Sun Elves
The Solii are a diasporic race of Elves that live in Ignan. While they can be found across the country, most Solii settlements are found within the southern deserts. They are often called Sun Elves.
Sun Elves are famous for their mastery over miracles; they cast spells through living ballads that draw upon Elven history by reciting songs, plays, and epics immortalizing their ancestors' triumphs and tragedies. Through this, they turn their memory into magic.
They are most known for being main race of the Elven city-state, Valonde; which is often seen as the adventuring capital of Tregaron.
Anatomy & Qualities
In terms of common traits, the Solii are most known for their dark skin and fair hair. Most Solii typically have white or cream coloured hair -- but rarely ever darker than brown. Their skin is typically a range between olive and dark. Like most Elves, Solii have long, pointed ears that are sensitive to hearing. Their senses are just as sensitive as other Elves.Keen Sight
As with much of the Elven diaspora, the Solii have evolved one of their five senses beyond their Elven kin. Solii vision is legendary; they're sharp enough to see through mirages and are capable of picking out the finest detail. It's said that the Solii can discern what beach individual grains of sand came from.Common Clothing
A Solii outside of their home is often looking very different from a Solii that lives within the city state of Valonde; due to their culture centering so much around adventuring, much of their preferred wear is typically made for comfort in battle rather than leisure.Sun Wear
Clothing made in Valonde is made of thin breathable silk that's often coloured heavily with dyes and deep embroideries. Wealthier, more successful Solii typically wear embroiderie and decorations that hearken back to their ancestry. Most clothing made for a Solii's comfort is made to, ironically enough, comfort them from the sun; masks, shawls, and hoods keep their sensitive eyes protected from the brightness while their bodies are covered in thin silks that's easy to shake of dust.Ancestral Wear
It's common practice for Solii to replicate the heroes of those that they idolise; especially the heroes that have had their names written in their Book of Ballads. As a result, Solii outside of their home are very diverse in terms of appearance. Some may be gallant knights in shining armour to replicant their stalwart defenders, while others will prefer smooth and swift-footed leathers to accompany their bow.Culture
Shared customary codes and values
Glory Chasers
The Sun Elves are glory chasing, bold, and imperious. They're a prideful race that are filled with the constant desire to stand out among both their peers and the commoners. Compared to other Elven races, they're much more bold and boisterous. The Solii people believe that life is an eternal search to find one's own legacy to stamp into the world. The Sun Elven dream is to have a song made to immortalise their deeds. To Sun Elves, ballads and fairy tales hold enough weight to become miracles that will help aid their people for as long as their miracle holds weight. All Solii wish to have their names bound within the book of Au'Ralshel; a compilation of known Sun Elven stories that tell heroic deeds committed by their people. Whenever a name is immortalised within the Au'Ralshel, their legacy will forever be held in song, and can be used by future generations to create miracles around the accomplishments they've committed in life.Take no Gods
While the Solii revere Fae as much as any other Elf, their focus is solely centered on improving the self rather than relying on the Gods to solve their problems. Their faith is catered around self improvement and the celebration of mortal heroes rather than deities.Common Etiquette rules
Names; not Titles
Titles are never seen as important to the Solii people. A thousand people can be named King or Queen but only one may bear a full name. As a result, most Solii are not observant of titles or occupation; they are much more focused on one's name and personal accomplishments that are committed to it. With names holding such immense weight, it is customary in Solii culture to always speak your own name in greeting. Names are to never be concealed, and to hide behind an alias outside of reenacting a ballad is considered an egregious crime of the highest offense.Interruption
Shael'tair Icht'selth; 'Break my verse and I'll break your teeth';An interruption is an insult of the highest order. Plays, ballad, and song are sacred to the Solii people; to interrupt these things is beyond an insult; it's heretical. This etiquette also extends to every day conversation; while speech is to always be measured and well-kept, interrupting without a succinct apology grants the speaker permission to punch the person interrupting them. (Often in the mouth.)
--Common Solii proverb.
Foods & Cuisine
The Solii are known for their fondness of sweets and meats. Honey is often used as a substitute for most of their sugar. An example of this is the candied date; a dates that are wrapped in fatty meat, typically pork, and carefully cooked in honey until it creates a thin, sweet shell.
Dried meats are also very common, particularly saltwater fish or lamb that's preserved to keep fresh for days through the desert.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Sunseeking
Solii leave their homes to chase their sun by the time they're considered worthy enough to face the world outside of their home's protection. This leads to a very unique society that is tenuously lead mostly by experienced adventurers that have earned their place within the Au'Ralshal. Despite being encouraged to leave at a very young age, the Solii adventurers are always welcome to return to Valonde at any time. However; living too comfortably and too long under Valonde risks being branded as a Icht'Shael. Icht'Shael means shade sitter, and is a derogatory term for those that would rather live their life in safety brought from others rather than carve their own piece into the world themselves. Due to Sun Elven society functioning heavily on gathering new miracles through their ballads, becoming an Icht'Shael can run the risk of being shamed for life.The Au'Ralshael
The Au'Ralshael is the legendary Book of Ballads; a collection of Elven stories that speak of the accomplishments committed by Elven heroes that have brought glory to the Solii people. Every Solii dreams of one day having their name written within the Au'Ralshael, so that their legacy may be carried out through magical songs sung by their descendents of the future. It is common for the Solii to mimic or act out plays committed to the Book of Ballads to further immortalise them. The streets of Valonde are always bustling with a public stage telling of their past glories.The Dre'Vanshael
The Dre'Vanshael is the Book of Shame; while the Book of Ballads is often seen as the Book of the Sun, the Book of Shame is seen as the Book of the Moon. The Dre'Vanshael is a collection of everyone that has brought shame to the Solii people, be it outsiders or their own kind. It immortalises the terrible deeds committed by these people and brands them as criminals forever. Being within the Dre'Vanshael is a terrible legacy, as every name within the book is to be ridiculed, mocked, and forbidden from ever having hope of earning their ballad.Funerary and Memorial customs
As with their Vank neighbours, the Solii practice funeral pyres that are erected to burn their honoured dead in gatherings. Their ashes are usually carried to special jewellers that heat and transmute the ash into gemstones that are then carried by their children or relatives.
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