. They do not find appeal in getting involved with conflicts on another front, too. To them, the ideal world would be one where 'those idiots upstairs stop smacking each other and come deal with the problem downstairs instead' (though the Drow have since grown a bit too proud of their martyr status to admit that anymore). That said, Bryn Shei weren't exactly distinguishing between above- and below-ground when they angrily lashed out at Dragonlord nations. They launched assaults into caverns below their land (the Underdark is a Pact Nation, after all, and one with Dragonlords). They quickly learned their lesson. Sheician forces were terrifying enough to gain land even in defensive wars, but they had no idea of how to survive and fight down underground. Drow forces fought back, hard. Bryn Shei's military was almost entirely composed of kith trained to fight dragons and dragon forces in overland terrain, so they knew only how to employ turtle formations, armour-piercing weaponry and open-field tactics. The Underdark's military is, conversely, masses of elvish soldiers who fight in dark, twisting, tight places against fast moving horrors - akin to an ever-shifting tide of lightning-fast warriors, whose lack of armour in the first place meant they cared little for whether or not their foes' weapons could pierce plate or not. They had the home terrain advantage, could see well in the dark (many Sheicians were humans or dragonborn with eyes poorly adapted for the darkness), and could pick apart units of Sheician warriors quickly with flanking strikes, given they knew all the cavern layouts and could strike from unexpected angles. Bryn Shei barely held their lines and had drow forces almost spilling onto the surface in retaliation when the war ended. Though their other fronts were going well, the Bryn Shei-Underdark front couldn't say the same. The cities and communities based under Bryn Shei generally keep well away from the Sheicians above nowadays, and vice-versa. There's a cold animosity between them; the Underdarkers felt Bryn Shei was wildly and idiotically lashing out like a child, and Bryn Shei is silently bubbling with contempt that they have a literal dragon overlord empire (at least in their eyes) right beneath their feet, who they feel existentially and ideologically threatened by. As such, the War of the Meadows didn't directly impact the Underdark on a wide level. However, on an indirect level, it meant more than a few political nightmares. The Pact Nations at the time ceased a lot of trade with the Underdark to hoard grain and ores for themselves. This mean several cities and many outposts relying on that suffered famines and shortages of materials for weapons and armour. Many Drow warriors were sent to do their usual aberration-fighting duties with no armour, having not eaten in a week, and armed with kitchen knives. It was that bad in some places. Equally, some of the Pact Nations, especially Makain (who have a bit of a reputation for being poorly-organised worryworts to Underdarkers) started begging the Underdark for help, because they 'had plenty of spare men'. However, this wasn't correct; the Underdark did not have spare men. It never does. The casualty rate for Underdark soldiers is so tremendously high that the constant stream of conscripted boys is only just enough to man the Walls, especially as the Underdark expands its borders. It really could not, and probably never can, afford to send troops elsewhere for warfare. This actually later was acknowledged in a revision of the Pact after the war; unlike the other Pact nations, the Underdark is exempt from providing levied forces to allies in a time of war. There's an understanding that the Underdark exists solely to protect the wider world from a hidden threat, and is already constantly at war with a mutual enemy. Also during the War, many deserters and refugees flooded into the Underdark. Most Matriarchs accepted anyone who was willing to immediately sign up for the legions (extra bodies never hurt), arranging 'foreign legion camps' to quickly house the influx of new troops. Some of these still exist today as landmarks or have since become proper military forts in their own right, though they're almost exclusively manned by drow men nowadays, who are always the vast majority of Underdark soldiers. In terms of Sheician gains, they barely made a damn dent. The Underdark leave a lot of 'empty tunnels' between their territory and the surface; some tunnels have outposts, inns and defences right up to the surface, such as the commonly-walked ones, ones in heavily populated areas, or those that diplomats and Pact officials from any nation might use often. However, there's many tunnels to the surface; too many to guard properly, so they sometimes simply don't. Byrn Shei exploited this by travelling the emptier tunnels and striking deeper first. Their war goal was reportedly to 'liberate the Undyrǣni of draconic oppression'. Their first two or three days saw them make a little ground simply because of the element of surprise, as they did not declare war on the Underdark and simply attacked. Their justification for this had been that they'd already 'declared war against the dragon tyrants of the world', but it's widely considered today that they broke international laws by not making a formal declaration before assaults began. They took two small, poorly-defended and newer outposts, then promptly lost them again on day three of their offensive. From there, the Undyrǣni defenders (who needed those few days to be reallocated from other cities and outposts) pushed them back, hard and fast. Within two weeks, the Sheicians were then fighting on the surface. That made Undyrǣni progress slower due to sun sickness, but the drow also had no arranged or desired war goals to conquer above ground territory. Any buildings, villages and towns they captured near the tunnels were used as temporary defenses and outposts, then razed to the ground with populations slaughtered as retaliatory punishment to Bryn Shei for the underhanded strike.
A Sheician scout tracks his quarry in a highland thicket, unaware of the drow footman stalking silently towards him.
The War of the Meadows concluded two and a half weeks after Bryn Shei attacked the Underdark. The Underdark weren't the reason it ended, but their hard and brutal retaliation was one of many factors that meant the war just wasn't worth fighting anymore for Bryn Shei. The Sheician queen at the time had been making more and more strategic errors, and attacking the Underdark was one of them. That, combined with several other significant losses on the 'main fronts', led to Bryn Shei managing to sue for a white peace before their situation truly fell apart. They'd captured a good swathe of Makaiid and Liscean territory that was quite valuable, and they knew they'd lose that too if the war kept going. They peacefully handed it back over to the 'rightful' owning nations in exchange for peace negotiations. Thankfully, this worked, and a ceasefire came quickly. It was during the following years-long negotiations (tense, but without warfare) that the international agreement to dissolve dragoneering orders was also arranged, due to the infamous atrocities committed by most nations during this war (though Bryn Shei being on everyone's mind and having started the war meant they got blamed the most for it).In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The Underdark, the Bastion, Sardior's Forgotten
Predecessor Organization
Successor Organization
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Trained
Demonym
Undyrǣni
Founders
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Neighboring Nations
Military Alliance (Pact Nations)
Liscea and Undyrǣn are long-standing cultural and military allies, and enjoy warm relations. However, in recent centuries - and especially recent decades - some threads have started to fray over old grudges. Liscea, especially, is losing respect for its cousin nation.
Undyrǣn Attitude: Appreciates Long-Running Support
Liscea is one of the few nations that has provided continual financial and economic support to fund Undyrǣn's war against Blight, all the way back since the under-nation's inception. In fact, it is the only nation that still provides this support today without questioning the Blight threat's legitimacy. This, along with having culturally descended from Liscean soldier-nobility, means that most Undyrǣni tend to have a positive view of Liscea and its way of running things. Liscea Attitude: Worried About Corruption
Ever parading their moral grandstanding and pristine honour codes, Liscea has long respected Undyrǣn and seen them as heroic martyrs for the world's safety. However, they haven't failed to noticed Undyrǣn's gradual societal shift from Liscean values. The usage of unarmoured soldiers as cheap cannon fodder irks them somewhat. The distance of Matriarchs and cosy royalty from the 'real fighting' underground bothers them more. What really makes Liscea unhappy is the direction Underdark Great House culture has gone - knives in the dark, smoke-and-mirrors, all for solely personal gain. Watching the Drow Houses compete so viciously with each other has Liscea wondering if they can trust Undyrǣn to continue their noble duty without 'guiding intervention' for much longer.
Liscea is one of the few nations that has provided continual financial and economic support to fund Undyrǣn's war against Blight, all the way back since the under-nation's inception. In fact, it is the only nation that still provides this support today without questioning the Blight threat's legitimacy. This, along with having culturally descended from Liscean soldier-nobility, means that most Undyrǣni tend to have a positive view of Liscea and its way of running things. Liscea Attitude: Worried About Corruption
Ever parading their moral grandstanding and pristine honour codes, Liscea has long respected Undyrǣn and seen them as heroic martyrs for the world's safety. However, they haven't failed to noticed Undyrǣn's gradual societal shift from Liscean values. The usage of unarmoured soldiers as cheap cannon fodder irks them somewhat. The distance of Matriarchs and cosy royalty from the 'real fighting' underground bothers them more. What really makes Liscea unhappy is the direction Underdark Great House culture has gone - knives in the dark, smoke-and-mirrors, all for solely personal gain. Watching the Drow Houses compete so viciously with each other has Liscea wondering if they can trust Undyrǣn to continue their noble duty without 'guiding intervention' for much longer.
Non-Aggression Pact
Undyrǣn and Bryn Shei fought each other briefly in the War of the Meadows. Relations are cold, and peace is underpinned by persistent animosity.
Undyrǣn Attitude: Frustrated by Short-Sightedness
Undyrǣn sees Bryn Shei as a needlessly aggressive, ill-disciplined and impulsive nation of peoples whose short lives blind them to long-term threats and problems. Most Undyrǣni see Bryn Shei's dragon-fearing attitudes as an irritating distraction; if they want to fear something, they should fear the Blight. Undyrǣn considers Bryn Shei to be admirable and respectable warriors, and appreciates their ingenuity in surviving rougher climes, but holds no illusions that armed conflict with them would be catastrophic for both nations. Undyrǣn is forever occupied with its war against the Blight, and cannot afford to send forces to fight a front against Bryn Shei long-term. Sheician Attitude: Feeling Threatened
Sheicians generally look upon Undyrǣn with contempt - there's a nation of tyrannical dragonlords sitting right under their feet! Worse still, they make for deadly warriors. Bryn Shei constantly fears that Undyrǣn is preparing to invade and subjugate them at any moment, and perhaps their fears are well founded; should such an invasion happen, Undyrǣn would be likely to win.
Undyrǣn sees Bryn Shei as a needlessly aggressive, ill-disciplined and impulsive nation of peoples whose short lives blind them to long-term threats and problems. Most Undyrǣni see Bryn Shei's dragon-fearing attitudes as an irritating distraction; if they want to fear something, they should fear the Blight. Undyrǣn considers Bryn Shei to be admirable and respectable warriors, and appreciates their ingenuity in surviving rougher climes, but holds no illusions that armed conflict with them would be catastrophic for both nations. Undyrǣn is forever occupied with its war against the Blight, and cannot afford to send forces to fight a front against Bryn Shei long-term. Sheician Attitude: Feeling Threatened
Sheicians generally look upon Undyrǣn with contempt - there's a nation of tyrannical dragonlords sitting right under their feet! Worse still, they make for deadly warriors. Bryn Shei constantly fears that Undyrǣn is preparing to invade and subjugate them at any moment, and perhaps their fears are well founded; should such an invasion happen, Undyrǣn would be likely to win.
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