The Commune of Xandra
An enigmatic community known to only a few outsiders, the Commune of Xandra is the name used by those in the know to refer to the ancient Amethyst Dragon, Xandra and the humanoids who have coexisted with and served them since the outbreak of the Divine War.
Xandra
Though little is known about them exactly, Xandra is considered to be an ancient Dragon, whose origins may even link back to the creation of the very first dragons by the Divine Melchis at the dawn of time on Kelbonnar’s Material Plane. Some scholars have even hypothesised that Xandra is the same creature as a dragon recorded in ancient chronicles as Cassaxandratorex, the first of the Amethyst Dragons and one of the original creatures said to have been shaped by the hands of Melchis themselves. Whatever their origins, they are deemed to be old enough to be the dragon that is occasionally referenced in the recovered histories of the Ancient Kingdom of Destra, as dwelling in the region that would become the Destra Wetlands. As this connection would make them approaching 2,000 years old as a minimum possible age, they are considered to be an Ancient dragon, meaning that they would number amongst the largest and most powerful of their species. However, part of the reason that so little is known about Xandra is that they are rarely seen. The last recorded sighting that the Empire of Turelion's Imperial College of Arcanists have deemed to be from a credible source was over 200 years ago and since then they are thought to have remained in their lair, seen only by members of the Commune that has formed around them (see below).Origin of the Commune
The exact circumstances that led the first of the humanoids who would form the Commune around Xandra is not known, but the few scholars who have been able to converse directly with members of the Commune believe that it origins began with the Divine War. Though it is not certain from where the humanoids’ ancestors came, it is thought that they represent either a single community of people, or a collation of people from across Kelbonnar, who were driven by fear of the celestial war and who sought shelter in the unforgiving labyrinth of the Destra Wetlands, probably sometime around the destruction of the city of Quess in 4DW. Whilst most of these original refugees succumbed to the diseases and various beasts that thrive in the wetlands, not to mention a likely inhospitable reception from the local Hynafiad people, some stumbled upon an entrance to confusing subterranean home of the ancient Amethyst Dragon Xandra. For whatever reason, instead of killing these interlopers in their lair, Xandra took pity of these refugees and they took them in. Many reasons have been suggested for why the dragon acted as they did: curiosity; pity; loneliness; a desire for a serf population; perhaps even desire to find a possible route via dedicated worship to some form of divinity. However, as no scholars have ever spoken with Xandra the exact reason is impossible to tell. Regardless, under Xandra’s protection, the Commune has grown over the years to a community of several hundred strong. In exchange for the security that Xandra’s presence brings, the humanoids of the Commune maintain the non-submerged parts of the Dragon's lair, protect the knowledge of its whereabouts from getting into the hands of those who might wish to plunder Xandra’s great hoard and watch over them in her increasingly lengthy periods of deep slumber.Structure
The undisputed head of the Commune is Xandra herself, but on the whole the Dragon makes few decisions about the lives of the humanoids who dwell with them. This means that only the most serious of decisions are brought to Xandra, and they are only brought to them in the increasingly fleeting periods when they are awake.
For more day-to-day matters the Commune operates as a gerontocracy, with the eldest living members of the community sitting in council with one another and making executive decisions on behalf of the community.
Culture
The culture of the Commune is naturally dominated by the Dragon Xandra, who has taken on a pseudo-religious significance for the humanoids of the Commune. The community isn’t considered to be religious in nature, nor do most scholars believe that Xandra is attempting to be recognised as a deity by their humanoid subjects.
Instead, anecdotal evidence from members of the Commune who have been spoken to by academics indicates that Xandra is regarded as an alternative entity to the Divines, neither replacing nor subservient to them. An entity who is more worthy of veneration as they are tied to and originate from the Material Plane, as opposed to ruling the souls of its inhabitants from far away in the Celestial realms.
Regardless of their place within the theology/philosophy of the Commune, Xandra is treated with the utmost respect and the inhabitants of the Commune strive to do everything that they can to serve and protect them, as they sheltered and protected their ancestors.
Demography and Population
The original refugees whose ancestors now make up the population of the Commune were said to be a mixture of Humans, Dwarves and Halflings and these species remain the most prominent within the community’s populace, though many of the species divides have been softened by generations of intermarriage between these species of humanoids.
The Gifts of Xandra
Just as the innate magic of Xandra suffuses the landscape surrounding her lair (see below), it also suffuses those who live within the Commune and especially those born within it. Children born into the Commune will often have hair that is a naturally occurring purple hue and eyes that are golden in hue and even sometimes serpentine in appearance, mirroring the colouration of the eyes and scales of Xandra herself. Those born during the times that Xandra is awake and her innate magic is therefore more active will often be found to have innate magical abilities, again mirroring the Dragon's own. However, as Xandra spends more and more time in deep slumber, the occurrence of children so blessed has become increasingly rare. Now, children born in Xandra’s periods of wakefulness are scrutinised carefully for any potential gifts they might have, and they often receive additional training and education.Territories
The Commune of Xandra claim no territory, other than the actual lair of the Dragon Xandra which lies beneath one of the larger lakes in the Destra Wetlands.
Localised Phenomena
The innate magic of the Dragon Xandra has suffused itself within the immediate hinterland of her lair. This concentration of magic is most apparent through the unnaturally high concentration of aquatic life, especially within the lake underneath which Xandra’s lair lies.Military
Whilst the Commune has no formalised military, in thanks for Xandra taking in their ancestors and for continuing to provide a home for their descendants, the humanoids of the Commune have all sworn to protect their home and Xandra from anyone or anything that might threaten them. In order to achieve this, all members of the Commune are highly drilled in both armed and unarmed combat and they would prove to be a formidable first line of defence should anyone who means them or their draconic patron harm find their hidden abode.
Foreign Relations
The Commune of Xandra strives at all times to remain hidden from the rest of the world, both for their own protection and to stop curious or greedy adventurers from trying to plunder the hoard of their patron. This means that they have no formal diplomatic relations with anyone and only members of the Commune know the exact location of their home. Even the native populace of the Destra Wetlands, the Hynafiad have only the vaguest idea of where the Commune is located and on the whole they tend to avoid that area. Only a handful of visitors from outside the community have been allowed into the Commune’s home and fewer still have been allowed to leave again.
Agriculture & Industry
The Commune operates no formal industries, though they do undertake some localised farming activity, mostly cultivating crops within their part subterranean, part submerged home that can survive either in low, or non-existent light conditions, or under water.
However, the Commune do undertake large scale foraging activities in and around the area of their home, with many of them being skilled fishers of the abundant fish stocks that exist in and around their local area.
Education
The Commune is an educationally egalitarian community with all children born and raised their being given a high level of educational training in literacy, numeracy and for those that show aptitude, the arcane arts. All members of the Commune speak Draconic, the native tongue of the patron, and as their contact with the outside world is so limited, many of them cannot speak common.
Founding Date
c.4DW
Type
Geopolitical, Settlement
Demonym
Xandrite
Location
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Comments