Silvin

Silvin people are best known for their remarkable craftsmanship and beautiful glass buildings that rise above the desert that they call home. Many noble families across Estya have begun to adopt the fashion and courtship ideals of the Silvin nobility, but usually without understanding or respecting why these ideals exist to begin with.

Naming Traditions

Silvin feminine names traditionally begin with a "v" and end with an "n", though there are notable exceptions including Errana, Nyri, and Ynara. Masculine names traditionally end with an "a", and this variance from traditions across Estya (such a feminine names ending with an "a") has resulted in many Silvins in history being misgendered and their stories improperly told beyond the Silver Sands and the small pockets outside of it with Silvin-majority populations.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The vast majority of Silvins speak Silver-Speak or a localized dialect, and for those who never leave the Silver Sands, this is likely the only language they speak. For Silvins who have travelled beyond their homelands or are currently residing elsewhere, they often speak Orbin.

Common Dress code

While there isn't a strict dress code among Silvin society, as commoners tend to wear whatever is comfortable (which is usually black or gold to make it easier to wash,) nobility tends to follow a set of rules. Feminine Silvin nobles who are single or looking for a relationship will typically wear low, lace collars that show the lack of gemstone at their collarbone. Those that are engaged or married with wear a similar fashion that shows off their crystals. Masculine Silvins seeking a relationship often wear v-neck collars embellished with beads of glass, or they embed a frame at their collarbones with an empty socket in it for their future crystal. When in mourning or otherwise not seeking a relationship, Silvin nobility will wear high collars that conceal any gemstone or otherwise hides their relationship status.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Traditionally, Silvins see darker skin as more beautiful and indicative of having spent a long time in the beautiful land they call home, while lighter skin is considered "foreign". A movement has sprung up in recent history, however, attempting to bring all shades and colors into the spotlight and declare that all are beautiful. Silvins are generally light on makeup and cosmetics, as they view their natural bodies as gifts given to them by Ynix and Niyanna, and to alter them is to insult their divine will. Long hair is also seen as beautiful because of the cultural practice of growing one's hair long in times of peace and only cutting it in war. Silvins have celebrated being free of the wars plaguing the rest of the world, so Silvins with short or shaved hair are seen as being disingenuous and disgracing the will of the gods.

Gender Ideals

In Silvin culture, there are traditionally "feminine" and "masculine" jobs, though their concept of gender is more diverse than most of Estya, and these "rules" are very loose and culturally, deviation is allowed or celebrated. Silvins are not raised "male" or "female", but are traditionally raised "masculine" or "feminine". While most Silvin children remain within the classification they were given at birth, some deviate from this, choosing instead to completely flip and present as the opposite of how they did at birth. Other Silvins will present as combinations of both masculine and feminine, while others present as androgynous, and these differences are respected among the general population and even celebrated among others.

Courtship Ideals

Proposal in Silvin culture does not involve a ring, but instead involves the one proposing finding the birth stone of their lover and presenting them with an uncut one that their lover can do with what they wish. Many choose to have the crystal set into a choker that hangs between their collarbones, and some nobles will have the crystal embedding into their skin between their collarbones. In both instances, it symbolizes your lover being close to your heart, though religious pins and tattoos will always be directly over the heart. Even atheist Silvins will have symbols and jewelry that is directly over their heart, as Silvin culture believes that love and family are important, but need not be the most important thing in one's life.