Del'ya (/dɛl'jə/)

The Del'ya people are a minor Elven Feloran ethnicity concentrated in the western reaches of the Sarendian Trust. They are known for their furniture, a tradition dating back to the making of the 3rd Throne of the Emperor; and for the earliest surviving examples of what has become Feloran plumbing. One of the contacted peoples of the Royal Era of Felora, the ancestral lands of the Del'ya became part of the Lands of the Àntrepari. During this time, early Feloran methods of irrigation and canal digging were learned by the Del'ya, who used the technology to invent interior plumbing. During the Getninian Cataclysm however, the land between the Del'ya and their rulers inland became impassable in the chaos, and the Del'ya were isolated and cut off along with all the other Feloran peoples of the time. During the Early Imperial Era, the Del'ya flourished under the favor of House Èrintrèlis, starting with Thaelin Èrintrèlis I (r. 4402 – 3972 EIE) and continuing under his son. The Del'ya's fortune would change towards the end of the Early Imperial and worsen during the course of the Late Imperial, as the subsequent spiritual shift in the Empire after integration of the Ekorans into Feloran society made the secular and arcane minded Del'yans outliers in the new state spiritual practices.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Del'ya are a small group, and as such do not have any further distinct dialects. What unique linguistic vernacular that may have existed has long been absorbed during the emergence of Ancient Feloran. Today, the community speaks common Feloran, and a few speak the Galisean-originated "trade common" pidgin.

Shared customary codes and values

What sets Del'yans apart from the other Imperial Feloran subgroups is a cultural willingness to test and evaluate new ideas more willingly and quickly than most Felorans. When State Practice was instituted by the first Lèlbrìkèrn in 1800 EIE, the Del'yan propensity to critically evaluate new information caused friction between them and the Gardoum II Court.

Average technological level

The Del'ya are the originators of Feloran plumbing. Today, they live mostly within the city walls of Erintrel, and enjoy the modern amenities of the contemporary Feloran city – streetlighting, baths, exotic foods. In keeping with the scientific heritage, the Del'ya have been one of the Sarendian Trust's few Feloran voices advocating for wider adoption of gunpowder and the introduction of the printing press.

Art & Architecture

In the Early Imperial Era, the Del'yan spouse of Empress Thaelin I, Alessa Dorralei, presented what is now the referred to as the 3rd Throne of Felora. The throne (now destroyed) was reknowned for it's beauty and workship, and soon the members of other Feloran noble houses were seeking Del'ya artisans for their own furniture. This has evolved into the cultural pride of the Del'ya, and today though they are one of the smaller minorities in the Sarendian Trust, their prestige and prowess commands respect and influence.