Ambassadoria

Ambassadoria is the dwarven body of representatives who advise nobility and manage highly exclusive trade relationships with the upper-echelons of society, such as those made with the the Chantry or noble houses. Their most notable headquarters can be found in Val Royeaux, though they have members all over.
The Ambassadoria is a sub-group that exists within the Dwarven Merchants' Guild. In many ways, they exist as a lobbying group that influences laws and rulings to better promote the guild as a whole.

History

The rich history and unique relationship that the dwarves used to enjoy in the Tevinter Imperium can be tracked back through old stories and roughly translated letters. There are several examples of this close relationship, namely in what used to be Minrathous, the capital of Tevinter. Since the time of Archon Darinius, the dwarven empire maintained a sizable embassy there and influenced Tevinter in constructing an Imperial Proving Ground which culturally descended from the dwarven Proving Grounds. However, the primary reason of this relationship was lyrium. The mages of the Imperium needed it and the dwarves were the only major access to it.
This relationship lead to a large number of surface dwarves living in Tevinter. However, they were never considered citizens but instead treated as foreign dignitaries, even if their families lived for generations in Tevinter. Many of the great thaigs began sending their finest diplomats and trade-makers to the Imperium to get everything they could out of this advantageous trade position. This eventually lead to the Magisterium formalizing a governmental body for these dwarves within their nation, and thus began the Ambassadoria.
Their relationship ended up growing to such an extent that the Imperium actively assisted the dwarves in stretching subteranean pathways beneath the Imperium. Eventually, they stretched so far that they allowed dwarven embassies in Minrathous and other flagship cities to be completely subterranean. This was done to accomodate those dwarves who refused to go "top-side" as they feared they would lose their connection with the Stone, a thing that occurs to all dwarves who leave their subterranean environment.
During the portion of history where both the Tevinter Imperium and the great thaigs fell from prominence, much of the Ambassadoria's history was lost. At some point, surface dwarves created the Dwarven Merchants' Guild and must have absorbed the Ambassadoria. With the Imperium gone, the Ambassadoria had clearly lost its purpose, as well as the vast majority of its members.
Since then, the Ambassadoria has tucked itself neatly into Orlesian society and use their quarters in Val Royeaux to influence the ebb-and-flow of Orlais' complex society. They do have other embassies outside of Orlais, but few are as prominent as the gilded and decadent halls found there.

Public Response

In Orlais, the Ambassadoria isn't looked at kindly by the common citizen. Having a society very driven by tradition, many of these people have raised concerns that the Ambassadoria serves as a threat to that. The Ambassadoria is able to secure trade deals between different groups that have the potential to put large swathes of workers out of jobs, and to someone who needs that job to put food on the table that's scary. Despite their many years in Orlais and never having done something like that, many are still skeptical of them.
Even despite the group having been in Orlais for quite a while now, many still perceive them as "new money". If you asked a common person, they'd claim members of the Ambassadoria use their wealth to blunder through tradition and to lobby the upper class into altering laws which end up lining the pockets of the Ambassadoria more in the future.
Regardless, most in the Amassadoria don't really care about the perception of those who they'll never do business with. Their work is generally with or affecting the upper class and if some random nobody dislikes them, then why should they care? Especially with their powerful connections, it would seem they're staying in a comfortable position.

Type

Guild, Merchant

Location

Val Royeaux

Related Ethnicities

• Dwarves