My version of Valenar - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

My version of Valenar

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
mhacdebhandia
Mar 03, 2011 14:05:42 I have a personal version of Valenar which, while not incompatible with what we read of Valenar in official sources, emphasises certain parallels with the society of Sparta during the classical period of Greek history.

Spartan society was divided, roughly, into three tiers. Spartiates were full citizens, devoted to military excellence and exempt from performing labour or commerce – in fact, they were traditionally forbidden from the latter. Perioikoi were a class of free non-citizens who lived in towns around the city of Sparta itself, and engaged in commercial activity which the Spartiates could not. Finally, helots were non-citizens with the status of serfs or slaves; Spartiate society proper was sustained by the agricultural labor of helots who were owned by the state and assigned to work the plots of land granted to each Spartiate citizen.

My version of Valenar operates on a similar but not identical pattern.

The Tairnadal elves form the ruling warrior class; while not all Tairnadal, even in Valenar, are devoted to a martial life, the citizens of Valenar are especially likely to follow in the footsteps of warrior ancestors, descended as they are from an army of conquest disguised as a mercenary force. All Tairnadal elves in Valenar are required to go through a period of military training every bit as gruelling and stringent as the Spartan agoge, and must do military service for the king when their clan's turn comes. Each Tairnadal elf is granted a plot of land as part of their citizenship rights, though they do not make their homes upon them but instead maintain a nomadic lifestyle; the size of their allotment may be increased by the king as a reward for exceptional service or achievement. There is a social prejudice against Tairnadal becoming directly involved in commercial activity, and of course none would lower themselves to labour in their own fields. Even those Tairnadal elves who are devoted to the arts or crafts mastered by their patron ancestor keep themselves above the commercial details of their work, trusting on Khoravar associates to buy and sell raw materials, equipment, and finished goods.

The intermediate rank of Valenar society is the commercial and administrative class of Khoravar, half-elves. As is the case elsewhere in Khorvaire, most half-elves in Valenar are descended from Khoravar families; sexual liaisons between Tairnadal elves and other races are rare due to cultural and religious taboos. House Lyrandar's close relationship with the king has enabled them to dominate the economy; while members of Lyrandar are not a majority among Khoravar even in Valenar, their position as a dragonmarked house and intermarriage with other half-elf families ensures their pre-eminence. Many non-Lyrandar half-elves operate their own businesses in Valenar's cities, but perhaps the best opportunity for a Khoravar outside the House of Storms is to become a client to the head of a Tairnadal clan and take a position as steward of the clan's landholdings, overseeing the workers who toil in the fields and managing trade with the residents of nearby cities and other nations.

The lowest class in Valenar comprises all of the non-Tairnadal, non-Khoravar "residents" who derive from the original Cyran population of the land before the Tairnadal conquest. Largely human with a smattering of other races, these people are not considered citizens and have much fewer rights under the law than a Khoravar citizen, much less one of the Tairnadal elves themselves. After the Tairnadal took control of the region and named it Valenar, they conducted a census to record the population of all its towns and villages. These records became the bonds keeping the resident population in check; no resident is permitted to move away from the area where his family lives unless a Tairnadal or Khoravar citizen applies to the bureaucracy for permission to move them. Even this happens rarely, with the families moved to the cities established by the Tairnadal in the early days of the nation providing the workforce for them today and the rural population largely restricted from leaving their farmsteads. The children of resident families are also expected to continue in their parents' profession, although in practice there is some opportunity for change.

While the cities of Valenar are ruled by Tairnadal elves supported by a bureaucracy staffed with Khoravar, the administration of towns and villages is left entirely in the hands of half-elf officials. Typically a town of any notable size is governed by a council of ten Khoravar residents who are usually appointed from among the leading businessmen and estate stewards of the local area. Order is kept in these towns not by the presence of Tairnadal military but by a garrison drawn from those Khoravar with a military inclination as well as those residents best-suited to a soldierly life. Service in these peacekeeping garrisons, as much police as military defence, is one of the only ways in which a resident can earn citizen status akin to the Khoravar, though a "glass ceiling" still prevents non-half-elf citizens from serving in most government positions.
#2
Alex_
Mar 04, 2011 9:51:33 This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar).

Valenar isn't supposed to be a very nice place and the Valenar Elves are definately antagonists. They're more war-mongering than any other faction on Khorvaire.
#3
Ogiwan
Mar 04, 2011 14:06:24
Valenar isn't supposed to be a very nice place and the Valenar Elves are definately antagonists. They're more war-mongering than any other faction on Khorvaire.

Eberron: Averting Our Elves Are Better since 2003!
#4
neravarthevalenar_
Mar 05, 2011 3:13:02 Yea have to agree with alex here on this what you have written down looks to me as basically a more fleshed out version of the basics given in the book but as you said you are just stressing the parallels. I think i am going to steal most of you version and adapt it to mine. Think my favorite part is every elf being required to train as a warrior.
#5
Alex_
Mar 06, 2011 1:31:56
Yea have to agree with alex here on this what you have written down looks to me as basically a more fleshed out version of the basics given in the book but as you said you are just stressing the parallels. I think i am going to steal most of you version and adapt it to mine. Think my favorite part is every elf being required to train as a warrior.

In 3.5, a Tairandal Elf wasn't even sent from Aerenal to Valenar until they had proven they could kick arse and take names. The average Valenar was a level 4 Ranger, in a world where anyone with PC classes was already rare.
#6
mhacdebhandia
Mar 06, 2011 18:03:02
This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar).

Yeah, it doesn't outright conflict, but I guess the difference is that I'm stressing the utter subjugation of the formerly Cyran serfs, because that drives up the potential for conflict in a way which isn't plain and simple "country X would really like to invade country Y". Instead, it becomes "country X is upset that country Y is oppressing people who once belonged to country Z, but that's not enough to start a war - so what can country X do about it?" The typical answer, at least in a D&D setting like Eberron, is "use PC troublemakers". ;)
#7
jastermereel
Mar 06, 2011 18:06:08 I always played the Valenar like the Mongols, honestly.
#8
Alex_
Mar 06, 2011 22:01:49
This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar).

Yeah, it doesn't outright conflict, but I guess the difference is that I'm stressing the utter subjugation of the formerly Cyran serfs, because that drives up the potential for conflict in a way which isn't plain and simple "country X would really like to invade country Y". Instead, it becomes "country X is upset that country Y is oppressing people who once belonged to country Z, but that's not enough to start a war - so what can country X do about it?" The typical answer, at least in a D&D setting like Eberron, is "use PC troublemakers". ;)

I might be getting the 4E material confused with the 3E material, but it's pretty clear that the non-Tairandal/Half-Elves of Valenar have virtually no power. Edit: Yeah, just checked my 4E Player's guide and it says that only the Elves are considered citizens.

Not that you really need the Valenar to be an oppressive oligrachy to justify an invasion.

They've already violated the Thronehold Accords by launching constant unprovoked attacks against their neigbors. They're essentially at war with Darguun and Karrnath- albiet lower intensity. They aren't on the friendliest of terms with the other nations either. Lots of people hate their guts (and with good reason).

#9
mhacdebhandia
Mar 06, 2011 23:26:51 Funnily enough, this whole idea was prompted by listening a series of lectures on ancient Greek history (by Donald Kagan at Yale University) which described the way that Spartiates were forbidden to handle currency - and, in fact, the currency of Sparta for quite a while was iron, not gold, specifically for the purpose of making it harder to deal with outsiders.

I was actually more fascinated by the in-between status of the perioikoi, and saw the parallel with the Khoravar in Valenar immediately.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 mhacdebhandia Mar 03, 2011 14:05:42	I have a personal version of Valenar which, while not incompatible with what we read of Valenar in official sources, emphasises certain parallels with the society of Sparta during the classical period of Greek history. Spartan society was divided, roughly, into three tiers. Spartiates were full citizens, devoted to military excellence and exempt from performing labour or commerce – in fact, they were traditionally forbidden from the latter. Perioikoi were a class of free non-citizens who lived in towns around the city of Sparta itself, and engaged in commercial activity which the Spartiates could not. Finally, helots were non-citizens with the status of serfs or slaves; Spartiate society proper was sustained by the agricultural labor of helots who were owned by the state and assigned to work the plots of land granted to each Spartiate citizen. My version of Valenar operates on a similar but not identical pattern. The Tairnadal elves form the ruling warrior class; while not all Tairnadal, even in Valenar, are devoted to a martial life, the citizens of Valenar are especially likely to follow in the footsteps of warrior ancestors, descended as they are from an army of conquest disguised as a mercenary force. All Tairnadal elves in Valenar are required to go through a period of military training every bit as gruelling and stringent as the Spartan agoge, and must do military service for the king when their clan's turn comes. Each Tairnadal elf is granted a plot of land as part of their citizenship rights, though they do not make their homes upon them but instead maintain a nomadic lifestyle; the size of their allotment may be increased by the king as a reward for exceptional service or achievement. There is a social prejudice against Tairnadal becoming directly involved in commercial activity, and of course none would lower themselves to labour in their own fields. Even those Tairnadal elves who are devoted to the arts or crafts mastered by their patron ancestor keep themselves above the commercial details of their work, trusting on Khoravar associates to buy and sell raw materials, equipment, and finished goods. The intermediate rank of Valenar society is the commercial and administrative class of Khoravar, half-elves. As is the case elsewhere in Khorvaire, most half-elves in Valenar are descended from Khoravar families; sexual liaisons between Tairnadal elves and other races are rare due to cultural and religious taboos. House Lyrandar's close relationship with the king has enabled them to dominate the economy; while members of Lyrandar are not a majority among Khoravar even in Valenar, their position as a dragonmarked house and intermarriage with other half-elf families ensures their pre-eminence. Many non-Lyrandar half-elves operate their own businesses in Valenar's cities, but perhaps the best opportunity for a Khoravar outside the House of Storms is to become a client to the head of a Tairnadal clan and take a position as steward of the clan's landholdings, overseeing the workers who toil in the fields and managing trade with the residents of nearby cities and other nations. The lowest class in Valenar comprises all of the non-Tairnadal, non-Khoravar "residents" who derive from the original Cyran population of the land before the Tairnadal conquest. Largely human with a smattering of other races, these people are not considered citizens and have much fewer rights under the law than a Khoravar citizen, much less one of the Tairnadal elves themselves. After the Tairnadal took control of the region and named it Valenar, they conducted a census to record the population of all its towns and villages. These records became the bonds keeping the resident population in check; no resident is permitted to move away from the area where his family lives unless a Tairnadal or Khoravar citizen applies to the bureaucracy for permission to move them. Even this happens rarely, with the families moved to the cities established by the Tairnadal in the early days of the nation providing the workforce for them today and the rural population largely restricted from leaving their farmsteads. The children of resident families are also expected to continue in their parents' profession, although in practice there is some opportunity for change. While the cities of Valenar are ruled by Tairnadal elves supported by a bureaucracy staffed with Khoravar, the administration of towns and villages is left entirely in the hands of half-elf officials. Typically a town of any notable size is governed by a council of ten Khoravar residents who are usually appointed from among the leading businessmen and estate stewards of the local area. Order is kept in these towns not by the presence of Tairnadal military but by a garrison drawn from those Khoravar with a military inclination as well as those residents best-suited to a soldierly life. Service in these peacekeeping garrisons, as much police as military defence, is one of the only ways in which a resident can earn citizen status akin to the Khoravar, though a "glass ceiling" still prevents non-half-elf citizens from serving in most government positions.
#2 Alex_ Mar 04, 2011 9:51:33	This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar). Valenar isn't supposed to be a very nice place and the Valenar Elves are definately antagonists. They're more war-mongering than any other faction on Khorvaire.
#3 Ogiwan Mar 04, 2011 14:06:24	Valenar isn't supposed to be a very nice place and the Valenar Elves are definately antagonists. They're more war-mongering than any other faction on Khorvaire. Eberron: Averting Our Elves Are Better since 2003!
#4 neravarthevalenar_ Mar 05, 2011 3:13:02	Yea have to agree with alex here on this what you have written down looks to me as basically a more fleshed out version of the basics given in the book but as you said you are just stressing the parallels. I think i am going to steal most of you version and adapt it to mine. Think my favorite part is every elf being required to train as a warrior.
#5 Alex_ Mar 06, 2011 1:31:56	Yea have to agree with alex here on this what you have written down looks to me as basically a more fleshed out version of the basics given in the book but as you said you are just stressing the parallels. I think i am going to steal most of you version and adapt it to mine. Think my favorite part is every elf being required to train as a warrior. In 3.5, a Tairandal Elf wasn't even sent from Aerenal to Valenar until they had proven they could kick arse and take names. The average Valenar was a level 4 Ranger, in a world where anyone with PC classes was already rare.
#6 mhacdebhandia Mar 06, 2011 18:03:02	This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar). Yeah, it doesn't outright conflict, but I guess the difference is that I'm stressing the utter subjugation of the formerly Cyran serfs, because that drives up the potential for conflict in a way which isn't plain and simple "country X would really like to invade country Y". Instead, it becomes "country X is upset that country Y is oppressing people who once belonged to country Z, but that's not enough to start a war - so what can country X do about it?" The typical answer, at least in a D&D setting like Eberron, is "use PC troublemakers". ;)
#7 jastermereel Mar 06, 2011 18:06:08	I always played the Valenar like the Mongols, honestly.
#8 Alex_ Mar 06, 2011 22:01:49	This sounds exactly like what's in the books: Valenar would rather ride around and fight/kill stuff, while leaving all the beuracracy to House Lyrandar and the Half-Elves, and the human majority toils in fields (not a huge improvement over their status under Galifar). Yeah, it doesn't outright conflict, but I guess the difference is that I'm stressing the utter subjugation of the formerly Cyran serfs, because that drives up the potential for conflict in a way which isn't plain and simple "country X would really like to invade country Y". Instead, it becomes "country X is upset that country Y is oppressing people who once belonged to country Z, but that's not enough to start a war - so what can country X do about it?" The typical answer, at least in a D&D setting like Eberron, is "use PC troublemakers". ;) I might be getting the 4E material confused with the 3E material, but it's pretty clear that the non-Tairandal/Half-Elves of Valenar have virtually no power. Edit: Yeah, just checked my 4E Player's guide and it says that only the Elves are considered citizens. Not that you really need the Valenar to be an oppressive oligrachy to justify an invasion. They've already violated the Thronehold Accords by launching constant unprovoked attacks against their neigbors. They're essentially at war with Darguun and Karrnath- albiet lower intensity. They aren't on the friendliest of terms with the other nations either. Lots of people hate their guts (and with good reason).
#9 mhacdebhandia Mar 06, 2011 23:26:51	Funnily enough, this whole idea was prompted by listening a series of lectures on ancient Greek history (by Donald Kagan at Yale University) which described the way that Spartiates were forbidden to handle currency - and, in fact, the currency of Sparta for quite a while was iron, not gold, specifically for the purpose of making it harder to deal with outsiders. I was actually more fascinated by the in-between status of the perioikoi, and saw the parallel with the Khoravar in Valenar immediately.