Xorshala (pronounced zor-SHA-la) is one of the exceptionally few places where drow can be found on the surface of the world. These drow were forced above ground when Blacklight, their city in the Darklands, was invaded by gugs. Siadrish, their new settlement, is an imposing collection of black towers, obelisks, and pyramids rising above the desert.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Xorshala depends heavily on the Elrain Oasis - the next closest body of water is hundreds of miles away. The drow have largely destroyed the oasis' natural ecosystem in order to build their city, felling the trees and building over the plants that lined the shores.
The desert around Xorshala is dry, barren, and almost unbearably hot. A small number of animals, both magical and mundane, find niches in the Sangora Desolation, but away from the oasis the conditions are too harsh for most.
History
For almost all drow, the surface is not their first choice of where to live. The drow of Xorshala formerly resided in Blacklight, a moderately sized subterranean city. When Blacklight was overrun by gugs in Y6779, however, they were forced to look elsewhere. Chased to the surface by the gugs, the drow established a new settlement in the harsh Sangora. Though the gugs pulled back to Blacklight decades ago, the drow continue to live above ground in their city in the middle of the Sangora Desolation.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Xorshala are almost entirely drow. The nation is also home to a small underclass of trox.
Culture
Government
Xorshala is a monarchy, ruled by the dynasty of the same name. Absolute authority within the realm rests with the monarch, who is given the title of Anax (male) or Anassa (female). The current ruler is Anassa Yna Xorshala, who took the throne upon her mother's death in Y6920.
Though the various noble families of Siadrish are below the monarchy in authority, nearly all continually test the limits of their abilities. Feuds amongst the families are common as they vie for power.
Economy
Isolationist and insular, Xorshala does not trade with outsiders from the surface. Some routes through the caverns of the Darklands connect Xorshala to underground communities, with whom the drow trade for any goods they are unable to produce themselves. These trade routes are quite dangerous, as any caravans must be careful to avoid the gugs that still occupy Blacklight and its surrounding tunnels.