Editing Dolsia (section)

== Politics ==
When caelians first came to Dolsia, it was a harsh and unforgiving place. Few survived the war, and even fewer survived the first decade. Amid all that strife, a select few took control as leaders: these were the charismatic ones, or the decisive ones, or the systemic ones. Under their guidance, Apsthal was founded, and from them, the High Families were born. Those caelians that can provably trace their lineage back to these ancient family lines are considered to be a part of the High Families. The High Families, by nature of their age, have accrued the most resources in Dolsia. They have the most history, the most artifacts, the biggest homes, and the most land. 

The High Families present themselves as the ancient, benevolent caretakers of Dolsia. They use their capital to fund public projects, and their sprawling family trees helps to maintain the infrastructure of their cities and staff the many public works they provide. Libraries and museums, for example, are typically largely staffed by fringe members of the local High Family. The High Families construct new homes, zone places for food, spearhead mining projects, run hospitals, and much more.

Each High Family has a singular caelian chosen as its head, and the relative power of every High Family member is proportional to their proximity to the Head of the Family. There are no strict rules about who's chose as the head: different families have different traditions. For example, the Agelaius clan always chooses the first-born's first-born.

Among the Heads of the High Families, all are considered equal. None will ever claim superiority over the others: the Families are a united front, the blessed mothers and fathers of Dolsia. They convene regularly to discuss the laws and practices in the areas they rule over to maintain consistency across the country. Tradition and unity are vital in Dolsia, and in truth, many laws have changed little over the years.

That said, the stable, united front they present does not match the living, breathing, ever-changing reality they live in. Meetings between the Heads are often tense affairs where there are inevitably some Families trying to gain an edge over the others. Drastic action is unthinkable--to take drastic action would be to break with their tradition and become obscenely ambitious--but it's only drastic if it's provable.

While there is no singular ruler of Dolsia, the de-facto ruler among the High Families is the Agelaius clan. They are the ones that claim providence over Apsthal and rule over the Onyx Repository. 

=== Legal System ===
In theory, the Dolsian legal system is impartial and fair. When you are wronged, you can bring your case to court, where lawyers will present the evidence and a judge will make a ruling based on that evidence. Sometimes, a case will have both prosecutors and defense lawyers present in a trial, but sometimes, lawyers are expected to act impartially and serve as both roles. In this way, Dolsian lawyers and historians are very closely tied jobs: a lawyer will consult historical precedent and similar cases when compiling evidence. Cases that can be more "objectively" proven, like disagreements on a legal definition, will typically be served by only one lawyer. One lawyer is also typical for poor litigants. Two lawyers are more often seen in emotionally charged or subjective cases, like violent crimes. Richer Dolsians typically employ two lawyers as well.

In practice, however, this system is rife with corruption. There are no juries, and members of the local aristocracy--the High Families--fill the roles of judges. On top of that, lawyers need to stay on good terms with the High Families to access their private records for cases, and many High Families patronize law firms as a "public service". A lawyer that upsets the High Families loses funding and resources for future cases. Because of all this, its an unspoken rule that virtually any case against a member of the High Families is doomed to failure, unless the evidence is overwhelmingly obviously against them. Lawyers can refuse to present their case to a specific judge, but doing so does run the risk of upsetting the High Family in question, depending on how well that judge is liked by the rest of their family.

=== The Nameless ===
Legally speaking, a caelian born in Dolsia entirely without feathers is virtually invisible. Without feathers, they can't be recorded in genealogies, disrupting birth records, marriage rites, and funerary rites. A featherless caelian must rely on their family to vouch for their status, and aristocratic families in particular are known to reject marriage proposals from featherless caelians, no matter their status. It's not uncommon for featherless caelians to struggle in life; some are rejected entirely by their families.

Recently, a group of these featherless caelians have banded together and organized against the aristocracy. They reject the aristocracy's insistence that Dolsia's culture is fading: they believe these very same aristocrats are holding Dolsia back from its future, and the noble houses must be dissolved. They are mostly active in Apsthal, but cells have been forming across Dolsia. They steal from the aristocrats for resources; disrupt aristocratic events; collect intelligence; and certain members have taken it to violence. The current leader is suspected to be a featherless caelian named [https://toyhou.se/23027730.damaris-the-unnamed Damaris]. 

Anyone may join the Nameless, whether they have feathers or not. The only real requirement, after proving your trustworthiness and loyalty to the cause, is that you must reject your family name fully and become truly Nameless.

=== International Relations ===
Dolsia has a history of seclusion. They were ousted from their homes once and lost many of their people: the survivors sought to ensure that would never happen again. The spectre that, someday, someone would come to finish what had been started loomed large over the country, and thus, for a long time, Dolsians fled at the sight of any others. Many neighboring communities have only legends of caelian sightings. Most entrances to Dolsia remain hidden to this day, but in recent times, more and more Dolsians are opening their doors. The people tire of living in scarcity. 

=====[[Coronus]]=====
Dolsia still greatly fears Coronus, and time has not faded their grudge. Ignii are avoided, and many Dolsian merchants will spurn and curse Coric goods. There are, every so often, whispers of particularly warlike caelians who've gone to the peaks of Coronus, or particularly humble ignii who've come to Dolsia, but these cases are few and far between.

In places where the countries meet, however, relations are more amenable. Many Coric ignii have lost their territorial fervor and don't mind Dolsian guests, and Dolsians who dare to spend time among them learn they aren't so frightening.
=====[[Eniya]]=====
Eniya and Dolsia are fostering a young but positive relationship. The Eniyan desert is large, harsh, and unforgiving, separating the two countries rather firmly. Mix this with Dolsia's seclusion, and they have had little historical interaction. However, things have been changing recently. Particularly those who live in the plateaus, where the desert poses less of an obstacle, have been meeting and trading with Dolsians. Dolsians typically consider Eniyans to be curious and gregarious, and Eniyans often consider Dolsians to be generous and resourceful. One unfortunate effect of their lack of contact for so long a time is that many Eniyans remain under the mistaken assumption that most Dolsians can fly.
=====[[Olitskur]]=====
Olitskur and Dolsia have no contact. Unless a given Dolsian has taken up interest in the outside world or interacts heavily with outsiders, most Dolsians don't know that Olitskur or ianthina exist. (However, there is rumor of fish people sighted near the Salted Sea...)
===== [[Sayil]]=====
Sayil and Dolsia are very closely allied; they have a long history together. Dolsia was already established during the birth of the young nation, and provided assistance and support where and when they could. Sayil's founding ideals of peace are an aspiration Dolsia would also like to see come to fruition, even if most Dolsians lack the optimism common in Sayil. The two countries trade heavily: Sayilans provide plant life, lumber, and fiber, and Dolsia provides stone, metal, and minerals. 
=====[[Theriad Caravans]] =====
Dolsia has close economic ties to the various theriad groups, but socially, a pervasive tension remains. As the Heartstone Road circles the Coronus Mountains, more theriads know entrances to Dolsia than any other group. This paired with the theriad lack of a homeland means that suspicion that one of these groups might, one day, want to take Dolsia for themselves thrives, particularly among the oldest families. On the more positive end, Dolsians also consider theriads to be very knowledgeable about both magic (from their interactions with Kimarel) and world events (from their many travels).