WIP
pre-Tribunal
-Dres start out as Ashlanders (or Saltlanders, as Kaziem put it; I'll run with the term to maintain the distinction between the Dres development and Ashlanders elsewhere): scattered clans on the hostile Deshaan plains that herded bugs.
-specifically, the Saltlanders were semi-nomadic, like stronghold-era Ashlanders; a transitionary form between fully nomadic tribal Ashlanders and the organized and sedentary House Dunmer.
-Saltlander strongholds were controlled by Ashkhans, (or I guess Saltkhans), as well as wise women. Propylon chambers probably served mainly for communication between clans, as with Dunmer strongholds in general.
-as apparantly the First Empire of the Nords included all of modern Morrowind, the Saltlanders were apparently subjugated as well, at least in name. In reality, they were back-country hicks, and the Deshaan might as well have been a desert.
-perhaps the Saltkhans lost their standing at this point; either they accepted Nord rule, or they specifically rebelled against Nord rule and were removed from power. The wise women took on a more complete leadership role.
-Nerevar rises to power in the North. At some point, the wisewomen of Deshaan start to acknowledge him as Saltkhan. They are not yet united, so it probably happens gradually, the last recognizing him -- at latest -- when the Dres confederation forms.
-the Dres confederation probably starts forming under Nerevar. The Nords have been expelled (though it's again not clear if their influence was ever really felt in Deshaan), and Resdayn was headed to a golden age.
-throughout this period the Dres develop an identity of their own as an Ashlander offshoot; unable to support life in the harsh Deshaan, the Dres learn to bargain like no others; they raid into Argonia for slaves to sell in the north in return for other goods. They strike deals with various exotic visitors to Resdayn, always trying to get the best deal. They value the Daedra like none other, who provide rewards in return for service. They are guided by the wisewomen, who try to ensure that they flourish rather than falling into total anarchy and internal conflict like many other Dunmer of that time and especially of the pre-Nerevar period.
Above all, the Dres are flourishing under Nerevar's Resdayn, hicks though they are, and are doing their best to help Resdayn flourish in turn.
Tribunal Golden Age
There was little or no Dwemer presence in Deshaan, but that made it all the easier for the Dres to demonize them. Dwemer were heretics. One could perhaps strike useful bargains with them, but the prospect of killing them and taking their stuff seemed like a better deal to the Dres. The Dres enthusiastically joined Nerevar in the War of the First Council.
Once it was over, however, Morrowind was transformed. The Chimer had lost their golden skins, and the rest of Morrowind was rendered about as fertile as the Deshaan, which is to say not at all. The Tribunal appeared, however; immortal champions of the three good Daedra who walked Nirn and strived -- much like the Dres -- to serve Morrowind.
The Dres, so ill-equipped to serve Morrowind, were suddenly presented with an opportunity. Visiting Sload recognized Dres' desire to serve Morrowind, and knew a way of making the Deshaan fertile. They offered the knowledge in return for an outrageous demand: the Dres would gain the ability to provide for all of Morrowind and gain great influence, so the Sload laid claim to a similarly significant portion. The Sload wanted to harvest the souls of Dunmer dead. A deal no Dunmer could accept. The wisewomen attached a condition to the deal: their own souls upon their deaths would be the first ones the Sload would receive. The Sload accepted the condition and the deal was done.
The wisewomen didn't have the slightest intent to make good on their deal, so the first thing they did after that was to get a Daedric prince to grant them immortality. The prince bargained for their corruption: they would get their immortility, but that immortality would come in the form of vampirism. Again, a deal no Dunmer could accept. The wisewomen accepted it in secret. It was for the good of Morrowind: they would never die, the Sload would never get their souls, and as such the condition for harvesting the souls of other Dunmer would never be met.
The Sload had played a trick of their own, however: the means to make the Deshaan fertile were beyond the means of the Dres. So a third monumental deal was struck, this time with the Hist: the Hist offered an immense workforce in the form of Argonians. They required a small number of Dunmer in return. A third deal no Dunmer would find acceptable. The wisewomen accepted it in secret.
The confederation of Dres clans rose to power: they managed to secure a large number of Argonian slaves from raids into the Argon Jungle, and set the slaves to work building an irrigation network that allowed them to grow vast amounts of saltrice in the Deshaan. The wisewomen withdrew to the seclusion of the council houses at the highest level of their clansteads.
The three deals they had struck at the spur of the moment shaped the House from that point on. The whole house and Morrowind as a whole were built upon those deals. The expanding Indoril clan greatfully accepted surplus Argonian slaves, which allowed them to build out their own economy beyond their former means. Morrowind, so recently rendered infertile, was booming.
All was going well and would continue to go well, as long as the Dunmer never discovered the nature of the deals the Dres had struck. And as long as the Dres would not have to pay up on their first deal. Any breach of secrecy was quickly sealed off by the black hands of the Morag Tong.
Post Armistice
Things started to get very awkward for the Dres post-Armistice. As long as Morrowind was stable, it was relatively easy to keep on top of developments and keep the lie going. Morrowind was no longer stable.
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