The City in the Deep

Myrlochar is ruled according to the traditions of the drow of the Underdark with the most powerful noble House at the top as First House or Ust Qu’ellar and its Matron ruling over the city as Ust Ilharess (First Matron).

An Important Note

Due to the pervasiveness of the faerzress, neither teleportation or divination can be utilized within the city, and its attempt is subject to disastrous results or abject failure. (Any roll beneath a 20 will fail. A roll above 15 will simply fizzle out without damage. A critical fail will result in an explosion of wild magic)

IC Laws and Current Traditions

Disclaimer- The following paragraphs are accepted lore and true to the Empire of Crowns Sims AND the City of Myrlochar. This is by no means a claim that overrides all lore and lore sources everywhere. These practices and beliefs are present and active in the City of Myrlochar. While you will not be policed from an OOC perspective on how you choose to portray your character…. do expect others to react accordingly if you take up residence within the city, but do not adopt it’s local ways.

The culture of the subterranean Ilythiiri is difficult for outsiders to grasp. Combine this with the Lolthian belief system and things become downright confusing. Within the city of Myrlochar it is the authority and responsibility of the First House to lead by example. It’s Ust’lharess- First Matron- of the city is both feared and revered as most blessed amongst its population. She rules as would an Empress. Beneath her the council advises her upon various matters of her choosing in order that her decisions keep the city flourishing. The council itself comprises the matrons and leaders of the top houses within the city.

The Laws

Official laws are handed down through the voice of the First House. They can change on a whim and be as numerous or few as the first house desires. Enforcement of these laws is placed in the hands of the head of the military and their soldiers. Typically the rule of thumb is that a law isn’t considered broken unless one gets caught… the flip side of this is that the enforcer’s blade is the beginning and end of the Lolthian judiciary system more often than not. Depending on your crime… if caught… don’t expect to make it to trial alive.

1) Lolth is the only true Goddess. Practitioners of any other religion are subject to execution if discovered within the city.
– The population is heavily Lolthian. Those that do not follow the Spider Queen ought to put on a show of pretending. The tenets of Lolth are enforced by the priestesses of the Temple on the second tier of the city. As a matter of tradition and because the church commands it, a fifteen percent ‘tithe’ is expected from all local merchants and businesses. Noble houses are expected to give as well but the details are usually ironed out between the high priestess and the head of the house in question.
2) Murder, theft, and other such crimes against lower caste members may be overlooked. Crimes against higher caste members or nobility are only punishable when caught.
– Slaves in Myrlochar are property in the same way chairs, or bookends are property. There is no hierarchy to slaves anymore than there is a pecking order with the plates one keeps in a cupboard. Wars are not fought over their possession, they are bought and traded as readily as furniture and once their usefulness has ended they become meat and need no longer worry about what they are used for. They are dead. The accepted practice is that should one be damaged the owner can attempt to collect their worth from the damager… through whatever means they choose with the caveat that getting caught in something illegal or reaching above their station can have terrible consequences. Should the slave cause damage they become at the mercy of whomever they’ve offended. There are no laws to protect them. Favored slaves are usually kept out of the public eye for this reason. One does well to keep favored possessions close if one wishes not to have them broken or lost.
3) False accusations made against a Drow by a non-drow are punishable by execution.
4) Non-drow and half-drow within the underdark have no rights, limited rights can be awarded to those that are hired by a house or in service to a house, on official business or have a merchants seal to do business within the dark city.
5) Merchant stalls must rotate their positions every other day to provide all merchants with access to good business locations. Not yielding will result in imprisonment, and suitable punitive measures.​  All merchant licensing fees and regulations are currently under management of the predominant Mercantile House of the City.

Houses of Myrlochar

The city of Myrlochar is home to several drow Houses, each of which vies for power whilst bolstering the city in their own ways. The current major houses are as follows. There are three seats for Nobility at the Council and afforded such rank and title amongst the city.  Only Houses holding council seats are considered nobility of the city. All other Houses are Middle Class/Common Houses. Visiting dignitaries and matrons of outside cities may attend on special occasion/approval by the First.

The Council of Myrlochar

First House (Ruling House)

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Second House (Mercantile & Financial)

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Third House (Purpose Unknown)

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Archmage of Myrlochar
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The High Priestess of Lolth
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The Warlord of Myrlochar

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The Current Traditions

 It is most certainly the women within this culture that make the rules… because… thus far… they’ve kept the balance of power in their favor. Such things as the mandatory sacrifice of sons numbering more than two, unavoidable enlistment for a time in the military of every male that isn’t noble born, exclusive breeding are all factors that keep the male part of the population lower than the female.  Make no mistake, the male Ilythiiri is by his very nature as devious and ambitious as any female. While the male gender has been oppressed and relegated to whatever roles the females allow them to have, they have not been complacent, and they’ve not taken well to the heavy fist of the Matriarchy. It is a challenge for them to try and flourish in spite of all the limitations placed upon them. They excel most commonly in military skills and arcane magics whilst the females generally take on more managerial roles and excel in divine magic. However, there are exceptions to every rule…

It is a common misconception that every male ilythiiri, regardless of rank or station is socially lesser than any ilythiiri female regardless of station. It might seem this way to outsiders but the hierarchy of the city can’t be so over-simplified. A male may rise to a notable position such as Archmage of the city, GrandGeneral/Warlord of the city’s militia. They can even be afforded noble titles depending on their relationship to the noble females in various levels of power. These stations are respected and the orders given are followed out with little hesitation by those beneath… regardless of gender. Priestesses serving beneath a male General will follow his tactically given orders as expertly as the male guards leap to the priestess’ commands. This doesn’t mean that later on… behind closed doors… that a lone male that went too far won’t be put in his place beyond the protective eye of his superiors.

By comparison a female can be a poor peasant, a penniless street whore, or even… in rare and extenuating circumstances… find herself sentenced to slavery. The Male Archmage has earned his authority from the city leaders and is afforded the respect such a station commands… though females ranked above him ( Matrons, first matron, Arch Priestesses… ) He is quite careful not to offend and to return respect in kind. The female street whore has fallen to the point that not even other females will help her. She is Urztehii (the unchosen) not even Lolth will bother with testing her. She’s already failed.

Rank is important to the Ilythiiri and any noble worth their weight in salt can easily recognize where he or she belongs in the pecking order of any given situation. This also means being able to recognize when their authority has run out. Nobles travel with care to other cities. There is no law that requires the First House or those below it to recognize the rank of a foreigner. Without the backing of the First House, or the council, any foreign visitor from beyond the sovereignty of Myrlochar is regarded as a commoner. Once acknowledgment by the First House, and or council is achieved then the rank granted is the rank accepted within the city.

Recent Events in Myrlochar

As the war of the Black Lich Ra’altherus raged, Myrlochar and its first house remained silent. In the lead-up to the final battle, Qyl’Astara and her people vanished entirely, leaving the palace and spires of the undercity silent and empty. With no resistance to face, Vlorissfarne’s prince Kal’in moved forces into the underdark to try and reclaim the city for the Empire, though it is not yet certain what kinds of resistance he might encounter.