Liberal Drow
It’s important to recognise that while the Drow culture as a whole is absolutely a xenofascist state, in which there is one culturally supreme identity with its own tiered supremacy within it, that the body politic of Drow is broad enough that there is an entire political compass of different competing schools of thought within that space, as long as they don’t stray too far from accepting the general premises of the Virtuous Circle and Lost Years.
To that end, there are Drow who espouse ideas that may seem positively antithetical to the Drow orthodoxy because of what they result, not their reasons. There are for example, two major bodies of thought that the Drow culture should end slavery. One body believes that slaves should not be allowed in Drow’ith’drow because it represents a security risk and their presence is inherently beneath the dignity of the Drow. The other body believes that slavery should be ended, because any slave that exists is consuming resources that could be better put to use for a Drow’s existence. No matter how little resources are dedicated to the slave’s life, the Drow should instead turn that slave into resources for consumption and use magical unseen servants instead.
Similarly, some Drow are anti-war; they don’t want to expand Drow’ith’drow to its absolute limits, because that would involve spreading Drow resources and reducing the quality of life of the Drow that remain. Similarly, some Drow are in fact in favour of leaving other cultures alive outside of the Drow city, because they can then trade with them, and in so doing, sell those people things that extol the rightness and perfection of Drow culture. This capitalist exchange is seen as a way to perfectly uplift all cultures by the Drow example. These Drow, regarded as liberals, will often include anti-slavery positions that nonetheless recommend that other cultures enslave their populations to ensure they can make material goods to meet the Drow’s demands. They understand that the world is difficult and sometimes for the good of everyone, people in charge need to make some hard choices.
Some Drow on the other hand are fully expansionist and imperialist; all states should be claimed and subjugated to Drow will, and all resources in the world should flow to the Drow. These expansionists often have subtle and complex opinions on slavery, too, with ideas like inculcating slaves and then allowing those slaves to be rewarded as a sort of subordinate Drow – including slaves of their own. This is in the name of maintaining a military force capable of conquering the world, eventually.
Also, note, that all these political positions, for most Drow are entirely hypothetical. Most Drow don’t have real political power, even if they vote in the elections. Most Drow don’t own slaves. Most Drow don’t engage in the military, either in its scouting in the demense or raiding outside of it. Nonetheless, Drow are energetically engaged with which side of these great conversations they think they are, convinced that this makes them informed and culturally erudite.
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