The Great House Dres

House Dres:

The Great House Dres is an economic powerhouse which has managed to profit despite the encroaching imposing Imperial Culture and laws. The Dres encompasses the southern sweep of Morrowind, where the fertile Deshaan Plains merges with the bogs and bayous of the Black Marsh. The Dres are the great slave-traders and owners of the immense saltrice plantations of Morrowind. Thousands of captives, mainly races pass through the dreaded slave pens of the Dres capital, Tear, from whence most find an early death on the plantations which surround that ill-fated city.

The Dres due to their highly agrarian agricultural society has established a rigid caste system. With this strictly hierarchal system, life in Dres society was divided into four distinct classes: The Alt-Julan, the Gah’Kogo, merchants, and the lowly servants. The Alt-Julan, intent with maintaining their power and privileges restricted social mobility, to such a point that changing one’s class was almost impossible and an extreme rarity. Despite Dres society being a strict hierarchal caste system, there are those that do not fit within these classes, these are the outcasts and scum of Dres society with the exception of the Temple priests. The Temple priests are highly respected throughout Dres Society.

The aristocracy of House Dres lavish displays of wealth, living out jet-set lives, while maintaining small mercenary companies to quell down the slave uprisings on their plantation estates. Beneath the head of the House of Dres were the local lords of the plantations, who maintained their own collection of Gah’Kogo, who would serve them as soldiers, and guards, while others would in some instances serve as advisors. It is through this that the Gah’Kogo has been arraigned into a parasitic existence, to be leeching and dwelling off of the Dres lords as soldiers and advisors.

Merchants, especially those that dwell within the city were in a position to become wealthy despite the fact that their caste was towards the bottom of the chain, near the servants. They did not produce anything like the craftsmen or slaves, but they made money off of the productive labor of others. Falling within the same caste as the merchants are the craftsmen, though the dividing line to distinguish craftsmen from merchants was difficult to determine due to their overlapping economic activities. A cloth maker, for example, would engage in the selling of his own products, which in return would lead the enterprise to extend in other directions such as money-lending.

Though they are the scum of Dres Society, these slaves are coerced into serfdom, accepting their condition in a surprisingly stoic manner, drawn into complacency by the silver tongues of the proprietors of the public relation campaigns. The majority of these slaves are often the despised Betmeri known as Argonians, though not all slaves are limited to this race, for many other races are enslaved and for sale in the slave pits of Tear. The leaders of House Dres have become quite the masters of the art of backroom politics being able to quell lull slaves to accept their conditions.

Being the staunch supporters of the temple, Temple priests are highly revered in Dres society. They exist outside of the strict hierarchal system of the Dres, which allowed them through this outsider status to have a relative degree of freedom.

The Dres are so heavily dependent on slaves that their agrarian agriculture society despises and remains hostile to influence of Imperial Culture. Its economy relies heavily on the use of slaves and their saltrice plantations. Saltrice is the glue that binds this social hierarchy together, which is of course produced by the serfs.

House Dres Organization Positions:

• Hireling
• Retainer
• Oathman
• Lawman
• Kinsman
• Adept
• Novitiates
• Overseer
• Vizier
• Viceroy

House Color: Grey

Religious Aspects of the Dres:

Revered by Vivec as the representation of the Dunmer before the rule of the Tribunal, it would seem that the Dres still cling to traditions of old. The Dres despite their staunch support of the Temple still embrace the aspects of venerating the spirits of their ancestors, through the family shrine. Upon entering the fold of one house through adoption or through marriage, the member of the house binds themselves through ritual and oath into the clan of which they belong and to their House. Through this sacrament, they would find themselves adhered with communication and benefits of their clan’s ancestors, though his connection is less than their offspring, they still retain access to that of their own ancestors. Though this applies to every House, it would seem that only the Ashlanders and the Dres would take this so far. There are those that say that the Dres still worship the Daedra, and even if they did, they would have revered the Anticipations of the Tribunal rather than the other Daedra specifically the Four Corners of the House of Troubles. It would be rather hard to hide the worship any other Daedra other than the Anticipations.

Within each residence, would be a shrine, though it may be no bigger than a hearth in poorer homes or an alcove with the houses of those that are well off, these shrines are consecrated by the mere presence of displayed venerated family relics. In the interior of the homes of the rich, there is often a room set aside, specifically for the use of the ancestors. This isolated shrine is called the Waiting Door, which represents the door to Oblivion.

It is within this shrine, family members would pay their reverence to their ancestors through sacrifice and prayer, as well as through oaths sworn upon duties. Family members must also pay their respects to their ancestors by giving a thorough report of the affairs of the family. Upon paying their respects to their revered ancestors, they may receive in return knowledge, training, and blessings from their ancestors for their dutiful veneration of their ancestor spirits.

The Temple discourages such practices, as family tombs and the use of private tombs causing these traditions to fall into disfavor; the Dres have shown that they do not obey all commands of the temple, despite their fidelity to the temple by continuing such practices.

Additional Thoughts-

I also believe with uncertainty that Dres Khizumet-e despite his brief mention in the 36 sermons of Vivec before his fall is the possible "founder" of House Dres. It is possible but i'm not sure since that seems to be the only mention of Dres Khizumet-e.

I believe as well that the Dres due to their plantations would prefer to settle inner arguments through a third party. An extension on the idea of Dueling. Somewhat along the lines of each plantation of having their own "duelist" specially for this specific duty of combating another "duelist" to settle the conflicts between one plantation and another if words could not work. And resorting to the Morag Tong is a bit of a last measure.

-- Black Wind